I must confess that if such a thing existed, I could be a secret, unofficial member of the Dieter F. Uchtdorf fan club.  Sure, he’s aging well.  He has a charming smile and a great sense of humor.  He tells interesting stories and weaves them […]

For many years I’ve wished that I knew a devoted black Mormon well enough to comfortably ask the question, “How do you reconcile your testimony with the racist things found in The Book of Mormon?”  I love this book, but every time I read about […]

I consider myself to be relatively well read.  My major was English teaching, I spent many years as a member of a book group, and I’m a list reader (I keep lists of classic or recommended books and mark them off as I read them).  […]

When asked to characterize Mormons, the top four responses by non-LDS focus group members were, in no specific order:  polygamous, sexist, racist, and exclusionary, according to Scott Swofford who observed these discussions as part of his work as director of content for BYU broadcasting.  In […]

My understanding of the roles of men, women, and the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was expanded this week after listening to two different conversations on the subject. The first was an interview with a young woman who is a […]

I must admit that until recently I had not heard the term Book of Mormon historicity or questioned the idea that The Book of Mormon was an actual history of ancient American people, written on gold plates, and translated by Joseph Smith through the power […]

Beginning as a child and continuing up until about a year ago, I have been quite comfortable bearing a typical LDS testimony that included a lot of “I know. . .” and “I know. . .”  That isn’t true anymore, but not because I have […]

Wow! The topic of this week’s post is a complete surprise to me, and the thoughts that I am about to express aren’t the ones I would have voiced just a week ago.  I have been changing so dramatically in the past year, and I’m […]

When my daughter, Natalie, was fourteen, I was concerned about her level of interest in our LDS faith and thought she might benefit from going to EFY (Especially for Youth is a weeklong event with classes and activities designed to help 14-18 year-olds “strengthen their […]

This isn’t the post I planned to write this week; it is the one I feel like I have to process and write before I can focus on anything else.  Last night I saw something on Facebook that I just can’t stop thinking about. It […]