1. Learn what to look for. Don't be intimidated. Ask questions. Don?t buy until you get the answers you want.

The following is an excerpt from A Prophet's Voice: Messages from Thomas S. Monson.

The missionaries called her sassy. Today over 1,200 people know her as SassyDaySaint.

The last glow of daylight disappears as hundreds of costumed Latter-day Saints of all ages excitedly line the aisles of a temporary seating area at the base of New York’s Hill Cumorah. With an opening blast from the trumpets, everyone is cued into action. And the thrill of those several hundred people rushing onto a massive stage on the hill gives you more goosebumps than the chilly night air. Welcome to the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

“As Harry witnesses student after student pledge to remain with him, I wondered if my friends would do the same.”

Sometimes in an attempt to prove our faithfulness to the gospel, Latter-day Saints create standards that require even more than what the Lord is asking of us. So before we expend too much energy trying to live these "higher" standards, we should ask ourselves, "Are we living the cultural gospel or the Lord's gospel?"

As I listened to the women’s session of the October 2019 general conference, my focus was on a number of things. The talks were inspiring. I was looking forward to the additional information and changes to the Young Women program that had been promised in the previous session. My thoughts drifted from one to the other. Then my mind snapped to attention: Did Sister Aburto just say her father committed suicide? I listened intently to confirm that what I thought I heard was accurate. Indeed, it was true. Quite frankly, it was a bit of a shock. In over 40 years of general conference sessions I’d listened to, I cannot ever recall a brother or sister sharing something so intensely personal from that pulpit. I pondered, what are people going to think? Perhaps there would be some Church members that would think Sister Aburto had overshared, or that general conference might not be the best venue for such a personal experience. My thoughts were, Thank goodness; it’s about time.

In Washington state, we are in our eighth week of our governor’s “stay at home” order to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Personally, I try to look forward to better times, but there is a lot of pessimism out there. I’ve stopped reading certain news outlets because it seems the only information it publishes is dire predictions and dismal forecasts. As a social scientist, I know that statistics can be adjusted to make almost anything appear factual, so it’s difficult to know which reports are accurate and which are exaggerations or half-truths. Sometimes it is hard for me to stay positive and endure well when negativity is often the prevailing sentiment; perhaps you have had a similar experience lately.

Walking into Sister Ardeth Kapp’s house on a snowy January day feels a bit like walking into a time machine.

Editor's note: Exactly 130 years ago today, on September 25, 1890, President Wilford Woodruff wrote in his journal that “After Praying to the Lord & feeling inspired by his spirit I have issued . . . [a] Proclamation.” That proclamation is now known as the Manifesto and was published in the Doctrine and Covenants as Official Declaration 1. This article originally ran on LDS Living in 2017 and is being shared again for the 130th anniversary of the day Official Declaration 1 was released to the public on September 25.