There is a story in the Book of Mormon about a man named Alma. He his friends (sons of a prophet-king named Mosiah) went around trying to dissuade people from believing in God.

They were not unlike Saul in the New Testament, both in terms of what their life’s work was for quite a while (working against the work of God), and also in terms of external events that helped them turn their lives around.

But it wasn’t the heavenly visitation of the Lord or an angel that really helped Paul become a disciple of Christ, or helped Alma and the sons of Mosiah become ambassadors for God. It was a change of heart brought about because of the acceptance of the grace of Jesus Christ and choosing a changed life.

One way we know this is because there were plenty of people in the New Testament who interacted face-to-face with Jesus Himself and were not converted to Him. There are many in the Bible who professed to believe in God but did not follow His ways. Likewise, in the Book of Mormon, there is a story of an angel appearing and not making a difference in people’s lives (two other sons of a prophet, Laman and Lemuel, who never fully got their hearts into following God and ended up at war with those who did…a war that lasted for generations).

We don’t need heavenly messengers to invite us to change. We can invite Jesus into our lives and hearts. “Angels” extending such an invitation (or reminding us of the invitation we’ve already sought to accept) can be people in our lives, or words in scripture coming alive through God’s Spirit, or missionaries sharing the message of mercy available to us all through Jesus Christ, or music touching our heart, or a show like The Chosen giving us a live-action view of what it could have been like to walk with Jesus when He was on earth.

Here is an example of such a story of a simple invitation. The story was shared by a sister missionary serving in the southeast area of the United States. (The man in the story gave permission for the missionary to share his story, but here we will keep his name confidential.)

This missionary and her companion visited with a man who is awaiting trial for a crime. His mind was very weighed down with everything going on and he expressed a desire to make better decisions in his life.

One of the sister missionaries shared Alma’s story in Alma 36. This story helped him feel hope that because of Jesus Christ, he can change. (See also the words in vs. 19 not circled here.)

This story stood out to me all the more so because I recently had two young men about to start their missions (angels in my own life) invite me to read these same verses on a weekend when my mind was weighed down with worry and weariness. I was raised reading the Book of Mormon, but I still felt like God was reaching out to me through this invitation to re-read these verses.

Alma went from a harrowed-up mind to a mind filled with joy. What was the difference? Turning his mind and heart to Jesus Christ. Remembering what his father Alma had taught about Jesus Christ. Allowing the love of Jesus Christ to enter into his mind and heart.

And once he had tasted of this joy, Alma “labored without ceasing” to share that joy in Jesus with others.

24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto ^arepentance; that I might bring them to ^btaste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be ^cborn of God, and be ^dfilled with the Holy Ghost.

There are myriad stories like this in the scriptures. The woman at the well from John 4 in the New Testament is another that comes to mind. She sat with Jesus while He told her about the sins in her life. As He did, she opened her mind and heart to the reality that He was the long-awaited Messiah. And then she left her pot and went to share the glad news with those in her circles.

I’ve been raised on the teachings of Jesus, but I need reminders to keep turning my mind and heart to Him. My mind is all-too-easily weighed down.

Writing is one way I seek to remember.

Pondering all of this also reminds me of a video that was made a few years ago for Easter. It talks about second chances, clean slates, new beginnings. Here’s the link to that video, or it is embedded below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGCbMEmpY4g

There’s a saying that the past is a good predictor of the future. But when a person involves Jesus Christ in his or her or their life, this little saying goes out the window. Those who understand how humans can change (practicing a different focus on the present as a way to be released from the bondage of the past) understand this principle, even when they don’t fully understand (or at least don’t openly teach) that Jesus Christ is the One who makes such change possible. (I’m thinking, for example, of a saying from Eckhardt Tolle written on my mirror: “The past cannot prevail against the power of the now.” (from his book, The Power of Now.) The truth that change is possible is everywhere, in leadership trainings and spiritual movements.

The reason it is possible is because of what Jesus Christ did for us and because of the divinity within us as children of God.

Here’s to new beginnings each day because of the reality of God and Jesus Christ.

The post #BecauseOfHim Every Day can be a New Beginning appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

A story of a young man who was raised Mormon, left his faith for a while, and found that faith again

Are you struggling with your faith? Perhaps someone you know is living in a way that doesn’t include faith at the moment. The God we worship is always reaching out after His children, and whenever they are ready, He is there to help them. Repentance is a beautiful thing. Grace is real.

This is another video in the His Grace series at Mormon Channel.

