The Duffle Bag
Sometimes good things happen to people who don’t conform.
By Larry Day
Pray and Stay Awake!
Sometimes in the scriptures, there are stories that parallel each other that command our attention and teach principles. Such is the case of the two accounts in scripture where Jesus was with his apostles and commanded them to watch and pray always lest they entered into temptation.
By Janet Lisonbee
We
are All Warriors
We are all warriors. Have you ever
wondered why Mormon kept all the war chapters in the Book of Mormon?
My son taught me the answer as he served in Georgia on his mission.
He said, "We are in a war here — a war with Satan.
I am learning a lot from the way Captain Moroni fought. Everything
is an allegory. There is a lot of instruction there on how to
fight this war."
By G.G. Vandagriff
Coming
Home to Love
The minute I begin feeling unloving
or critical toward someone who is unloving or critical, I am no
longer on the Lord's turf. I am uncomfortable because I've lost
the spirit of love. Since God is love, I've lost His Spirit, and
am left on my own until I turn back to Him.
By Darla Isackson
Family
Helps: CDs, Games and FHE Ideas
Entertaining as well as educational products aim to help LDS families
fulfill goals. They run the gamut from recorded talks to
games to books filled with ideas for Family Home Evening.
By Laurie
Williams Sowby
The
Spiritual Anatomy of Anger
Anger is part of being human. Denying the emotion causes more
problems than admitting it. Fortunately, there are healthy ways
to deal with anger and to get the understanding from your head
into your heart.
By Darla Isackson
Secretive
Mormonism?
If people who are not members of the Church complain to you about
the "secretive" nature of Mormonism, here is a resonse
from a noted LDS scholar.
By John A. Tvedtnes
Tales
from the Backwater of the Church
It has been called an island of individuality
in a sea of status quo. But whatever you call it, this community
of Latter-day Saints knows how to have a rip-roaring good time.
By Greg Hansen
Make
an Un-Smart New Year's Resolution
We
have probably all heard about the importance of making plans to
ensure a better likelihood of actually accomplishing the goals
we set for ourselves, but is there ever a time when sticking to
your goals isn't so smart?
By Jonathan H. Westover
Glimpses of the Church in England
The wife of a newly called mission president
of the England London South Mission experiences a melting
pot of nationalities in Latter-day Saint congregations.
By Heidi S. Swinton
The
Ultimate iPod
Here is The Definitive Explanation of why
you should consider getting an iPod, or other mp3 player. The
best part is, John the Revelator and other prophets may have foreseen
something just as personal as this.
By Greg Hansen
One
Mom’s New Year’s Eve Dreams
A starry-eyed teenager's belief
that how we end the old year tells much about how we will spend
the new is recalled by an older and wiser mother.
By Debra Sansing Woods
Presence,
Not Presents
In December and throughout the year,
we need to remind ourselves that our presence is much more valuable
than any other gift we can give. Likewise, the presence
of the Lord in our lives is the greatest gift we can receive.
By Darla Isackson
How To Make Cold Mornings Memorable for Your School Kids
Here are some simple tips that
offer a fun, inexpensive way to make those winter mornings something
the kids will remember and look forward to.
By Greg Hansen
A Tiny Christmas Miracle
All the memories of her lost baby were contained in a slender scrapbook. Now the scrapbook was missing. Would the memories be lost too?
By Janice Kapp Perry
Fasting
and Spiritual Feasting
Both fasting and prayer are not to
change God’s mind, but to change our hearts. They are not
to change God's will, but to put our will in harmony with it.
By Darla Isackson
The
Blessing of Patriarchal Blessings
Most human beings are on a quest to understand
who they really are. Since we can't remember, we yearn for clues.
Patriarchal blessings give us some of the most important and trustworthy
insights to personal reality that we will ever receive.
By
Darla Isackson
Ye
Shall Always Rejoice
What particular experiences have
you had in your life that have forged your testimony, that have
shown you that God is there? Do you always retain them in remembrance?
Have you written them down? Have you shared them with your family
and with others whose testimony may be flagging?
By G.G. Vandagriff
Choosing Agency — Again!
