Unfortunately I missed church last Sunday and didn't get to hear the First Presidency's letter that was read in LDS congregations in the U.S. The LDS Church Newsroom has an article about the letter which encouraged members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to participate in the 2010 United States Census.

The LDS Newsroom quotes a few things from the letter including the following counsel:

"We urge all members to respond to them in an accurate and timely manner. It is an important obligation for all citizens to be counted in the census."

If you haven't yet completed it, now is a great time to get it filled in and sent. To follow my own advice, and the counsel from the First Presidency, I just filled in our copy of the census. After my husband looks at it, we'll mail it in.

Each of us has a purpose for being alive, and for being who we are. God has a plan for us, there is structure, order, and reasons for why we are here.

President Spencer W. Kimball, twelfth prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said:

"God does nothing by chance but always by design as a loving father.... We have purpose also in our lives.

"Surely such a loving Father in heaven, who gave commandments to prevent human misery, will not forget the needs of each of his children. William Law observed:

"'It is said that the very hairs of your head are all numbered; is it not to teach us that nothing, not the smallest things imaginable, happen to us by chance? But if the smallest things we can conceive are declared to be under the divine direction, need we, or can we, be more plainly taught that the greatest things of life, such as the manner of our coming into the world, our parents, the time, and other circumstances of our birth and condition, are all according to the eternal purposes, direction, and appointment of Divine Providence?'" ("There Is Purpose in Life," New Era, Sep 1974, 4)

You have a purpose! Your life isn't just some random event or some result of chance. God has a plan for you- and He knows and loves you.

If you've heard much about us "Mormons" (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) you may have heard that we worship someone named Joseph Smith. Who was this man and do we worship Joseph Smith?

After reading this FAQ share your thoughts about Joseph Smith with us.

Last year I went through a difficult experience that filled me with a lot of fear. A wise friend of mine shared with me this wonderful New Testament scripture, which has stuck with me ever since:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

Feelings of fear are not from God, but from Satan who is trying to destroy us. This shouldn't be confused with the "fear of God" which is a different type of fear.

We've even been commanded not to have fear:

"Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.

"Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come" (D&C 68:5-6).

I believe fear is a natural reaction to those things that happen around us and to us, but what we choose to do with our fear- to accept or reject it- is what is important.

This year in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are studying the Old Testament in Sunday School. I've really been enjoying my study of the Old Testament this year and was wondering how many people have actually read the Old Testament all the way through? Have you? Vote now in this poll!

Previous Poll: Do You Believe Christ Will Come Before You Die?

Learn more about other Mormon scriptures.

A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend and the subject of God and faith came up. My friend said he didn't believe in God, but only believed in science and in things that could be proven. I shared my belief that "faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21). He then said he hoped he was wrong, because he thought that there was something "greater out there."

I also believe in science, but I believe science is faith. The discovery of scientific things is based on an act of faith. Before a scientific truth is proven it starts as a theory because someone believed in something they couldn't see, which was true, and worked to prove it- to discover and understand it.

For example, before the discovery of electricity, people did not "know" it existed, or more accurately they didn't understand the manifestations of it (lightning, etc). But Benjamin Franklin acted (with faith) upon his hope of something "not seen, which [is] true" to prove it- to understand it- and through time and experiments people began to learn the truth about electricity.

Electricity has always been around, it has always existed. People understood the powerful effect of lightning (to burn, start fires, and to kill), but they didn't understand the power of electricity, or how to harness it and use it, until its natural laws were discovered and understood.

"Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" (Ether 12:6).

Faith in God is the same. One must act in faith (believing in that which is true but can't be seen) to be able to know and understand God's true nature. As one acts in faith (such as praying to God with sincerity and real intent) the Holy Ghost will witness to the truth of all things.

"Now, as I said concerning faith--that it was not a perfect knowledge--even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" (Alma 32:26-27).

In my previous blog entry I wrote how "All Things Denote There Is a God," but to understand God's true nature a man must come unto Him in faith and "experiment upon the word" to know for himself that God exists.

How have you "experimented upon the word"? Continue reading Alma chapter 32 to learn how the prophet Alma compares faith (and his words) to a seed.

Today while taking a walk, I reflected upon the beauty of the earth, the trees, birds, the sky, etc and pondered the phrase, "All things denote there is a God." This scripture is from The Book of Mormon when the Anti-Christ, Korihor, was contending with the Prophet Alma:

"And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.

"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 30:43-44).

Korihor continued to deny the existence of God and Christ, and demanded a sign- which he received. Korihor was "struck dumb" and could not speak nor could he hear. Then Korihor admitted the truth:

"And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God.

"But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me" (Alma 30:52-53).

Unfortunately for Korihor, he remained cursed and went from house to house begging for food, until a wicked group of people killed him. I really like the last verse of Alma chapter 30 and think it is very profound:

"And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell" (vs 60).

The "carnal" or natural man wants to reject God and rely upon his own intelligence, but "all things denote there is a God" no matter how one tries to deny it.

How do you know there is a God? How has the Spirit witnessed this truth to you?

Original sin is the belief that because Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (called 'the fall'), all infants born thereafter are tainted by Adam and Eve's sin. To become pure again all infants must be baptized.

Do Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) believe in original sin? Find out what we believe about the fall of Adam and Eve and how it affects us.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is often known for its young missionaries who travel door-to-door and are throughout the world, but did you know that senior couples also serve missions?

The Church has created a great new website for senior missionaries with resources and opportunities for serving full-time missions, or other church related missions. Find what opportunities are currently available for senior missionaries, the estimated monthly mission costs, and application instructions. There are several excellent videos and a list of FAQs.

If you've considered serving a mission with your spouse, now's the time to prepare by learning more.

Have you struggled to find a good job? Are you unhappy with your current employment? Do you feel lost and are just one of the many thousands who are looking for the same types of jobs as you? Then these free employment resources are just what you need.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a wonderful Employment Resource Services which they've expanded with their new Beta site, LDSJobs.org.

This new site is full of excellent resources for job seekers, employers, and those called in church positions to help others with their employment needs. Some of these great resources include a Professional Placement Program and Job Searching Tips such as job search planning, presenting your skills, written communication, power statements, interview techniques, etc.

The Church has many LDS Employment Centers throughout the world and many of these locations hold a free Career Workshop. These workshops (usually held over two days) help people set goals, find and use resources, and continually succeed as you move forward with jobs and a career.