When I was fourteen, I decided it was time I received my own testimony of the Book of Mormon. I began to read it, but as I read, I was filled with doubt about its truthfulness. I was frightened by my feelings, but I shared them with no one. One day after a particularly distressing day of reading, I decided to go into the willows by the river and pray until God gave me an answer. I begged God to take away the dark feelings and tell me if the Book of Mormon was true. “If you are really there and you love me, you will tell me,” I prayed. For hours I stayed in the willows. Night came on, and yet I continued to pray. This had worked for Enos, so I prayed and prayed. Finally, hungry and cold, I left the willows and went to bed. I heard no voice. I felt no lightening of my load. I received no witness, no calm burning in the heart. I had demanded an answer on my terms, according to my time line, corresponding to my needs. I had jumped from the pinnacle.

Dear Dave,

“You have four girls?!” said with such disdain almost anytime I go in public. I’m sure parents of all boys get it, too. And I know the person saying it is just making an attempt at friendly conversation with the frazzled stranger they see before them. I get it. And I always agreed with their disdain. Not that I don’t love my girls but you know what comes with them? DRAMA. And lots and lots of crying. I’m not kidding. It’s A LOT.

Lunch and Learn Series with Deseret Book Artists and Authors11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Downtown Deseret Book Store, SLC, Utah

Since June 1, Church members in Alberta, Canada, have been returning to their homes in stages, recovering from the most devastating fire in Canada's history. See incredible footage of the LDS meetinghouse in Canada which remained unharmed despite being literally across the street from piles of ash and cinders.

We do not understand with perfect clarity the activities of those in Paradise, but I have wondered what Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were doing during the reigns of Jeroboam and his appalling successors. We know they are Gods now (see D&C 132:37), but in those early years of apostasy, the view from above must have been heartrending.

Many families were away on trips over the long holiday weekend, but five LDS Church leaders and many Mormon volunteers, including David Archuleta, traveled to Louisiana to help and encourage those whose homes were damaged by the recent flooding.

There are many roads to success, a fact that Jonathan Johnson, current president of Overstock.com, knows all too well. He did not plan to be a businessman; he wanted to be a successful lawyer like his father, whom he is named after. So, following a bachelor’s in Japanese from Brigham Young University, he attended BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, graduating with his juris doctorate in 1993. “After graduation, I joined a practice in L.A. working for Japanese clients, having served my mission in Japan,” he says.