Mormon Bloggers

On the Church Web site, at the bottom of the home page and on the right sidebar, are featured videos called Mormon Messages. They are short clips from General Conference talks with music, photos, and background videos added to them. My favorite is the one entitled “Prayer.” Mormon Messages is a great way to share short and uplifting stories, testimonies, and counsel with family and friends, whether they are LDS or not. Above the featured video on the Church Web site is a toolbar allowing you to post the video or link on various social networking sites, such as Facebook. Mormon Messages also has a channel on YouTube, with videos in Spanish, to which you can subscribe. Share the light! Sharing Time: Which Mormon Message is your favorite? photo from ldsmediatalk.com  Read More →

“I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery in individuals, in marriages, and families often comes down to an error of only a few degrees,” said President Uchtdorf in General Conference April 2008. To illustrate this point, he explained that if your course flying around the world were just one degree off, by the time you got back around, you would be 500 miles (800 km) off course. It almost seems unfair that a small mistake can have such a negatively dramatic effect on our lives. However, it is not one small error that does this, but many “small errors and minor drifts away from the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is therefore of critical importance that we become self-disciplined enough to make early and decisive corrections to get back on the right track and not wait or hope that errors will somehow correct themselves. “The longer we delay corrective action, the larger the needed changes become, and the longer it takes to get back... Read the rest of this entry »

Time is a mind-boggling concept. The scriptures reveal that our time and God’s time are greatly different. We obsess over it, because we know that our earthly time is a gift. Most of us are appreciative of this gift, understanding that each day on earth is precious and can be taken away at any moment. However, with so many distractions and things to do, we usually do not use our time wisely. The Lord advised us, “Let every man be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the church, except he repent and mend his ways” (D&C 75:29). We can be more diligent by being better organized, not being lazy, and quitting our addictions to less important things. I believe that last one is vital. Most of us do not struggle with excessive laziness–we are very busy and deserve the few breaks we get. I think the biggest problem we must overcome is dedicating our time to things that don’t deserve it. In Conference of October 1979, before Facebook... Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most memorable talks from this past General Conference was President Monson’s on service, entitled “What Have I Done for Someone Today?” He shared how Saints all over the world answered his birthday wish for us to serve others, including one Primary who filled a jar with warm fuzzies for every act of service they did. Service is an enormous part of being a Saint. At baptism we covenant to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light” (Mosiah 18:8). In the temple we covenant to give all our time, talents, and blessings in building up the kingdom of God, whether that be through Church callings, missionary work, humanitarian aid, or random acts of kindness. Throughout the scriptures we are counseled to bless others in whatever way we can. President Monson bluntly said in regard to this commandment, “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.” However,... Read the rest of this entry »

My son Luca (Elder Martinengo) will come home in 3 days from his mission in Massachusetts. A little more than a week ago, he asked a member of the Church over there to call me, in order to ask me to contact a person interested in the Church, who was ready to be baptized, but who had some concerns to be resolved. (Elder Martinengo did not call me personally because Mormon missionaries are not supposed to talk to their parents while in their missions – unless it is Christmas or it is mothers’ day ))). The previous Sunday, Elder Martinengo had taken several people interested in the Church to a special conference with Elder Ballard. One of them, Monica (from Brazil) , was particularly thrilled while listening to Elder Ballard. It looks like Elder Martinengo, after the end of the conference, decided to take Monica to meet Elder Ballard for a few moments. Many tears were shed by Monica during that conference, but she still had a problem. She had received her testimony of the truthfulness... Read the rest of this entry »

This years General Conference was held on October 3-4, 2009. These talks appear in the Ensign Magazine (Known as the General Conference Issue). These talks are very inspirational, thought provoking, revelatory, and provide sound advice in living a healthy, stable life. Many times, many different people find particular answers to specific doctrinal questions, or receive [...]  Read More →

