Letters to a Young Mormon

by Adam S. Miller

This book is composed as a series of Letters. The letters are meant for a young Mormon who is familiar with Mormon life but green in his or her faith. The author, philosophy professor Adam S. Miller, imagined himself writing these letters to his own children. In doing so, he struggled to say his own piece about what it means to be -- as a Mormon -- free, ambitious, repentant, faithful, informed, prayerful, selfless, hungry, chaste, and sealed. The letters do little to benchmark a Mormon orthodoxy. That work belongs to those called to it. Here, Miller's work is personal. He means only to address the real beauty and real costs of trying to live a Mormon life and hopes to show something of what it means to live in a way that refuses to abandon either life or Mormonism. This second edition of Letters to a Young Mormon , includes all the content of the original, well-loved book, with added chapters on the Sabbath and stewardship, as well as a new preface by the author, which provides additional framing and context for his writing.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, Spirituality, Inspirational, Mormonism, Faith

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 2, 2018

Reviews

[Brandon Redfern · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book 10 stars I would. I read a lot but I read business/self-improvement books that speak to tactics and mindset. I’ve never been one to read poetry or “literature”. In other words I’ve never really read something I would call “beautiful”.

Well ... this book was beautiful, it touched me profoundly. Not just the ideas but the words. Other than the scriptures I’ve never stopped to ponder as much as I did while reading ‘Letters’. His thoughts on works, the Sabbath, History and Faith were my favorite but really it was all special. He brought new perspectives that I’d never thought of in almost every chapter.

In the last few days since finishing, I’ve gone back to it many times and as my wife reads it I love hearing her thoughts. This book was a blessing to me and one that will be gifted many many times.

[conor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first edition last year and found it thought-provoking. I think reading through this time I was even more impressed. The two essays that are added are quite good. There's nuggets and tidbits to think about scattered throughout.

Adam has a strong Pauline vibe to his thought, which is evident here in the presence of grace & dying in Christ (and promise to be around in spades in his upcoming book). I find a lot of Adam's work compelling and insightful and always worth engaging with. I don't agree with everything he writes, but I don't think he demands that of the reader. I might do some more explicit engagement with specific sections of the book on my blog, but for now, I think this is well worth the attention of all Mormons, young or old.

And I'm inspired to try my hand at writing my own version, a translation or something of Adam's work, so we'll see how that works and comes together.

[Exponent II · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam S. Miller’s Second Edition of Letters to a Young Mormon is not quite 100 pages, but it is a slim volume meant for savoring and slow reading. The book is written as a series of letters from the author to his children on topics ranging from temples to agency to hunger. New to this edition are two additional letters on the Sabbath day and stewardship, along with expanded material in the letters on sin, science, and sex.

Miller’s work does a beautiful job achieving his self-stated goal of addressing “the real beauty and real costs of trying to live a Mormon life.”...



To read the rest of this book review, please visit the Exponent blog here: https://www.the-exponent.com/christma...

[Erin Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to buy this book so I can reference it frequently. Thoughtful prose about ideas I’ve always known about but have never thought about in the ways he describes. “We need prophets, not idols. Our prophets and leaders will not turn out to be who you want them to be. They are not, in fact, even what God might want them to be. But they are real and God really can, nonetheless, work through their imperfections to extend his perfect love.”

[Amara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting at all. Short essays on living your faith. Philosophy, but with a very practical bent. I wish this book had a different name. Great for me, great for everyone trying to get nearer to God, although a couple of essays are focused on ordinances, and other things specific to our church. I still think the essays on faith, etc. are universal.

[Lizzie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Miller is an unbelievably impressive thinker. I read that he's a philosophy professor and that makes absolute sense once you read his work. His deep study produces simple and palatable thoughts, which is fascinating. You would think that deep study would produce abstract thought and abstruse conclusions, but instead he makes difficult concepts much simpler and purer. For example, his explanation of the Sabbath Day being a way for us to live heaven now instead of waiting until death completely blew me out of the water. I couldn't believe I'd never heard it put that way before. Reading these essays was like having a perfectly comfortable gospel conversation with an especially brilliant friend who was willing to explain his brilliance kindly and slowly.

