Submission has a bad reputation. As Elder Jeffery R. Holland has said, “You can be certain that with some in this world, it is not fashionable nor flattering to speak of submitting—to anybody or anything . . . It sounds wrong on the face of it. It sounds feeble and wimpish.”

As I completed the writing for my book about the last days, Living in the Eleventh Hour, it occurred to me that there might be some value in continuing the trek, completing the story, if you will. I honestly had not anticipated a sequel. And so the next weekend I began what might be called a review of the literature. I turned first to the standard works and was absolutely blown away by how much the prophets have spoken about the millennial period. While I was certain that much of my data would come from the Doctrine and Covenants, I was stunned by the doctrinal detail in the Old Testament. I knew that the book of Revelation would be tremendously fertile ground, but I had not realized that the four Gospels, the epistles of Paul and Peter, and the teachings of modern prophets and apostles like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Orson Pratt would be so fruitful as well.

Often we influence each other in ways that we will never know or understand, but sometimes, we are gifted the opportunity to see how we touch each other’s lives for good.

Excerpt from an interview Religion News Service conducted with Cinco Paul, screenwriter of Despicable Me.

Editor's note: "This Week from the Pulpit" highlights recent messages by General Authorities and General Officers of the Church.

“For over 20 years, I regretted not only that I didn’t graduate, but also that I had forfeited promised blessings.”

Using ancestry.com, four couples are racing to trace their family history to find their long-lost ancestors.

At first glance, Naomi and Stacie and Stephanie and Liz appear to be members of the species known as the "Hipster Mommy Blogger," though perhaps a bit more cheerful and wholesome than most. They have bangs like Zooey Deschanel and closets full of cool vintage dresses. Their houses look like Anthropologie catalogs. Their kids look like Baby Gap models. Their husbands look like young graphic designers, all cute lumberjack shirts and square-framed glasses. They spend their days doing fun craft projects (vintage-y owl throw pillow! Recycled button earrings! Hand-stamped linen napkins!). They spend their weekends throwing big, whimsical dinner parties for their friends, all of whom have equally adorable kids and husbands.

A few years ago, I came across one of the most striking personal examples of the power of attitude. At the time, I was looking down the barrel of turning 40. This re-sparked a desire to get back in shape so I began jogging a few times a week. Then, a month before my birthday, I gracefully jammed my pinky toe on my coffee table. Refusing to acknowledge a possible break I continued on with my daily life.

Shock, heartbreak, confusion—so many emotions grip us after devastating acts of violence, especially ones that strike so close to home. For many LDS performers, the shooting in Las Vegas hit in a place they know well and near where they often perform. Donny Osmond, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Brandon Flowers of the Killers, Kaskade, one of the highest paid DJs in the world—these musicians took to social media to share their heartbreaking and inspiring thoughts: