I often get questions from others wondering why we have the Word of Wisdom. Why can't you have coffee or tea? Does that mean you can't have caffeinated sodas? If red wine can help the heart, why can't you drink it? I often don't know the complete answer to most of the questions I am asked. I try my hardest to answer them and seek more knowledge from leaders and Heavenly Father. Even though I follow the Word of Wisdom, I have a confession for you. I love the taste of coffee. My favorite ice cream is coffee flavored even. Though, I've never had a cup of coffee, it is still something my taste buds long for. That sparks even more questions from others "if... Continue reading

Without the gospel, we cannot receive the Lord's blessings. With the help of the atonement, those blessings are open to us and we are able to see them in our lives. One of the main things that drives me to repent, aside from wanting to be like Heavenly Father, are blessings. I know that the longer I put off repenting, the more blessings I'm missing out on. During the October 2016 General Conference, Brian K. Ashton gave a talk called "The Doctrine of Christ". During it he said "the doctrine of Christ… is the means—the only means—by which we can obtain all the blessings made available to us through Jesus’s Atonement. It is the doctrine of Christ that allows us to access the spiritual power... Continue reading

Some people believe that if you just have faith in something God is going to give it to you. Sadly, it doesn't work that way. Although we may have faith in something that we want, it doesn't mean that it's something Heavenly Father wants for us. It may not be in our plan or best interest. I know some people that have had faith that a family member will make it through an illness. Those people sometimes pass away. Occasionally, the family will then scorn God and blame him. Why can't we have faith that Heavenly Father knows what he is doing? Why must we make it all about what we want and not what we need. We can learn from things that don't go... Continue reading

Faith is something everyone strives to have. Even non-religious people. Some have faith that the Lakers are going to crush everyone this season. Children have faith that Santa won't forget to give them presents this Christmas. Prayer is the way to gain faith in the religious aspect. Prayer is our telephone to Heavenly Father in a sense. We are able to communicate with Heavenly Father all of our worries and joys. My faith grows every time I pray. I have faith that Heavenly Father hears my prayers and will deliver when I need his help and blessings. There have been times in my life when I will not pray for a while. I feel like I'm at at stand still point during those times. As... Continue reading

There are many times in life that we wonder "why is this happening to me?" When we have struggles and hardships, we are often not able to see the overall picture. People tend to wallow in self-pity and blame Heavenly Father for everything they are going through. God really wants us to gain knowledge from these times. I have an experience where I was able to help someone because of my trials. My health has not been very good and it kept dragging out for months. There were times I wondered why Heavenly Father was not letting me know what was wrong and was letting it go on. My mother would go into my doctors appointments with me and they would ask her if she... Continue reading

The sacrament is a wonderful thing we are able to partake of every week. When we don't partake of it, we often feel incomplete. However, why is sacrament important? I can assure you that even I went some time not understanding the importance of the sacrament. When you're raised in the church, it's just something we do every week. "Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which Church members partake of bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice. This ordinance is an essential part of worship and spiritual development. Through this ordinance, Church members renew the covenants they made with God when they were baptized." 1 It's an opportunity for our sins to be washed away, just like they were when we... Continue reading

Throughout our lives, we are all going to experience pain. This pain may be from an illness, sin, or actions from someone else in our life. Although it may feel as though we have to carry these burdens all alone, we don't. I have been dealing with an illness that has dragged on for months. I often feel that no one knows how I feel or what I'm going through. Although my family has constantly been there to take care of me, sometimes it's just difficult. I've learned to really put my life in the hands of the Lord. I have received several priesthood blessings and prayers. Through my trials, I have been able to see the Lord's hand in my life. We we repent,... Continue reading

Being Mormon can be very difficult and trying at times. I know, in relationships, I have a difficult time. It seems like every guy I've been interested in says it won't work out because of my religion. Why is it so difficult at times? Sometimes we may feel lonely and out of place and wonder why. The right thing can be very hard at times. However, we must stand firm and know that we are doing what we need to and that we are never alone. Even outside our religion, leaders sometimes stand alone. Look at presidents, for example. They sometimes have to make the executive decision to take action which, in turn, may cause an uproar among Americans. Not everyone is going to stand... Continue reading

