There are times when the only way to get from A to C is by way of B. 

Having grown up in Southern Utah and enjoying all the wonders and beauties of Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, I wanted to introduce my son to that, and I wanted to show him places that I had seen and enjoyed when I was his age.  

So his mother packed a little lunch for us and we took his grandfather's pickup truck and headed South onto what we call the Old Arizona Strip. 

Noting that the Sun was going down we decided we better get back. But we came back to a particular fork in the road, really the only one, that at that point was absolutely unrecognizable. 

I asked my son to pray about which road to take, and he felt strongly that we should go to the right, and I did as well, and we went to the right and it was a dead end. We went four or five or six hundred yards and it was an absolute dead-end, clearly the wrong road. We turned around, came back out, took the other road and clearly the road to the left was the correct road. 

Somewhere along the way Matt said, "Dad, why did we feel, after praying about it, that the right road was the proper one to take, the correct one to take, and it wasn't?" 

And I said, "I think that the Lord, His wish for us there, and his answer to our prayer was to get us on the right road as quickly as possible with some reassurance, with some understanding, that we were on the right road and we didn't have to worry about it, and in this case, the easiest way to do that was to let us go 400 yards or 500 yards on the wrong road, and very quickly know, without a doubt, that it was the wrong road, and therefore with equal certainty with equal conviction that the other one was the right road." 

I have absolute certain knowledge, perfect knowledge, that God loves us. He is good, He is our Father, and He expects us to pray, and trust, and be believing, and not give up, and not panic, and not retreat, and not jump ship, when something doesn't seem to be going just right. 

We stay in, we keep working, we keep believing, keep trusting, following that same path and we will live to fall in His arms and feel His embrace and hear Him say, "I told you that it'd be okay, I told you it would be all right."

Great things are wrought through simple and small things. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another.

As we approach the Easter season, may we show our love and appreciation for the Savior’s atoning sacrifice through our simple, compassionate acts of service to our brothers and sisters at home, at church, and in our communities. 

Read or Watch the Rest: Finding Joy through Loving Service

Dear Anonymous,

I was very much disheartened by your anonymous letter. I was saddened that you hadn’t the courage to include your name so I could help you understand the truth. Since I must believe that you wouldn’t possibly “friend” a “man like me” on your Facebook page, I can only hope that someone you know shares this post on their site and that God guides you to this letter.

I came to your church to tell you about God’s love for His children and to talk about the beauty of His forgiveness. I don’t think you heard me. Or, at least, believed me. You wrote in your letter that I “had no place in a house of God, as I was clearly a sinful man” and that my sins were “manifested across my face, revealed by my many facial tics”.

Yes, no doubt I am, like most of God’s children, a sinner. But the tics you saw on my face were not from sin. They come from a neurological disorder called Tourette’s Syndrome. I was born this way. I cannot stop them.

Sadly, as a boy, I would have believed you that I was bad. My mother got mad at me that day my first tic manifested–a painful, constant shrugging. And, though I was only 8-years-old, I felt guilty for disobeying her when she told me to stop. As a 9-year-old I thought that maybe, if I was a good enough boy and I had enough faith, I could be cured of my tics. But they wouldn’t go away, so I thought that my abnormality must be my fault.

One time a church leader came to speak at my church. I was told that he was someone important. I remembered the Bible story of the woman touching Jesus’s garment and being healed. I thought that maybe if I shook this man’s hand I might be healed. So I waited in line. And I shook his hand. But my tics remained.

Earlier that summer, my family had moved to Utah and I had ridden a school bus to an overnight camp called Mill Hollow. Some of the children on the bus noticed my tics and one of them called me a “freak”. As I got off the bus, a scared child in a strange place, a group of children surrounded me to get a better look. And I was ticking like crazy, not because I was a sinner, but because I was afraid and humiliated.

Your letter reminded me a little of that day. Only I am no longer that naïve, helpless little boy. I now know that there are hundreds of thousands of us with behavioral disorders. And what you, or even a million deluded people like you, might say, doesn’t affect me anymore. I have moved on. I have a beautiful life, a beautiful family and home. I have seen the world. I have danced in the White House and spoken to audiences of thousands. Millions of people have read my books. I have built shelters that have housed thousands of abused children. And I still tic.

