A Prayer of Faith

There is a scripture that my husband and I refer to quite frequently. It’s embedded in the “war chapters” and is one of those if-you-blink-you-might-miss-it kinds of scriptures. Its message is simple and profound.

But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war….many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility. (Alma 62:41)

Read the rest of this entry »

(I changed the title (and added a question at the end); I’d love to hear what Church history stories inspire you to want to be and do better!)

The Church has an awesome newish DVD out (actually it’s a collection of three DVDs– all for six buckaroos). Watching it has been one of our favorite Sunday activities. My children absolutely love these stories. I can’t get enough of them. They bring the Spirit in a special way, and give me some wonderful and sustained opportunities to talk about gospel principles with my children. Read the rest of this entry »

And now, after the many reviews which have been given of this book, this is the review last of all, which I give of it: That it’s worth reading!

There have been many criticisms laid against What Da Vinci Didn’t Know, but I found, upon careful inspections that nearly all of them were addressed in the introduction. Especially things such as “The Da Vinci Code is fiction! Sheesh, no-one should be taking it seriously enough to write a book about it!” Even gripes about the formatting (i.e. all footnotes are in the back of the book) have been explained. Read the rest of this entry »

I had the pleasure of hearing the author, Beverly Campbell, speak at a fireside and then reading her book, so I may be biased in my review. She is an excellent speaker and writer. This is a book that should be read by all women and men. It is interesting, thought-provoking, and inspirational. She has written a book that reminds us of the reality that Heavenly Father loves all of us equally. She takes us on a journey of questioning and understanding the choices Eve and Adam made in the Garden of Eden. With the backing of scriptures and prophetic quotes, she helps clarify the mistakes and misinformation about Eve’s choice that have been passed down through generations. Read the rest of this entry »

My 7-year-old son reminded me (in a way only a child could) that Memorial Day is not just another holiday or “day off.” To paraphrase him, Memorial Day is about visiting gravesites and thinking about those who have passed on. Read the rest of this entry »

My son has just turned two and has been in a bilingual environment for the past 10 months. It appears that he understands English and Albanian at about the same level. He has been a bit slower (compared to my chatty daughter) at talking and seems to choose the word from the English or Albanian language that’s easiest to say.

His favorite word is “car.” This also happens to be quite a bad word in Albanian. Read the rest of this entry »

5.2 million candles make quite the city on a hill. The members of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints constitute the largest women’s organization worldwide. Naturally, we attract attention.

General Relief Society President Mary Ellen Smoot at the 25 September 1999 General Women’s Meeting, presented a message explaining that women throughout the world will be drawn to the Church as we sisters perfect our lives and live essential truths to light the way for others to follow.
Read the rest of this entry »

As a youth I was advised by an older member of the ward to only carry a checkbook, or credit card because, if you don’t have cash on you, then you won’t have to lie when you say you don’t have any change to spare. At the time I thought this was good advice, and got into the habit of simply not having change with me.

While I was attending school at NAU in Flagstaff AZ, I was approached by an old terribly thin Native American woman. All I could understand through her poor English was that she was hungry. I could see it in her eyes, and hear it in her voice. She was not lying. I turned her away, because I had no cash in my wallet.

Later that night I felt horrible guilt. The weather was not good, and that woman’s coat was thin. Though I had no cash in my wallet, I did have a debit card. I could have taken her into the bagel shop nearby and bought her a bagel. I had the time, and the means. I realized that it was my attitude, my purposeful un-preparedness, that made me unable to see the ways I could help this woman. By emptying my wallet of change, I had emptied my heart of charity. Read the rest of this entry »

Normally Romans is not one of my favorite books in the New Testament, I reserve that for the books of John, Hebrews, and Revelation. Yet a few weeks ago I was reading in the book of Romans, and I was struck by the following:

Romans 6:1-5

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4And patience, experience; and experience, hope
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

I love Moroni’s discourse on Faith, Hope and Charity; somehow this statement by Paul is just as touching. Read the rest of this entry »

I have read some posts on prayer lately, and heard some amazing talks on the subject, and while it was on my brain, I thought I would share again this review because the insights in this book meant so much to me. The book really helped me gain a greater appreciation for how prayer works, and how a spiritual perspective can help me through hard times. I hope it might be helpful to someone else as well.

I’m sure you know how it feels when you hear or read something that is exactly what you needed at that point in your life. That’s what S. Michael Wilcox’s talk-made-into-a-book, entitled When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered, was for me. One of my dear friends had heard Brother Wilcox speak, and she shared some insights she had received in a Relief Society lesson. Shortly thereafter, I found a talk he had given where he discussed the concept of unanswered prayers. And my life was changed. Forever. Read the rest of this entry »