Both Women and Men Have Access to God's Highest Spiritual Blessings

For years, Liz Wixom Johnsen helped families decorate their homes as a talented interior designer. And for years, Liz dreamed of a home that was like theirs—not because of the decor, but because of the families within those walls. As a single woman, she often longed for a home life that looked different than the one she had. But she also learned that true homes come in many different shapes and sizes. And when she married a man with eight children and her home was instantly dramatically different, that knowledge became invaluable. On this week’s episode, Liz shares what she’s learned about embracing the homes—and the lives—God has prepared for each one of us.

The Bonner family's recently released album began with one purpose in mind: a tribute to their mother, Debra Bonner.

This winter, one of our favorite reads comes to us from noted LDS figure Sheri Dew: Women and the Priesthood. Her book was so good, we simply had to share it with some of our friends. (You might know them, too: Emily Freeman, Fiona Givens, Brad Wilcox, and lots of our favorite LDS writers.) We asked each one to check out a chapter of this amazing book and write us back with their thoughts. And so straight from their pens to your eyes, we bring you their reflective and sincere responses:

For the first time, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will offer the male-only priesthood session of the upcoming general conference over live broadcast television and in real time over the Internet.

Kim Lingard Brown has no memory of the horrific crime that forever changed her life almost a decade ago.

We are in Bali, Indonesia, as we write this column, and while we love so many things about Bali, parts of its culture are distastefully male-dominated. It's causing us to appreciate our own ever-more-equal-but-still-a-long-way-to-go American culture.

Latter-day Saint Courtney Wayment just qualified for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. And she may have the greatest hype-woman of all time cheering her on.

Papua New Guinea is a country rife with rich variety. Over 600 islands make up just 10 percent of the country’s land. Thousands of species abound in the rain forests, highlands, and islands, with more species of birds in this country the size of California than in all of Europe combined. Divided by a diverse geography, each tribe has a unique culture, and over 830 languages are spoken by the 6.2 million inhabitants of the land. The Huli wigmen are known for their vain men who spend their days preening and growing their hair out at wig school before they can associate with women. The Baining fire dancers have a close communion between the spirits and fire, walking through flames to bring good spirits or calm bad ones. But in the cities, life edges closer and closer to modern society while others look on from the fringes of the ghettos, called settlements. Witchcraft, animism, black magic, and ancestor worship are still rampant, but Christianity is the predominant religion, practiced by 96 percent of the population.

In the recent issue of the Ensign, the Church published additional information about the new Relief Society and Priesthood curriculum for next year.