Sometimes when I tic, my wife will lovingly set her hand on my cheek and ask if I’m okay. It’s very sweet. And it means a lot to me. My children don’t even notice my tics. They only see the father who loves them. The truth of who I am has set me free. It can set you free too. Because with whatever measurement you use to judge, you must judge yourself. And you are using a very crooked and barbed ruler.

In all honesty, I must admit that I was angered by your letter. But not for me. I am far beyond your reach. I am angry for those children who are still trying to figure out who they are: children who are teased and ridiculed and bullied by cruel, self-righteous people like you. I am angered for those sweet, innocent children, who would rather die than show their tics, because you are so eager to let them know how unlovable and imperfect they are. And some of them do take their precious lives. Yes, this makes me very angry.

The other day, at a book signing, a young woman I had never met before, put her arms around me and told me that she loved me. I asked her why. She told me that she had Tourettes and the kids at school made fun of her. But now many of her schoolmates are reading my books and, knowing that I have Tourettes, are now treating her better. I told her that she is not her Tourettes. I told her that I loved her too.

Dear anonymous, I hope you read this letter. I hope it opens your eyes. Or, better yet, your heart. But whether you change or not, remember this: we, the “abnormal” are not the ones to be pitied. The greatest disability is the inability to love those who are different than you. May God bless you with His unfathomable and unconditional love.

Your flawed servant,

Richard Paul Evans, #1 New York Times bestselling author and a man with Tourettes Syndrome.

This article was originally published on Richard Paul Evans Blog. It is shared here with permission.

Day by day our children are deciding what  matters to them.  

Whether our home is large or small, fancy or simple, our home environment can inspire, help, and heal.  

Home can invite family members to rise to their divine potential.   

Home can be a sanctuary of love, faith, and learning.

It would be wise for us to take a quiet, prayerful walk through the rooms of our home with pen and paper in hand and ask some serious questions, including:  

• What important purposes does this space serve?  Is it used wisely?   
  

• Do the pictures, music, books, and other resources help us reach our righteous goals, to be our best, and serve those around us?
  

• Does the environment invite us to come unto Christ?  Are we inspired to love and serve Him when we are at home?  
  

Our homes can continually express our love for the Lord and for our family.  We can find simple and inexpensive ways to create an uplifting environment.  

A little extra thought and effort can make a big difference! 

Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God...  ~ D&C 88:119

Church members can invite the Spirit into their homes through simple means such as wholesome entertainment, good music, and inspiring artwork.  ~ LDS Handbook of Instructions

"Relief Society. The name evokes as many images as there are women, eras, and countries. But regardless of time or place, Relief Society has meant sisters lifting one another spiritually, loving and taking care of one another, and absorbing insight and inspiration from other women headed in the same direction.

"At the first meeting of the Relief Society, President Emma Smith stated, with no small amount of vision: 'We are going to do something extraordinary.'  What has transpired through the past...years has been nothing short of extraordinary."  ~Sheri Dew

Learn More

• Something Extraordinary
  
• Tribute to Relief Society 
• Relief Society An Enduring Legacy
• Emma Smith, Woman of Faith and Courage

Especially for Youth

•  Looking Forward to Relief Society
  
• As Sisters in Zion / We'll Bring the World His Truth

Especially for Kids

• Happy Birthday, Relief Society! 
• The Organization of Relief Society
  

1 Corinthians 13

 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 8 Charity never faileth...

So grateful for Elizabeth's courage, compassion, humility and her willingness to share her experience with pornography.  

She was only eleven when she first discovered porn.  That encounter sparked a long struggle with addiction, fear, and hopelessness. 

It was only when she believed in Jesus Christ’s power and desire to heal her that she felt miraculous hope.

People of all genders, ages, and faiths are drowning in the debilitating effects of pornography addiction. Elizabeth’s experience is a reminder that no matter how lost in darkness one feels, hope and light are available to anyone who chooses to believe in Jesus Christ.

Learn More: Overcoming Pornography

LDS Family Services has announced a groundbreaking new deal with the world’s largest adoption website, Adoption.com.

The two organizations are working together to increase adoption opportunities for hopeful adoptive LDS parents. 

