“The Nativity” by Ted Henninger

On Christmas Day, we attended church services. The music was uplifting and the program was unique: a man reading the New Testament scriptures relating directly to the birth of the Savior.

I had heard all of these before. I had read them before. Yet I had never understood something I could learn from this story. I learned more about the character of Joseph—the man the Lord selected to be the earthly father of His only son.

I dearly love a family that is not my own.

Often we view home teaching assignments as opportunities to serve those we are assigned to teach; however, there is so much more we can learn from this assignment.

Today, I’m going to share a few stories about 3 home teachers. In each story, I hope you see that home teaching is “a program that touches hearts, that changes lives, and that saves souls” (E.T. Benson, May 1987).

It is done.

I have completed graduate school for the second time in my life and am thrilled beyond measure. There were aspects of it the first time around that I loved, but writing a book that only three people would read and possibly cite in their research was not one of them. Now I have written two books that 10 people (at the most) will read.

When the Savior was preparing to begin His earthly ministry, and He most urgently and earnestly needed His Father’s assistance and reassurance and strength to sustain him through what He knew lay ahead, what did He do? He fasted and prayed (Matthew 4:1–2; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–2).

Last summer, Meghan Vogel, a high school track runner, competed in her state’s 3,200-meter race. Meghan was in last place after running nearly two miles. In the last 20 meters of the race, Meghan had the opportunity to not place last when the runner ahead of her collapsed on the track. Rather than pass her fallen opponent, Meghan stopped, placed her arm around her and carried her to the finish line.

A friend of mine posted this photo on Facebook suggesting that a Christian who belongs to a religion that has a building as ornate as this cannot consider him/herself a good Christian given all the suffering that occurs in the world.

Let me tell you about this building: the Salt Lake Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (AKA, the Mormons).

This year, I spoke in church on Mother’s Day. As one would expect, I focused on the sacred calling that motherhood is; however, since I’m not a mother, I looked at this topic from the perspective of a mother who has experienced much in her life — my mother.

One day as I was spending way too much time surfing Facebook, I stumbled into a friend’s page of favorite quotes. Some were pithy while others profound, but there was one that offered me the best advice for an interview I know I will have one day that I need to begin preparing for now.