Third Hour

From an early age, I recognized something about me that constantly tormented my thoughts and wounded my heart. Despite being brought up on the belief that I am a “child of God” and that I’m loved, I never felt it. I never felt good enough, never felt that I would succeed spiritually. At one point in my teenage years, I developed the belief that I was inherently evil. I never showed those emotions and most people thought that I was happy. I vividly remember standing in my grade school hallway watching everyone shuffle to class and thinking, “I never want anyone to feel as alone as I feel.” So, I put on a smile and started making friends with just about everyone I came to know. Even though I was frequently hurting, I did find some comfort in the scriptures. I was only socially converted to the gospel, and semi-actively went to church with very broken faith. In my youth, I found some heroes in the scriptures. Naaman was a good... View the full article

My mom once said something that I think about all the time: "Why would you ever say anything to intentionally hurt someone else?" That's all I think about when I read through slews of comments on different articles on various sites, ranging the gamut from thoughtful and heartwarming to — for lack of a better term — just plain mean. As someone who has been victim to hateful comments on social media, it hurts my heart. Probably the same people that dub others "special snowflakes" will dislike this article; they'll say people are simply too sensitive. I have no doubt that there will be comments on this post from people (especially people who don't even read the article!) saying that others just need to toughen up. While we should always try not to be offended, that doesn't mean that others can say whatever they want — no matter how cruel or mean-spirited it may be — without consequences. People like to blame their hatefulness on others being "too sensitive," completely surrendering their... View the full article

The second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young, is often criticized by both members and nonmembers for some of the more controversial things he said and did. Personally, I think some of those criticisms are totally fair, but sometimes we focus so much on his flaws that we forget some of the incredible things he said and taught. Here are just 10 of them... 1. Something to never forget A good man, is a good man, whether in this church, or out of it. —Brigham Young 2. A worthwhile duty What is the duty of a Latter-day Saint? To do all the good he can upon the earth. —Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 3. Fair point Why should we worry about what others think of us, do we have more confidence in their opinions than we do our own? —Brigham Young 4. I need to work on this Pray as though everything depended on the Lord and work as though everything depended on you. —Brigham Young 5. A recipe for good parenting If you... View the full article

"Latter-day Saints ... you mean those people with the weird underwear who can't drink Coke?" There are countless rumors and misconceptions out there about what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do and believe. Some of them are so ingrained in our culture that even Latter-day Saints believe them! The quiz below is 10 questions long (plus a freebie) and is designed to get more difficult as you progress. If you've been a Latter-day Saint for a while, you're probably going to do fairly well. Your non-Latter-day Saint friends might not fare so well. Share the quiz and let's see how they do. View the full article

On June 10, 1844, Joseph Smith, who was the mayor of Nauvoo, and the Nauvoo city council ordered the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor and the press on which it was printed. The Nauvoo Expositor was an anti-Mormon newspaper that slandered the Prophet and other Saints and called for the repeal of the Nauvoo Charter. City officials feared that this publication would lead to mob action. As a result of the action by the mayor and city council, Illinois authorities brought an unfounded charge of riot against the Prophet, his brother Hyrum, and other Nauvoo city officials. The governor of Illinois, Thomas Ford, ordered the men to stand trial in Carthage, Illinois, the county seat, and promised them protection. Joseph knew that if he went to Carthage, his life would be in great danger from the mobs who were threatening him. Believing that the mobs wanted only them, Joseph and Hyrum decided to leave for the West to preserve their lives. On June 23, they crossed the Mississippi River, but later that day, brethren... View the full article

Let's face it—we have all kinds of conversations with our children throughout the course of the day but sometimes it can still be awkward bringing up deeper gospel topics if it's not something we are accustomed to doing. However, in a world where messages of all kinds (oftentimes contrary to our beliefs) are being conveyed to our families via various forms of media, it is even more important to have frequent discussions about gospel truths with our kids. Here are a few tips for parents needing guidance on how to successfully navigate gospel topics: 1. Spontaneity via Pixabay Sometimes we feel like in order to discuss something really serious, we have to set aside a special time, put on our Sunday clothes, and sit stiffly in a job-interview type format. This couldn't be further from the truth, especially when dealing with our children. Most of the time, a message is best received when our guard is down and we feel comfortable. This means you might jump into a conversation about temple marriage... View the full article

