In ancient times, in the absence of a temple, the Lord’s prophets might summit a mountain to find a holy place to commune with him. The example that often comes to mind is Moses receiving the commandments upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18–20). Abraham and Isaac climbed a mountain to perform the sacrifice the Lord had directed them to (Genesis 22:2). In the Book of Mormon, we read of two other prophets who conversed with the Lord atop mountains: Nephi when he needed directions how to keep the Lord’s commandment to build a ship (1 Nephi 17:7), and the brother of Jared when he required help with some logistics of his own journey (Ether 3:1). Jesus Himself climbed mountains to pray (for example, in Matthew 14:23).

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Language is a fascinating concept to me. Both concrete objects and abstract ideas are represented by combinations of sounds we make with our mouths. Very small children begin to learn it before they can learn many other things. A linguistics professor I took a couple classes from in college believed that language is the only thing that sets humans apart from animals—so for him, it was significant.

Of course, the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that there’s much more than the capacity for speech that sets humankind apart.

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So many things in life can pull us down. We all know what I’m talking about, so I’m not going to take the time and space to list the possibilities. That in itself can be discouraging.

Let’s talk instead about the countermeasures.

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By David Armstrong

Life is a test. We have all heard that statement many times. What is amazing about this particular test, however, is how God has rigged it so we can succeed, guaranteed.

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By Christine Stuart

When we are in the midst of a trial, especially one that has happened in such a way that we could not possibly control, it is hard to remember to be patient. I think of the pioneers of the Willie and Martin handcart companies in relation to the Parable of the Accident and the Snowstorm, as they certainly did not ask for winter to come so suddenly or in all its fury. Just as Maddie did not wish to be caught in the storm.

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