It’s a little nerdy to have a favorite gospel, but I do: I’ve been a huge fan of the book of Luke for a long time. Among the writers of the gospels, Luke is the renaissance man, he’s educated and artsy. His writing mentions women more than any other and his book is beautifully constructed to incorporate songs and praise rich in theology. Especially acclaimed is the song found in Luke 1:46-55. This famous passage is called the “Magnificat.” It is spoken from the viewpoint of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who says, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been…

For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments. (Doctrine and Covenants 82:14) Back when I was formally studying things, I studied art history. This meant that for many years of my life (and for many years thereafter) I spent hours of every week looking at truly beautiful objects. The period and place of my focus meant that many of those beautiful things had originally been created as objects of devotion. As a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who…

When I was around middle-school-age, I had the opportunity to attend a sleep-away church camp during summer, which I loved. It was a beautiful little Lutheran church camp situated in a forested area outside my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. The camp had horses and cabins, teepees, platform tents, a pool, trails by the Platte River, and lots of hiking, singing, crafts, and outdoor activities — very comparable to a Young Women’s camp. This particular camp also had a team-building ropes course with various obstacles that campers would have to overcome with the help of their fellow campers, and team building became one of my favorite parts of camp. Probably the…

Do any of you ever have a weird ache of spiritual homesickness that reminds you that you are actually from (and hopefully returning to) a better place? Or that your place of true belonging is somewhere much much better than this? I have felt this again lately, and it is characterized by two opposing thoughts. First, I am grateful for the inspiration that out there somewhere are celestial relationships and communities that are infinitely better than this hot mess we are currently wallowing in. Second, I can feel some despair that we seem to be moving so very slowly toward those relationships and communities. Usually I sit with this a…

My favorite parable is the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32) I love the story of redemption and love. I never tire of reading this popular parable which is overflowing with lessons for me. Naturally, I usually focus on the prodigal son but there are two simple exchanges between the father and the older son that have helped me learn more about the love Christ offers us and the love he expects from us. The prodigal was not only whole-heartedly welcomed home with hugs and kisses, but celebrated with the best robe, a ring, shoes, fatted calf, music, and dancing. Perhaps it was the celebration and not the welcome that bothered the…