there are no ordinary people

French is not who I am; it is where I was born. White is not who I am; it is the color of my skin, or lack thereof. Professor is not who I am; it is what I did to support my family. General Authority Seventy is not who I am; it is where I serve in the kingdom at this time.

“First and foremost,” as President Nelson reminded us, I am a “child of God.” So are you, and so are all other people around us. I pray that we may come to a greater appreciation of this wonderful truth. It changes everything!

We may have been raised in different cultures; we may come from different socioeconomic circumstances; our mortal heritage, including our nationality, skin color, food preferences, political orientation, etc., may vary greatly. But we are His children, all of us, without exception. We have the same divine origin and the same limitless potential through the grace of Jesus Christ.

C. S. Lewis put it this way: “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship. … There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit.”

Christophe G. Giraud-Carrier

"We Are His Children," General Conference October 2023

we celebrate our differences

Have you ever pondered on how the principle of respect for human dignity and equality is demonstrated through the simple way we dress in the house of the Lord? We all come to the temple united in one purpose and filled with the desire to be pure and holy in His holy presence. Dressed in white, all of us are received by the Lord Himself as His beloved children, men and women of God, progeny of Christ. We are privileged to perform the same ordinances, make the same covenants, commit ourselves to live higher and holier lives, and receive the same eternal promises. United in purpose, we see one another with new eyes, and in our oneness, we celebrate our differences as divine children of God.

Ulisses Soares

"Brothers and Sisters in Christ," General Conference October 2023

a few more ward activities

For some time I have felt that, in many places in the Church, a few more ward activities, of course planned and implemented with gospel purpose, could knit us together with even greater belonging and unity.

One inspired ward activities chair and committee nurtures individuals and a community of Saints. Their well-planned activities help everybody feel valued, included, and invited to play a needed role. Such activities bridge ages and backgrounds, create lasting memories, and can be carried out with little or no cost. Enjoyable gospel activities also invite neighbors and friends.

Gerrit W. Gong

"Love Is Spoken Here" General Conference October 2023

they are equal

D&C 76:95 …equal in power, and in might, and in dominion…

Those who dwell in the presence of God are faithful members of the Church of the Firstborn. They are equal. In the celestial world all the ransomed are equal in authority, in strength, in opportunities, and in possessions. Is it any wonder, then, that our Lord instituted the United Order, with equality, in the Church, as a school in which to obtain some understanding of, and training for, a place in celestial glory? Can anyone, after a life of selfishness, fill a position in a kingdom where all are equal?


Doctrine and Covenants Commentary by Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl. Deseret Book. 1965. p.468

I say unto you, be one

D&C 38: 24-27 And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness before me. And again I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself. For what man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one: Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other: Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou there—and looketh upon his sons and saith I am just? Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.

prayer in American life

The great irony in the United States today is that while prayer has long played a central role in the life of America, it too often has become a subject best publicly avoided. Even though prayer has pervaded American life consciously and unconsciously throughout history, many people have difficulty discussing it. To paraphrase Nathan Pusey, the late president of Harvard University, we will know that we have become a mature nation when we can speak freely about the importance of prayer in American life without fear of adolescent embarrassment. It is reckless to view prayer solely as an appendage of religion, to see it as divisive, polarizing force in American society. For it is prayer that has infused Americans with a sense of their spiritual identity in a world too often rocked by a lack of moral grounding.

To reduce America to pure vanilla, signifying both everything and nothing, ignores the true intentions of the Founding Fathers and flies in the face of recorded history, particularly when it comes to the subject of prayer. The argument that religious diversity should prevent the public recitation of prayer given the differences between, say, Jews and Christians becomes a fool’s errand. After all, the followers of Jesus Christ have been divided among the Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants. The children of Israel are defined as Hasidic, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reformed. The heirs to Muhammad identify themselves as Shia, Sunni, and Sufi. Even long-established faiths cannot agree on the proper road to salvation. They do agree, however, on the need and utility of prayer both spiritually and temporally in the world today. Much in the way that America’s motto “E Pluribus Unum” (one out of many) symbolizes unity out of diversity, prayer affords an opportunity to recognize how Americans, despite their diversity, are unified in their spirituality with one another and with a higher being.



