Three Gifts a Modern-Day Wise Man Can Give

In honor of the Christmas season, here are three gifts a modern-day wise man can give the Savior that won’t cost you a penny.

Supporting Children with Invisible Special Needs at Church

“The body [of the Church] hath need of every member, that all may be edified together.”

Doctrine and Covenants 84:110

I think it’s safe to say that most people want to be tolerant and loving towards people with disabilities. We wouldn’t hesitate to make accommodations for a person with physical limitations or to someone who is deaf or has a visual impairment. However, there has been a significant rise in the number of young children diagnosed with what can be classified into a group called invisible special needs. Society in general is lagging behind when it comes to supporting these children and their families. What’s worse is that many families are being pushed out of their own churches, the very places that should be the most compassionate and accepting.

What is an “invisible” special need? Autism Spectrum Disorders (Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Pervasive Development Disorder), Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, learning disabilities, developmental delays, mental and emotional difficulties, anxiety, and giftedness are some of the most common special needs that would fall into this category. Kelly Priest (a school counselor and mother to a son with Asperger’s) gave the following definition:

“Kids who seem pretty typical much of the time, but have significant trouble, of neurodevelopmental origin, with self-regulation, social interaction, friendships, flexibility, abstract thinking, sensory management, attention, language and communication, and self-advocacy. Special, yes, in some ways … but ordinary kids in some ways too.”

It is likely that in a large church congregation of 200-300 people there are probably at least 5-10 children and teenagers who have invisible special needs. It’s also important to note that not every child with challenges will have an official diagnosis, but they still might need extra support at church just as they would at home or at school. For church leaders, teachers, and church attendees, here are 12 ways you can support children with invisible special needs and their families at church:

3 Lessons Fatherhood Has Taught Me About God

Every once in a while an event occurs in our lives that teaches us something about the true meaning of life and offers us a glimpse into the eternities. For my wife and me, one of those events occurred earlier this year when, after more than three years of trying unsuccessfully to have children on our own, we were able to adopt our sweet baby girl. More than anything else, becoming a father has helped me gain a better understanding of the nature of our relationship with God. So, while I certainly realize that I am only at the beginning of this great adventure called parenthood (and have a LOT more to learn), here are just three of the lessons I have found most meaningful during my short time as a father. 

10 Mormons Explain Why They Were Sealed in the Temple

Have you ever driven past a Mormon temple and wondered what happens inside?

Temples are holy places of worship where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participate in sacred ordinances performed by the authority of the priesthood. Temple ordinances lead to the greatest blessings available through the atonement of Jesus Christ. One temple ordinance is celestial marriage, in which a husband and wife are sealed to one another for eternity.

"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." -Matt. 16:19

Through a temple sealing, a husband and wife and their children can have the promise of being an eternal family. For Latter-day Saints, the covenants they make in the temple (bound on earth) will last forever (be bound in heaven), if they stay worthy.

Below, ten Mormons explain why they were sealed in the temple:

1. Tiffany, Utah. Married August 2009 in the Mt. Timpanogos, Utah temple.

"I got married in the temple because I knew it was the right way back to our Father in Heaven. I loved my husband so much and wanted to be sealed to him forever. I also only wanted my children to be born into an eternal family. It was the only way for me."

Lessons on Love - 5 Reasons My Husband is Perfect... for Me.

No one is perfect and no marriage is perfect, but I have a husband who is absolutely perfect for me. Here are five traits that make him one of the greatest husbands of all time, and the lessons I’ve learned from him.

1. Be your spouse’s greatest cheerleader

My husband is a dreamer. He has goals, dreams, ambitions and the initiative to get out and get them. The awesome part about him though, is that he realizes that I have my own dreams and aspirations, and he does his best to support me. I reach my goals because he is my greatest cheerleader. I trained and ran a marathon and I owe my success to him. He coached me, ran many of my training routes alongside me, and carted our kids along the marathon course so he could be at different milestones to cheer me on.

2. Make your spouse your No. 1 priority

Before we got married, we decided that outside of Heavenly Father and the Savior, our spouse would be the most important person in our lives. Our children, parents, siblings, etc. would be secondary or tertiary in importance. At times it has been a struggle for me to maintain; Richard simply doesn’t come screaming to me for attention or throw temper tantrums, as do our 3 kids. I am always first to my husband though. We’ve also decided together that we don’t speak negatively about one another to our family members or friends. We can trust each other to be loyal. Consequently, our children will grow up expecting no less from their spouses.

3. Dating your spouse keeps the excitement and interest alive

As poor college students, we had a lot of fun dating and we still do. Marriage is fun and should stay that way. It takes time to prepare and think of things that are different from the norm (i.e., movie on the couch with popcorn…although we love those too). Three of our favorite stay at home dates have been setting up dollar store army men and knocking over each other’s guys with rubber bands; roasting marshmallows on the grill and watching the stars; and making desserts with odd ingredients and playing board games. Get creative and do something different!

4. Be thoughtful and find fresh ways to surprise your spouse.

Richard is extremely thoughtful. After a rough day, sometimes he will escort me into the bathroom where he’s drawn me a bath and give me a book so I can just relax or make a dinner (which usually entails a breakfast food). I can tell he thinks about me and is always willing to find a way to surprise me or lighten my load. When he does things for me, I find myself more willing and excited to do the same for him.

5. Treat your spouse with kindness and respect

My husband has never once raised his voice or intentionally said anything to me that is demeaning or unkind. I have never met a gentler, kinder person, with the exception of his mother; which is important. Because his parents treated one another with kindness, my husband does the same for me. I know my children will grow up having had the example from their father that husbands are to treat their wives and children with kindness and respect.

There is room to improve in every marriage. My husband, as good as he is, still needs to learn to appreciate chick flicks, especially Jane Austen. Here’s hoping that with enough time and brownies as bait and reward, maybe he can be won over.

– Natassia Scoresby 

Three lessons from the Eternal Week

Earlier this month my wife and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. Also, earlier this month marked four years since my father passed away. We had been preparing for both events for months, but never expected them to happen within the same week. It was a whirlwind experience full of happy tears and tears of mourning, but that time helped give me a deeper perspective on what this life is all about. The week was eternal--both in length and meaning. Here are three lessons I learned.

Love thy Neighbor 

The morning after my father passed, I attended church with my mother, sister, brother-in-law, and soon-to-be wife. We received handshakes, hugs, and all forms of condolences as we walked into the chapel. I’ll never forget the opening prayer of the meeting as a sister in the ward expressed sincere love and appreciation for my family, and prayed that we would receive special blessings of strength and comfort during this time. At that moment the spirit hit my heart with such piercing power and I felt an overwhelming sense of love around us from our friends and neighbors.

The Plan of Happiness 

I have thought that all we needed was someone in the family to have a baby and we would have had every major event in this life covered in one week. Birth, marriage, and death. There were multiple special and sacred moments that week that solidified my testimony of the Plan of Salvation. I know we lived with our Father in Heaven before we came to earth, and I know that we can return to live with him and have an opportunity to live with our families again.

Strength in the Savior 

I saw a quote by the pioneer prophet Brigham Young that read “We went West willingly--because we had to.” That sums up my explanation as to how I got through that week. Just as the early pioneers of the Church left their lives behind to go to the Salt Lake Valley, we willingly did everything because we had to and there was no other way. At the end of it all, I was both physically and emotionally exhausted, but I had never felt closer to my Savior and Father in Heaven and felt a deep inner strength moving forward.

I know that Jesus Christ is there for us, He will not leave us comfortless, but will lift us up and give us strength when needed. That is the most important lesson anyone can learn.