The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially organized in April 1830. The Book of Mormon had been printed and the gospel was being to travel faster than ever. As the church grew, Joseph Smith continued to receive revelations to help him make sure the church he organized, was the one Jesus Christ wanted it to be: His church. Many of these revelations were written down and would later be compile... Read More

Elder Richard G. Scott, a living Apostle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, tell us: Since truth is the only meaningful foundation upon which we can make wise decisions, how then can one establish what is really true? Increasingly more people are finding that making wise decisions is becoming more and more difficult because of the ultra-interconnected world in which we live. Constantly forced into our consciousness is an incessant barrage of counsel, advice, and promotions. It is done by a bewildering array of media, Internet, and other means. On a given subject we can receive multiple strongly delivered, carefully crafted messages with sol... Read More

Men kind of get a bad rap in this world. It is a sad statement, but true. Of course, some of them do all they can to foster that bad rap. But they aren't who I want to talk about. I want to talk about the benefit of having a righteous priesthood holder in my life. I grew up with a man who was rather stingy with the priesthood, my biological father. He and my mother divorced when I was 14 and I still really had no idea what a righteous priesthood holder was supposed to do in a family. On November 8, 1980 my mother married Fritz Hendrik Sluyter the man who came to be the father of my heart, but also the man who truly helped me to understand the power and strength of a righteous priesthood holder in the home. First, I think we should define the priesthood: ... Read More

The 11th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormons, states: We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. (Articles of Faith 1:11) This is something President Thomas S. Monson, the 16th called prophet of these modern times, has taken to heart. In the last ... Read More

Several weeks ago an interesting idea came to mind. Okay, it was probably more like several months ago. Nonetheless, I toyed with the idea for quite some time before I spoke to anyone about it. After a few interesting conversations with friends I called my mother. You see, my mom is always the final source of confirmation for me, just to make sure I don't ever go off the deep end. My mom is one of the straightest shooting people you will ever find. As I explained to her what was, and still is, in my mind I was quite surprised by her answer. I'd expected a quick and painful dropping back to earth rather than what I did receive. She said, "I've been thinking a lot about all these public shootings which have been going on. As I've thought about it I've wondered what I would... Read More

When Christ was preparing to leave His disciples for the final time, He promised them a special gift. This gift, the Holy Ghost, was described by Christ as a Comforter, as foundation of peace, a Teacher, a source of truth and a Testifier, a way for Christ to be with His disciples even when He was removed from their physical presence. It was, in my opinion, the most beautiful gift He could give them. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be i... Read More

In this world that is drenched with sexual images and commodities, what is a parent to do to strengthen their child (and even themselves) against this onslaught? It is a rampant problem, one that appears to be worsening. My husband a few years back attended a conference for mental health counselors and psychologists. The focus of the conference was helping clients overcome pornography addiction. During the lectures and workshops of the conference, my husband learned many important things to help those he counsels with sexual addiction issues. But one of the most startling facts shared at the conference was the new target market for porn companies are the 7- to 12- year-olds! Nothing beautiful, "artistic," nor entertaining about that! This fact was shocking to me. It is ... Read More

As a new male member of the church, you may have learned that you are to be the head of the household. If this hasn’t been a part of your marriage in the past, it may seem complicated to you to understand how to do this in light of the way the missionaries taught you to treat your wife. This is because many people confuse being the head of the household with being the boss. They picture an autocratic man controlling every decision, every action. This is not at all what the church means when it tells men to take their place as the head of the home. “The priesthood places upon the fathers the responsibility of being the head of the family and the home. What does being the head of the family mean? It is a priesthood power, and the Doctrine and Covenants, sec... Read More

When I was a girl, we had Cheerio’s, eggs or oatmeal for breakfast. That was about it. When we got tired of hard-boiled eggs, we’d try scrambled or fried. Pancakes with bacon were a special treat and were reserved for the weekend when we had more time. Boy, times have changed. For breakfast, my kids can have over 250 brands of boxed cereals. I can choose from bagged or boxed brands, organic brands, oat, wheat, spelt, barley or corn-based brands. My milk can be soy milk, rice milk, skim, 1%, 2%, or whole. It can be regular milk, “hormone-free” milk or organic milk. I can have regular eggs, egg whites, eggs from hormone-free farms, or eggs from free-range chickens. I can make waffles from scratch, choose from over 10 brands of pre-prepared mix, or from umpt... Read More

Mistakes! We've all made them. Some mistakes are easily corrected, others can take quite a lot of time and effort to fix. I've made my share of mistakes. I will probably make a few more before my time on this earth is through. Big or small, I can honestly say that I've learned from my mistakes. They've made me a better person, a better mother and wife. My mistakes and my journey to overcome those mistakes are as much a part of me as any other attribute that makes me - me. But what happens when our children make mistakes? Are we as patient or as understanding? Do we forgive? Do we look at it as an opportunity for them to grow, or do we only see the looks that we imagine our neighbors and friends are giving us? Do we view it as a reflection on our abilities (or lack thereof) as pa... Read More