Do you have a story of the Savior’s grace that you would like to share? We’d love to share your story, or share on social media with the hashtag #AmazedbyGrace

The post Finding, losing, finding faith #HisGrace #AmazedbyGrace appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The examples of a kind, Christian family brought this former gang member to find his own faith in Jesus Christ. This is another of the His Grace videos at the Mormon Channel.

The post From Gang Member to Christian #AmazedbyGrace appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Editor’s note: This is another article in our series of BYU students sharing letters and reflections on scripture.

Dear Jenna,

Happy February! You are 19 months old now and getting so big! You are so loved and treasured. This last week in my Book of Mormon class, we began discussing the first few chapters of Helaman. These are the chapters that talk about the Gadianton Robbers and their wickedness. While reading, I was struck by how we can get caught in sin and wickedness, and how Satan works to keep us caught up in this sin and wickedness. When I found myself pregnant with you, I discussed with my bishop the difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is a good thing. Guilt admits that our actions were bad, and it shows that we feel remorse for our actions, and want to improve. Shame is a bad thing. It implies that not only are our actions bad, but our character is also bad. This is what Satan wants. This is how he keeps us in the sin. As it says in Helaman 2:3, we enter into a covenant that no one should know our wickedness. So when we sin, we hide our actions. We try to cover it up and we don’t always confess of the sin.

But this goes against our Savior’s sacrifice. Hiding our sins goes against the purpose of the Atonement. Even if we can hide our sins from the world, we cannot hide them from our Heavenly Father. The Atonement was put into place so that we can confess and forsake our sins, and we can be clean and worthy to return to Him.

When I became pregnant with you, I was stuck in Satan’s grasp. I was making mistakes, and trying to hide them. I was ashamed and unhappy. And even though confessing my sins was difficult, it led to such great happiness. I testify to you, sweet baby Jenna, that the way to happiness is through righteousness. If we live according to His word, and take advantage of the Atonement in our lives, we can live happy and return to live with Him. Do not become stuck in Satan’s grasp; there is no happiness there.

You are adored more than you know. Thank you for inspiring me to loosen Satan’s grasp so I could embrace my Savior and find my way to happiness.

The post BYU Student Letters and Reflections: Letting Go of Guilt and Shame appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

George, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shares his personal experience of being rescued by Christ. He grew up in what he describes as “a very troubled family.” He was in trouble with the law a lot growing up. When he was a young adult, a British religious leader encouraged him to trust Christ by confessing his errors, accepting the legal consequences, and allowing Christ’s sacrifice to have an effect in his life.

George confessed to his crimes, and spent time in prison in Liverpool. During that time, he talks of how he came to know Christ even more. We don’t know all of George’s story, but obviously he became a Mormon and is now a falconer.

George uses the metaphor of his work as a falconer helping injured birds to remind us that Christ asks us to help those who are struggling and injured by turning them to Him.

The post Rescued by Christ appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Also, if you are a wife facing the challenge of having a husband with an addiction, you can join a private forum to connect with other wives who are working to find hope and healing.

Healing from Pornography Addiction: Hope for Addicts, Spouses – includes inspirational art that has helped a couple face the journey of healing from pornography addiction

Forward with Faith: Healing when a spouse has a porn addiction – Steven and Rhyll Croshaw share their story about healing from the effects of pornography addiction (video)

Forward with Faith: “When Pornography Hits Home” by Bethany

Two Mormon Women’s Stories about Overcoming Pornography Addiction – women also struggle against pornography addiction; read two women who share their stories

More stories from Mormon women who have dealt with sexual addictions

Rachelle Call: “God raised me and my family from the dead” (includes inspirational song about staying strong when a loved one has an addiction)

Forward with Faith: Finding Strength and Healing in Christ — by Sara

“[Pornography’s] destructive influence is not greater than God” – by Diony George

Hope and Help for Sex Addicts – A Personal Story (+resources)

Recovering from my LDS husband’s addiction to pornography

Is recovery from pornography addiction possible? – An addict in recovery shares his story and how the LDS Addiction Recovery Program helped him get sober and stay sober. Now he’s helping other men share their stories of how the 12 steps have helped them find healing at pasgworks.com

Sex/Pornography Addiction Recovery Support for Spouses – “You Don’t Have to Do it Alone” — a Mormon woman shares how LDS pornography addiction recovery support groups (and a 12-step recovery manual) for spouses helped her in her journey to find healing . She says, “We involved in this program pray for you; we pray you will find these support groups, if you need them.  Know you are not alone.  Since we can’t hold up signs saying, “My husband is a porn addict, and I need help,” be gutsy and come to a meeting.  You may like what you find.”

