Journal

Members of the Church are encouraged to keep journals of their revelations as a way to document personal spiritual experiences and divine guidance. We believe that Heavenly Father communicates with individuals through personal revelation, and writing it down helps preserve these moments of inspiration for reflection and growth. Additionally, these journals serve as a personal record of our spiritual journey and can be shared with future generations to offer guidance and encouragement. Ongoing revelation is a key aspect of maintaining a strong relationship with the Lord.

There is something eternal in the very nature of writing, as is so graphically illustrated by the scriptures themselves. In a very real sense, our properly written histories are a very important part of our family scripture and become a great source of spiritual strength to us and to our posterity. (Elder John H. Groberg, a former member of the Quorum of the Seventy; “Writing Your Personal and Family History,” Ensign, May 1980, 48.)

We should not expect the Church as an organization to teach or tell us everything we need to know and do to become devoted disciples and endure valiantly to the end [see Doctrine and Covenants 121:29]. Rather, our personal responsibility is to learn what we should learn, to live as we know we should live, and to become who the Master would have us become. And our homes are the ultimate setting for learning, living, and becoming. (Elder David A. Bednar, “Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing,” Ensign, May 2019, 102).

This selection is drawn from my personal journals, records I have maintained since 1987. While the entries span several decades, I have chosen to share only specific reflections and experiences from 1994 to the present. To provide readers with a clearer understanding of the subject matter, I have titled each entry based on its theme or significance. These titles, placed beside the corresponding dates, offer a brief insight into the content without divulging too much at a glance. Additionally, you will come across the name “Eben” within these pages—it is a nickname affectionately given to me by my grandmother, and it appears frequently throughout the journal.