Oct 30, 2023

Come, Follow Me

In the New Testament we come to understand the life and character of our Lord Jesus Christ in incredible ways. For example, in the Book of Hebrews we read how the Savior sought “to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,” in order “to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17). Not only did the Son of God endure tribulations so that our personal and collective sins could be forgiven, but we read in Hebrews 2:18 “that he himself hath suffered being tempted,” so that “he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

Oct 23, 2023

Come, Follow Me

This week’s Come, Follow Me lesson asks, “How might Timothy have felt, knowing that he might soon be without his trusted mentor and leader [Paul]?” Wilford Woodruff may have had a similar experience upon the death of President John Taylor.

Oct 18, 2023

Big Questions

Have you ever felt that the proverbial “windows of heaven” are too often fastened tightly shut for you? You would not be alone, as most of us have. Assuming that they are not shut because of serious misdeeds, what do we do when we need the revelation that flows through those windows but cannot get it? There is no easy answer. Even after much prayer, fasting, studying the scriptures, or conversations with priesthood leaders, answers can still be hard to find. Nevertheless, in our own struggle we can gain much understanding and appreciation for others who also search for answers from above.

Oct 16, 2023

Come, Follow Me

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ has always seemed like a far distant, scary future that I hopefully wouldn’t have to deal with. However, in recent years I have learned not only about the need to be prepared for the Savior’s coming, but also about the hope and peace available to those who love God.

Oct 14, 2023

Volunteer Spotlights

“I have developed an appreciation for not only being ‘faithful’ and having a testimony, but also for simply doing the work despite how difficult the challenges may be,” says Craig Lindquist, volunteer for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation. “By just about any measure, Wilford had a hard life, but the hard parts did not turn him from the spiritual parts.”

Oct 9, 2023

Come, Follow Me

Have you ever felt stuck in the past? If so, you’re not alone. Some people struggle to let go of guilt from decades-old sins that have already been repented of. Others can’t seem to stop reliving difficult memories. I have plenty of my own moments when I keep mulling over my imperfections and mistakes as a wife and mother.

Oct 2, 2023

Come, Follow Me

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18).

If you have ever felt singled out because of your membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are not alone. As a Latter-day Saint, you are part of a “peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9)—and it shows. The people of the world have always had it out for anyone who sticks out, and particularly for what they don’t understand. Such has been the case since even before God restored the gospel to the earth through Joseph Smith.

Sep 26, 2023

Big Questions

A friend recently asked about my thoughts on making repentance less intimidating. My immediate answer was, “Well, perhaps we should get President Nelson to stop using the words ‘daily’ and ‘repentance’ in the same sentence!”¹ We both had a chuckle, but while pondering his question, I recalled my first experience with repentance. It was both challenging and liberating.

Sep 25, 2023

Come, Follow Me

At twenty-three years of age, Wilford Woodruff decided that he wanted to make some changes in his life. Reflecting on this time later, he wrote:

“Up to this period, I ha[d] spent my life a little like a ship tossed upon the waves of the sea—up and down, unstable and unsettled in my mind, at times trying to worship the Lord and living the life of a Christian, and then at other times giving it up and trying to take pleasure in the things of the world. . . . I felt that I had spent a good deal of my time in a manner that was not profitable to me. Not that I had been guilty of committing any heinous or outbreaking sins . . . yet I had spent a good deal of my youth in vanity and folly, giving way at times to many idle words and vain and foolish recreations which did not store the mind with knowledge or produce any profitable fruit”¹ (emphasis added).

Sep 18, 2023

Come, Follow Me

It goes without saying that we live in a fallen world, with bad situations and baser instincts leaving many of us physically and spiritually poor. The Lord has taught us to pursue self-reliance, learning to provide for ourselves and our families in every aspect of our lives. Take a moment and think of Christ’s teachings in the New Testament. Many were taught using everyday events and situations that His audience could understand. Roman coinage, wedding traditions, the rule of kings, and other aspects of ancient life can seem foreign to latter-day readers, yet mustard seeds and finding pearls of great price resonate with us centuries later because we recognize the eternal principles of growth and seeking to change. In order to effect change, one must put in work. This principle of sacrifice extends to everything we hope to build, yet this represents only half of the Lord’s instruction.