A Prayer of Faith

This was written by Cheryl, one of our guest writers.

Maybe it’s the rain. I usually love rain, but for the last few days, I haven’t liked it so much.

I remind myself that there’s nothing terribly wrong in my life. But the feeling is hard to shake. It almost feels like post-partum depression. It’s not clinical, nor does it stay, but the fleeting moments/hours/days remind me of those first months after #1 was born. I recognize the feeling. I’m preparing for the onslaught come February.

In the meantime, what do I do about it? Read the rest of this entry »

This was written by Alli, one of our guest writers.

It seems to me that in the times of my greatest need or frustration I feel like the words I pray to my Heavenly Father are falling from my lips and onto the floor. I know in my heart that I am not really alone during the winter seasons in my life, but it can sometimes feel as though I am. I am grateful, however, to be reminded that I am not alone.

As I left the Missionary Training Center (MTC) to enter the missionary experience, I felt a strong sense of certainty that there was in front of me a vast sea of experiences to be had. I was anxious to share the gospel that I had been taught all of my life. With a renewed sense of urgency and confidence in my ability as a servant of the Lord, I embarked on my journey. Read the rest of this entry »

My good friend, Debbie, has agreed to let me share her handout from our Gospel Doctrine lesson this past Sunday. The first section was my favorite — see what you can find out about the Savior in the following passages. (I’m hoping we will hear from Debbie again sometime soon. She has taught me a lot and I am anxious for you to be able to learn from and with her, too.) Read the rest of this entry »

This article was written by Mary A., one of our guest writers.

I have been studying patience in the scriptures and wanted to share some of my thoughts about it, as well as a few of the scriptures I’ve run across. I am basing my study on the list of scriptures on “Patience” in the Topical Guide. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Stephanie, one of our guest writers, for submitting this piece.

I watched an interesting movie the other night with my husband. It was a movie of a loving family who is almost torn apart by the challenges of dealing with their son’s epilepsy. It is stressful enough dealing with the daily grand mal seizures that bring him close to death on more than one occasion. But, in addition, this young boy endures experimental treatments with numerous untested and unproven drugs. Read the rest of this entry »

This essay was written by Alli, one of our guest writers.

“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
-Isaiah 12:3

I am often so busy checking things off my to-do lists that I forget to enjoy my life. I have lists of tasks that I should do: things I want to do today, this week, before school starts, or by the time I am thirty. I actually end up crossing quite a few things off my lists, but I tend to get lost filing through the ‘clutter’ of life. Sadly, living the gospel sometimes becomes a checklist of things I should do, rather than a profound and meaningful power in my life; I do not think I fully realize the extent of joy available to me through the gospel of Jesus Christ. On days where I find myself distant from this joy, there is a memory of an experience I had in Portugal that strengthens me. Read the rest of this entry »

My father passed away peacefully a few months ago, just eighteen days short of his hundredth birthday. Even as his physical capacities gradually diminished during the last few years, he continued to live by himself, fixing his own meals and using his own recipe to bake his super-nutritious bread. Both he and my mother, who died seven years previously, impressed all who knew them with their positive, cheerful outlook on life, even in the midst of their challenges.

I have sometimes wondered if my own basically cheerful nature was inherited, or a more a result of seeing and following my parents’ example. Both genetics and observation no doubt come into play, but I recently found evidence that they were actively trying to teach me the value of being cheerful when I was very young. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve always loved what has been called Nephi’s Psalm in 2 Nephi, chapter 4. I’ve been comforted knowing that he struggled with his weaknesses, and uplifted as he acknowledged that “my God hath been my support” (v. 20).

While reading a book this week, however, I realized that I often gloss over an important part of this chapter. The last few verses are a prayer that Nephi offers with all the fervency of his soul. Read the rest of this entry »

We all breathed a sigh of relief last Saturday as we got to the CO-145 spur, indicating that we were down to the last sixteen miles of our six-hour journey. It doesn’t sound like much, but six hours of driving had worn us out. (This was no ordinary drive on straight, you-can-drive-75-miles-an-hour freeways. After navigating through the winding, treacherous roads in the majestic Colorado moutains (with children who had never been in a car long enough to cross our state border), we were ready to be done.)

At sunset, we arrived at the place we are calling home for a week. I have to admit that the thought of getting up early to drive another hour and a half to get to church was hardly stomachable. But on Sunday morning, we dutifully readied ourselves (packing a cooler since the drive would be as long as the meetings) and headed off to worship with people we had never met. Read the rest of this entry »

By JKS

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid….”

There is a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, made famous in 1939 when the King of England, George VI, quoted part of it in his Christmas radio broadcast, which was heard throughout the Empire.

George VI had a speech impediment and was never comfortable speaking in public, but on that December 25th, during the first year of World War II, his words were compelling.

My Grandma, who had always loved literature, recalled these lines a few years later in 1945 in a time of fear and uncertainty. She was divorced, was alone with her daughter, with no place to live, no job, almost no money and no family willing to help. Read the rest of this entry »