When Captain Chris R. Stricklin got up the morning of September 14, 2003, ejecting from his airplane was the furthest thing from his mind. The sky over Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho was royal blue, without even a wisp of a cloud—a perfect day for an airshow. His aircraft, the F-16 Fighting Falcon sat fueled, polished, and ready to fly. He was a member of the elite United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron—the Thunderbirds—and he was about to give the gathering crowd a show they would never forget.

Deseret Book's free app,Deseret Bookshelf, carries thousands of ebooks and audiobooks that make it easy to listen to inspiring, clean content anytime, anywhere. In addition, the app provides inspiring quotes, Church lesson helps, and many other exciting features.

Visions, dreams, faith, and sacrifice. These are many reoccurring elements in the conversion stories of some of the very first members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Learn more about their incredible stories in the accounts below.

Resistance to opposition creates our spiritual movement forward. Having to resist something forces us into a position of having to stand for something, to support something, to search for our true nature, to find where our loyalties truly lie. Without something to resist, without some sort of opposition in our lives, we would stagnate like a swamp. It is the fast-flowing, churning, and tumbling water that is purified, not the water that sits.

INTRODUCTION:

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught an important principle when he explained that “all revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ, who is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. In all of the scriptures, where God is mentioned and where he has appeared, it was Jehovah who talked with Abraham, with Noah, Enoch, Moses and all the prophets. He is the God of Israel, the Holy One of Israel. . . . The Father has never dealt directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appeared except to introduce and bear record of the Son.”1 Elsewhere President Smith pointed out that “after Adam’s transgression he was shut out of the presence of the Father who has remained hidden from his children to this day, with a few exceptions wherein righteous men have been privileged with the glorious privilege of seeing him. . . . Since the fall all revelation and commandments from the Father have come through Jesus Christ.”2

What many people may not fully realize is that the coronation of King Charles was largely a religious ceremony that’s rich with scriptural symbolism.

Already, Church members and leaders are finding joy in the new hymnbook. Here are a few reasons why.

Try these simple activities to keep your family’s focus on the Savior.

“As I walked toward the temple, I thought, Lord, if they don’t let me in here, then I know I need to learn about this church.”