Dwelling on the past? Here’s the key to moving forward

The following is an excerpt from Converted. In the book, Lee Nobleman details his exposure to religion in his younger years—growing up Episcopalian, attending a private Catholic school, and learning from Jewish relatives—as well as how he became a Jehovah's Witness. Then he relates the following account:

Last fall, I listened to messages given by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during general conference and wrote a piece giving my thoughts on what non-Latter-day Saints, like myself, could learn from, appreciate, and apply to their lives.

In the Anbar province, Iraq, near the end of March 2019, four Utah National Guard soldiers saw a surreal yet familiar sight: the Salt Lake Temple drove into view on the Al-Taqaddum Air Base. The men were 45 miles from Baghdad and 20 miles from Fallujah, Iraq's city of 200 mosques. In the heart of Iraq near one of Islam's ultra-conservative strongholds, the green trees and glinting angel Moroni of Temple Square was one of the last things any of these men expected to see.

Between Cosmo the Cougarand the Cougarettes, BYU groups can't seem to stay out of national headlines for their epic dance moves. After three days of competition at the 2019 NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships in Daytona Beach, Flordia, the BYU Cougarettes posted on Facebook, "This weekend was the stuff dreams are made of. DOUBLE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!"

I like to ask people the question, “What does joy look like in your life?” Sometimes they think I’m asking for a definition of joy and they’ll parrot back something like “Joy is a feeling of happiness” or “Joy is a state of being successful and knowing all is well in your life.” But when I press a little further—when I emphasize that I want to know how they, personally, experience joy in their own life— that’s when the answers get interesting.

“I’ve got something really important to talk to you about,” said our missionary in Brazil last Monday on our video call.

Take a moment to reflect on all the touching and uplifting experiences we shared this conference weekend with these spectacular photos from the Deseret NewsandChurch News.

Elementary school teacher Diana Fairbanks received the surprise of her life when Michael Bublé brought the Latter-day Saint onstage to sing an impromptu Disney duet. That surreal moment for Fairbanks all began with a sign, one handmade by her class of sixth graders.

Latter-day Saints across Polynesia rejoiced (albeit reverently) Sunday afternoon when President Russell M. Nelson announced the first temple to be built in American Samoa.