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In 1871 a great fire raged through Chicago, destroying businesses and row houses and leaving hundreds of people jobless and homeless. Horatio Spafford, a successful lawyer and businessman who specialized in real estate, lost everything he owned in the fire. Remembering the pain of losing a son some years earlier, and being grateful to still […]
Grieving is an essential part of living. It helps us move forward with our lives after we experience deep loss. Grieving means we feel sorrow, and because we do, we are able to free ourselves from bad feelings, like anger and regret. When a loved one dies, when a child wanders, when poor health debilitates, […]
Danny Dutton, an eight-year-old boy, was given an interesting homework assignment. His teacher asked him to explain God. He began by saying, “One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the old ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn’t […]
During this year we commemorate 75 years of continuous broadcasting. Today’s message was delivered by Richard L. Evans in 1953. All of us are troubled at times by the unanswered questions of life. All of us wonder at times about the point and purpose of many things, and even wonder why we are here. Such […]
Nearly 400 years ago, the Puritans crossed an ocean to come to a land where they could worship God as they pleased. Among this handful of hearty men and women was John Lathrop, a prominent minister of the time. Beloved of the people, he was a strong proponent of liberty and a champion of tolerance […]
When Jeremiah was nine years old, he lived with his family in a Sudanese village. They farmed, raised a few cattle, and kept warm around a single fire when the evenings grew cold. Then a brutal civil war in Sudan spread quickly to the farms and villages. To protect his young son, Jeremiah’s father sent […]
Some days have more rain than sun, more wind than calm. Indeed, no one sails upon life’s waters without being tempest tossed at times. But no matter the billowing surge, all who look to the Lord for strength and salvation can find reason to be grateful and, in their gratitude, feel peace and joy. Rising […]
During this year we commemorate 75 years of continuous broadcasting. Today’s message was delivered by Richard L. Evans in 1961. Two essentials for a good and effective life are flexibility and firmness—flexibility in some things and an absolute immovability in others. Frequently we hear it said that times have changed. Young people say it. Others […]
We don’t always know what we’re getting into or what we will learn from it. Such was the case with a young man named Matthew who agreed to coach a football team of 12-year-olds, not anticipating what that would mean to him and the boys. When Matthew met his football players for the first time, […]
Few things invite reflection like a walk in the woods or a night under the stars. In these natural settings, we reflect on our origin, our purpose, and our connection with all of creation. We feel closer to the Divine. And, like the Psalmist, we rejoice: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the […]
Almost every evening a single father gathers his children around the dinner table so they can share the good and not-so-good events in their day. They call it their “apple” and “onion” of the day. Sometimes they can’t wait to tell each other something, and other times they feel like they don’t have much to […]
During this year we commemorate 75 years of continuous broadcasting. Today’s message was delivered by Richard L. Evans in 1948. “It isn’t easy for those who are young to understand the loneliness that comes when life changes from a time of preparation and performance to a time of putting things away. In the eager and […]
Most of us have had the experience of being suddenly awestruck by something we usually take for granted. In one startling moment a sunset takes our breath away. In that moment we see with new eyes, and for a time afterward we see differently. Green is greener, stars dance brighter, and sounds ring clearer. But […]
While many poets have looked to the imagination for answers—creating myths and dreams, that teach the truth, Robert Frost observed his New England farm a little more closely. Making sense of our lives, he believed, takes examination of the language around us—the way we see apples or snow-covered trees, a field of flowers or a […]
A story is told of a young girl who received a beautiful candle as a gift. It was delicate and unique. She treasured it so much that she decided to save it to light it on a special occasion. After a while she put the cherished candle in a drawer where it would be safe […]
Every one of us yearns for freedom like the breath of life itself. Our desire for freedom is as innate as our need to think or to feel. Even young children sense that something is wrong in the world when liberty is restricted to a select few and when their own lives are preserved only […]
During this year we commemorate 75 years of continuous broadcasting. Today’s message, was first delivered by Richard L. Evans during the midst of the Second World War. “If we were to allow ourselves to be frightened by the daily impact of all we see and all we hear and by all the disappointing circumstances of […]
Over 150 years ago, when the pioneers arrived in what would become Salt Lake City, they were greeted by a barren desert. The air was dry, and so was the valley floor. At this first view, some pioneers were disappointed. Their land of promise seemed a desolate haven for crickets and snakes—surely not for people […]
The first broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word was on a hot summer afternoon in the Tabernacle on Temple Square, July 15, 1929. The announcer climbed a ladder to speak into the one and only microphone, suspended from the ceiling. He stayed perched on the ladder throughout the half-hour program. An audio engineer was […]
On September 7, 1774, as the British were attacking Boston, the First Continental Congress met in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia. The Congress voted to open that meeting with a prayer. In a letter to his wife, Abigail, John Adams described that first prayer and the disagreements surrounding it. He wrote, “We were so divided in […]
We often joke that a baby born with little hair has his father’s forehead. Sometimes going through photographs of our ancestors bears out the same jokes about oversized ears and noses and curly hair. While there may be a physical resemblance between children and their parents, there is also a deeper connection—a shared spiritual DNA. […]
At a recent funeral for a woman in her eighties named Elda, the speaker asked all of her relatives to stand. A sprinkling of children and grandchildren rose. Next he asked those who were members of her church to rise. Several dozen more stood. “How about members of her ladies’ lunch club?” he asked. About […]
Charles Francis Adams was the grandson of United States President John Adams. He was a successful lawyer, a member of Congress, and an ambassador to Britain. A busy man with little free time, he was also a father. One day he wrote in his diary, “Went fishing with my son today—a day wasted!” On that […]
Charles Francis Adams was the grandson of United States President John Adams. He was a successful lawyer, a member of Congress, and an ambassador to Britain. A busy man with little free time, he was also a father. One day he wrote in his diary, “Went fishing with my son today—a day wasted!” On that […]
One of the most common complaints marriage counselors hear from couples is that they consider themselves incompatible. This discovery of difference is a tremendous shock to those who marry in a swirl of romance, enchanted by the happily-ever-after endings depicted in movies, novels and fairy tales. When reality finally parts the clouds, many newlyweds find […]
We all look for heroes in our lives. They give us the strength to push through the mundane. We esteem them as though they were above the insecurities we feel, beyond the vulnerabilities we have to accept. In our youth, the hero may be a comic book character with no weaknesses or flaws. But in […]
There’s an old saying that, families who pray together, stay together. This simple wisdom of inviting God into our family life can make a big difference in our hearts and homes. When we pray as a family, we verbalize our love. We communicate our values, our concerns, our aspirations. A sacred bond forms between husband […]
For over 40 years, Richard L. Evans was the voice and writer of the Spoken Word. Shortly after he was born in the spring of 1906, his father died from a streetcar accident. Richard’s widowed mother was left behind with nine children, all under 18 years of age; Richard was the baby of the family—just […]
Much has been said about being loyal to the cause. There’s a monument to a stockman’s dog in Victoria, Australia. The stockman was working in the rugged outback when he fell ill. He decided the only way he would make it out alive would be to leave his box of gear and travel light. He commanded […]
Each of us seeks inspiration in different places, sacred places in our own unique ways. We have our quiet retreats, our favorite passages in scriptures and books, even that certain chair at a certain time of day when the sun bathes our thoughts with a reminder of where all good things come from. The disciple […]