A well-meaning stake missionary watches the trials a family goes through and reminds herself that agency rules — even in instances where people making the choices aren't as smart as we are.
by Darla Isackson
Financial Freedom and the Blessings of a Debt-Free Life
Experiencing the blessings of a debt-free life all starts with learning to put the Lord first and paying an honest tithing and a generous fast offering. Being obedient to the Lord's law of finance helps to put us into the correct frame of mind — recognizing that all we have comes from the Lord.
By Jonathan H. Westover
Counting
the Blessings Freedom Brings
If you are looking for new traditions
to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, try counting the blessings
of freedom. You may be surprised with the freedoms that are important
to you.
By Debra Sansing Woods
The
Highway of the Lord
Highways play an important role in the gospel.
It is important that we be on the right path, that the path be
in a good condition, and that the path be well lit in order for
us to reach our final destination.
By Janet Lisonbee
There
Are No Small Things
One small act
of kindness activated a family and has even affected generations
beyond the veil. Through this gesture of love, the author learned
that there are no small acts of kindness.
By G.G. Vandagriff
Loving
Life's Second Half
It's been proved by a reputable research
team that those who have the most birthdays live the longest!
The second half can be the best.
by Darla Isackson
Friends
Help a Family with Home Decorating
A Low-End Budget Yields a High-End Look
It started
as one girl's idea: learn interior design and make it a project
to help others.
By Dana King
Announcing
Meridian Japanese
We started Meridian with a vision,
that this magazine could be a gathering place for Saints from
around the world —
and today we mark the beginning of Meridian Magazine in Japanese!
By Maurine Proctor
Margaret
Barker's Understanding of Jesus Christ
Depictions
of Christ as anything from a magician to a cynic teacher are dismissed
by Margaret Barker, whose Jesus of Nazareth knew who he was and
what he was doing. Her Jesus of history was the Christ of faith.
By Kevin Christensen
Celebrating
the Continuation of Life
If Mother's Day brought pain to
you, there is another way to look at the annual commemoration.
Next year, think of Mother's Day as a celebration of life.
By Darla Isackson
Latter-day
Saints and Infertility:
A Unique Challenge and a Unique Blessing
Living in a family-oriented culture can
present a unique challenge to those who have unfulfilled expectations
with regard to children, but not so challenging that we should
miss out on promised blessings.
By Krista
Ralston Oakes
A
More Excellent Hope: Developing a Vision of Wholeness in the Process
of Recovery from Pornography and Sexual Addiction
In a world where homosexuality,
pornography, and alternative lifestyles are vehemently protected
we've come to the point where the prophets of old have warned.
That is, we now call evil good and good evil, we now put darkness
for light and light for darkness (Isaiah 5:20). Yet there is hope.
By Joseph White
Verily,
Verily, I Say unto You
When Jesus said "verily," He did
it for a reason. We should pay special attention to the "verily,
verily" phrases and even the singular "verily"
should alert us to something that Jesus especially wants us to
know.
By Janet Lisonbee
Rings
and Repentance
It was just one ancient diamond ring
in a whole collection of jewelry. Nobody would ever notice it
was gone.
By Kathryn Lynard Soper
“Lord,
How Is It Done?”
There is no limit to God's power
in our lives —
except as we limit Him by our doubt and unbelief. Only as we believe
and trust Him can he bless us as He desires. What an awesome risk
He took to give us agency, knowing we could use it to shut Him
out of our lives. He stands at the door and knocks, but when we
choose not to believe we leave Him standing out in the cold.
By Darla Isackson
Beautifully
Modest Announces Scholarships
Beautifully
Modest, America's largest provider of modest-only bridal and formal
wear, announced today it is offering five scholarships to students
who best exemplify modesty in an article or essay.
Overcoming
Opposition
The hymn "Where Can I Turn for
Peace" has a story for all of us. But the biggest story may
be the one behind the hymn —
the reason the hymn was written in the first place.
By D. Bryce Baker
The
Lord's Yoke
What an amazing concept that I am
invited to have Him right beside me — He who never tires,
never needs sleep, always knows what is best to do. But the yoke
concept works only if I'm willing to go the Lord's way, move in
the same direction He is headed, have the same desires, plow the
same field.
