Third Hour

Willard Richards was born on June 24, 1804, in Massachusetts. He was only 18 months older than Joseph Smith. Brigham Young baptized Willard into The Church of Jesus Christ on New Year's eve, 1836. By 1844, Willard stood incarcerated at Carthage Jail next to Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and John Taylor. The prophecy We don't know much about the circumstances of this prophecy. We don't know where it happened, nor who was there to hear it. All we do know is that Joseph probably gave it in 1843. According to History of the Church, Joseph Smith prophesied that, The time would come that the balls would fly around [Willard] like hail, and he should see his friends fall on the right and on the left, but that there should not be a hole in his garment. The attack On the afternoon of June 27, 1844, a mob of about 200 men rushed the jail. Soon, the captives were pushing back against a horde of men trying to break through the door. Musket fire rang... View the full article

I was in an informal conversation about current world events with several people, some of whom were of Jewish ancestry. Tragically, recent years have seen an increase in terrorist acts targeting Jewish people and their synagogues. One person in our group mentioned the centuries-old excuse some people have given for persecuting the Jews – that “they killed the Christian Messiah.” Dictators and despots from the late Roman era to Hitler justified persecuting and killing Jews at least in part on that completely false claim. Satan has promulgated that lie, and the deaths of untold millions of innocent Jewish men, women, and children has been the result. A shallow reading of the New Testament may bring people to assume that Caiaphas the High Priest and members of the Sanhedrin were culpable. Pontius Pilate relented to their demands and, after washing his hands symbolically, nevertheless gave the order to crucify. Roman soldiers carried out the crucifixion. But that small snapshot of history does not even come close to giving the true picture of... View the full article

A few years ago, I became a little obsessive about answering odd-end gospel-related questions. Some of them were things like, "How long does it take to get to Kolob?" while others were more personal yet extremely specific. To find answers to these questions I did some innocent seeking into past conference talks, CES devotionals and BYU speeches, mostly. I like to think of myself as a pretty devout Latter-Day Saint, so I wanted information from sources that would provide prophetic counsel. Honestly speaking, I didn't expect to be turned upside down so fast or to become as wildly confused as I did. I mean I was sincerely seeking answers and knocking on all the doors I thought were right, and that's the equation for spiritual revelation, right? But instead of having the mysteries of God unfolded before me, my vision of the gospel was getting cloudier with each talk that I read. I didn't understand why this was happening until I gained some insight into what it means to have... View the full article

Sometimes with our attempts at "home-based gospel learning" we can run dry on ideas. Never fear! In addition to our free "Come, Follow Me" resources, Third Hour has launched a FREE GOSPEL PRINTABLES treasure trove with contents related to all kinds of gospel topics. Whether you need coloring pages to keep your kids busy during sacrament meeting or a cute baptism gift (think these Article of Faith cards), we've got you covered! Just take a look! But there are more than just coloring pages for kids (or adults, no judgment) in our Perks section. It also contains a PDF version of Michael Ash's book Bamboozled by the CES Letter. In this book, Ash takes a systematic approach to attacks against the Church. This well-researched piece is a thorough analysis, with the table of contents alone being 5 pages long. Chapters include questions about the Book of Mormon and its translation process, polygamy, the First Vision, and the Book of Abraham. If you have questions about attacks you have heard, check out this book. There... View the full article

Israel Folau used to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2011, he left the Church and chose a different spiritual path with another Christian denomination. I wish him all the luck on his spiritual journey and I hope he finds what he's looking for. But it seems his journey recently took an unexpected turn. Folau, described as "Australia's most talented rugby player," is on thin ice with Rugby Australia. It's likely the organization will terminate his contract. Why? For this Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwEWt2uHcLI/ Rugby Australia said, Whilst Israel is entitled to his religious beliefs, the way in which he has expressed these beliefs is inconsistent with the values of the sport. Reactions to his post were mixed. Many people condemned the post, but many others applauded Folau's public religious stance: One comment read, Nothing but the truth💯 I’m with you in this one!! Keep doing you bro, better to stand by God & be judged by men than to stand by men & be judged by God💯🤞🏻 https://www.instagram.com/p/Btps6LyHC3R/ Another... View the full article

