Don’t Let Your Marriage Go Cold

By M. Sue Bergin (BA ’78) in the Spring 2020 Issue BYU Magazine

Duncan calls rituals—“things you do with regularity that have specialness and are meaningful”—one of the most potent practices for keeping a marriage vibrant. But he says couples should change things up so they don’t get bored with a dinner and a movie every week....

Couples who choose not to continue a sexual relationship are not unusual, says Duncan. About 20 percent of couples at any age have a nonsexual marriage. However, Duncan cautions, “if you don’t make the effort to be intimate, the relationship wears down. Without the bonding hormone oxytocin that’s exchanged in hugging, kissing, or intercourse, the relationship can get dull and lifeless. If you’re not intentional, your marriage will suffer from the lack of infusion intimacy offers.”

Everything is a Miracle

 "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

Albert Einstein 

Days Filled with Sorrow

 

What Church Leaders Have Said about Aging Faithfully

...But whenever my steps led through seasons of sadness and sorrow, my mother’s words often came back to me: ‘Come what may, and love it.’

“How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can’t—at least not in the moment. I don’t think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.

“If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness.”⁸

—Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Great Article Talking About Sex with our Kids

 

How, When, and Why: Talking to Your Children about Sexuality

By Laura M. Padilla-Walker

Professor, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University

and Meg O. Jankovich

Student in BYU Marriage, Family, and Human Development master’s program

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2020/08/how-when-and-why-talking-to-your-children-about-sexuality?lang=eng

State of Never Ending Happiness

 

The Divine Purposes of Sexual Intimacy

By Elder Dale G. Renlund

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

and Ruth Lybbert Renlund

When our circumstances feel unfair to us, it is best to follow King Benjamin’s advice. He said, “I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness” (Mosiah 2:41; emphasis added).

Ultimately, nothing compares to the infinite unfairness the Savior endured. Yet, if we are faithful, He will compensate us for any unfairness we experience, and we will achieve a state of never-ending happiness....

Through Jesus Christ and His Atonement, we can be strengthened to resist temptation. All God’s children who experience temptation of any kind can turn to the Savior for help.¹⁸ Jesus Christ understands what we are going through because He “was in all points tempted like as we are,” and we are encouraged to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15, 16).

Spend time in the Presence of God

 

Grow into the Principle of Revelation

By President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Lord says, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63).

Drawing near to the Lord brings comfort and encouragement, hope and healing. So, we pray in His name about our worries and our weaknesses, our longings and our loved ones, our callings and our questions.

Then we listen.

If we will stay on our knees for a while after we finish our prayer, thoughts, feelings, and direction will come into our mind. Recording those impressions will help us remember what actions the Lord would have us take.

As we repeat this process, we will, in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, “grow into the principle of revelation.”^3....

^{When we couple increased purity and obedience with fasting, diligent seeking, study of the scriptures and the words of living prophets, and temple and family history work, the heavens will open. The Lord, in turn, will fulfill His promise: “I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind” (Doctrine and Covenants 11:13).....}

^{In this new year, I encourage you to take the necessary steps to hear the Lord better and more often so that you can receive the enlightenment He wants to give you....}

^{When we receive revelation, we spend time in the presence of God as He reveals His mind, will, and voice unto us (see Doctrine and Covenants 68:4).}