Video: Recovery from Pornography Addiction is Possible (a spouse’s story of recovery)

This Old House: Personal story of an ex-wife of a man who struggled with addiction

Five stories from spouses of men addicted to pornography (the outcomes vary in these stories…including women who ended up staying in their marriages and women who felt impressed to separate/divorce — found at Combating Pornography)

Out in the Light — documentary that includes personal stories from Mormons and those of other faiths (some are featured on our site as well):

http://www.outinthelight.com/news/1308/impact-of-pornography-educate
http://www.outinthelight.com/news/1347/impact-of-pornography-connect
http://www.outinthelight.com/news/1367/impact-of-pornography-recovery
http://www.outinthelight.com/news/1374/impact-of-pornography-hope

Things I’ve learned the hard way (some insights from a wife of a pornography addict)

Latter-day Bondage and Freedom – a story of a wife’s pain and healing

Healing the Broken-Hearted — stories of LDS men and women who have walked the journey of recovery

“An Insider’s View” – a Mormon woman shares a little about her experience as a wife of a man addicted to pornography

Renewing Ruined Cities – a devout Christian woman shares her journey of being married to a pornography addict.

There is Hope! — from a Christian website, Journey to Healing and Joy

From the Ensign:

Pierced with Deep Wounds

“Lessons from a Milk Jug” – wife’s story of facing her husband’s addiction

“My husband’s [pornography] addiction”

See also a discussion on this topic at the link below:

How can I deal with my spouse’s pornography addiction?

More stories of hope and healing (from various addictions) on the new LDS Addiction Recovery website

And stories from loved ones of addicts, also on the LDS Addiction Recovery website

The post Pornography Addiction — Personal Stories Index appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I love the beach.  I love watching the water come swiftly up to my feet, cover them up, then just as quickly, reside back from the shore.  The wave takes everything away and makes the sand smooth again.

The post At waters edge… appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Michelle

Last Sunday night, I settled down on my couch with my laptop to listen to President Boyd K. Packer’s General Conference talk. I had been under the weather and was unable to listen to the address live, and unfortunately, the only exposure I’d had to his message was through the frenzy in the media and elsewhere. But still, through headlines and even some direct quotes, I thought I had a general sense of what he had covered.

But what I heard and felt was very different than what some people were saying and feeling. While this wasn’t surprising on one level, it was deeply disappointing to me to see how his message and intent had been so distorted and maligned. Add to that continued anger and accusations and protests which have continued in full force this week, and I feel that the core message he gave has been all but completely missed.

Of course, I would encourage people to read President Packer’s talk for themselves (and to read it more than once) rather than rely on others’ thoughts on it (including mine). But because in my mind what he taught really sums up so much of Mormon belief, and explaining Mormon belief is one of the key purposes of this website, I am sharing some of my thoughts on what I felt were critical truths he was teaching.

An oft-quoted thought from President Packer comes to mind: “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.”

Let me begin by saying that Saturday afternoon, when the names of our general leaders were read for our sustaining vote, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide sustained President Packer not only in his calling as an apostle, but also as one of the 15 men who are called to be prophets, seers, and revelators. Prophets are called to teach the plan of salvation, to teach the commandments, to invite us to live true to God’s laws, and to invite us to repent where we are falling short. These are responsibilities grounded in love and a desire to help people find God’s love and know how to follow Jesus Christ. Prophets are there to testify of Christ and point us to Him, to help us access the power of His Atonement in our lives.

I heard President Packer do all of these things through his talk. I felt power, peace, and perspective in his words. Here are thoughts I had after listening to his message.

