There's a woman who screams incessantly at her children, a "righteous" man who regularly beats his teenage son to"pound a little sense into him." and a prominent member of the community who abandons his family, taking their furniture and financial support with him. When it is discovered that a trusted fellow Church leader is sexually abusing his three daughters, the bishop is almost overcome. But more devastating even than this is his gradual realization that the post painful and unresolved scars in his congregation exist within the walls of his own home."It's a secret," she whispered softly, fiercely."Everyone is sworn not to tell. It's the deep, dark secret that you hold inside, because to tell it would mean to destroy the perverted balance of things."Even she, who should have known better, had agreed to remain silent. But this time something was going to be done. She wouldn't have to remain silent too long. This time something was going to be done...Powerfully and poetically written, Secrets is a must for all who have been touched by the ragged arm of abuse or who want to be supportive of someone who has been. A compelling novel based on true experiences, it offers solid information about healing and brings the reader to a deeply moving appreciation of the Saviors' atonement. Secrets confronts one of the most serious issues of our day. And as it weaves a tender and intriguing love story, it passionately draws the reader into its powerful message of hope.

    I can see it on your face."For a moment, time seemed suspended as Nathan probed the inward recesses of his soul. There was still the incredulousness, still the sense of hearing something that couldn't possibly be true. And yet he knew it was. He knew without the least shadow of doubt that everything Joseph was telling him was true. And so, finally, with a wonder of his own, he said, "Yes, Joseph, I believe you."Pillar of Light — the first volume in the series The Work and the Glory — begins the epic story of the Benjamin Steed family. In the 1820s they move from Vermont to Palmyra Township in upstate New York in search of better farmland. There they meet a young man named Joseph Smith and are thrown into the maelstrom of conflict and controversy that swirls around him. Did he really see the Father and the Son in a pillar of light? Has he truly been visited by angelic messengers? What is all this talk about gold plates and new scripture? In short, is he a prophet and seer or a monumental fraud? The answers each one gives to these questions — intensely personal, potentially divisive — will dramatically affect the lives of the Steeds forever after.Author Gerald N. Lund here masterfully weaves together historical reality and high-powered fiction. In his hands this combination seems to make the reader an eyewitness to the early scenes of the Restoration, thus deepening one's understanding and appreciation of those momentous events. The well-drawn plot and fictional characters present a moving, gripping story. Here are Benjamin and Mary Ann Steed, devoted to each other as man and wife, yet at odds over religion; Joshua, their volatile son, who rebels and heads for trouble; the sensitive Nathan, their second son, in whom Joseph Smith's message strikes a responsive chord; the beautiful Lydia McBride, who captures the hearts of both Joshua and Nathan.This book skillfully explores the inmost motivations of Joseph Smith and his early followers and the responses of typical contemporary families to the claims he made. These people come to life in this powerful historical novel, a story that captures both the heartache and the happiness that came in the wake of Joseph's experience with the pillar of light.

    Her family talks as if he were perfect! All Kathy knows for sure is that Brett is dead. He died of leukemia when he was sixteen and she was only two. But when Kathy turns sixteen, she discovers her brother s hidden journal - a journal written especially for her - and learns about the brother she never knew. At the same time, Kathy is mortified by an assignment to tutor the popular high school quarterback Jason West, a football jock who, even worse, is a Mormon. Author Kay Lynn Mangum brilliantly weaves the dual stories of a dying brother and a coming-of-age sister who learn the importance of loving our family and our friends and nurturing our faith.

    His wife, Margie, only feels well enough to shop incessantly and go to lunch with her friends. Buckling under Margie’s extreme credit-card debt, Shayne is forced to sell their home and move the family into an apartment. Mortified and enraged, Margie leaves the family. Eight-year-old Scotty Brynner is having a noticeably difficult time coping with the problems at home. When he misses school, Helen Starkey, Scotty's caring and sensitive school teacher, decides to visit the apartment. When she learns of the family's plight and the father's demanding job, she offers to watch the children after school. Shayne is grateful for the help, and a close bond develops quickly between Helen and the children. When his marriage ends, Shayne’s feelings toward Helen deepen beyond gratitude. Happiness seems certain, but matters of the heart are never as simple as they seem . . . With an appropriate balance of faith and romance, Anita Stansfield weaves a thoroughly engaging and satisfying tale that will stay with you long after the final page is read

    One of them, Lorenzo Snow, is sent to Italy. He is led to the valleys of the Piedmont, where the Waldenese, followers of the reformer Peter Waldo, have been exiled and persecuted. There, Elder Snow and his two companions find both success and challenges. Hiking into the alpine mountains near the town of Torre Pellice, they are recognized by Madeleine Cardon, who had seen a vision of them bringing the gospel years earlier. Her family and others soon welcome the missionaries into their lives.Madeleine's best friend, Albertina Guy, faces her own challenges as her heart is drawn to this new faith. Her family is Catholic; her great-uncle is a priest in the local monastery. Joining the Mormons could mean being expelled from her family. When Elder Snow heals her dying young brother with a priesthood blessing, Albertina and her family must reassess their feelings for these Mormon missionaries and the doctrine they preach.Based on the true story of the first LDS missionaries in Italy, One Candle shows the gospel of Jesus Christ changing lives and rolling forward boldly, nobly, and independent in the early days of the Restoration.

    Holland celebrates the Christmas season and spirit by focusing on the birth and life of Jesus Christ-the true meaning of Christmas. In three essays, Elder Holland traces the path of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and sheds new light on familiar scriptures. He reflects on the sweet refrains of the carols and hymns that so eloquently recall the glorious first Christmas night, and he shares his own personal stories and memories of Christmas to testify of his deep feelings about Jesus Christ.When details overwhelm the holiday spirit, Elder Holland reminds us to remember why the shepherds were so joyful-because "in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" was born beneath a shining star. He reminds us that Jesus Christ is the answer to all our questions and the source of all our jubilee.

