I grew up in Los Angeles in the 1980’s. More than a decade after the passage of the Federal Clean Air Act, LA’s worst air pollution days were behind it by the 1980’s, but smog alerts were certainly not uncommon during the hot summer days of my childhood. It’s not surprising, then, that air pollution…
Category “Scriptures and Quotes from Church Leaders”
2013 Resolution
(As printed in the Herald Journal, Jan. 1, 2013) Turning the page on a calendar shouldn’t be the motivation to change one’s life but, for tradition’s sake, perhaps being kind could be given consideration as a resolution for 2013. The fast-paced, competitive nature of our lives tends to push many of us toward the “survival of…
November Theme – Prudence and Thanksgiving
In section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which is more commonly referred to as the Word of Wisdom, it makes the statement that: “[A]ll these are to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.” Although this scripture was specifically referring to herbs and other edible plants, this is good advice to live by in everything…
Water Conservation – August Theme
Each month, the Public Outreach Committee will post a list of suggested themes/projects that our members can use as focal points for activities around their own homes and neighborhoods. These will be listed on our Event Calendar page, along with firesides, conferences and activities of like-minded organizations. We look forward to hearing the results of…
Addressing Hunger through Consecration and Conservation
If you aren’t aware that over one billion people will go to bed hungry tonight, it’s time to become aware. With the world’s population recently passing seven billion people, many have wondered if the world can continue to support the burgeoning population of the world. Books such as The Population Bomb in the 1960s warned…
Losing a Testimony
Driving home after dark this week, I pulled over to look at the planet Venus towering over a crescent moon. Jupiter shone brightly even higher in the sky. I set up my spotting scope and gazed at the moons of Jupiter. My mind expanded as my eyes soared through the heavens. As they did, the…
Remembering those on the Isles of the Sea
I recently met Greg, a most unusual exile on Tiritiri Matangi, a small island off the coast of New Zealand. Greg is a Takahe. When the first Polynesians arrived in New Zealand, Takahes roamed all across both the North and South Islands. Unfortunately, the rats and dogs that they brought decimated the native birds, especially…
Renewing the Earth
When I was a kid, I fully believed that “the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory” (Article of Faith 10). I’m not sure what I thought that meant, but it sounded good. It still sounds good, and if anything I hope for this more and more each day. As I travel the…
Changing Water into Wine—And Vice Versa
Recently my husband and I were given a new calling to teach the 6-7 year old Primary class A few weeks ago, we had an interesting experience while we were teaching a lesson about the sacrament. The lesson manual coached us to tell the story from the Book of Mormon about how Jesus gave the…
Walking as a Way to Build Ward and Neighborhood Unity
I’m writing this blog post right after getting home from taking a long walk through the neighborhood with my two boys. While we were on the walk, we bumped into a number of neighbors who were outside working on their yards or other projects. We usually stopped and had a nice 5 minute chat with…