Tag Archives: apostle

President Faust Passed Away

President James E Faust, the second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, passed away this morning from natural causes. He has been serving in the First Presidency since 1995. He has served as a General Authority for thirty-five years. He was with his family when he passed away. President Faust has been loved for the stories that he shared during his talks. These stories were wonderful illustrations of gospel principles. Many of the stories came from his personal life. He spent his life serving and helping others. In a recent talk he … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: “Give ye them to eat”

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Circumstances did not allow for posting these lessons the weeks they were completed. However, it is my hope that you will still be able to take something from them. Today’s posts address lesson 12, “I Am the Bread of Life.” As I studied the miracle of the loaves and fishes for this week’s Sunday school lesson, I was touched by one important factor: who distributed the meal. Although most lessons seem to focus on the miracle itself, or the relationship to the Savior as the bread of life, I confess that this small technical detail intrigued me. Turn with me … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: The Sermon on the Mount Audience

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As they Savior traveled and ministered, two basic groups accompanied Him. Each group was composed of individuals, motivated by their own purposes. When Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount, he addressed one portion to one group, and another to the other. The first group was “the multitude,” and was composed of several different types of people. Some sought after the man from Galilee. Some saw the crowd and wandered in. Some sought to challenge and criticize. Some took the teachings they heard home with them and applied them to their lives. Some followed for several days, seeking to hear … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Pride and Charity

This week’s Sunday School lesson, appropriately titled “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”, contains the remainder of the Savior’s Sermon on the Mount. As I studied the first few verses, I was reminded to check the motivations for many of my actions. The Savior begins by teaching His disciples to take heed not to give alms to the poor in order to receive recognition or riches from other men. If we do seek earthly recognition, we forfeit our Heavenly reward. Similarly, we are taught not to pray in order to be seen by men, but to be seen by … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: The Gospel Light the World Did Not Comprehend

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One of the things I really love about breaking down the Sunday School scripture study is that it means I can really take the time to relish and pursue different avenues of exploration, rather than simply reading the lesson. When I have several days to read a few chapters or verses, I can involve myself in the footnotes and other resources that I might have available. The down side, of course, is that I only get through a handful of verses at a time, but hey, you can’t have everything. Today, it took me pretty much my whole 30 minutes … Continue reading →

Elder Russell M. Nelson

When I was 15-years-old I received the news I had a hole in my heart. I was told that everything would be okay, I would just need more sleep than other people. 16 and 17 shot by in a whirl of school, dances, parties, and letters to friends on missions. I slept on the bleachers at school when I had the chance. When I went to a church dance I would dance, sleep on the couch, dance and then go home to sleep fifteen or sixteen straight hours. It’s just the way things were. A couple of months prior to … Continue reading →