My family travels several times a year, every year. They mainly travel to Europe and I have had many marvelous opportunities of traveling with them. What we do when we travel is serve others. Sure, we go and sight see, but that isn't the purpose of our travels. There have been many times when my parents want to travel to one country that trip and it doesn't work out. They end up somewhere the Lord needs them. We have met many people during our travels. We have friends ranging from Ireland and England to Italy and Russia. We help them and they help us. I have seen the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon my family and others through these travels. I recently just... Continue reading

These are words we always hear. Come unto Christ. What does coming unto Christ mean? I know that for me, it hasn't been an easy thing. Throughout my youth, I always went to church and had a desire to serve a mission. I recognized then and even more so now that I was just going through the motions that I had learned growing up. I didn't have a true testimony, I was living off of those around me. Coming unto Christ is done in many ways. The atonement is the main one. The atonement can be used in every aspect of our lives. I have made a few mistakes in my life and have had to learn to rely on the atonement. Without it, I... Continue reading

Forgiveness is not an easy thing. There are people in my life that have wronged me and I still hold a few grudges. This is something I'm working on. Now a days, it is seen as a weakness if you show love or compassion. People's pride just gets in the way of what they should do. People hurt other people, but we are all human. Showing love should be seen as a strength. Putting yourself aside for others and not caring about how others perceive that. On July 20th, 2012, James Holmes went into a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado and opened fire. Due to the act, 12 people were killed while 58 were injured. Pierce O'Farrell, 28 at the time, was one of the... Continue reading

Faith is a difficult thing to have and yet it's so simple. I know many people who lack it, I do as well at times. I grew up watching my parents. They were wonderful examples of those who live with faith. When times got rough, they would turn to Heavenly Father and would tell me "have faith and things will be okay". I'm going through a time in my life where all I can do is have faith. I feel as though I'm walking into the unknown. As someone who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, this is no easy task. I just have to remind myself that if I have faith, Heavenly Father will deliver and help me through the darkness. That being said,... Continue reading

Now a days, all you hear about is feminism. Some even question feminism in the church, because women cannot hold the priesthood. Even though it is true that they can't, women are essential and are very important. Women in history have always been put down, yet they get up even stronger. There are many marvelous women in the scriptures. Take Mary, for example. She was given the most important, yet difficult task of carrying and giving birth to Christ. She was a virgin who had to explain to Joseph what God needed of her. Or Esther. She was Jewish and had to go in front of her husband and ask the the Jews be saved. These women were put in very difficult situations, and yet... Continue reading

What is one thing everyone should have in common? It's love. We've been taught to love our neighbor as ourselves. Ever since we were young, the activities the church provided for us were to strengthen our own self understanding, as well as to learn to love others. Our main goal in life should be to live like Heavenly Father and return to him. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love everyone. They have a very pure love for us. The natural man makes it hard for us to love everyone. I know there are people I just can't stand and I've wondered how I'm supposed to love them. All it takes is being nice to them. Christ can help you. Rex D. Pinegar gave a talk... Continue reading

Many people want to be leaders. It's something that people love to do. Leading can be big, like the president of the United States of America, or small, leading a team project in school. I remember how in elementary school, we would line up in a straight line when we would leave the class to go to lunch or the library. I was always happy when I was at the front of the line. However, I was just as happy being the last person in line. Why is that? Well, to be a wonderful leader, you must be a great follower. We should be prepared to lead when asked to and follow when someone else has been. You can learn many great and marvelous things... Continue reading

We are all pioneers in one way or another. The definition of a pioneer in the Oxford English Dictionary is "one who goes before, showing others the way to follow". And isn't that true for almost all of us? We may not have had to cross the plains and lose our loved ones to make it to the Salt Lake Valley, but we help guide others. The prophet and his council are prime examples of pioneers, they show us the way to follow. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we can show others the way to follow by being an example and sharing our testimony. It's our job to look inside and find that pioneer. In a talk President Thomas... Continue reading

I bet you think know everything there is to know about the Conference Center. Well, did you know these fascinating facts? What if there was an earthquake in Utah? It's built to withstand one up to an 8.4 on the Richter scale! Just like Jerusalem's temple, the Conference Center sits on a 10-acre plot. The roof is so strong that you could put another 18 million pounds on top and it wouldn't collapse. How could such a roof be held up without columns you may ask? An estimated 620 tons of fabricated steel imported from Belgium holds it up! The balcony can sink 5/8 inches when there is full capacity to prevent too much strain on the supports. A three stories tall chandelier hangs in... Continue reading

