The Cry of The Trumpet

When God Chooses to Save Souls Instead of Nations Reflections while studying Judges 6–8 While studying the story of Gideon in Judges 6–8, a thought settled into my mind with surprising clarity. If God could conquer the Midianites through Gideon and only three hundred men—an intentionally impossible military situation—then surely He could purify any government on earth today. He could throw down oppressive regimes, expose corruption, or raise up righteous leaders in a single generation. His power has never been the limiting factor. But that does not seem to be His focus in our day. Again and again, the scriptures show that God is far more concerned with the condition of His covenant people than with the condition of their political institutions. He refines individuals long before He restructures nations. He prepares hearts before He rearranges kingdoms. And today, He seems to be directing His people not ...

Jesus raised the standard of love. The Mosaic law taught, “Love your neighbor as yourself” , a command Jesus affirmed as the second great commandment. But on the night before His crucifixion, He gave His disciples something deeper, something distinctly shaped by His own life: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you.” ( John 13:34–35 ) Elder Jeffrey R. Holland notes that Jesus chose this commandment as His final, summarizing lesson—“one grand, eternal principle”—to sustain His disciples once He was no longer physically with them. He explains that the word new (Greek kainēn ) means “fresh,” a renewed and intensified version of an ancient law. What was new was the measure: “As I have loved you.” What Did Jesus Mean by “As I Have Loved You”? Service and humility At the Last Supper, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet—an act normally reserved for the lowest servant. ...

Zion has always been more than a place. It is a people — a covenant people — shaped by contrast, refined by choice, and anchored in Christ in a world that is not. Zion is what happens when ordinary disciples choose holiness in the middle of opposition, noise, and spiritual counterfeits. It is heaven taking root in human hearts. Scripture gives the clearest definition: “The Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” — Moses 7:18 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/moses/7.18 Zion is unity, righteousness, and generosity — not perfection, but harmony born of covenant commitment. President Russell M. Nelson taught: “The gathering of Israel ultimately leads to the creation of Zion—where the pure in heart dwell.” ( Let God Prevail , October 2020) https://www.churcho...

What Is Our Part in a Shaking World? One of the quiet miracles of the Christian story is that God has already told us the ending. Christ wins. Light wins. Love wins. Justice wins. The Lamb triumphs. The kingdoms of this world “become the kingdoms of our Lord” (Revelation 11:15). Knowing the ending doesn’t make the middle easy — but it does change how we walk through it. It means we don’t have to live in panic. It means we don’t have to carry the whole world on our backs. It means our efforts can be rooted in hope instead of fear. So if Christ wins, what is our responsibility now? What does God actually ask of us in a world that feels like it’s burning? We Prepare the World by Becoming More Like Christ President Russell M. Nelson taught: “The Lord needs you to be His people and to be prepared for the Second Coming of the Savior.” ( The Gathering of Israel , Worldwide Youth Devotional, 2018) ...

Finding Peace That Doesn’t Depend on Circumstances There are moments in history — and moments in our personal lives — when the world feels like it’s shaking under our feet. The news cycles faster than our hearts can keep up. Tragedies stack on top of each other. People we love are hurting. And sometimes it feels like everything depends on our vigilance, our effort, our outrage, our action...  That sense that if we don’t hold the world together, maybe no one will. But in the middle of all that noise, I’ve been learning something quieter. Something steadier. Something that feels like it comes from God rather than from the world. Christ never asked us to carry the whole world. He asked us to walk with Him in it. The Peace Christ Gives Is Not the World’s Peace Jesus made a promise that feels almost impossible in chaotic times: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you… Let not your heart be troubled, neither let i...

In Relief Society, we had a thoughtful discussion about obedience and grace. These two principles can feel paradoxical. If we are saved by grace , why must we be obedient ? And if obedience can never “earn” heaven—because none of us will ever be perfectly obedient—why not rely on grace alone? I believe the answer lies in understanding why God gives commandments and how grace actually works . 1. Commandments show us how to live joyfully and become like God. God does not give commandments as a test we must pass to earn heaven. He gives them because they describe the kind of life that leads to joy, peace, and spiritual growth now . “Men are, that they might have joy.” — 2 Nephi 2:25 Christ taught that obedience is an expression of love and alignment with Him: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” — John 14:15 President Dieter F. Uchtdorf explained: “God does not need us to be obedient so He can love us. We need to be obedient so we can learn to love Hi...

When you think of the one you love,   what fills your mind? Is it longing for their presence,   or the comfort they bring? Is it admiration,   or gratitude for what they give? Is it the joy of sharing your life—   your discoveries, your small triumphs? Or is it the quiet question   of how you might lighten their load,  or make their day gentler? Which thoughts honor them,   and which simply circle back to you?   Which are born of active love,   and which reflect your truest intention toward them?   Which would they hope to find in your heart?