• President Packer testified of truths that have been taught for generations through prophets of God about the plan of salvation, marriage, the law of chastity, agency, and the Atonement. I am always watching for prophetic patterns of teaching because I believe that is one way for us to recognize truth that is coming from God.
• In Mormon doctrine, marriage between a man and a woman is essential to God’s plan of happiness. Of course, not everyone will have the opportunity for such a marriage in this life — but God’s promise given repeatedly through His prophets is that no blessing will be withheld from those who are faithful to their covenants with Him.
• The power to procreate is a sacred, key part of God’s plan for His children. The sexual union of a man and woman that can bring children into this world (and bring a couple together in love) is only authorized by God to be used by a man and woman who are legally and lawfully married.
• The laws of God, particularly the law of chastity, protect that gift and power, which is not a right but a stewardship. Violation of this law can bring eternal consequences. Prophets have the obligation to teach this reality, even if society’s voices are saying something different — and even if society’s laws may differ.
• The devil seeks to tempt us to misuse this power of procreation. He will never have the fruits of that power (creation, family, children, a body, progression). As the scriptures state, “he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” He would have us believe that we are entitled to sexual fulfillment without restraint or restriction or responsibility. He would have us believe that we are slaves to our sexual passions or defined absolutely by them — and that we cannot be happy without giving expression to them. Such beliefs about sexuality can lead to sexual sin and damaging addictions such as we see with the plague of pornography.
• But living according to God’s truth can yield much different fruit. God teaches us through prophets that agency is also a key part of His  plan. We are here to act, not to be acted upon. Choosing to live according to God’s laws can set us free from the adversary’s power. (Agency was a repeated theme in this General Conference. Many talks focused on this fundamental truth. President Packer’s talk can be even better understood in context of those and many other talks that were given.)
• In exercising our agency to live God’s laws, we can discover the power of God and of the Savior’s Atonement. This is what brings spiritual growth and can bring a deep sense of peace and joy in progress as we continue to draw closer to God, and become more like Him and His Son.
• When and if we break any of God’s laws or wander from His ways, the wonderful gift of repentance can bring us back to the path that can lead us back to God. President Packer taught the beautiful truth that “Nowhere are the generosity and the kindness and mercy of God more manifest than in repentance.”

I feel that President Packer’s talk was a talk of hope and love and encouragement and confidence, testifying that with God’s help, we can face whatever struggles, temptations, and weaknesses we may have (and we all have them — it’s part of this journey on earth, part of what it means to be mortal). As he quoted from 1 Corinthians 10:13: “God . . . will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

In the context of President Packer’s specific focus related to the role of the law of chastity in God’s plan, I believe those who have the desire to live according to this law — even in the face of difficult trials — can find hope in his words. That includes people with sex and pornography addictions, people with same-sex attraction, those who are heterosexual and single, and those who may struggle with sexual temptations of various sorts.

I think it’s important to remember that to suffer temptation is not an indication that we are broken or worthless or faithless. Even the Savior Himself experienced temptation. And even He was “sore amazed” at how difficult it was to drink His bitter cup, which cup He even asked to have pass. (We may feel that way sometimes with our own bitter cups.) But a key part of this mortal test is to face opposition, including temptation. Through His prophets, ancient and modern, Christ’s invitation is to follow His example and not succumb to temptation (or to repent when and if we do), to submit to God’s will, and to choose to face opposition with faith in Him and in God’s plan and eternal promises.

I earnestly hope that we all can find and feel the hope and love in President Packer’s words and in the Savior’s teachings,  invitations, example, and Atonement. To those who struggle in any way, please know that there are many people who care and want to help and support you in your journey. You are loved — first and foremost by God, but also by our leaders and so many others. We here at Mormon Women extend our hearts and concern to you as well.

As a final note, let me reiterate that, of course, we realize that not everyone will agree with Mormon doctrine about marriage, God-given limits on sexual behavior, or other topics. Of course, we respect the right for people to have their own opinions that may be very different from ours. We would hope that we can all recognize and accept the differences that may exist between various viewpoints and engage in dialogue that is respectful along the way. On that topic, please consider this recent editorial, “A call for civility following Mormon Apostle Boyd K. Packer’s address.”

The post Thoughts on President Boyd K. Packer’s Recent Conference Talk appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I love to garden, not only because I adore flowers, but because the act of gardening teaches me so many things about life. Growing plants is much like raising children but there is more; gardening helps me to slow down and put things into perspective.

Recently we had a bit of a crisis in the garden. The spigot I turn on and off to allow water to flow through the hose I use to give my plants life-giving water, broke.

It had not been working for quite some time. In fact, it had been leaking quite a lot for years. My husband and I went to the hardware store and purchased a new spigot some years ago. However, when we got it home, we realized that we would need to actually cut a hole in the wall of the house and cut the pipe, the one the spigot was attached to, in order to make the switch from the old, leaky spigot to the new one.

Believing that the repair was too hard for our limited skills and not having the money to pay a plumber, we chose to ignore the problem.

Soon, the leaking became worse.  When I turned it on, the spigot would spray water in all directions. My way of dealing with this was to fit a bucket up under the spigot, held in place by the air conditioning unit just below, and to use the water that accumulated in the bucket to water the larger plants in my garden. I chose to use this system for a number of years, in spite of the fact that it was heavy and burdensome which caused pain in my shoulders and elbows.

