Danielle B. Wagner

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Latter-day Saint Life
First Black man sealed in the Salt Lake Temple shares the moment he heard the 1978 priesthood revelation
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 09, 2023 05:00 AM MDT
In 1967, Isaac Thomas walked onto the Missouri Valley College campus on fraternity pledge night. As one of only 32 black students at the school, he stood out starkly, but, being an outgoing young man fresh from an all-black high school, Thomas didn’t think anything of it. He had never come face to face with the violence and hatred racism breeds—until that night.
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Latter-day Saint Life
A new take on the parable of the lost sheep may change how you see yourself in the Church
By  Danielle B. Wagner
May 01, 2023 02:02 PM MDT
Oftentimes in our anxiety to live God’s commandments, we focus on everything we should avoid to remain righteous.
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Latter-day Saint Life
What JFK, Abraham Lincoln + 9 other US presidents had to say about Latter-day Saints
Katie Lambert
By  Katie Lambert
February 17, 2023 07:00 AM MST
Latter-day Saints have left a profound mark on history, and their influence has been felt around the world.
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Latter-day Saint Life
The most-used word in the Book of Mormon: 4 powerful insights it taught me
By  Danielle B. Wagner
April 11, 2022 09:30 AM MDT
Recently, I experimented with diving a little deeper into the Book of Mormon, reading, experiencing, and examining it in an entirely new way—through text analysis.
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Latter-day Saint Life
The Bednars’ powerful marriage advice: You do not find a good marriage, you create it
By  Danielle B. Wagner
February 23, 2022 11:20 AM MST
"I often emphasize the truth that you do not simply 'find' the marriage you hope to have. Rather, you create it," Elder David A. Bednar shared on Instagram.
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Latter-day Saint Life
6 principles President Nelson once plead that we teach to our children
By  Danielle B. Wagner
January 05, 2022 05:33 PM MST
“What are you going to teach your children?” President Nelson told Saints in Bolivia. “I would like to suggest you do what the Savior did.”
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Latter-day Saint Life
In 2016, Elder Christofferson gave a prayer in the U.S. Senate, remembering Pearl Harbor. Here’s what he said
By  Danielle B. Wagner
December 07, 2021 10:00 AM MST
On December 7, 2016, Elder D. Todd Christofferson paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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Latter-day Saint Life
Missionaries helped restore the world’s last battleship, now on display at Pearl Harbor
By  Danielle B. Wagner
December 07, 2021 07:00 AM MST
The USS Missouri served as the place of final surrender in WWII and took her final mission to Pearl Harbor on the 50th anniversary of the attack.
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Latter-day Saint Life
How a WWII pilot saved 90 men by following an unexpected spiritual prompting
By  Danielle B. Wagner
November 11, 2021 09:00 AM MST
During WWII, one American bomber pilot single-handedly saved the lives of 90 men by listening to the promptings of the Spirit. That pilot was my grandfather, Ronald S Beckstrom.
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Recommended by Us
Powerful stories of military service from the First Presidency
By  Danielle B. Wagner
November 11, 2021 07:00 AM MST
Many of our prophets and apostles have served in their respective country's military, including each member of our First Presidency. Here are powerful spiritual lessons these prophets and apostles learned during their military service.
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Latter-day Saint Life
What the Church has actually said about Halloween
By  Danielle B. Wagner
October 13, 2021 08:39 AM MDT
Halloween—that confusing mix of eeriness, morbidity, candy, trick-or-treating, and family fun. But the mixed reception of this holiday got us wondering, what has the Church officially said about Halloween?
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Latter-day Saint Life
11 powerful truths about our Heavenly Mother from prophets and apostles
By  Danielle B. Wagner
February 22, 2021 02:00 PM MST
Prophets and apostles have confirmed our Heavenly Mother's divine existence and mentioned Her divine attributes on multiple occasions.
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Latter-day Saint Life
Elder Holland’s Valentine’s Day message that might change how you show love
By  Danielle B. Wagner
February 14, 2021 07:57 AM MST
During the Valentine’s season, everyone’s thoughts turn toward romance and love. But Elder Holland explained how we should love others, not just one day, but through every trial, struggle, and joyous moment in our lives.