I would go so far as to say that Adam Miller is a modern-day Latter-Day Saint version of C.S. Lewis. And I did my Master's thesis on C.S. Lewis- I have a profound respect for the man so I do not say that lightly. I highly, highly recommend this read.

I now want to read anything this man has written.

[Ashley]

New favorite religious work! Quick read that I found profoundly moving and thought-provoking. There are several lines that made my jaw-drop with the depth of the author’s insight.

This is NOT a work meant to explain tenets of the LDS religion or theology. Rather, is a personal commentary on how to navigate life as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Therefore, I would highly recommend it to those who are extensively familiar and comfortable with LDS doctrine and culture and would suggest that those who are not may not find this particular book worthwhile or interesting.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a bit conflicted about this book. There were parts where I was really intrigued, and that provoked a great deal of thought and brought about insights I might not otherwise have had. But then there were other parts where I felt the author hadn't clarified his thoughts enough to make sense to the reader (especially if he/she were a teenager!) or that were unnecessarily complicated or obfuscated. Having said that, here are some of my own takeaways:

1. "The gap between theory and practice is often biggest with the simplest things." I don't think that is just with the gospel, either. I have seen that same thing with my college students (both young and old), in that when something is simple, they don't feel they need to practice to "get it."

2. With care and attention, bent nails can be straightened and then used for the same purpose for which they were originally intended. Repentance (change) is the process, but care and attention are needed, both from the repentant individual and from his/her family and friends.

3. Like divine grace, love is a gift, not a reward. It can only be given freely, but can be given in any circumstance. The best way to develop the capacity to love is to avoid seeking to possess it, and focus instead on giving it. Love is a verb, and like any other action, the best way to do it is to do it.

4. In all truly important ways, it's best to focus on process over outcomes. "Do what you can...and let things happen as they may. The action, not its fruit, is your business." Both western and eastern philosophers have recognized the principle involved, often illustrated as the arrow versus the target. Stoic philosophers suggested the dichotomy of control, in which what I control is my aim, the quality of the arrow, my focus, and so forth. But once I release the arrow, it's out of my control, and whether it hits the target is subject to influences that are not under my control.

5. "Faith isn't the opposite of knowledge. Rather, like love, faith perfects knowledge by practicing fidelity to it."

6. "The substance of a prayer is this willingness to remember, to heave your wandering mind back, once more, in the direction of God...To pray is to practice remembering God."

7. "If you're not careful, you'll live your life from front to back. You'll start at the beginning and stop at the end. Drawn along by your hopes and fears, you'll spend your whole life waiting to see how your story is going to end...Your life will turn into a waiting room." I don't think that is comprehensively true for any of us, but we all certainly do that at least a little, and for some of us (fellow future thinkers!) it may be true often. All too often I find myself looking forward to "what's next," even when what is happening in the present is a source of joy and satisfaction.

I have to say that the chapter on the Sabbath was my favorite, and for me, the most actionable. But that's just me - others will find that different thoughts in this book "speak" to them more powerfully.

8. "With the Sabbath, God makes the end arrive early. In fact, with the Sabbath, he makes the end arrive every seven days." We get closer to redemption when we "look forward to Christ by living as though he had already come again. We enter into the rest of the Lord by practicing a sabbatical way of live."

9. "On the Sabbath, we do things for their own sake. We do the work that we do out of love." Not a bad way to lead the rest of our lives, either!

10. "God is prying open our eyes and ears. Who has ears to hear? God speaks both scripture and science." We are instructed to study all things that are expedient (D&C 88:78), that God will speak to us in our minds and in our hearts (D&C 8:2). It's pretty clear that we should read, study, and ponder widely, and learn all that we can.

11. "Gratitude makes it possible to care. And only the patient and persistent practice of care can qualify us as faithful stewards."

12. And a fitting close to the book: "Eternal life is just like doing what you're doing right now, but doing it the way God himself would do it." Learning what that looks like, and developing the capacity to do it fully and consistently seems to me to be the project of a lifetime - and beyond.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. I’m just posting quotes that I liked a lot from each section below so I can find them later. Overall I thought it was thoughtful and I agreed with a lot of it. If more of Mormonism felt like this book, it would feel a lot more welcoming to me in general. I like this type of book.

