Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er his foes! (from chorus of “Christ Arose”)

If you’ve watched any movies that depict the life of Christ, they almost all end with Jesus returning from the dead. It makes for a nice ending — the hero is alive, the good guys (the disciples) were sad but end up happy, and the bad guys who had appeared to have won didn’t win after all. Of course, the same description can be applied to the ending of many other movies that have nothing to do with Jesus.

It’s important to understand that the resurrection is not just a happy ending to the story.

For those who have received the call to be baptized, it is an unforgettable experience. The call is a struggle of personal remorse and guilt for past sins with an overwhelming joy inviting us to ask for baptism. It is unmistakably a great emotional upheaval, a heart-wrenching roller coaster ride that leaves the individual with an unforgettable Divine Encounter that serves as a testimony for the remainder of one’s life.

Today we're kicking off the first day of August as well as the first of our "miscellaneous" Miracle Mondays. Today's testimony is a sweet one by Sister Natalie Shawver.

My husband's grandfather passed away 13 months before we were married. I had the opportunity to get to know him prior to his passing and always enjoyed his company at family events. Both of my grandfathers passed away when I was 15, so it was nice to have an adopted grandfather years later, so to speak.

Although we were saddened he wouldn't be present physically on our wedding day, we learned later he was smiling down.

Today's Good Word is a great reminder for our youth ... and also for the adults out there who still have living parents. No matter how old we grow, we are still children to our folks, and respecting them remains the first of the 10 Commandments with a reward attached. 

This article is part of Sister Michelle Watson's deep dive into the concept of "deny yourself" (Mt. 16:24, Mk. 8:34, Lu. 9:23, 3 Ne. 12:30). Today, she's taking a look at what's at stake.

It's been roughly a half-year since I've been pondering "deny yourself." I've attempted to define it, and I've studied up on how subjects like self-indulgence, self-justification, pride, and submission intersect with self-denial. Now, I'm ready to ask, why does denying myself matter, and what's at stake if I don't?

Particularly, is my soul's salvation in jeopardy?

REDEEM

• To save (a person or soul) from a state of sinfulness and its consequences
• To set free, as from slavery or kidnapping, by providing money or other compensation
• To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum
• To restore the honor, worth, or reputation of

In the passage from Isaiah that Jacob shares in 2 Nephi 8, he refers to the redeemed of the Lord: \\\"Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away\\\" (2 Nephi 8:11). This particular verse refers to those of the House of Israel who will one day accept Christ and be gathered into Zion.

I was recently at the store, and when I went inside to grab a cart, a woman and her 5-year-old daughter were putting one back. I smiled at them as I picked out a cart, and the little girl started to sing. I was touched as she proudly sang these words, loud and clear:

The B-I-B-L-E!
Yes, that’s the book for me!
I stand alone on the Word of God!
The B-I-B-L-E!

It touched my heart. The mother immediately looked over at me, and I could tell she was wondering what my reaction would be. It's sad that so many are offended by God’s name these days — but not me. I smiled big and told that little girl how good she sang and that it’s a beautiful song to hear. The mother smiled big at me, and we totally had a “moment” where she knew that I loved God, and I knew that she did, too.

Today we are wrapping up our month of conversion testimonies for Miracle Monday with this submission from Sister Joyce Smith. Enjoy!

January 2, 2016 was my 44th spiritual birthday. I was baptized on the first Sunday of the New Year in 1972 at 18 years old. A newlywed of four months, I asked for my baptism at the New Year's watch service.

Coming from a different denomination and attending catechism, I had heard stories from the Bible and about God. But it wasn't until I walked through the doors of The Church of Jesus Christ in San Fernando, California that I felt God. I felt His Spirit in that building and a special love from all the people.

We hope that today's Good Word reminds you of your heart and mouth — how the seeds of faith begin in the first and blossom forth from the second. If your heart believes but your mouth hasn't confessed it, why not make today the day that you proclaim that Jesus is Lord?

"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." – Mark 4:37-39.

This scripture has come to life twice for my family and me in the last 10 years. The first time was during Hurricane Ike in September 2008. We'd been through a couple near misses down in Houston, Texas, but this was our first experience dealing head-on with a hurricane.

You’ve probably gone through something like this at some point. You have a close friend who lives near you (or works with you, attends the same church, goes to school with you, etc.). The day arrives when your friend moves away (leaves the company, church, school, etc.).

Promises are made that you’ll still be close friends. Perhaps that lasts for a while, but as time passes, contact is less frequent. The closeness is no longer there. The day may come when your friend calls and says, “What happened? We used to be so close but now we hardly even speak anymore.” Rather than hurt your friend’s feelings, you may choose the typical meaningless reply (“Things have been so busy … you know how it is.”) but what you really want to say is, “Hey, who moved? I’m still in the same place I was before — you’re the one who moved away. Why would you expect our relationship to be unchanged?”

My daughter joined the school cross-country team this year, and one thing her coach would always say either in person or email is “Finish Strong!” Those words are easy to say, but in the heat of the moment, not always easy to execute.

My daughter learned a lot about endurance and perseverance in this sport; however, I think the most important thing she learned was pacing. The coach taught the team how to effectively pace themselves. She didn’t want everyone to run like a shotgun at the beginning of the race, quickly lose steam, and lag behind at the finish line. In pacing, the runners learned when to store up energy and when to use that energy to build momentum and ultimately finish strong.

Today's Miracle Monday is a conversion testimony submitted by Sister Vanessa Tostado. Since church camps and conferences play a big role in her story, we think it's very appropriate to share in the wake of GMBA camp and the summer YIA tours. There's also one other reason why this article is super timely — can you spot it in the article?

At GMBA Camp in 1998, we had a wonderful seminar for the youth. My brother had been recently baptized, and I was beginning to contemplate baptism. I remember that, in the seminar, while the ministers were praying for others, I went up to Brother Phil Jackson and began to cry, telling him I didn't want to die by the fountain. He cried with me, prayed for me, and gave me a big hug like my father would've — something I will never forget.

We hope that today's Good Word reminds you to put your faith and trust in what never changes — God and His word. Seasons pass, and society's views alter with the times. What was good is now bad, and vice versa. Popular opinion is like a wave tossed by the wind. One minute, a certain viewpoint is "up" and the next moment it's "down." 

This article is part of Sister Michelle Watson's deep dive into the concept of "deny yourself" (Mt. 16:24, Mk. 8:34, Lu. 9:23, 3 Ne. 12:30).

If there's one value that Americans cherish above all others, then I'm going to say it's freedom. The pilgrims arrived here in search of religious freedom, and our founding fathers broke from Britain because they wanted political, social, and economic freedom. For decades, individual Americans have enjoyed the freedom to pursue any life path they choose.