Editor's note: This article is part of a series on what the Church has actually taught about various topics. To read more about the Church’s teachings on cremation, garments, beards, and more, click here.

In striving to do member missionary work or writing about faith, one conundrum always pops up: When and how should I use the word "Mormon"?

God spoke to the great prophets of the Old Testament in some rather unique ways, most of them deeply visual. Ezekiel had wonderful visions that would grasp his hearers’ imagination, causing them to pay attention and think profoundly. In one of those visions he saw a great valley of dry bones bleaching in the sun. Visualize that scene with me for just a moment. Before us is a wide valley, filled with bones as far as the eye can see in every direction. A great army or a mighty people have all died, and their bones lie exposed to the weather. Ezekiel stands “in the midst of the valley,” when the Lord enters the scene and causes Ezekiel “to pass by [the bones] round about . . . and, lo, they were very dry” (Ezekiel 37:1–2). After Ezekiel makes a circuit of the valley, the Lord addresses His prophet with a question: “Son of man, can these bones live?”

In a letter to her husband, Joseph, Emma Hale Smith wrote, “I desire the Spirit of God to know and understand myself, that I might be able to overcome whatever of tradition or nature that would not tend to my exaltation in the eternal worlds. I desire a fruitful, active mind, that I may be able to comprehend the designs of God, when revealed through His servants without doubting.”

Check out our other articles for more about how to help your missionary prepare to serveand how to help your missionary adjust to being home.

Latter-day Saint Ezra Sosa wiped away tears as he finished what would be one of his last performances on So You Think You Can Dance.

It was just a month before Christmas in 2017, and Bekah Sorensen was wondering what to say to her friends and family who didn’t know if they believed in their faith anymore.

Since we are all spending a little more time at home right now, there’s never been a better time to freshen up your home decor! Whether it's adding some new pillows on your bed or a new accessory to your kitchen, right now you can get 30% off select items from Latter-Day Home’s end of summer sale. We’ve handpicked some of our favorites deals below, or you can click here to shop the entire sale!

Those who pray and study scriptures at home report higher levels of happiness, meaning, and feelings of God’s love in their life, according to a new study from the Wheatley Institution. Highly religious couples—those who attend church and worship regularly at home—also report greater relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and a sense of spousal commitment, kindness, forgiveness, and joint decision-making.

Despite fervent prayers, Emily felt that God was gone—she could feel nothing from Him. That quietness first brought doubt, but then she began to see it was her perception of God that needed to change.