Adoption.com has created a free site for Latter-day Saint couples at adoption.com/lds. 

Through February 2016, LDS Family Services will pay the $199/month cost of a parent profile on the site. After February, members can still use the service at a substantial discount.

The site was developed to help Latter-day Saint adoptive parents connect with those who are considering placing a child for adoption. Ward and stake leaders, LDS Family Services workers, and the general public can access profiles of prospective adoptive parents. The site that was formerly used for this purpose, ItsAboutLove.org, will be redirected to adoption.com/lds 
beginning March 31, 2015.

This new arrangement makes LDS adoption accessible for more families. There are now only 4 criteria a potential LDS adoptive couple must meet:

1. Be sealed in the temple to your spouse.
2. Have current temple recommends.
3. Get a bishop’s recommendation.
4. Complete an Adoption.com home study.

Some of the previous criteria, such as requirements regarding infertility and a limit on the number of children adoptive parents already have, no longer apply.

Last June, LDS Family Services announced that it would shift from an adoption agency to adoption counseling.  They also said that there would be a solution to provide greater adoption opportunities for LDS families. Today’s solution gives more families more exposure than ever before.

Last Friday, the website had a major upgrade. “With this new deal, we wanted to do something much larger,” explains Adoption.com CEO Nathan Gwilliam. “We wanted to revolutionize how adoption and parent profiles work.” In the past, parent profiles were similar to dating sites, but the new Adoption.com profiles integrate social technology from many platforms.

“We added a wall very similar to Facebook where you can post text and photos and videos,” he explains. “We created a section that we call ‘Favorites’ and it works just like Pinterest.” There are also elements inspired by LinkedIn, Flickr, and YouTube.

“We’ve taken these very popular social concepts on the internet that people are already using extensively to connect with others, and we’ve brought them into this parent profile.” This revolutionary approach lets single parents considering adoption get to know the prospective adoptive parents in a powerful new way that fits today’s social age.

Below is a brief explanatory video with answers to basic questions.

Adoption.com was founded by Nathan Gwilliam as a BYU student in 1997. “It was a BYU project,” Gwilliam says, “that’s grown into the world’s most-used adoption site.”

To contact Adoption.com, email parentprofiles@adoption.com or call 1-800-326-4596.

LARRY RICHMAN is a writer, blogger, and online content marketer. He has worked for the Church directing LDS.org, social media, project management, product management, and publishing. Follow his blog at LDSMediaTalk.com or find more ideas in his book 101 Ways to Hasten the Work Online at Deseret Book.

This article was originally published on LDSMediaTalk.com.  
It is shared here with permission.

Whenever I tell anyone that I am 1 of 11 children, their reply is always something like, “Your mother must be a saint!”  Yes in deed! 

My mom did not just raise us, she made us her life. 

My mom is bright, energetic, and fearless. She chose to be a stay at home mother and used that time to teach us many things. Often when I have the opportunity to teach someone something I almost always realize that I learned that thing from her. 

I have many memories of her running the house, caring for me when sick, catching snakes for fun, playing basketball, and just being “happy go lucky.” However, it was clear that she considered the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be the most important thing she could teach us. Her excitement about gospel principles and the example that she set was contagious. 

She taught us through the life she led that those who are prepared for whatever may come, have no need to fear. She has prepared herself and her family both physically and spiritually. 

Due to her diligence and faith (along with my Dad), she was recently blessed to have all 11 of her children together in the temple as the youngest was there for the first time. She considered this a “pay day!” 

She is now the loving grandmother to 48 grandchildren. I am so grateful for the example that she set for me of the sacrifice and joy of being a faithful wife and mother.

J. Reuben Clark (for whom the BYU Law School was named) taught that nothing in the United States Constitution is as important as the "guarantee of religious freedom...," yet religious freedom is being attacked across the country today.

In the video below, in less than two minutes, Harvard business professor Clayton Christensen (twice voted the most influential business thinker in the world) explains why religion is essential for freedom in America.

"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports.”  ~George Washington


"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."  ~John Adams


"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."  ~Benjamin Franklin 


Learn More: Why Religion Is Our First Freedom  (2:54)


(Image Source: YouTube.com)