Dating

In my experience, the Book of Mormon is full of insightful, comforting counsel for the dating game—you just need to know where to look.

These five long-distance relationship tips have completely changed my perspective on feeling God’s love.

The Book of Mormon is one of the best sources to find relationship advice. Check out these scriptures on principles like boundaries and communication.

These events are the first of their kind and are meant to help “reset the culture of dating” in a “low-stakes, low-pressure way.”

Three Latter-day Saint couples with over 125 years of marriage experience between them shared some of their best advice for building love that lasts. Check out what they have to say in this adorable three-minute video.

Many of us know the First Presidency best by their messages and the service that they give. But what do we know of their life history and the women who have been by their sides?

There are several realities no one ever tells you about before you get married, and some of them have a tendency to blindside you. Here are a few truths I wish I had known before I was married.

Can one choose to love, or is love something you fall into? Is agency involved, or is love something that just happens to you? If love is something you fall in, how can you act rather than be acted upon?

During the Valentine’s season, everyone’s thoughts turn toward romance and love. But Elder Holland explained how we should love others, not just one day, but through every trial, struggle, and joyous moment in our lives.

I am huge believer in New Year’s resolutions. I love that the start of the new year is a time where collectively many people think about new ways to improve—even if it means that for a few weeks, the gym is a bit more crowded than normal.

Q: I’m single and dating to try and find my match. What does it mean to be compatible? How do I know if I’ve found a match that will last?

When I tuned in to an episode of the Sunday on Monday podcast, the last thing I was expecting to hear was dating advice.

Provo is well-known as the home of Brigham Young University, but the college town is also making headlines for being the no. 1 best area for dating in the US.

Three Latter-day Saint therapists recently shared with us their thoughts about how to approach dating in an age that is increasingly virtual.

As scary as talking (or asking) about problems with pornography may be, not talking about it can lead to devastating problems later. Each individual pornography problem is unique and challenging, and you may not even know if it’s an issue or how to bring it up with the person you’re dating, so it’s important that you seek guidance from the Spirit. There’s no single solution for every situation, but in this article, we offer some suggestions for those of you who might be wondering:

I was taught, as were many girls, that you should always say yes to a boy who asks you to a dance and even a casual date. Although times have changed, that idea still persists, and while on the surface it seems great, I want to explore what we are teaching our teens—both girls and boys—when we enforce that rule.

For daily, gospel-based relationship insights, join Jonathan’s Facebook group. To submit a question click here, or schedule a consultation here.

When Brittany was a teenager, her parents divorced left her with overwhelming feelings of abandonment. But while searching for acceptance, Brittany became involved in an abusive relationship.

For daily, gospel-based relationship insights, join Jonathan’s Facebook group. To submit a question click here or schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation here.

It's been nearly three and a half years since the final episode of Downton Abbey appeared on PBS, and much has happened with the Crawley family and their friends since then—and even bigger things are on their way. On September 20, the Downton Abbey feature film will be released in American theaters, and many fans are excited to reconnect with their favorite characters from the show. But what does this historical drama set in the English countryside have to do with Latter-day Saints? Here are some humorous Downton Abbey GIFs that can help members navigate the laughs and peculiarities of Latter-day Saint dating.

For daily gospel-based relationship insights, join Jonathan’s Facebook group. To submit a question click here or schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation here.

The following article originally ran on LDS Living in September 2015.

June—the month where Facebook seems to nearly burst with engagement announcements, first-look videos, and calls for mailing addresses.

This week, Emily and Erik Orton's book, Seven at Sea," which recounts the couple’s 10-month sailing adventure with their five children, was recommended by The New York Times as one of the best travel reads of the summer. On the 31st episode of All In, the Latter-day Saint couple talks navigating the choppy seas of marriage. The Ortons shared practical advice from their personal experience for strengthening marriage.

My husband and I are infertility survivors. After learning that our mortal bodies were not able to create children, our hearts began to turn toward adoption. This decision came with serious prayer, contemplation, and faith. For me, there was even some healthy mourning for the dream of being able to physically carry and deliver a child.

Latter-day Saints are known for marrying young, having brief courtships and engagements, and of course, for over-the-top marriage proposals. Although no stereotype fits every Latter-day Saint love story, here are a few engagement stories that show just how far some will go to ask for the hand of the one they love.

Hanging in Tammy Hill’s home are three photographs: one of Tammy and Mark Mulford on their wedding day, one of Jeffrey and Juanita Hill on their wedding day, and one of Jeffrey and Tammy with their combined family of 12 children. Written in vinyl lettering on the wall beside the images are the words “All because four people fell in love.”

Imagine you are on a playground, and you spot a giant, old-school teeter-totter. It's bright yellow and it rises well above your head on the upside. You look around the playground, find someone who looks well suited to be your partner and together you climb onto your opposing seats. Rising and falling, you bounce up and down, enjoying the ride. Feeling confident that you and your partner have found a good rhythm, you tuck your feet up off the ground, trusting that the balance and rhythm will continue. Then, just as you begin to relax in your new position, your partner, across from you and on their way back to the ground, turns their legs to the side and casually rolls off their seat as they touch the ground. High in the air on the other side it hits you. You're about to come crashing down.

