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10 Times General Conference Gave Us All the Feels

We don’t know about you, but we’re a little [read: a lotta] emotional after this weekend’s general conference. Here are ten times conference made us feel all of the feels:

1. When members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir wept through “Come Thou Fount,” especially this man:

*Cue sudden and unexpected sobbing.

2. When new apostle Elder Rasband’s voice wavered as he expressed his deepest gratitude for those praying for and sustaining him.

3. When the camera panned to Sister Wixom’s tear-filled eyes as the Primary Presidency got released.

We’re okay…we’re…not okay. *cry*

4. When President Monson and Elder Hales had to be helped by security/other apostles to the pulpit and we were all emotionally them.

5. When Elder Kearon shared his experiences with refugees and you could see the love pouring from his tender British eyes.

*sniff* We’re not crying! *sniff*

6. When President Uchtdorf, visibly touched by Elder Kearon’s remarks, was barely able to conduct the rest of the meeting through his tears.

CAN’T. EMOTIONALLY. HANDLE.

7. When President Eyring choked up during his opening comments as he pleaded with us to listen to the prophet; again, when Elder Arnold talked about rescuing those who have gone astray. Pretty much during every single talk. #RealTalk

8. When Elder Johnson spoke about the death of his daughter and read an excerpt from her journal about the hope the resurrection brings.

We’re done. Just…so done. *hiccuping sob*

9. When Elder Holland spoke to our souls and asked us if we knew how much Church leaders love us.

10. When conference ended far too quickly.

What conference moments stirred your soul this weekend? Tell us in the comments below!

Revisit your favorite talks now!

April 5, 2016
Was Jesus Christ a Feminist?

Cover photo © LDS Church

Recently I realized that I am a feminist. I want to see men and women treating each other as equals and seeing each other with equal value and potential. This newfound identity as a feminist came as a surprise to me, because all my life I have been bombarded with so many conflicting stereotypes about feminism. For years, I thought feminists were radical men-haters. With the rise of the Ordain Women movement, feminism has also been cast in a negative light within the Church. But I learned that feminism, like all ideologies, has a spectrum of belief that can’t be defined by its outliers. When I looked into both sides of the feminist spectrum, I found a middle ground that I totally identified with: men and women on equal playing fields, working together toward common goals. What a beautiful concept! What I’ve realized, however, is that we aren’t there yet. In my exploration of feminism, I’ve also realized that we have a perfect example to look to to get there, and that example is the Savior himself, Jesus Christ. Jesus was one of the only prominent men in written history that was recorded as treating women as equals, and a lot can be learned from his example.

Throughout history, women have been treated as unimportant or corrupt. One example of someone who gets a bad rap is Mother Eve. Christian and Jewish commentators alike have viewed her succumbing to the temptation of the serpent and partaking of the fruit as the cause of all the sin and evil in the world. Many believe that if it wasn’t for Eve, we’d all be living in some fantastic paradise without sin or worry. They subsequently extended that blame onto all women, and we quickly became viewed as unholy and inferior to men. Ancient Jewish tradition also cast women in a negative light. As seen in the Mosaic Law, women were deemed as ritually impure after giving birth. While they had some responsibility over household religious rituals, they were largely excluded from religious activity, which was handled by men. An early Christian philosopher, St. Augustine (354-430 a.d.), argued that only men were created in the image of God, and women were intellectually, physically, and morally inferior. St. Jerome (347-419 a.d.) said that if women choose a life of virginity, they could become more spiritual: “As long as woman is for birth and children, she is as different from man as body is from soul. But when she wishes to serve Christ more than the world, then she will cease to be a woman and will be called man.” Woah. These are Christian thinkers, the men who founded modern religious thought. Talk about a bad influence.

Views on women got really interesting with the Greeks. Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato saw women as mere casualties of a birth defect. Women were simply imperfect men whose primary purpose was to procreate rather than companionship. The relationship that existed between men and women paled in comparison to the relationships between men and men. These prominent thinkers and philosophers have peppered history with ideas of women’s subordination and inferiority. Keep in mind, these commentaries and ideas were all written by men because females were not given voice in ancient times. Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks in her book Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe quoted a verse taken from Canterbury Tales (1483) where the Wife of Bath said:

My God, had women written histories

Like cloistered scholars in oratories

They’d have set down more of men’s wickedness

Than all the sons of Adam could redress.