There has been a lot said recently about a certain new children’s book. Apparently the whole premise of the book is to prepare a child for their mother’s upcoming plastic surgery. At this point I become very torn. While the nurse in me agrees that children definitely need to be told and kindly taught what is going on with their mother when she undergoes any surgery, the woman in me becomes a bit discouraged. Plastic surgery is a very strange message to be sharing with children, especially when the images and focus of the book is taking a natural, wholesome woman and mother and surgically creating something “beautiful”. Is the child who loves totally and completely supposed to now judge that love based on whether or not the mother is beautiful? I almo... Read More

If you’re a man who has recently joined the church, you may be wondering how the teachings of the church will affect your relationships with women, particularly your wife. Everyone is Heavenly Father’s child and He does not love any one child more than any other. God doesn’t favor any gender, race, or nationality. That said, He didn’t create the genders to be exactly the same. Spencer W. Kimball taught: “Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood—but the man is not without the woman n... Read More

“They did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them” (Alma 57:21). There are few sights in this world that can compare to a righteous mother humbly teaching her children in the ways of the Lord. There are few better testimonies to the love a child has for his mother than to continue in those ways even as he grows older. My absolute favorite story involving mothers occurs in the ... Read More

Do you remember the story of Jacob’s ladder? 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:11-12 Aside from the sleeping on a rock, there is a small message for me hidden in Jacob’s dream. Overall, the Lord’s message is of covenants and promises, but for me there is also an understanding of ... Read More

Right now my mother is reading Pollyanna to my youngest sister. They are both enjoying it immensely, just as I did when I first discovered this written story. There are many great lessons that can be gleaned from this children's classic. For me the most powerful of the lessons taught is how to play "The Glad Game,” and why it is so important that we do so. It is possible to see things as they are and yet at the same time focus on the good side of them. To do so takes a conscious choice on our part, which may not always be easy to do, but it is always possible. I am reminded of a quote my father has on the wall of his office which says, "In this life trials and tribulations are mandatory, but misery is optional."-unknown I kn... Read More

At the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, referred to as the Mormons, 178th Annual General Conference Elder Russell M. Nelson, a living Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, stated: This life is the time to prepare for salvation and exaltation. In God’s eternal plan, salvation is an individual matter; exaltation is a family matter. (Russell M. Nelson, “... Read More

I still remember my early days as a newcomer to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently known as "The 'Mormon' Church"). A former Catholic (Karen Trifiletti Merkley), I raised unanswered questions about the war in heaven, confession of sins, baptism, and many other doctrines, which I found later answered as I investigated the claims of the Church of Jesus Christ as mentioned in anti-Mormon literature written by ex-mormons. The claims of Mormons aligned themselves completely with the doctrines of Jesus Christ as I found them through personal, guided study of the New... Read More

I ran across a beautiful set of scriptures the other day as I was celebrating the return of spring. They’re found in John 15. 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fr... Read More

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. That is, they see him filling the same role as Moses or Isaiah. He was called of God to teach and lead people, and to be a witness of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. In discussing this... Read More

We hear much in the church about the importance of leadership, but less about what Roger Merrill calls followership. There is no point in having leaders if there is no one to follow, and followership is an excellent place for new members to provide service in the church. When we learn to effectively and humbly follow our leaders, we show respect for the Lord’s choices for leadership. Since we are all asked to follow the Savior, learning to follow righteous earthly leaders is good training for this. Brother Merrill advises: “A good follower asks what to do and is willi... Read More

Go on, admit it. Every mother’s been there. It’s what we do every single day of our lives. We are faced with this huge task of taking a totally dependent little bundle of joy from point A to point B (where they are a happy, productive adult member of society). Subconsciously, we just know we are failing. Subliminally, we recognize that we’re just making things more difficult for ourselves. Yet, we can’t seem to force ourselves to do things differently. We cling to the silliest things, and let go of some of the most practical. We secretly idolize our own mothers (whether we hate them or not) because they ... Read More

Do you dread going to a large shopping mall because you can't quite get your bearings in that monster of a maze - the parking lot? Have you ever gone to visit someone in a large hospital and felt embarrassed about not knowing which hallway takes you back to the elevator? Have you ever felt a sense of panic after making one wrong turn after another? Have you ever called your husband to guide you home? If you answered yes, then you know exactly how frightening, frustrating, and terribly embarrassing these situations can be. According to one estimate, about ... Read More

