This simple way of gathering helps Relief Society sisters find real connection

My father suffered all his life from low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. He was raised by an alcoholic father who often told him how worthless he thought he was. Thankfully, my father never became an alcoholic himself, but he never told me and my siblings that he was proud of us or praised us for things we had done well. Growing up, I tried to please him, but I always felt I couldn’t quite make the mark. This caused us to have a strained relationship.

As a young sister missionary, having been set apart by my father, who was the stake president, I wondered how it was that I was able to preach the gospel to the wonderful people of Los Angeles when I did not have the authority of the priesthood as the ordained elders did. I obediently taught the gospel and felt the influence of the Spirit strongly, even to exhorting and promising, but I wondered how that was possible. I understood that I was not ordained to a priesthood office and therefore could not perform priesthood ordinances outside the temple, but I still felt that I had authority—being a full-time, set-apart, assigned-by-the-prophet missionary—to help people obtain salvation. I even felt, although I didn’t understand how, that I was authorized by the Lord to do so. Here is what I have found about this and five other sometimes confusing aspects of priesthood power and women.

Editors’ note: Pornography affects the dating relationships of many young adults in a variety of ways. The experiences we share represent circumstances and decisions unique to each author. They are offered for perspective as you seek personal revelation for your own individual circumstances.

Why do temples have symbols? Where do symbols come from? Is all temple symbolism unique to Latter-day Saints? These and many more questions like them are answered in Jack M. Lyon's new book, Understanding Temple Symbols Through Scripture, History, and Art. Following is an excerpt that gives five tips to help Latter-day Saints better understand temple symbols.

I receive hundreds of letters in my office, and many of them describe the heartache that results from the categories we sometimes create for each other. Below is a letter describing the pain of being single in a Church focused on family:

Not long after Michael H. MacKay took a job in the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, he was approached by William G. Hartley.

I was taught, as were many girls, that you should always say yes to a boy who asks you to a dance and even a casual date. Although times have changed, that idea still persists, and while on the surface it seems great, I want to explore what we are teaching our teens—both girls and boys—when we enforce that rule.

Have you ever thought about teaching at BYU-Idaho?

As they approach later life, Latter-day Saints share many concerns with people of all faiths, such as financial planning, maintaining good health, and future association with family and friends. But some things are unique. Latter-day Saints live longer and have a different set of values than people of other faiths, which impels them toward a more active life of service and personal development. The high value they place on family life also makes a significant difference. Finding fulfillment in later life will depend on a number of factors, several of which are within our own volition. As we “embrace the future,” with all its opportunities and challenges, we should remember with Longfellow that “age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress.”1