Leaders often tell of the wonderful contributions that the women in their lives have made both inside and outside the home. From rearing a faithful posterity to demanding and defending rights in the halls of Congress, Latter-day Saint women have been and continue to be a powerful influence for good in shaping the destiny of future generations. With this book we celebrate noble women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with one hundred inspiring biographies of LDS women who have accomplished the extraordinary, leaving an indelible mark on history. These are stories about life, love, and a remarkable determination to do one’s best—messages that reveal to the reader that neither happiness nor greatness is found in compromising self, but instead is found in reaching to a higher source. By reaching up, these women have reached out to make a valuable difference.

    

    With new insights on practically every page, author Heather B. Moore explores the written and unwritten stories of the prominent women in the Book of Mormon, taking familiar material and providing vivid details about family dynamics, domestic practices, and other aspects of daily life. By exploring historic and cultural contexts to the situations of women like Sariah, Abish, Eve, Mary, and the faithful mothers of the stripling warriors, you will peek beneath the surface of the scriptural accounts to better understand both the righteous women of the Book of Mormon, and the women who didn't use their agency wisely.

    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.

    I can see families doing a different parable each week for Family Home Evening, for example." -The Association for Mormon LettersListen to an interview with John Bytheway from The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat.MormonTimes.com article about Of Pigs, Pearls, and Prodigals by Trent Toone (Click Here)Enlighten your study of the New Testament!Bestselling author John Bytheway's fascination with the parables of Jesus Christ grew deeper after his first visit to the Holy Land, where he "beheld in high definition the backdrop for the life and teachings of the Savior." In this insightful volume, he discusses what he has learned about more than thirty parables, sharing cultural background and other information about them and offering ideas for how we can apply them today. Throughout, visual images clarify and enrich the discussion.Beginners and seasoned students alike will enjoy this lively and practical treatment of the Savior's parables.ContentsIntroductionThe Parable of the House Built upon a RockMatthew 7:24-27The Parable of the Sower (of Four Kinds of Soil)Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23The Parable of the Wheat and the TaresMatthew 12:24-30, 36-43The Parable of the Mustard SeedMatthew 13:31-32The Parable of the LeavenMatthew 13:33The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great PriceMatthew 13:44-46The Parable of the Gospel NetMatthew 13:47-40The Parable of the HouseholderMatthew 13:51-52The Parable of the Unmerciful ServantMatthew 18:23-35The Parable of the Laborers in the VineyardMatthew 20:1-16The Parable of the Two SonsMatthew 21:28-31The Parable of the Wicked HusbandmenMatthew 21:33-46The Parable of the Royal Marriage FeastMatthew 22:1-14The Parable of the Ten VirginsMatthew 25:1-13The Parable of the TalentsMatthew 25:14-30The Parable of the Sheep and the GoatsMatthew 25:31-46The Parable of the Seed Growing SecretlyMark 4:26-29The Parable of the Two DebtorsLuke 7:36-50The Parable of the Good SamaritanLuke 10:25-37The Parable of the Foolish Rich ManLuke 12:16-21The Parable of the Barren Fig TreeLuke 13:6-9The Parable of the Chief SeatsLuke 14:7-11The Parable of the Great SupperLuke 14:16-24The Parables of the uncompleted Tower and the King's WarfareLuke 14:28-33The Parable of the Lost SheepLuke 15:3-7The Parable of the Lost CoinLuke 15:8-10The Parable of the Lost (Prodigal) SonLuke 15:11-32The Parable of the Unjust StewardLuke 16:1-8The Parable of the Rich Man and LazarusLuke 16:19-31The Parable of the Unjust Judge (or Importunate Widow)Luke 18:1-8The Parable of the Pharisee and the PublicanLuke 18:9-14The Parable of the PoundsLuke 19:12-27ConclusionSources CitedIndex

    And its defenders too often fail to ponder it deeply enough to respond effectively to such criticisms.But, as author Bob Bennett writes, “For anyone truly interested in the Church and its claims, a thorough examination of the Book of Mormon as a possible forgery is a requirement. Instead of being just a footnote in an overall review of current Church activities, discussion of the book should be a primary focal point of the investigation.” with that in mind, he brings to bear his own fascinating experiences with the world of forgery in this careful examination of the Book of Mormon and its claims.In his role at billionaire Howard Hughes's company, Bennett had opportunities to help disprove two significant attempts at forgery: Clifford Irving's supposedly authorized biography of Hughes and later the fake Hughes “will.” In the process, he became acquainted with several tests commonly used to help identify a forgery. Leap of Faith chronicles the discoveries he made as he applied those tests to the Book of Mormon.Though Bennett concludes that “no final answer can be drawn about the authorship of the Book of Mormon on the basis of analysis alone,” his exploration of the book and explanation of its contents will be invaluable to anyone interested in understanding it more clearly. His own leap of faith provides a springboard for meaningful discussion by people of all faiths.This compellingly written work offers a unique perspective about a book beloved by tens of millions. It is made even more interesting by the author’s experiences working for the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, the victim of more than one attempted forgery.