When Righteous People Want Change: Why Alma the Younger Shows Us the Better Way Every generation of disciples faces the same tension: How do we respond when the world feels unfair? How do we lift the vulnerable, relieve suffering, and push back against systems that seem indifferent to the poor, the sick, and the struggling? Many Saints today feel drawn toward political movements—including groups like Indivisible—because they see real pain around them and want to help. Their compassion is sincere. Their desire for justice is genuine. Their involvement can even be good , especially when they bring a calming, moderating, peacemaking influence into heated spaces. But as President Dallin H. Oaks has taught, the gospel invites us to consider not only what is good , but what is better and best 13 . And when we look to scripture for the pattern of best , one figure stands out with startling clarity: Alma the You...

Agency, Compulsion, and the Spiritual Cost of Forced Goodness We live in a world where unfairness is real, visible, and often heartbreaking. It’s natural to want to correct it—especially when we see people suffering because of the choices of others. Recently, I’ve been talking with people who feel deeply that the world’s inequalities must be fixed by forcing people to be more charitable, more giving, more socially responsible. The intention is noble. The method is not. Because spiritually—and doctrinally— compulsory goodness is not goodness at all . The Plan That Promised Perfect Fairness Latter-day Saint doctrine teaches that in the premortal world, agency was the central issue. God declared, “I gave unto him his agency” ( Moses 7:32 ), and modern revelation affirms that “every man may act… according to the moral agency which I have given unto him” ( D&C 101:78 ). But there was another proposal. A plan that promised perfect fairness. A plan that guarant...

The Knight I Know by Carolyn Frances Krysiak

I cannot support choices that lead a person toward harm, but I can support the person themselves—and I can support their right to be treated with fairness and dignity. That distinction matters. It keeps me anchored in compassion without pretending that destructive patterns are harmless. Over time I’ve learned something that echoes the wisdom found in recovery circles: I didn’t cause another person’s harmful choices, I can’t control them, and I can’t cure them. Moral agency is real. Each soul chooses its own path, and no amount of worry, persuasion, or proximity can override that sacred freedom. Recognizing this frees me from the illusion that someone else’s spiritual direction rests on my shoulders, while still allowing me to care deeply about their wellbeing. When sin—or any harmful behavior—is treated as normal, it unintentionally teaches others to do the same and makes the path appear less dangerous. And normalization always has a cost. It may not show up immediately, bu...

There is an old story about a traveler who set out on a long road toward Home. Not the house he grew up in.   Not the place where his mail was delivered.   But the deeper Home—the one every soul remembers even if it cannot describe it.   The place of rest, clarity, and belonging.   The place where the heart finally exhales. The traveler knew the way in theory.   But the road was long, and like most long roads, it tested him. Some days he walked with purpose.   Other days he dragged his feet.   And on the hardest days, he grew cranky, impatient, and angry—   not because he was a bad man,   but because he was tired. Tired of the dust.   Tired of the detours.   Tired of watching others take shortcuts that looked easier, even if they didn’t lead anywhere good. One afternoon, after a particularly frustrating stretch, he slumped beneath a tree and muttered,   “I ...

There are moments in Relief Society when a single question reveals the spiritual weather of the room. Today, the question was this: “Why was the Family Proclamation announced to the women first?” Some sisters felt the weight of it—as if a heavy responsibility had been placed on women alone. Others heard echoes of old frustrations about gender, roles, or perceived imbalance in the Church. The tone carried a familiar undercurrent, one I’ve heard more often in recent years: a quiet resentment toward the Church itself. I felt a sadness settle in my chest—not because the feelings were invalid, but because I recognized them. I have lived through my own seasons of misinterpretation, where cultural narratives spoke louder than eternal ones. And I know how easy it is to confuse the follies of mortals with the doctrines of Christ. But the gospel has never been the source of our wounds.   It is the balm. The Gospel Doesn't Shift—We Do There’s a word that unsettles me whenever it pops up ...

Spiritual growth always involves resistance—not because we’re failing, but because we’re developing strength. President Oaks reminds us that, “ Just as our physical muscles cannot be developed or maintained without straining against the law of gravity, so mortal growth requires us to strain against Satan’s temptations and other mortal opposition .” Opposition isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s the very condition that builds spiritual muscle. Elder de Jager adds a vivid metaphor: our spiritual life is like a balloon rising upward.   - “Just as the balloon can rise higher by throwing ballast overboard, so must a person be willing to rid himself of unnecessary ballast that limits his rise in spirituality.” He names the common “ballast” that weighs us down:   - Impatience — “Get rid of our sandbag of impatience… ‘continue in patience until ye are perfected.’”   - Criticism — “Cease to find fault one with another.”   - Unfriendliness — “Ye are my friends....

Ministering Across the Spectrum: From Substance to Soul Service exists on a continuum—from the purely temporal to the deeply spiritual. All service carries spiritual value, so its worth is never nil. Yet many people feel more comfortable with the temporal end of the spectrum. Some even turn down opportunities for spiritually demanding service. It’s worth exploring what each type of service asks of us. 1. Temporal-Heavy, Low-Spiritual-Demand Service At the simplest level are acts of service that are primarily physical or temporal. These often require little sacrifice: donating money to a fund, dropping off items at a collection site, or contributing to a cause without personal involvement. These acts are still good—they bless lives and give us a quick sense of goodwill (and sometimes a tax write-off).   This type of service becomes more spiritually stretching when we give directly to someone in need or when the amount we give pushes us beyond our comfort zone. In those moments,...