How would history change if there were more female voices? What if male historians painted females in a more positive light? Unfortunately we will never know. Modern feminist initiatives have led to a huge shift in the ancient views on women and gender roles. But due to the intense repression of women throughout history, this paradigm shift was never made earlier, except with one distinct exception: Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ contradicted the traditional stereotypes held against women. Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks pointed out this contradiction to the male perspective on women when she said,

“Jesus himself spoke frequently to women and included them in his followers, sometimes to the embarrassment of his male associates. He preached that men and women were equally capable of achieving life after death and that women as well as men should not let their domestic responsibilities come before their spiritual well-being. Many of his parables use women as positive examples or relate things that would have more meaning for women, leading some contemporary scholars to view Jesus as a feminist” (Wiesner-Hanks, 20).

Jesus came into a heavily patriarchal setting and treated men and women as equals and preached that both were equal in the eyes of God. There are three examples in the scriptures that really demonstrate Christ’s love and compassion towards women.

The first example comes from John 4, where Christ stops at a well while traveling through Samaria (a place Jews normally avoided). At this well, he meets a Samaritan woman who has been put away by five husbands who all left her for one reason or another (perhaps due to a lack of fertility). She was not married to the man she was with at the time of meeting Christ. Christ discerned all of this about her without having to hear her story, yet with her less than desirable status as a Samaritan woman living outside of the law, Christ spoke to her with all the respect and understanding He gave to His own disciples. Here was a man who didn’t give a thought to any societal constructs, but loved the individual.

Next we have a very tender scene where a woman was caught in adultery. This was one of the most severe accusations that could be placed on a woman at the time, punishable by stoning or even death. Instead of taking care of the problem themselves according to the law, the men who accused the woman wanted to humiliate her further by taking her to be judged by Jesus. They saw this as an opportunity to catch Christ contradicting himself, and they gave no thought to the woman they were making a public example. The first thing Christ did when they asked what should be done with such a woman was point out the weakness of everyone present in keeping the Law of God. “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). He made sure everyone understood their equal status as sinners in the eyes of God. Once the accusers had left, He then tenderly turned towards the woman and made sure she understood that everyone, her and her accusers, would have an equal opportunity to become reconciled with God and forgiven of all their trespasses. He admonished her as he would admonish his male disciples: “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11).

Finally, we have a beautiful example of the woman who bathed Christ’s feet with her tears. He went to dinner at the home of a Pharisee named Simon. A woman who was a notorious sinner heard he would be there and went to meet this Great Rabbi. She brought with her an alabaster box full of ointment and washed the Savior’s feet with her tears, anointed them, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. First off, the feet were considered unclean and unholy in the Jewish tradition — the most humble gesture a person could make was to wash the feet of another. Not only did this woman kneel before her master and wash his feet, she wiped them with her hair which was considered to be the glory of the woman (1 Corinthians 11:15). Thus, this woman put forth the greatest demonstration of love and humility a person could exhibit. She didn’t do it to show weakness. She wasn’t forced to do it because of her station. She simply wanted to do it. The Pharisees were shocked that Jesus was letting this sinner touch him. Christ gently reminded the man that this woman was showing the kind of courtesy that His guest had denied Him and told him that she is free to love much because she was forgiven much. Christ taught us not to be afraid to express the love that he gives to us.

Christ loves women, He always has and He trusts them with His work and He wants us to come back to Him. Thanks to His Atonement, Eternal Life is available to all men and women and if we are willing we all can participate in His great work and glory.

April 2, 2016
5 Pictures of 2016 Candidates Holding Scriptures That Aren’t Near as Funny as We Thought They’d Be

We’re so sorry about this. We’ll just apologize in advance.

1. Hillary Clinton

“This will be hilarious!”, we thought. “A lot of Mormons are Republicans, so they probably don’t like Hillary.” “Digitally placing the scriptures in her hands is homerun humor for sure!” We were so wrong, and we apologize. We realize now that there’s nothing funny about this at all.

