More than a Holiday Special

Celebrating the Easter story is not meant to be reserved for the holidays; Christ lives—today! During the Easter season, Church leaders have reminded us of the significance of the Easter story. But the truth of the Atonement, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not simply a holiday message. In...

A Mighty Heart Workout

How to become like Jesus: a transformation made possible through his grace. Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, For these are the things Jesus taught. (“I’m Trying to Be like Jesus,”...

Faith: A Power Rooted in Eternal Principles

We often wait for the fog to lift before taking another step. Learning instead to walk through it is real faith. The modern world is a chaotic echo chamber, reinforcing our own thoughts about who to be and how to plan our lives. We may try to rely on our...

Rejoice with Those Who Rejoice

Even in seasons of sorrow and grief, we can rejoice with those who rejoice. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I try to live by the principle to “mourn with those who mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort,” as taught...

Faith to Affect and Faith to Accept

The absence of a miracle doesn’t necessarily mean we lack faith—the faith to accept God’s will is an equally valid expression of devotion. President Russell M. Nelson once told the story of two contrasting yet powerful examples of faith. In his April 2021 general conference talk “Christ Is Risen; Faith...
Our Heavenly Mother: Silence or Reverence?

Our Heavenly Mother: Silence or Reverence?

Keeping silent about Heavenly Mother often leads to incorrect assumptions, proving more problematic than protective.  We’ve all heard explanations about why we don’t discuss Heavenly Mother. Some say that we don’t talk about her for fear of sullying her name, like the world has done to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ....
Culture vs. Creed: Thoughts on Our Bodies

Culture vs. Creed: Thoughts on Our Bodies

As we teach and learn together, we must distinguish between Church doctrine and local culture. I see a disconnect sometimes, especially in online echo chambers, between my lived experience and the lived experiences of others within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These differences are often benign or...
3 Ways to Improve Your Scripture Study

3 Ways to Improve Your Scripture Study

Know Christ by knowing how to study the scriptures. I started reading the scriptures on my own when I was twelve. I opened a copy of the Book of Mormon, and in about a year I’d read it from cover to cover. When I finished, I took a two-week break...
The Three Pillars of Eternity: Creation, Fall, and Atonement

The Three Pillars of Eternity: Creation, Fall, and Atonement

By learning about these three great events of the plan of salvation, we can better understand God’s eternal plan for us. In a 1981 Brigham Young University devotional, Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85), then serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, teaches about the “three pillars of...
Joseph Smith’s Journals: Records of Revelation

Joseph Smith’s Journals: Records of Revelation

Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration, provided a clear view into the roots of our faith through his detailed record keeping. There are many unanswered questions surrounding Joseph Smith, the Latter-day prophet and founder of the LDS Church. Inquiries arise consistently about his character, his actions, and his role...
Laboring in the Eleventh Hour

Laboring in the Eleventh Hour

The parable of the laborers in the vineyard isn’t just a lesson about unfairness; it’s about how Christ promises to make all things fair. As I read the parable of the laborers in the vineyard found in Matthew 20: 1–16, the unfairness of the situation stood out to me. On...