Judge Me, Dear Reader: Emma's Story


Erwin E. Wirkus - 1978
    A member of the Church from the beginning and a staunch supporter of her husband through his trials and eventual death, Emma lived a difficult life, yet many wonder how she could have turned her back on the beliefs that she held so strongly and suffered so much for. Judge Me, Dear Reader is the story of Emma, one of the greatest champions - and most criticized members - of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By showing Emma in a more sympathetic light, the author reminds each of us that Emma - and everyone else - will be judged according to the desires of their heart by the only one who can see things clearly: the Lord.

Know Brother Joseph: New Perspectives on Joseph Smith's Life & Character


Various - 2021
    These pages are filled with insights into Joseph, but most have not yet been shared in a way that makes the accessible to a broader audience. This collection of short essays will help close this gap and bring insights into Joseph to Latter-day saints, both those who are struggling with questions about Joseph and those who simply want to understand the founding Prophet of the Restoration better. These essays look at Joseph Smith's life, character, personality, and relationships with others. Know Brother Joseph, is an accessible and faith-promoting look at Joseph Smith, his life, and its relevance to us in our daily walk.

Mothers of the Prophets (revised edition)


Leonard J. Arrington - 1987
    We know how she hid the gold plates from thieves, wrote Joseph's history, and was fiercely loyal to her son as he helped restore the gospel of Jesus Christ in this dispensation. But what of the mothers of other latter-day prophets? What were they like? What stories do we know of their lives? Each of the 14 prophets and presidents of the church since Joseph Smith had a mother who taught and influenced him as much as Lucy Mack influence Joseph. Their stories are perhaps not as well known to us, but are just as powerful.----------------------------[From the back flap]In this newly revised edition of Mothers of the Prophets, you will get to know these remarkable women, who taught their children to love the gospel and love the Lord. You will be moved by their stories and touched by their faith. Originally written by the father-daughter team of Leonard J. Arrington and Susan Arrington Madsen, this revised edition was recently updated by daughter and granddaughter Susan Arrington Madsen and Emily Madsen Jones. Expanded to include all the mothers of the latter-day prophets through President Gordon B. Hinckley, and enhanced with photographs throughout, this book is a must have for anyone interested in Church history or anyone who is curious about the power of a mother's influence.----------------------------[From the back]David McKay, father of the Prophet to David O. McKay, was telling his family about his mission to Scotland. As he described the fields of heather, the music of bagpipes, the imposing castles, and the thousands of sheep dotting the hillsides, one of his sons asked him if he had seen any miracles while on his mission. David's eyes immediately met those of his wife, Jeanette, and putting his arm around her and pulling her clothes, he replied, "Your mother is the greatest miracle I have ever seen on this earth." Filled with such stories, Mothers of the Prophets is a book that will both inspire and delight. In these pages, you will come to know and love the mothers of the latter-day prophets. And your testimony will be strengthened as you see how the Lord sent each of his prophets to a home with a mother that would love, nurture, and teach him--helping to prepare him for his calling to leave the Church in this dispensation.

Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses


Richard Lloyd Anderson - 1981
    Richard Lloyd Anderson, wherein he presents evidence from original sources on each of the eleven witnesses of the metal plates from which the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the ancient scriptural account known as the Book of Mormon.

The Garden Tomb


Andrew C. Skinner - 2005
    Consumer with grief, his disciples did not realize that within three days, as the Jews measure time, earthshaking events would culminate in Jesus' resurrection, the which they would all become eyewitnesses. The Garden Tomb tells the story of the Savior's burial, mission to the world of the spirits, and triumph over death - all of which constitute the third act in the singular drama that was and is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.About the AuthorAndrew C. Skinner is dean of Religious Education and a professor of ancient scripture at BYU. He has served as a bishop and as a member of the Church Materials Evaluation Committee. He holds a master's degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver. A popular speaker known for his thought-provoking ideas, he is the author or co-author of many books, including Gethsemane and Golgotha, the first two books in his Atonement trilogy.

