Heavenly Father

The past few years have been busy for former NFL and Notre Dame star Manti Te’o, but he says that his family is his top priority.

“We only place limits upon God’s power when we require that His creation fit our own personal views or when we try to suppress the views of others.”

Despite fervent prayers, Emily felt that God was gone—she could feel nothing from Him. That quietness first brought doubt, but then she began to see it was her perception of God that needed to change.

“We get an opportunity to recognize that children can be a part of the Church by being disciples of Jesus Christ in their family life and as they look around and serve others.”

The story of Moses features so many characters unknowingly sent to bring about God’s goodness, but God was aware of them.

Names are an important part of our existence. We use them every day, in all of our communications with others. But a precious few have actually been given their earthly names by God himself. Here are a few of those, as found in the scriptures:

I was invited to lunch by a friend who wanted to introduce me to another friend, a man who had previously served as a mission president. This man had questions about how best to support elders and sisters from his mission who, during or after their missionary service, had shared with him that they were gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, or queer. As we talked about his missionaries, he asked about my life. At one point, he asked a question that startled me: “Do you think the Lord loves you as much as He does your brother?”

A new animated Church video released on Tuesday, August 4, explores the important and timely topic of practicing self-compassion. The playful animation style makes the video especially approachable for children, but the message is meaningful for all ages.

Benjamin Taylor had a routine—and it wasn’t one he wanted to keep up. He had held six different jobs over the course of six years, and none of them had worked out.

There are many reasons why Jesus came to earth, and our word Atonement has come to embody them all, but I think, if I had to be specific, I would say that the essence of His life centered on forgiveness. In the great hymn of the Restoration, Joseph Smith caught that spirit when he wrote, “Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven” (D&C 128:19). The Savior is the incarnation, the personification, the grand architect of forgiveness and mercy. It is inherent in almost every act of His life. It is the one single most significant quality of the Father that Jesus came to teach us with His words and show us by His example. Indeed, the most beautiful words He spoke during those last agonizing hours of His life are, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Whenever I feel the difficulty of forgiving in my own life, I read those words and the feeling of forgiveness moves into my soul.

The following is an excerpt from Elder John H. Groberg’s book Fire of Faith, which details his experiences with his family as he served as a mission president in Tonga.

My family was very poor while I was growing up, and we moved so often that I never felt like I belonged anywhere. Even though we faced a lot of hard times, we were rarely sad, but we were often hungry. I remember one day that was particularly rough at home. There was no food and my parents were arguing, so I left the house.

The following story originally ran on LDS Living in August 2016.

The Amazon River: the world's strongest river and the largest in the sheer amount of water that flows along its banks and eventually empties out into the ocean.

"God's love isn't something we earn; it is always available for us," a new Church video shares. "No matter how lost we may feel, we are not out of His reach to reclaim us."

Often, when seated in my office with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I hear questions and statements such as: “Why doesn’t God love me? Why do I not receive the blessings that are promised when I strive so hard to be obedient? Why does it feel like I am being punished when others are blessed? I try so hard to do what I know is right, and yet nothing seems to change; why? Why can’t I get past or over these feelings of depression and/or anxiety? Is there something wrong with me? Why does it feel like God is not listening when I have done all that I know how to do? Why, if God is so powerful, does He not bring the changes into my life that I desire and so desperately need?” With each of these heartfelt questions expressed in desperation and defeat, the next phrase I hear, more often than not, is this: “I must be doing something wrong. I am just not good enough.” It is as if this anguished response expresses a logical answer to their questions.

A recent video released by the Church explains the nature of God, His relationship to each one of us, and how His love and influence can shape our lives. Learn more about Latter-day Saints' core beliefs in the Church's Now You Know video series.

One night while I was putting one of my sons to bed, he looked up at me after he was all tucked in and asked, “Dad, are there Legos in heaven?”

As The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith opens in theaters nationwide this weekend, we wanted to share an excerpt from the faith-promoting book on which the film was based. The following account is excerpted from Fire of Faith by John H. Groberg.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a series of powerful videos about overcoming pornography, supporting loved ones with a pornography problem, and finding healing from pornography or betrayal trauma. We will be highlighting these valuable resources over the ensuing weeks.

Sometimes the Lord directs us to places where we never thought we would go. Discover how two women's trust in the Lord strengthened them to accomplish God's surprising will.

Editor's note: This article was previously published in January 2016.

Jesus loves you.

What do Latter-day Saints believe about the Godhead and how is it different from other Christian faiths?

This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading in Matthew 14-15, Mark 6-7, and John 5-6. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Living for additional resources and suggestions.

For daily gospel-based relationship insights, join Jonathan’s Facebook group. To submit a question for Jonathan, click here.

