To Mormons, With Love


Chrisy Ross - 2011
    Sure, she knew Mormons didn't drink caffeine (cough), and they never swore (double cough), but life with family-centered folks would be cozy and wonderful. She could smell the fresh-baked bread just thinking about it. Join her as she honestly, humorously, and lovingly describes her quest to find someone with a real panty line problem, requests her LDS friends baptize her-after she dies-and considers her dad's suggestion to become a Jack Mormon. Although not a convert, Chrisy develops an understanding and respect for a widely misunderstood religion and has found a comfortable spot in her town, the community and the culture.

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life


C.S. Lewis - 1955
    The book overall contains less detail concerning specific events than typical autobiographies. This is because his purpose in writing wasn't primarily historical. His aim was to identify & describe the events surrounding his accidental discovery of & consequent search for the phenomenon he labelled "Joy". This word was the best translation he could make of the German idea of Sehnsucht, longing. That isn't to say the book is devoid of information about his life. He recounts his early years with a measure of amusement sometimes mixed with pain. However, while he does describe his life, the principal theme of the book is Joy as he defined it. This Joy was a longing so intense for something so good & so high up it couldn't be explained with words. He's struck with "stabs of joy" throughout life. He finally finds what it's for at the end. He writes about his experiences at Malvern College in 1913, aged 15. Though he described the school as "a very furnace of impure loves" he defended the practice as being "the only chink left thru which something spontaneous & uncalculating could creep in." The book's last two chapters cover the end of his search as he moves from atheism to theism & then from theism to Christianity. He ultimately discovers the true nature & purpose of Joy & its place in his own life. The book isn't connected with his unexpected marriage in later life to Joy Gresham. The marriage occurred long after the period described, though not long after the book was published. His friends were quick to notice the coincidence, remarking he'd really been "Surprised by Joy". "Surprised by Joy" is also an allusion to Wordsworth's poem, "Surprised by Joy-Impatient As The Wind", relating an incident when Wordsworth forgot the death of his beloved daughter.

Behold, I Come Quickly: The Last Days and Beyond


Hoyt W. Brewster Jr. - 1994
    In this insightful book, the author looks at the teachings of ancient and modern prophets concerning the times we live in now and the times to come. In a clear and straightforward manner, he discusses dozens of signs of the latter days and examines many specific prophecies about what has happened and what will happen--and how we can be prepared for whatever comes. A memorable, easy-to-understand portrait of the last days

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers


Maxwell King - 2018
    As the creator and star of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, he was a champion of compassion, equality, and kindness. Rogers was fiercely devoted to children and to taking their fears, concerns, and questions about the world seriously.The Good Neighbor, the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, tells the story of this utterly unique and enduring American icon. Drawing on original interviews, oral histories, and archival documents, Maxwell King traces Rogers’s personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work, including a surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return to the neighborhood with increasingly sophisticated episodes, written in collaboration with experts on childhood development. An engaging story, rich in detail, The Good Neighbor is the definitive portrait of a beloved figure, cherished by multiple generations.

Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama


Dalai Lama XIV - 1990
    In this astonishingly frank autobiography, the Dalai Lama reveals the remarkable inner strength that allowed him to master both the mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism and the brutal realities of Chinese Communism.

Savior & the Serpent: Unlocking the Doctrine of the Fall


Alonzo L. Gaskill - 2005
    Many Christians assume it was an evil, unnecessary act. Even among Latter-day Saints, there are competing views and questions about what happened in Eden: Why did God give Adam and Eve conflicting commandments in the Garden? How much of the story is literal and how much is symbolic? Relying on scriptures and statements from the prophets, Alonzo Gaskill carefully distinguishes between settled LDS doctrine on this subject and popular interpretations. He teaches that the Fall was foreordained to be part of the Plan of Salvation and shows how insights we have gained about the Fall help us find our bearings in dealing with the challenges of everyday life.