Eternal Life
Eternal life is God’s kind of life. Rather than just measuring a life span, “eternal” names a certain way of being alive, a certain way of holding life as it passes from one moment to the next
Hunger
Hunger marks your openness to the world, your dependence on it, your vulnerability to it.
Stewardship
Stewardship is a way of being in the world that’s grounded in gratitude
Thinking ourselves mighty, pretending to be lords rather than stewards, we risk condemning our own children and grandchildren to inherit a barren world
To fulfill our responsibilities as stewards, we can’t just act alone. To be a steward is to acknowledge that our lives are intertwined and that our breath is shared
The world gives and I take. I give and the world takes. In and out. Inhale and exhale. Life is continually lent back and forth between us like two lovers beneath the waves, sharing in turn a single breath.
I sacrifice myself for the world, and the world sacrifices itself for me.
Breath is a good test case for how thin the line is between familiarity and fragility
It’s easy to take shelter in what’s familiar. When something is familiar, we can get by without actually paying attention.
Guessing at the world more than seeing it, we miss a lot of what could be seen. And, with so much of the world unseen, there is plenty of room for things to hide. In particular, familiarity masks fragility. The world is a fragile thing, suspended in space from slender threads. God has wrapped everything up in everything else. Each created thing is entangled in delicate and complex webs of interdependence. The weather, my nervous system, the traffic, coral reefs, biblical texts, bureaucracies, a well-stocked grocery store—their fragility is disguised by their familiarity.
History
When God knocks, don’t creep up to the door and look through the peephole to see if he looks like you thought he would. Rush to the door and throw it open.
Sabbath
Bring the world to an end every seven days. Repeat. Love. Pay attention. Do things for their own sake. Repeat. Find eternity, now, in time.
Even while the world is unfinished—even while the world is still half-baked, imperfect, and incomplete—God already “saw that it was good”
It’s meant to show us how to do all our work as a form of rest
The only way to look forward to resting in God’s presence is to rest in God’s presence now.
a little pocket of eternity
Prayer
But if you persist in the second, you may discover something more powerful and primal than the voice of the Lord. You may discover that God’s silence is not itself a rebuke but an invitation. The heavens aren’t empty, they’re quiet. And God, rather than turning you away, may be inviting you to share this silence with him. This is part of what atonement looks like: sitting in shared silence with God.
To keep your attention steady, you might go for a walk and, to calm your mind, pay attention to the feel of each footstep. Or you might stay still and pay attention to your breath. In this case, be still and breathe naturally
This moment is the key. When, for the first time, you remember this, your prayer can start for real.
The substance of a prayer is this willingness to remember, to heave your wandering mind back, once more, in the direction of God, and then, when it drifts off yet again, to heave it still another time. To pray is to practice remembering God.
Scripture
Don’t balk at this responsibility or hand it off to church leaders
We put down our stories and take up theirs
God wants the whole thing translated once more, and this time he wants it translated into your native tongue, inflected by your native concerns, and written in your native flesh
Faith
Or, as they say in Zen, waking up to life requires three things: great faith, great doubt, and great effort.
Faith isn’t a way of going to sleep. It’s the work of waking up. And, in order to wake up, you’ll need both great faith and great doubt. In itself, doubt is neither good nor bad. Its value depends on what you do with it. You can doubt what’s real in order to stay asleep, or you can doubt your daydreams in order to wake up. You can use doubt to protect you from the truth, or you can use doubt to leave you vulnerable to it. You’ll have doubts regardless. Repurpose them for the sake of faith. Saving doubt is a strong solvent that can burn holes in your stories and lead you back to the work of being faithful to life and, thus, to God. Practicing doubt for the sake of faith is hard work and it demands great effort. Great faith, great doubt, great effort.
Sin
But either way, reduced to the role of an extra in your story
Work
But you will spoil the joy native to each if you spend your life wanting to be loved because you are great. Love is for its own sake. It works only as a gift, never as a reward. It can’t be earned or bartered or insured. It is a grace, and it is freely given or not given at all. Uncouple your desire to be loved from your desire to be great. Pursue love by striving to give it rather than possess it.
Agency
work out your own salvation” that “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure
Life has never before been lived in your body
You must bear wholeheartedly the fact that the work of living your life can’t be done by anyone else. This is basic Mormonism
Mormonism is a way of living rather than dodging life.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are just quotes from it i must have liked when i read it over a year ago. Just found them on a note in my phone and thought they’d make more sense to have here.

