jtolman

There are many ways to interpret Isaiah, as seen by the many Isaiah-made-easy type books that are out there.  We still struggle through, or stay clear, of that precious book.  Precious, because Nephi said if we don’t understand it, we may just miss the entire boat of the purpose of earthlife. As far as I’m [...]

One of the more well known children of Brigham Young was Susa Young Gates.  She was a mover and a shaker in the Kingdom of God, and heaven help us if we forget all the good that she did during her time on the earth. Susa Amelia Young was born on 18 March 1856 in [...]

I’ve been thinking about ward activity lately.  There are wards with just a few people to draw from, and other wards where there are more members than callings.  I really feel for the Bishop who has to juggle a certain number of members, attitudes, abilities, and strength.  The Relief Society President can help with this [...]

The Relief Society Magazine used to have a feature entitled, “Unusual Mothers”.  It would spotlight women who had given birth to a large number of children.   Often these women spotlighted were women who had sixteen, eighteen, or more children.  Indeed, those numbers are unusual, even for then, and deserve some honor.  As I understand it, [...]

If you got the September 2010 issue of the Ensign, or Liahona, you’ve probably seen the article about Relief Society:  Using Relief Society Meetings to Teach and Inspire.  You can also find it on line at lds.org. This article gives several ideas for planning your Relief Society meetings.   Realize that the General Board has made [...]

School is starting up.  It’s always an exciting time of year with new clothes, new schools and classes, and new friends.  It’s also a break for mom.  Come on, admit it!  You can actually have a couple of hours to do something you want to do, finally.  But, then come the after school activities and [...]

Have you ever been visit taught and the companionship begins a game of “I have it worse” in front of you, leaving you out completely?  Maybe you’ve visited someone only to have them list, and repeat, their ailments until you have to boldly look at your watch and excuse yourself.  Such are the joys of Visiting [...]

Did you know that Salt Lake City was the birthplace of one of America’s first leading actresses?  Occasionally, while traipsing through old western towns, I’ve run across pictures, news articles, and even tour guides, proclaiming the glories of the great Maude Adams.  Let me tell you a little about her. Maude Kiskadden was born in [...]

The prophets foretold a long time ago that marriage would be under fire; that children would be in danger if left to their own devices; and that temptation would pull women out of their duty. We are seeing this more and more as the years get full to overflowing with technological shortcuts that make homemaking [...]

I have often wondered why the Relief Society has changed our meeting system, suggesting our meetings be less frequent, less structured, and less demanding.   For the past several years I have seen wards either have too many “fun” activities to keep an imaginary quota, or drop all activities, because they don’t know what they want [...]