Personal

Since I watched the new Star Wars movie “The Force Awakens” I’ve been thinking continually about light versus darkness. In the movie, one of the most impactful scenes for me personally was when Kylo Ren was talking to the old helmet of Darth Vader, who, SPOILER ALERT, is his grandfather. In the scene he tells his grandfather, “Forgive me. I feel …

Insidious. Destructive. Powerful. These words describe one of the most commonly used tools of the adversary. Known as shame, this tool was one of the very first used by the great beguiler to try and alter the relationship between man and God forever. Sadly, it is a very effective tool. But what is shame and how was it introduced? More …

For many, music is a special conduit to the spirit of God and can express a depth of testimony that is inadequate with words. This is no more evident than in the powerful hymns performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. During the Saturday Morning Session of the 186th Annual General Conference of the Church, members were treated to a stunning …

As members of the Church, we often hear about the importance of agency and choosing the right. But choosing the right isn’t always as easy as looking down at your CTR ring. The decisions that I have had to make and pray about are often challenging in my mind because the roads I can take are very similar. I often …

When it comes to dating, I take some courage from the story of Adam. You might find that strange, seeing as Adam only had one woman to choose from (ignoring apocryphal tales about Lilith, of course). In the account in Genesis, however, we get some evidence that there actually was a choosing process, and I would even call it a …

By Jeremy Goff I fell in love with the Provo City Center Temple when I first took a tour of it. The first time I went on a tour of the new Provo City Center Temple was on a group date; it was late at night and cold, but it was amazing. A few days later when my sister asked me …

Because of my perspective of the restored gospel, I take a very positive view of human nature. As I read the scriptures, and especially the revelations to Joseph Smith, Mormonism presents a philosophy that elevates the self beyond any other system of thought. The problem? Often times we don’t see ourselves for who we really are – as daughters and …

Brock is the son of Lance and Jozet Richardson (author of “The Message”). He played football as a defensive lineman at BYU and received the LaVell Edwards Spirit of the Y award. He served a mission in Montevideo Uraguay. He is now a seminary teacher in Provo. As a Seminary teacher, I’ve always been interested in what motivates teens.  What …

You’re walking through the checkout line and there she is, just like always. Her royal highness Princess Kate, gracing yet another magazine cover. Of course, she’s dressed head to toe just like a fashion icon. (Where does she even get all those hats?) One glance at her and the thought slips unbidden through your mind: your life is nothing like …

“Maybe you’ve been duped.” I blinked uncomfortably back at my therapist. I knew we had reached that point in the session where you have to confront the thing that makes you feel terrible and wretched. “I don’t think I have,” I mumbled back, finding myself almost agitated that my LDS therapist (who I’d been meeting with for over a year) would …