Author Archives: Candace Salima

Gifts of the Spirit

Gifts of the Spirit should be coveted earnestly, as we are admonished by Paul in 1 Corinithians 12:31. Every member of the church is given at least one gift of the Spirit and it is up to us to seek after the rest. Gifts of the spirit are all tied around revelation of one sort or another. “It was asked of me by a gentleman how I guided the people by revelation. I teach them to live so that the Spirit of revelation may make plain to them their duty day by day that they are able to guide themselves. … Continue reading →

Genealogy Rocks!

When doing genealogy, I like going a little beyond the gathering of simple vital statistics. I like to dig in and find journals, newspaper articles, family bibles, obituaries, anything that will tell me who and what drove these ancestors of mine. Sometimes there can be quite a surprise, such as the one I found when linked into a line that went way, way back. Let me tell you a little bit about my ancestor, St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewers. Oh yeah, your eyes are not fooling you. There is indeed a patron saint of brewers. “Saint Arnold was … Continue reading →

Soul Suckers

“Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” Mark Twain You know these kind of people – they walk into a room, zero in on you and before you know it you’re limp. By the time they leave you and target someone else, you’re exhausted, both physically and emotionally. In reality, I avoid these people at all costs. I didn’t realize how detrimental it was to my health until one of these soul suckers called me on the phone … Continue reading →

Some Humor to Lighten Your Day

There are people who actually give awards for the incredibly dumb things people do. For instance, the British Sunday Express gives the following awards: Crimewatch Cup Gold star: Goes to Henry Smith, arrested moments after returning home with a stolen stereo. His error was having tattooed on his forehead in large capital letters the words “Henry Smith.” His lawyer told the court: “My client is not a very bright young man.” Silver star: Goes to Michael Robinson, who rang police to deliver a bomb threat, but became so agitated about the mounting cost of the call that he began screaming … Continue reading →

To Be or Not to Be

Richard Dutcher, a prominent LDS filmmaker, has stated that all the satires and comedies which have been pouring forth into the market are a disservice to the LDS faith. Oh, I beg to disagree. There is room for everything and everyone. Who can’t appreciate the richness of “Singles Ward?” There was a stereotype for each person in the ward in that film. As my sister and I watched it, the viewing experience was constantly interspersed with, “Oh, that’s so-and-so, or that’s exactly what so-and-so was like.” Isn’t that what satire is all about? Pointing out the idiocies that exist within … Continue reading →

We Lived Before

“Adam, our great progenitor, “the first man,” was, like Christ, a pre-existent spirit, and like Christ he took upon him an appropriate body, the body of a man, and so became a “living soul.” The doctrine of the pre-existence,—revealed so plainly, particularly in latter days, pours a wonderful flood of light upon the otherwise mysterious problem of man’s origin. It shows that man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal body to undergo an experience in mortality. … Continue reading →

Fa’a Keriso vs. Fa’a Samoa

The Way of Christ versus Cultural and Family Traditions. Years ago I was privileged to hear actor, Al Harrington (Hawaii 5-0, White Fang and numerous t.v. shows) speak to a group of youth. His main focus was Fa’a Keriso, his main message, “Strip away all that cannot coexist within the Culture of Christ.” As of late, my husband and I have discussed this quite frequently. We belong to an ethnic (Samoan) ward – we were hijacked really, from our conventional ward into the brand-new Samoan ward formed in our city. My husband’s greatest concerns were that the offices of chief … Continue reading →

Interview with author Tara C. Allred

This week I decided to interview Tara C. Allred, the author of Sander’s Starfish, a Covenant Communications publication. I’ve come to know her through our mutual membership of LDS Storymakers and found her to be a truly nice person. From her website we learn that, “Tara was raised in California. Her philosopher/psychologist father and artist mother provided a critical thinking and creative home life. Their influence helped Tara develop the attributes and belief that she could pursue her writing dreams. In 1992, she was recognized as a California Scholar of the Arts for Creative Writing. Then in 1999, Tara graduated … Continue reading →

The “Easy” Life of a Writer

You know; the writing process is not an easy thing. I’ve heard people say, “Wow, you’ve got the easiest job ever.” I have to laugh, because that is far more socially acceptable than smacking them in the face. Let me give you a rundown of my average day: 4:30 a.m. – Wake up, stumble to the computer and sit there yawning while the thing boots up. Open WordPerfect and write daily blogs for www.families.com. 5:30 a.m. – Blogs must be finished and work must begin on current books, two of which are currently in the works with one having a … Continue reading →

Sharing the Peace Within

Someone asked me a question last night. She wanted to know how the hard-won peace that existed within could be spread to those around her. I told her I’d have to contemplate that a little before I could answer. Well, apparently that’s what I did in my sleep last night because I have a pretty clear idea this morning. We work so hard to establish peace within our souls. With the chaos of the world battering us at every turn it takes every bit of effort to keep peace within our homes and our hearts. There are many things we … Continue reading →