Personal Improvement

How To Live Your Life

Posted on

There are many places where you can get advice about how to live your life. There is no shortage of people willing to sell you a solution for your problems or tell you what you are doing wrong. While not all advice that is out there is necessarily true or valuable, I have found that occasionally you find a diamond that can really help you in your personal journey. I recently saw a very motivational video from a speech given by Matthew McConaughey. After watching it, I felt it was definitely worth sharing. I did some research to try and…

Faith, Testimony

Building Your Gospel Foundation

Posted on

In my previous post I talked about some of the things that impressed me from our most recent General Conference. Today I will talk more about the second of those ideas: building our personal gospel foundation. The Importance of a Strong Foundation Whenever you are setting out to build something, the first thing you must do is lay a foundation. Whether you are building a house, a skyscraper, a family or a life, if you want to succeed, you need to start by building a strong foundation. It is often easy for us to acknowledge the importance of a foundation…

Atonement, Faith, Personal Improvement, Repentance

A Gospel Of Action

Posted on
Hikers helping each other

In my previous post I talked about some of the things that impressed me from our most recent General Conference. Today I will talk more about one of those ideas: putting the gospel into action in our daily lives. As we each think about our daily lives, there are surely many things we do on a regular basis to show our faith and to A Challenge From The Prophet The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of action. In all of His teachings, Jesus Christ challenges us to take action. He invites us to follow Him. He invites us…

Personal Improvement

The 80/20 Rule, the Gospel, and You

Posted on

Recently, we had the opportunity to watch General Conference. Last year, President Nelson had announced that this April conference would be unique and special. While I think many of us expected it to be different, I don’t think anyone expected such a unique event. Who would have guessed that it would be entirely remote or that it would happen in the middle of the trying times surrounding COVID-19. The truly miraculous thing is that April General Conference was as normal as it was despite the near entire pausing of society due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the differences in being…

Faith, Testimony

Finding Joy In The Journey When Times Are Tough

Posted on
Helm

We are all living in interesting and challenging times. Like everyone else in the world, we have felt the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic in our home and community. There are many people who are sick. Many people who are out of work. There are many who are truly struggling to make it from day to day. At this time, our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who are experiencing the effects of this pandemic in profound ways. There are also many who are reaching out to their neighbors. Many who are lifting those who are down…

Ministering

Reaching Out In Love

Posted on
Grandpa

Today, I want to write about something a little different than usual. The spread of COVID-19 is affecting everyone in both small and large ways. It is my hope and prayer that whoever you are and wherever you are, that you are well and safe at this time of uncertainty and change. I don’t pretend to know anything about COVID-19 or about how it will continue to influence the way we live, but I do have faith that despite social distancing, there are ample opportunities for each of us to strengthen and lift one another during this challenging time. As…

Faith, Parables, Personal Improvement, Testimony

Unlocking The Power Of Personal Worship

Posted on
Eton College lawn

Over the past several years a lot has changed in the church. Ministering has replaced home and visiting teaching. Come Follow Me has replaced a variety of different lesson plans. The new Children and Youth program has replaced scouting and personal progress. A new focus on home-centered, church supported worship has replaced old Sunday meeting schedule with a new schedule that invites us to focus more on living the gospel in our homes as part of our daily lives. As I have participated in these various changes, I have had the feeling that all of these changes have been made…

Faith, Parables, Testimony

4 Lessons We All Need To Learn From Laman & Lemuel

Posted on
Laman, Lemuel, Nephi and Sam

In my recent study of the Book of Mormon I have found myself pondering more deeply on the lessons we can learn from Laman and Lemuel. As we read the first two books of Nephi, it is easy to feel impressed by Nephi’s faith and diligence. Laman and Lemuel provide such a stark contrast to Nephi that we often only view them as the villains in Nephi’s heroic story. When we do this, we miss the real story of Laman and Lemuel. This is a cautionary tale we all need to understand. Let’s face it, most of us are a…

Faith, Testimony

How To Have Faith When You Have Doubts

Posted on
glowing rock

As I have been studying the Book of Mormon this year I have found myself pondering more deeply on the question of faith. Specifically, what do the scriptures teach us about faith and how can I have greater faith when I am faced with doubts. The story of the Lehi and his family’s struggles in the wilderness teach us a lot about how we can have faith when we are faced with challenges and doubts. It also teaches us what can happen when we choose not to have faith. So, how can we have faith when we have doubts? Where…

Children & Youth, Personal Improvement

Journaling Your Ideal Future Into Existence: A Step-by-Step Guide

Posted on
Journaling

At the beginning of the year, it is common to to reflect on the previous year and think about things you want to change in your life. Additionally, as many of us our now starting to use the new children and youth program, we are also looking at how we can improve. Maybe you want to lose some weight or spend more time with your family. Maybe you want to make progress in your hobbies, learn a new skill, or work on a passion project. We all have hopes and dreams for the future. Yet, all too often, when we…