Thoughts and stories, by Pal

These are interesting things to know as we study the New Testament this year. TOPICS POPULAR MORMON REPORT LESSON HELPS 6 Things You Never Knew About the New Testament by Frank F. Judd, Jr.  | Jan. 05, 2019 Makes You Think Mormon Life How did we get the New Testament Gospels? As it turns out, the process was quite complicated, but very interesting. Here are a few important things you should know about how the New Testament Gospels came to be. 1. Matthew and John were not eyewitnesses to all the events they wrote about. There may be some who assume that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John simply wrote down what they saw as they accompanied the Savior throughout His mortal ministry.  Certainly apostles like Matthew and John were eyewitnesses for some of the events of the ministry of Christ.  But some events they record these apostles never saw for themselves. For example, it is not likely that Matthew was present at ...

I found this only a few weeks ago, and I've used it many times already!  I printed out an endowment, and initiatories from it, and did them yesterday!  It  is so amazing the helps we now have, to take names to the Temple!  If there aren't any names from your own family, it will bring up 5 names from the Temple file to do.  I got some for my grand-daughters to do baptisms for the dead during the Christmas holidays! This is from the Family Search Blog:  Sorry some words are hard to read! Ordinances Ready Is Inspiring Members around the World   The new Ordinances Ready feature simplifies finding family ordinances that are ready for the temple. Give it a try, then show others how easy it is. Read More What’s Coming to FamilySearch in 2019   FamilySearch.org has many plans for the new year, including enhanced record search and Family Tree search capabilities, new online discovery experiences, and more! Read...

This has great ideas for parents today!  When I was raising children, we had some strong-willed (probably stubborn!) children also.  The children being born today have very strong spirits! TOPICS POPULAR MORMON REPORT LESSON HELPS Ask a Latter-day Saint Therapist: How Can I Keep My Kids from Defying Me? by Jonathan Decker, LMFT  | Jan. 11, 2019 Makes You Think Mormon Life For daily gospel-based relationship insights, join Jonathan’s  Facebook group . To submit a question for Jonathan,  click here .  Q:  My children are driving me crazy. They range in age from teen to toddler, and for the most part, none of them respect me as a parent. They expect me to take care of their every need but often refuse to do their chores, clean up after themselves, or follow simple instructions. They can be so rude to me, and to each other, and none of my punishments seem to be working. What do I do? ...

How We Can Dispel Mental Illness Myths + The Story Behind the "Mental Health Hymn" by Jane Clayson Johnson, excerpted from "Silent Souls Weeping: Depression—Sharing Stories, Finding Hope"  | Jan. 11, 2019 Makes You Think This story originally appeared in the  January/February 2019 issue  of  LDS Living  magazine . Abraham Lincoln, arguably one of the most influential men of the 19th century, experienced several documented periods of deep depression. At one point, he wrote to a friend: “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell; I awfully forbode I shall not.  To remain as I am is impossible.”  I can’t think of a better way to describe how I felt during the worst of my own depression. Thankfully, I no longer feel this way. But I understand—the experience of de...

This is another beautiful article by Darla Isackson -- whom Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once quoted in a General Conference talk.   Why God Answers Some Prayers with a ‘Yes’ and Not Others By  Darla Isackson  · January 15, 2019 Many faithful Latter-day Saints have prayed for different outcomes than they are getting, not only in things deeply personal, but in our elections, nation, and world. We are facing numerous crises that can affect our lives dramatically. Let me share a principle I’m learning that has wide application. One day I received an e-mail request to join in fasting and prayer for healing of a person I really cared about. I wanted to, but I hesitated. Instead of standing firmly on the foundation of faith, the idea of praying for a specific outcome landed both my feet in the quicksand of fear. I was afraid this dear p...