The day came for an official presentation of the plan of salvation. God had prepared His plan from the beginning; I believe that many and even all of His spirit children already knew the plan but G
Let me tell you the story of one of the most tragic characters in all of the scriptures. This story begins many years ago in a premortal world of light and truth. This is the tragic tale of a bring
Joseph Smith was born and lived much of his young life in the New England states. Calvinism had a strong influence in his day. Puritanism in practice was not strong during his life but Presbyterian
In this episode I present a talk I gave about temples. Temples have played a central role to the saints of God from the days of Adam. Temples are places where sacred ordinances are performed that l
We read in the Doctrine and Covenants, “Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and
July 4th is celebrated in the United States as Independence Day. On July 4, 1776 the American Colonies declared their independence from England. This declaration was one of the main events that led
The Puritans also often referred to themselves as “saints.” Members of the LDS Church call themselves saints, not because we believe our behavior is particularly saintly (although it sh
In this episode I present a talk I originally gave in 2004. It is about personal purity – purity in thoughts, words, and deeds. We need to fill our lives with pure things; things that lead us
Because of their beliefs, many Puritans viewed themselves as standing as examples to their neighbors – they felt they should be lights unto others. Many of these Puritans viewed their towns i
I’d like to preface my essay by stating that although I am drawing parallels between Puritanism and Mormonism, my point is not to argue that Mormonism came from Puritanism. There were many di