Posted in Uncategorized

Elijah in the Book of Mormon

 Giuseppe Angeli, Elijah Taken Up in a Chariot of Fire, c. 1740/1755. From the National Gallery of Art. I am increasingly touched by the way in which subtle elements from…

Continue Reading...
Posted in Uncategorized

To the Temple and Back: The Journey of Two Faithful Peruvians

Yesterday in sacrament meeting in the Shanghai Branch (one of three meeting in Shanghai) a friend of mine shared the story of how his parents were married in the temple….

Continue Reading...
Posted in Critics Evidence Jesus Christ Resurrection

Mary at the Tomb: How We Can Easily Misjudge Evidence of a Miracle

Last month I had the pleasure of speaking at the FAIRMormon Conference in Provo, where I spoke about the ancient biblical theme of “dust” that is so artfully woven into…

Continue Reading...
Posted in Family Miracles Travel

Coincidence or Miracle?

On my recent trip to several parts of the United States, I was in the Chicago airport for a couple of hours on my way to visit my parents. I…

Continue Reading...
Posted in Uncategorized

When Engineers Err: My Favorite Story from General Conference

Jan. 2019 update: Sadly, the story as told has major gaps, raising multiple red flags.  A post at MormonDiscussions lists multiple issues. At the moment I don’t see a plausible…

Continue Reading...
Posted in Uncategorized

Henry Eyring’s Eye-Opening Experience with Councils

Yesterday in Hong Kong I was fortunate to be part of a meeting where Elder Randy D. Funk of the Seventy and Benjamin Tai, an Area Seventy from Hong Kong,…

Continue Reading...
Posted in Gratitude Miracles Society

Christmas Coincidences, or the Blessings of Bureaucracy

If we were more skilled in listening to inspiration from the Lord and more diligent in seeking it, the Lord might not need to use so many blunt techniques to…

Continue Reading...
Posted in Uncategorized

The Miraculous Feeding in 3 Nephi 20: Intensified Over Mark, Who Intensifies an Elisha Theme

In preparing my recent paper on the longer ending of Mark and its implications for the Book of Mormon (see Part 1 and the newly published Part 2), one of…

Continue Reading...
Posted in Family Miracles Temple Travel

A Proud Mother and a Little Miracle in the Snowy Chaos of Portland

Sunday services in Shanghai were terrific, as almost always. I got to attend sacrament meetings in two wards and was touched by inspiring talks in both from a strong variety…

Continue Reading...
Posted in Uncategorized

Halvor and Hannah Ronning: Inspiring Missionaries to China

One of my favorite books on China portrays Chinese history in the past 120 years through the experiences of a remarkable family. The book, China Mission: A Personal History from…

Continue Reading...