    Since Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, her fans have been waiting for her to write the book that explained how she came to the big-hearted, grateful, generous faith that she so often alluded to in her two earlier nonfiction books. The people in Anne Lamott's real life are like beloved characters in a favorite series for her readers: Her friend Pammy; her son, Sam; and the many funny and wise folks who attend her church are all familiar. And Traveling Mercies is a welcome return to those lives, as well as an introduction to new companions Lamott treats with the same candor, insight, and tenderness. Lamott's faith isn't about easy answers, which is part of what endears her to believers as well as nonbelievers. Against all odds, she came to believe in God, and then, even more miraculously, in herself. As she puts it, "My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers." At once tough, personal, affectionate, wise, and very funny, Traveling Mercies tells in exuberant detail how Anne Lamott learned to shine the light of faith on the darkest part of ordinary life, exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope.

    Rasband shares timely counsel and personal stories about recognizing the hand of the Lord in our everyday pursuits. Through his own experience, Elder Rasband helps us learn first how to seek the Spirit and then how to recognize and respond to divine guidance in our families, with friends and colleagues, in our Church service, and during times of trial.

    He’d been a young man when Hitler invaded his native Norway. After being forced to guard a Nazi prison camp, however, Gustav took his only option for escape: he volunteered for the Waffen-SS to fight at the front.Agnes Erdös grew up in privilege and prosperity as a child in Hungary. She and her parents were practicing Roman Catholics, but they were ethnic Jews, and after the Nazis invaded her country, Agnes and her parents were sent to the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Miraculously, both Agnes and Gustav survived. And after the war, they found each other.Told in their own words, Surviving Hitler is the story of two indomitable spirits who built on their life-altering experiences to overcome the past, help each other heal, and embrace a common faith in God that led them to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    To understand her mission, we must first recognize Eve’s proper, elevated place — a noble position beside Adam, with a beautiful, balanced interdependence between them. Their example of enthusiastically embracing mortality with all its accompanying challenges provides meaning, encouragement, and direction for each of us along our complex and sometimes thorny paths home.“For millennia,” writes author Melinda Brown, “the world has dismissed the story of Adam and Eve as simply a choice between good and evil, with the obvious conclusion the Eve chose evil. But on much closer inspection, we can discover, and lead others to discover, that the choice was in fact between certainty and uncertainty, security and risk, fear and faith. Eve’s most remarkable choice had everything to do with stagnation versus progress. Hers was a decision to trust God.”With its in-depth examination of the scriptural account Eve and Adam provides an opportunity for deep pondering and reflection on our own mortal experience and how they draw us, step by step, toward exaltation.

    This is the gripping story of how God took a young, half-starved boy from a poor village in Henan province and placed him on the front line for Jesus, in the face of impossible odds. Instead of focusing on the many miracles or experiences of suffering, however, Yun prefers to focus on the character and beauty of Jesus. Interspersed with his personal account are contributions from his wife, Deling, made mostly during her husband's frequent periods of imprisonment. You will remember where you were the first time you read this life story. It's a watershed book that will turn the reader to prayer and praise. It deserves comparison with past classics such as Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, or the Life of Watchman Nee.

    "They talk about the miracle, the promise, the way it all worked out. It isn't often that people talk about what happened in the middle of the trial."Sometimes we can't imagine there will be an end to a hard time. But we can find hope and help even when the road seems long and dark. Using examples from her personal life and from the scriptures, Emily shares six lessons that can help all of us make it through the middle moments of our lives.

    Together they began Show Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for the world's most vulnerable children by providing financial assistance to families wishing to adopt, as well as increasing awareness of the orphan crisis and funneling resources to orphans domestically and internationally. Mary Beth serves as president of Show Hope and is a speaker for Women of Faith 2010 with her husband. She is also coauthor with Steven of the Shaoey and Dot series of children's picture books. Mary Beth and Steven have six children: Emily, Caleb, Will Franklin, and adopted daughters Shaohannah Hope, Stevey Joy, and Maria Sue, who is now with Jesus. The Chapmans live in Tennessee.www.MaryBethChapman.comEllen Vaughn is a bestselling author and inspirational speaker. Her recent books include It's All About Him with Denise Jackson (wife of Alan Jackson), which debuted at #1 on the New York Times nonfiction list. She is also coauthor with Chuck Colson of Being the Body. In addition to her nonfiction work, Vaughn is an award-winning novelist. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband, Lee.

    Latter-day Saints have not been immune to this trend. In recent years, many faithful Church members have encountered challenging aspects of Church history, belief, or practice. Feeling isolated, alienated, or misled, some struggle to stay. Some simply leave. Many search for a reliable and faithful place to work through their questions. The abundance of information online can make them feel frustrated. Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt offers people who struggle with questions and people who love those who struggle practical ways to stay planted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Rather than attempting to answer every possible question or doubt, Planted presents an empathetic, practical, and candid dialog about the relationship of doubt and faith.

    Putting on the Armor of God discusses these and many more adversarial whisperings, their origins, effects, and defenses.