Testimonies

“I’ve often found myself reaching heavenward, eager to be quenched by spiritual sensations, only to come away thirsting for any feeling at all.”

What if change can be immediate? In fact, what if long-lasting change isn’t possible without immediate change?

“For me, art bolsters the written messages [of scriptures] and conjures up feelings and emotions that words alone can’t always.” 

A series of remarkable promptings and experiences led a world-class cellist back to the faith she’d decidedly left more than 20 years earlier.

“There really is no need for members of the Church to worry one-tenth of a second about coming up with something original to say or about giving a talk.”

Sometimes knowing leads to doing, and other times doing leads to knowing.

A new year brings new resolutions and a new ‘Come, Follow Me’ curriculum. Let’s dive into our 2024 study of the Book of Mormon.

It’s exciting to see my friends come back to church, and I don’t judge them for their path.

While physical rest is healthy, there is an all-encompassing rest available through Christ.

Sheri Dew shares what she has learned from her interactions with prophets and apostles. “You can’t work with prophets, seers, and revelators very long without seeing the fact that they’re directed,” she says. “I have seen it countless times.”

What should we share in church meetings? These five ideas can help guide you on how to talk about your personal experiences in meaningful ways.

As part of the Church’s plan to support the youth theme and events throughout the year, a unique new experience will be coming this fall.

Brandon Flowers, front man of the rock band The Killers, has long been open about his faith as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also recently shared his testimony with Church leadership.

Latter-day Saint actor Kirby Heyborne is back at it again, and we couldn’t be happier.

People from all backgrounds and religions are choosing to stay in their faith, and this new account on Instagram is a space for them to share why.

Popular Latter-day Saint author and speaker John Bytheway is known for his gospel insights. Here are nine of our favorite quotes from his inspiring teachings.

Editor’s note: “We asked, you answered” highlights memorable responses to discussion questions posed on LDS Living’s social media accounts. Follow along on Facebook and Instagram to contribute.

Editor's note: "This Week from the Pulpit" highlights recent messages by General Authorities and General Officers of the Church.

When Elder Vai Sikahema was a boy, he kept the law of chastity out of respect for his mother. Then it turned into a desire to obey God’s commandments. Now, as a father, Elder Sikahema finds new gratitude in the blessing it was to his children.

This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading of Ephesians. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Livingfor additional resources and suggestions.

One of the main admonitions that we try to follow as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comes from Nephi in the Book of Mormon:

I must tell you about my dear Aunt Alice, from whom I have learned some wonderful lessons. What a woman she is! She lives in Cardston and is now ninety-three years of age. If you were ever to see her when she was dressed up, you would find her wearing a perky little hat, a delicate chiffon scarf tied at her neck—"to cover the wrinkles," she says—a bright smile on her face, and a twinkle in her eye. A couple of years ago, her son took her to a Saturday night stake dance. This was a happy occasion, she was excited to report to me. She told me that several people had asked her to dance. Her excitement reminded me of a conversation I might have had with a girlfriend fifty years ago.

The story is told of a church that evidently lost some of its parishioners to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In an effort to counterattack, the church put on its marquee the following message: “Don’t read the Book of Mormon—that is how they get you.” And in fact, that is how the Spirit does “get you”: by bearing witness of the truth of that sacred book.

This week’s readings: Acts 22–28

More than 2,000 miles from his destination, a seasick Alan Alderman steered a 28-foot-long boat crammed with five men. While Alderman had initially compared his epic journey across an ocean to those of scriptural giants like Nephi, Noah, and the Jaredites, at that moment Alderman felt more like Laman or Lemuel.

In honor of the 175th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, LDS Living is sharing a series of articles about early Church history. The following is an excerpt from the second edition of Witness to the Martyrdom: John Taylor’s Personal Account of the Last Days of the Prophet Joseph Smith. John Taylor’s narrative is the only eyewitness account of these events in Church history. After the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, John Taylor became “a living martyr” and wrote a personal account of the events. He served as the third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading in Matthew 26,Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Living for additional resources and suggestions.

