Seeing the Forest in the Trees: The Sacred Invitation of the Temple

Several years ago, I knew a man who said that he had mastered the temple endowment. I was intrigued. He claimed that he could sit down and sleep for an entire session with only minor interruptions. That …

The Core Doctrine of the Book of Mormon

There are unnumbered treasures in the Book of Mormon! In 2005, I published a series of thirteen articles about the ways that great book of scripture acts as a latter-day corrective—from teaching us about such subjects as …

God’s Trophies

Quite often something that is almost too good to be true. A sunset. A field of wildflowers. A starry night. A delectable peach.

Over the years, when we ran into a wonder of nature that shocked us …

Understanding Differences in Our Marriages

It is surprising how different we can be in our marriages. Here are some differences we have seen in couples we know and love.

He is married to his job and she wants more family time.

She …

Life is Perfect

Why do I react so strongly to such trivial things?

My usually reliable ball-point pen was not working. I scribbled circles on scratch paper to get it warmed up. I tried again. Still spotty. I checked the …

The Refugee Surprise

I was reluctant at first. Nancy and I were glad to have become involved with a local agency that assists refugees. But when the agency asked Nancy and me to take a Syrian refugee girl to her piano …

Looking at Our Marriages from God’s Perspective

How would you define the purposes of marriage? Love and companionship? Stability? Building a family? Social expectations? There are a lot of reasons people marry and, more often than not, we haven’t thought about them very much …

When Prayers Go Unanswered

H. Wallace Goddard and Barbara Keil

In Elder’s Quorum, we were talking about prayer. A kind, gentle, wise brother raised his hand. I was interested to hear his question. In his quiet voice, he asked, “Why did I pray when …

Filling the Measure of Your Creation: The Lord’s Program for Being Happy and Useful

I grew up trying to overcome my strengths. I didn’t like the excesses that came from my native enthusiasm, so I determined to be moderate. I hated the distractibility that came with my creativity, so I resolved …