By Jacob Baker Art by Galen Dara I am an instrument already rotten. I am too worn out. And even if I believed in the possibility of God’s consenting to repair the mutilations of my nature, I could not bring myself to ask it of him. Such a request would seem to me an offense …
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Does it Matter What We Are Called?
By Elouise Bell Scene: BYU. Time: A while back. A dozen English faculty are officed in cubicles off a central hallway. Sound carries with great clarity. A student is ending his conference with a professor. “Thank you very much, Sister Highstreet.” After his footsteps die away, the professor calls passionately to anyone within the sound …
Family Forum: The Church as a Wounded Parent
By Michael Farnworth A Family History Imagine growing up in a family whose members are not fairly represented. The father has unlimited power, does as he wants, and rarely listens to anyone’s concerns. Being a spirited child, you have the idea that the family would be happier if it were run more democratically. Your …
Braving the Borderlands: Mysterious Ways
By D. Jeff Burton In this column I share the story of Jennifer and her husband as they struggle to adapt to Borderland life during some rather large changes. In addition to editing and shortening our many emails, I have changed names and details to protect identities. Jennifer: My husband, John, a school principal …
Davinho
By Ryan McIlvain Art by Chad Danger Lindsay My first missionary companion was named Willer, a squat, wide-faced Brazilian from the south of the country. One morning he spread the map of our area on the apartment floor, swept his hand across the populous heart, and said, “I’ve tracted all this with other companions. Pretty …
Tyler and the Giant Gumball Machine
Reviewed by Edward Jones III The Not Even Once Club By Wendy Watson Nelson Illustrated by Brandon Dorman Deseret Book, 2013 32 pages, $18.99 A boy named Tyler moves to a new ward. Friends from Primary invite him to a tree house where he can join their club—but only if he passes their test and …
A Dignified Transition: Emeritus Status for Apostles
By Dana Haight Cattani I confess that I never warmed to Pope Benedict XVI. I had admired his predecessor, John Paul II, for his charisma, ecumenism, and pivotal role in undermining Communism in his native Poland and elsewhere. Pope Benedict suffered by comparison. He always seemed stern and aloof, more Grand Inquisitor than Father Brown. …
Beyond Hemlines: What a Pope Can Teach us about Modesty
By Deborah Farmer Kris (An earlier version of this column was posted as “Un-Sexy Modest: Or, What a Pope Can Teach Us about Modesty” at the-exponent.com on 28 August 2013.) During his seven months in the Chair of Peter, Pope Francis’s actions and words have moved me in unexpected ways. As a Mormon woman, I …
Exploring Meditation and Awareness Practices in the Context of the Restored Gospel: One Mormon’s Story
By John T. Kesler Or, right-click here to download the audio file: Exploring Meditation and Awareness Practices in the Context of the Restored Gospel: One Mormon’s Story I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the potential to engender the most profound and comprehensive meditative tradition in the …
The Mystical Body of God the Mother
By Edward Jones III Art by Galen Dara The apostle Paul taught that Christ has not only a physical body but also a metaphorical body: the church.1 This metaphorical body has been called Christ’s “mystical body” because the church is more than the sum of its parts, which is a mystery.2 Paul emphasized three important …