Thoughts and stories, by Pal

  Jacob’s Answer to Parental Despair: The Olive Tree and the Antichrist  By  Joseph Grenny  · July 7, 2022 In the past seven years I have loved and lost hundreds of precious sons and daughters. And I have seen inexplicable miracles in the lives of hundreds more. I know what it means to have “joy and great hopes… that they would walk in the paths of righteousness” on one day, and to feel the searing agony of seeing them throw it all away on the next. Through it all I’ve learned that almost all losses are temporary, and that much of my parental misery comes from my misunderstanding of redemptive labor. My extended family lives at an unusual school called The Other Side Academy. Adult men and women come to us after decades of homelessness, scores of arrests and after perpetrating innumerable acts of evil. They live with us for 2-4 years. We labor with them as they struggle through confronting monstrous demons. I’ve watched them find rewarding careers, reunite with aband...

This is a thoughtful article, with links where you can read more if you want to.     Tad R. Callister on the key to avoiding Pharisaic parenting by Jannalee Sandau  | Aug. 06, 2020 Makes You Think If you have read or had a lesson on the New Testament, chances are you encountered something related to the Pharisees and their rigid adherence to 600+ rules based on the Law of Moses. We often talk about the religious leaders’ unwillingness to accept a higher law and how their litany of laws interfered with their ability to truly live the gospel. But as emeritus General Authority and former Sunday School General President Tad R. Callister points out in a recent article for  Church News , Pharisees didn’t just exist in the time of the Savior. Even today, we are at risk of becoming Pharisee-like in our lives and especially in our parenting, when we become too focused on rules instead of principles and don’t give others ...

As a special video for Easter Sunday, you would love to watch the final testimony of Elder Bruce R. McConkie, given in April Conference, 1985.  He passed away just 12 days later.  This is so impressive, I hope you enjoy it, and that it strengthens your testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ, whose Atonement and Resurrection we celebrate today on Easter Sunday. Here are 2 different links, to the same video! https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1646588748725157 https://www.facebook.com/LDSStandingUnited/videos/1646588748725157/UzpfSTE2NDIzNDE1NzM6MTAyMTY5MDgxNjI4MDk5NzM/?notif_id=1555811053288800&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic

Here is a beautiful article in Meridian Magazine, that will help you have the true spirit of Easter, and the Resurrection and Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 6 Ways to Prepare your Heart for Easter By  Book of Mormon Central  · April 14, 2019 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE View the article  on Book of Mormon Central .  Easter is the most important holiday of the year. While Christmas often gets a lot of focus, Christmas is only the beginning of the story of Jesus Christ. The final week of Jesus Christ’s life, often referred to as “Holy Week,” is the pinnacle of the ministry of Jesus Christ and the climax of the entire Plan of Salvation. Easter is the perfect time of year for Latter-day Saints and Christians all over the world to reflect upon the life, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. More importantly, it is a time for everyone to reflect upon their own lives and recommit to living...

I first posted this on March 27, 2016. It is really inspirational,  and I hope you enjoy it! SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016 609. 5 Profound Insights from "The Infinite Atonement" by Elder Tad R. Callister, in LDS Living. This is from LDS Living, and is very inspirational about the Atonement. 5 Profound Insights from "The Infinite Atonement" by Jannalee Rosner  | Mar. 26, 2016 Makes You Think Next to  Jesus the Christ  by Elder James E. Talmage, one of the best books about Christ I’ve ever read is Elder Tad R. Callister’s  The Infinite Atonement . And while you can only absorb the full power of these inspired books by reading them from cover to cover, sometimes there simply isn’t time. So here are some of the most important and interesting ideas from  The Infinite Atonement  to give you a taste of the spiritual power it contains. . 1.  We don't think ...