Kelsey Berteaux

50 Ways to Dominate at Trunk-or-Treat Decorating

Fun

50 epic trunk-or-treat decorating ideas you wish you had time for

By Kelsey Berteaux

October 18, 2021 08:00 AM MDT

Get inspired for your ward trunk-or-treat, from flashy and flamboyant to simple and sophisticated.

1 Min Read

Fun

How the Book of Mormon design has changed over the last 100 years

By Kelsey Berteaux

March 26, 2020 11:00 AM MDT

Pause for a moment and picture a copy of the Book of Mormon. What does it look like? Is it slender and blue with gold embossing on the front? Or maybe part of a thicker volume that contains other books of scripture?

2 Min Read

Fun

20 Things You Didn't Know About Temple Square at Christmastime

By Kelsey Berteaux

December 22, 2019 10:00 PM MST

This story originally ran on LDS Living in December 2017.

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How I Share the Gospel as a Google Maps Local Guide

By Kelsey Berteaux

November 29, 2019 02:01 PM MST

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a church I’d like to visit. Scott Wright wrote this review in early 2019 as part of a Google Maps program called “local guides.” These guides are trusted members of the Google Maps community who add local roads, take photos, and write reviews in their area. Most do it for free because they like helping others.

2 Min Read

December,12,,2020,-,San,Antonio,,Texas,,Usa:,The,San

Fun

10 things you probably didn’t know about the angel Moroni statue

By Kelsey Berteaux

November 07, 2019 09:10 PM MST

The angel Moroni statue is seen atop many a Latter-day Saint temple. But what do you really know about its history? Here are 10 fun facts you might be surprised to learn about the statue and where it came from.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

10 Ways to Feel the Spirit on Sundays Even When You Have to Work

By Kelsey Berteaux

July 25, 2019 09:37 AM MDT

The following article previously ran on LDS Living in September 2016.

3 Min Read

Fun

The Most-Sung Conference Hymn and 3 More Fun Music Facts (+Poll)

By Kelsey Berteaux

April 06, 2019 09:57 AM MDT

Conference is around the corner—and so's the chance to listen to the Tabernacle Choir and sing some of our favorite songs. Which hymns might we hear or sing this year? Turns out that some are more popular than others! Check out what we found by combing through the last 21 years of hymns sung in general conference:

1 Min Read

Fun

11 Postage Stamps from Around the World with Latter-day Saint–Themed Images

By Kelsey Berteaux

March 19, 2019 08:49 AM MDT

Almost a dozen countries around the world have issued postage stamps with Latter-day Saint images on them. Check out these 11 examples of Latter-day Saint–themed postage stamps that really were used to send mail:

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

6 Ways Latter-day Saints Can Enjoy the Spirit of Lent

By Kelsey Berteaux

March 06, 2019 09:17 AM MST

For many faiths, today is known as Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of the season of Lent—a 40-day period dedicated to fasting and repentance in preparation for Easter. Christians who celebrate Lent traditionally give up specific bad habits, fast, pray, and practice increased spiritual discipline.

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How to Accept the Change When a Parent Remarries

By Kelsey Berteaux

January 15, 2019 07:00 AM MST

More than 50 million remarried people currently live in the United States alone. Two of those people are my parents. In just over 14 months, they went from a couple of 25 years to divorcés to members of new blended families. I and my four adult siblings quite suddenly found ourselves with a stepfather, a stepmother, and five new stepsiblings. And for a long time, I wasn’t really sure where I fit.

7 Min Read

Fun

Where did the CTR ring come from?

By Kelsey Berteaux

November 29, 2018 10:30 PM MST

Editor's note: For a more in-depth article on the history of CTR rings, see this article from 2022.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

Bearing Your Testimony: 5 Powerful Tips

By Kelsey Berteaux

November 07, 2018 10:51 PM MST

Sitting in the back of the chapel during fast and testimony meeting feels like a safe bet—until we get the spiritual prompting to stand up and bear our testimonies. For several minutes, we struggle with whether or not we really should. We rationalize. We're teaching Gospel Doctrine this week. We just bore our testimony last year, right? We don't have anything special to say. We're scared.

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

When Bullying Happens on Missions: What You Can Do About It

By Kelsey Berteaux

October 25, 2018 08:43 AM MDT

From the very first day, Elder Davis* knew it was going to be a hard transfer. He just didn’t realize how hard.

