From Quaker To Latter-day Saint, Bishop Edwin D. Woolley by Leonard J. Arrington

From Quaker To Latter-day Saint, Bishop Edwin D. Woolley by Leonard J. Arrington
 This is the story of Edwin Dilworth Woolley-pioneer merchant, developer, and legislator; Latter-day Saint bishop for twenty-nine years; husband of six, father of twenty-six, and patriarch of a family that now numbers in the thousands, including many outstanding civic and church leaders.
 It is also the story of Mormonism, for tavern-keeper Woolley joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints early in its history after a “wild ride to Kirtland to meet Joseph Smith.” He missed the Prophet but followed him to Nauvoo, where the Woolleys contracted cholera with the rest of the Saints and where Edwin gradually reestablished himself as a prosperous businessman.
 But Edwin Woolley was not a rash man. As a young Quaker in Chester County, Pennsylvania, he had let his favorite sweetheart leave for Ohio with her father before making up his mind to ask for her hand. The first time he went to a Mormon preaching service Mary was peeved, but she was soon converted while Edwin deliberated for months.
 Edwin matured after the martyrdom, voted fro Brigham Young as Joseph’s successor, then followed the new leader west to start all over for the third time. When the Saints left Nauvoo in the dead of winter Edwin, by circumstance or plan, lingered until he had money and dried apples enough to keep his family from starving on the frontier.
 Bishop Woolley was Brigham Young’s friend and hard-working business manager for many years. They frequently crossed, both being strong-willed and out-spoken, but Edwin remained a bishop and maintained the respect and affection of President Young, though as a bishop he sometimes eyed “frivolous” new Church programs with skepticism until his superiors became exasperated with him-and he finally convinced himself of the worth of the programs.
 But Edwin Woolley was an astute bishop and too warmhearted to be disliked. He loved good talk and good times. The Mormons were nothing if not social and besides the Woolley family papers, the diaries of their friends and neighbors give flavor to this fascinating biography. They represent an honest, colorful people who suffered and prayed, laughed and dances, and shared hardship and success together. Modern Mormons do not know themselves until they know their precedent-setters-pioneers like Edwin D. Woolley and his family.

Marriage And Divorce By Spencer W. Kimball

Marriage And Divorce By Spencer W. Kimball
 As prophet, seer, and revelator, and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Spencer W. Kimball has spoken frequently on subjects of vital interest to Latter-day Saints in the twentieth century.
 In Marriage and Divorce, he addresses himself to the problems of divorce and the blessings of marriage and puts them into true perspective. “Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys,” he states.
 This treatise deals with the subject seriously and is sharply to the point. President Kimball points out specific problems in marriage that often lead to unhappiness and eventually divorce. He talks at length about the blessings of temple marriage and the importance of unselfishness and Christlike love in the marriage covenant. And he suggests continued courting and keeping the commandments of God as critical ingredients to the fulfillment of both partners.
 Marriage and Divorce is adapted from an address delivered to students and faculty at Brigham Young University in the fall of 1976. It should be in the library of every Latter-day Saint!

A Guiding Star, Gables of Legacy Volume Two By Anita Stansfield

A Guiding Star, Gables of Legacy Volume Two By Anita Stansfield
 Armed with the love of a good man, Jess Hamilton, Tamra Banks has made the difficult decision to reconcile with her estranged mother. Over the years, Tamra has had to fight through the ugly memories of her abusive childhood, the complete absence of her father, and her mother’s angry reaction to Tamra’s conversion to the Church.
 When the encounter with her mother goes badly, memories and doubts threaten to suffocate Tamra with long-buried emotions. In a swirling tide of confusion and distrust, the confidence Tamra feels about her relationship with Jess quickly dwindles in the face of her growing doubts. With my background and upbringing, am I worthy of Jess’s love, after all?
 IN a desperate attempt to find her place in the world, Tamra searches for the father who abandoned her as a child, and is shocked to find a decent man with a  warm heart. Realizing her mother has lied to her and maliciously kept her father out of her life, Tamra’s heartache deepens even as she’s overjoyed to get reacquainted with her lost family.
 Volume II in Anita Stansfield’s stunning series, Gables of Legacy, explores the powerful grasp of a horrible childhood, the guiding light of the gospel, and the healing that comes when you learn to forgive others-and yourself.

