Brightening My Light

ldsclipart.com I am constantly reminded of how incredibly horrific life can be. The terrors of mankind and nature are revealed everyday on the news and in TV shows--fictional and documentative. As I hear survivors and witnesses of such disturbing events share their experiences, I cannot help but feel compassion, pain, and sorrow for them. Every one of these people is a child of God, known and loved and not forgotten by Him. Let us remember them in our prayers. Pray for all the children who are being physically, emotionally, and sexually abused. Pray for all the women who have been raped, murdered, and mutilated. Pray for all the innocent victims of terrifying civil wars. Pray for all the people lost or injured in unforgiving wildernesses. Pray for all the fearful people caught in natural disasters and freak accidents. Pray for all these people to be blessed with comfort, peace, hope, temporal salvation if it's God will, and spiritual salvation if it's not. Challen...

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are frequently labeled Mormons/the Mormon Church or Latter-day Saints/the LDS Church. No matter what people call us, they never reference Christ, the Son of God, whom we worship and for whom our church is named. We are never called Christians. Who are Christians? According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary , a Christian is "one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ." There are many things wrong with this definition: 1.) it implies that to be Christian you only need to profess belief, 2.) the belief is in Christ's teachings, not in Him, and 3.) there are many interpretations of what His teachings are. The last problem is why people do not consider us Christians. The first two are why I don't consider many people Christians. Of course, to be Christian you need to believe in Christ. We do. We believe He is the Son of God and atoned for our sins. We worship Him and only Him--not ...

Service does not have to be big or time consuming. Sometimes the best service is small, random acts of kindness. These little but meaningful acts brighten other people’s day and make them feel loved. Try one of the following ideas to surprise a stranger, friend, neighbor, or family member. FOR STRANGERS: Put coins into a parking meter running low. Return stray shopping carts in the parking lot so that they don’t damage cars. Pay for something for someone waiting behind you in line. Give up your seat on a bus or in a waiting room. Hand out or randomly leave treats for students studying in the library during midterms and finals. Hold open the door for people and help them carry in packages or other loads. Give $5 gift cards for fast food places to homeless people. Smile and say hello! FOR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS: Doorbell ditch, leaving behind treats, a small gift, or a kind note. Shovel your neighbor’s driveway, weed their yard, or wash their car. ...

I received this story from my father, who got it from his bishop. It has been edited for usage and clarity. Names have been changed for privacy: This is an amazing story, a miracle really, that happened right here in the loving Lake Elsinore Ward. There was a very less-active man married to a very active woman: the Smith family. They lived in Horse Thief and had three little children. Sister Smith held callings and juggled her kids and was as active and faithful as could be. What an example she was. Brother Smith was a good guy, but just didn't care much for the Church.  They asked us to help them move out when Brother Smith found his dream job across the country on the E ast Coast . As always, our sweet priesthood brethren and our Relief Society sisters jumped in without hesitation to assist in the move.  The Lord works in mysterious ways! Here's the rest of the story as written in a Facebook message from Brother...

Teaching scripture stories to toddlers is important for instilling them with faith in God, gospel knowledge, and power to do what’s right. But it’s not easy for them to understand the scriptures and they have short attention spans, so try the following ideas to help them learn better. If your toddler has difficulty cooperating during family scripture study, let them read their church books while the family reads from the scriptures. They will learn that it is a special time to read about the gospel.  Try reading toddler books about scripture stories together before bed. Retell scriptures stories in your own words at a toddler level. To get little children involved, have them do something (like clap) every time they hear a certain key word (like faith ). Or make little happy and sad faces for them to hold up when they hear the words “happy” and “sad.” Read the Church's scripture stories for children. After a few sentences, read the correspondi...

My one-year-old son recently reminded me how important it is to teach by example. One night when we were about to have family scripture study, as we always do before he goes to bed, he folded his arms on his own. We did not teach him by folding his arms for him; he learned by watching us. Now he does it every time we read scriptures or say prayer. On the other hand, when my baby started yelling and "talking" back when he was upset or wanted attention, I realized I needed to watch how I express my frustration around him. I told my husband  we need to yell less often (especially since we aren't even mad, just yelling across the house or over the TV--not that we should yell when we're mad either) and keep calm when we discipline our son. Although it doesn't seem to make a difference in any one situation, I have noticed small improvements in the long run. Parenthood is a chance to refine ourselves as we realize how influential we are in our children's lives. W...

ldsclipart.com Family scripture study strengthens family ties, spiritually prepares each family member for the day, and increases everyone’s knowledge and testimony of the gospel. If you do not have family scripture study, start today! Try to have scripture study everyday with the whole family. Decide on a time that works best for your family, such as before school or before bed. Decide what you will read each day. One idea is to read the scriptures beginning to end and create a reading chart to follow and mark your progress. Another idea is to study by topic by going through the index or letting a family member choose. Make sure everyone is involved. Ask a family member to pray. Make sure everyone has a set of scriptures. Have the older kids help the younger kids follow along. Take turns reading aloud. If everyone has conflicting schedules, then have short devotionals whenever everyone is together or with different family members throughout the day. Say a prayer and rea...