2. Bernie Sanders

I don’t know how we even got this far in our photoshopping before we realized what an idiotic idea this was. I mean what is even happening here?! How would Bernie even get ahold of a cookie sheet-sized copy of the original Book of Mormon? It’s preposterous! But we realized that too late unfortunately. We even toyed with working in some kind of pun about Bernie’s unofficial slogan, “Feel The Bern”, like, “Feel the Bern…ing in your bosom”. It’s a shame we didn’t have the sense to shut that down before it made it off the drawing board.

3. This guy that kept popping up in our Google searches

Ok ok, so this isn’t even one of the candidates, but every time we tried to search for pictures of the Book of Mormon to use in this absurd article we kept getting a picture of one of the actors from the Book of Mormon play. You know, that play that makes fun of Mormons. Well we saw him enough times that we decided just to cover him up with a bunch of pictures of the real Book of Mormon. Take that fake missionary man!

4. Donald Trump

Now even we had the sense to stop ourselves before we tried photoshopping this one. Can you imagine how that would have looked? Trump is about the furthest candidate from the morals taught in the Book of Mormon. Can anyone say sacrilege? Thankfully we came to our senses before risking eternal condemnation for such a crime. And besides, we fired our graphic designer after that Bernie Sanders atrocity above.

5. Jeffrey R. Holland

There we go, that’s better. We didn’t even need to photoshop this one. We just took it straight from his talk, Safety for the Soul. Elder Holland isn’t running for president in 2016, but we wish he was. Can you imagine State of the Union addresses? They’d be some powerful stuff.
We’re real sorry that we even had this idea in the first place. We won’t do it again.

April 1, 2016
Jamesthemormon and American Idol Jenn Blosil Have Unbelievable Missionary Moment While Making Easter Video

What better way to kick off the Easter season than with a quick reminder of the true meaning of the holiday. James Curran wanted to do just that with this video he made with some of our favorite Mormon Celebs! The Sistas in Zion: Tamu Smith and Zandra Vranes, and Jenn Blosil: former contestant of the 15th season of American Idol, teamed up with James to spread some Easter cheer.

Curran shared with us an amazing missionary moment he and Jenn had while filming the video;
“The best part about this experience was when Jenn and I were able to do some missionary work. There was a young but very tall African american looking gentleman who walked past us a few times as we were filming. So Jenn and I walked over to him and asked him if he was LDS and if he would like to be in our video. He said that he “was” LDS but had since fallen away since moving here from New York. Jenn just happened to be a missionary in New York and guess what? She served in his home branch. I felt prompted to ask him if he did music and guess what? He raps! I quickly informed him that I was not a rapper, but that I love to rap as a hobby. We all exchanged numbers and have plans to hang out this week. He actually invited Jenn and I to come down to Salt Lake to freestyle with him.”

What a beautiful example of the right people being in the right place at the right time. But what really made the difference was them reaching out and opening their mouths. The perfect way to celebrate Easter is to make sure our brothers and sisters are partaking of the joys of the Atonement. Let’s reach out a little further, Thanks James and Jenn for the awesome example!

March 22, 2016
There’s a Reason Why the Internet Never Agrees About Who Christ Was

A few months ago, I became involved in a somewhat heated discussion between friends. The central topic of that discussion was about what the Savior would do if someone who had once had a testimony left the church and became very vocal against the Gospel. One stood firm in his belief that the Savior would be bold and unashamed, even if it meant hurting the feelings or turning over the spiritual tables, if you will, of His critics. The other defended his belief that the Savior would be infinitely loving and kind to them. Both held their ground, and the discussion eventually came to a reluctant draw, neither really abandoning their original opinion.

As I’ve looked back on that conversation, I’ve found myself incredibly fascinated by how each of my friends chose to identify with the Savior, and by extension, how anybody chooses to identify with Him. When it comes to using the Savior’s example to defend our beliefs, our behaviors, and even the actions of others, I’ve noticed that most of us pick out and relate to just one of His traits. Most people identify with a Savior who is very accepting — I myself tend to identify with that. Others identify with a Savior who is bold and even, at times, offensive, as Christ would have been to those in His day who did not understand Him or accept Him. I’ve witnessed many conversations, online and offline, where these two characteristics are pitted against each other, as if they are both mutually exclusive or the only traits Jesus Christ ever had.

