A Very Short List
In my fear that I’ll forget something that needs to be crammed into the few spare hours I have each week, I’ve taken to my old ways of making long lists every day and checking them twice (an hour). Insidiously, I have felt the old insanity returning—the fear, the...
We Are the Addicts
Some people have acclimated so well to this world, to this lower, telestial glory that is based on practical, physical performances and possessions. Unfortunately, this glory that is sufficient for so many people’s needs, leaves other souls nearly undone with...
To Parents of Wayward Children
When a child makes choices that lead them from the path of righteousness, it’s easy for a parent to become worried, fearful, upset, and controlling. We want the very best for our child—and we want it RIGHT NOW! We want to protect our child from the all the evils of...
I Will Not Leave You Comfortless
Addictions. We resort to them for comfort, but the comfort the addiction brings is actually numbness. Addictions fog the mind, weaken your ability to cope, sap your energy. They give the comfort of forgetting and hiding. Addictions tell you, “You poor thing. There,...
Unequal to the Task
The Book of Mormon includes the testimonies of three witnesses who were shown the gold plates by an angel. It also includes testimonies of eight witnesses who merely saw and handled the plates, but were not visited by an angel. The miraculous appearance of an angel to...
Walking Blameless Before God
Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? (Alma 5:27) Have I walked, keeping myself blameless before God? How in the world can I do that??? After pondering my helplessness and hopelessness for a few moments, I was reminded of another set of verses: And...
Abstinence From the Inside Out
When you’re doing abstinence from the inside out, you are hardly even aware of doing it. Why? Because you’re not actually doing anything! Instead, it’s more like you find yourself doing it! Automatically. Easily. There is no white-knuckling, hanging on by your...
Lamentations
Lamentations is not just a short but depressing book in the Bible. It’s a testament to the mercy and goodness of God. In Lamentations, Jeremiah bewails the condition of his world—sorrow, misery, desolation, calamity, sin, iniquity… Sound familiar? Just listen to the...
Backing Away from God, Backing Away from Truth
When a person says they’re having a hard time connecting with God, I immediately know there is some truth in their life that they’re not ready to acknowledge. There is something they’re shying away from, something they don’t want to process or embrace. When we...
Step 12: Sharing Our Experience, Strength and Hope
This morning I got up determined to go on my full 1 ½ mile walk. Never mind that I haven’t made it further than ¾ of a mile lately. Never mind that I’m still limping along with a broken toe. Never mind that I’m still recovering from a cold. I live in a fantasy world...
God Is the Source
Are you a spontaneous free spirit, who finds God in the moment? Or are you a list maker, who finds recovery in routine and discipline? I am the kind of person that tends far more toward spontaneity and impulse than to routine or discipline. And I tend to think that...
Breaking Free of Codependency
A short and common definition of codependency is fearing others more than God. We could just as easily replace the word fearing with the word believing. Codependency is believing others more than we believe God. For example, we may have troubled, angry, hurting...
Living Charity: A Pure Love for Christ
In our sacramental prayers, we covenant to always remember God. (D&C 20:77, 79) Some people think that to always remember our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, they would have to go up on a mountaintop, like a guru or shaman. Or perhaps live a monkish...