As a process theologian, I affirm the universality of revelation. God is present in every moment of experience. While most moments have few religious messages, on occasion a synergy between God’s call and our response awakens persons to a deeper knowledge of God’s vision for themselves and the world. Surely this was the case in the writing of the Gospels, the prophetic writings, and the epistles of the New Testament, to name a few. Yet, we must remember that divine inspiration was present at every stage of the process, including the oral traditions, the process of writing, the written word, and the spoken or read word. If revelation is universal, then biblical revelation may only be different in degree – and that would not necessarily apply to all of the bible – and not different in kind from other inspirational literature. Because God seeks beauty and wholeness, every divine revealing has the potential of becoming a spoken or written revelation.

When a young man expressed concern that he was still feeling guilt after repenting, Elder Andersen shared this insight on repentance and forgiveness.

The Church History Department has been working incredibly hard to publish as much information as possible about the early history of our church and church leaders. Perhaps there is no other religion today trying to be as transparent with their past as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or as encouraging to its members to study their own personal ancestry and history.

I was presenting a missionary discussion to a family in my mission field many years ago. The parents were polite but distant. The daughter, however—a young lady about 18 or 19—was enthralled. The idea of a living prophet aroused in her a remarkable enthusiasm, and she had many questions. I was delighted to answer them. I explained that David O. McKay was a prophet in the same way that Jeremiah and Isaiah and Moses were prophets, and that the Lord revealed his will to his children through his living prophets as he had done in ancient times.

As we prepare for general conference, here are meaningful messages from last conference that can help us review and come closer to the Spirit. Here is one invitation or promise given by each of the speakers during the April 2019 general conference that might lead you to take action, inspire you to be still and listen, help you prepare for another meaningful conference this weekend, and draw you closer to Christ.

READING: ISAIAH 40-49

A lovely young lady sat in my office a while ago. Her life, which had begun with joy, service, and obedience, had descended through successive layers of iniquity and decadence to a place where blackness enveloped her, and she was miserable. Like Lehi of old, she beheld herself (see 1 Nephi 8:7). Like the prodigal son, she had spent too much time with the pigs and had come to herself (see Luke 15:17). She did not like what she saw in her mirror each morning and came at last to the one unfailing source of help. She came to my office seeking the Savior, because she had finally realized that there was nowhere else to go.

Being at church has at times been a major struggle for me. My first major panic attack happened during a Sunday School lesson while I was in college, and the months following that experience I struggled with inexplicable intense anxiety in both church and other social settings. After some time and with the help of therapy, medication, and prayer, church became again a place of peace rather than panic for me. Unfortunately, that anxiety returned full force last summer.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published updates today, July 31, 2020, to 15 chapters of its General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This includes significant changes to five chapters. These follow adjustments made to the new digital handbook in February and March of this year.

As we harness the right tools, studying the scriptures can draw us to Jesus Christ. That is the hope of Daniel Smith, producer of the “Messages of Christ” YouTube channel. On his most recent project, the Women and Jesus video series, he is joined by Heather Ruth Pack. She provides a woman’s perspective and helps by writing and editing each video script. Together, their love for the scriptures shines through as they prayerfully tell the stories of the women who interacted with the Savior thousands of years ago.