A new year typically calls for a fresh start and if you feel like your ministering efforts were sub-par last year, now is a great time to renew your commitment to serving your fellow man (or woman). Here are a few ways you can enrich your ministering this year: Do You Know Your Neighbor? It can be quite difficult to serve people if you do not know much about their life, their interests, their needs, their challenges. We don't need to know their deepest, darkest secrets, but it would help to know that their grandchildren are coming to visit next week, their wife has been ill for several days, or that they will be having surgery in a month. Find out a little more about your ministering brothers or sisters this year by making a visit, giving them a phone call, staying up on their social media posts, or sending them a text to see how everything is going. A Few of Their Favorite Things via Pixabay Just taking notice of your ministering... View the full article

C. S. Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis) is simply a theological genius in my book. Mere Christianity? Excellent. The Screwtape Letters? Timeless. The Chronicles of Narnia? Meaningful. Prophets and apostles quote him frequently, and for good reason. He offers incredible insights into religion and personal spirituality. Here are 13 of my favorite C. S. Lewis proverbs, provided by the Twitter account @CSLewisDaily, that I would be totally fine with canonizing as scripture right now. 1. How to measure the strength of temptation https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1084679287729311744 2. I want this slapped all over my living room in huge vinyl lettering https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1084420750650437633 3. Makes sense to me... https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1079603525502435329 4. Being a true Christian just got more difficult https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1082226606645497857 5. God doesn't necessarily care how "smart" you are https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1083275045307219969 6. How to love more fully https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1076756439056576512 7. For when you always feel like you should be doing more https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1070150899274735618 8. When you feel like God isn't answering your prayers https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1069084294591606784 9. Why do bad things happen to good people? https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1068060973141975040 10. Something everyone, especially missionaries, needs to hear https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1064356764638830593 11. Something to remember https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1049405303341498368 12. Sounds like a loving God to me https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1044427995472060416 13. YES, but also, YIKES! https://twitter.com/CSLewisDaily/status/1036820970755870720 What's your favorite C. S.... View the full article

The recent emphasis on gospel teaching at home has many parents plagued with flashbacks of failed FHE nights. It always sounds good on paper (or in the lesson manual), but putting things into practice can be quite the feat. Here are five common obstacles to having a successful family learning time and how to overcome them: Different Age Groups Having a family lesson with lots of different age groups can be compared to...herding cats. Let's face it—most families do not have a typical Primary or Sunday School class age span of a mere 12 months. You could have anything from toddlers to teens present for your home-taught gospel lessons. This range of ages definitely keeps you on your toes. My biggest piece of advice is to prepare in advance. While prayer and personal study is the number one way for parents to prepare, we also need to do everything within our power acquire teaching tools that we can use during the lesson. Some of these tools might include short inspirational videos, coloring pages,... View the full article

It was a spring Sunday around the middle of World War I when Edith Papworth boarded a double decker bus in London. As they drove on, a sign over the door of a big building caught her eye: "The Mormon Message to the World." "Mormon." The word sparked recognition. Her parents had warned her to be wary of those people. But for some reason, she couldn't pull her gaze away from that sign... Working as a Secret Emissary The young sixteen-year old had recently moved to London to work in the War Office. Although she started as a typist, soon Edith and another young woman were chosen for secret missions: transporting military messages to British forces in German-occupied France. While she considered it a "thrilling" opportunity, Edith came to understand the dangers involved. Some of her fellow workers in the War Office had been imprisoned and killed. The pair was given some rules for their own safety. Chew up the messages and swallow them if you're captured by the Germans. Do not open and... View the full article

