Brightening My Light

photo from disneystore.com Disclaimer: I normally take Disney movies at face value, as purely entertainment. I only wrote this to show that what you look for is what you will find, and I looked for and found the good.  Ever since Frozen came out, many have argued that it has a gay rights hidden agenda. While it can be interpreted that way, the directors revealed the message is that love conquers negativity--more specifically, fear. That statement may apply to fear of homosexuals, but it made me see the movie from a different perspective--a Christian one, in fact. When the king and queen bring Elsa to the troll leader, he tells her that "fear will be your enemy." Paul wrote, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear" ( 2 Timothy 1:7 ). Discouraging feelings do not come from God but from the devil, our biggest enemy, who seeks to destroy us. Elsa leaves the kingdom to avoid hurting anyone, but she is still a danger because she still operates under fe

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released a short video on the sacredness of temple garments and clothing and has included shots of what they look like. As you can see, the garments are similar to regular underwear for men and bodyshaping wear for women. The fabric shown is only one of many options we can choose from. There are some variances in design for the women's tops as well and longer bottoms available for colder areas. For more information on temple garments, click here . The temple clothing is worn over a modest white dress for women and a white dress shirt and dress pants for men. The clothing understandably may look strange or funny to you, but please be respectful of them and to us. Thank you. Discussion: Do you have any other questions regarding temple garments or temple clothing?

In case you missed conference, here are some of the most popular quotes from the 184th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: For more quotes, visit the Facebook pages The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and LDS General Conference . Sharing Time: What were your favorite quotes from General Conference?

Talk I gave this morning at our friends' baptism. Now that you have been baptized, you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. At your reception last night, you received many wedding gifts. But what good are they if you do not open them and use them? So it is with the gift of the Holy Ghost. Elder Bednar said, “These four words—‘Receive the Holy Ghost’—are not a passive pronouncement . . . . The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken” ( Increase in Learning , 47). This is confirmed in D&C 88:33 : “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?”  How, then, do we receive the Holy Ghost? Elder Bednar revealed, “Everything the Savior’s gospel teaches us to do and become is intended to bless us with the companionship of the Holy Ghost. . . . Praying, studying, gathering, worshipping, serving, and obeying are not isolated and inde

lds.org I have heard and read many explanations on the relationship between grace and works, yet I never fully understood until I read today the Ensign article " Salvation: By Grace or by Works ?" by Gerald N. Lund. Now I can tell my mainstream Christian friends we do believe we are saved by grace. If they ask how works is involved, this passage explains it well: Paul said we are justified through and by faith (see Gal. 2:16 ; Rom. 3:28 ), which is the first principle of the gospel. In other words, faith is the principle that activates the power of the Atonement in our lives, and we are put back into a proper relationship with God (justification) as faith activates that power. . . . [A]nother analogy can help us see more clearly the role faith and works play in achieving salvation: We are like a powerhouse on a mighty river. The powerhouse has no power residing in itself; the potential power rests in the energy of the river. When that source of power flow

photo by Dominik Gwarek I have been gearing up for a post about the Ordain Women Movement, but this blogger beat me to it and did a great job. Plus, I love her style! "Mormonism, Feminism, and Being Snarky " I also encourage you to join the Facebook group Mormon Women Stand . The admins post powerful quotes and talks and invite discussion about gospel truths. Just some points to remember about women and men: Men are not better than women, and women are not better than men. Neither is superior over the other. We are simply different. We are incomplete without each other ( 1 Corinthians 11:11 ). We are supposed to become one, like two halves of a puzzle fitting together to complete a beautiful picture ( Genesis 2:24 ). We were given different innate qualities and different opportunities to develop those qualities. However, both men and women are supposed to develop all the qualities of Christ ( 3 Nephi 27:27 ). We share the most important role we can be given: p

The Liahona [Adapted from my sacrament talk given June 15, 2014. Read the first part here .] Being able to make connections between the scriptures and our own lives takes practice; that is why we should have effective personal scripture study. Reading the scriptures is good for surface-level understanding and knowledge, but internalizing the message and gaining a testimony of the doctrine and principles require searching, pondering, and praying. Even if we have trouble finding a specific answer in the words of the scriptures, engaging in daily scripture study invites the Spirit to give and opens our hearts to receive personal revelation.  Such deeper study takes time and effort, but it is not impossible to achieve. Start by finding a consistent time when you can focus and be uninterrupted. You may have to be creative. Don’t worry about how much you read; quality is more important than quantity. Take advantage of cross references, institute manuals, and other study guides t

Mormon [Adapted from my sacrament talk given June 15, 2014. Read the second part here .] The Lord told Lehi in a vision to take his family out of Jerusalem and into the wilderness. After they left, the Lord commanded that Lehi’s sons return to get the brass plates, which contained their genealogy, the Law of Moses and other commandments, prophecies, and Jewish history. They could not continue their journey into the wilderness until they had the scriptures of their times. When Nephi obtained the brass plates, he “searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children. Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise” (1 Nephi 5:21–22). Nephi read the scriptures to his family and “did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).    We