Faith takes us down and into the unwieldy world, not up and away from it (22)

Faith isn’t the opposite of knowledge. Rather, like love, faith perfects knowledge by practicing fidelity to it(23)

Love is for its own sake. It works only as a gift, never as a reward. It can’t be earned or bartered or insured. It is a grace, and it is freely given or not given at all. Uncouple your desire to be loved from your desire to be great. Pursue love by striving to give it rather than possess it. Coupling love and ambition fools us into approaching the whole business backwards. Rather than pursuing love by giving ourselves away, we end up trying to capture love with a new and improved version of ourselves. This sucks the freedom out of love, and it sucks the joy out of excellence. (6-7)

If you love me keep my commandments may get confused to mean i love you if you keep my commandments. This isn’t so.

Keeping The law doesn’t earn you Heavenly merits, and breaking the law doesn’t earn you hellish demerits. Both merits and demerits are about you. The purpose of the law is to point you away from yourself, free you from the Self-obsessed burden of your own story, and Center you on Christ (17)

But talking is just half a prayer. As a rule of thumb, take however much time you spent talking, and then devote at least as much to listening. Listening, though, is harder. Without the threat of a particular concern to guide you, you’ll be especially prone to forget. To keep your attention steady, you might go for a walk and, to calm your mind, pay attention at the feel of each footstep. Or you might stay still and pay attention to your breath. In this case, be still and breathe naturally. Feel your lungs slowly expand and contract. Notice how the air is cold when you draw it in through your nose but warm when your body presses it back out. Let everything settle. Then, against the backdrop of this stillness, note what feelings you have and what impressions come. Don’t get carried away by these thoughts or feelings, but sit with them. When you’re done, try to act directly on your impressions, and try to carry your prayerful stillness into the rest of your day. (33-34)

It’s a false dilemma to claim that either God works through practically flawless people or God doesn’t work at all. the gospel isnt a celebration of God‘s power to work with flawless people. The gospel is a celebration of God‘s willingness to work today, in our world, in our lives, with people who clearly aren’t. To demand the church leaders, past and present, show us only a mask of angelic pseudoperfection is to deny the gospel’s most basic claim: that God‘s grace works through our weakness. We need prophets, not idols. Our prophets and leaders will not turn out to be who we want them to be. They are not, in fact, even what God might want them to be. But they are real and God really can, nonetheless, work through their imperfections to extend his perfect love. Page 50-51

Good stuff about breath page 63 to 64

Take something as for familiar and fragile as breathing. All day, every day, I’m breathing. In and out, in and out. Deep and shallow, fast and slow, I’m breathing. everything else I do depends on it. Few things could be more familiar. At the same time, few things could be more fragile. Yet, I hardly noticed my breathing. Even making a conscious effort to pay attention, I may go days at a time without really taking it. My brain is too busy. I’ve got plans to me, blame to assign, fears to indulge, fantasies to plot, shows to watch. I’m stuck on myself. Breath is a good test case for health and the line is between familiarity and fragility. The world, like my breath, is passing away before my eyes.

Great chapter on stewardship of the earth

It’s easy to become blind, careless, and wasteful. but it’s our job to care. It’s our job to be stewards of the gifts God has given. 65

To be earthly and human like Adam is to be up tasked with caring for and “keeping” both ourselves and the world (see genesis 2:15). But, especially, it’s to be tasked by God to care for ourselves by caring for the world. In the end, this is the only kind of work there is. To think that we could do one without the other is to miss the nature of both. God filled Adam’s lungs with the breath of life, and it’s the same breath that , to this day, the world as a whole continues to share. 65

We are responsible for this world. This earth is our home in this life, and it will be our home in the life to come. God will hold us accountable for this stewardship. Page 66

Church talk about sexual purity is meant to keep you close to life and warn you against trying to end your hunger by carelessly indulging it. But well talk of purity may help constrain your hunger, it can also conspire with the impulse to purge it. I’m trying to get rid of your hunger by purging it, even for the sake of purity, will just as surely leave you spiritually dead as indulging it...Don’t become a slave to your hunger and don’t try to make a slave of your hunger(77)

