Mormon Bloggers

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 »

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 »

I wanted to continue my posts today by looking at and commenting on another talk from General Conference.  This talk actually comes from the last session of Conference, and it wasn’t one talk that I was originally planning to talk about.  But after seeing this short video about a talk that Elder Robert D. Hales gave in a General Conference this past April, I felt that I needed to comment on both of these things.  Here is the Mormon Messages video of Elder Hales’ talk, and I think that this introduces the subject matter of this blog post quite nicely. Elder Hales’ talk ties in perfectly with Elder Larry R. Lawrence’s talk from the most recent General Conference where he talks about parenting as well.  His talk is entitled “Courageous Parenting,” and he focuses on the idea of parents being their children’s parents and not their children’s friends as I like to put it.  He says, “What the world really needs is courageous parenting from mothers and... Read the rest of this entry »

As many of you know, I love singing immensely!  And then for those of you that don’t know or haven’t heard about this, you can take a look at a couple of my previous post about music such as Music = Air or Music  . . . It Packs a Punch.  And this past weekend, I was privileged to have one of the most wonderful musical experiences that I have dreamed of for quite some time now.  Growing up I played the piano a bit having started at the age of eight and teaching myself over the years, but the only real singing that I ever did was each Sunday at Church.  By the time I had reached high school, I hadn’t sung in really any choirs or any organized group of any kind, but then during my sophomore year of high school, I made an incredible discovery!  I decided at the beginning of the school year that I wanted to try out for the high school musical, which that year was “HONK!”  I didn’t have a lot to do after school and I always enjoyed watching musicals... Read the rest of this entry »

Today I have the opportunity to share with you the story of a wonderful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how she came to find the Church.  Her name is Carole-Ann Witham, and she has been an example to me of faith in Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.  I was first able to start talking with Carole over the phone at the beginning of this year in about February, and since that time, I have been able to work with her and help her come to know more about the gospel until she was baptized. Carole’s story really helps to illustrate the importance of having the Spirit in our lives and following the prompting and feelings that we receive from Him.  I am reminded of a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He said: Impressions of the Spirit can come in response to urgent prayer or unsolicited when needed. Sometimes the Lord reveals truth to you when you are not actively seeking it, such as when you... Read the rest of this entry »

In Mormon belief, one of the greatest challenges and opportunities of life is to learn to recognize and follow the inspiration of the Spirit of God. In this Mormon Messages video, President James E. Faust talks about what we can do to fine-tune this ability. He warns of the myriad voices and forces and temptations that can drown out the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost in our lives. He reminds us that the gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. El video en Español: “La voz del Espíritu”  Read More →

This is something we could all benefit from:  Read More →

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It is with sadness I note the passing of Elder George P. Lee, former member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was called at age 32, and served in that quorum until he was excommunicated in 1989. There are two accompanying pictures, one taken soon after he entered the quorum, and the other was one I saved in 2009 from his arrest in St. George, Utah, when he failed to register as a former sex offender.  The contrast speaks for itself. The story of George P. Lee is a cautionary tale.  He earned his PhD, and was a leader among not only his native American Indian people, but much revered among the overall general population of the Church.  I loved his passion and his deep convictions, evident whenever he spoke and prayed publicly.  I’ll bet the Lord loves him even more than I do.  He was an educated, refined and deeply spiritual man.  But he was a fallen, mortal... Read the rest of this entry »