Learning to Love the Commandments

The commandments may seem restrictive, but if we can recognize them as a gift from a loving Heavenly Father, we can see them in a new light.  We live in the world of the individual. We take pride in our personal freedoms, explore our unique interests, and direct our own… Continue reading

Having Faith to Continue On

Clouds over a valley.

As we strive to have faith through trials, obedience can help our faith grow stronger. Recently, I have had challenges with infertility and other health problems that have made it a little harder to continue with faith and to continue with the belief that everything will work out. It’s been… Continue reading

What Is True?

Man grabbing head in frustration

When you are flooded with conflicting messages and instructions, faith it ‘til you make it. Discerning truth can be difficult. Years ago, Elder Bruce R. McConkie shared some valuable insights that are just as relevant today as they were then. In his Brigham Young University devotional discourse “The Seven Deadly… Continue reading

Blazing Bonfires: How I’ve Learned to Love Obedience

hands praying over scriptures

“Don’t rock yourself into the bonfire,” my grandpa joked as he purposefully wobbled his cheap plastic chair in front of the roaring fire.  Six-year-old me giggled and thought, “Duh, fire’s dangerous. Who’d ever touch it on purpose?” A few seconds later, however, I decided to ignore my grandpa’s advice. “Chairs… Continue reading

The Prophet’s Voice: Our Beacon

We’re constantly surrounded by a fog of conflicting messages, but the prophet’s voice is clear, direct, and distinct if we’re willing to listen to it. San Francisco is famous for its iconic bridges and stunning natural beauty. Because of the city’s proximity to the ocean, dense fog often encompasses the… Continue reading

7 Ways Not to Write Your Missionary

Keep in contact with your missionary without complicating the work. It’s Monday and your inbox is bombarded with weekly missionary emails—stories of being chased by dogs, sprinklings of foreign jargon, and endless retellings of miracles. Now it’s time to write your missionary a response. Missionaries love receiving letters, but could… Continue reading

Seeking the Holy Ghost

We need the Holy Ghost more and more as the last days progress, but how can we make our desire for the Holy Ghost steady and intense? I wanted to stop my own pride cycle. I wanted to seek God without having to be reminded by my spiritual lows. I… Continue reading

Simple Acts of Faith

sun rays through the clouds

What do the small and simple things have to do with the trials we find ourselves facing?  For some reason, we balk at simplicity. As humans, anything too easy makes us suspicious. With this tendency, sometimes we overlook the building blocks of the gospel, even though these building blocks are often what we need… Continue reading

Lost and Found

Sheep on a mountain covered with fog

When all hope seems lost, where can we turn? When we feel we are too damaged to return to the fold, how can our Father in Heaven lovingly repair our broken spirits? Most of us are familiar with the parable of the lost sheep. It is typically used as an… Continue reading

What’s Your Why?

man on a bike

There’s more to living the gospel than mere obedience. We need to understand the why behind our decisions and act with deliberate purpose.  There are countless reasons we might do certain things in our lives. We might do our homework because we want to get good grades, because we want… Continue reading