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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … 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

Gloomy Thoughts and Heavenly Prospects

Sunrays: benefit or harm?

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

Book of Mormon Gems: Jesus is Different from Us

As humans, we think first and foremost of ourselves. We tune in to our aches and pains. We focus on our wants and needs. We react to any slights with defensiveness. We compare ourselves and our good … Read more