I think that by doing that, however, we don’t fully understand who Christ was or the extent of His capacity to understand us.

The truth is that Jesus Christ, in His mortal ministry, was not a unidimensional figure. He cannot be classified as only “The Righteously Angered Savior” or “The Loving Savior.” Though He is the Lord, He was also human. He was complex and dynamic. He felt the full scope of our emotions and feelings, not only when He atoned for us, but when He walked and lived among us. His message was simple, but His personality was more intricate.

The Savior did not just turn the tables of the money changers in the temple. He sat at the tables of sinners and Publicans and ate with them. The Savior was not completely accepting. He, in fact, called the Pharisees fools, serpents, and vipers, “full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanliness” (Matthew 23:27). He loved those whom others would not love, He touched those whom others dared not touch. He said of enemies, “Love them as thyself,” while defending His Father with boldness and courage. He was often frustrated by the Pharisees and Jews who would not accept His message, but He also atoned for them. He said, from His cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He would let sinners wash His feet, and He would wash the feet of His disciples. He would teach at the head of large crowds, and He would stoop in the dust to address the one. He was often burdened by sadness. He sought isolation following the death of His friend, John the Baptist, and He wept to see the anguish of Lazarus’s friends. He was also filled with joy, walking among the Nephites and thanking His Father for them. He was tender, and He was firm. He was filled with sorrow for His brothers and sisters who strayed, and He was pleased to see the faith of those who followed Him. At times surrounded by thronging crowds, He was both hardly alone and often very lonely, left and betrayed by some of His dearest friends and left entirely alone in his last moments on Earth.

The truth, if it be fully told of Jesus Christ, is that He is not a Savior who only knows how to love or rebuke. He is a Savior who hurts, who joys, who agonizes, who celebrates, who weeps, who smiles, who angers, who corrects, and who adores. When we speak of Him, let us do so with the reverence that comes from realizing that He is not just who He says He is, but He’s more than we too often give Him credit for.

March 5, 2016
What This Harry Potter Plot Hole Reveals About the Plan of Salvation

Cover photo ©Warner Bros.

It was one in the morning at a bus station in Chile, and everything was still and quiet. Even the street dogs seem more subdued, I thought as I moved my foot out from underneath one that had collapsed on top of me. I held my backpack a little tighter, and I leaned against my tired companion’s head, which rested on my shoulder, as the third hour of waiting for my bus came to a close. These nights of picking up and dropping off missionaries at the bus station in between transfers were always random. We never knew if our bus was going to be a few minutes early or a few hours late. This particular night, we had the latter. Our zone leaders kindly waited with us and another companionship of elders who were waiting as well, and we soon began discussing a few movies we’d missed while on the mission. All of the sudden, one of the elders perked up and said something had been bothering him for a long time.

“I never understood how Harry Potter, a misfortunate orphan with a terrible childhood, could find out he was a wizard and get accepted into a prestigious wizarding school and still get bad grades and slack off. If I was accepted into Hogwarts to become a wizard, I’d freaking pay attention in class!”

Harry and Ron squandering their opportunities.

I was dumbstruck. Of course! How could Harry be so reckless? I recalled reading the books and thinking of all the times Harry and Ron ditched their homework to go to Quidditch practice or to steal ingredients to make a polyjuice potion. They blamed their lack of success in potions class on Professor Snape, because he obviously hated them. But why would anyone take MAGIC CLASSES for granted? Hermione sure didn’t. Her attitude seemed the exact opposite. She took advantage of every moment she had to learn and understand everything she could about this new world she was introduced to. She took harnessing her new-found power very seriously and, consequently, became known as the most clever witch in her class. I suddenly realized that Hermione was the only rational one in the group. Knowing this made Harry’s situation more baffling.

