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April 18, 2008
April 17, 2008
First Person: Discovering the Blessing and Power of the Scriptures
During college I had the privilege of traveling back to New York with a large group of girls to be in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. We had been given a list of scriptures to memorize, and told that we would be working directly with the missionaries in the New York mission — talking with people in the audience each night before the performances. (more…)
April 11, 2008
April 10, 2008
Sharing Our Voices: “Reflections of Christ” (Multimedia Presentation)
See here for a beautiful slideshow presentation of a photography exhibit that has been on display at the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitor’s Center. The slideshow is put to a unique rendition of “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”
(Don’t miss behind-the-scenes videos about the making of this exhibit, available here (simple sign-in is required)).
April 8, 2008
Sharing Our Voices: “The Healing Power of Christ” (Sculpture Exhibit)
Through sculpture, Angela Johnson shares her testimony and faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. Thirteen of her beautiful and moving pieces are currently on display at the Visitor’s Center at the St. George Utah temple. Sister Johnson says, “No aspect of my life is more precious to me than the gospel of Christ. It is the anchor of my life.”
Sister Johnson’s work is also displayed at the Newport Beach temple. She created this beautiful Christus statue in less than five weeks.
You can find other sculptures of Sister Johnson’s here. (Click on small blue ‘next’ tag at the top of that page to move to the next piece.) She has created a foundation “to create a sculpture garden depicting the beautiful lessons given by our savior Jesus Christ. ” The pieces on this site symbolize love, healing, faith, trust, miracles, and reverence.
If you would like to read more about the artist’s life, including her journey from opera to sculpture, you can read more here.
March 30, 2008
Our Thoughts on Womanhood
Susan Easton Black, noted researcher and teacher, wrote an article about womanhood in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the many roles women may have (daughter, sister, wife, mother, woman). She also reflects on women from Church history to illustrate her points about these roles. She reminds us of the importance of “adher[ing] to the truths of the scriptures and modern prophetic counsel” that can “lead [us] to the commitment of being a faithful daughter, sister, wife, and mother. Such a commitment will lead [us] to greater happiness in mortality and joy in the eternal realms.”
Read another woman’s thoughts on being a woman in the Church.
For more on this topic, see our library link on womanhood.
Share your thoughts about the joy, power, and importance of womanhood below! (Comments are moderated, so they will not appear immediately.) You can share your thoughts on other topics here.
March 29, 2008
Womanhood
The Relief Society Declaration states that we as Mormon women “find…joy in womanhood.” Understanding the plan of God brings that joy, and gives us clarity about our sacred place, value, and eternally-important roles as daughters of God and women in the Church.
President Spencer W. Kimball said the following:
The scriptures and the prophets have taught us clearly that God, who is perfect in his attribute of justice, “is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). … We had full equality as his spirit children. We have equality as recipients of God’s perfected love for each of us. The late Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote:
“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel … was devised by the Lord for men and women alike” (Improvement Era, Mar. 1942, p. 161).
President Kimball goes on to explain how even as we are equal before God, “our roles and assignments differ” as men and women. (More can be found about gender roles here.) There are those who want to declare that unless our roles and responsibilities can and are the same, we will never be equal. This is a falsehood that the doctrines of the gospel help to dispel.
Following are some links that further explore these doctrines.
Margaret D. Nadauld: The Joy of Womanhood
Words of the Prophet: Daughters of the Almighty
Susan Easton Black: Happiness in Womanhood
Sheri Dew: It is Not Good for Man or Woman to be Alone (discusses how women and men must work in partnership in order for God’s plan to work and for us to reach our full potential)
M. Russell Ballard: Women of Righteousness
Arta M. Hale: Lessons in Womanhood: Insights for Latter-day Saint Women from the Lives of Vashti, Miriam, Ruth, Hannah, Jezebel, and Esther
Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball on Women in the Church
Elaine Cannon: The Case for Mary (addresses ideas found in radical feminism, and what used to be called the women’s liberation movement)
Barbara Thompson: The Errand of Angels is Given to Women
Richard G. Scott: The Sanctity of Womanhood
Russell M. Nelson: Daughters of Zion
Spencer W. Kimball: The Blessings and Responsibility of Womanhood
Dallin H. Oaks: The Relief Society and the Church (discusses much about historical facets of the role of women in the Lord’s work; even addresses the issue of women anointing and giving blessings, which they did for a time in the earlier stages of Church history)
Sheri Dew: Are We Not All Mothers?
Gordon B. Hinckley: The Women in Our Lives
Jeffrey R. Holland: To Young Women
Boyd K. Packer: Children of God
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You can also search our site or lds.org on topics such as the following:
March 25, 2008
Articles and Talks on Gender Roles
The Proclamation to the World on the Family declares the following:
All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose….
By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.
More on this topic can be found by reading the material in the links below.
2008 Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting
Sheri Dew: It is Not Good for Man or Woman to be Alone
M. Russell Ballard: Women of Righteousness
Boyd K. Packer: For Time and for All Eternity
A Parent’s Guide, Chapter 4
M. Russell Ballard: The Sacred Responsibility of Parenthood
Spencer W. Kimball: The Lord’s Plan for Men and Women
David A. Bednar: Marriage is Essential to His Eternal Plan
March 24, 2008
First Person: “Be of Good Cheer”
My father passed away peacefully a few months ago, just eighteen days short of his hundredth birthday. Even as his physical capacities gradually diminished during the last few years, he continued to live by himself, fixing his own meals and using his own recipe to bake his super-nutritious bread. Both he and my mother, who died seven years previously, impressed all who knew them with their positive, cheerful outlook on life, even in the midst of their challenges.
I have sometimes wondered if my own basically cheerful nature was inherited, or a more a result of seeing and following my parents’ example. Both genetics and observation no doubt come into play, but I recently found evidence that they were actively trying to teach me the value of being cheerful when I was very young. (more…)