Chastity is not a kind of perfection. You may have arrived in this world innocent, but chastity is something more than innocence. Chastity is not something you’re born with and then break or lose, it is something that is made. Chastity is a habit built over time by way of good choices.(79)

Being sealed to those we love doesn’t seal them off from change. Rather, it binds us to them, as in their living, they never cease to change(94)

Remember how section 132 changes “eternal life” to “eternal life’s”. Every life is plural, and as a merciful result, you’re never quite done and never quite your own. You may live many lives. And if you give yourself to this work, you’ll find that, already, God is at work in you. Already, without having your seen, God was in there, a second life inside your life, bearing you up, giving your breath, and putting light in your eyes. Life itself depends on your filing and being filled with lives that are not your own. 95

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the author's writing style. He says some true things in this one. The odd thing is how some of it feels dated just because the pandemic had changed so much.

I do want to remember what he says about our stories.

"Jesus is not asking you to tell a better story or live your story more successfully. He's asking you to lose that story. 'He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it' (Matthew 10:39). Hell is when you story succeeds, not when it fails. Your suffocating story is the problem, not the solution. Surrender it and find your life. Your story is heavy and hard to bear. 'Come unto me,' Jesus says, 'all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.'"

"Your stories aren't the truth, life is."

"When your story wears thin and even you get tired of telling it, you'll need faith."

[Brenda Daun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, and found it to be very different from other books on similar topics. It’s formatted like The Screwtape Letters, but the content is more like the Tao Te Ching.

My one critique is that occasionally the writing would become really flowery, and metaphors would be stretched to the point where they felt insincere and contrived.

Overall, though, it was a quick read that spoke about profound gospel topics in an approachable but still reverent way. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an insightful read, written in the form of letters intended for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who are young or "young in their faith." However, I think that his discussions and ideas can benefit many who striving to become closer to Christ and to live their faith. His letters touch on Faith, Prayer, Scriptures, Science, History, Temples, etc., and have a refreshing openness, empathy, and understanding in approaching ways to grow in knowledge and faith. I found many inspirational tips for building one's faith and spirituality.

[Kelsey Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I save my 5 star ratings carefully so I can stamp them on books like this. The author is such a good writer, I love how he articulates things I have never been able to express about how to worship God for real, with your heart. I loved his chapter on Sex, how we learn to temper the gift and hunger for sex with experience and maturity. Also his chapter on Love, how God loves you unconditionally, and that love can never be earned.

[Stephanie Pack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll keep coming back to this book again and again. Really thoughtful messages for anyone (young or not) navigating a life tethered to the Church. Adam Miller has a way with words that is both simple and poignant.

[Kennedy Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and suggested a lot of interesting ideas.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful little book.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most thought provoking, faith-affirming works I've read. As poetic as it is grounded.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. I love Adam Miller’s writing and his philosophy. I’m planning on sharing some key chapters in this with my kids when they are a little older.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent lil book; has some good insights and perspectives.

[Tyler Critchfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. A quick but powerful read. Highly recommend!

[Brady Turpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came at the recommendation of a good friend, and I'm glad it did. Miller's book was one of the most thought-provoking texts I've ever encountered. Yes, it is written to a Mormon audience, but I felt as though many of the principles and ideas found in this collection of letters could be appreciated by many.

What I appreciated most was Miller's ability to articulate how supposed contradictions can exist in a life of faith and what that means for the believer. I also fully agreed with his proposal that a true life of faith requires much more than is typically given or assumed.

I would highly recommend this book.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. His writing is lyrical, and the gospel and faith he teaches is gentle and forgiving. Loved it.

