Living After the Manner of Happiness

We set out early that fall morning wanting to get the bulk of our hike in before the heat of the day set in. It was fall break, and we were camping at Zions National Park with two other neighbor families. Our youngest was seven, and we decided he was finally old enough to tackle the Angels Landing trail. The first couple of miles was a steady, uphill climb on a wide, paved trail. Then, the trail enters Refrigerator Canyon. Carved between Cathedral Mountain and Angels Landing, it is the only shaded part of the hike. Exiting the canyon, you begin the ascend known as Walter’s Wiggles. The series of twenty-one switchbacks at 19% grade gets your thighs burning and heart pumping. At the top, we stopped to rest at Scout Lookout. One of our neighbors, realizing the difficulty of what lay ahead, decided it would be best for them to turn around. So, they took their youngest two children, and the other neighbor’s youngest, and left their oldest to finish the hike with the rest of us. Wa...

As Conference ended Sunday evening, I sat for a time trying to make sense of all the thoughts running through my head. I believe COVID-19 has everyone mourning something right now. It might be your daughter’s last prom or your son’s graduation. Perhaps it’s a canceled wedding reception or missing the birth of a grandchild. All of us are feeling the ache of missing out on something. We all are feeling cut off from the people and things we love. There is so much to mourn right now. Yet, as I sat there Sunday evening trying to unravel my thoughts, the only words that came to me were HOPE and LOVE. Not just any love, but the all-encompassing love that comes only from our Father above. I have found these two words woven throughout my studies this week as I have focused on the people who witnessed the events of the Holy Week firsthand. Yesterday I studied the story of Thomas (see John 20:24-29). Like all of us, he felt the ache of missing out on something big. Des...

Several years ago, before he became President of the Church, then Elder Nelson gave a talk in General Conference titled “A Plea to My Sisters.” I have had the words of this talk etched in my soul since then. “Today, … we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families. … We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly. … “… [W]e need women who have a bedrock of understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation. We need women who can detect deception in all of its forms. We need women who know how to access the power that God makes...

We are taught to watch for patterns “because repetition is a pattern related to receiving and recognizing revelation” (David A. Bednar, “Repeat Over Again … the Same Things as Before,” BYU-I Devotional, 26 January 2016). Sitting in sacrament meeting yesterday, the speaker mentioned a pattern he had recently noticed in which several talks he had been studying all used this quote from Pres. Nelson: “[T]he joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy” (“Joy and Spiritual Survival,” General Conference , October 2016). This past week we studied some of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. In 2 Nephi 2, Lehi teaches us that we have been created to have joy (vs 25). Then, in 2...

My brother shared an analogy with me last night. He used a ladder to describe our motives and attitude behind why we do the things we do. The first rung of the ladder is out of fear, the second is out of duty (checking the box), and the third is because we love the person. The fourth and final rungs are because we love God. I had this analogy in my thoughts this morning as I read 1 Nephi 8. In particular, look at verses 24-25, 28 and compare them to verse 30 thinking about the ladder analogy. What is the difference between these two groups? All of them pressed forward, then caught hold of the rod, and continued pressing forward through the mists of darkness. One group clung to the rod and the other group continually held fast, but both groups had hold of the rod. It is what happens after that makes all the difference. President Packer taught the following about the word after in relation to this chapter. “One word in this dream or vision should have special meaning to...

While I love studying the New Testament, I always weep tears of joy each time I begin the Book of Mormon again because of the plainness of its writing (after Revelation) and the clarity with which it teaches. Reading the first few chapters this week has brought these same emotions and gratitude again. I am so excited for this year! Elder Bednar teaches that we should look for connections, patterns, and themes as we study (see  https://speeches.byu.edu/…/david-a-…/reservoir-liv ing-water/ ). One that stood out to me the last couple of days has been the contrast between Lehi’s sons. All of them left their home and journeyed into the wilderness. All of them went back to get the plates. All of them went through the motions to follow the prophet, but these experiences were life-changing for only one (compare the Nephi in 1 Nephi 1-3 to the Nephi in 1 Nephi 5 and beyond). A few scriptures that show the contrast (how many more can you find as we continue 1st and 2nd Nephi?): Nephi...

In 1979, President Spencer W. Kimball expressed a desire for our homes to be blessed with Sister Scriptorians [1] . What an amazing Invitation to Act! President Nelson has echoed this call for Sister Scriptorians several times since becoming President, including last week in General Conference. There are plenty of opportunities to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, so how am I carving out time in my schedule to accept the Prophet's invitations? Invitation #1 : “I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach you. ” Promised Blessing : “Your personal spiritual endeavor will bring you joy as you gain, understand, and use the power with which you have been endowed.” Invitations #2 and #3: “I entreat you to study prayerfully all the truths you can find about priesthood power. You might begin with Doctrine and Covenants sections 84 and 107 .” Promised Blessings: “As you...