8 Min Read

5 Ways I Got Fasting Wrong (& How to Avoid the Same Mistakes)

Latter-day Saint Life

5 Ways I Got Fasting Wrong (and How to Avoid the Same Mistakes)

By Kelsey Berteaux

September 29, 2018 12:10 PM MDT

See how many problems you can spot in this personal story:

6 Min Read

Fun

"Not Empty Sea, MTC": 12 Hilarious Lingo Mix-Ups Latter-day Saints Understand All Too Well

By Carly M. Springer

September 15, 2018 02:00 PM MDT

Sometimes it's easy for lifelong members to forget not everyone grew up a Latter-day Saint. All it takes is a new member, investigator, or non-member friend to remind us that sometimes, we're speaking a different language.

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

5 Ways Not to Start a Sacrament Talk (and What to Do Instead)

By Kelsey Berteaux

August 25, 2018 04:00 PM MDT

Chances are, if you’re a Latter-day Saint, you’ve had this happen to you before: it’s a Tuesday night like any other. Our family has just finished dinner, and we’re clearing the table when the phone rings. It’s the bishop. The conversation lasts less than two minutes, but the worry we feel coming away from that phone call will haunt us for the next week: we’ve been asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting.

4 Min Read

Fun

21 Simple Pleasures Only Mormons Will Understand

By Kelsey Berteaux

August 15, 2018 09:15 AM MDT

Have you ever had a moment where you pause to take a breath and appreciate something small? These little wonders can be tender mercies in our lives. Here are 21 such simple pleasures that Latter-day Saints in particular might find in their everyday lives.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

7 Things All Mormons Should Know About the King James Bible

By Kelsey Berteaux

July 31, 2018 09:27 AM MDT

Latter-day Saints use the King James Bible along with other scripture to learn the will and word of God. But while you may know your Bible verses, you might not know these things about the King James Version of the Bible.

8 Min Read

4 Reasons Mormons Are Always Late

By Kelsey Berteaux

November 20, 2017 03:21 PM MST

No matter where you live around the globe, as a Latter-day Saint, you probably know someone who runs on MST. No, I’m not talking “Mountain Standard Time” (which is actually the time zone of Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah). I’m talking “Mormon Standard Time,” the apparent tendency for some members to arrive late to almost any church function or family event, from sacrament meeting to mutual and more.

3 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

7 Famous People Who Married Mormons

By Kelsey Berteaux

November 13, 2017 09:00 AM MST

Did you know that Mayim Bialik from The Big Bang Theory and Larry King both married Mormons? Find out which other famous people have married Mormons.

5 Min Read

Fun

9 Things You Should Never Do With Jell-O

By Kelsey Berteaux

October 06, 2017 01:00 PM MDT

Ahh, Jell-O! It's a favorite in many Latter-day Saint households and a staple of ward potlucks across the US. We're all for a good Jell-O dish! (In fact, you should make sure to check out the winners from our Jell-O recipe contest.) But there are just some things you shouldn't do with this strange, jiggly treat. Check out our list of things you shouldn't do with Jell-O:

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

What Mormons Know and Believe About Guardian Angels

By Kelsey Berteaux

September 13, 2017 04:06 PM MDT

Touching stories of angelic emissaries are commonly recounted in LDS meetinghouses. Since we believe in a God who is anxiously engaged in our lives, it’s a heart-warming thought to think that heavenly messengers can intervene for good on our behalf. But are there such things as “guardian angels”? Donald W. Parry, author of Angels: Agents of Light, Love, and Power, says there just might be angels among us.

2 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

When You're Overwhelmed at Church: 4 Crucial Tips

By Kelsey Berteaux

September 01, 2017 02:00 PM MDT

“I just need a break.” Or at least, that’s what I tell myself. “I’m just tired. I’ve been so busy. I’ve got a lot going on right now. I just need a few weeks to ease off, refresh, and then I’ll come back.” Or so I say.

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

Animals and the afterlife: Do all dogs go to heaven?

By Kelsey Berteaux

August 12, 2017 11:00 AM MDT

I remember the first time I went to put a dog down. Her name was Maggie. She was a beautiful, black Great Dane with a love for life and eating socks. But she was only 4 (barely middle-aged) when Wobbler syndrome necessitated we take her to the vet.

3 Min Read