After a historic weekend where President Nelson met with Pope Francis and all 15 apostles attended the Rome Italy Temple dedication, the First Presidency and members of the Quorum of the Twelve shared beautiful testimonies of the Savior on social media.

Losing 140 pounds is no easy feat. Just ask Trent Heppler. Never in a million years did he believe that he would one day shed the weight, let alone run a marathon. But Heppler learned that the power to overcome his physical weaknesses—whatever they may be—comes from a spiritual strength gained through the Savior, Jesus Christ. Growing up overweight and self-conscious, Latter-day Saint Trent Heppler always felt that exercise was just another form of torture invented to make him feel inadequate.

There are very few things I can stand at a pulpit and testify I know are true. Among them are that I know my Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother love me with an infinite, unfathomably deep and perfect love, and they are far more merciful to me than I deserve. The second is that I know that Jesus Christ, my brother and Savior, died for me, knows me—my pains, shortcomings, sins, weaknesses, joys, and strengths—entirely, and that He has never and will never abandon me.

What a powerful testimony from this missionary serving in Paradise, California:

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.

Sitting in the back of the chapel during fast and testimony meeting feels like a safe bet—until we get the spiritual prompting to stand up and bear our testimonies. For several minutes, we struggle with whether or not we really should. We rationalize. We're teaching Gospel Doctrine this week. We just bore our testimony last year, right? We don't have anything special to say. We're scared.

This general conference was incredible. We heard so many inspired messages and each talk was a reminder that Jesus Christ lives and this is His church. I was especially touched by the testimonies of the apostles and members of the First Presidency.

"As I sit here in the Salt Lake City airport, I’ve been pondering about the last couple days I was able to spend in Utah with all my family," Latter-day Saint Bryce Harper posted on Sunday, and for good reason.

As we sustained two new apostles this conference weekend, we were able to hear their powerful testimonies of the Savior. Their witnesses flooded our hearts with the Spirit, helping us remember our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our conviction to do His will.

Most often when we talk about testimonies, we refer to feelings. We talk about “feeling the Spirit,” or “feeling good” about a decision, or “feeling impressed” to do something. And yet, when we try to describe how we felt, or exactly what something felt like, we discover it’s very hard to explain. President Boyd K. Packer taught:

It is a shame to say that I do not have many memories with my grandpa. Since the time I can remember, he had always been confined to a bed because of his multiple health problems. Being one of the youngest children in my family, I did not experience those times when Grandpa was young and healthy.

The 17th prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers his witness to the reality of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the faith’s “Special Witnesses of Christ” video series.

While considering serving a mission as a young adult, I enrolled in a BYU class called Mormon Issues. I thought it would prepare me to answer historical questions regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Many years ago, a young man (he was only 23 years old) was called to be the new stake president in Tooele, Utah. In those days, stake conferences had two sessions, and at lunch between the sessions, Joseph F. Smith, one of the General Authorities attending, said to the new stake president, “You said you believe the gospel with all your heart, and propose to live it, but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don’t you know absolutely that this gospel is true?”

“More needs to be done to increase awareness of, access to and confidence in trusted resources by Latter-day Saints and seekers of truth,” said Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Agostino and Pierina Vardeu were baptized members of the Church in June 1978. Married since 1961, they are among the most influential longtime members in Italy, and they’ve passed their love of the gospel down to four generations so far.

My parents divorced before I was born, setting the tone for an inconsistent religious upbringing. Although my mom grew up in a Mormon family, she was no longer religious. My dad and stepmom were members of the Mormon church but weren’t very active. As a result, I scarcely went to church growing up. I was baptized at 8 years old, but I didn’t understand what it meant.

"I knew I needed to share my story, even though there were parts of my life that I didn’t want to relive," says Sister Reyna I. Aburto in an article recently posted onlds.org.