Today . . .

I'm thinking about Isaiah. Come join me!

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On Comfort, the Comforter, and Being Uncomfortable

Just before going to Gethsemane, the Lord Jesus Christ reminded his apostles of an uncomfortable truth that they had yet to fully understand and accept. “I go unto my Father” (John 14:12), he said, in one of many warnings that his mortal ministry was fast drawing to a close. But if his disciples were discomfited or shaken by this truth, the Savior offered a compensatory promise, reassuring the eleven, “I will not leave you comfortless” (John 14:18). That promise of comfort in an hour of need and of the Comforter, who “may abide with [us] for ever” is operative here and now, just as it was anciently, so that we never have to endure the olive press alone, as he did that night (John 14:16).               Whatever our trials and temptations, we have been assured that the Savior can and will succor the faithful. “Sometimes,” Elder Oaks recently taught , “His power heals an infirmity” or removes a stumbling block, “but the scriptu...
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On Priesthood Blessings

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Priesthood blessings have been on my mind recently, for a number of reasons. My mother-in-law is feeling poorly and has been for at least a week. On Monday night, she requested that I give her a blessing. Since neither Alana nor I had firm plans for our Family Home Evening lesson that night, we decided to teach my two-year-old son Gabriel about priesthood blessings. He folded his arms reverently three times: once when I consecrated oil for the healing of the sick, once when Donald Gilreath (my mother-in-law's home teacher) anointed her with the oil, and once while I gave her a blessing. He listened patiently while Alana and I explained how priesthood blessings can make us feel better and help us learn what Heavenly Father wants us to do. Then, he ran to me and said very seriously, "I want a blessing, Daddy." I, of course, was glad to oblige and touched that he wanted a blessing. This is the blessing he received: " Gabriel Ogarek Hutchins, by the power of t...
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Apologia Pro Matre Nostra

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I wish to say a few words about our first mother, about Eve. This is not a new topic for me; I have dedicated a substantial portion of my graduate student career to examining the ways in which seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English writers have portrayed her. John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, described her as a model of Christian charity. Anne Bradstreet, the first published North American poet, threw Eve under the bus and condemned her as a temptress. John Milton similarly hinted that Eve was a Pandora whose curiosity had brought misery on mankind. Jonathan Edwards, the most influential American theologian up until the Civil War, defended Eve vigorously and gave her a place of honor comparable to that traditionally awarded to Mary. I could give you other examples. Many of these writers have interesting and insightful things to say, but they all share a common problem: they have no knowledge of the truths restored to...
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