A friend of mine had left the ministry of a mainstream Protestant church where he had served for over 20 years. It was extremely difficult for him, as you can imagine. He was nationally prominent both in his religion as well as in Protestant circles in general and had lectured and been a consultant to…
Fifty-seven years ago, in a small town outside of Brisbane, Australia, my missionary companion and I knocked on yet another door one hot summer day. The door opened, and we were greeted by a man in his 30’s. He had more than his share of tribulations and problems judging from the deeply etched lines on…
A few years after I was called as a stake president, I was home teaching a single, less-active woman and her daughter, Laney (not her real name). While the mother didn’t attend church, Laney, a senior in high school, did, and she was active in seminary as well. Her LDS peers encouraged her, and she…
Summer in Brisbane, Australia can be brutal. Temperature and humidity ride up the scale together. Three-digit heat banded with nearly three-digit humidity is not uncommon. Add to this, or rather subtract from it, the complete lack of air conditioning anywhere in Manly, a Brisbane suburb, back in 1960 where I served the first part of…