Brightening My Light

At the end of April, our stake had a women's conference. A couple months before the event, I was asked to portray one of the women from the scriptures: Hannah. I was told to prepare a 3-5 minute talk about her from her point of view. It needed to include the lines, "I offer you the gift of [gospel principle]..." and "My prayer for you from the past is..." I put a lot of thought into my talk ( read it here ) and came away learning a lot not only about Hannah, but also about how her story applies to me. I was again reminded how really studying scripture stories in depth can lead to a deeper understanding of the people and lessons involved. The day of the event, all the women participating in the pageant arrived early to get into costume and run through our entrance. The place was decorated beautifully! Each table was assigned a tribe of Israel The stake Relief Society president wanted us to really get into character and have fun. She was hoping we wou...

Part 4 of the talk I gave at stake conference on Saturday, October 17. As with my previous talk, I used an outline, so this isn't word for word. We receive an abundance of blessings when we have the Spirit always with us. Elder Kim B. Clark promised: I know that if we will do these things, the Holy Ghost will come! . . . We increasingly will see all of our brothers and sisters the way God sees them . . . . We will hear the Savior’s voice in the scriptures, in the whisperings of the Spirit, and in the words of the living prophets. . . . We will see and understand ourselves and the world around us the way the Savior does. We will come to have what the Apostle Paul called “the mind of Christ.” I bear you my witness that through the companionship of the Holy Ghost, the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ will cut through the confusion, the pain, and the darkness. Whether it comes in a remarkable burst or in a gentle flow, that glorious spiritual power will infuse healing ...

Sacrament talk given on June 21, 2015. My talk is a continuance of the month’s theme on Christlike attributes. When we think of what it means to be Christlike, we usually think of characteristics such as charity, mercy, obedience, and virtue, not knowledge. But the Doctrine and Covenants reveals that “the glory of God is intelligence” ( 93:36 ) and that God “comprehendeth all things” ( 88:41 ). Jacob in the Book of Mormon said God “knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it” ( 2 Nephi 9:20 ), and Ammon said, “he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things” ( Alma 26:35 ). Knowledge and intelligence are not interchangeable words, however. Elder Bednar, in his book Increase in Learning (which I highly recommend everyone read), explains the hierarchy of learning. Generally, knowledge refers to facts, information, and abilities obtained through experience or education. . . . [The Prophet Joseph Smith said], "God...

photo by Ricardo Chahad The symbolism and powers of light and darkness are no coincidences. A 2010 study found that people were more likely to be dishonest in dim lighting or when wearing sunglasses than in bright lighting or when wearing clear glasses. I believe it is more than just a result of feeling unwatched or hidden. Darkness is not only the absence of physical light, but also the absence of spiritual light. Darkness is the devil's domain, his prime time for work, which is why we associate all things evil with the dark: sinful places are barely lit; terrible crimes happen at night; criminals usually dress in dark, concealing clothing. I think that is why we are often more shocked and offended when something wicked occurs in "broad daylight." The findings of this study should prompt us to evaluate our own behavior in darkness and to eliminate it if it affects us. If we find that we are just as likely to commit the sin in light, then we need to take even more carefu...

It is no coincidence that light is symbolic of Christ, the light and life of the world (Mosiah 16:9). Every characteristic of light is also characteristic of the Son of God: All life requires light for survival and growth. Light dispels darkness. Light makes everything visible and clear (also used in the forms of lenses and mirrors) and is used to lead the way. Light provides warmth and happiness; its absence leads to cold and depression. The brightest light is white. The solar system revolves around a light source (and isn't it interesting that sun and son are homophones in English?). Light signifies knowledge (light bulb ideas, the word enlightenment , D&C 93:36). Light comes from above. The scriptures reveal how light has been used to symbolize the Savior: Before the Savior was born, the Nephites experienced a day and a night and a day of full light (3 Nephi 1:15, 19). On His day of birth, a new star--the brightest and only constant star--appeared (3 Nephi 1:21, Matthew 2:...