Judge Not
Many months ago I ran across a store window display that actually left an impression with me. It was a jewelry store. Instead of the normal velveteen steps and satin pillows many jewelers use, this store featured something different. Inside the display case was a very...
Baptism: Changing the Ordinance, Breaking the Covenant
In 740 B.C., Isaiah recorded this prophecy: “The earth also is defiled . . . because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 24: 5). It is clear that the prophet is speaking of generations prior to the second...
Lean Not Unto Thine Own Understanding
In Proverbs 3:5 we receive critical advice from Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ and the Messiah of the New Testament and the Son of God: This scripture has always had great impact on me, so much so that I wrote an entire fictional book based on the premise. But it has,...
The Daily Bread of Adversity
At the beginning of last week, as I pondered and prayed about what I should write about in my first post under the category of Adversity, it honestly did not occur to me that the answer would be so ironic. The days that followed after my prayer were filled with...
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
There is a song that has been coming into my head incessantly over the last twelve hours until I decided there was an excellent message in the words and perhaps something I should write about today. It is not a Mormon hymn, nevertheless, it is one of great beauty and...
Candace E. Salima Conversion Story
I can scarcely remember a day when I didn't know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was true. For as long as I can remember I was a Mormon and proud of it. I descended from Moses Harris, who joined the Church in 1832 when Joseph Smith, Jr. was the...
Be Thou Humble
Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee, Shall lead thee by the hand and give the answer to thy prayers. Be thou humble in thy pleading and the Lord thy God shall bless thee, Shall Bless thee with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares....
The Importance of Christmas Carols
So many people today are disenchanted with the commercialization of Christmas, the predominance of Santa and the relative absence of Jesus Christ, the overspending and the focus on materialism and gift-getting. But I’d like to take a moment and share with you how the...
Worthy to Enter the Temple
I've written briefly about the importance of Family History work to Mormons but I wish to elaborate on what is required of Mormons to be able to enter the Temple to do this important work. Besides baptism, Latter-Day Saints must obtain their own endowment before they...
Pride: Enmity Against Our Fellow Man
The Savior warned us of how difficult pride can be to root out in ourselves in his Sermon on the Mount. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me...
Questions About Tithing
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story about an ongoing debate by churchgoers in general about tithing. The traditional definition of tithing is the practice of giving ten percent of your income to your church. But some folks are questioning this practice. One...
Remember . . .
Alvin is still in the hospital, and in fact, still in IMC (Intermediate Care.) He's been in the hospital so much over the last two years that he doesn't handle the confinement well. He's getting pretty ancy and so we went for a walk. We found a little balcony and we...
Condemn Me Not
There is a scripture toward the tail end of the Book of Mormon in the Book of Mormon (yes, I know that's confusing,) that has always given me great hope. The prophet Mormon, who is the one who abridged all the plates of the history of his people were written on, wrote...
The Nativity Story 4: King of the Jews
This fourth part of The Nativity Story can be found in Matthew chapter 2 (KJV) of the Bible. King of the Jews As was required by Jewish law, when the baby of Mary was eight days old He was circumcised and given the earthly name of Jesus. Mary remained in retirement...
The Nativity Story 3: Good Tidings of Great Joy
The birth of Mary’s baby was fast approaching, and at this time a decree went out from Rome ordering a taxing of all the people. It was a way to take a census upon which the basis of the taxation would be determined among the different peoples. Had the census been...
The Nativity Story 2: Joseph. . .Fear Not
This is part two in a version of the Nativity story inspired by a lesson I gave to the Young Women (girls 12-17) of the Mormon Church (or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) several Christmas's ago. I would encourage you to read Luke chapters 1 and 2, and...
The Nativity Story 1: Behold the Handmaid
The following story is one I wrote up several years ago when asked to do a lesson for my Young Women class (girls 12-17 in the Mormon Church) one Christmas. I can testify every word was inspired, and it is Christ to whom I dedicate it. The historical aspects of this...
A Warning from God
One of the blessings of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a Mormon) is the ready access to the book of scripture known as the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is a companion volume to the Holy Bible. As Mormons, we revere both these...
Love Your Little Ones
As Mormons, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in prophets. The Lord has used prophets many times throughout the history of the world to teach His children proper living (see Amos 3:7.) The good news for today is that the Lord...
Mormon Women Serve Missions, Too!
You may be familiar with the idea of clean-cut, clean-shaven young men in dark suits with name tags being missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That’s probably because there are over 40,000 of them right now serving in areas all over the...