Although Anthony is grateful for the powerful spiritual experiences he had when he joined the Church, he knows that the light of one pivotal experience isn't enough to live on. "We have to keep our testimony burning," he says. "And we know the ways to do that. Read the scriptures. Go to church. That kind of thing."
Anthony notes that he can feel a difference when he is consistent with these practices and when he is not. And he has discovered ways to keep the pattern of gospel living "fresh."
"I remember studying in the Gospel Principles class the story of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11–32). As I read about the young man who left his father's home, I thought, 'I could have been that son.' The Spirit bore a powerful witness to me that like that son, I could also return to my Father. The feeling was as though Heavenly Father was saying, 'I love you.' It was as powerful a feeling as I felt on my baptism day."
He has also found that it's important to ask questions in his prayers and scripture study. "When I read the scriptures," he says, "I look for answers to things I am thinking about or wondering. I ask Heavenly Father what He would have me learn from what I'm reading. I do the same thing when I go to church.
"When I ask questions, whether it's about something specific I should do in my life or about what something I'm studying means, I'm able to more easily feel the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I know Heavenly Father really is there and that He will always answer us."
I remember reading in Alma 32 about the seed of faith developing and tasting good. That description was exactly how the Book of Mormon seemed to me.
Illustration by Rob Wilson
Prodigal Son, by Liz Lemon Swindle, Foundation Arts, may not be copied