Tag Archives: Repentance

One Tuesday Morning – Karen Kingsbury

When I reviewed nationally published Christian author Karen Kingsbury’s “Like Dandelion Dust,” I said I would be hunting down more books by her. Well, I did, and while I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as I did “Dandelion,” I liked it quite a bit, so much that I was up until 3 a.m. finishing it. As you may have guessed from the title, “One Tuesday Morning,” this book is about the 9/11 bombings. Jake Bryan is a firefighter who is deeply in love with his wife, his daughter, and with the gospel. He’s concerned because his wife Jamie … Continue reading →

General Conference: “The Great Plan of Happiness” by Elder Nash

In his talk “The Great Plan of Happiness” Elder Marcus B Nash speaks of the importance of living the gospel. He begins by stating the importance of having the Holy Ghost as your companion. He then shares a story about the first time that he went fishing. He tells us that his father told him the importance of setting the hook in the fish’s mouth by jerking back after the fish has taken the bait. He learned that day two lessons that a fish is uncomfortable out of water and that the danger of the bait. Elder Nash goes on … Continue reading →

The White Rag and Sin

I was very young when I came up with the analogy of sin being like grime, and a rag being like us. Since then, I’ve heard this same metaphor used a few times. As a young child it helped me grasp the need to repent and return to God. A rag which is clean and white does not stay that way for long if it is to be used around the house. It might be used to pick up spilled juice; it might be used to dust off the fireplace mantel. The rag might even come face to face with … Continue reading →

The Breaking Point – Karen Ball

Stop the Presses!! Author Karen Ball has agreed to do an interview with me exclusively for Families.com. Come back tomorrow to see her answers to the questions I asked and to learn more about her. In “The Breaking Point,” a Christian novel by Karen Ball, characters Gabe and Renee Roman are fighting to save their marriage, which is only ten years old. Although once madly in love, they are drifting farther and farther apart, sometimes hating each other, sometimes wishing that things could go back to how they were before. They’ve been to counseling, and think they’ve made some progress, … Continue reading →

Cleaning House

Digging in, purging, washing, dusting, refinishing, reorganizing, and airing out the house… It’s all a part of spring cleaning. When we don’t clean house, it becomes dirty, dusty, worn, disorganized, and the air becomes stagnant; all these things are unhealthy for us to live in. These same things are true of our spiritual life as well. When we turned our lives over to Christ, our bodies become temples for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and … Continue reading →

Two Kinds of Baptisms

The Bible makes reference to two kinds of baptisms. One is for repentance (John’s baptism) and the other for the Holy Spirit (done in Jesus’ name). Many churches accept these baptisms at the same time baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which are one, and being submerged under water, open to receiving the Holy Spirit. “Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:5) Here we can see both baptisms are necessary; we need to be reborn repenting … Continue reading →

General Conference: “Repentance, a Blessing of Membership”

In “Repentance, a Blessing of Membership” Elder Richard G Hinckley talks briefly of his relationship with his father and his mother. He shares how they guided him and influenced him in his life. He then shares a story about when LeGrand Richards was a bishop. He asked several less active members to come and give a talk on what their membership in the church meant to them. This experience helped several of the members return to full activity. He then goes on to say: “I would like to speak to that same theme this evening. I invite each of you, … Continue reading →

Family Home Evening: Repentance

The next topic in the “For the Strength of Youth” manual is “Repentance.” This is a great topic and should apply to any family. It can be taught at whatever level your family is ready for, and the lesson can actually reach different age groups at the same time. Open your lesson by reading Doctrine and Covenants 58:42 as a family. After you read this read the “Repentance” section from the “For the Strength of Youth” manual. You may want to review the basic repentance process with your family. The basics steps are acknowledging that you have sinned, feeling sorrow … Continue reading →

General Conference: “I Will Remember Your Sins No More”

In his talk “I Will Remember Your Sins No More” President Boyd K. Packer spoke about Alma and the counsel that he gave to his son Corianton. Corianton had strayed from the things that he knew to be right. He had made choices that had taken him far away from the path that he should have been on. Alma 39-42 reports of what Alma taught Corianton about the plan of redemption and repentance through the Atonement of Christ. After President Packer summarizes the counsel, he adds: “It is a wicked, wicked world in which we live and in which our … Continue reading →

Do Your Trials Seem Too Great to Bear?

One talk that I really enjoyed during General Conference was “Broken Things to Mend,” by Jeffrey R. Holland. This talk is about coming unto Christ and using the Atonement in our lives to heal ourselves. Elder Holland talks about how we can utilize the Atonement in our lives. Elder Holland says of this: “This reliance upon the merciful nature of God is at the very center of the gospel Christ taught. I testify that the Savior’s Atonement lifts from us not only the burden of our sins but also the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our … Continue reading →