Then, one day last week, the problem became a crisis and could no longer be ignored. The spigot broke so that it could not be turned off and water sprayed all over the yard at great speed. We had no choice but to cut off the water supply to our house and make a trip to the hardware store. In the end, we were faced with the same choice; buy a new spigot, make a hole in the wall and cut the pipe so the new spigot could be properly attached. Since this is not our area of expertise, it took a great deal of effort on our part including hours spent without water to our house, to achieve this repair, but we did it!

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After it was all done and I was enjoying watering my garden without needing to heave that heavy, water-filled bucket around the yard, I chided myself for not making the repair earlier. How could I have not done what needed to be done so long ago? It took a full-blown crisis before we were willing—forced—to address the problem. In the end, we were able to do it—it was only our fear that got in our way in the past.

I reflected on how often our choices in life are dictated by fear. How often do we refrain from doing something because we are afraid we will fail or that it will be too hard or that our efforts will all be in vain?

Sin is like a heavy bucket filled with water, water we do NOT need to carry around. Repair is like repentance, something we are often afraid to attempt because it might be hard or too much will be asked of us—or we fear that it will avail us not.

In the New Testament of the Bible, 2 Peter 3:9, we read:  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Knowing that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, wants us to repent, how can we fail?

The post A Mormon Woman’s Reflections on Gardening . . . and Repentance appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Unwillingness to accept the responsibility for and consequences of one’s actions is an all too common condition in today’s world….[T]he sweet peace the gospel brings never comes at all when we justify our misconduct or blame others for our unhappiness. …

So to those, including myself, who from time to time have said, “I am not at fault—I was compelled by circumstances to do what I did,” I say, “That may be so, but there is grave danger here. If there is any doubt at all, let us simply repent.” For, in the words of Job, “If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.” (Job 9:20.)

– Elder F. Burton Howard, “Repentance“

– – –

~ by Katy

Driving home from a recent trip, I was at the wheel with my husband playing chess on the laptop and losing…badly. (Doesn’t it just kill a person’s self esteem when they keep getting beaten by not another person…but a machine? Poor man.) Anxious to get home and back to “the real world,” I was trying to pass the slower cars ahead of me. As I was trying to pass the last of many, I hurriedly started to get into the opposite lane when out of nowhere another car was trying to do the same exact thing as me and was just a millisecond ahead of me…thus causing me to quickly swerve back into my lane to let the car continue with it’s passing. Dave of course freaked out saying, “Didn’t you see him coming?! Didn’t you look before you tried to pass?!” I looked over at him with a sheepish grin, the nonverbal answer written all over my face.

The next town we came to, he insisted on taking the wheel. I gave him the keys without admitting I’d done anything wrong, but instead said, “I have to eat my Big Mac anyway.” Silly, prideful me.

We continued down the road and all was well. Now that I was in my own personal “time out” that is.

As I sat there reflecting…and reflecting…and reflecting…I finally conceded to my husband my wrongdoing. “I’m sorry I almost killed our family.” He said, “Yeah, I know.”

I was in such a hurry…a feeling of many I’m sure we’ve all used to justify or rationalize our short comings. But the word “Justify” is a funny word. What we’re doing is really, making excuses for our actions…or “dealing with emotional conflict or internal or external stressors by concealing the true motivations for our own thoughts, actions, or feelings through the elaboration of reassuring or self serving but incorrect explanations” (from Wikipedia).

Whoa…that was deep.

I wonder how many times we’ve all “lept before looking” in life. Not necessarily with the same physical consequences that I could have brought upon my family, but other effects that may have been just as damaging.

-Gossiping about someone

-Saying something hurtful to someone

-Not following through with a commitment

-Inappropriately putting your own wants and needs before others’

Now I’m sure there are many many other blanketed examples I could list…but I’m sure you’ve gotten my point. And maybe you’re even pondering some of your own that you’ve experienced…either because you’ve been the one doing them or the one feeling the consequences of them due to someone else.

So how do we prevent such failings?

I know what I’m gonna try to do.

Look before leaping.

Or in my case, look before trying to pass.

– – – –

Every day is a new opportunity to remember our Savior and follow His example. Without repenting, we cannot progress. That is why repentance is the second principle of the gospel.

Instead of making excuses for a weakness, we work each day to develop good habits and Christlike qualities. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “The cultivation of Christlike qualities is a demanding and relentless task—it is not for the seasonal worker or for those who will not stretch themselves, again and again.” …

Because we are all mortal, we all make mistakes. Repentance is not optional, but we don’t do it alone. We have a Savior to help us repent. By developing His qualities in our lives, we know we are making changes that help us come closer to Him.

– Sister Julie B. Beck, “Remembering, Repenting, and Changing“

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