Mormon Bloggers

We were reading 2 Nephi 2 in our family scripture reading tonight. This is the famous “opposition in all things” and “men are free to choose” chapter. But my favorite verses come earlier in the chapter. Lehi speaks to Jacob, who as a young man has already had his own vision of the Savior, and says, And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free (v. 4). He states that the law does not justify anyone (in fact, the law cuts people off from God). But: Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered (v. 6-7). The ends of the law are... Read the rest of this entry »

HIM Because, truly, without Him, all of the other blessings for which I am grateful… would have no eternal value or maybe wouldn’t even exist at all. He is the way the truth and the life and none of us can go Home to our Father without His unmeasurable and completely unselfish help. (John 14:6)  Read More →

Excerpts from “Sin and Suffering,” a BYU fireside address by Elder Oaks: Where there has been sin, there must be suffering. Let us recall two scriptures: (1) “Repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment” (Alma 42:16); and (2) the Savior said that he had suffered these things for all, “that they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent they must suffer even as I” (D&C 19:16–17). This obviously means that the unrepentant transgressor must suffer for his own sins. Does it also mean that a person who repents does not need to suffer at all because the entire punishment is borne by the Savior? That cannot be the meaning because it would be inconsistent with the Savior’s other teachings. What is meant is that the person who repents does not need to suffer “even as” the Savior suffered for that sin. Sinners who are repenting will experience some suffering, but because of their repentance and the Atonement, they... Read the rest of this entry »

A poem I wrote for my BYU creative writing class. My professor loved it, but the New Era didn’t. I hope you appreciate it. photo by Pam Roth It’s about time the bathtub was cleaned. A detailed history of sweaty workouts, first dates, bad hair days, And all-night cramming stains the puky plastic. I snow the tub with Comet and let the dam loose, Warm water crashing down. I start to scrub. And scrub. The tub frowns back at me the same. I think I’m going to need a bigger brush. Scritcha, scritcha, scritcha. One layer gone. Scritcha, scritcha, scritcha. Two. Three. My wrist is as limp as a doggy ear. More Comet. More water. More slaving away like Cinderella. I think I can even hear my evil step-sisters laughing. If only, if only I had not waited until the grime came, saw, and conquered! The clock tick-tocks in rhythm with the scrub brush, but it doesn’t harmonize. Red knees, cramping arms, everywhere wet, wet, wet, Forehead and faucet dripping. Finally! One last scritcha... Read the rest of this entry »

“One Sunday morning our teenaged son stood with two other priests to administer the sacrament, as they had done on many prior occasions. They pulled back the white cloth, but to their dismay there was no bread. One of them slipped out to the preparation room in hopes some could be found. There was none. Finally our troubled son made his way to the bishop and shared the concern with him. A wise bishop then stood, explained the situation to the congregation, and asked, ‘How would it be if the sacrament table were empty today because there were no atonement?’ I have thought of that often – what would it be like if there were no bread because there had been no crucifixion, no water because there had been no shedding of blood? If there had been no Atonement, what would the consequences be to us? Of course, the question is now moot, but it does put in perspective our total dependence on the Lord. To ask and answer this question only heightens our awareness of, and appreciations... Read the rest of this entry »

“Some things simply matter more than others. Even some doctrines, though interesting and even fun to discuss, must take a back seat to more fundamental and foundational doctrines. It is just so with the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Atonement is the central act of human history, the pivotal point in all time, the doctrine of doctrines. Everything we do and everything we teach should somehow be anchored to the Atonement.” (The Infinite Atonement, Tad R. Callister) “‘Now, the atonement of Christ is the most basic and fundamental doctrine of the gospel, and it is the least understood of all our revealed truths. Many of us have a superficial knowledge and rely upon the Lord and his goodness to see us through the trials and perils of life. But if we are to have faith like Enoch and Elijah we must believe what they believed, know what they knew, and live as they lived. May I invite you to join with me in gaining a sound and sure knowledge of the Atonement.... Read the rest of this entry »

