Tag Archives: conversion

Make Your Choice

It is not uncommon to have moments in your life when you are in a pivotal situation. The choice to believe the gospel and to live its principles is one of those moments. You may make the choice once in your life or you may come to crossroads at a few different times in your life. I was born into an LDS family and grew up a member of the church, but there was a conscious point where I decided to embrace the gospel and make it a part of my life. Leading up to my decision, I investigated other … Continue reading →

And When Thou Art Converted . . .

As Miriam points out in her blog “The Process of Conversion,” it doesn’t matter if you’re born into the Church or join later. You will need to come to a point where you have decided for yourself that the Church is true. It’s not enough to lean on your mother’s testimony or your father’s conviction, or your spouse’s faith – you have to know it for yourself, independently. However, knowing that the Church is true doesn’t necessarily mean that you automatically accept every principle of the Gospel. For most people, there will be one or two things that don’t make … Continue reading →

Faith of Our Fathers – Modern Day Pioneers

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As the church grows throughout the world, more and more of its members lack the three hundred (or whatever it is) generation link to the plain crossing pioneers. They might wonder how pioneer day affects them. Of course, learning about the faith-building experiences of others can help us resolve to strengthen our testimonies and press forward with faith. But what can we modern day pioneers do? You see, I am one of those pioneers. As I’ve mentioned before, I am a convert, the first generation in my family. I was blessed not to have strong opposition from my parents when … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Render to Caeser the Things Which Are Caeser’s

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When the Pharisees sought to lay a trap for Jesus, they asked Him whether they should pay taxes to the Romans. If He said yes, they would claim that He supported the much-hated Romans who domineered the nation; if He said no, they could report Him to the authorities as stirring up rebellion. Christ replied instead that we should “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” In the course of the lesson He taught, Jesus displayed a Roman penny, which bore the head of Caesar upon it. He used this … Continue reading →

Family Home Evening: The Parable of the Pickle

This family home evening lesson is based on Elder David A Bednar’s talk “Ye Must Be Born Again.” You may want to read it. If you have teenagers in your family, you may want to ask them to read it before you teach the lesson. This talk contains important concepts to teach your children. You can open the lesson by reading Mosiah 27:25-26. You may want to begin with an object lesson. You can pass out pieces of a cucumber and a pickle for your children to look at. You should point out that the pickle started out as a … Continue reading →

The Process of Conversion

Whether you are born into the church or you join later on in life, you will have a point where you are converted to the gospel. Once you have prayed and received the confirmation that the church is true, the conversion process begins. Members of the church really do change as they embrace the gospel. I have seen it in my own life and in the lives of those around me. The changes that come with full commitment to the gospel are not necessarily easy to make. There are many things that we do not do, such as drinking, and … Continue reading →

General Conference: “Ye Must Be Born Again”

In his talk “Ye Must Be Born Again” Elder David A Bednar begins his talk by explaining the process of canning a pickle. The first step is to clean the cucumber. The second step is to immerse the cucumber in brine, so that it can transform into a pickle. The third step is to seal the jars so that you can use them at a different time. Elder Bednar then goes on to explain that in order for us to become spiritually transformed, we need to complete a similar process. He says: “We are instructed to ‘come unto Christ, and … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Worship in Spirit and in Truth

The last time we reviewed the scriptures, we discussed Christ’s role as living water. Today, as we study John 4:15-38, we further that discussion by centering on the spiritual nature of our worship of the Savior. Heavenly Father wants us to worship Him not just in form but in Spirit (vs. 24 JST). As we keep commandments and perform ordinances, it can be easy to focus on the temporal aspects of those forms of obedience. In short, it can be simpler to celebrate the physical act of baptism but neglect the spiritual portion. We can fulfill the duties of our … Continue reading →

The Widow of Larkspur Inn – Lawana Blackwell

The first Lawana Blackwell novel I ever read was a contemporary piece which I included as a blog toward the beginning of my career here at Families.com. I found this novel, “The Widow of Larkspur Inn,” at the library last week and was glad to find it, although it’s not what I usually choose to read. It’s a period piece set in 1869-1870 in England, and is a romance/drama. Julia Hollis has just been left a widow with three children to care for. In the midst of her grief, she finds out that her husband has left her with considerable … Continue reading →

When I Became a Muslim

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So, how does a typical Southern girl come to be Muslim? It’s not a very exciting story, but I’ll share it… I was born and raised in Texas. We were Christian in name, but that was about the extent of it. Growing up, I was in and out of various churches of differing faiths– Baptist, Methodist, non-denominational. We would stay at a church for a while, attending with zeal. Then, my dad would decide that the church didn’t have “spirit,” it wasn’t “alive,” and we would leave. This was in between bouts of raging against all religion. Needless to say, … Continue reading →