What Have You Lost or Broken?

My Come Follow Me Studies for this week took me to Isaiah 13-35 in a lesson titled “A Marvellous Work and a Wonder.” The following material introduced the lesson. 

One thing that the Lord asks prophets to do is to warn about the consequences of sin. For Old Testament prophets, this often meant telling the rulers of mighty kingdoms that they needed to repent. It was a dangerous task, but Isaiah was fearless, and his warnings to the kingdoms of his day—including Israel, Judah, and surrounding nations—were bold (see Isaiah 13-23).

However, Isaiah also had a message of hope. Even though the prophesied destructions did come upon these kingdoms, Isaiah foresaw a chance for restoration and renewal. The Lord would invite His people to return to Him. He would make “the parched ground … become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water” (Isaiah 35:7). He would perform “a marvellous work and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:14), restoring to Israel the blessings He had promised them. Neither Isaiah nor anyone else alive at that time lived to see this marvelous work. But we are seeing it today. In fact, we are part of it.

The scripture block taught several principles, including these: (1) Pride and worldliness will fail (Isaiah 13:1-11, 19-22; 14:1-20). (2) Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah (Isaiah 22:22-23; 24:21-23; 25:6-8; 26:19; 28:16). (3) Turning away from the Lord brings spiritual danger (Isaiah 24:1-12; 28:1-8; 28:1-8; 29:7-13; 30:8-14). (4) The Lord can restore what is lost or broken (Isaiah 29; 30:18-26; 35). This essay will discuss principle #4 about God restoring anything lost or broken.

The lesson material asks several questions about lost or broken things: “Have you ever lost something that you thought you would never find again? Or maybe something broke, and you worried that it could never be repaired.” God is concerned about our possessions and used some of them to teach parables, such as the “Parable of the Lost Coin.” He is also concerned about the lost or broken relationships in our lives. He is particularly concerned about our relationship with Him, but He is also concerned about our relationships with other people.

When we sin or turn away from God, Satan wants us to think that we are lost and can never return or be healed. This is a lie. Sister Amy A. Wright taught the following about broken relationships with God ("Christ Heals That Which Is Broken," Liahona, May 2022, 81–84). 

While the Savior was teaching in the temple, a woman was brought to Him by the scribes and Pharisees. We do not know her full story, just that she was “taken in adultery” (John 8:4). Often the scriptures give only a small portion of someone’s life, and based on that portion, we sometimes tend to exalt or condemn. No one’s life can be understood by one magnificent moment or one regrettable public disappointment. The purpose of these scriptural accounts is to help us see that Jesus Christ was the answer then, and He is the answer now. He knows our complete story and exactly what we suffer, as well as our capabilities and vulnerabilities.

Christ’s response to this precious daughter of God was “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Another way to say “go, and sin no more” could be “go forth and change.” The Savior was inviting her to repent: to change her behavior, her associations, the way she felt about herself, her heart.

Because of Christ, our decision to “go forth and change” can also allow us to “go forth and heal,” for He is the source of healing all that is broken in our lives. As the great Mediator and Advocate with the Father, Christ sanctifies and restores broken relationships – most important, our relationship with God.

The Joseph Smith Translation makes it clear that the woman did follow the Savior’s counsel and changed her life: “And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name” (JST, John 8:11 [in John 8:11, footnote c]). It is unfortunate that we do not know her name or other details about her life after this moment because it would have required great determination, humility, and faith in Jesus Christ for her to repent and change. What we do know is she was a woman who “believed on his name” with the understanding that she was not beyond the reach of His infinite and eternal sacrifice.

God is also concerned about our relationships with other people: parents, siblings, children, and other family members; friends and associates; strangers who cross our path. Sister Wright taught the following about broken relationships with other people.

In Luke chapter 15 we read a parable of a man who had two sons. The younger son asked his father for his inheritance, took his journey into a far country, and wasted his substance with riotous living.

“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

“And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

“And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.

“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.

“And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

The fact that the father ran to his son, I believe, is significant. The personal hurt that the son had inflicted upon his father was surely deep and profound. Likewise, the father may have been genuinely embarrassed by his son’s actions.

So why didn’t the father wait for his son to apologize? Why didn’t he hold out for an offering of restitution and reconciliation before extending forgiveness and love? This is something I have often pondered.

The Lord teaches us that forgiving others is a universal commandment: “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” Extending forgiveness can take tremendous courage and humility. It can also take time. It requires us to put our faith and trust in the Lord as we assume accountability for the condition of our hearts. Here lies the significance and power of our agency.

