In Matthew 26:36-46, Jesus and his disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane. He instructed most of them to "Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder" (verse 36). He then took Peter, James, and John further into the garden, where he said to them, "Tarry ye here, and watch with me" (verse 38).…
I didn't draw this picture of Jesus; my son did, two years ago at the age of six. I've shared it before because it touches me. But I want to consider it from a different angle this time. If you hadn't seen this drawing before and I told you I drew it---recently---I bet you'd question…
In the lesser-known TV special It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown from 1992, there is a funny exchange between Peppermint Patty and her friend Marcie. Peppermint Patty wants to play the part of Mary in the upcoming school Christmas play. Marcie tells her multiple times that she, Marcie, has already been cast as Mary. But…
It's been a challenging year in a lot of ways for many people. We are anxious for 2020 to end. We look to the new year with optimism, hoping we can leave our troubles behind. Hope is important, of course, but let's make sure we keep a proper perspective. One of the things I remember…
We recently experienced a violent windstorm. As I walked and drove around our community, I saw yards and streets littered with fallen tree branches. Some of the branches were weak and brittle while others were healthy and vibrant. But in either case, they will soon wither and die without their attachment to the tree, their…
There I sat, listening intently to a lecture, minding my own business, when I noticed the cracks in the sole of my shoe. These are new shoes! I thought. Well, kind of new. Ok, maybe not that new. How long had it been? I don't know. But I remember they were pretty stiff when I…
Several Sundays ago---back in the old days when church was held at the meetinghouse---my 5-year-old daughter was sick, so she and I had "home church." I found myself unexpectedly teaching the lesson. I stood behind our makeshift microphone (actually a bamboo back-scratcher) with a mysterious object laid out on the pulpit (piano bench) in front…
The Church's Bible video that dramatizes the baptism of Jesus is beautiful. One of the most striking parts is when John lifts Jesus up out of the water and you see a brief white flicker in the shape of a dove that appears over Jesus's head. Recently I attended a baptism with my family and…
Testimonies are built and strengthened over time, but sometimes it's possible to look back and see bread crumbs along the way. For me, my testimony of Joseph Smith's First Vision has been strengthened over years of studying it, pondering it, praying about it, and even testifying to others about it. But one of the first…
After centuries of apostasy and darkness, the Heavens were opened once again on a Spring morning in 1820. On that day, God himself---the most powerful Being in the universe and creator of the world---appeared to a young Joseph Smith in answer to the boy's humble prayer. That visitation, that "First Vision," is among the most…
Scott B. Shepherd 