I believe there is an order specifically given to the process of receiving revelation. It is outlined beautifully in Section 8 of the Doctrine and Covenants where it is explained that we will be told in our mind and in our heart by the Holy Ghost. First our mind is given the impression or the seed of thought then, when planted in our heart, we feel the process of growth as our heart begins to swell or become enlarged. Even the law of witnesses, which is the testimony of two or more, is fulfilled by this process. The mind is one witness and the heart another. The reconciliation of these two parts, the mind and heart, is the process of becoming a Zion person. Though this process we have one heart and one mind. The blessing of becoming a Zion person is that of the continual presence of the Lord, or continual revelation. In my study of our prophetic instruction during General Conference I have found many incidences where we have been instructed on this process of revelation. Elder Boyd... Read the rest of this entry »

In General Conference 1997, Elder Carlos E. Asay shared the following story: “A few years ago, in a seminar for new temple presidents and matrons, Elder James E. Faust, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, told about his being called to serve as a General Authority. He was asked only one question by President Harold B. Lee: ‘Do you wear the garments properly?’ to which he answered in the affirmative. He then asked if President Lee wasn’t going to ask him about his worthiness. President Lee replied that he didn’t need to, for he had learned from experience that how one wears the garment is the expression of how the individual feels about the Church and everything that relates to it. It is a measure of one’s worthiness and devotion to the gospel.” Can you imagine a temple recommend interview based on that one question? I can, for the proper wearing of garments shows modesty, obedience, and respect for, understanding of, and dedication to temple covenants. In short, “‘How... Read the rest of this entry »

According to an article in the Daily Herald, tweets (posts on Twitter) were “coming fast and furious” during the recent LDS general conference. In spite of thousands of members stuffing the LDS conference center in Salt Lake City and hundreds of thousands more watching the conference broadcast, other members were pushing the event to the forefront of social media. The search term “#ldsconf” remained among the most popular on Twitter over the weekend. There were tweets almost about every topic, but Elder Jeffery R. Holland’s direct and emotional testimony about the veracity of the church’s Book of Mormon was followed by thousands of tweets about how powerful it was. The article on the Daily Herald ends by stating that even as the church’s members streamed, tweeted, IM’d, listened and watched conference on every piece of media at their disposal, Elder Russell M. Nelson said the best kind of communication doesn’t come with a cost. ‘Even more amazing that modern... Read the rest of this entry »

It never ceases to amaze me how each Conference seems even better than the last. This one was no exception. We heard powerful talks, sweet testimonies, inspiring stories, and beautiful music. The theme for this General Conference was love for God and for others. Although not all talks specifically brought up this subject, they all stemmed from it: personal revelation helps us to the keep commandments, which shows God we love Him; we do missionary work because we love God’s children and want them to be happy; we become more like Christ when we love God and others; and so on. I have so many favorite talks and quotes, but my absolute favorite was President Uchtdorf’s talk about love. His message was very clear, informative, encouraging, and interesting. President Uchtdorf is a talented speaker. I can feel his love and testimony when he speaks. There is much I learned and need to work on. I can’t wait for the November Ensign! Sharing Time: What was your favorite talk? Photo... Read the rest of this entry »

This weekend is the 179th Semiannual General Conference of the Church. Saints all over the world will hear the words of the prophet and apostles. It will be a weekend filled with enlightenment, peace, encouragement, inspiration, growth, love, and joy. What a wonderful event to look forward to! We cannot afford to miss it, so we must prepare. Find out what time it will be aired in your area (check at lds.org). Decide where you will watch or listen to it: at home, at a friend’s home, at the stake center, on the computer, on the radio. Try to get off work or schedule work earlier or later so that you can watch both sessions (or at least one session) of General Conference. If you must travel, coordinate all rides and times and make sure your car has gas. If you will watch General Conference live, make sure you have tickets and leave early enough to park and be seated on time. Finish all housework and homework before the weekend to avoid other obligations that may distract you from listening... Read the rest of this entry »

In General Conference April 2005, Elder David A. Bednar gave a talk entitled “The Tender Mercies of the Lord.” He chose this topic because of a tender mercy he experienced the conference six months earlier in which he was newly sustained as one of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Bednar emphasized throughout his talk that “the Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings” (100). I can testify that this statement is true. I went to the public library recently to search for Harry Potter 3 and an Agatha Christie novel, but to no avail. I was extremely frustrated and felt like I had wasted my time. Before leaving, we went to the little used bookstore in the library. I looked through the bookcases and saw the mystery section. Lo and behold, what did I find? Two copies of And Then There... Read the rest of this entry »