With the depiction of this father in the parable of the prodigal son, the Savior emphasized that forgiveness is one of the noblest gifts we can give one another and most specifically ourselves. Unburdening our hearts through forgiveness isn’t always easy, but through the enabling power of Jesus Christ, it is possible.

God will help us to return to Him and be healed. He will also help us to mend the broken or lost relationships in our lives. Isaiah teaches, and the Book of Mormon confirms, the Restoration of His Gospel to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. (See Isaiah 29:13-14; 30:18-26; 35.)  An important part of that restoration was the translation and publishing of the Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Isaiah calls the Restoration “a marvellous work and wonder” (Isaiah 29:14). I invite you to study Isaiah and the Book of Mormon to know how much God loves you wants you to return to His presence.

 

What Matters Most to You?

Wise parents will teach their children three important matters: (1) agency is given to each mortal before they are born, is part of God’s plan for the eternal happiness of His children, and is essential to making correct choices. (2) Each person needs to choose what is most important to them, and wise people choose Christ every day. (3) No one, besides Christ, can save themselves, and only Christ can perfect us. Such teachings will strengthen families, and strong families strengthen communities, states, and nations.

In her article published in the Deseret News, Amy Ortiz shared her notes from a talk given by Elder Alexander Dushku at a BYU Devotional. Elder Dushku is a General Authority Seventy and General Counsel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

When Julius Caesar made the fateful decision to cross the Rubicon River with one of his legions in January 49 B.C., he knew exactly what the act meant.

The crossing was an act of treason that would incite civil war against Rome. Nevertheless, Caesar marched forward, reportedly declaring, “Alez iacta est,” or “the die is cast.”

He clarified that Caesar was no role model, but said that his actions indicate Caesar understood a powerful truth: “The time comes when you and I must choose what matters most to us.”

In a time of great opportunities and great challenges, “now is the time to cross the Rubicon of faith and never look back,” Elder Dushku said. “now is the time to decide to be all in for the Lord.” …

He listed several ways individuals can choose to center their lives around Christ, including:

·       Praying with real intent.

·       Feasting upon Christ’s words in the scriptures.

·       Choosing to repent of sin and return to Christ.

·       Choosing to keep covenants and obey God’s commandments out of love and loyalty.

·       Partaking of the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

·       Choosing to always remember Christ.

·       Choosing to love and serve others in Christ’s name.

Christ’s loving invitations are constant and always personal, Elder Dushku said. The “fundamental choice” each has to face is between Christ and the world.

“When the adversary presses in and temptations come,” he said, “we must remember that we are choosing in that moment what we love most.”

“Choose Christ” daily and in those moments, Elder Dushku pleaded. Choose Christ “because He loved you first, and because you love Him most.”

 

How Much Voter Fraud Happens in US Elections?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns election fraud. Democrats try to tell us that there is no election fraud, or fraud does not affect election results because there is not enough of it. Numbers tell a difference story. In an article published in The Daily Signal, Fred Lucas reported some numbers. 

Since late 2025, federal law enforcement has made 160 election fraud arrests and has 10 times as many investigations in motion, senior Trump administration officials said.

“We are investigating several hundred cases that are very much active right now. We are bringing several cases each week,” a Justice Department official told the Daily Signal Tuesday. “But I will say that we have thousands of cases that are in their infancy, where we are receiving public voter files.”

The Daily Signal reported on Monday that the Justice Department has brought about two dozen voter fraud cases in September so far.

Previously, the Daily Signal reported that, as of late August, the second-term Trump Justice Department charged 50 noncitizens for voter fraud in its first one and a half years, compared to 13 such cases brought in the entirely of the Biden administration.

The Justice Department is combining its own internal database and tools and distributing that information to U.S. attorneys’ offices, Homeland Security Investigations field offices, and the FBI.

“What you are seeing right now is stuff that has been in the hopper, and we have been working for a while now,” the Justice Department official said, “We think as the weeks progress, we will see those tranches, just in their infancy, start to really build and come to fruition as well.”

The administration also plans to release numbers on non-prosecutable cases, noting that more than 100,000 people have illegally registered to vote or voted, but the statute of limitations has expired for prosecution.

The uptick in arrests shows federal prosecutors are not just looking the other way on voter fraud, said Chad Ennis, vice president of the Honest Elections Project.

“The DOJ is finally putting the manpower into this. A lot of times, all you have to do is look,” Ennis told the Daily Signal. “Most of these prosecutions have been for in-person voting. In years past, most scattered prosecutions were for mail voting, or ballot harvesting operations.”

