The Lord has blessed us with friends and neighbors to strengthen us when the floods of life—literal or metaphorical—threaten to overwhelm us. I’d never truly understood the destructive power of water until I witnessed it submerge my hometown under seven feet of water. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey overtook many homes… Continue reading
When it feels like our life is cracking under pressure, how do we continue? Sometimes the answer is to submit to the will of God. I was 12 years old when I lost all my friends—for the second year in a row. Another move, another state. With burgeoning depression, I… Continue reading
Do you ever wish you were better at building lasting friendships? One morning, I woke up to a big, long text from my ministering sister. You know the type: “Hey! I’m…[insert introduction, exclamation points!!!, and a bunch of personal questions]. What are you up to these days?” At this point,… Continue reading
Dating isn’t just a time to fall in love; it’s a time to strengthen friendships. Everybody knows somebody—or knows somebody who knows somebody—with a story about a couple who got engaged after only dating for a few months, weeks, or even days. That quick jump between dating and marriage can… Continue reading
Sometimes as young single adults, we can feel as though we’re not developing important, eternal relationships. However, the friendships we make now might be just as important as the marriages we enter later. “I’m not doing great at finding an eternal companion,” my friend said one morning, “but I’m doing… Continue reading
I had been living far below my privileges when it came to scripture study. In a class I took on teaching seminary, I learned that there is a better way to study scriptures: by following the learning pattern. The learning pattern includes understanding the context and content, identifying and understanding… Continue reading
Given our drastically different life experiences, unless we exercise charity, it is all too easy to write off others’ soul-trying experiences as instances in which they simply made choices. I have three really good friends who have come out as gay, and I highly admire each of them, the first for his ability… Continue reading
As we follow four important words in Alma 34:32, the purpose of life can become clearer, and our journey through life can become easier. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all that living the gospel entails. The long list of to-do’s can distract us from the true purpose of life.… Continue reading
Latter-day Saints share many of the same beliefs as other religions, including our stance on the family. We can work together as religious people to share elements of the gospel with the world. As the fight for the family becomes more heated in modern society, people of different religions… Continue reading