I remember that when I began to seriously read the scriptures I found God to be really manipulative, among other things. I was turned off by words and phrases like "vengeance," "justice," "wrath," and "persuasion." In the context of all of these words, persuasion seemed especially dark and formidable. If God was going to try to speak to me and have some sort of hidden agenda, then I didn't want to hear His argument at all! But that's just it: Heavenly Father doesn't have any hidden agenda. To believe this, it's important that we understand the differences between persuasion and manipulation and how they work in the context of a loving Heavenly Father. Understanding Persuasion and Manipulation My initial misunderstanding stemmed from having a poor idea regarding the nature of God, and of what persuasion is (unfortunately my K-12 English Persuasive writing lessons didn't help me here 🤦🏼‍♀️). Assuming you've had a similar misunderstanding, let's get on the same page and define what persuasion and manipulation actually are, and sprinkle it with... View the full article

A few months ago, around Christmas, a man in my ward gave a talk about Jesus Christ that completely blew me away. Seriously, I've been thinking about ever since. He said something to the effect of, "You know, we talk about how Jesus Christ was so kind to everyone and how He loved everyone, but the reality is that He actually offended a lot of people because He cared more about the truth than being liked." If you could have seen my face when he said that, you'd have been like, "Ew," because my eyes were probably bulging out of my head and my mouth was likely wide open. I mean, honestly, my personal mantra is basically the Michael Scott quote, "Would I rather be feared or loved? Uhm... easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me," so the idea of someone not liking me? It doesn't sit well with me, to say the least. But it's true — Jesus cared way more about... View the full article

With the recent burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, I am reminded of the principles of sanctification and restoration. It was interesting to see a mixed response concerning this majestic, ancient structure. Some mourned the destruction, as it stood as a piece of history, art, and culture in the community for over 8 centuries and was the subject of art and literature. Some mourned the event for its impact on future Catholic worship services. Some took the opportunity to take photographs in front of the burning structure as they grinned in celebration of the disaster; and many are taking to social media to berate those that mourn the loss of this building as they see it as a symbol of dark ages filled with brutality, death, molestation, and other evils carried out either within its walls or by those this building represents. While those atrocities are committed by people, the structure becomes the subject of harsh criticism. I’m humbled by President Nelson’s note to Pope Francis regarding being “heartbroken... View the full article

I think God takes great joy in behaving in unexpected, almost oxymoronic ways. Society, logic, and even scripture sometimes seem to indicate one outcome, and God reveals Himself in another, unexpected, way (sometimes the complete opposite way). For example... God's "oxymorons" (for lack of a better word) One would naturally think that in order to have a fulfilling life, one must solely focus on improving one's own life. It makes so much sense it almost looks weird to write down. But Christ says, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." One would naturally think that a divine "Savior" would come in power and great glory, treading his enemies under foot. That's what many ancient Jews expected. But Jesus Christ was born in a stable and grew up as a humble carpenter. Most unexpected. One would naturally think that to be truly free, there must be no laws or rules to tether us down. James E. Faust taught the gospel truth: "Obedience leads to true... View the full article

According to former member of the Church, Bill Reel, he is. In a Mormon Discussion podcast titled Elder Holland —Liar Liar Pants on Fire, Mr. Reel leveled accusations of deceit against Elder Holland that deserve to be addressed—and dismissed. Mr. Reel claims to have corresponded with Elder Holland at least once over the course his gradual exit from the Church that ended in his excommunication in December 2018. The alleged “lying,” not misstatements or inaccuracies, covers a nine-year span of a very public person who has made both prepared and off the cuff statements that must number in the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands. Of those thousands of statements, Mr. Reel claims that Elder Holland lied on five different occasions. Each one of these incidents will be addressed in order. Hyrum Smith’s Book of Mormon Mr. Reel represents that “Elder Holland claims to hold the very copy of the book of Mormon that Bethsheba [sic], Hyrum Smith’s wife, had in her possession from which Hyrum Smith,... View the full article

