Every time a person is baptized as a new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the ordinance usually includes a brief talk on baptism and another on the Holy Ghost. I have been asked many times to present an introductory, short talk on the Holy Ghost. These talks are meant to…
Author: Emil Hanson
On The Birds and The Bees
A little girl came running out of the house to where her daddy was working in the yard and ask him, “Daddy what’s sex?” Even though she was rather young to be asking a question like that, he thought, well, if she’s asking the question she must be ready to learn something about it. So…
On The Values of Family
Glenn T. Stanton of the Pew Research Center Reported; “On where do Americans find most meaning in life”? The answer to this question is perhaps the greatest indicator of the kind of people we are, individually and collectively. It also telegraphs the kind of nation we are. Therefore, the answers from Americans’ on this topic,…
On Dogs and Other Pets
Our family has always had dogs and cats and I believe that our children are better men and woman because of those wonderful, loving little pets. As adults, with their own families, they own pets and spend considerable time with them as families, enjoying them and loving them. They are members of their families. When…
On Is There a Purpose for Boredom?
Gayatri Devi remarked that; “Boredom is not a problem to be solved. It’s the last privilege of a free mind. …So lean in to boredom, into that intense experience of time untouched by beauty, pleasure, comfort and all other temporal salubrious sensations. Observe it, how your mind responds to boredom, what you feel and think…
On Music
Most everyone loves music. There are some lyrics or rhythms that make us respond by bouncing, dancing and, sometimes, even trying to sing along. My wife and I will be riding somewhere and out of the blue I will start (try) to sing a song, a song I will only know a line or two…
On Repentance/Pollution
Glenn Rawson told the following story, “Years ago, I learned a lesson from, of all things, a spider. One day while I was working at home, I was working under the eaves of our house and noticed a very large spider web, and perched on an upper corner of that web was a very large…
On Noah’s Ark
Several years ago, a team of Christian explorers, climbing Mt. Ararat in modern-day Turkey, found what they had been suspecting. At about 13,000 feet above sea level, well above the first snow line, they discovered a massive imprint of a wooden boat. The boat left an imprint in the surrounding terrain, it was approximately 450…
On The Book of Mormon
“If you believe in Jesus Christ, you will believe in the Book of Mormon.” That was a statement on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website. The assumption is true, because the Book of Mormon has more references to Jesus Christ than does the Bible. Growing up I had some religious training and…
On Repetition
Repetition is one of the most common methods of learning. We have all heard the admonition to keep saying it until you know it by heart or keep doing it until you can do it without thinking about it. As a young man I was a bricklayer by trade, when I first stood on the…