Passport To Survival By Esther Dickey

Passport To Survival By Esther Dickey
  The prudent person prepares. He saves money, invests wisely, carries medical and life insurance, subscribes to a retirement plan, draws up a will. For normal living, all this is important.
 But the preparation advocated in Esther Dickey’s book is geared to a more elemental urge-the instinct for survival. Raising the warning voice that emergency conditions can be expected to arise-from unemployment, sickness, strikes, civil strife, famine, or war-the author urges families to prepare now, while there is still time, and tells us how. While touching on other aspects of survival preparation, Passport to Survival is predominantly concerned with food preparation, preservation and storage. With over 100 recipes and a multitude of other hints, it shows how the principal foods recommended for a survival diet-wheat, powdered milk, honey and salt-may be used in normal times to provide experience for the cook and to supply the family with nourishing and appetizing meals. As a bonus, those meals turn out to be considerably less expensive than the customary American diet.
 A book with such a grim premise might be expected to be somber in tome. Not so with Passport to Survival. Filled with creative, cheerful thinking, it reflects the author’s faith in the power of the human heart and will. Thus it is not only a reasoned warning of future difficulties but a ringing challenge to make physical and spiritual preparations to surmount them. This combination will make the book appeal to perceptive people everywhere.

Human Intimacy - Illusion & Reality by Victor L. Brown, Jr.

Human Intimacy - Illusion & Reality by Victor L. Brown, Jr.
 The search for intimacy is fundamental.  It can be an exhilarating part of being human. Yet there is wide disagreement about meanings, means, and ends.
 The approach of this book is that modern social trends toward self-gratification and self-indulgence have produced a form of “intimacy” which is without foundation in reality and is supported only by a façade of illusion.  The author, Dr. Victor L. Brown, Jr., brings much professional research and comment to the support of his arguments, along with many illustrative stories from his experience in counseling.  Written for the layman in understandable language, this best-selling book sets forth clearly that it is in a sustained, persistent effort in marriage that true intimacy of heart, mind, and body can be achieved.

Through Temple Doors by John K. Edmunds

Through Temple Doors by  John K. Edmunds
  The range and significance of the unique temple program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a subject of profound interest. Most Church members would welcome further enlightenment on this topic. As a comprehensive, modern over-view which at the same time addresses specific, Through Temple Doors offers such enlightenment.
 Here the author, a former president of the Salt Lake Temple, briefly reviews the historical background of temples generally, summarizes  the Father’s program for his spirit children, and the discusses the temple ordinances, showing just how they fit into the pattern of the quest for eternal life for both the living and those who have passed on.  In a stimulating text skillfully supported by scripture and other prophetic expression, and sparkling with personal experiences drawn from his interesting life and career, the author explores and explains the temple rites: baptism for the dead, the holy endowment, the marriage covenant. He rounds off the book by encouraging all to participate in the blessings of the temple ordinances and by setting out the glorious rewards that await those who accept the privileges of the temple and then honor the obligations made there.
 This work reflects the author’s background of deep gospel study of high-level Church responsibility. The publisher takes special pleasure in making available this outstanding book, a sensitive, stimulating approach to a subject of the highest importance to every Church member.

From Clergy to Convert. by Stephen W. Gibson

From Clergy to Convert. by Stephen W. Gibson
 Once they were variously known as minister, priests, nuns, and monks.  Today they are all known as Mormons. Once they were confused and dissatisfied.  Now they are confident and fulfilled.
 This book contains their stories: fourteen first-person accounts of the conversions of former leaders in their various churches, both men and women, who embraced the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  One former minister was carried into the waters of baptism from a wheelchair and minutes later walked to the pulpit to speak at his confirmation.  Another, pleading for God’s help in his extremity of need, felt something lift him although there was no other physical presence in the room.  A former nun had often challenged her students to have the faith of the ancients, to do the Lord’s will  unquestioningly, and now that challenge was hers personally.  The stories are as varied as the individuals.  One person phoned the bishop’s home and said he was interested in joining the Church-and the phone was hung up on him.  Another sought to “borrow” a few Mormon ideas to use in her church’s family-oriented programs and ended up accepting the whole thing.
 The fourteen high-impact stories show the agony of watching lifelong beliefs crumble; the longing for that unknown “something” else; the humble pleadings for heavenly guidance; the power of a divine witness of restored gospel truths; the peace and joy that accompany baptism; and the ever-present gratitude for having found the one true way.
 Courage comes in many forms.  These converts showed it in the resolution to follow higher truth whatever the cost.  Their moving stories will reach into the heart of every reader.