Imagine what a privilege it was for Harry Potter to have the opportunity to leave the empty, dull life on Privet Drive and enter a new world where he was given nearly limitless power and instruction on how to use it. He squandered his potential by not paying attention in class and by taking his education for granted! I remember lying awake in my bed until midnight on my eleventh birthday, just for the off chance a magic owl would swoop in and drop off a letter addressed to me. I remember feeling disappointed for a moment that such a magical, mystical place didn’t exist (or at least not for a poor muggle like me). How could Harry act so blasé about his fantastic life?!

This never happened to me. #MuggleLife

I realized that I do the exact same thing.

Someone once appeared and told me I am much more than an ordinary human, I’m a Child of God! I have been accepted to come to this earth to be tested and to gain experience so that one day, I can become an exalted and celestial being. I was invited to leave my dreary state in the pre-existence to gain a physical body so I could act according to my agency and learn how to choose the right. I was blessed with amazing teachers who instructed me on how to use my new found power and responsibility here in mortality so that I could one day use my gifts to choose the path of my Savior and example, Jesus Christ. Despite my immense privilege, I often choose not to pay attention in class. How ridiculous! I’ve been given limitless potential, and I squander my time by not paying attention. Granted, it’s not easy to be completely focused and maintain that eternal perspective every day. Living with a wand would definitely become pretty normal sooner or later. But if I could maintain the I’m-the-luckiest-person-alive feeling, if I could train myself to keep that eternal perspective and wake up everyday with the determination to take advantage of every moment, how would my actions change? Well, I’ll tell you: I would be a happy, hardworking Hermione who has accepted her lot and is doing her best to make the most of it. I would be a little more hopeful, a little more faithful, and probably much, much happier because I would know that I’m perfection in the making!

You can argue that Harry had a lot to worry about with all the dark forces of evil convening against him every year of his education, but that is exactly what we are dealing with! There is a terrible villain who wants nothing more than to destroy our chances of a happy life, but the joke’s on him, because with every trial, we become stronger and more experienced. Every trial we get through makes us more capable to overcome future trials.

Life doesn’t always seem fair, but everything is stacked in our favor. In God’s eyes, we’ve already won. As the scriptures say, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than be with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Our faith is like a powerful wand in our hands, but we’ve got to learn how to use it before all of its power is revealed to us. Let’s all pay closer attention in class and practice our swish and flick.

February 27, 2016
Ask Chris: Mormon Relationship Advice from a Very Single Man

When we asked our writers if anyone wanted to write an advice column, Chris was almost a little bit too willing. With Valentines day just around the corner, we hope you enjoy some Mormon dating advice from a very single man.

Dear Chris,

I’m interested in dating this guy in my singles ward, but I’m concerned that a relationship with someone in my own ward could go sour and negatively affect my spiritual life. What should I do?

Sincerely,
Afraid

Dear Afraid,

You’re right to be concerned about dating within your own ward. It wouldn’t be the first time that a recently broken-up couple struggles with church attendance to avoid feeling awkward around their ex. You’re much better off looking for dating partners outside of your own ward. I, for the sake of example, am not in your ward, so if you broke it off we could part ways and never speak again, or if things worked out, we could get married and have children and build a life together. You know, if it worked out.

Definitely not in your ward,
Chris

Dear Chris,

My boyfriend recently told me that he’s prayed about it, and thinks we should get married. I don’t feel like I’m ready for that commitment, but I don’t want to disobey the Lord. Should I listen to him?

Sincerely,
Obedient

Dear Obedient,

Ah, this is a classic Mormon move when a relationship starts to get shaky and boyfriends get desperate. Don’t fall for it. Leave the revelation to those with the proper stewardship, and of course, seek your own personal revelation. You’re an independent woman and can make your own decisions about marriage. But just as a spiritual exercise, as you’ve read my reply have you felt any impressions about me? Write me back and let me know. Please.

Anxiously awaiting your response,
Chris

Dear Chris,

I feel emotionally and fiscally ready to begin seriously looking for a man to marry, but I’ve been struggling to get asked on dates. What am I doing wrong?

