Author Ted Gibbons passed away after a long battle with cancer. In honor of his memory and the wonderful insights he shared here on Meridian, we will continue to publish his work periodically. Cover image via Gospel Media Library.  Why was the rod Lehi and Nephi saw in vision made of iron? Why not rubber or Styrofoam or licorice? What does the Lord mean to convey to us with the concept of an iron rod? I drove around the neighborhood a few years ago, looking at rods—that is, fences and barriers and railings. I found a few made of vinyl, but the majority were made of metal: steel ..read more

Part II The meticulous research done by Terry Bohle Montague to find this story and spend hours with Norm Siebold probing the details is a big reason why T.C. Christensen’s new movie Escape from Germany, rings with such power. She compiled her work into a book called “Mine Angels Round About.” Read Part 1 of this article here. Missionaries evacuating from the southern and eastern parts of the mission came into the mission home all during that day. President Wood called several of those to a meeting where he told them the surprising news that Holland had closed its borders to everyone but those ..read more

Recently, in an effort to help us better understand charity, I wrote about the difference between love and charity.  Another method I have found that will help us understand charity is considering its opposite. Many times, in an effort to understand a difficult concept it helps to examine its opposite.  Alma used the law of opposites to help us understand how great his joy was upon his repentance.  “My soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain.” (Alma 36:20) In a 2016 conference talk, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught that the opposite of charity is pride.  We know ..read more

Cover image via ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Each year the Saints gather during the autumn season in General Conference to hear the word of the Lord from our Prophet. This is a very ancient pattern in the house of Israel, going back at least as far as the prophet Jacob (see Genesis 49). Moses commanded the Israelites to gather at the temple each year at the end of the harvest for the Feast of the Tabernacles. They were to live in temporary huts called sukkot for seven days of prayer and hearing the word of the Lord (see Leviticus 23:42-43). The occasion of King Benjamin’s final sermon wa ..read more

The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.  Regardless of worries that range from personal marital status and finances, to health and children, to “a thousand other things,” President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said the words of the Savior have never been more relevant than they are today. “Three times after His Resurrection, the Savior stands with his Apostles and says, ‘Peace be unto you’ and then added, ‘be not faithless, but believing’” (John 20:19-27), President Holland shared with leader ..read more

Here’s the story behind the story of the tense, inspiring and compelling new film, Escape from Germany, by TC Christensen, which tells of the Latter-day Saint missionaries who escaped from Germany just hours before World War II erupted. The story was originally researched by Terry Bohle Montague, who spent many months with Norm Siebold and other missionaries getting the story of those who faced this trembling ordeal. She wrote this into her book Mine Angels Round About, and Meridian first published this article in 2002 when Norm was still living. As it turns out, reality is just as exciting as ..read more

A cousin of mine just passed away. Becky was a great lady, and I’ll miss her a lot. She was also a writer, having written for farm magazines for years. She also wrote children’s books and books about people’s encounters with Bigfoot. But one of the things I will miss the most is the way she could find something positive in the hardest of situations. Becky was about three years younger than me, while her oldest brother, Kelly, was born only a year after me. When we were very young, Becky would tag along with Kelly and me, and I just viewed her as Kelly’s annoying little sister. But as time went ..read more

View the original post on Scripture Central.  “O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.” Helaman 5:9 The Know The famous speech King Benjamin gave from his tower near the Nephite temple was certainly well received by his people: “And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us” (Mosiah 5:2). However, wha ..read more

Recently one of my clients threatened to stab her roommate. A few months ago, another client pulled out a knife on his roommate. The first person said, “I never touched a knife; I only threatened her.” The second person said, “It was a folding knife and I never opened it.” So, the question is “Why threaten at all?” “What could you have done differently to resolve any problems?” How often are our words like knives? How often do we criticize? How often do we use cutting remarks? What an interesting choice of words when we say words “cut like a knife.” In the April 2024 General Conference, Elder ..read more

The Book of Mormon tells of Enos fervently calling upon God in prayer for his soul. As a result, he heard the voice of God telling him that his sins were forgiven, and he would be blessed. This week I was reading a commentary on Enos.  I noted a statement that said that Enos had his glorious experience with God following a five-step pattern. I agree with four of the steps: 1. Hear the word; 2. Let the word sink into our hearts; 3. Hunger for righteousness; 5. Raise your voice in prayer. Great! All of those are described in the Enos account and agree with my experience as I have sought Jes ..read more