One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America by James P. Moore, Jr. Doubleday, 2005. p.466, 467

voluntarily joining in prayer together

The Founders of our Republic… knew that nothing, absolutely nothing, is so inclined to foster among religious believers of various faiths a toleration – no, an affection – for one another than voluntarily joining in prayer together, to the God whom they all worship and seek… To deprive our society of that important unifying mechanism, in order to spare the non-believer what seems to me the minimal inconvenience of standing or even sitting in respectful nonparticipation, is as senseless in policy as it is unsupported in law.


Justice Antonin Scalia, writing the minority opinion for Lee v. Weisman, a Supreme Court case regarding prayer during graduation ceremonies, in We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and about Students by Jamin B. Raskin (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2000) p.95 as quoted in One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America by James P. Moore, Jr. Doubleday, 2005. p.417

speak well of eachother

Speak well of each other. Think of the last time you were asked what you thought about how someone else was doing in your family or in the Church. It happened to me more than once in the past week. Now, there are times we must judge others. Sometimes we are required to pronounce such judgments. But more often we can make a choice. For instance, suppose someone asks you what you think of the new bishop.

As we get better and better at forging unity, we will think of a scripture when we hear that question: “And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged."

Realizing that you see others in an imperfect light will make you likely to be a little more generous in what you say. In addition to that scripture, you might remember your mother saying—mine did—“If you can’t say anything good about a person, don’t say anything at all.”

That will help you look for what is best in the bishop’s performance and character. The Savior, as your loving judge, will surely do that as He judges your performance and mine. The scripture and what you heard from your mother may well lead you to describe what is best in the bishop’s performance and his good intent. I can promise you a feeling of peace and joy when you speak generously of others in the Light of Christ. You will feel, for instance, unity with that bishop and with the person who asked your opinion, not because the bishop is perfect or because the person asking you shares your generous evaluation. It will be because the Lord will let you feel His appreciation for choosing to step away from the possibility of sowing seeds of disunity.



Henry B. Eyring, “Our Hearts Knit as One,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 68–71

the joy of unity

We know from experience that joy comes when we are blessed with unity. We yearn, as spirit children of our Heavenly Father, for that joy which we once had with Him in the life before this one. His desire is to grant us that sacred wish for unity out of His love for us.

He cannot grant it to us as individuals. The joy of unity He wants so much to give us is not solitary. We must seek it and qualify for it with others. It is not surprising then that God urges us to gather so that He can bless us. He wants us to gather into families. He has established classes, wards, and branches and commanded us to meet together often. In those gatherings, which God has designed for us, lies our great opportunity. We can pray and work for the unity that will bring us joy and multiply our power to serve.


Henry B. Eyring, “Our Hearts Knit as One,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 68–71

church welfare... has deep spiritual significance

To me the Church Welfare Program is more than just a plan to provide for the physical needs of the Saints. I am convinced that in addition to being a way of economic salvation in the days of necessity, it has deep spiritual significance; and that should other means always be available with which to supply the physical needs of the people, still the welfare plan or some similar program sponsored by the Church, under the direction of the Lord, requiring us to serve and minister to one another in temporal affairs, would be necessary in order to bring us to that oneness, equality, and "union" required by the laws of the celestial kingdom. (D&C 105:4)


Marion G. Romney, Marion G. Romney: His Life and Faith by F. Burton Howard. Bookcraft. Salt Lake City. 1988. P.117. Originally in remarks to regional representatives, October 3, 1980

In true marriage there must be a union of minds as well as of hearts. Emotions must not wholly determine decisions, but the mind and the heart, strengthened by fasting and prayer and serious consideration, will give one a maximum chance of marital happiness.

Spencer W. Kimball, "The Importance of Celestial Marriage," Ensign, Oct. 1979, 3

looking outward together

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery. French aviator and writer, author of 'The Little Prince', 1900-1944. 

Wind, Sand and Stars. 1939. P.288

strength in a quorum

I have learned over the years that the strength in a quorum doesn't come from the number of priesthood holders in it. Nor does it come automatically from the age and maturity of the members. Rather, the strength of a quorum comes in large measure from how completely its members are united in righteousness. That unity in a strong quorum of the priesthood is not like anything I have experienced in an athletic team or club or any other organization in the world.

Henry B. Eyring

"A Priesthood Quorum," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 43