Sincerely,
Desperate

Dear Desperate,

I know just how your desperation feels. Really, I do. Dating is a fickle game, and sometimes you need to take the initiative and ask guys on dates instead of waiting to be asked. I know it can seem at first that doing so goes against the social norm, but we live in a progressive society where many men hold feminist ideals and are perfectly happy when women ask them on dates. I happen to be one of those progressive men who would be more than happy to have you ask me to go with you to dinner and to the temple and to our wedding and honeymoon and the Celestial Kingdom. I would be flattered.

In solidarity,
Chris

Dear Chris,

Several of my friends have recommended that I start using Tinder to find dates, but I’m concerned about the shallow nature of online dating. Is Tinder an acceptable way to find a faithful priesthood holder?

Sincerely,
Cautious

Dear Cautious,

While online dating may not always be an ideal “market’ to find LDS singles, not everyone you meet online is only interested in relationships devoid of commitment and religious activity. Take me, for example, you’ve never met me in person, but if we were to start dating I would certainly hope we could have more than the occasional NCMO. We may be complete strangers, digitally connected only by a few threads of fiber-optic data, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t beat the odds and grow old together. So in short, yes, give your online acquaintances a chance.

Not an Internet creep,
Chris

Dear Chris,

I think I’m being followed. You know that uneasy feeling you get when you know someone’s watching you but you’re not sure from where? I get that everywhere! At the grocery store, when I leave work, even when I’m hanging out with my boyfriend. Occasionally I’ve even returned to my apartment to find boxes of flowers and unsigned love notes sitting on my kitchen counter. I live alone and always lock my doors. Should I go to the police?

Sincerely,
Creeped Out

Dear Creeped Out,

In most cases like this I would say yes, definitely go to the police, but something tells me this admirer has only the purest intentions in mind. Who knows, maybe he’s just a lonely advice columnist who doesn’t think that Brad deserves you. If I were you, I would meet this romantic individual at the docks behind that old fishing wharf down on 23rd avenue right when the sun starts to dip below the marina and the water is bathed in that beautiful golden glow. Who knows, maybe he’ll have a ring for you.

Ever thought about a spring wedding?
Chris

Do you have a question for Chris? Leave it in the comments below! Happy Valentines day!

February 12, 2016
If Disney Characters Were Mormon

Have you ever wondered what Disney movies would be like if the characters we all know and love were members of the Church? Well, we did. Here are a few examples of classic Disney moments gone Mormon:

1. Elder Woody gets a little jealous of Elder Lightyear’s new calling.

2. It looks like Hercules returned home with a little more than honor.

3. Rafiki makes the best ward family history consultant.

4. Peter’s confidence is a little too high on his first Sunday at the singles ward.

5. Kronk magnifies his calling. #EldersQuorumPresidentGoals.

6. Brother Incredible has had a hard time letting go of his missionary days.

Did we miss anything? Let us know how you’ve re-imagined Mormon Disney characters in the comments below.

*All images © Disney Inc. 2016 – We do not own any of the images in this article.

January 29, 2016
The Danger of Clinging to the Iron Rod

At nine p.m. on a beautiful night two summers ago, I found myself paralyzed against a cliff that was a good 130 feet above a winding canyon road. A head lamp bounced sporadically around my neck, and bats swarmed around me, nicking my helmet with their wings and feet. My hands were soaked in sweat, making it difficult to grip, and my legs rattled, making it just as difficult to keep climbing. To gain a breather, sites like 선시티카지노 might be more than helpful.

Under normal conditions, climbing that wall would be a dream. A beautiful view of the canyon, challenging cracks, and a whole lot of self-congratulations would be the reward of pushing through it. That night, however, it was dark. The holds were impossible to see without a lamp, and sometimes, I had to blindly feel around for them. Bats and birds flapped around the cliffs, my friends seemed miles below me, and to top it all off, that cliff was on top of an even steeper cliff that made you dizzy to look down. The weird thing was that I’d climbed walls of equal height before. I’d bouldered in the dark without much pause and climbed up off-trail sites that were extremely sketchy. For the first time in a long time, however, stuck on that wall, I completely choked. I made it up and I made it back down in one piece, but not without serious trepidation and anxiety.