[RK Bitton · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Young” should be defined as probably any age less than 60 as the concepts, while probably able to be grasped in the late teen years, become more poignant as one ages. I really enjoy Adam’s writing and his well-described thoughts. I appreciate the ties to what seems like a contemplative tradition approach to life with the uniqueness and splendor of the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Deserves to be reread and coming in at less than 100 pages make that a distinct possibility.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to preface this review with a response to other reviews, not to Miller himself. I've seen a lot of "every Mormon should read this book!" tossed around out there, and I don't really agree with that statement. I think about the people I was close to at BYU 15 years ago, since college students are very much in the target audience for this book, and some of them would have devoured it and found it life changing, and others would have found it to be fancy sounding writing that never actually gave them any concrete idea for how to approach the struggles in their lives. Neither group is better than the other - they are all people that made me a better person by virtue of being who they are - but I just want to make it clear that it is written by a professor of philosophy, and that isn't the right spiritual guide for everyone.


OK, with that out of the way, I'll say I'm in the camp that really liked it. I loved the richness and depth he shows in a life of faith, the zest he showed for gospel learning (and the expansiveness of what he considers worthy of study in our spiritual development), and the thoughtful and empathetic way he approached complicated issues. I like that it packed so much into its small word count. I thought the sections on scripture, prayer, and sex were especially well-written. And I thought his discussion of the stories we tell ourselves and how they can alienate ourselves from God were very thought-provoking.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each chapter is titled as a topic, such as "faith" "stewardship" "testimony" etc. and is written like a letter to his child. This is a book that I'm glad I own because I will definitely want to revisit it. Lots of beautiful thoughts and insights.

Reread May 2023: Lots to think about and process with this small book. Different things jump out with each reading. This time I was really struck with his definition of sin and letting our story be more importan than the life God has for us to live. I have been thinking about that a lot.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the title is Letters to a Young Mormon, thinking about the young Mormons in my house, I don't think they would understand it quite yet. I think it would read like scripture to them, understanding most of the words but not really understanding the message.

These little chapters are full of insight. I really, really enjoyed reading this and it led me to think about the basics of the gospel in new ways. I think this is a must read for everyone.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small book of letters tackles big questions. Each (short, but deep) letter addresses a single issue: sin, hunger, sex, eternal life, etc. It is for Mormons and will make you consider each topic much more deeply than you ever have. This is one of those books that you read one letter at a time to digest it properly.

Still as deep and important the second time around.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel less alone in my faith.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful short book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The author presents several short "letters" on a variety of topics related to living life as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The thing I really liked about this book was the remarkably fresh and unique perspective that the author has on many familiar topics such as faith, prayer, scriptures and eternal life. He also shares fascinating insights on other less-common gospel topics such as science, history, stewardship and sex. He doesn't explain what these topics are, but rather dives into a few intriguing aspects of these subjects and gets you thinking about them in a new way. A few of the thoughts that I really enjoyed:

- The idea that "the work of living your life can't be done by anyone else." In several different contexts, the author discusses how we have to learn how to live our own life in our own body. He says, "You are a pioneer. Life has never before been lived in your body. Everything must be done again, as if for the first time. You are an aboriginal Adam, a primal Eve."

- About testimony, he says, "When your faith falters and you're tempted to run, stand up and bear testimony instead. A testimony is a promise to stay. A testimony gives form to your great faith, it gives direction to your great doubt, and it publicly commits you to the great effort of trying to live what God gives."

- About scripture, he explains, "Every morning and every night, we are each commanded to sit down at our kitchen tables, spread out our books and notes and papers and pens, and with a prayer in hand, finish what Joseph started." He continues, "Word by word, line by line, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, God wants the whole thing translated once more, and this time he wants it translated into your native tongue, inflected by your native concerns, and written in your native flesh."

- The author shares some great thoughts about prayer. He says that remembering God is the essence of praying. He also suggests that listening is an equally important part of praying as is speaking. Also, when there is silence from heaven, it may be an invitation rather than a rebuke. Very inspiring perspective on patiently, consistently seeking to commune with God.

- Regarding imperfections of church leaders: "It's a false dilemma to claim that either God works through practically flawless people or God doesn't work at all." "To demand that church leaders, past and present, show us only a mask of angelic pseudo perfection is to deny the gospel's most basic claim: that God's grace works through our weakness."

- About temples: "Picture the temple as that vanishing point where all the world's apparently parallel lines converge. In the temple, whole worlds of people, living and dead, cross paths. Performing rituals for our dead, we work with symbols and stories we don't quite understand for the sake of great uncles and third cousins we don't yet know."