Mormon Bloggers

“Furry” tulip in front of Rogue Creamery This post today originally started in a completely different direction. But I was so impressed with some quotes from Joseph B. Wirthlin’s talk I just HAD to share them.  They gave me goosebumps. Elder Wirthlin was one of those apostles that didn’t capture my attention when he spoke, but reading his talks afterward is consistently sublime. I’ve found some of the apostles are master orators and convey so much in the moment through the spoken word, and some are master writers and their messages have a profound effect when reading them later. “If they would open their hearts to the refining influence of this unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, a glorious new spiritual dimension would come to light. Their eyes would gaze upon a vista scarcely imaginable. They could know for themselves things of the Spirit that are choice, precious, and capable of enlarging the soul, expanding the mind, and filling the... Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever seen how fabric is woven together?  Lines of yarn or thread are interwoven with additional yarn or thread to create a solid piece of material of beautiful design.  It is a fascinating process where pieces of something are intertwined,  weaved together, to make something whole. Once in a while I hear someone say something that resonates deep within me.  It happened for me today at  Read More →

About a thousand other people and I enjoyed an evening with Richard Bushman last night. He spoke about Joseph and Emma for about 40 minutes and then entertained questions from the audience for another 40 minutes. While his insights on Joseph and Emma were interesting, I found the questions more fascinating, because they reflected a lot of the issues I blog about. For those who don’t know, Richard Bushman is the author of Rough Stone Rolling, the 2005 biography of Joseph Smith that has become the definitive account of the prophet’s life as told from the viewpoint of a faithful historian. I took advantage of the opportunity to have him autograph my copy and was not the only one in the audience who waited in line to do so. Open and honest discussion It was wonderful to see so many people interested in learning more about this great man and the beginnings of the Mormon Church. Every time he finished answering a question a dozen more hands shot up. We could have been there for several more... Read the rest of this entry »

One of the greatest blessings of membership in the LDS Church is the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Of course we are not the only people in the world with whom the Lord works through his spirit.  But we are the only people who have claim upon the Holy Ghost as a constant companion.  That is a very unique and special claim. When asked by a President of the United States, “How is your religion different from all the other religions of the day?” The Prophet Joseph Smith answered, “We are different from all other religions in the mode of baptism (immersion) and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (by those who have authority).” God inspires all In section 130 of the Doctrine and Covenants we read, “A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.” All honest seekers of the truth can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, leading them to Jesus Christ and His gospel.  People everywhere can be inspired by the Holy Ghost. However, the... Read the rest of this entry »

The following I share, upon request, as a Sacrament talk offered in my current capacity as Second Counselor in the Stake Young Women’s Presidency. “You Can Make It.” When I was a teenager, the thought occurred to me, “What if my parents meant well in raising me as a member of the LDS Church, but what if they were wrong, and the whole thing is some kind of fairy tale? How will I know if it’s true, and if it is, how am I doing?” Dallin H. Oaks spoke about the difference between testimony and conversion, “Testimony is to know and to feel; conversion is to know and to become.” As w/ most members of the church, my conversion process began in the manner described by Alma: 26-27. The answer to my question, “Is this the true Church?”, has distilled as it did for Peter: Matt. 16:17 “For flesh and blood hath not brevealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” As I have “proved” the Lord, my confidence in its truthfulness... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Jeanette Green You can read a bit more about Jeanette, the mother of a daughter with microcephaly and another daughter who is adopted, here. Now that it’s February, perhaps many of us are, sadly, done talking about our resolutions. Perhaps our ideas and plans for the year, our goals for self-improvement and personal progression, have faded — or are beginning to, anyway. I have always been goal-oriented, so for me, I enjoy the New Year’s tradition of setting resolutions for the year. I like the tradition, but I don’t necessarily join in. I usually find that I have ongoing goals and so I use the New Year to remind and recommit myself to some of those goals I’ve already made. But, even though I’ve never been a New Year Resolution Die-Hard, surprisingly I have always been a bit sad when others have declared their feelings that New Year’s Resolutions are a silly idea. This last Christmas, after the gifts had been torn open and we were lounging about, I decided... Read the rest of this entry »

