Jesus Christ

No one quite knows exactly what we are going through, no one except our Savior Jesus Christ. Even if two people are experiencing deep depression, anxiety, or thoughts of suicide, their experiences are different from one another. However, our Lord and Savior does know how succor the needs of every individual in a perfect and matchless way, because He has felt every ounce of pain, sorrow, sickness and sin we have ever felt and will ever feel—He has conquered it all (Book of Mormon, Alma 7:11-12). How can we receive help from Jesus Christ? In a book titled, Experiencing Christ: Your Personal Journey to the Savior, written by Randall J. Brown, and published in 2009 by Cedar Fort, Inc., Brown shares a personal example of going through “an emotional hell” and how he was able to grow closer to Jesus Christ during that time: Read the rest of this entry »  Read More →

What value have our worldly possessions? Surely, we need food to eat, and shelter from the elements. How much more do we need? How much effort, how much sacrifice should we make to have useful, or even pretty things? My parents were solidly middle class, although my mother had been raised higher than that and always sought to climb the social ladder. They were dutiful. We were all vaccinated and saw the dentist every six months, got braces on our teeth if we needed them, had new dresses for prom, and money for college. Now I found myself with three young children, heading into bankruptcy. My husband’s business was failing, tax collectors visiting, creditors calling. Although under stress, my husband was still able to see these things in objective business terms, but for me, it was a moral morass. I was worried, embarrassed, confused. Looming before us was the prospect of losing all our worldly possessions. I saw no way out, and the fear of losing everything... Read the rest of this entry »

My mother hated her mother. She used to tell me some of the awful things her mother said to her as she was growing up. My grandmother lived in Philadelphia and was estranged from everyone, except my uncle, and he could barely tolerate her. We had begun our family life in the east, but had moved west, and my mother refused any contact from my grandmother. I had never in my life met her, and was to live my entire life without ever meeting her. Once a card arrived in the mail. “My dear sweet daughter,” it read. My mother flew into a rage and telephoned my uncle. “Find out what she wants,” she yelled, “and take care of it!” He did. She wanted money, I guess. Narcissistic Personality Disorder happens because of nurture, not nature, and my mother had it, although I was not able to find a name for her problem until I was a grandmother myself. Everything was everyone else’s fault, never her own, and she took credit for everything good. Not that... Read the rest of this entry »

After New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day is the most celebrated holiday around the world. Most people associate Valentine’s Day with sending or giving valentine cards and gifts to those they love, receiving valentine cards and gifts from those they love, seeing store shelves stocked with heart shaped boxes of chocolates and other candies, receiving a gift from an anonymous valentine, or spending time with that “special” valentine. But, the holiday may not necessarily be one of joviality for everyone. For some, Valentine’s Day means another day spent alone. However, no one has to be alone on Valentine’s Day. Robert Heinlein, an American science-fiction writer once stated, “Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” Even if a person is single and does not have that “special” valentine sweetheart to spend the day with, there are still things that... Read the rest of this entry »

Easter is arguably the most holy day in Christianity. Ironically, the word Easter is never mentioned in the Old Testament and mentioned only once in the New Testament in the book of Acts 12:4.  (See online Bible.) The scriptural usage is not in reference to anything Christian, but in reference to the celebration of a Pagan holiday familiar to most people in the first century. The word is used simply as a marker of time indicating a time when Herod planned to free an imprisoned Peter. Notwithstanding, there has been an evolution over the centuries attributing the word Easter to Christianity.  Specifically, Easter refers to the atonement and resurrection of Christ after the crucifixion. From the Biblical perspective, the lead up to the crucifixion was connected with the Jewish observance of Passover.  The crucifixion was to be completed just prior to the Passover. The Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S.... Read the rest of this entry »

All Christian churches have the same goal: to bring people closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. The goal is the same, but some of the doctrines and teachings are different. The scriptures teach, “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If this is true, then why are there so many Christian churches today, by some estimates, nearly 40,000? Elder Russell M. Nelson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in October 2012: When the Savior, Jesus Christ, walked upon the earth, “He organized His Church. He called Apostles, Seventies, and other leaders to whom He gave priesthood authority to act in His name. After Christ and His Apostles passed away, men changed the ordinances and doctrine. The original Church and the priesthood were lost.” Jesus Christ built His Church on a foundation of apostles and prophets, with Himself as the head.  (See Ephesians... Read the rest of this entry »

Christianity is centered upon a belief in Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God, and that He is our Creator, Savior, and Redeemer. Central to Christianity is the knowledge that we are in a lost and fallen state. We are separated from God both physically and spiritually. Jesus Christ, by suffering for our sins and giving His own life in sacrifice, has overcome both physical and spiritual death. Christ was the “first fruits” of the resurrection, in that He was the first person to rise from the dead with a perfect, resurrected body. Because of this, we all will be resurrected at some point after we die. Resurrected bodies are perfect. They do not suffer hunger, fatigue, disease or death, but live forever in radiant health. Thus, Christ has overcome the grave. Our spiritual separation from God is caused by our unworthiness to stand in His presence. We are all imperfect. We are sinners. God is our judge. When we sin, we deserve punishment, but Christ... Read the rest of this entry »

I have always loved Christmas.  When I was a child I loved to decorate the tree with my mom, bake cookies for Santa, and to wake up to all the gifts on Christmas morning!  Now that I am an adult, Christmas has changed to mean something more. Growing up in a family active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my parents always made sure we understood that as fun as it was to celebrate the idea of Santa Claus and give gifts, what we were really remembering was the birth of our Savior.  A tradition of our families was to recite the “symbols of the season.” The star on top of the tree was to represent that Christ is the shining hope of all mankind, the light of the world.  The evergreen tree is a symbol of life.  Just as the trees never lose their green color, Christ also will never lose His life through His resurrection and consequent triumph over death.  The companion color to green during the Christmas season is red.  Red is a... Read the rest of this entry »

What does Christmas mean to you? Presents? Lights? Giving? Spending time with family? Eating yummy food? All of these things are wonderful and good. I love them all. But more than that I love the source of it all, our Savior Jesus Christ. His birth was indeed “beautifully simple and simply beautiful” (Russell M. Nelson, “Prepare for the Blessings of Temple,” Ensign, Oct. 2009). Because of His humble, yet majestic birth, we have reason to celebrate. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”) I have loved learning about the Savior’s birth, the true reason we celebrate Christmas, from both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The teaching I love learning most about, concerning His physical birth, is that when He was born He brought with Him light. We know that in the land of Judea a star came for all to see, that the babe in Bethlehem, the Savior of the world, came to be. And... Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever felt despondent? Alone? Afraid? Panicked? If so, you are completely normal! Sometimes in life, hard things happen—and as human beings we have feelings that accompany those trying times, usually painful feelings. But as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”) I testify that these hard times can yield the greatest, most light filled, close to Heaven moments. It is in these moments when our souls our harrowed up (see Alma 36:12) so that we might be able to have the greatest spiritual growth—similar to the farmer who tares (or plows) his dirt before growing a wonderful crop. In a book titled, Experiencing Christ: Your Personal Journey to the Savior, written by Randall J. Brown, and published in 2009 by Cedar Fort, Inc. (pp 1-2) Brown shares a personal experience when his own heart was harrowed up and was brought closer to the Lord Jesus Christ because of it. In January... Read the rest of this entry »