When I was a little boy I was given a small Bible. If I remember correctly, it was only the New Testament. As I read I was drawn to 1 Corinthians 13, which is about charity, and, even as a child, I knew that for me that chapter was about the family I would someday have. Years later, before I was married, I received a patriarchal blessing. In that blessing the patriarch described the feeling that would someday be in my home. He described exactly what I had felt years before when I read 1 Corinthians 13, and I knew that the scriptures were a way that God speaks to me.

On September 23, 2015, Bre Lasley was in her bedroom when a complete stranger climbed through her window and attempted to murder her. For six minutes, Lasley and her younger sister, Kayli, fought their attacker before a police officer arrived and shot her attacker, killing him.

Heather Pinegar and her family were camping in Arizona for a family reunion when their lives changed forever. They were preparing for their long drive back to Texas when Mick, Heather’s 15-year-old son and an avid dirt biker, asked if he could go on one last ride before they headed home. He loved going on rides after rainstorms, and after receiving consent from his parents, he went on his way.

It was a ridiculous question for David Butler's son to ask.

This is an excerpt from the book Falling to Heaven: The Surprising Path to Happiness, by James L. Ferrell.

Submission has a bad reputation. As Elder Jeffery R. Holland has said, “You can be certain that with some in this world, it is not fashionable nor flattering to speak of submitting—to anybody or anything . . . It sounds wrong on the face of it. It sounds feeble and wimpish.”

Though born in Jerusalem a short distance from where the Savior—already whipped, bruised, and tortured—was executed on a cross, Sahar Qumsiyeh grew up in Bethlehem—the land of Jesus Christ's birth. But the sunbaked streets that Qumsiyeh knew held little reminiscence of biblical starlit skies and angelic choirs.

I saw a post a while ago that has stuck with me for months. This post referenced a choice someone had made—a choice contrary to the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which they claim membership. After explaining their choice and their feelings surrounding it, they shared that they found peace in their choice by focusing on Heavenly Father’s love for them. They had determined that God’s love and their own happiness was the most important part of this situation.

Since she was a small girl, Sister Jean B. Bingham — now the Relief Society general president — has loved to watch the night sky.

I sat facing the Nauvoo temple after a spiritual day with my EFY group. The temple was radiant against the dark, star-filled sky and a peaceful feeling entered my heart as I reflected on everything I had learned during the week.

Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurrasic World star Chris Pratt shared with AP that "nothing fills my soul more" than sharing messages about God with his fans.

Carrot seeds don't look at all like carrots. They look to me like little specks of dirt. They’re not orange. They’re not shaped like carrots. You couldn’t take them to a picnic. Well, I guess you could, but there’s no way to make carrot sticks out of them, and those little seeds can sure get stuck in your teeth. I’ve tried eating carrots that way. Not satisfying. Those little specks aren’t full of vitamins and good stuff yet.

In his April 2012 general conference talk, Elder Jeffery R. Holland said, "however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love."

When discussing the purpose of life, we often hear the mantra “we are here to be tested,” but how many of us cringe at that thought? So few of us want to feel like a kid again sitting in a classroom taking a test on things we don’t remember, we don’t understand, and we can’t leave until we finish. Comparing life to a test can be a downer and not the inspirational mantra that it should be. But if we look at life as a lesson we learn from over and over again as more things become clear, we can gain the inspiration we need to improve. We didn’t learn algebra before we learned addition. Life can be viewed as a continual learning process, not the end test. It’s more about what we are learning and becoming than about having all the right answers.

In response to our humility about our weakness, God offers to “make weak things become strong” unto us (Ether 12:27). There must be ways for weak things to become strong other than through noticeable improvement in our ability. . . .

This month's edition of weekly FHE lessons is based on the new family movie Trek, which follows a young Mormon teenager named Tom and his friends on their handcart journey. Each lesson includes a scene from movie to watch and discuss. Your whole family will laugh along and be inspired by Trek: The Movie, available at Deseret Book stores and deseretbook.com.

Thanks to Utah Valley 360 for making us aware of this Instagram post.

Throughout my service as a full-time missionary, I was blessed to serve closely with many people who touched my life in unique ways. Many of these individuals faced emotional struggles, like anxiety and depression. One of them was my own companion.

Maybe you feel your prayers aren’t being answered—or even heard. Perhaps you feel you have strayed beyond the Father’s ability to forgive. Maybe you’re struggling to trust that the Atonement of Jesus Christ really works in your life. Perhaps you are awash in fear, grappling to stay on top of adversity. Maybe you have been betrayed in the deepest way by one who should have treasured you. Or maybe you’re just trying to be patient, waiting for promised blessings and starting to lose faith that they will come.