Brightening My Light

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 guid...

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).  ...