Hi, I'm Debra

i am a wife, a mother, and a mormon.

About Me

i am a young mother, holding down the fort while my husband does a masters in piano performance. we have two beautiful little girls that eat up most of my time.

i did my undergraduate work in mathematics and then went on to law school to receive a JD. i worked as a law clerk for a year after law school before taking a hiatus of indeterminate length to stay at home with my children.

i love to read, cook, swim, quilt, knit, and write. with two children vying for my attention, i don't get to do these things as often as i would like, but i still find time to do them as often as possible and maintain my identity as an individual.

Why I am a Mormon

i am a mormon by birth, and so that is a large part of why i am a mormon. i have pioneer roots on one side of my family but my mother is a first generation convert. my parents raised me in an active LDS family. my parents and all four of their children are still active members of the LDS faith.

but i am not a mormon by default. as a young child, i had a strong testimony that the savior was real, that he loved me, and that this was his church, restored to the earth in latter days through the prophet joseph smith. as i have aged and matured, i have had that testimony confirmed over and over again as the holy ghost has testified of these truths in my mind and heart.

i am a mormon because it makes me happy. knowing that my savior died for me and was resurrected that we may live with our father in heaven and him again gives me the greatest joy that i have ever felt. as i try to live by his commandments on earth and as i try to teach my children of jesus christ and his teachings, i am filled with peace and love. it gives me purpose and direction in my life.

How I live my faith

i live my faith by working with the eight year old girls in my local LDS ward. every two weeks, a whirlwind of energy blasts through my front door and an hour later, they leave again. i can only hope that they get something out of that hour, whether it be practical skills, greater friendship with the girls their age, or a stronger testimony of their savior and his love for them. i feel blessed to be able to work with the youth of the church. it is a daunting task to work with such an impressionable age, but i know that i am strengthened by the lord to be a positive influence in their lives.

i also live my faith on a daily and more personal level as i strive to read from the scriptures, pray to my heavenly father, and teach my children about the lord. these small and simple things help me to deepen my faith and strengthen me for times of trial. i also try to go to the temple often. the temple is where i can check my worldly cares at the door and be closest to my father in heaven. it is where i can worship and meditate and be taught from on high. the temple is a great blessing in my life and i leave its walls feeling peaceful and renewed.

Why don’t women hold the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? How do Mormon women lead in the Church?

Madelyn answered...

I feel that men and women both have different but equally important roles in getting us back to God. In God's eternal plan we were spirits in His presence before this life. To progress we needed to get bodies on this earth, then perform specific ordinances (eg baptism, marriage) to return to God after this life. Women were given the godly power to bring spirits into this world and give them bodies, then nurture and raise these children with God's inspiration and guidance. The men were assigned the responsibility (through the God's Priesthood power) to serve others and administer the ordinances that will bring God's children back to His presence after this life. Both roles are necessary and equally important to God's plan for us.
I don't think women need the Priesthood to be powerful influences and to do God's work in their homes and in the church. I see men grow spiritually, and their characters become more godly when they act in God's name through using the Priesthood.
I have never felt the need to hold the Priesthood myself. I can still receive all the blessings offered by the Priesthood, my prayers can be just as powerful, and I still have access to the inspiration of God in my life.
Leeny answered...

This is a question I had to really consider before joining the Church. My mother is a non-denominational chaplain, and both my sisters are pastors. Female leadership in church settings is very important to my family.

It is to me as well. I think many people become offended when they learn that only men hold the priesthood because they misunderstand it. The priesthood is a tool given to men in order that they might serve others more. It does not in any way give them power or dominion over women. Those people who suppose the priesthood is a way to control others are deeply mistaken.

My husband is a priesthood holder, this means I am too. I have claim on my husband's priesthood power. Even more than he does. If I am sick, discouraged, or in need of help I can call upon my husband to give me a blessing through the priesthood that he holds. I then recieve many blessings because of my husband's worthiness to work in behalf of Christ. My husband is never able to give himself a blessing though. If he is sick or discouraged he must call on other priesthood holders to administer to him. My husband holds the priesthood so that he can bless me and our child - never himself.

The priesthood is the power of Christ on the earth. It allows those who hold it to serve their families in the same way Christ served the Church. Did Christ do any deed for himself during his earthly ministry? No. Christ spent all his energy serving the people. This is what the priesthood does for my husband. It infuses him with Christ's compassion and ability to love, and then my husband is able to use that celestial love in our family.

Why don't women also recieve this special gift then? The simple answer is women don't need it. As women we are innately endowed with compassion, selflessness, and love. Think about the way a mother loves her child. I believe there is nothing more pure and similar to Christ's love for us, than a mother's love for her children. Women naturally have the ability to love as Christ does.

In an ideal situation, which is what God always intended for us, there are two partners in marriage. There is the husband and father, a priesthood leader who can be called upon to administer blessings and serve in Christ's name. And there is also the wife and mother, who is blessed with the ability to love as Christ loves and sacrifice for her family. These are two seperate and divinely appointed roles. Each complementing the other. Both make a complete home.

Women do not hold the priesthood because they do not need it. Women have other God-given powers that raise them up to the task they are called to. A man is appointed to serve his wife and children - it is the power of the priesthood that enables him to do this.

I am grateful to have a husband who is worhty to use the priesthood in my behalf. It has blessed me many times and I know that it is a special gift from God - not only to my husband, but to me as well.

What do Mormons believe concerning the doctrine of grace?

Bryant answered...

Grace is the enable power of Christ to be cleansed of our sins. When I think of grace I like to think of a dam. Now the purpose of a dam is to create energy for a city, but how does it do that? The dam holds back the water and creates a huge amount of pressure. A portion of that pressure is released into a very large duct that flows down and spins large turbines. The spinning of these turbines is what creates the energy that we all use every day. Now without that water, could we spin these turbines by ourselves? No, manpower alone is not nearly enough to create the energy needed. There is just no possible way that a human being by themselves could turn those massive turbines. In this analogy Christ is the strong current created by the water from the dam. Without him we would be unable to turn the turbine to cleanse our lives, only he can do it! None the less we do have control of one part of this process, we can interfere. Sometimes in our lives we sin to a point that we have created so much filth to clog up the duct and not allow Christ's flow into our lives. We must be continually watching to make sure that we do not inhibit this process. Thus, "faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." see James 15 Turbines without the pressure from the water is completely useless. Our lives without Christ? "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." see Romans 623