Thoughts and stories, by Pal

When we raised our children, they were all expected to go to Church except when they were ill.  As adults some are not active, and it is their choice, but as children we did not give them that choice.     Why I make my kids go to church By Jenny Evans For  Unremarkable Files Published: Saturday, Feb. 28 2015 12:39 a.m. MST View 2 photos » I understand not wanting to brainwash a child, but I worry that in the name of letting their kids choose, well-intentioned parents out there are really giving their kids no choice at all. Summary I understand not wanting to brainwash a child, but I worry that in the name of letting their kids choose, well-intentioned parents out there are really giving their kids no choice at all. “ Maybe my younger kids would rather stay home playing than attend church, but that doesn't mean they should. The benefit of church isn't in just the one church service, but in the entire pattern of gospel l...

LINE UPON LINE Why do things go wrong when we’re trying to do what’s right? By Richard Paul Evans  · February 25, 2015 The following article originally appeared on RichardPaulEvans.com.  Lately I’ve been pondering why it is that when we set out to do something good we face such difficult adversity. Sometimes it even feels like we’re being punished for doing the right thing. Last week I attended a board meeting for the Christmas Box International, a charitable organization I founded about fifteen years ago to help abused and neglected children. As our director read the list of the year’s accomplishments, my mind went back to one of our first board meetings–a painful, agonizing one. Back then, it seemed,  nothing  was going right. Community donations were a fraction of what we’d hoped for while our first shelter, which was still under construction, was a money pit–six months behind schedule and more than a half million dollars over...

From National Geographic:  This is fascinating to me!  Do we ever stop from our daily cares and activities to marvel at God's creations?  Do we contemplate what a blessing we have to live on this beautiful, fascinating, and infinitely varied earth, with it's countries, peoples, animals, and plant life, and have our testimonies strengthened?   THIS EARTH DIDN'T COME ABOUT BY CHANCE, AND SOME SCIENTISTS AND ASTRONOMERS CAN'T EXPLAIN IT!   There is so much more to learn -- it will take eternity! Gigantic Black Hole Discovered From the  Dawn of Time Astronomers find a cosmic monster that pushes theories of the early universe to the limit. A giant black hole weighing as much as 12 billion suns was found inside a quasar, a bright astronomical body like the one illustrated here with a black hole at its center. ILLUSTRATION BY ZHAOYU LI, SHANGHAI ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY Michael D. Lemonick for  for National Geographic P...

What happened to the brothers of the Prophet Joseph Smith? h On June 24, 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith, with his brother, Hyrum, and in company with 17 other men, left Nauvoo for Carthage. This statue depicts the brothers beginning that fateful journey.   (By Pal: My 2nd great grandfather, John Lowe Butler was one of those 17 other men.  You can read about his life in blogs: # 66 posted on Jan. 10, 2014, and # 206, posted on August 7, 2014) Susan Evans McCloud For the Deseret News Joseph Smith Jr. had five brothers who lived to adulthood and each made a contribution to the work, and each had a unique relationship with their prophet-brother. What was each one like? There were six Smith sons who lived to adulthood, with Joseph Smith Jr., who was named for his father, born in the middle. What happened to the brothers of the Prophet Joseph, who died in Carthage when he was just 38? The two eldest, Alvin and Hyrum, were both born in Fe...

This is a touching story, as told in LDS Living, today, Feb. 24, 2015.  I remember reading about this just a year ago today.  Our prayers go out to her and her brother Ian, and anyone else who loses a dear one, especially suddenly. Missionary Whose Family Died While She Served Reflects on Tragedy One Year Later JENSEN PARRISH -  While I was serving as a missionary in the Vancouver Washington Mission, my family at home—including my father, mother, and two brothers—died from a carbon monoxide leak. But there’s hope for healing that can only be found through the gospel of Jesus Christ. On August 24, 2013, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came to visit our mission. All the missionaries gathered in a church building, anxious to meet him. He spoke with such power, and I remember the Spirit testifying to me that he was indeed an apostle of the Lord and that anything he said would be of God. I remember he gave each of us a promise. He said, “As you serve your missions...

FAMILY HISTORY Elder Neil L. Andersen Issues Temple Challenge to “Children of the Promise” By Scot and Maurine Proctor  · February 19, 2015 “One of the most magnificent doctrines of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is that every man, woman, and child who has ever lived upon the earth, who has breathed the air of this world, will have the opportunity to clearly understand and to accept or reject the life-giving doctrines of the Savior. No one will be set aside or coerced. No one will be forgotten,” said Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve at a Family Discovery Day at RootsTech 2015. “It’s not an assignment for the faint of heart. How vast is the work before us? It will touch every person who has ever lived. How many have lived upon the earth? We honestly don’t know. One scientist has estimated it could be as high as 100 billion.” This number is staggering in its scope, and it is not a work for the fainthearted, but just as rema...