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Latter-day Saint Life
3 compliments that hurt women more than help them
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 13, 2020 11:00 AM MDT
It’s tempting to think that any compliment to a woman is a good one. But many compliments carry undertones or emotional baggage that we may not even be aware of.
8 Min Read
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Fun
14 Latter-day Saints stirring things up in the culinary world
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 03, 2020 09:00 AM MDT
“One of the reasons that food is so interesting to me intellectually is [that] you see people prioritizing their values when you see the way people prepare food and the way they eat,” says Kate Holbrook, managing historian of women’s history in the Church History Department and researcher of Latter-day Saint food traditions.
16 Min Read
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Latter-day Saint Life
How we misinterpret “black” and “curse” in the scriptures: Insights from an African American convert
By  Danielle B. Wagner
February 03, 2020 05:59 PM MST
This story was originally published by LDS Living in May 2018.
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How a Christ-Centered Gift Is Bringing Together a Community Torn Apart by Fire
By  Daedan Olander
August 31, 2019 08:00 AM MDT
The wildfire that burned through Paradise, California, in 2018 was the most violent in the state's history. With the containment taking nearly two weeks, the blaze destroyed nearly 15,000 homes and took 86 lives.
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How This Latter-day Saint Became a Knight—and Why It Took Him Totally by Surprise
By  Danielle B. Wagner
August 10, 2019 12:00 PM MDT
When world-renowned vocalist Sissel, best known for her stunning vocals in Titanic, stepped on the Conference Center stage for the 2019 Pioneer Day concert, her ethereal performance with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra on Temple Square could be linked back to the efforts of one man: Erlend D. Peterson.
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Famous Latter-day Saints
8+ Iconic Disney Characters You Didn't Know Were Drawn by a Mormon
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 23, 2018 02:00 PM MDT
While working at Disney for a decade, Jared Beckstrand helped create many of the Disney characters we have come to love—from Esmerelda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) to Meg (Hercules) and Jane (Tarzan) to Pacha (The Emperor's New Groove). Find out more about how he shares his faith through art.
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Latter-day Saint Life
The Angelic Manifestation Joseph Smith Witnessed After Failing Multiple Times to Receive an Answer from God (+ What It Can Teach Us About Prayer)
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 14, 2018 01:20 PM MDT
At some point in our lives, all of us will ask and worry and wonder why we are not receiving an answer to our prayers. Even—and sometimes especially—when we most want to follow the Lord's will for us, we can become frustrated when He seems inexplicably silent.
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Latter-day Saint Life
1 Youth Leader Killed, 3 Injured in Car Accident on the Way to Young Women Camp
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 13, 2018 04:51 PM MDT
While driving to a Young Women camp on Tuesday, June 12, one Young Women leader was killed and three were injured in a rollover crash near Vero Beach, Florida.
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Famous Latter-day Saints
Elizabeth Smart Shares Powerful Message About Forgiving Her Captors: "Forgiveness Is Another Word for Self-Love"
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 12, 2018 02:34 PM MDT
"If we can find forgiveness in our hearts for those who have caused us hurt and injury, we will rise to a higher level of self-esteem and well-being," President James E. Faust testified when he spoke on the healing power of forgiveness. "Some recent studies show that people who are taught to forgive become 'less angry, more hopeful, less depressed, less anxious and less stressed,' which leads to greater physical well-being. Another of these studies concludes 'that forgiveness . . . is a liberating gift [that] people can give to themselves.'"
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Latter-day Saint Life
11 Things I Wish I Had Known as a Young Woman
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 07, 2018 06:00 PM MDT
Author's note: I want to be clear that I am not a certified psychologist or a specialist on female adolescent development. I am one woman who is fortunate to have a job that exposes me to stories and gospel truths on a daily basis that expand my experience and knowledge. I hope some of what I can share will help others understand their place and purpose in the Church a little more fully.
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Latter-day Saint Life
Prophets' Reactions When They Learned of the Priesthood Revelation: "I Sat Down on That Pile of Dirt and Cried"
By  Danielle B. Wagner
June 01, 2018 12:39 PM MDT
June 8, 1978, is emblazoned into our collective memory as Latter-day Saints. Many of us identify with the sentiments of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who said, "I can remember exactly where I was. For us, that's the 'where we [were] when Kennedy was shot' [moment], this deep, deep, spiritual, emotional moment in the history of the Church."
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