A Public Interest Legal Foundation database shows 1,376 elections ended in a tie since 1992, while another 533 were decided by a single vote in that time.

“Are thousands of fraudulent votes happening in one place? No,” Ennis said. “But local elections are more prone to fraud. It’s hard to steal a million votes. It’s not hard to steal 10 votes. Then someone has a city council to steer contracts their way, and it’s a good return on investment.

A Homeland Security Investigations official said the agency is getting leads from across the country, with 1,600 cases in place, and 160 arrests for illegal voting or illegal voter registration.

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Atonement of Jesus Christ? 3

Article of Faith 3

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved,

by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

This is the third essay about the Atonement of Jesus Christ as stated in the third Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first week, I discussed the importance of understanding how the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as the third pillar of eternity, is essential to Heavenly Father’s plan for the eternal happiness of His children. Last week, the discussion was about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the nature of the atonement. This week, the discussion will concern the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a vicarious sacrifice, using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (Articles of Faith [1913], 77-79).

The Atonement a Vicarious Sacrifice – It is to many a matter of surpassing wonder that the voluntary sacrifice of a single being could be made to operate as a means of ransom for the rest of mankind. In this, as in other things, the scriptures are explicable by the spirit of scriptural interpretation. The sacred writings of ancient times, the inspired utterances of latter-day prophets, the traditions of mankind, the rites of sacrifice, and even the sacrileges of heathen idolatries, all involve the idea of vicarious atonement. God has never refused to accept an offering made by one who is authorized on behalf of those who are in any way incapable of doing the required service themselves. The scapegoat and the altar victim of ancient Israel, if offered with repentance and contrition, were accepted by the Lord in mitigation of the sins of the people. It is interesting to note that while the ceremonies of sacrifice formed so large and so essential a part of the Mosaic requirements, these rites long antedated the establishment of Israel as a distinct people; for, as already shown, altar sacrifice as rendered by Adam. The symbolism of the immolating of animals as a prototype of the great sacrifice to follow on Calvary was thus instituted with the beginning of human history.

The many kinds of sacrifice prescribed by the Mosaic law are classifiable as bloody and bloodless. Offerings of the first order only, involving the infliction of death, were acceptable in propitiation or atonement for sin, and the victim had to be clean, healthy, and without spot or blemish. So for the great sacrifice, the effects of which were to be infinite, only an innocent subject could be accepted,  It was Christ’s right to become the Savior as the only sinless being on earth, and as the Only Begotten of the Father, and above all as the one ordained in the heavens to be the Redeemer of mankind; and though the exercise of this right involved a sacrifice, the extent of which man cannot comprehend, yet Christ made that sacrifice willingly and voluntarily. To the last, He had the means of terminating the tortures of His persecutors, by the exercise of His inherent powers. In some way, though that way may be inexplicable to us, Christ took upon Himself the burdensome onus of the sins of mankind. The means may be to our finite minds a mystery, yet the results are our salvation.

Something of the Savior’s agony as He groaned under this load of guilt, which to Him, as a type of purity, must have been in itself bitter in the extreme, He has told us in this day: “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit – and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink – Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.” Further instances of the validity of vicarious service are found in the rites of baptism for the dead as taught in apostolic and modern times, and in the institution of other temple ordinances in the current dispensation.

Do You Think Immigrants Should Be Able to Support Themselves and Family?

Some people are upset at a new federal policy that took effect on Friday. According to an article by Frizz Flake published in the Deseret News, this policy “gives immigration officers broader discretion to consider whether certain immigrants may rely on public benefits.” 

The Department of Homeland Security says the new policy will remove restrictive regulations and allow immigration officers to grant admission on a case-by-case basis.]

“Under @POTUS Trump, DHS is restoring the basic principle that immigrants must be able to support themselves,” the Department of Homeland Security posted on X.

Individuals, advocacy groups and healthcare providers who oppose these changes have raised concerns about the potential negative impact on immigrants and their families, particularly those receiving public benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps.

The public charge test, explained

Ever since Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1882, the U.S. government has classified individuals it believes likely to become dependent on government welfare as a “public charge” and has denied their entry into the United States.

Traditionally, immigration officers considered factors such as age, health and financial status when granting individuals admission into the country.

What has changed?

In 2022, the Biden administration formally defined a public charge as someone who is “primarily dependent on the government for subsistence.”

Under this definition, immigration officers could only consider direct cash assistance when evaluating green card applicants. This primarily included enrollment in programs such as Supplemental Security Income and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The new policy, effective Friday, allows officers to weigh a much wider array of factors, including participation in Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance and financial aid for college.