Have you ever wondered who you're supposed to be? What about who you want to be? Better yet, who does God want you to be? It's no wonder that we ask ourselves these questions when Sunday School lessons, church talks, Ensign articles, and your Patriarchal blessing always seem to touch on this subject. We even sing it in our hymns! "I'll be who you want me to be, dear Lord." Still, the agonizing bombardment of material like this doesn't end (or start) in our church buildings. Seemingly endless blog articles, YouTube channels and other opinionated know-it-alls yak in our ears with their ideas and solutions. They assume to know the answer to the kind of person that your community, country, or family needs you to be. Be a fighter, be loving, be positive, be carefree! It's not that any of these are bad things to be, but in all of the literature I've read, there seems to be one kind of person that goes unrecognized and unmentioned: the humble disciple... View the full article

In beginning to write this piece, I hashed out a fairly short explanation about why we celebrate Easter: Jesus, of course! I paraded on about the Plan of Salvation and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, but something just didn't feel right about it. Then I realized that while Easter is about Christ's Atonement, it's also about us! Maybe that's why my first draft just felt off— because I'd talked about Jesus Christ, but I'd left out why He made such a sacrifice. So in this article, rather than give you another lesson on the Plan of Salvation, I'd like to experience God's grace and majesty with you. To do this, I figured we'd focus on two important Easter-related topics: 1) You and 2) what Christ's Atonement really allows us to do. Joy to the World, the Lord is Come I know, I know! It's Easter, not Christmas. But with all that the Lord has done for us, it really feels like Christmas, every single day! When I think about what Christ's resurrection gives... View the full article

Sometimes we think if something is in the Bible or another holy text, it must have actually happened in real life. This outlook makes it a little difficult to explain things like how Jonah survived living inside a whale for a few days (in case you didn’t know, it’s highly unliekly that it's scientifically possible to do so) or why there’s a talking donkey in the Book of Numbers (also scientifically unlikely). So what do we do when the scriptures don’t seem to make any logical sense? Should we just blindly take whatever is in the Bible as a bonafide fact? I would argue no. A lot of us have made the mistake of assuming that scripture is a genre of its own, which is basically equivalent to calling Netflix a genre. The Bible, like Netflix, is a compilation of various different genres. Jonah and the whale, for example, is a satirical story — it doesn’t make sense scientifically because it was never meant to. Once we can pinpoint what kind... View the full article

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the details of extensive renovations to the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square. The renovations will take 4 years. Here are the details as quoted from the Newsroom: Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the pioneer-era temple will close December 29, 2019, and will remain closed for approximately four years while undergoing a major structural and seismic renovation. The temple is expected to reopen in 2024 with a public open house. “This project will enhance, refresh, and beautify the temple and its surrounding grounds,” said President Nelson. “Obsolete systems within the building will be replaced. Safety and seismic concerns will be addressed. Accessibility will be enhanced so that members with limited mobility can be better accommodated.” https://youtu.be/hC3RRp3vCMU The surrounding area on Temple Square and the plaza near the Church Office Building will also be affected as existing buildings are demolished and the area undergoes renovation and restoration. The existing annex and temple addition on the north side, which were built in the 1960s to... View the full article

After about 8-10 hours of general conference it can be difficult to keep track of all of the counsel our leaders give us. We got your back. We recently published an article that covered every bit of counsel that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave us during the conference. But due to time and space restraints, we omitted talks from the Quorum of the Seventy and other auxiliary leaders in that previous article. Never fear! If there was a talk you didn't see in the last article (ahem, Sister Eubank) it'll be HERE. Take a look at the table of contents below (organized by session, in order of appearance) and click on whose counsel you’d like to jump to. Enjoy! Saturday morning session Sister Becky Craven: "Careful versus Casual" Elder Brook P. Hales: "Answers to Prayer" Bishop W. Christopher Waddell: "Just as He Did" Saturday afternoon session Elder Mathias Held: "Seeking Knowledge by the Spirit" Elder Takashi Wada: "Feasting upon the Words of Christ" Elder David P. Homer: "Hearing His Voice" General Priesthood session Elder Carl... View the full article

