In the October 2012 LDS General Conference Elder Shayne Bowen spoke of the tragic 
death of one of his children. At the end of his talk he gave a beautiful testimony Continue reading
Author Archives: JeffC
Stranger of Galilee
I came across a blog the other day, Restoring Virtue, and enjoyed the poem in one of the posts. The blogger, Emily, was happy for me to reblog
the post, but as I’m new to this I’ve struggled. I’ve copied the poem below, but you can go to Emily’s blog with the link above. Continue reading
Depression and the Atonement (part 2)
In the first post on this topic I looked at examples of several good “righteous” people, who have suffered from Depression, including I believe the great Old Testament prophet Moses, as well as the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob. In this post I’ll discuss another example from Moses’ life that I think helps us to understand how we can be supported 
through such feelings ourselves, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Continue reading
Depression and the Atonement
I have some personal and professional understanding of mental health issues, and as I have pondered how the Atonement applies to the challenges associated with these, I have learned some important lessons. 
Continue reading
Heart, Might, Mind and Strength (Part 5 of 5)
In the final part of this series of posts I’m going to share some of my thoughts on how the Atonement of Christ enables us to overcome our physical shortcomings. The previous posts in the series have included an introduction, and then my thoughts on how Christ helps us overcome our Spiritual, Emotional, and Intellectual shortcomings.
Ultimately, our physical limitations are overcome Continue reading
A New Year Resolution
My email inbox has been bombarded over the last couple of days with 
messages wishing me a Happy New Year. The messages haven’t come from friends, though, who almost exclusively send their messages via Facebook nowadays. No, these email well-wishing messages Continue reading
Christmas Hope
Today is the 5th day of Christmas. In our culture and in our day the Christmas celebrations are largely finished by the end of Boxing Day, but that is not the case in many parts of the world. In parts of Central America, for example, rather than Father Christmas bringing presents on Christmas Eve, it is the Three Wise Men Continue reading
Christmas Bells
Amongst those of us like me who aren’t very well educated in literature Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is perhaps best known for his short poem; 
There was a little girl,Who had a little curl,Right in the middle of her forehead.When she was good,She was very good indeed,But when she was bad she was horrid.
But he also wrote the Christmas carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Continue reading
Developing Charity
The talks in our Church meetings today were on the subject of charity. They were all excellent, and gave me the opportunity to again consider this important quality I need to better develop. A couple of months ago I was asked to speak on this topic at Church too, and have posted that talk below.
It is interesting I think to note that “the Pure Love of Christ” could refer to the love which Christ shows for me (its ultimate expression being through the Atonement), the love which Christ shows to all people (which I need to attempt to emulate), and the love which Christ enables me to show to others (again through His atonement). Continue reading
Grasping the Meaning of Christmas
As we get closer to Christmas I thought I would look for some quotes that help to remind me of the real meaning of Christmas. This one is from Hugh W Pinnock.
James, the Lord’s half-brother (see Galatians 1:19), thoughtfully wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift [the Atonement] is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). This being true then, we must help others to grasp the true meaning of the Atonement and Christmas, which is Christ.
Think of the influence you…can have on parents, siblings, friends, and relatives by helping them to think about Jesus even more this year than perhaps they have on earlier occasions. You will never forget this Christmas if you do.
(Hugh W Pinnock, BYU Speeches, 9 December 1997)
All Things Witness 