Emma, a Dramatic Biography of Emma Smith by Keith and Ann Terry

Emma, a Dramatic Biography of Emma Smith by Keith and Ann Terry 
“Oh Emma, for God’s sake do not forsake me nor the truth, but remember me. If I do not meet you again in this life, may God grant that we meet in heaven. I cannot express my feelings, my heart is full. Farewell, oh my kind and affectionate Emma, I am yours forever. Your husband and true friend, Joseph.”
Who was Emma Smith, saint or. . . ? A strikingly attractive woman with a mystery hidden behind her lustrous brown eyes, Emma faced unspeakable hardships with her chin held high, only to let pride and jealousy become her stumbling blocks.
In this historically accurate biography, discover for yourself the little known facts and heartbreaking trials of Emma Hale Smith, wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Behold, I Come Quickly, The Last Days And Beyond by Hoyt W. Brewster

BEHOLD, I COME QUICKLY
THE LAST DAYS AND BEYOND
by Hoyt W. Brewster Jr.
Throughout history, the Saints of God have asked questions about the Second Coming, the signs of the times, the end of the world, Armageddon, the Millennium, and countless other aspects of the last days. yet for many, the answers to their questions remain shrouded in confusion and misunderstanding. This makes the Lord's response about deception more chilling.

In Behold, I come Quickly: The Last Days and Beyond, Hoyt Brewster looks at the teachings and prophecies of ancient and modern prophets concerning the times we live in now and the times to come. In a clear and straightforward manner, the author discusses dozens of signs of the latter days and examines many specific prophecies about what has happened and what will happen. He talks about preparedness and the Second Coming. Major topics of confusion, such as the gathering of Israel, Gog and Magog, the restoration of the Ten Tribes, Adam-ondi-Ahman, and the New Jerusalem, are clarified. The end of the world and Satan's role in the last days are vividly depicted. The author details what the Millennium will be like and what will happen during it. Readers will also find valuable information on the Resurrection and final judgment.
Behold, I come Quickly relies on the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets to create a memorable, easy to understand portrait of the last days.

A War We Must Win By John Harmer

A War We Must Win By John Harmer
 As an attorney and former legislator who for several decades has engaged the vicious enemy in the war against pornography, author John Harmer knows whereof he speaks. In this book he speaks with striking clarity and strength of purpose.
 Early in the battle, ten-year-old Kelly, the sweet daughter of a close friend, was brutally assaulted and then murdered by a pornography-crazed young man. In the past forty years thousands of innocent victims have suffered and died in that same way. What is going on “out there”? Well, John Harmer knows the battle is not always “out there,” but too frequently is raging closer to home. On the broader field the antagonists arrayed against decency have supplied ill-gotten money and resources, lawyers, and specious arguments that together have nearly always prevailed in the courtroom. The author, who has been there all the way, names names as he boldly paints the picture and points the finger.
 He borrows the phrase, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Using TV and the Internet, the wealthy pornographic interests now market their wares directly into our homes. And there is always the movies. Latter-day Saints and other clean-minded people need to be involved, the author suggests, controlling the TV in their children’s interests. But for movies, don’t rely on the ratings, he says; these were rigged from the beginning.
 This remarkable book truly will educate the reader on this subject to a degree not previously attained. One suggestion is also a challenge: As Latter-day Saints, let us use the thirteenth-article-of-faith criterion of always seeking after what is “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”

Boys Who Became Prophets By Lynda Cory Robison

Boys Who Became Prophets By Lynda Cory Robison
 “You mean Joseph Smith really had a mother?” Such was one comment by a young Primary student being taught lessons on the prophets. Author Lynda Cory Hardy has found that stories about the prophets as children are fascinating to youngsters, bring the prophets to life for them, and help them want to know more.
 Boys Who Become Prophets is filled with little-known, but absorbing, accounts of the childhood days of the presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 The Prophet Joseph Smith hated bullies, and once threw one in a ditch. Brigham Young was very sad when he thought his family had forgotten his eleventh birthday, and when John Taylor was ten he was almost run down by a team of horses in the midst of a thick fog.
 Wilford Woodruff often for spotted trout, hunted, and loved sports. Lorenzo Snow had to be rescued from a tree where an angry bull had him cornered, and Joseph F. Smith was once lifted right off his galloping horse by two Indians intent on stealing some cattle.
 A champion marble player, baseball player, and penman, Heber J. Grant hired other boys to do his chores for him, paying them with marbles. George Albert Smith worked for ZCMI sewing buttons on overalls. David O. McKay was another marble player and had a magpie he taught to talk.
 Joseph Fielding Smith owned a horse name Junie who could undo the strap on the stall door with her teeth and escape from the bard. A bolt of lightning once flashed down the chimney and into the kitchen, nearly killing Harold B. Lee. When he was a boy, Spencer W. Kimball was a giggler and was often required to sit on the dunce seat so he would be quiet.
 Teachers and parents will find this book helpful, and children will delight in reading the stories of Boys Who Became Prophets.

Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson

Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson
 In a talk with his bishop, a man kept dwelling on his shortcomings.  He finally said, “Look, I’m just not celestial material.” The bishop responded, “The problem is not your shortcomings.  All of us have them. The problem is, you believe in Christ; you just don’t believe Christ.  He says he can make you celestial material, and you say, ‘No, he can’t.’”
 On his mission, a young man set up a plan to become perfect by age thirty.  He said, “We don’t believe in being saved by grace.  We have to earn salvation.” How would he answer these questions: Whose merit gets us to the kingdom? and, Whose good works perfect us?
 A woman had led a rough life.  When younger, she rode with a motorcycle gang, and when older, she drank heavily and hung around bars.  Many were amazed when she joined the Church.  Years passed, though, before she could completely give up alcohol and cigarettes, and more years went by before she got her swearing and temper under control.  But she never gave up, and at last she was able to go to the temple.  Can such a person expect to inherit the kingdom of God? Of course.  The harder question is, however, at what point did this woman become a candidate for exaltation?
 Another woman went through a stressful year.  She graduated from college, passed the CPA exam, took a job, was Relief Society president, and gave birth to her fourth child.  But she burned out.  She stopped everything. “I can’t do all the things I’m supposed to do,” she said, “and I can’t do them as well as others can.  I’m never going to be perfect, and I just can’t pretend anymore that I am.” Somewhere she had lost sight of the central core of the gospel: she believed in Jesus Christ a the great Coach, as the Eternal Advisor, but not as Savior.  She was trying to save herself.
 In Believing Christ, Stephen E. Robinson eloquently discusses the marvelous news of the gospel: what Jesus Christ has done for us.  Using examples from people’s lives and modern-day analogies and parables to illustrate scriptural principles, he explains the doctrines of atonement, grace, justification, salvation, and perfection so clearly and understandably one need never be confused by them again.
 “The good news of the gospel is good news to me not because it promises that other people who are better than I am can be saved-wretched, inadequate, and imperfect me.  And until I accept that possibility,…I have not really accepted the good news of the gospel.”

The Great Apostasy by James E Talmage

The Great Apostasy by James E Talmage
James E. Talmage's thorough discussion of the significance of the great apostasy as a condition for the reestablishment of the Church in modern times. A summary of the most important evidences of the decline and final extinction of the primitive church. Helpful for missionaries and investigators. Offers a clear understanding of the apostasy and the restoration of the priesthood.

Jesus The Christ by James E. Talmage

Jesus The Christ by  James E. Talmage
 Since it was first published in September 1915, Jesus the Christ has been a classic text on the life and ministry of the Savior.  Elder Marion G. Romney has said, “ One who gets the understanding, the vision, and the spirit of the resurrected Lord through a careful study of the text Jesus the Christ by Elder James E. Talmage will find that he has greatly increased his moving faith in our glorified Redeemer.”
 In his preface to the first edition, Elder Talmage wrote: “The author has departed from the course usually followed by writers on the Life of Jesus Christ, which course, as a rule, begins with the birth of Mary’s Babe and ends with the ascension of the slain and risen Lord from Olivet.  The treatment embodied in these pages, in addition to the narrative of the Lord’s life in the flesh, comprises the antemortal existence and activities of the world’s Redeemer, the revelations and personal manifestations of the glorified and exalted Son of God during the apostolic period of old and in modern times, the assured nearness of the Lord’s second advent, and predicted events beyond-all so far as the Holy Scriptures make it plain.
 “It is particularly congruous and appropriate that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-The only Church that affirms authority based on specific revelation and commission to use the Lord’s Holy Name as a distinctive designation-should set forth her doctrines concerning the Messiah and His mission.”
 Dr. Talmage first presented his study on the Savior as a series of lectures delivered under the auspices of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board at the LDS University in Salt Lake City from September 1904 to April 1906.  He was subsequently asked by the First Presidency of the Church to publish the lectures in book form.  Because of other commitments, he was unable to complete this assignment for several years.
 On December 8, 1911, Dr. Talmage was ordained a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Less that three years later he was able at last to continue his work on the manuscript, writing in longhand in a council room on the fourth floor of the Salt Lake Temple.  As chapters were completed, he presented them to the First Presidency, members of the Twelve, and Sunday School board members.
 In his journal under date of April 19, 1915, Elder Talmage wrote: “Finished the actual writing on the book ‘Jesus the Christ,’ to which I have devoted every spare hour since settling down to the work of composition on September 14th last.  Had it not been that I was privileged to do this work in the Temple it would be at present far from completion. I have felt the inspiration of the place and have appreciated the privacy and quietness incident thereto.  I hope to proceed with the work of revision without delay”
 Published nearly a century ago and translated into many languages, Jesus the Christ has become a truly classic volume in Mormon literature