Our Heavenly Father wants all of His children to know Him and Jesus Christ “the [only] way” to return back to His presence (John 14:6).  After all eternal life is nothing more or less than knowing “God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] hast sent” (John 17:3).  Throughout scripture, Christ promised to “manifest[] himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 26:13; 1 Nephi 10:19). Christ promised to send the Holy Ghost (John 16:7) to assist His apostles in their assigned ministry to “teach all nations” His gospel and teachings (Matthew 28:20).  The Holy Ghost would “guide [believers] into all truth” (John 16:13) and bear record “of the Father and [the Son]” (3 Nephi 11:32).  After Christ’s death, His disciples “were all filled with the Holy Ghost”, and as a result “they spake the word of God with boldness” and great converting power (Acts 4:31).  Persons that believe the words of Christ should repent of their sins and... Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, I visited a good friend in the hospital.  She is elderly and having numerous health problems.  As my companion and I came into the room, she was awake and sitting up and we began to talk.  She is the type of person who, in her earlier life, was outspoken and powerful, but at the same time has very tender feelings and has suffered much.  She is kind-hearted and thoughtful and she trusts God.  While laying on her hospital bed, she was connected to a miriad of wires and tubes and the like–electronic pads and interveinous whatnot.  A screen above her and to her right showed her blood pressure, temperature, heart-rate, and a number of other things that I don’t understand.  All I know is that when graph shows a consistent pattern of troughs and peaks, things are good.  I also know that a good resting heart-rate is somewhere around 70 beats per minute.  Hers read in the mid 90′s.  We took two seats a few feet from... Read the rest of this entry »

This past week I had a very interesting conversation with another one of the missionaries here in the Missionary Training Center learning French.  We finished talking about and reviewing the Subjunctive tense in the French language and we started talking about some of the other religions that the missionary would encounter in France, where he is currently serving.  There was quite an extensive list of religions he could encounter during his stay in France, but one that we spent quite a bit of time discussing was those that are atheists and their claim that there is no God. We ended up talking about this one a bit because it is sometimes difficult to help those who don’t believe there is a God have faith enough to seek Him out to find out for themselves if He is really there.  Of course, during my mission, I have talked with many different types of people with varying beliefs, and I have loved learning why people believe what they do and what it means to them.  Atheists... Read the rest of this entry »

What a wonderful day it is to consider together our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  I’m grateful to partake of the sacrament with you and to renew my covenant to remember him and to follow him.  I’m not sure that I really understood the significance of that covenant when I first took it upon myself at age eight. I’m still trying to understand what it means to really keep that covenant each day.  Some days I do better than others.  Sundays are a joy to me because I spend them in activities that are centered on the mission of the church – to invite all to come unto Christ.  It’s during the week that I sometimes struggle to remember Him. I suppose it’s a life-long pursuit, isn’t it? – To figure out how to really come unto Christ as we have been commanded to do. As Moroni taught, “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness … love God with all your might, mind and strength …” – Moroni 10:32 Another Book of... Read the rest of this entry »

First, a disclaimer; while I don’t claim to represent the Church or the official standpoint of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (what I usually incorrectly call “LDS Church”), I consider myself a faithful Latter-day Saint, and I am a member in good standing–still my blog posts are my sole responsibility, and nobody [...]  Read More →

The concept of “testimony” and “personal revelation” are not common practices in the Christian world.  However, it is a very natural concept among LDS Christians who seek a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and view Him as an accessible and a personal Savior. The Holy Ghost testifies of the Father and the Son.  God also communicates to us through the Holy Spirit.  Gospel truths are learned and verified with the help and witness of the same Holy Spirit also known as the Holy Ghost. So what does it feel like when the Holy Ghost communicates with us? Julian asked a few questions which I answered in an email earlier this week.  One of them was how did I know the Book of Mormon was true?  This is what I wrote him back…“…This is how I got my testimony.  But to be more specific to your questions as they relate to you.  I feel to explain certain principles.First, the Spirit works by testifying to truths, to that... Read the rest of this entry »