Possible effects in Utah

Utah is one of only 15 states that uses state revenue to provide health coverage to children regardless of their immigration status. The state argues that covering children preventively is cheaper than treating them in emergency rooms, and healthy children perform better in school and become more productive adults.

Because of the vagueness of the new public charge rule and what qualifies as receiving a public benefit, Utah’s built-in safety net specifically created for children in immigrant families could now count against a parent’s green card application.

This could result in families walking away from state coverage out of fear, resulting in uninsured children and the state of Utah losing the return on its own policy investment.

What Utah families should know

DHS expects the new policy to reduce annual federal and state spending by approximately $13 billion due to immigrant families disenrolling or forgoing enrollment in public benefits programs.

Much of that disenrollment is expected to occur before any green cards are actually denied. Because the new rule doesn’t specify which benefits will count against applicants, the ambiguity itself acts as a deterrent that pushes families to drop coverage.

 

Who Are the Truth Tellers in America?

 My VIPs for this week are the people who tell the truth in a time of great lies. In a podcast with Victor Davis Hanson, Sami Winc introduced the topic – the big lie of the week. The “big lie on the internet this week was that there were black lynchings in the last five or six years.” She continued, “And you looked at every single one of them, and they were ruled as suicides, with the exception of one that was murdered by her own husband.”

In addition to the big lie, Sami introduced the problem of the Left “celebrating [Charlie Kirk’s assassination. They were defending Luigi Mangione and Lindsay Clancy.” Victor Davis Hanson called it the “death cult,” and Winc emphasized the lack of commemoration for the people who died on 9/1. Hanson explained the following: 

And then you have to add [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and New York City Mayor Zohran] Mamdani laughing during the most solemn parts of the commemoration. This is not the Democratic Party.

This is an Islamic socialist party. And it’s not just these young, dissatisfied, downwardly mobile urban people that supposedly hijacked the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party was socialist before these people came in. Almost everything the socialists are now advocating: pack the court, end the filibuster, end the Electoral College, bring in new states, defund the police, recognize BLM, DEI, biological men in female sports, ban fracking.

That was the Democratic Party. They had gone socialist.

All that’s different is these people, the Abdul El-Sayeds, the Hasan Pikers. They were young, they were glib, they were photogenic, and thy said: You got the great message, but you are … Nobody wants to listen to Nancy Pelosi. Nobody wants to listen to Chuck Schumer. Nobody wants the buffoonish Hakeem Jeffries. We are slick. We can take that message that we both share, and we go to town.

And that’s what they did. And they don’t like the United States. They really do not like it, this socialist Democratic Party. They don’t believe that 9/11 is … And if you think I’m exaggerating, Hasan Piker said that we deserved it. And Ilhan Omar said, “Well, something happened to somebody on that day. Something happened.” So, I’m being literal about it. And they believe that any means are necessary to achieve their morally superior end.

So, if it means to take a middle-class kid that worked himself up for UnitedHealth to provide health care for millions of people, you lay in wait, and you shoot him in the back, and you become a hero, even though you’re a trust-fund, spoiled-rotten nepo baby.

Or you murder your three children, and you don’t say one word, that they were strangled one after another as two of the children saw each sibling murdered in front of them by their mother that was supposed to be nurturing. And then you say, you don’t just feel sympathy for the mother. You make that a cause celeb, and you don’t even mention the children.

Or, in the case of Charlie Kirk, you cut videos where you put your finger to your neck as if you’re shooting him on his commemoration.

And as far as the hoaxes go, we’ve got to remember now that it’s getting late in the game. We went through the Duke lacrosse [scandal]….

Then we had Jussie Smollett. He defied the laws of chemistry. He threw bleach at 30 degrees actual weather temperature with, you know, frigid winds, and it didn’t freeze because he was Jussie Smollette….

At Stanford, we had a rope hanging on a tree, and we were told that somebody, a Stanford student, that was….

We had the NASCAR. Remember the rope on the garage door? That was made up.

In other words, what does it indicate? I could go on with 100 more. It indicates that there are too many victims for the small pool of victimizers, No.1. So, there’s not enough victimizers, so you have to make up psychodramas.

No. 2, it shows you that a lot of people on the 30% DEI ledger feel that if they can continue to pass this lie about white rage, white supremacy, white privilege, they will get a continuance of the gravy train -- $30 to $31 trillion, $23, I think it is, trillion in redistribution since the start of the Great Society….

