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 … Read more
Life is Perfect
Author: H. Wallace Goddard
Wally Goddard is a retired professor of Family Life having served in Arkansas and Alabama. He developed programs on personal well-being, marriage, and parenting. He is well known for his many creative family programs, including The Marriage Garden, The Parenting Journey, and Blueprint for Happiness. Wally has authored or co-authored several books including Between Parent and Child, The Soft-Spoken Parent, and Drawing Heaven into Your Marriage. He has been recognized by his colleagues with several awards including the Outstanding Family Life Educator Award. Wally and his wife, Nancy, have three adult children, fourteen grandchildren, and have cared for many foster children over the years. Wally describes Nancy as the finest human being he has ever known.
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Gloomy Thoughts and Heavenly Prospects
A friend shared a poignant experience with us. Her 90-something year old father recently broke his leg. His age and health are such that he would probably not survive surgery. Our friend went to visit him in … Read more
The Problem with Praying for What We Want
“Don’t you believe in miracles? Why should we pray at all if we can’t get miracles?” An earnest Latter-day Saint pressed me for answers about her friend’s looming family disaster.
“We don’t pray just to get what … Read more
King Benjamin’s Timeless Message to Us
As we depart childhood and enter adulthood, we start to feel more self-sufficient. We can drive a car, sustain a career, and raise a family. We are adults. If we are not careful, we may think that … Read more
Our Gospel is NOT as Good as His
The Book of Mormon tells of Enos fervently calling upon God in prayer for his soul. As a result, he heard the voice of God telling him that his sins were forgiven, and he would be blessed.… Read more
God is Calling Us to Care for His Displaced Children
On a recent Saturday morning, Nancy and I went hunting corkscrew willows or tall grasses to put in the enormous pot on our front porch. We tried the countryside and the marshes with no success. We had … Read more