“Isn’t clinging a good thing?” Dwelling on that experience has given me good insight about life and the challenges we often face in life. Unexpectedly, it’s also given me valuable insight into my scripture study, particularly a few scriptures in Lehi’s account of the Tree of Life that I have never been able to fully understand. They read as follows:

“And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree. And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed…and after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost” (1 Nephi 8: 24-25, 28).

I don’t know about you, but for most of my life, I’ve been so confused as to why those who clung to the rod fell away. Isn’t clinging a good thing? I’d asked myself. Isn’t desperately relying on the strength of the iron rod okay?

After spending a harrowing night on that rock wall, I realized why it might not be okay. In the context of rock climbing, “clinging” is very obviously a bad thing, and I think it applies in these scriptures the same way.

In spite of how many times I have climbed high walls, that climb two years ago completely derailed me. Hanging in the darkness of the canyon, I lost trust in both my tether and my harness. I found myself clinging to the rock face and even (needlessly) my rope, terrified that if I wasn’t clinging, I would fall. I somehow managed to convince myself that the rope wasn’t strong enough for me and that my harness wouldn’t hold me, and instead of having faith in my gear, I relied on my own strength.

I imagine that those who clung to the iron rod did so because they, like me, were terrified, not because they had faith in it. Lost in the mist of darkness at the edge of a precipice with nothing to direct them except the roar of the water, the uproarious mocking of those in the great and spacious building, and the iron rod, they chose what was most reliable, but they still remained “…instead of having faith in my gear, I relied on my own strength.” unconvinced that it was reliable. They weren’t there to reach the top triumphantly; they were there because the rod was there, and, consumed with their surroundings instead of their destination, they were propelled by fear. They weren’t actually relying on the strength of the rod when they clung to it, but on their own grip, their own understanding.

Relying on your own grip, I can attest, makes the climb harder. Instead of moving forward with faith and peace, you’re driven slowly and haltingly, your body unbending and weak. On most rock walls, having faith in the rope allows you to be flexible, to focus on where you’re going and how you’re going to get there instead of whether or not you’ll fall. With faith, falling does not seem like much of an obstacle. With fear, it’s major.

Because I let fear direct my climb that night, I didn’t enjoy my journey much, neither did I appreciate reaching the end of it like I would have if I’d just been confident. Like the clingers, I was a bit ashamed of myself. I was embarrassed because I lost faith in my equipment mid-climb. Those who clung may have been embarrassed because they never had faith in the rod to begin with. I’d imagine the sweetness of the fruit was overwhelmed by the bitterness of realizing that they were never really in it for the fruit to begin with.

The basic truth is that the Iron Rod (the Word of God) only helps us when we consistently and faithfully seek it. If we only read the scriptures and watch Conference because we’ve been told to or because everybody else is, we miss true progression. We don’t rely on truth and doctrine so much as we cling to routine and others’ opinions. We miss the Lord’s limitless love, because instead of focusing on how His words can direct us, we focus on getting our reading over with and we maybe focus on how dire and directionless our present situation seems. We care too much about what misdirected sources tell us and care too little about what the Savior promises us. He doesn’t want us to cling. He wants us to have faith. He wants us to hold onto that rod because we trust him, not because we’re blinded by fear or doubt.

The Savior is the rock of our salvation, the stumbling block to those who don’t seek or trust him, but also the glorious way to the top of the mountains and a divine view we can get in no other way. We must only have faith in our capacity to climb and in the equipment he’s given us to help get us there. The way might be steep and narrow, our environment dark and confusing, but with the scriptures, with the prophets, and with our faith, we will always reach the top. And let me tell you, the moon and the streets and the hills and the trees are stunningly beautiful up there.

January 22, 2016
One Punctuation Mark Changes How You Read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”

I would like to take a moment to call your attention to a microscopic fragment of English syntax that recently snagged my soul a little: the colon. Or this thingy [ : ]. Let me first define the technical grammatical powers of these two neatly stacked specks, and then I will explain why this tiny unsung hero had such force on my not-technical, not-logical-neither-law-abiding heart.

“The most common use of the colon is to inform the reader that what follows it, proves, explains, defines, describes, or lists elements of what preceded it.”

From the Wikipedia entry for Colon (punctuation),

“The colon… introduces the logical consequence, or effect, of a fact stated before… introduces a description; in particular, it makes explicit the elements of a set… also separates the subtitle of a work from its principal title… introduces speech.”