Ours isn't the only Christian church to post a schedule of the final week of Christ's life during the Easter season. Knowing that the Jewish Sabbath is on Saturday and that Christ's body was taken down from the cross because the Sabbath was nigh, Christians have assumed that He was crucified on a Friday. The normal Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown Friday night. However, it takes more research into and experience with Judaism to truly visualize how sabbath days line up during Jewish holidays. As a Jewish convert to the Church who lived in Israel for 8 years, I have added to my experience...and to my research. During one Jewish holiday in Israel (Rosh HaShanah) we celebrated three sabbath days in a row. High Holy Days and Sabbaths High Holy Days in Judaism are all Sabbaths. If a High Holy Day falls on a Friday or Sunday, Jews celebrate two Sabbath days in a row, and since Rosh HaShanah (Jewish civil new year, or the Feast of Trumpets) is a two-day... View the full article

April 18 is a date engraved in our hearts. It is also engraved in stone. My wife, Janeal, and I would soon celebrate our second wedding anniversary. The afternoon of April 17th , at the obstetrician’s office, we heard the strong heartbeat of our daughter, a week overdue. We were overjoyed. Very soon we would hold her in our arms and welcome her to the world. That evening, Janeal started into labor. We excitedly hurried to the hospital. Just hours after hearing our baby’s strong heart, the nurse searched to hear it again. Another nurse tried, moving to every position. Then they placed a scalp lead. Nothing. The doctor arrived. More searching. Solemn faces announced the news before words were spoken. No heartbeat. In the early hours of April 18th, our daughter was born. We named her April Marie Hatch. Holding her limp body in my arms, I could see through my tears that she was beautiful, fully developed, perfect in every way. Except her spirit was no longer in her... View the full article

Marin Leggat Roper didn’t always want to be a dancer. In fact, for a long time she only thought of it as a hobby. That all changed in a dance class Roper took as an undergraduate at BYU. Her mentor, Caroline Prohosky, told her the world needed more creators and fewer analyzers. “For the first time I recognized how the process of dance and dance making was godly, in that it is about the creative process,” said Roper. After this realization, Roper says she ran straight to the advisement office to change her major to dance. “I just had a really powerful impression that [dance] was the life’s work I wanted to pursue,” said Roper. Marin Leggat Roper in India. Dance has allowed Roper to interact with and learn more about people of various cultures. (Courtesy of Marin Leggat Roper) Since then, dance has taken Marin across the world. She’s choreographed numbers with other dancers in India and learned different techniques from artists in New York. The collaborative nature of... View the full article

After about 8-10 hours of general conference it can be difficult to keep track of all of the counsel our leaders give us. We got your back. We've pored over every talk from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve and have compiled an extremely comprehensive list of all of their counsel. And they sure gave a LOT of it. Take a look at the table of contents (organized by session, in order of appearance) and click on whose counsel you'd like to jump to. Enjoy! Saturday morning session Elder Ulisses Soares: "How Can I Understand?" Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "Missionary Work: Sharing What Is in your Heart" President Henry B. Eyring: "A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells" Saturday afternoon session President M. Russell Ballard: "The True, Pure, and Simple Gospel of Jesus Christ" Elder Neil L. Andersen: "The Eye of Faith" Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: "Behold the Lamb of God" Saturday Priesthood session Elder Gary E. Stevenson: "Your Priesthood Playbook" President Henry B. Eyring: "The Power of Sustaining Faith" President Dallin H. Oaks: "Where Will... View the full article

May the fourth be with you! Every May 4th Star Wars fans around the globe don their Jedi robes and grab their lightsabers to celebrate one of the most well-known franchises in history. Between that amazing John Williams theme and those awesome graphics, what's not to love? Because of its popularity, there are Star Wars memes on just about every topic, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (I am still getting used to writing the full name out)! You have probably seen many of these before, but why not take another look in honor of Star Wars day? And FYI, the Church Office building goes all out on Star Wars day. Disclaimer: I do not own any of these memes. They were collected from a variety of sources. On parenting The reason you did bad on a test Forgetting Fast Sunday Search your feelings Forever families The Spirit of Elijah Entering the MTC Returning home Samuel the Lamanite Sin is so uncomfortable It's true, all of it I haven't heard that name in a long time Awful dance partners Go rethink... View the full article