After hours spent devouring J-14, Tiger Beat, and Teen People, there was one thing my 12-year-old self could say with absolute certainty: gossiping was fun. Could you BELIEVE J-Lo's outfit that week? And did you hear that TV's beloved "newlyweds" Jessica and Nick broke up? (I'm still not over that, by the way.) Being in the know and having all the latest information was thrilling, and I loved it. I was an avid participator in "Who Wore it Best" polls, a "Compare People" (does anyone else remember this absolutely horrific app?!) addict, and a serial magazine-at-the-check-out-line browser. I'll be truthful: I still have a weakness for pop culture. I still like to be in the know. Honestly, I'm still probably a little nosy! But I learned pretty early on, thankfully, that gossip hurts — and that there is always someone (even if it's someone who is seemingly untouchable, like a celebrity) on the other side of every rumor, jab, and hushed whisper. What Counts as Gossip, Anyway? I think the Wikipedia definition of... View the full article

We Latter-day Saints are known for some pretty unorthodox beliefs, but our teachings about Heaven, while different, are absolutely beautiful, comforting, merciful, inspiring, motivating, ethical, and logical all at the same time. For those that aren't familiar with our doctrines about Heaven, here's a brief review and some thoughts on why this teaching is so awesome: Telestial, Terrestrial, Celestial Latter-day Saints believe there are three degrees or "kingdoms" of Heaven. God the Father lives in the highest degree of Heaven, called the Celestial Kingdom. The people that inherit the Celestial Kingdom after the Resurrection and Final Judgment are those who accept Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, strive to keep the commandments, and receive certain ordinances by proper authority, such as baptism. The people that will live here are people who desire to live here. They want to become "joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17) and dedicate themselves to becoming more like Him during their mortal lives. The next kingdom down is called the Terrestrial Kingdom. Those that go here are good people, but people "who were blinded... View the full article

I should have said something. I should have said nothing. Why did I do that? Why didn’t I do that? I should have chosen differently. If any of these cutting thoughts sound familiar, well... welcome to humanity. Sometimes these regrets center around the bad things we’ve done. And other times they’re simply tied to missed opportunities that can add up to something significant. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf once told the story of a nurse who cared for those with terminal illnesses. Upon being asked what they would have changed about their lives, many patients gave similar answers. These answers can be condensed into three big regrets we can all definitely learn from: 1. "I wish I had spent more time with the people I love." Our world seems to be moving at a faster and faster pace. Weirdly enough, I know plenty of people, myself included, who sometimes view their busyness as a “badge of honor,” as Elder Uchtdorf puts it. In the hustle and bustle of modern life, we have... View the full article

After President Russell M. Nelson announced that the Church would gravitate away from using the word 'Mormon' to identify ourselves, we at ThirdHour.org began to brainstorm a new name for our website, which was then called MormonHub.com. The possibility that the Sunday schedule would be shortened had not become a reality yet. It was just in the rumor mill. We loved the name Third Hour, however, and just as we were about to make it so, the Sunday meeting schedule was indeed shortened. True to our new name, we want to help make your third hour of study at home a great success. So we are launching a section of our website dedicated to Come Follow Me resources. These resources are being created by our design and content departments and are absolutely free. You can access these resources from our homepage. The portal can be found at the upper right corner of the page, or you can use the drop-down menu under the Resources tab. When you click on the Come Follow... View the full article

God wants to work with us, not for us. Somewhere inside, we all know that's true. It's a no-brainer. Yet, we oftentimes still approach God hoping that this time, He'll cut us some slack and do us a solid without requiring any effort on our part—but that's just not how this prayer thing works. Elder Scott's bombshell of a talk via lds.org Back in '91, Elder Richard G. Scott gave a great talk called Obtaining Help From the Lord. In it, he talks about the challenge of petitioning God for certain blessings: True, the Lord has said, 'Ask, and ye shall receive.' (D&C 4:7.) But He also declared, 'Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.' (D&C 9:7.) It is evident that He intends that we do our part. But what, specifically, are we to do? No one would expect to receive a result from physical law without obeying it. Spiritual law is the same. As much as we want... View the full article

