Unique Nativities to set the scene this Christmas

This article was published in the July/August 2009 issue of LDS Living in honor the the 80th anniversary of Music and the Spoken Word. We are publishing it again to celebrate the program's 90th anniversary and have updated the article to include current information.

A major power outage in New York darkened Times Square and led to the cancellation of dozens of Broadway shows, but while locals and tourists filed from performance halls into the blackened streets, those outside Carnegie Hall experienced something Yahoo! News characterized as "celestial."

Often, when seated in my office with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I hear questions and statements such as: “Why doesn’t God love me? Why do I not receive the blessings that are promised when I strive so hard to be obedient? Why does it feel like I am being punished when others are blessed? I try so hard to do what I know is right, and yet nothing seems to change; why? Why can’t I get past or over these feelings of depression and/or anxiety? Is there something wrong with me? Why does it feel like God is not listening when I have done all that I know how to do? Why, if God is so powerful, does He not bring the changes into my life that I desire and so desperately need?” With each of these heartfelt questions expressed in desperation and defeat, the next phrase I hear, more often than not, is this: “I must be doing something wrong. I am just not good enough.” It is as if this anguished response expresses a logical answer to their questions.

Do your summer plans include a trip to visit Temple Square in Salt Lake City? See how much you know about this historic Church site with this fun and informative quiz.

I have been concerned over the years that too often our youth (and, unfortunately, even some of our more experienced members) are prone to confuse sentimentality with spirituality, tears with testimony. Let me illustrate. One Mutual night as I came out of my bishop’s office, I noticed that the members of the Laurel class were huddled in the hall and in the midst of what seemed to be quite a fascinating discussion. They appeared to be talking about one of the young women in their class who had, during the last year, slipped out of Church activity.

The following article originally appeared on LDS Living in 2015.

Many years ago, my wife and I were students, had a small family, and had little disposable income. We had one car that had a cracked windshield. The crack wasn’t substantial, but being somewhat of a perfectionist, it bothered me. The only long-term solution was to replace the windshield, which was not in the budget. I lived with the cracked windshield for a couple of years until finally we had saved enough money to replace it. The new windshield was perfect, and I was almost deliriously happy to be rid of that unsightly crack. About a week later I was driving on the freeway. As I passed a large truck, it kicked up a rock that landed squarely on my windshield. It left a large crack.

In her new book, Crossings, Melissa Inouye writes, “The miracle of Zion's one heart and one mind was not that all members of the community had been born identical, but that they had chosen to love and serve each other despite, or perhaps because of, their diversity."

Struggling singer-songwriter Jack Malik gets into an accident during a worldwide blackout. He wakes up the next morning to find the world exactly the same, with one exception: The Beatles never existed.