Choose Joy—Choose Repentance

The choice to forsake sin and repent may be hard, but it will bring joy. Some people struggle with charity. Some people struggle with purity. But as a kid, Elder Dale G. Renlund struggled with lighting firecrackers before sacrament meetings. In his talk “Repentance: A Joyful Choice,” Elder Renlund describes how, when he… Continue reading

The Atonement: How We Can Heal and Forgive

Christ hugging two women

The Atonement of Jesus Christ not only helps us repent; it can also give us the strength to forgive others. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important event in history, but it is often hard to understand. How does it apply to each of us? And what must we do… Continue reading

Expanding Our Understanding of Family History

Even if your family tree is complete, there is still work for you to do. When we think of family history, we often think of perusing birth and marriage records in order to connect generations of families together. In some cases, however, our family trees might already be complete, or… Continue reading

Sunday Blues and Sabbath Delights

I dreaded Sundays. I wanted to enjoy them, but I didn’t until I learned to focus on my relationship with God. In his talk “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” President Russell M. Nelson uses the word delight sixteen times. To me, delight meant eating ice cream or watching a romantic comedy; it did not… Continue reading

Priesthood Authority to Perform Priesthood Functions

Latter-day Saint men and women are equal in the sight of God. Both have access to priesthood authority to perform priesthood functions. A string orchestra is made up of five sections: first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, and string basses. Sometimes it seems like one section is more important than… Continue reading

3 Ways to Explain the Unexplainable

We can still have faith in Christ, even when we struggle to understand the gospel. With modern technology, we have so much knowledge at our fingertips—yet, having resources that are only a few taps away doesn’t mean we can answer all of life’s questions. Our current scientific theories can’t explain… Continue reading

The Power of Language on Social Media

Do we comprehend the power behind the language we use on social media? Language is powerful—especially our language on social media. A single word has the power to influence people and their feelings, for good or bad. Elder Charles A. Didier reminds us in his talk “Language: A Divine Way of Communicating” that we often… Continue reading

One Day, Maybe

A planning book

If you think a faithful life sounds great—but not right now—here are some ways to procrastinate developing your testimony. You’re young. You’re free. This is the time to live for the moment—no commitments, no restrictions. Of course, there’s that lingering feeling that the gospel is in fact true, but you don’t… Continue reading

Family History: More Than Work for the Dead

A zebra sticking his nose into an old, blue car.

Family history isn’t just for the salvation of our ancestors. As we learn about our ancestors, their example strengthens us. I always felt like family history was for old people, so when Elder David A. Bednar gave his talk “The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn” in October 2011, I immediately… Continue reading

Finding the Light

In times of trouble or despair, the Light of Christ is never far from us. As we strive to stand in the Savior’s light, we will find it—no matter our circumstances. Genocide in the Middle East. Political upheaval in multiple countries. Stories of abuse, violence, injustice, and death. It is… Continue reading