Children of the Promise: Volumes 1-5


Dean Hughes - 2012
    If you haven’t yet met the Thomas family, you are in for a real delight! “Every era has its own refiner's fire, and World War II put general Church membership and Utah to a test,” Dean Hughes explains. In Children of the Promise, his first historical fiction series for adults, Dean shows through the eyes of the Thomas family how LDS families were tested to the limit. Volume 1: Rumors of War - The first volume, Rumors of War opens in 1938 with Elder Alex Thomas and his companion serving in Germany. It soon becomes obvious that he will never complete his mission. War is coming, and that will affect not only Elder Thomas but also his family back home in Salt Lake City.Volume 2: Since You Went Away - Picking up where the bestseller Rumors of War left off, Since You Went Away continues with Wally Thomas's struggle to survive as a prisoner of war on the Bataan Peninsula while his family begin to disperse due to the war. Bobbi and Alex Thomas are leaving for military duty at the infant stages of World War II — Bobbi as a naval nurse at Pearl Harbor and Alex in army basic training. A gripping novel filled with memorable characters, Since You Went Away will draw you into a past charged with danger, action, romance, and the importance of family and faith.Volume 3: Far From Home - In Far From Home, Alex Thomas is still battling the Nazi forces. He’s also worried about whether or not he can preserve the lives of the men in his company, especially Howie, a particularly young and inexperienced soldier. But his biggest concern is staying alive for his wife, Anna, in England. Far From Home is a moving, powerful novel about the effects of adversity, and about the love of family members for each other.Volume 4: When We Meet Again - Following the Battle of the Bulge, Alex Thomas is reassigned — not without reluctance — to an intelligence unit in Germany. The new assignment challenges Alex's deepest moral values and is more life threatening than combat. As a POW in Japan, Wally suffers torture that may only find relief in death, while Bobbi sorts out her true feelings when she runs into Professor David Stinson thousands of miles away from home.As Long As I Have You - The war is over, and the Thomas family is slowly coming back together at home in Salt Lake City. But that doesn't mean all is well in Zion. In As Long As I Have You, the final volume of the Children of the Promise series, author Dean Hughes presents a moving picture of what life was like for an ordinary LDS family at the end of World War II.

Choose Higher Ground


Henry B. Eyring - 2013
    Eyring would complain that things were hard, his mother would advise him, “If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” To choose the Lord’s way is to choose higher ground.Similar to President Henry B. Eyring’s bestselling classic To Draw Closer to God, this collection of memorable talks offers a roadmap to spiritual progression. We learn from a master teacher how a strong foundation transforms families, how personal growth comes through helping others, how adversity can lift us up and make us stronger, and how we can choose to live a more consecrated life — climbing to higher spiritual ground throughout the course of our lives. President Eyring also offers apostolic advice for the last days as we learn to raise the bar for our own spiritual development. In his warm, personal style, President Eyring makes us want to be better. He doesn’t simply tell us how to be better, but he inspires us to do those things that help us become better, regardless of our circumstances.

Endowed from on High: Understanding the Symbols of the Endowment


John D. Charles - 1998
    It is literally a gift - a gift of God's power. While carefully maintaining the sacred confidentiality of the temple ordinances, this book provides scriptural correlations which will open up rich new areas of understanding. Once you read this inspired information, you will be better informed about the scriptural authority and symbolism of the sacred ordinances. You will be better prepared and motivated to apply scriptural symbols in your life and strive to become more like Christ. Within these pages are more than twenty scriptural symbols which correlate with the temple service. The central focus of these symbols is found in Brigham Young's oft-quoted statement of the ceremony's ultimate purpose: to enable recipients to pass by the angelic sentinels who guard the entrance to God's kingdom as they "walk back to the presence of the Father." Endowed from on high teaches that revelation occurs during the endowment, that promises are required before blessings are granted, that covenants are the channels through which blessings flow, and that the Lord is voluntarily "bound" when we obey His commandments. This is a unique and reverential guide to growth in the most sacred of all areas of our relationship with the Savior and our heavenly Father. Reading and pondering Endowen From On High will be a choice experience for all Church members.