Affirmative action, DEI, we want this to continue. We are oppressed. We bring in people. They do it in two ways. They bring in people that have no experience with the United States from Latin America, Africa. They set one inch in the United States and they say, “I’m a victim of white supremacy.” And you say, “Well, you grew up in Uganda, you grew up in Kenya, you grew up in Oaxaca. How did you get hurt?” …

There is much more to the article. If you choose, you can find the rest here. 

How Do Americans Find Common Ground and Move Forward Together?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns ongoing efforts “to find a better way to embody the love of God in public life, offering hope for unity and a moral framework to move forward in a divided world.”

As part of that ongoing effort, President Dallin H. Oaks, Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was invited to speak at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. The date was chosen because it was the eve of Constitution Day on Thursday, September 17. 

Professionally, President Oaks “regarded the United States Constitution as a model for a diverse people to achieve self-government.” He joined others in believing that “our history to teach that ‘Creating common ground is a key purpose of the Constitution.’” He continued by stating, “The Constitution requires us to deal constantly with people who disagree with us. It compels a divided people to build coalitions that allow them to act together for the common good.”

Early in his remarks, President Oaks emphasizes that he was speaking for the United States Constitution and not for any political party or pressure group. He spoke from his experience as “a law clerk to Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, … 15 years as a professor of law and … 3.5 years as a justice on the Utah Supreme Court.” He was also speaking “from 42 years as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, responsible to study the meaning of the divinely inspired principles of the United States Constitution.” Here is President Oaks’ explanation of the inspired principles in the United States Constitution.

What became the United States was founded and built by people of different nationalities, ethnicities, and beliefs. Its unifying purpose was not to establish a particular religion or to perpetuate any of the diverse cultures or tribal loyalties of the old countries. Our founding generation, whom we honor in this 250^th anniversary, sought to be unified by a new constitution and laws. That is not to say that our unifying Declaration and initial Constitution or the then-current understanding of their meanings were perfect. The history of the first two centuries of the United States showed the need for many important changes, such as voting rights for women and, particularly, the abolition of slavery. New laws had to ensure that those who had been enslaved or disadvantaged would have all the conditions of freedom.

Many different groups – political and cultural – needed to participate to resolve the diversities that had separated us. These different groups, included scholars, cultural, civic, and religious organizations, all of which are represented in today’s gathering. Speaking for my own Church, the U.S. Constitution is of special importance to our members. We have a revelation that identifies the Constitution as divinely inspired. This does not mean that every word is inspired, but that it is based on inspired principles. First, is the principle that the source of government power is the citizens – what is often called popular sovereignty. Second, is the division of delegated power between the nation and its subsidiary states. A third inspired principle is the separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Fourth, is the cluster of vital guarantees of individual rights and specific limits on government authority such as in the Bill of Rights. Fifth, we see divine inspiration in the vital purpose of the entire constitution, which is that we are to be governed by law and not by individuals. Our loyalty is based on the Constitution and its principles and processes, not to particular office-holders.

In his closing remarks, President Oaks called for all Americans to become peacemakers. He used the example of the Church of Jesus Christ’s helping hands program in which volunteers in yellow shirts help in clean up efforts after natural disasters and other humanitarian projects worldwide. “In the process, relationships are formed people-to-people that would be impossible by institutional declarations.” He continued:

There is an important lesson in the “helping hands” experience. It is an effort that brings peace to people who are in distress. But it also teaches us the power that comes when individuals put aside their differences and work together to find common ground. When our volunteers bring help, people in distress do not ask for their beliefs. Likewise, the volunteers help everyone, not just fell believers. Why? Simply because deeper moral needs about safety and family and hope take center stage. What is important is giving help and getting help, people-to-people. This is the way to united people who face a common problem. Peacemaking involves finding common ground. A minister who seeks to heal a troubled marriage or resolve a personal controversy is working for peace. Young men and women are peacemakers when they forgo the temporary pleasure of self-gratifying activities and involve themselves in service projects and other acts of kindness. Persons who seek to reduce human suffering and persons who work to promote understanding among different peoples are also workers for peace.

People of goodwill, compassion, and a desire to understand and help one another are at the core of peacemaking and fairness for all in the constitutional process of achieving freedom and unity, as difficult and slow as it is. It is all about trying to understand the deep needs, the deep commitments, on both sides and then to forge solutions that yield peace and fairness for all.

President Oaks closed his remarks with a prayer for all: “I pray to our Heavenly Father for His blessings upon us that we will all seek to be peacemakers.”