A Mormon Woman's Reflections on Life and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Today, April 4, 2009, a new apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ was called and revealed through the fasting and prayers of the Savior’s prophet, Thomas Monson, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Lord has called 57-year old, Logan-born, Neil L. Anderson, to serve as a witness of Him in all the world. Neil Anderson took his place on the stand, acknowledging and being acknowledged by each of the apostles, taking what President Monson called “the longest walk he’ll ever take.” Elder Neil L. Anderson will address the Mormon congregations worldwide and all welcomed visitors on Sunday morning. I felt his humility in the simple observance of his walk to his seat behind the pulpit. It is amazing to know that there really are 12 apostles on the earth. If the world could really know what just happened.

I testify to any of you who may stumble on this post, that this is real. This is not fiction. This is not the result of an elected vote of man, but of the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to His leaders who stand at the head of His Church. It “is” on the earth! The plan of salvation is restored. There is truth! There is a way to progress. There is hope. There are answers to life’s questions. I know, for I sought those answers for years, and have found them.

Back to Elder Anderson, a newly called Mormon apostle, or better expressed, apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

On of Elder Anderson’s classic talks regards the feeling of being clean. It reminded me of my own experience, which I’ll share afterwards. In his words: (more…)

LaVar, and attorney and former Representative to the Utah State Legislature,  is now speaking to us at the Eagle Forum Convention in Sandy, Utah. His sincerity is tangible.  He begins with where we are, in a place where there is seldom any reference in Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts to the fact that most states have created laws to protect the definition of marriage in their sate.  They ignore the 200 years of precedent in family law and our society.  He remarks,

As we sing, as we pray, it’s important to remember the context of the current marriage debate. . . .

How did we ever arrive at a place where a President puts his hand on the Bible to take the oath, but isn’t as free to open and quote from it. (more…)

I’m sitting in the Larry Miller Salt Lake Community College Auditorium, listening to speakers presenting as part of the Eagle Forum’s pro-family convention.

I came in on the tail end of Dave Jorgensen’s address regarding the current state of our economy as it relates to constitutional issues.
Dave is the organizer of the semi-annual Newquist Breakfast, which is a meeting of approximately 200 participants representing a variety of groups, organizations, and public officers interested in reviewing the current trends and pulse in economics and legal atmosphere of our day. (more…)

by Karen R. Merkley

Lacking Some Key to the Universe: Searching for Truth
I still remember standing at the top of the stairs as a child wondering who I was and why I was on the earth. I hungered for that knowledge like no other, and I felt spiritually starved. I attended Catholic Church but asked what to them were unanswerable questions. I posed a few like these: “Well, who lived in heaven and took part in that war besides Jesus? (If there was a war in heaven, as taught, then there had to have been more than two people there, I reasoned.); Why do I have to confess the same sins twice?” and “How can God and Jesus be the same person?” I lived as if on a daily spiritual fare of milk and toast, not knowing there was a buffet table divinely set and beckoning me.

Questions about the purpose of life sprung up as consistently as crocuses do in spring, any time I was willing to allow them to pop through the soil of my soul. At one particular point in my life, I began to despair that I would never know my purpose or the answers to the questions of my heart. Without those answers, the desire to live waned. The world looked cold and senseless. How could I function from day to day without knowing ‘why’ I was functioning? I couldn’t tick if I didn’t know why I was ticking. (more…)