Brightening My Light

This weekend is the 179th Semiannual General Conference of the Church. Saints all over the world will hear the words of the prophet and apostles. It will be a weekend filled with enlightenment, peace, encouragement, inspiration, growth, love, and joy. What a wonderful event to look forward to! We cannot afford to miss it, so we must prepare. Find out what time it will be aired in your area (check at lds.org). Decide where you will watch or listen to it: at home, at a friend’s home, at the stake center, on the computer, on the radio. Try to get off work or schedule work earlier or later so that you can watch both sessions (or at least one session) of General Conference. If you must travel, coordinate all rides and times and make sure your car has gas. If you will watch General Conference live, make sure you have tickets and leave early enough to park and be seated on time. Finish all housework and homework before the weekend to avoid other obligations that may distract you from listenin...

I love watching movies! At home on the couch, at the theater, with friends, with family, in sickness or in health--it's all fun! But risky as well. Risky, that is, to my spirituality if I am not careful with what I choose to view. During high school, I used my best friend and a newspaper column as movie screeners. Then a former seminary teacher introduced me to a great Web site and a friend showed me another one. Both are free with a list of movies from about 15 years ago to current releases. [Click on the name for the link to the site.] Screenit : This Web site gives a short and full summary of the movie plot and the content, divided into categories. I like this site because it is very explicit: I know what language is in the movie and how many times it occurs. Note: In order to review movies before the release date, you must become a member. Kids in Mind : This site is similar to screenit, but somewhat less extensive (especially in the movie summary and language departmen...

In Doctrine and Covenants 88: 118, the Lord advises us to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom.” Besides the scriptures and doctrinal Church books, there are so many good books out there to enjoy. But finding them can be difficult. Often the bestsellers are overflowing with profanity and promiscuity. And other books are unheard of and hidden on library shelves. I wish there were edited books or a website that screens books like movies (if you are aware of one, let me know!). The best I can do for now is to recommend some very uplifting books and inspirational authors. Richard Paul Evans —Most famous for his book The Christmas Box , Evans writes inspiring stories about change and growth. His characters are realistic and relatable. Although his books are not written for only an LDS audience, you can sense the influence of the gospel in his writing. Josi S. Kilpack —Her books focus on serious trials LDS families experience, such as infidelity, the pressure of perfection,...

Friday morning I was informed of the death of a friend as a result of a car accident. He left behind a wife of one year and a three-month-old baby girl. Once the shock wore off, the tears came—tears for the husband who left this earth so early in life, tears for the wife without her love beside her, tears for the baby who will never know her father. But I also had tears for me because of this wake-up call. How would I react if Justin were to die today? Would I be prepared if I were to die today? In all honesty, I fear death, and for the obvious reason: I am not spiritually prepared. Why have I procrastinated so much for so long? (I admit, I am also terrified of the means by which I will die—I fear agony and pain!) Death as a whole affects me as well. I am very sensitive to the news whether or not I know the person or people involved. I cry over the circumstances of their death, such as age and cause. I cry over their grieving family and friends. I cry over their lack of understanding t...