Everyone wants to be happy. That is probably why the Plan of Salvation is also called the Plan of Happiness. But why is happiness so important to us? Harvard has been conducting an 80-year-long study on health, and they have found that happiness is one of the biggest factors in determining longevity. The Study Harvard began this study in 1938—the height of the Great Depression. They selected 268 Harvard sophomore men (among them future president John F. Kennedy) and began tracking their health. They recorded all sorts of physical and mental health data. In 1970, the study was expanded to include 456 Boston inner-city residents and, eventually, the more than 1,300 children of the men in both studies. Of the original subjects, 40 are still alive and in their 90s. The study itself has gone through its share of changes. Four researchers have led the study and each had something that they added to it. the first director, Clark Heath, focused on biological and genetic factors. The third director, George Vaillant, decided to... View the full article

I love Disney movies and I love Disney songs. Not only are they fun, but some of them teach eternal truths, dare I say, better than some of our own Primary songs! Here are a couple of my favorites: #1: Endless Night, The Lion King Alright, admittedly this song is translated from the Spanish Broadway production, but that doesn't mean it's message is any less true! Do you remember this scene? Simba has just as a spiritual visitation from his father, Mufasa, reminding him of who he really is. Well, like many of us, Simba's confused and dealing with issues from his past. In desperation he calls out to his father: You promised me that you would always be here. I don't know why you won't come when I call out to you. I try to hold on, yearning to hear your voice because maybe if I just hear you, I'll come to my senses. Have you said a prayer or two like this? So have I. In moments of desperation, it's difficult to... View the full article

Jane and Emma (now on DVD and digital) is the best Latter-day Saint film in years, and one of the very best in the 20 years since God’s Army launched the movement. With directness, compassion, and unflinching honesty, it addresses race relations in the early Church while delivering a message of faith in the Restored Gospel. It’s an impressive balance, achieved in the poignant, beautiful screenplay by Melissa Leilani Larson. She was kind enough to answer my questions about the film, our history, our doctrine, and the powerful examples of Jane Manning James and Emma Smith. JONATHAN DECKER: Why make this film now? Why is it relevant? MELISSA LEILANI LARSON: The film encapsulates a lot of firsts in Latter-day Saint cinema. A Black female protagonist for starts. Jane Manning James is a hero in every sense. Her story should not be new, but to many it is. Jane should be a household name—someone we mention and revere on a regular basis. Her friendship with Emma is just one facet of... View the full article

Few things are more devastating than learning that a partner’s been unfaithful. You commit yourself, your life, your time, your energy, and your heart to someone, and they betray all of it. How could they do this? Especially when they say they're sorry and that they love you. If they loved you, wouldn't they not have cheated? The thing to recognize, right out of the gate, is that affairs happen for many reasons, and your spouse's thought process may not be what you think it was. Of course, what they did was wrong. Period. But does your spouse legitimately care about you? How did this happen? Can you trust that they’ll never do this again? Let’s break these questions down. Do They Legitimately Care About You? Photo by mali maeder from Pexels On the surface, it seems that the answer is no, or at least he/she didn’t care about you more than themselves since they did something so selfish and damaging to you and your relationship. That answer, though valid, doesn’t speak... View the full article

Opinion I want to start off by saying that I did not serve a mission. I have, however, lived for an extended amount of time in a foreign country. As I’ve talked with people who have come back from foreign missions — especially people who have served in the same country I’ve lived in — the differences between serving a foreign mission and living abroad have become really apparent to me. Below are five reasons why I believe foreign-serving RMs shouldn’t claim to be “experts” on the country they served in. 1. You Weren’t Able to Immerse Yourself in the Culture On a mission, you have one goal — to preach the gospel. This means you will never be able to truly blend into the culture and the people of the country you’re serving in. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing; in fact, I think it helps missionaries focus on why they’re really there. But it does mean your cultural understanding might have some gaps. Take recreational activities,... View the full article