So, basically it’s saying that whatever thought follows the two dots belongs within the thought that came before the dots, and can frequently be regarded as an explicit description of the first thought. Now here’s the application test. Open your mind, and take a second look at this familiar phrase:

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”

Take that colon for ALL it’s worth, and I think you’ll start to see something funny, but not something to be laughing at. What that little colon does is tell us that the family is THE proclamation to the world. And what does it proclaim?

The family IS the epic testimony that we are something more than just another class of living organisms trying to work out some kind of commensalism with everything else here on planet earth. It proves an extraterrestrial, but not alien, origin of man.

Is there not something universal, poetic, and heart-gripping in the image of a man standing protectively between wife and child, and harm’s way? When you’re thrown out over your couch in a posture similar to your grandmother’s afghan, watching that old classic of the dying single mom and her two kids, does your heart not bleed? When your kid brother hasn’t written or called you for months, doesn’t it feel like there’s a laser boring an increasingly large hole right through your chest? No one taught you these reactions, and we can’t really explain them entirely. They just kinda come with our programming. Regardless of age, tongue, or culture, we all share an obsession with family relationships.

Why do we need those relationships anyway? I’m positive that no mosquito holds any bosom-warming regard toward mother or child, and yet they are still wildly successful even as relatively unnecessary members of most ecosystems. LOVE! “Love!” cries the lyricist, philosopher, psychologist, psychiatrist, social scientist, politician and poet. But what on Earth is love? Is it of Earth at all? The best star-spangled, new-fangled science would have us believe that it’s a precise blender mix of all the right juices and hormones swirled around to perfection up in your noggin and not much else. But no one who has ever been in love before, including all those advocates of the “blender mix” sporting lab-coats and statistics, will deny that locking eyes with their lover is like looking through a window to…somewhere else they don’t understand but feel very acquainted with. Regardless of age, tongue, or culture, we all share an obsession with family relationships No one who has ever held their own precious, minutes-old infant will ever tell you that their heart wasn’t racing and they didn’t feel breathtaken as they cradled that tiny life for the first time. No one who has ever lullabied a true friend and treasure at the edge of mortality will ever tell you that love is merely a chemical reaction. Love is the one shining remnant of memory from a life long ago that we can cling to. It is the most ennobling, and ultimately the most deifying element. And no, it is not strictly native to Earth.

We can love and feel love because we are members of God’s family. Love and honor are the sources of His power, and we’ve inherited a sensitivity toward these things. This family that we belong to is comprised of a Father, Mother, and children: us. Each son and daughter is a chain link in the race of gods, with the potential to become as He is. A chick will grow up to be a hen or rooster. A kitten will grow to be a cat. Any sensible person would say it is nonsense to believe that a puppy would grow up to be an alligator; that simply opposes all the laws of nature. But, it is perfect reason to say that if it is possible to believe that you are God’s child, that it is destiny for you to be like Him, that is, a regal and supreme creator. And that’s what He wants for you.

The families we live with here are models of the family we came from and a prototype of the lifestyle intended in the eternities. Embodied in the family are all the principles and essential creative powers that make gods different and…well, gods.

What the family, as designed by Heavenly Father, proclaims to the whole world is that there is a purpose and a plan to life. It paints a “why” for the things we do every day. We can love and feel love because we are members of God’s family It screams to the world that because of your own divine origin and destiny, you can achieve whatever lofty dream you have inclination toward and be whomever you’d like to be. It gives you reason to believe in yourself, and other people, too. It gives you reason to believe in a Living God.

In this phrase, those two tiny dots, aligned so neatly, help me see where the dots in my life need to be connected. They align me with a cause much larger than me. They inspire me to give a voice to the most important things. Let’s give a round of applause for the little guys!

Abe is an outdoor-loving lady, with a special affinity for back-country powder skiing. By day, she loves making her kindergartners laugh, but when night falls, she digs writing music, experimenting with food in the kitchen, and singing karaoke way too loudly. She hopes to make it to Disneyland before her spell breaks and she grows up.

January 17, 2016