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The two ‘spiritual hints’ that helped one couple navigate a complicated adoption

“To adopt is to be willing to have a personal love lesson from heaven”—that is how Sister Andrea Veronica Munoz Spannaus, Relief Society Advisory Council Member, describes her experience adopting her two daughters.

Latter-day Saint Life

Latter-day Saint Psychologist: The Lord’s Role vs. Your Role in Anxiety Management

By Dr. David T. Morgan

When asked to return to Jerusalem and retrieve the plates of brass, Nephi responded in faith that he would “go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded” (1 Nephi 3:7). He later learned from experience that the Lord was true to His word, providing divine assistance to help him accomplish the task. As I talk with Latter-day Saints who struggle with anxiety or other mental health issues, they often look to the example of Nephi. If the Lord wants me to overcome anxiety, He will provide a way, they reason. But what is the way? How much am I supposed to do and how much will He help? It is a very legitimate question. We know the Lord will bless us with divine assistance, but He also insists we do our part. So, what is our part? Coincidentally, Nephi’s own life experience also answers that question.

Help for Life Challenges

A hopeful Psalm for your hard winter days (+ 4 other verses to warm the soul)

By Krista M. Isaacson

The psalmists wrote about their true, raw feelings. And in Psalm 73, they demonstrate how to reach out to and trust in God.

14: “Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt” (Exodus 7–13)

What is it about the heart? Phrases like, “bless your heart,” “cross my heart,” “young at heart,” and more pepper our everyday speech. But other than the obvious fact that a beating heart is essential for life, what compels us to so often speak figuratively about it? In this week’s lesson, we’ll dive into that question as we study Pharaoh’s response to the ten plagues of Egypt in Exodus 7–13. And we’ll learn what actually softened his heart enough to let the Israelites go.

Magnify Transcript - Ep. 46

3: “The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to Their Fathers” (Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65; Doctrine and Covenants 2)

When you were young, did you ever get so excited when someone knocked on your door completely out of the blue? And wasn’t it even better when this unexpected guest brought something for you? In this week’s lesson, we’ll be studying in Doctrine and Covenants 2 and Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65 and what happened when Joseph Smith received an unexpected guest and the special message this visitor had for the future prophet.

13: “I Have Remembered My Covenant” (Exodus 1–6)

President George Q. Cannon once said, “No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us.” But sometimes it’s only in hindsight that we can see how God was with us all the way. Take the lives of the enslaved Israelites, for example. For generations, the Israelites suffered at the hands of the Egyptians without deliverance. But as we study Exodus 1–6, we’ll see how God never once abandoned them. In fact, we’ll even discover how God worked in the lives of His servants to bring to pass deliverance for the Israelites through His servant, Moses.

Latter-day Saint Life

Capturing the Vision: Joseph Smith's First Prayer Through the Eyes of Those Who Have Portrayed It

By Jannalee Sandau

*This story originally appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of LDS Living.

18: “I Am the Good Shepherd” (John 7–10)

The warm glow of a kitchen light after dark; a sturdy, solid door blocking a raging wind outside—two examples of comfort and protection that many of us can relate to. In this week’s lesson in John 7–10, we will study the many ways Christ can be our protection, including as a light and a door. We will also read how He is the Good Shepherd who again and again guides us safely back to the peace and rest of His fold.

Tree of Life

Claudia faces one of the darkest nights of her life—both literally and figuratively—when she is taken hostage and held for ransom. Her only comfort comes in the form of a radiant sign from God that He loves her and is aware of her situation. When she is finally let go, she embarks on a journey to seek for more light and develops a relationship with God that she never would have imagined was possible.