One of the most important things in a family is family council. Now what is that? Its the ability to talk to your family, or parts of your family, about events and problems in our lives. Its when parents listen to one another or their children. We even participated in a family council in the premortal life with our heavenly parents as their spirit children. It is very important to have. Without confiding and talking to members of the family, these feelings may build up inside us or we will seek guidance from people that may not have our best interests at heart. Its a time to bring light to issues or concerns. Now, this is different than Family Home Evenings. Family Home Evening is... Continue reading

Have you heard whats going on during the remainder of 2016 on Temple Square? You don't want to miss out! July 16 - 30 Meet the Mormons at Joseph Smith Memorial Building - Legacy Theatre. From 9:30am to 8:30pm you can examine the very diverse lives of devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. July 22 and 23 Come listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra present “Music for a Summer Evening" at the Conference Center Auditorium. Conducted by Mack Wilberg, music director of the choir, and Ryan Murphy, associate music director, this is one concert you don't want to miss! September 24 and October 1 - 2 186th Semiannual General Conference! A chance to listen and receive guidance from... Continue reading

Jesus Christ isn't living on the Earth anymore to help those in need, thus it is something that we all need to do. How often do you help someone? It can be something small, such as helping a child with his or her school work. Or something larger, like going to Africa and helping the people that live there. We have been asked to love and serve everyone. No one is less important than you. Everyone is on this road towards returning to Heavenly Father together. Ask yourself this, how can I help someone today? My family travels all of the time. People often say that they are jealous that we are always gone, but what they don't see is that we travel to help... Continue reading

Have you read the Book of Mormon lately? Like actually sat down and read it. No, reading a little in front of Sunday School does not count. I've found myself guilty of skipping on my scripture reading. Lately, I've made it a point to take time out of my busy day and my late nights of Netflix to read. Many people, like myself, have been given the privilege of being born into the LDS church. Even though I was born into it, I often ask myself, am I truly a member? Sure, I am by the way of baptism, but am I spiritually a member? Even those that are born into the church need to be converted in a way and gain a testimony. Elder... Continue reading

Heavenly Father gave us the ability to make choices. That is something great, but it gives us the ability to make wrong decisions. We are all guilty of doing something we shouldn't have. Its human nature to do things that benefit us, even if its something we really shouldn't do. I know that I've lied about things to keep me from getting in trouble or causing problem. Although it benefited me at the time, I should have just owned up to what I had done and got on with my life. If I could go back and do that, I would. However, I chose to lie and thats something that is going to stick with me, even if it isn't something big. Through out the... Continue reading

We all know that it is nearly impossible for kids to sit through all of the General Conference sessions, even if you only watch the Sunday sessions with them. I'm sure, as a kid, you thought it was incredibly boring. There were no cartoons, nothing directed towards the little ones in the audience, and you had to sit there for TWO hours per session! Man, those days were rough. As you've grown, though, you've come to understand how important and wonderful General Conference really is. Why not make it wonderful for your children as well? Here are five ways to share the beauty of General Conference with your kids: Make a list of the Presidency and apostles. When that person gives a talk, have them... Continue reading

President Henry B. Eyring is known for being the current First Counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS church, under President Thomas S. Monson. Before President Gordon B. Hinckley's death, President Eyring was the Second Counselor in the First Presidency. His full name is Henry Bennion Eyring and he was born May 31, 1933 in Princeton, New Jersey. These are pretty basic and well known facts, but did you know this about him: Eyring was born into the family of Henry Eyring and Mildred Bennion Eyring. Henry Eyring was the dean of the University of Utah and the president of the American Chemical Society. President Eyring was the nephew of the 12th prophet of the LDS church, President Spencer W. Kimball. President Eyring's aunt,... Continue reading

Death isn't easy for anyone. Whether it is sudden or over a period of time, it hurts those who lost that loved one. There was one story I remembered hearing about. There was a man whose family were killed in a car accident. He was in the car with his wife and three of his four children. A teenage drunk driver hit this man's car, killing his wife and two of the three children in the vehicle. Now, this was a sudden loss. The way he healed was forgiving the driver that hit them. No, it didn't happen over night. He was resentful at first but that just caused him more pain. He had to just let go, which happens to be the name of... Continue reading