If you’re suffering from a spouse’s betrayal, I’m offering a free online course for LDS Living readers to help you through it.

Marriage has its ups and downs, and there's always room for improvement. Whether you feel your relationship is on the rocks or smooth sailing, these recommendations might make you think about your marriage in a different way.

Missionaries can deal with a slew of issues, and as a parent, sibling, or friend reading and writing letters from afar, you may feel helpless. But you’re not. Check out some ways you can help them with some of these most common struggles, and some prophetic counsel that may help as well.

I recently went through a pretty significant breakup. Significant because over the course of the relationship, there were several times when I believed this was it—this was the guy, and I was done looking. I am not going to get into the details of our breakup, but I will say it ended mutually and kindly and with plenty of sadness on both of our parts.

I was teaching a courtship and marriage Institute class for young single adults when I first read The Family: A Proclamation to the World (hereafter referred to as the Proclamation). In 602 words, 15 prophets, seers, and revelators gave us the Lord’s priorities for achieving successful, happy relationships. After studying this inspired proclamation, I felt it was perfect to use with my students. I explained to them that this proclamation was a revelation from God and therefore doctrine for the Church. It was a guide for them to make a proper choice in a marriage partner in order to achieve a successful and happy marriage.

This is part of an ongoing series on healing from infidelity. To reserve a spot in my free online class of the same name for LDS Living readers, click here.

What powerful advice: I often have single friends that turn to me for counsel and guidance. And the most common advice I give? “Square yourself with Jesus. You so desperately want a relationship and marriage that you fail to realize what you need is Christ.”

Sandra and Steve are a loving Latter-day Saint couple with an ongoing disagreement about Sabbath activities. Sandra likes to listen to sacred music and work on family history projects after church. Steve spends time with their teenage sons, watching football, or shooting hoops in the driveway. Sandra resents Steve for making sports part of their family’s Sabbath routine. Steve feels Sandra is paying attention to dead relatives at the expense of living ones.

It's no secret Latter-day Saints take finding an eternal companion very seriously, most of the time.

Twenty-two-year-old BYU-I student Josh Peters was 11-years-old the first time he viewed pornography—and that experience led to seven years of pornography use, shame, broken relationships, addiction, and secrecy. But Peters also found healing, recovery, and a renewed faith in Heavenly Father and the Savior's Atonement. Thinking about his journey of recovery, Peters told Nate Eaton from East Idaho News, "It's helped me understand myself and understand my faith in God."

From children to adults, everyone has hobbies—activities they particularly enjoy doing. But sometimes the types of hobbies we pursue, the amount of time and money that is spent on them, and how helpful or relevant our hobbies are can influence our decisions about which hobbies to pursue. Often, our hobbies stem from our talents. In the scriptures, we are told that “every [one] is given a gift by the Spirit of God” (D&C 46:11) and that these gifts, also known as our talents, are given to us “for the benefit of the children of God” (D&C 46:26). One interpretation of several of Christ’s parables (Matthew 5:15-16, Matthew 25:15-30) implies that we are to improve and share these talents with the world. It doesn’t matter what your talent is—kayaking, dancing, public speaking—we are given these talents so that others may see our good works and glorify God. No one talent (or hobby) is greater than any other. The what of our hobbies matters little when compared to the how and why we do them.

As a marriage counselor, people are frequently asking me to help them with their “communication issues.” But what exactly does that mean? To address communication problems with couples in counseling, I often point to the four dangerous patterns identified by Dr. John Gottman from the University of Washington after years of research.

As a single sister in the Church, I’ve gone on my fair share of dates (more than I can remember in my 10 years of dating). Going out with someone who has a problem with pornography was never my goal in life. In fact, I had tried to avoid it at all costs. But as I got older, I realized that finding someone who had never been mixed up in pornography was going to be trickier than I thought.

The Ensign recently published an article written by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland focusing on the remarkable life of President Henry B. Erying. Among the incredible stories shared was a rebuke President Erying received from the Spirit that changed his life as well as the beautiful story of when President Erying first met his future wife. Read the full article here.

My wife and I recently celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary. It has been a wonderful 27 years. It has also been a difficult 27 years. I’ve had to put up with some things; she’s had to put up with a lot more. All successful marriages are a composite of happy and sad experiences. The key is being able to get through the difficult times.

What a powerful thought from this Ensign article about how agency influences our relationships: "It is much more meaningful to say to the one you love, 'No, you weren’t chosen by someone else; I chose you. And I will continue to choose you every day of our life for eternity.'"

No one would have guessed that Debby Montgomery Johnson, a former paralegal, Air Force intelligence officer, and bank teller, would be taken for over a million dollars by a scammer on an online Latter-day Saint dating site. In fact, no one would even know if she hadn’t spoken up about it. Debby could have continued to hide behind her smile, keeping her secret buried deep.