God Will Prevail: Ancient Covenants, Modern Blessings, and the Gathering of Israel


Kerry Muhlestein - 2021
    Latter-day Saints have long been encouraged to stay on the covenant path—but what is that path, and how do we stay the course? In God Will Prevail: Ancient Covenants, Modern Blessings, and the Gathering of Israel, BYU Professor of Religion Dr. Kerry Muhlestein encourages readers to take hold of God’s promise to gather His covenant people by recognizing the connection between covenant making and the eternal and transformative love of the Savior. Discover the obligations and blessings of making and keeping sacred covenants, as outlined in the standard works, with insights on topics ranging from temple work and family history to covenant language, the gathering of Israel, and the equalizing power of Christ’s Atonement. With clarity and hope, this groundbreaking book speaks to this powerful truth: promised blessings and gatherings are available to all who truly seek to be covenant keepers.

One silent sleepless night


Spencer W. Kimball - 1975
    This is a record of one silent, sleepless night which I spent in 1957 in a bedroom on the third floor of the Mission Home in New York City following major surgery in which I lost one vocal cord and part of another, and then had staph infection following the surgery.

Living a Covenant Marriage


Douglas E. Brinley - 2004
    Brinely received his Ph.D. in family studies from Brigham Young University.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  He is an author or co-author of six books on marriage and family, including Between Husband and Wife: Gospel Perspectives on Marital Intimacy.  He is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University.  He and his wife, Geri Rosine Brinley, are the parents of six children and a foster daughter.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  The family resides in Provo, Utah.  <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Daniel K. Judd received an M.S. degree in family science and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Brigham Young University.  He is an associate professor and department chair of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University.  He and his wife, Kaye Seegmiller Judd, are the parents of four children and live in Orem, Utah.   Contributors to this Volume Elder Bruce C. Hafen, Douglas E. Brinley, Daniel K. Judd, Marlene Williams, Kent Brooks, Terrance Olsen, Brent A. Barlow, Kenneth Matheson, Charles. B. Beckert, Rory Reid, Sherrie Mills Johnson, Guy Dorius, and John Livingstone.

I Can Do Hard Things with God: Essays of Strength from Mormon Women


Ganel-Lyn Condie - 2015
    

She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall


Misty Bernall - 1999
    Confronting 17-year-old Cassie Bernall, they put a gun to her head and asked: Do you believe in God? She said Yes. The killer laughed and pulled the trigger. Around the world, people hailed Cassie as a modern martyr, but a far more remarkable story has been left untold. Three years earlier, Cassie herself planned to murder a teacher and threatened suicide. In She Said Yes, Cassie's mother breaks her silence to recount the dramatic transformation that led up to her daughter's final heroic stand.

Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot


Elisabeth Elliot - 1958
    It is the best-selling account of the martyrdom of Jim Elliot and four other missionaries at the hands of the Huaorani Indians in Ecuador.Shadow of the Almighty has inspired Christians since its first publication in 1958. Elisabeth Elliot makes full use of Jim's revealing diaries to fill in the details of a life completely committed to God's service.This story was reintroduced to today's audiences in 2006 thanks to the release of the film, End of the Spear, which tells for the first time the killings from the perspective of the Huaorani.

Changed Through His Grace


Brad Wilcox - 2017
    Christians throughout the centuries have used grace to describe God's favor, goodwill, and love. However, grace is more than a description of God's attributes. It is the help, power, and strength He offers as we choose to engage with Him in striving to attain those attributes. It is the help, power, and strength He offers as we choose to engage with Him in striving to attain those attributes. Grace is different from the Atonement. It is not Christ's suffering, death, and Resurrection. Rather, grace is the power that flows from those sacred moments. Grace is not a priesthood ordinance, but essential ordinances invite greater and greater endowments of grace into our lives. Grace is a divine gift, but like any gift, it must be received.

In Mary's Arms: A Christmas Message for Mothers


Mary Holland McCann - 2016
    

I'm (No Longer) a Mormon: A Confessional


Regina Samuelson - 2012
    This is not as easy as one would imagine: She was born in the church, educated at BYU, married in the temple, and is raising more Mormons. She faced a serious conundrum: keep quiet (and avoid losing everything dear to her), or tell the world what being raised LDS does to a person's psyche, especially when they realize that everything they were taught and everything they hoped to believe is a lie. To expose the difficulty faced by Mormons who leave the Church and to seek support for their plight, Regina offers a first-person confessional memoir recounting her many atrocious experiences, managing to weave in enough humor to keep you turning pages, and enough brutal honesty to bring you to an understanding of what it is to be a Mormon, and to try to leave it behind...