Search - LDS Living

31: “Stand Fast in the Faith of Christ” (August 3–9)

The war chapters—sounds kind of like a PBS documentary, don't you think? Well with all the contention, tactics, wins, and losses, Alma 43–52 would make an epic war movie. So why would Mormon choose to include these stories about battles and intrigue in the Book of Mormon? Join us in this week's study group as we dig into the scriptures to discover how the war chapters apply to our day and why we might actually grow to love them and their message to us.

22: "Be Strong and of a Good Courage" (Joshua 1–8; 23–24)

Think of a time you were on the verge of starting a new chapter in your life. Were you nervous? Excited? Afraid? Maybe a combination of all three? Now imagine how the children of Israel felt as they finally crossed over the Jordan River into the promised land. Their emotions had to be off the charts with each step they took toward their new lives. And as we study Joshua chapters 1–8 and 23–24, we’ll see how they followed God’s counsel to be “strong and of a good courage” in the face of the unknown.

Latter-day Saint Life

A Powerful Lesson This Book of Mormon Woman Taught Me for Moments When You Feel Like a Failure

By Alexandra Mortenson

Sometimes we feel like we’ve done everything right—tried to do good, tried to follow the Spirit—and still, everything falls to pieces. Sometimes we even feel that we’ve made circumstances worse, despite our honorable intentions. We stand looking at the disaster at our feet and we wonder, Is this my fault? Did I do something wrong? And what am I supposed to do now?

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Mom of 8 Breaks World Record with First Marathon: Her Story of Faith, Overcoming Depression

By Tamara Duricka Johnson

At three o’clock in the morning, 38-year-old Theresa Marie Pitts awakes with her 5-month-old baby. As a mother of eight children, she’s become accustomed to early-morning wakeups and feedings, but on the morning of July 9, 2017, her early rise was for a different reason. That was the day she would finally conquer what her kids had named “The Big Race.”

Latter-day Saint Life

How Could Jesus Have Sweat Drops of Blood?

By Andrew C. Skinner

From Luke's inspired description, we begin to comprehend that the Savior's anguish and suffering was unrelenting. In fact, it increased and increased— more pressure, more torture, more agony. "And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly" (Luke 22:44). Here the Savior of the universe teaches us through his experience that all prayers are not alike, nor are they expected to be. A greater need, a more intense life circumstance, calls forth from us more earnest, faith-filled petition and pleading.

10: "The Rise of the Church of Christ" (Doctrine and Covenants 20–22)

Do you remember a day in your life that was simply the greatest? A day that was so perfect, you will always remember it? Well April 6, 1830—the day the Church was organized in the last dispensation—was unforgettable for early Latter-day Saints. This week as we study Doctrine and Covenants 20–22, we’ll discover important truths about the organization of the Church and how it blesses our lives today.

SOM Transcript - S6E2

Following Promptings as Children

Stephanie Robinson of Toms Brook, Va., is a wife, mother, friend and Christian. She’s also a very thankful soul, and she wants heaven and everyone in between to know it.

Dealing with Infertility: The Lord Fulfills His Promises

As surely as I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, I know that the Lord commanded me and my husband to embrace permanent childlessness. I have no doubts about whether or not that revelation came from the Lord, and that assurance only grows stronger as I witness His continued guidance in my life. Now, four years later, I am grateful to say that the Lord fulfills His promises.

The Mormon 'persecution complex'

Among self-conscious Mormons and attuned outside observers, there is a popular perception that Mormons have a peculiar sense of their own reproach. Both their beliefs and their sociocultural history, some believe, breed Latter-day Saints to be acutely aware that they are beleaguered in broader society, a feeling that’s sometimes called a “persecution complex.” Mormons are, according to this line of thought, highly sensitive to their own social marginalization. Because of this sensitivity, they are likely to see hostility to their faith, whatever the circumstances.