Since joining the church, you’ve probably become aware that we have a great need for leaders. There are many positions which require leadership, and most people get a chance to be a leader sooner or later. When I joined the church, I was certain I would not be one of them. I was most definitely a follower. It didn’t work out that way, of course. I was eventually called into leadership positions and had to learn to become a leader. You can begin this process now, even though you’re new to the church and probably don’t have a leadership position yet. Even if you have no leadership experience anywhere, you can be prepared when the time comes. Watch the leaders in your ward (congregation.) Notice how they lead a meeting, so you’ll understand how... Read More

Here is how a recent Sunday of mine went: I got up at 3:30 AM to go to work. I work at a hospital, which explains both the oddball hours and why I was at work on Sunday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, affirms the Law of the Sabbath and holds worship services on Sunday. However, the Church also allows servicemen, first responders, peace officers, and so forth to d... Read More

It may seem like a strange goal in life, but I want to fade into the background. I’m not one who honestly enjoys being in the public eye, on the other hand I love watching my work make someone happy. My favorite place to be is in the background, quietly finding all the little things I can to do help the project along, whatever it may be. That’s my favorite place in the gospel as well. There is a song I was introduced to many years ago that talks about becoming someone who reflected God’s love so well that those around couldn’t see beyond the glow. It was an honest prayer to live a life that testifies of Christ and draws people to Him. That’s the life I want. I want to be the person in the ... Read More

God does not just speak to the multitudes; He also speaks to us individually. In the beginning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as Mormons) was very small, and people had a lot of direct contact with the prophet, Joseph Smith. People would frequently approach the prophet and ask him to pray to God in their behalf for specific direction they were seeking, which he o... Read More

Changing bad behaviors isn’t going to happen overnight, no matter how eager we may be to make it happen. The further into sin we are, the more difficult it will be to turn around. It’s important to help youth understand that making significant changes to better our lives needs to be a step-by-step process. ACTIVITY Scripture: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Learning is a step-by-step process, whether we’re learning about how to change a tire, or how to turn away from sin. To help youth understand the process a litt... Read More

Have you found it difficult, since joining the church, to make some of the changes you need to make? Perhaps it’s time to focus on your thoughts instead of just thinking about your actions. We seldom do something we’ve never even thought of doing. Before we sin, we’ve tossed it around our minds and perhaps imagined it. For this reason, learning to control our thoughts is very important to learning to live without sin. Elder Dean Larson suggested this tactic: “In order to sustain constructive thinking, it’s necessary for us to have something worthwhile to think about, to have in reserve, … some items, some problems, some challenges, to which we can turn our minds, to think our way through to a solution.” (Quoted in “Lesson 9... Read More

I don’t know about you, but as a parent I have selective hearing. I’ve honed my ability to tune out whining and minimal bickering as well as pleas for candy in the grocery store. I’m normally very easily distracted, so even on other tasks I’ve trained myself to stay very focused or the job will go undone. But, in this process it becomes very easy to just stop noticing things at all. There have been many times I’ve walked down the halls at church or even in the grocery store and not even noticed that someone said high or smiled at me until they’re long gone and the message finally makes it through all my carefully placed filt... Read More

Early in my church membership I discovered I sometimes felt like the new kid in school. Members often talked of a past I knew nothing about. They had lived under prophets I didn’t know and experienced church events I’d never heard of. One day, while shopping at the church owned Deseret Industries thrift store, I discovered some very old Ensign magazines. The Ensign is the church’s magazine for adults. I sifted through them until I found some that were published long before I joined the church and purchased them. At home, I began to get caught up. I read the words of ... Read More

We all admire people who stand up for what they believe, even in the worst of circumstances. We all remember Jeff Widener’s AP photo of the lone man standing in front of the four tanks rolling onto Tiananmen Square in 1989. This one man was clearly overwhelmed, out-armored, and outgunned. Yet he held his ground, inspiring millions. This reminds me of an incident in the life of Joseph Smith, the founding ... Read More

There are so many demands on a woman’s time. We live in an age which has taught us that women can be anything that they want. Quite honestly, it’s instilled another belief as well. Not only do women feel more empowered to be anything they had somehow gotten the notion that means they need to “be” everything. Somehow, in the process of empowering women to their natural abilities to excel and come off conqueror in any battle they might find themselves in, we have managed to back ourselves into a corner fighting more battles than anyone could win on their own. It comes back down to the basics. The part of the “be anything” philosophy that gets conveniently over looked is making conscious choices. Instead of anything we want, our ideas becom... Read More

When you began investigating the church, you followed a carefully created plan that would lead you to the right choices. You accepted an invitation to learn, studied with missionaries and perhaps other members, attended church, read scriptures and prayed for a testimony. You had an interview with someone to declare your worthiness for baptism. To some extent, this plan was made by others, and you agreed to carry it out. Now that you are a new member, you are responsible for making your own plan to live the gospel. Without a plan, things may not go the way you intended and you may find yourself falling away. Think of major events in your life that you carried out—a large party, a major school or work project, anything that took many steps. If you simply leaped int... Read More