I pushed the cart through the crowded aisles, shaking my head at the squeaking whine coming from the left front wheel. All around me people turned to stare. I pasted on a smile and tried to convince myself they were staring at the anguished grocery cart, but I knew—they were staring at my children.

Many members attend wards that aren’t in their native language or culture. But there are ways we can help know they belong.

While Gonzaga prepares for the national championship game tonight, they know a loss from BYU has helped them get to where they are now.

National news syndicates, social media commenters, even a petition signed by over 35,000 people all expressed confusion, even at times anger, at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's decision to sing at President-Elect Trump's inauguration. But here's one thing the general public does not understand about that decision and why it has nothing to do with politics and Donald Trump:

Justin Bean has often been told he looks like “The Fighting Preacher,” his ancestor Willard Washington Bean. And after collision with a teammate during a game last week, the resemblance might be growing.

The terrorist attacks at two Muslim mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, March 15, 2019, resulted in the hospitalization of 39 and death of 50 innocent Muslim men, women, and children. This act has been described by our prime minister as “forever a day etched in our collective memories. . . . That quiet Friday afternoon has become our darkest of days” (New Zealand Herald, 2019).

If you expect your patriarchal blessing to make wild or unusual promises and predictions, you may be misunderstanding what a patriarchal blessing is. Your patriarchal blessing isn’t a fortune cookie, and the patriarch isn’t a fortuneteller.[1] The patriarch is a prophet, called to convey God’s words and will to you. He is only authorized to pronounce the promises he is prompted by the Holy Ghost to give. Patriarchs are counseled by their leaders to avoid making sensational or extravagant promises in the blessings they pronounce, even if the Spirit shows them rather remarkable things about the blessing’s recipient. President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972), tenth President of the Church, explained, “I know of one or two cases … where a brother has been blessed by the patriarch and told that he would become a member of the Council of the Twelve [Apostles]. Usually [the patriarchs] don’t say that … even if the patriarch felt that the chances are [very good] that a man will be called to the leading councils of the Church.” President Smith added, “Patriarchs should be very careful in giving their blessings not to make extravagant expressions and to be conservative in what they say.”[2] Thus, you should not expect extravagant things to be mentioned in your blessing. Patriarchs generally avoid, for example, talking about things like the timing of the Second Coming when they give a blessing. While the young man or young woman being blessed may live to see the second coming of Christ, most patriarchs simply wouldn’t mention that in the blessing. President Smith further explained:

When the Burnett’s son, Keith, was 3 years old, he was diagnosed with brain cancer and lived only for another 19 months before passing away.

We live in a world that seems to be constantly asking the question we often sing, “Where Can I Turn For Peace?” Along with the age old concerns, our society faces additional new challenges as a result of living in a technology-centered, social media world. Slap a pandemic on top of that and, as we’ve learned in recent weeks, the world truly feels like it is in pandemonium. But John Hilton, an author and associate professor of Ancient Scripture, believes that help for even the most current challenges can be found through the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the pages of scripture.

With school is back in session, there's one thing that we still need to prepare our hearts and minds for—October general conference. To help you prepare, LDS Living will feature some of the most beloved talks of all time. Every Friday in September, watch for a new talk that is sure to uplift you and help you feel the Spirit as general conference approaches.