I became a Mormon because of a search for truth. I love finding out what is true and what that truth means for me. Over the years, since joining the church at the age of seventeen, I’ve learned many truths and I’ve learned to accept that all truth doesn’t match up to my own personal desires. For instance, I want chocolate to have zero calories, but all the wanting in the world won’t change the truth. The same is true with gospel doctrine. Truth is unchanging and God doesn’t bend truth to suit us; we must bend our will to God’s will.

Over time, I found this reassuring. Prior to finding the church and learning how to pray about truth, I tried to essentially create my own religion, making long, complex lists of doctrines I believed in, didn’t believe in, and wasn’t sure about. However, these lists didn’t really give me a feeling of security because I had no way to know if I was right or wrong.

Once I knew how to gain a confirmation of teachings from God, and understood I wasn’t expected to take the word of any human being without being able to talk to God about it, I found I was less anxious about life. I like knowing what is true.

“The word of God is the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ and by His prophets. Alma knew that words of doctrine have great power. They can open the minds of people to see spiritual things not visible to the natural eye. And they can open hearts to feelings of the love of God and a love for truth” (Henry B. Eyring, “Teaching True Doctrine,” Liahona, Apr 2009, 2–7).

The purpose of Applying LDS Doctrine is to explore the power of the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how they impact us, as believing members, in our everyday life. We are Mormons all day long in every aspect of our daily life, and the doctrines of the church aren’t something we study on Sunday and forget on Monday. They must determine the pattern of every day of our lives.

I’m your host for this topic. I have been a member of the church for more than thirty years and am old enough to have gained some perspective on the impact of honoring or dishonoring the teachings of the church.

I am a writer by trade, with one book to my name and one on the way, a number of websites, and a content writing business. My passion, however, is in the Primary room, where I spend as much of my church life as possible. Currently, I’m the nursery leader and the literacy leader, which means I am teaching toddlers the gospel (when they’re not teaching it to me) and a small group of church members to speak English. I love history, genealogy, mysteries, and chocolate chip cookies. I’m married to Lincoln Bittner and have three grown children and am about to become a grandma, giving me a whole new world to obsess over. I am also a godmother to a sweet little girl named Ashilyn. When I’m not reading, writing, teaching, or volunteering to do something, I devote the remainder of my time to avoiding housework.

You can find a list of my current articles for this site on the Gospel Teachings department page.