Unexpected
WOW. I didn’t expect that totally unanticipated reaction. I was posting online a missionary letter that I received in my email this morning. This elder has been serving in South Korea for the last two years, and this week’s message was short but amazing. He is...
Be Better, Not Bitter
On my mission, I listened to John Bytheway's audiobook Rough Start, Great Finish. I don't remember all the details, but one line has always stuck with me: "You can be bitter or you can be better." I remember loving it then, but I had no idea how significant...
Comparison Steals Joy
We just got two dwarf hamsters. They are tiny and adorable. So, when my son begged me for a larger breed, I thought that one hamster is like another. He wanted the big kind, the Syrian hamster, and I was all for it. I mean, in comparison, they are both hamsters. How...
A Creation Pattern in 3 Nephi: Matter Organized
Have you ever considered the pattern of creation followed in 3 Nephi during the Savior's ministry to the people? As I thought about the chaos and darkness, then subsequent light, the notion that it followed a creation patterned dawned on me. First, the earth...
Listening
I love Ted Talks—they are a quick motivational/thought-provoking mini-break during my day. Earlier this week, I stumbled upon one by Celeste Headlee, a daily news/talk show host who discusses “10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation.” Her points were: ...
Choices: The Difference between the World and the Lord
There are so many good ways to spend our time–but we want our choices to reflect the very best the Lord has to offer.
Amazed
I always wondered how this was going to happen — when word will come that it is time to make the trip back to Missouri in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. I wondered if it would be announced over the pulpit or discussed in a priesthood meeting...
Granny Camp Strengthens Families
Some years ago, I connected with a woman on social media who held periodic 'Grandma Camps' with her grandchildren. They did lots of fun things together, and I thought it was a really cool idea. A few months later, my oldest daughter decided to send her two small...
What We Can Learn from the Mormon Pioneers
Mormon teenagers sometimes give up a few summer days to dress and live like pioneers from the 1800s. Surprisingly, they find the grueling hike fun and life-changing. Learn why.
Why Does God Say ‘No’?
I can't tell you how many times I have been told 'No' — but there's nothing worse than when you are asking God a question, or for something you really want, and His answer is 'No'. This week I got to talk to my son about getting answers to prayers. He wanted to know...
The Sacrament – The Veil
To some extent, I'd always looked at the Sacrament table with its white cloth as a metaphorical funeral pyre. The prayers say we eat and drink in remembrance of Christ's body and His blood shed for us. I always saw that as representative of His death. And I believe...
It’s Not Where You Serve, But How
There is an aspect of LDS culture that offends me: the culture of calling competition. The idea that what calling you hold somehow equates to your spiritual worthiness before God. Sadly, there are times when someone feeds into this cultural misconception...
What Matters Most is What Lasts Longest
Elder M. Russell Ballard, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke several years ago on the topic, "What Matters Most is What Lasts Longest." As I read his talk, it struck a chord with me. So often as we're parenting our children,...
How Satan Battles Truth
This post was originally published in 2008. Minor revisions have been made. Satan’s sole purpose in his life is to make everyone as miserable as he is, and the best way to do this is to battle truth. If he can turn people away from God, the Savior, and the...
Lessons from the Farm
I have written before about my experience growing up on the farm. It was difficult work for a child, but loving parents disrupted their lives to give us children an opportunity that has come to bless me every day and will continue to do so for the rest of my life....
Seek Me Diligently
Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63) My previous article focused on answering the first of the following four...
I’ve Seen Heaven
I've seen Heaven. And it's beyond beautiful. No, I didn't have a near death experience. I was given this brief glimpse in a dream. I firmly believe that God speaks to us in dreams. And this time, He was giving me a vision of hope. Let me explain. I had been...
The Sacrament – Living Water
In vision, Ezekiel saw water springing beneath the temple in Jerusalem and flowing down the mountain east towards the Dead Sea, would heal everything, including the Dead Sea. [T]the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that...
Final 100 Days
Imagine for a moment that you know the exact date of your death. In exactly 100 days, you will no longer be here on the earth. What will you do in your final days? What or who will become a priority? What or who will no longer be a priority? Get Rid of...
On the Origin of Man
The debate over the true origin of man has been going on for centuries and maybe even millennia. In today's world, how we came into being is divided into two basic camps or major points of view. On one hand, there is the group that says we evolved slowly over...
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