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Elder Clayton Christensen, then an area authority seventy, taught us in a stake conference a few years ago that maxim that the church is not a resort for the perfect, but a hospital for sinners. He said if we didn’t smell tobacco in our sacrament meeting, then we probably weren’t working hard enough to reach out to others (either in missionary work or reactivation). King Benjamin taught a similar principle: our obedience to God’s commandments does not put him in our debt, ever. We are always in His debt; we are nothing; without the atonement, we are worthless (see Mosiah 4). In our zeal to protect our home and family from evil (which we should do), how do we hate sin and love sinners? How can we judge (being sinners ourselves)? Mosiah 4 speaks of sharing our substance with those in need; does that extent to our sharing our love with fellow sinners who are also seeking a path home? I believe it does. I remember when someone shared his love with me. I was a new Sunday School... Read the rest of this entry »

Ten days ago I wrote about personal inventories, and a week ago, I wrote about sharing those inventories. An inventory will likely include at least three things: some strengths (what we’re good at), some weaknesses (what we’re not so good at), and maybe some sins (what we’ve done wrong). There is for me a key difference between weakness and sin. To me, a weakness is a lack of strength. It is an area where I may not have a natural talent, or where I may struggle with a particular temptation. A sin, on the other hand, is action taken by me to transgress God’s law. My sin may grow out of weakness. But it may also grow out of strength if my pride (a weakness) leads me to overestimate my strength. Scriptures teach us that the redemptive nature of the atonement can save us from sin if we repent, and it can help us turn our weakness to strength. If I identify physical weakness, I might engage in a program of exercise and physical training to overcome that weakness. I may be... Read the rest of this entry »

John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This verse reminds us of the Atonement and how grateful we are that Christ died for us so we could return to Him. However, I do not think we understand the true depth of this scripture. When we are enduring trials not brought about by sin, often the questions “Why me?” or “What did I do to deserve this?” are at the forefront of our minds. Many cease to believe in God on the basis that if He really cared He wouldn’t let terrible things happen to innocent people. Such thoughts are the result of not understanding the plan of salvation, especially the Atonement. Elder Richard G. Scott said in an October 1995 General Conference: Now may I share some suggestions with you who face the second source of adversity, the testing that a wise Heavenly Father determines is... Read the rest of this entry »

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a 12-step addiction recovery program, “which helps those with addictions—drug dependency, alcoholism, pornography addiction, eating disorders, codependency, and so forth—apply key gospel principles in their lives. As participants study and exercise honesty, trust in God, humility, and the other principles of the program, they find hope, draw nearer to Christ, and allow His Atonement to have an effect in their lives.” (Addiction Recovery Program Brings Individuals to Christ) Watch this powerful video where people who have experienced the power of the 12-step LDS addiction recovery program (and their loved ones) find hope, healing, and recovery. See also this video, “Addiction: You Will Be Freed” which includes teachings from Elder M. Russell Ballard about how addiction affects agency — and how there is hope for those who are trapped in addiction. God’s s love and Jesus Christ’s Atonement makes... Read the rest of this entry »

As a young man preparing to go on my mission to England, our stake patriarch laid his hands upon my head and gave me a patriarchal blessing. Among other things he reminded me that at a very young age I had a strong testimony of the reality of my Savior. He said it would strengthen others throughout my life, if I would remain true and faithful to what I knew was true even as a young man. He reminded me that I lived in a world of doubters, that many would stand before me and declare to me there was no God. “Mankind everywhere is questioning and asking, ‘Is there a God?’ You are blessed dear brother at this early age with a testimony of Jesus Christ. This testimony will light your entire life if you constantly make use of all your abilities.” During those first few moments of his blessing I wondered how a man I barely knew and who barely knew me, could make such bold statements. Now, looking back on my life I have learned it was God, not him, who knew me better.... Read the rest of this entry »