A quote everyone gets wrong led me to find my 370-year-old kindred spirit. My Lab Was Also a Chapel Earlier this month I was working on my manuscript before I sent it off to my editor. After months of writing, it was time to take out the hatchet and cut, cut, cut. When I taught an advanced writing course at BYU, I would often tell my students, “Don’t fall in love with your own words.” Deleting entire paragraphs you’ve written is not for the faint of heart. It made me think of a famous quote...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Jesus says, "Fear Not." Like never?? Does Jesus Really Expect Us to Fear Not? Years ago, as a youth leader, I went on a caving activity. The entrance to the cave was extremely narrow. We had to enter one at a time, lie on the ground, put one arm up and one arm down to narrow our shoulders and shimmy through what they called “The Birth Canal.” It was aptly named. As someone with claustrophobia, this was panic inducing for me. My heart was racing so fast, I thought I might have a heart attack....
3 months ago • 3 min read
Don’t unsubscribe—hear me out! Jesus Doesn't Care If I'm Christian A few months ago I stumbled upon a conversation on Threads that sparked this month’s topic. Someone had used the word "Mormon" in their post. A woman commented that being called "Mormon" offended her because it was a name given by people who drove early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from their homes and killed them. She wasn't wrong. I asked her if it bothered her to be called Christian since that...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Jesus Wants Your Smelly Feet I opened a wound I didn't know I had—attending an Episcopalian church service. Earlier this month, I went to a Maundy Thursday service at Saint Mary's Episcopal Church in Provo. I didn't really know what to expect. The man studying for the priesthood told us a time would come in the service for feet washing: the person in front of you gets their feet washed, then turns and washes yours, then you turn and wash the feet of the person behind you. A continuous chain...
5 months ago • 6 min read
In 2017, I changed the way I pray forever. You're Probably Using "Thee" and "Thou" for the Wrong Reason I had the chance to meet the president of the Paris France Temple. I asked him a single question. His answer completely changed my perspective on prayer. But before I tell you the question and answer, we need a short grammar lesson. Don’t worry, it’ll be painless. In English today, the word you does everything. It's singular. It's plural. It's subject. It's object. If a teacher walks into a...
6 months ago • 4 min read
What the Centurion Saw Close your eyes for a second and picture Jesus on the cross. What do you see? Most likely, you imagined Jesus suspended up high so that his feet couldn’t touch the ground. You might have also imagined a group of people down below, mostly women, looking up at him and grieving. What if I were to tell you that probably isn’t how it happened? The actual scene most likely was very different—and much more terrifying. Roman crucifixions were meant to serve as a deterrence....
7 months ago • 2 min read
Did God Really Abandon Jesus on the Cross? One of the most chilling verses in all of scripture is spoken from the cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46) This verse evokes an image of Jesus in His darkest moments being abandoned by God. And if the Son can be forsaken, then surely we shouldn’t be surprised when we also feel alone and forgotten by God. But I disagree. I don’t think God left Jesus alone on the cross, and I don’t think God will leave us alone on ours...
8 months ago • 2 min read
7 Surprising Ways Jesus Teaches Us to Have a Happy New Year As we wrap up 2025 and look towards 2026, we stop saying “Merry Christmas” and start saying, “Have a Happy New Year!” We mean this more as a warm greeting than a serious instruction. But what if was an actual command? I wonder what advice Jesus would give us if we asked Him, “How should I actually have a happy year?” The more I study His life and ministry, the more I suspect His answer would surprise us. Here are seven unexpected...
9 months ago • 5 min read
Making Room for Christ: A Tale of Two Innkeepers by Heather Ruth Pack On the first night of His life, there was no room for Him at the inn; on the last night, there was. I’m sure most of us have seen that cute nativity play where a young child dressed in a bathrobe says to the weary Mary and Joseph, “There’s no room at the inn.” Then, ever so sweetly, offers their barn for the Christ Child. I’m sure most of us also know that most likely isn’t how it would have actually happened. Mary and...
10 months ago • 5 min read