    Through her experiences with the Grasshopper Hospital, her sister Charlotte, carrot seeds, refugees in Thailand, and many other people and places, Mary Ellen Edmunds shares a powerful personal view of how we can learn about love. The more we learn, the more we are able to serve, making love a mighty force for good in the lives of those around us.

    She bears powerful testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ, that he cares about each of us personally, and that He will fulfill all of His promises to us. She discusses our individual and unique mission in life, reminding us who we are and who we have always been.People from all over the world have come to appreciate and love Sister Dew's personable, enthusiastic and direct style, memorable stories and her solid gospel understanding and testimony. She knows that there is No Doubt About It!About the AuthorSheri Dew is a popular and well-loved motivational speaker. She is also the author of the biographies of President Ezra Taft Benson (Ezra Taft Benson) and President Gordon B. Hinckley (Go Forward With Faith). She was called as a counselor in the general Relief Society presidency in April 1997.

    Unlike other books about the atonement, The Peacegiver is written as an extended parable. It tells the story of a man struggling, with the help of a loved one, to come unto Christ. IN reading the rich details of his often difficult journey, we find ourselves embarked on a personal journey of our own. His questions are our questions; his problems, our problems; his discoveries, our discoveries. Along the way, the truths of the gospel are unfolded with surprising clarity and power, illuminating aspects of the atonement that few of us have ever heard or considered before. These surprising implications show us the way to deep and lasting peace in our hearts and homes."My peace I give unto you," the Savior declared. The Peacegiver explores in a deeply personal way what we must do to receive the peace he stands willing to give.

    And then meet Charly, the sparkling, quick-witted girl who steps into his world and turns it upside down. Their courtship is a never-ending round of ups and downs- literally. On their first date Charly tricks Sam into taking a Ferris wheel ride, then tells the operator they're engaged! All of this seems to be a little more than Sam can cope with. But he gradually comes to appreciate Charly's point of view. From the girl who loves to laugh, he learns to do the same. He finds out for the first time what it's like to be really alive. Charly is a story of joy and spontaneity, learning and loving, and, most of all, growing.

    James and Jeffrey Birmingham, brothers, now find themselves and their families on opposing sides of a great and terrible conflict.James is a wealthy Bostonian with a son who is a passionate and outspoken abolitionist, and a daughter who must hide her identity as the writer of controversial newspaper articles.Jeffrey, who lives on a South Carolina plantation, has a son who joins the Mormon Church, then leaves home after a failed attempt to free his family's slaves. Jeffrey's cowardly younger son ruthlessly preys on the weak; and his young daughter despises her family's beliefs — finding more kinship with the slaves than with her own flesh and blood.Caught in the middle are the slaves, who, along with immigrant families, are desperate to find their place in a country that is rapidly drawing its battle lines. From the bustling streets of Boston to the lush plantation fields of the South, from the drudgery of camp life to the terrors of the battlefield, millions of lives are about to be irrevocably changed...A House Divided, volume one of the epic series Faith of Our Fathers, is one of the most ambitious novels in LDS publishing history. Chronicled in this remarkable book are the lives of compelling characters in the midst of astounding events — set forth and guided by the merciful hand of our Heavenly Father.

    She loves her family and is content with her life in California. That is, until her parents decide to move to Utah, the land of Mormons. New surroundings and culture shock do nothing to help Kit's social life. It is only with the help of Janet, a new friend, that Kit begins to adjust to life in Utah, as well as to the Mormon culture. Janet's older brother, Adam, is more than happy to befriend Kit, but when their feelings begin to go beyond friendship, Kit is torn. Does she really want to devote her heart to a boy who is going to leave her for two years to serve a mission for his faith? Can she support him when she doesn't even believe in his religion? As Kit looks deeper, she realizes that it isn't Adam's faith she needs to come to terms with - it's her own.

    At book signings and speaking events, the question Dean hears more than any other is, What happened to Diane? Promises to Keep picks up Diane s story years later. She is a single mom in her thirties now, and Jenny is about to turn sixteen. Like most teenagers, Jenny is seeking her independence, and she and Diane are feeling tension in their relationship. Greg seems to offer Jenny the freedom she desires, and she keeps threatening to live with him, causing Diane to look at the meaning of her own life. She has met Spencer, a man she is willing to consider marrying, but the challenges in both families make such a marriage seem impossible. In which direction does happiness lie or can Diane find it within herself?

    But while on vacation with her family in Mexico, she meets Ed, a seventeen-year-old Baptist from Illinois who is spending his vacation building houses for the homeless. Laurie returns to Utah determined to make a difference through her actions and weekly editorial in the student newspaper.Unfortunately, she finds her best friend, Roz, has also changed. Their strong-willed personalities collide as they stand on opposite sides of a heated battle involving popularity and Church standards. As Laurie writes impassioned pleas in the student newspaper for how things ought to be, she seems to further alienate herself from her peers, leaving her with only her new-found friend in Illinois. In the end, Laurie discovers how difficult and terrifying--and absolutely worthwhile--it is to truly stand for something.

    He's preparing to go on a mission, and things are good at home, at school, and with his friends. Best of all, the most popular and funny girl in school, Allyson Pringle, is in two of his classes. As the two become friends, Kendall realizes that Allyson's bright laughter is hiding some deeper pain. He wants to help her, and he thinks the gospel might be the answer she is looking for, but their friendship falls apart when Allyson cheats on a test for Kendall without telling him. In this fast-paced, novel, Kendall learns about honesty, friendship, and the benefits that come from doing the right thing for the right reasons.