The following is a quote from Elder Jeffrey R Holland: “The Prophet Joseph Smith deepened our understanding of the power of speech when he taught, “It is by words…[that] every being works when he works by faith. God said, ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’ Joshua spake, and the great lights which God…
On the Power of Prayer
Many of us never really listen to the words of the songs we sing in church. Read these verses thoughtfully: Prayer is the souls sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, the falling of a tear. The upward glancing of an eye when none but God is near. Prayer is…
On Truth
Truth, for most earth dwellers, is an elusive and controversial concept. We all believe we have a piece of it, but very few think they have the whole of it. Truth is described in one discourse as “what was, what is now, and what always will be.” As truth is eternal, anything less than truth…
On Shadows
“Never fear shadows. They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby.” (Ruth Renkel) I walk our little dog every morning about 5:30 A.M. and in the Winter, it is usually dark. As we walk along the sidewalk and pass by street lamps, I cast a shadow in front of me. As I get further…
On Burdens
I remember many years ago seeing the Atlas statue where a very muscular male was portrayed with the world on his shoulders. There are people all around us who, in fact, feel like they are carrying the world around on their shoulders. The figure may be telling us that our burdens, the burdens of our…
On Scapegoats
I really do not remember hearing the term scapegoat until I was nearing adulthood, but that doesn’t mean that I did not see it in practice. A scapegoat is someone or group that has been singled out to blame for something that another has done. It was fairly common for me to witness the ‘back…
On Seeing
When I was in my late teens, I used to enjoy western music, and one of my favorite songs was called, “Brown Eyes.” The lyrics went something like this: Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes I’ll never love blue eyes againWillie, I love you, my Darlin’ I love you with all my heartTomorrow we might have been…
On Communicating
As Jerry Seinfeld once quipped, “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Does that sound right? This means at a funeral most people would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.” There are so many ways to communicate and the most common is with speech….
On Decorating
We should often contemplate the Great Jehovah. Not only was he the creator of this earth (after which the Father proclaimed it to be good!), but we should also contemplate His great artistic talent and decorative skills. We need to give Him credit, as well as our thanks, for decorating the earth the way that…
On Being Peculiar
In 1861 Elder Parley P. Pratt wrote a pamphlet, entitled “Mormonism Unveiled,” which differentiated Mormonism from other Christian faiths at that time. Pratt stated that even though there was much that united Mormons with those of other faiths, yet there are many points of doctrine that set us apart and to the world make us…