How One Woman’s Scholarship Helps Us Better Understand Church History

by LaJean Purcell Carruth

When I was eleven years old, I was bored one Sunday afternoon and found in my parents’ basement an old Improvement Era open to an article on the Deseret Alphabet. I was instantly, completely, absolutely hooked. I taught myself the Deseret Alphabet and decreed that I would be a Deseret transcriber when I grew up. Little did I know where that early passion would lead.

Asking Big Questions: How Can I Make the Repentance Process Less Intimidating?

by Craig Lindquist

Let’s Decide Now to “Walk in the Spirit”

by Megan Hutchings

At twenty-three years of age, Wilford Woodruff decided that he wanted to make some changes in his life. Reflecting on this time later, he wrote:

“Up to this period, I ha[d] spent my life a little like a ship tossed upon the waves of the sea—up and down, unstable and unsettled in my mind, at times trying to worship the Lord and living the life of a Christian, and then at other times giving it up and trying to take pleasure in the things of the world. . . . I felt that I had spent a good deal of my time in a manner that was not profitable to me. Not that I had been guilty of committing any heinous or outbreaking sins . . . yet I had spent a good deal of my youth in vanity and folly, giving way at times to many idle words and vain and foolish recreations which did not store the mind with knowledge or produce any profitable fruit”¹ (emphasis added).

Preparing the Way to Zion

by Christian Decker

It goes without saying that we live in a fallen world, with bad situations and baser instincts leaving many of us physically and spiritually poor. The Lord has taught us to pursue self-reliance, learning to provide for ourselves and our families in every aspect of our lives. Take a moment and think of Christ’s teachings in the New Testament. Many were taught using everyday events and situations that His audience could understand. Roman coinage, wedding traditions, the rule of kings, and other aspects of ancient life can seem foreign to latter-day readers, yet mustard seeds and finding pearls of great price resonate with us centuries later because we recognize the eternal principles of growth and seeking to change. In order to effect change, one must put in work. This principle of sacrifice extends to everything we hope to build, yet this represents only half of the Lord’s instruction.

Sacrifice and Obedience: Lessons from Zion’s Camp

by Matthew C. Godfrey

One of the seminal events of Wilford Woodruff’s life was his participation in the Camp of Israel (later known as Zion’s Camp) expedition in 1834. Wilford was recruited to participate in the camp after he had been a member of the Church for only a few weeks. The camp was the first time he got to meet individuals such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Heber C. Kimball, and it taught him several lessons. Wilford transmitted these lessons to the Saints throughout his life, and they are teachings that can benefit Church members today as well.

"This Is My Testimony, Spoken by Myself into a Talking Machine": Wilford Woodruff's 1897 Statement in Stereo

by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Steven C. Harper

In March 1844, just weeks before his martyrdom, Joseph Smith “called the Twelve Apostles together and he delivered unto them the ordinances of the Church and kingdom of God.” Wilford Woodruff noted the events of the day in a terse journal entry. March “26th A rainey day. I met in council with the brethren.” Perhaps the sacredness and magnitude of the meeting called for the brief, cryptic note. Or perhaps it would take hindsight for Wilford to recognize the momentousness of the day’s events. In either case, fifty-three years later at age ninety, President Woodruff recorded his spoken testimony of the historic meeting.

“Be Ye Reconciled to God”

by Craig Lindquist

Yesterday, I sat helplessly by as my precious grandson wailed his little heart out. He had a terrible rash, and his sweet mother was doing all she could for him. It wasn’t enough. Even though the years of life have taught me that pain is inevitable, my heart still ached. Knowing that he had only recently left the bosom of his Heavenly Father, I wondered how much of this mortal life he understood before he left those celestial realms. I think we all can feel for my grandson, as most of us likewise still struggle to understand much of life.

Asking Big Questions: How Can I Recognize the Spirit?

by Maddie Christensen

Asking Big Questions: How Can I Develop a Stronger Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ?

by Lyndie Jackson

While it is relatively easy to stay in contact and communicate with people across the globe, creating and maintaining deep personal relationships takes time and effort. Similarly, the Savior is always close to us, waiting for us with open arms, but it takes more than checking in now and then to develop a deep personal relationship with Him.

Finding President Woodruff

by Craig Lindquist

Long before George Washington became the great leader Americans are familiar with, he was just a young man, struggling to navigate a world that was challenging and perplexing. It is the same for all of us as we seek to find our way in this often mysterious world. Most will gain little prominence outside our circle of family and friends, but a rare few will rise to greatness as their names become synonymous with righteousness and integrity. It behooves us as a society and as individuals to learn from such remarkable men and women.