The opening talk of the October 2022 General Conference, “Caring for the Poor and Distressed” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, asked us to not only do more to help to…

The story of China’s economic revolution is barely known in the West, but has some vitally important lessons for all of us. Here I report on my trek to the small village in Anhui Province where that revolution began, and tell the story desperation and courage among a small group of farmers who risked their lives in 1978 to defy collectivism. Instead of being punished, their incredible success inspired Deng Xiao Ping and helped bring the blessings of increased economic liberty and prosperity to many millions in China. It was a quiet revolution that became a thunder sweeping China. The lessons from that revolution are now needed in the West.

During the Communist era in Bulgaria, the annual May Day parade was a major spectacle that drew huge crowds to the streets of Sofia. The crowds would come to 9th…

  A view from Xi’an, China, the beginning of the Silk Road China has been in my prayers daily for a long time. It’s a land I love and respect…

Some of my more painful experiences in life have come from trusting people in authority, ranging from the promises of a business to the assurances of a medical authority or other persons I respected. While I continue to be an optimistic and trusting person, I increasingly recognize the reality that people often cannot be trusted, especially when there is an opportunity for personal gain at the expense of their personal integrity. I’ve also learned that there are red flags  I should have heeded more in my life, such as the words “you’ll just have to trust me” when claiming that an agreement could not yet be put in writing…. Can we trust what we are being told about Ukraine?

One of the most touching and courageous moments in China’s recent history is depicted in the painting below of a secret meeting of farmers in a tiny village that few…

Were any of you around in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s day? I am amazed at how he is praised in our modern textbooks, with little critical discussion of what he did to Japanese Americans or to the Constitution of this land. While the precedent he set of massive executive power grabs continues unabated in our day, there are some lessons from his reign that should be remembered by those who seem eager to trust a President with power far beyond the intent of our Founding Fathers. For example, consider FDR’s National Recovery Administration (NRA)…