With the new emphasis on gospel teaching at home, many parents are intimidated by the thought of transplanting a 50 minute Sunday School lesson into their living room. As the mother of eight children, I have had a successful (and unsuccessful) lesson or two with kids of all ages. Here's what I have learned to do (and not to do) whether you want to teach your children about Lehi's Dream or the principle of honesty. 1. For Heaven's Sake, Don't Call it a "Lesson" via Pixabay Call it a game, a chat, a story, or a snack...but do NOT call it a lesson! Games get a "yay!" Stories pique interest. Snacks call to children's never-ending appetites. But lessons result in eye-rolls as kids get visions of having to sit still for an hour straight and flashbacks of every boring lecture about the Old Testament they have ever had. So...wording is extremely important here! Say the right word and you will get an amazing response! I promise. 2. Time is of the Essence via Pixabay This can be tricky when... View the full article

Years ago, in the interest of finding topics to write about, I created a Google alert for news stories relating to the Church. Ever since I get a daily dose of the Church’s media coverage some of it is positive (“precious little” is probably more accurate) and the rest is an unruly mob of articles complaining about Church policy, doctrine, leadership, supposed scandals, and culture. As I’ve perused the headlines or dived deeper into articles that I thought might give rise to discussion, I have come to appreciate why some people face challenges to their testimony as a result of extended time on the Internet. I have sometimes found myself caught up in the maze of online information to the point that it shakes my testimony a bit. The Internet is a unique source of information and opinions: Vast and unvetted. It is a remarkably democratic forum, to which scholarly thinkers, everyday Joes, and basement-dwelling crackpots all have an equal opportunity to contribute. As such, it can affect public opinion... View the full article

I was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) near the end of April 2017 on a Saturday evening. It was a surreal experience hearing the Stake President, after prayerful and painful consideration, say, "It is my responsibility to inform you that you are excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints..." followed by some instruction that I don't recall paying attention to, which I later received again. I knew it was coming, but that did not ease the burden. At that moment I had empathy for Adam (Doctrine and Covenants 29:39-45) the first of all mankind when God expelled him and Eve from the Garden of Eden for disobedience...I mean, we are all in a fallen state because of our first parents, but it's mighty different when you are told to leave, no matter how much love and compassion is shown and expressed by the leader. I sat with my family in sacrament meeting the next morning in a pew near the back of the... View the full article

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints might seem awfully mysterious to those who haven't been inside one before. That's truly unfortunate because it leads many people to believe we're a religion with something to hide. The fact is that there are some things we consider extremely sacred and don't share outside the temple, but we're also anxious for everyone in the world to experience the full mystery of the temple firsthand. It's one of the reasons we have tens of thousands of missionaries throughout the world. There are a few aspects of the temple so sacred we're asked not to discuss them publicly. But sometimes we Latter-day Saints interpret that to mean we can't talk about most anything we do in the temple. That's simply not true. So, while there are a few things I can't won't talk about here, most of what we do in the temple is shareable. In fact, most of the more detailed descriptions of temple worship included in this article are quotes from scripture and... View the full article

One of the most memorable Relief Society classes I've attended centered around the divine nature of women. A sister brought up Heavenly Mother and what she imagined interacting with Her would be like. Everyone fell silent and many sisters had nervous looks on their faces. Personally, more than anything, I was surprised and intrigued. You see, that was the very first (and since then only) time I'd heard someone freely talk about Heavenly Mother at church... or really, anywhere. The teacher quickly changed the subject, but my mind stayed right there. That Sunday sparked a curiosity in me about our Heavenly Mother. Why don't we know more about Her? Is it really not okay to talk about Her? In my pondering and research, I discovered that we actually know more about our Mother in Heaven than I thought. Unfortunately, some of this knowledge has been hiding behind long-held myths and traditions. Here are four common misconceptions I found out aren't actually true: 1. We should not talk about Heavenly Mother because the subject is... View the full article

