Dec 18, 2023

Come, Follow Me

On Christmas Day, 1865, Wilford Woodruff noted the following in his journal: “25 Christmass I spent the day at home & took supper then went to the Theater in the Evening."

This small and plain entry is very similar to other Christmas day entries throughout the 1860s. When first reading entries such as the one above, I was confused by how a man who loved and served Christ with all his heart could write so little on one of the holiest of days in the Christian calendar. Yet, as I read and reread the simple entries throughout the 1860s, a thought struck me. This simple entry, as well as its fellows scattered throughout Wilford Woodruff’s journals, contains a simple sermon that is profound and beautiful. His small entry reminded me of the importance of family during the Christmas season.

Dec 11, 2023

Come, Follow Me

Sitting on my bunk as a young marine, I decided to take a look at the Book of Mormon my mother had sent me. I honestly gave it my best, but try as I might, I could hardly understand a word of what I was reading. I soon gave up and set the book aside, not to touch it again for a number of years. When I did, I continued to read for days, looking for what I had been unable to understand before. Yet all of it now flowed so easily into my soul. The difference was the Spirit and my own readiness.

Nov 27, 2023

Come, Follow Me

On October 6, 1887, Wilford Woodruff helped pen an epistle to the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA). Unable to attend the YMMIA’s conference, President Woodruff and fellow Apostles Joseph F. Smith and Moses Thatcher sent an epistle encouraging the young men of the Church and providing counsel and direction. They offered the young men this counsel for how to leave the conference:

Nov 20, 2023

Come, Follow Me

I love to hike. Whenever I have a chance, I hit the trail. I have lists of places that I want to hike and mountains I want to summit.

As I read in 1 Peter this week, I thought of cairns. A cairn is a manmade pile of rocks that is assembled to be a marker or a memorial. Often people make these cairns to mark a trail that could be difficult to find or as a guidepost to reassure hikers that they are on the right path. Cairns are also often built as memorials. For instance, they may be built at the top of an especially difficult mountain summit to memorialize the sacrifice and accomplishment of finishing the hike.

Nov 13, 2023

Come, Follow Me

We live in a world of immediate results. Lose weight fast. Get rich quick. Be successful now.

With the constant pressure to have it all immediately, James’s counsel to “let patience have her perfect work” seems a little unreasonable—but I love the promise that follows: “That ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4).

Nov 6, 2023

Come, Follow Me

“We have now learned that God means what He says, and says what He means. . . . When He gives to us revelations of the greatest moment to us, will He not set forth His mind and will in their true meaning, as He intends they shall be fulfilled, and as He intends we shall understand them?”

Oct 30, 2023

Come, Follow Me

In the New Testament we come to understand the life and character of our Lord Jesus Christ in incredible ways. For example, in the Book of Hebrews we read how the Savior sought “to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,” in order “to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17). Not only did the Son of God endure tribulations so that our personal and collective sins could be forgiven, but we read in Hebrews 2:18 “that he himself hath suffered being tempted,” so that “he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

Oct 23, 2023

Come, Follow Me

This week’s Come, Follow Me lesson asks, “How might Timothy have felt, knowing that he might soon be without his trusted mentor and leader [Paul]?” Wilford Woodruff may have had a similar experience upon the death of President John Taylor.

Oct 16, 2023

Come, Follow Me

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ has always seemed like a far distant, scary future that I hopefully wouldn’t have to deal with. However, in recent years I have learned not only about the need to be prepared for the Savior’s coming, but also about the hope and peace available to those who love God.

Oct 9, 2023

Come, Follow Me

Have you ever felt stuck in the past? If so, you’re not alone. Some people struggle to let go of guilt from decades-old sins that have already been repented of. Others can’t seem to stop reliving difficult memories. I have plenty of my own moments when I keep mulling over my imperfections and mistakes as a wife and mother.