By Darla Isackson
The
Missing Scriptures
There were other sets of scriptures
around the house. Why was it that the loss of this one set of
scriptures made the whole world seem out of whack?
By Steve Orton
Root
Causes of the Need to Be Right
"What difference does it make?"
is a good conflict-defusing question to ask ourselves any time
we disagree. The only difference any conflict about mundane things
makes is what we make of it.
By Darla Isackson
What's
Wrong with Being Right?
Being "right" about something
is an empty victory indeed if a relationship is strained because
of it. It
take a generosity of spirit to allow others their own perceptions
and responses, to have the patience to let others be on their
own journey, learn at their own speed — the very same generosity
of experience exemplified by the Savior.
By Darla Isackson
Rest
and Recreation that Rejuvenate
When you're tired, how do you relax?
Do you take a warm bath, or turn on the television to unwind?
There may be a better way.
By Peggy Barrus
The
Testament of “Amazing Grace”
The beloved hymn "Amazing Grace,"
recently featured in a feature film by the same name, is no mere
pop cultural icon. It is a testament to the potentially transformative
power of religious conversion.
By Daniel C. Peterson
Kneeling
in the Snow
A few of the Scouts took the wrong
fork in the road and ended up miles from their equipment. How
would they make it back to the rest of their group before nightfall?
By Jonathan H. Westover
Making
a Mission Happen, Part 5
Couples who serving as senior missionaries
around the world share their joys and their frustrations, hoping
that you will join them in their labors.
By Laurie Williams Sowby
Latter-day
Miracle Among the Zuni
More
than 406 priesthood blessings given in one day by one missionary
stopped a smallpox epidemic in its tracks. In our church, miracles
continue to happen.
By Steve Orton
Letting
Go of Self-Deception
Do we remember our actions the way they
really happened or as we wish they had happened? And we if only
remember the wishes, what is the harm in that?
By
Paul
Bishop
Choosing
Life in Spite of Loss
All of us suffer losses. Sometimes those
losses are great ones. It's how we react to the losses that determines
who we are, and whether we will be happy.
By
Darla Isackson
Plain
and Precious Things Restored: Jesus and the Temple Tradition
When studying the New Testament, the text
without the context cannot tell us everything we need to know.
We have to prepare our minds to bring the most bountiful harvest
from the text.
By Kevin Christensen
Valentine's
Day is for Everyone
I realize now that she gave me two
gifts that year —
the baked goodies themselves, but also the sense, as I tried to
figure out who had delivered my secret valentine, that I was loved
by many.
By Debra Sansing Woods
The
Subtle Curse of Too Many Choices
When there are a thousand options
you can choose or not-choose, how can you ever decide which cell
phone (or which car, or which brand of spaghetti sauce) is the
perfect one for you?
By Darla
Isackson
Some Things Are Worth Saving
In your quest to de-clutter your life, don't throw out the treasures with the trash. There's a way to tell the difference.
By Darla Isackson
A
Different Way to Read the Scriptures
He was proud of his scripture-marking
program until he realized that the markings caused him to see
the same things every time he read the scriptures.
By Jonathan H. Westover
Becoming
Temples of the Lord
We who follow Jesus Christ are all carpenters.
We are building temples where the Lord's spirit can come to reside.
By Janet Lisonbee
With
Surety Hoping for a Better World
In a Romanian orphanage, a BYU student
learned, "When I was overwhelmed with the pain around me,
I was lovingly reminded that I did not need to take it on myself,
because Someone else already had."
By G.G. Vandagriff and Shannon Wilson
The
Lord is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want (What I Can't Have)
If the Lord
is my Shepherd I won't want what I can't have and what He is not
willing to give me. What are some of the "can'ts" I
sometimes have wanted?
By Darla
Isackson
One
Mom’s Mostly Complete Thoughts on Family Life
Are you so
distracted by your children's constant chatter that you forget
to add baking soda to the cake? One mother has found some lifesaving
coping mechanisms.
By Debra Sansing Woods
John
Adams: “A Man Worth Knowing”
America's second
president set examples of morality and service that are still
relevant today. His life is worth remembering more than 175 years
after his death.
David McCullough