There are few things in life that I find more intriguing than stories of people being raised from the dead — and this story about Joseph Smith and early Church member William Huntington did not disappoint. William Huntington related the story of this miracle to Levi Curtis, another early member of the Church, and Levi recorded the following: "He said he had been sick some weeks and kept getting weaker, until he became so helpless that he could not move. Finally he got so low he could not speak, but had perfect consciousness of all that was passing in the room. He saw friends come to the bedside, look at him a moment and commence weeping, then turn away. He further stated that he presently felt easy, and observing his situation found that he was in the upper part of the room near the ceiling, and could see the body he had occupied lying on the bed, with weeping friends, standing around as he had witnessed in many cases where... View the full article

People Magazine for MSN has reported that Jimmy Osmond suffered a stroke while performing. Osmond, 55, is the youngest of the performing siblings and has been starring as Captain Hook in a pantomime performance of Peter Pan at the Birmingham Hippodrome theater in Birmingham, England. Osmond powered through his performance and then was taken immediately to a hospital. The incident occurred on December 27th in an evening performance. As reported by the BBC, Osmond expressed gratitude to well-wishers and said he intended to take time off in the New Year. “Everyone here at Birmingham Hippodrome has been deeply saddened to hear of Jimmy’s sudden illness,” Birmingham Hippodrome’s chief executive Fiona Allan said, according to BBC News. “Jimmy loved being a part of the Hippodrome’s well-renowned panto, and his portrayal of Captain Hook was both dastardly and heartwarming,” she continued. “He won the adoration not just of our audiences, but also of all our staff — we all send Jimmy and his family very best wishes for a speedy recovery,” Allan concluded. Osmond's older sister Marie posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marieosmond/status/1079822761911037954 Her tweet has... View the full article

I'm a big fan of video memes, but I've recently had a falling out with my video meme app. As a coping mechanism I've baked up a fresh batch of 23 delicious new non-video memes to get your 2019 started off right. Feel free to save and share these images on your social media, but please link back to this article or find another way to attribute appropriately. Enjoy! 1. Upgrading... 2. We sympathize with the struggle... 3. Sometimes we get a little defensive... 4. How it seems sometimes... 5. Bedtime for traditional Trinitarians... 6. Not Eliza R. Snow's best work... 7. Waaay too relatable... 8. Gotta stay warm somehow... 9. Some questions don't have answers... 10. A bit of lesser-known Church history for you... 11. Sometimes you have to draw the line 12. Every time I read this chapter... 13. Spoiler alert 14. After ten minutes, moms are looking for plane tickets 15. 16. 17. Oh my... 18. If this ain't the truth... 19. When you try to share the gospel in a comments section... 20. If it's happened to you, you understand perfectly 21. Dexter's Laboratory fans will... View the full article

The Church events of 2018 were all about growth, change, and preparation for the second coming. From fulfilling prophecies given by Joseph Smith, to ending a historical relationship with the Boy Scouts of America, there are several events taking place in the Church. But what do all these changes mean? Well, you can probably think of a lot of ideas. However, I want to focus on what I think are the two most important takeaways from all the new changes coming in the future. We Move Forward as Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints One of the first church events of 2018 was President Nelson's encouragement to re-focus on how we refer to the Savior's Church. The Lord commanded his disciples, "Whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do in my name; therefore, ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake." (3 Nephi 27:7) The Church's full name clearly announces... View the full article

During a cordial religious discussion with a close friend and well-read Assembly of God minister, the topic of grace came up. He said, “The Mormon notion of salvation by grace is completely different from ours.” My response was, “I’ll challenge that assumption and I will do it using only the Book of Mormon.” I then asked him to tell me what he understood about salvation by grace. When he finished, I told him that there was no difference from what he believed and what the Book of Mormon taught. What is Grace? Painting by Walter Rane, via LDS.org Grace is everything given to you over and above what you deserve. This is a more difficult concept for millennials to grasp due to a general sense of entitlement. In fact, you do not even deserve to be here on earth with a body and agency let alone your birth into highly privileged, even elite circumstances. Those are a gift from a God that is full of grace and truth. So grace... View the full article