Where the Soul Hungers: One Doctor’s Journey from Atheism to Faith


Samuel Morris Brown - 2021
    Brown was an atheist from an early age and proud of it. Yet, by his own account, God became an undeniable presence in his life. Now a faithful Latter-day Saint, this practicing research physician narrates some of the waypoints on his journey into believing and belonging. Some are dramatic—his wife’s cancer diagnosis or working in a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic—while many are simple yet profound: being mistaken for a homeless person while a student at Harvard, growing to like little children and opera, and learning to bake cookies for others. With gentle, self-critical humor and a generous regard for those who have accompanied him on his way, Brown’s book is an offer to walk with you a while on your own journey of faith.

Why?: Powerful Answers and Practical Reasons for Living LDS Standards


John A. Hilton - 2009
    The authors use quotes from Church leaders, informative real- life stories, and colorful graphics to engage the minds of teenagers. Most important, this invaluable book gives readers, including leaders and parents, the doctrinal whys to back up the standards found in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. Features answers to more than 100 questions, such as: Why do some people who break the commandments appear happy? Why shouldn t I just try alcohol, just so I can see what it tastes like? Why is wearing two pairs of earrings such a big deal? Or is it? Why is it wrong to steady date someone if we both have high standards? Why is 16 the magical age is it all that different from 15? Why is pornography a big deal if it doesn t hurt anybody? Why shouldn't I wear flip-flops to Church? Why do some people who pay tithing still not have a lot of money? Why should I talk to the bishop about certain sins?

One Drop at a Time


M. Russell Ballard - 2013
    Russell Ballard. And yet, “Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon. Though seemingly insignificant when compared to the total, each bee’s one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the life of the hive.”Your simple, daily acts of service matter, and this charmingly illustrated little book will lift your heart as it demonstrates the power of many righteous people working together to fill the world, one drop at a time, with the sweet truths of the gospel.

The Episcopal Handbook, Revised Edition


Tobias Stanislas Haller - 2015
    Still providing helpful and insightful information about theEpiscopal ethos with a certain amount of whimsy and complete accessibility, this revision maintains the best features of the original work, but adds an update and an expansion on the church today.In addition to updating out-of-date references and correcting a few inaccuracies, the revision highlights Episcopal diversity—including more women and people of color in the biographical material—as well as focusing more on Episcopalians rather than Anglicans. Some new illustrations are included as well.Some material originally presented in tabular form has been adapted into a more accessible narrative format. This includes new sections on church governance, the origins of religious belief, and a capsule summary of church history. The glossary has also been expanded.The goal is to provide a book suitable for a wide range of uses and settings: for Sunday schools, confirmations, inquirer classes—and for everyone from visitors to vestries. The revision brokers an incredible compendium of information in an informal, user-friendly, and accessible format.For lifelong Episcopalians, newcomers, and those wishing to sample and explore thebeliefs and organization of the denomination.

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.

Heroic Mormon Women: True Stories from the Lives of Sixteen Amazing Women in Church History


Ivan J. Barrett - 2012
    "As he has recorded the events of history, man has often forgotten to mention the hand that rocked the cradle." These remarkable Mormon women gave their all for the gospel of Christ. With drama and emotion stronger than that found in any work of fiction, the inspirational stories in Heroic Mormon Women will bring to light the incredible strength, virtue, and faith of the heroic women of the restoration. Some women included in this book are: Rachel Ivins Grant Jane Grover Jane Elizabeth Manning James Sarah Melissa Granger Kimball Heroic Marys Elizabeth Claridge McCune Sarah Pea Rich Aurelia Spencer Rogers Amanda Barnes Smith Eliza Roxey Snow Amanda Barnes Smith Lucy Mack Smith Emma Hale Smith

A Sacred Duty


Ester Rasband - 1999
    This engaging account offers readers an example of how the gospel and devoted individuals can affect the course of history and changes the hearts of humanity.