My grandpa owned a bowling alley decades ago, right after he was baptized. He got a call in the middle of the night. Their bowling alley had been burned down. It was arson. My grandpa had to go in to take a lie detector test to see if he was responsible (to get the insurance … More “Having a personal, ongoing, daily, continuing relationship with the Savior can unchain the divinity within us.”

Can you imagine being the wise men? Feeling prompted to follow a star. And then wondering— Why weren’t we warned that Herod was bad news BEFORE we went to see him instead of after? Why weren’t we prompted to go to the scriptures for our answer? Looking at it only from their perspective, things may … More Sometimes, you just have to trust, knowing that God’s ways aren’t your ways and that a divine pattern will appear as you keep your eyes on The Son.

I had a dream that I took all my kids to Walmart and got a pair of size 11 shoes for a child.  The next day, I passed Walmart and remembered the dream. It was one of those is-it-me-or-is-it-God? moments. Because if it wasn’t God, I really didn’t want to do it. It was snowing … More “Sometimes we do not know if we are ‘walking by the spirit’ by the fruit of a situation, but we can always know by the fruit of the spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and faith.”

Fear not for… These three words were heralded many times preceding Christ’s birth.  Fear not for… thou hast found favor with God. (Luke 1:30) Fear not for… that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 1:20) Fear not for […] unto you is born this day in the city of David … More “We need not fear the future nor falter in hope and good cheer, because God is with us.”

That first Christmas night was filled with a string of unanticipated events. An unanticipated pregnancy followed by an unanticipated journey. An unanticipated occupancy rate followed by an unanticipated manger. An unanticipated star providing unanticipated guidance. But God anticipated all of it. And made it Holy. Our lives, too, are filled with strings of unanticipated events. … More The first Christmas night was filled with a string of unanticipated events.

A dear family friend of mine was prompted in 2005 to do family history work. She sat down with her ten-year-old daughter, and for the next four years they worked together on a family line. During those years, her family faced intense financial instability. They lost their house and were renting. But family history felt … More “Don’t underestimate your family on the other side of the veil.”

I heard a thought in sacrament meeting that I’ve thought about a lot this past year.  “The first words you speak each day should be in prayer “The first words you read should be the word of the Lord “The first words you hear should be after quiet pondering “The first entertainment or happiness you … More God wants all of me. His expectations are as great as His grace.

It was Christmas time and my grandparents had to choose: tithing or Christmas. They paid their tithing. My grandma carefully wrapped a pack of canned cream of chicken soup in newspaper and put it under the tree for my mom. She looked at the near empty fridge, ready to get very creative for Christmas dinner, … More “You cannot give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return.”

There was a woman who reached 18 and, despite having a knowledge of the gospel, did not have a testimony of it. With permission, I share her experience. “I was working at a summer camp. One night, I got so inebriated that I was unconscious and was sexually assaulted.  “Two weeks later, to my devastating … More Heaven is filled with those who have this in common: they are forgiven and they forgive.

Recently, I’ve tried changing one four word sentence out for another. I changed out “I don’t have time” to “It’s not a priority.” I still catch myself saying “I don’t have time.” But the thing is—I do have time.  I have time to shower. I have time to clean that thing that has been sitting … More Overcome the world

In 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit Japan with devastating consequences.  About 200 billion dollars of damage was done, 450,000 people became homeless, and more than 15,500 people died. A reporter from the United States went and interviewed a man in the fishing village of Murohama—where a high percentage of people survived. They told the … More  “Listening and hearkening into the living prophet will have profound, even life-changing effects in our lives.”

One day, I was out on a walk with my sons. We saw a crow swoop down on a robin in its nest. The robin quickly flew away. I watched the crow eat the robin’s eggs and fly away. As the mother robin flew back to her empty nest, the Spirit whispered to me,  “Some … More “Don’t look for new landscapes, use new eyes to see what is already there.”

One year, my dear friend had a pretty lousy birthday. She knew it wasn’t a big deal—she was almost thirty. She didn’t need anyone to remember her birthday. Her husband was in school and working nights, so she had celebrated earlier with him. But on the day of, she felt like she had sort of … More “I assure each one of you that the Lord knows you, that he is aware of your concerns and your anguish, and that He loves you— intimately, personally, deeply forever.”

I remember being a little kid and getting something from the claw machine arcade game. A miracle, I know. But it wasn’t the item that I wanted to get. After thinking about it, I had an idea. I gave the toy to my sister—kind, right?—and I tried again, completely confident that God would help me … More Because He gave His life, you can change yours.

A young man was stationed to an infantry battalion in Hawaii and his commander, Thomas U. Greer, took his battalion on a week-long, grueling exercise up the volcanic rock in the Kahuku Mountains. The last day of the training exercise came, and the soldiers were all excited to get back home and go to the … More “If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.”

There was once a frog who got stuck in a large bucket in a barn. Try as he might, he couldn’t jump out. The frog kept jumping. A while later, a farmer came and used the bucket to milk the cows, but it only filled the bucket up halfway. The frog despaired. His bad situation … More “Adversities are temporary. What is permanent is what we become by the way we react to them.”

A root out of dry ground (Isaiah 53:2). I love this imagery for Christ— Him being like a tender plant that received nothing life-sustaining from his environment. The plant whose chance of survival is zero. No one expected it there. It was set up to fail. It certainly isn’t fair. And yet, it thrived. Isaiah … More “We can thrive and bloom if we are rooted in our love of the Savior.”

Every year at a state fair, there was a contest for the best grown corn. And every year, the same farmer won. A reporter interviewed the award-winning farmer and asked how he grew such high quality corn year after year. The farmer said he shared his corn seed with his neighbors. The reporter was shocked. … More “Tremendous happiness and peace of mind are the result of loving service to others. Nobody can live fully and happily who lives only unto himself or herself.”

A man in jeans and a t-shirt played his violin outside of a Washington D.C. subway station. The man’s name? Joshua Bell. A master violinist dressed in street clothes. His violin cost around 3.5 million dollars. The songs he played in that subway station were some of the most beautiful and complex pieces to be … More “As we are spiritually awake and alert, we see His hand across the world and we see His hand in our own personal lives.”

The most devastating engineering accident in history happened in Ancient Rome in 27 AD. A man named Altilius built the Fidenae Amphitheatre for gladiator fights using cheap materials and a poor foundation. The result? According to the most trusted source, “50,000 men were maimed or crushed to death in that disaster.”  Ultimately, the structure failed … More “It was not the nails that kept the Savior hanging on the cross, it was His love for us.”