The true meaning of ‘prosper in the land’ is better than you think

With the New Year comes the chance to celebrate National Soup Month in January! Though soup is especially popular in cold winter climates, this versatile meal option is enjoyed all over the world. Check out these fun facts you never knew about this popular food:

As I have watched the Book of Mormon videos that have been released each Friday over the last few months, I have been surprised at how many details in the scriptures I have missed, understood differently, or forgotten. For instance, in this week's video, which shows us the story of Enos's mighty prayer, I was given a new insight into why Enos was so preoccupied with his salvation while he was out hunting. In the pages between the end of Jacob and the beginning of Enos, I missed making the connection that it might have been because he was just given a heavy spiritual responsibility to continue the record his father (and the Nephite prophet), Jacob, had been keeping. It really helped me feel and understand the longings of Enos' heart as he talked to his Savior in prayer.

What does practicing and living the gospel of Jesus Christ look like in real life? Well, if our stories on the This Is The Gospel podcast are any indication, the road of discipleship in these latter-days is as varied as our unique life experiences. But there is one thing that connects each of the 36 episodes and 85 stories we shared on the podcast in 2019 - a love for the Savior and the gifts of His atonement. We’re sure you’ll see that connection in the ten episodes you downloaded most:

I spent my formative teenage years in the nearly all-Latter-Day-Saint town of Rexburg, Idaho. In this highly sheltered setting my friends and I largely had shared experiences surrounding religion.

Depression can—and often does—seem like a mask overlying your loved one’s true and former self. Feeling that “this is not the person I know” is typical, but depression shouldn’t be allowed to also subvert a caregiver’s authentic self.

We live in a culture inundated by pornography. Talking to your teens about porn is no longer optional – it’s essential. The damaging impact of pornography can last for years. Preparing kids to confront this issue is a latter-day challenge.

Remember when the missionary age changed? Or when Mitt Romney ran for President? How about when then Elder M. Russell Ballard became the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to tweet?

Books, articles, and numerous Internet websites work to undermine faith in Joseph Smith’s first vision, but historically there have been just three main arguments against it. The minister to whom Joseph reported the event responded that there were no such things these days. More than a century later and in a literary style that masked her weakness in following the historical method, Fawn Brodie wrote that Joseph invented the vision years after he said it happened. A generation later, Wesley Walters charged Joseph with inventing revivalism when, Walters claimed, a lack of historical evidence proved that there was none and therefore there was no subsequent vision as a result. By now it has become a foregone conclusion for some that there are no such things as visions, that Joseph failed to mention his experience for years, and that he then gave conflicting accounts that failed to match historical facts. 1 But these three claims assume much more than they prove.

This past year has been full of both miracles and heartbreak for Latter-day Saints. And yet through the ups and downs, Church members have held resiliently to their faith and found support in their Savior, Jesus Christ. Here are the top 10 stories about Church members LDS Living has published in 2019. Take a moment to look through some of them and find yourself inspired and motivated to have a little more faith in 2020.