When Alexander the Great Knocked on Eden’s Door

Last updated on: December 10, 2017 at 12:04 am By Delisa Hargrove

After leaving Jerusalem and traversing into and out of the Mountains of Darkness, Alexander of Macedon found himself in a new, unpopulated, gorgeous land. His soldiers caught fish in a crystal clear river. After cutting up the fish, soldiers took their fish to the river to clean it. Miraculously, in the water, the fish reassembled itself and swam away. Initially skeptical, Alexander experienced the regenerated fish and determined the river was one of Paradise’s River of Life. He commanded all of... Read more

The Lord’s Work Is a Circle

Last updated on: December 3, 2017 at 3:51 am By Delisa Hargrove

“God makes himself known to the world. He fills up the whole circle of the universe, but makes his particular abode in the center, which is the soul of the just.” -Lucian The circle is a curved perpetual line without beginning or ending. As such, it conveys a completeness encompassing space and time—eternity. Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday,... Read more

My Searching Began with a Circle

Last updated on: December 2, 2017 at 2:52 am By Delisa Hargrove

“Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as... Read more

Competition Against Ourselves

Last updated on: November 26, 2017 at 8:45 am By Delisa Hargrove

As a teenager, I competed in piano competitions based on proficiency level. Playing piano became a cherished therapy for me. I unwound my stress and anxieties on the ivories. My teacher was not only an extremely gifted pianist, but an excellent gauge of character. She knew I loved to play, but unless challenged with specific types of music, I grew apathetic towards the piece. I didn’t even realize this until later. One idiosyncratic flaw she couldn’t strategize away was my... Read more

A Predator Prayed For Her Victims

Last updated on: November 26, 2017 at 2:57 am By Delisa Hargrove

I recently completed a transcription editing job for a videoed interview of a female sexual predator. The female interviewer met the prisoner alone in what appeared to be a low security prison’s common area. The interviewer asked the prisoner if she felt like she deserved to be in prison. “Absolutely,” the prisoner responded. Interviewer asked the prisoner about her charges. The prisoner said she’d been imprisoned on 15 counts of first-degree rape of a child. But, actually, her offenses included... Read more

When “Easy to be Entreated” Comes to Life

Last updated on: November 19, 2017 at 7:10 am By Delisa Hargrove

I’ve been pondering the phrase “easy to be entreated,” as in I must be easy to be entreated to fully fulfill my covenant and be filled with charity. Easy to Be Entreated I have a friend who is so easy to be entreated. I’ve been with her when people asked for her time, talents, and money. She stopped the car at an ATM to give the requested funds. She rescheduled another commitment to help the requestee. She jumped in with... Read more

Pillar of Light and Pillar of Fire

Last updated on: November 16, 2017 at 3:04 am By Delisa Hargrove

Have you ever wondered about stories that include a pillar of light in the scriptures? I used to think pillar of light experiences were reserved for chosen and specific individuals. As I’ve read the scriptures, I realized that pillars of light impacted a wide variety of people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Here are six canonical stories where a pillar of divine light descended from heaven. What’s the pattern in these manifestations? Moses and the Children of Israel Circumstance... Read more

A Tessera

Last updated on: November 11, 2017 at 6:38 pm By Delisa Hargrove

A tessera (plural tesserae) is a small block of stone, tile, glass, or other material used in the construction of a mosaic. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a small tablet of wood or bone used as a token. The word comes via Latin from Greek, neuter of tesseres, variant of tessares ‘four.’ This image of pieces of material used to create a complete picture perfectly describes how I imagine gathering truth and knowledge impacts my faith. When a “true” truth... Read more

How Does God Strengthen Your “Weak?”

Last updated on: November 8, 2017 at 8:13 pm By Delisa Hargrove

My husband recently gave the closing prayer at an Empty Nester’s Family Home Evening. He said a phrase which really struck me: “Strengthen our week.” In context, I knew he referred to “week.” But my mind switched it to “weak.” In the days prior, I’d heard struggling life stories, so “strengthen our weak” seemed especially appropriate. My mind flashed to scripture stories where the Lord strengthened weakness. In a Gospel of peace and turning the other cheek, what does God prescribe... Read more

Do You Want to Know the Things of God? Then Ask

Last updated on: November 3, 2017 at 6:00 pm By Delisa Hargrove

Nephi and his brothers all heard Lehi recount his dream of the iron rod, great and spacious building, mists of darkness, and the Tree of Life with its delicious fruit. Evidentally the brothers all had questions about what the dream meant. We have Lehi’s cursory explanation of the dream. Nephi noted that Lehi preached and prophesied about many things. Did the brothers ask Lehi their questions about the dream and subsequent prophecies? We don’t know. To Ask or Not To Ask... Read more