This week’s readings: Romans 1–6

While residents up and down the Southeast coast prepped for possible impacts from Hurricane Dorian last week, over 200 volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been preparing to help those that were impacted by the storm. Groups of volunteers across the Raleigh-Durham area have been training to help with the Crisis Cleanup hotline. The helpline in this area is set up to start taking calls beginning this week and will continue until Friday, September 20th.

This week’s readings: Romans 7–16

I would like to open this study article with an observation I made in the commentary on this lesson found at mormonbasics.com. The commentary on the lesson begins with this quote: “Surely the Lord will support us if we use our best efforts in carrying out the commandment to do family history research and temple work.” Isn’t it odd that any of us might even wonder if the Lord will help us in doing our family history research or in doing our temple work? We do it on His commandment. If the Lord has ordered that it be done and that we do it on peril of our own salvation, does it not make sense that He will be opening doors for us to assist us in accomplishing this great work? God never commands anything that is not accomplished. If he says this work must be done, then every necessary thing will be made available to us to accomplish His work.

Hope and infertility. Two words that don’t always go together in this world. But, for one couple, hope came at the end of a long struggle with the dark cloud of infertility. And for them, it brought with it peace and a strengthened testimony of Jesus Christ and the hope He gives to all who seek it. It was the kind of hope that gave Sally and Ryan Paskins new life, literally and figuratively.

Like many Mormons out there, I'm a passionate Harry Potter fan, not to mention an ardent Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Narnia, and Hero and the Crown supporter.

Throughout his service in the Church, President Nelson has often spoken of our Savior and the sacred night of His birth. Here are a few of President Nelson's teachings on the topic, excerpted from the new book Teachings of Russell M. Nelson.

Little Paxton, our grandson, was born with a very rare chromosomal deletion, a genetic disorder that distinguishes him, literally, as one in hundreds of millions. For our daughter and her husband, an uncharted, life-changing journey began when Paxton was born. This experience has become a crucible for learning special lessons tied to the eternities.

When tragedy hits, it is human nature to want to help. We bring food; we do laundry; we offer childcare. We want to connect! Some people do this through service; others do it through commiseration. We often feel the need to relate to the person suffering by sharing our own experiences.

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: