Getting a Testimony: Not a Once and Done Event
Sometimes we talk about the big moment we got our testimony, but the process of conversion is one that lasts a lifetime—and that is reassuring.
Chasing Away the Winter Blues
With all the political drama from the news and several winter storms passing through our country, we need a little lighthearted pick up as daylight saving time starts and we move into spring. Sometime we need a break from the world and cannot always get away because...
Missionary Left-Overs
Over almost two decades of married life, we have had the missionaries over for dinner a lot! We’ve collected quite a few memorable moments during these wonderful meals together. Like the time a missionary got up from the table in the middle of our spaghetti...
The Longest Post on Marriage You’ll Ever Read (probably not, but still) – Part 2
This article was previously published on Happy Meets Crazy. Republished with permission. Welcome to Part 2- How to make your marriage better You know those checklists you read from church leaders, therapists, authors, relationship gurus, etc. on how to...
And it Came to Pass
One of the greatest pieces of motherhood advice finally clicked for me in the middle of the night. I was nursing my sixth child. He was still nursing two to three times a night, even though he was reaching the age where most babies learn to sleep for much...
Lesson for Life
Miracles happen all around us—small and large—they occur in our midst, and we frequently hear of them if we look for them. I want to tell you about a lesson in this light I learned as a boy. The evenings in Castle Valley were comfortable and beautiful. As the...
The Burdens We are Not Meant to Carry
I write this not because it is easy for me, but because it is necessary for me. As much as I say I long for rest or heaven or peace or just ONE problem free day, I have become increasingly aware of how I make my own life harder. There is meant to be opposition...
Why I’m Not a Survivor
This article was previously published on "Hi, I'm Bekki." Republished with permission. A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my counselor about what we've euphemistically termed the "crummy days," the period in which I first experienced the symptoms of...
Waves
I have a friend who broke her face. Periphery Waves She lounged in a tide pool, enjoying the water, and holding her infant son securely to her chest. She watched her husband and two-year-old daughter exploring the pools' ridge line. Suddenly, in her...
God IS in the Details of Our Lives
Several articles are making the rounds on social media lately claiming that God is not in the details of our lives. Instead, the difficulties we are going through are of our own and others’ making and God has no part of them. This belief is based on faulty...
The Longest Post on Marriage You’ll Ever Read (probably not, but still)- Part 1
This article was previously published on Happy meets Crazy. Republished with permission. It's come to my attention that my marriage is being held up as an example to others. A positive example! That's not so bad. It's flattering. It shows that others have...
The Fall
I grew up in a garden. Like Adam and Eve had everything they needed with little effort, as a child, I did too. My parents loved each other, loved the Lord and loved me. I had food every day. Even my voracious curiosity was fed. It was a paradise. At home...
Bible Videos
I teach a family history class. Frequently, I don’t really know how the class is going to proceed until it happens. The scripture “I will give you in the moment…” comes to mind. John Bytheway once said that he can hardly wait to go to a fireside where he will be...
Joy
What is the purpose of life? We’re here to gain a body and a family, to learn, to be tested, to develop faith, and ultimately to return to our Heavenly Father. However, the Book of Mormon also offers another interesting perspective on the purpose of our time here on...
Keeping Families Together in the Last Days
It is tough living in 2017. Fear and anger are running amuck. The world is a scary place right now. Watching the news is downright depressing—not to mention social media. It is so easy to get caught up in all that fear and anger. Is there no balm in Gilead? (Jeremiah...
Sariah’s Conversion
Our Stake President asked us to read an unmarked Book of Mormon, looking specifically for examples of the Savior's atonement. The last time I KNOW I read through an unmarked copy of the Book of Mormon was in 1991. I can't remember if I have read an unmarked copy since...
Monday is My Fun Day!
Every week, missionaries get one day to take care of their personal needs for the week. This day is called their preparation day, or P-day. Mundane tasks like laundry, grocery shopping, haircuts, etc. are all taken care of once a week. It is also the day when...
Understanding the Atonement
One of the most important, if not the most important aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the Atonement. Adam fell. We know he did this. He needed to so mankind could come to the earth. To help us get back to our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ sacrificed...
My Mormon Experience with Lent, A Season to Focus on Living Closer to God
On Sunday, the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral welcomed the Philadelphia Interfaith Visionary Women’s Council. The Reverend Sarah E. Hedgis, Associate Priest over Congregational Life, welcomed us warmly and taught us about the Christian season of Lent....
Mending Fences
When I was a young man living with my family in the country, farm life was anything but glamorous. Out of necessity we learned that some chores couldn’t wait. Milking cows, watering fields, planting gardens, and pruning orchards had a schedule all of their own. ...
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