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40560

Church Releases First Look Inside the Cedar City Temple

LDS Living Staff - Drawing upon the rich colors and textures of southern Utah, the Cedar City Utah Temple features native flowers, art glass, and juniper berries as well as African mahogany and sapele woodwork. (Learn more about the design of the temple here .)   In preparation for the open house which will run from Friday, October 27, and continues through Saturday, November 18, and the dedication scheduled for December 10,  the Church released photos of this beautiful temple. Enjoy this first look inside this new temple. All images from Mormon Newsroom ...

40555

Rabbi Calls LDS Church "A Model for All Religions," Mormon Congregation Attends Jewish Shabbat

Mormon Newsroom - Rabbi Steinberg pronounced a blessing upon the Latter-day Saints in attendance at a Jewish Shabbat, saying his congregation will dedicate a space in its new synagogue in honor of the Church as a reminder that its “graciousness, hospitality and kindness are a model for all religions.” Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined a Jewish group for a Friday night Shabbat service in a Mormon meetinghouse in Irvine, California, Friday, October 13, 2017. It was the last time the Jewish congregation would meet at the Church stake center where it had been meeting for the past year,...

39936

Why it Seems Like Sometimes Our Prayers Are Unheard or Unanswered

Kathryn Jenkins Gordon, excerpted from "You are Loved" - The God to whom we pray can hear even the softest mewling of a newborn kitten, even the sound of an aspen leaf as it makes its gentle descent to Earth, carried on a quiet breeze. There is no deafness in those holy ears. Certainly He hears you, even when your prayer is whispered only in the silent chambers of your heart. In fact, we have been assured that our prayers are heard. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland wrote, “Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers . He knows your hopes and dreams, including...

24658

8 Ward Christmas Party Ideas + Planning Tips

LDS Living Staff - As ward activity committee members, it can be difficult to come up with unique ideas for the ward Christmas party year after year. Here are some ideas for making this December's event an enjoyable experience for members of all ages. Christmas in Bethlehem Add a new level of understanding and reverence to your ward party this year by celebrating in the city of Christ's birth. Let ward members know what you're planning a few weeks ahead of time by sending out a "Royal Decree," summoning all the ward to Bethlehem to be taxed. Have families dress in simple costumes and bring...

32306

A True Story of Missionaries Living in a Haunted House That Will Give You Goosebumps

Danielle B. Wagner - With sheep that far outnumber residents, a cluster of cottages, a handful of farmhouses, and a single train station, Oxenholme, England, seems a strange place for two LDS missionaries to live during the summer and early fall of 1978. Stranger still were the inexplicable encounters these missionaries had while staying in the old servants' quarters of Oxenholme House. As the last railway stop before Kendal and the Lake District, Oxenholme has managed to stay a tiny, isolated community of green fields crossed by low-lying stone fences. But despite the tranquil scenery, Oxenholme has a surprisingly graphic and violent history.  “Talking to...

40523

What Happens to Loved Ones Who Die and What Is the Purpose of Death: 5 Comforting Insights from President Nelson

Russell M. Nelson, excerpted from "The Gateway We Call Death" - In his book   The Gateway We Call Death , President Russell M. Nelson shares profound insights about understanding and coping with that inevitable event of passing from this life to the next. The following excerpts from his book tell precious truths and inspiring stories that may help us “no longer feel that death is always that foe to be feared” but instead a “potential friend to be understood.” [1]  1. Mourning Fulfills Divine Purpose Though we mourn today, tomorrow we will wish to bring comfort to others. Instead of being ministered unto, we will become the ministers of soothing "balm"...

40551

What the Hindu Belief of Brahman Taught Me About My Relationship with Christ

Kaeley Scruggs - Hinduism is a vast and diverse religion. There are many sects and many nuances among the millions of adherents, most of whom reside in India. However, one common part of this religion most adherents believe in is Brahman. Rather than believing in a heaven, Hindus believe in reincarnation and the ultimate goal is to break the cycle of rebirths by doing good acts in this life. If a person is good, they will move up in the cycle of rebirths. To break the cycle of rebirth, one must become one with Brahman. The Vishishtadvaita sect of Hinduism believes Brahman to be...

40527

The Mormon Whose Life Inspired One of the Most Iconic Romance Movies of All Time

Danielle B. Wagner - Did you know that the iconic movie  Somewhere in Time was based on the real life of an LDS actress? While a time-traveling Christopher Reeve might not be true to LDS life, there is no doubt that Mormons know about love that lasts through the ages. In fact, that's one of the gospel truths we most cherish. But Mormons have more of a connection to this classic romance than just our knowledge of eternal families. In fact, Jane Seymour’s character, Elisa McKenna, is based on the real-life career of LDS actress Maude Adams, the most popular actress of the American theater...

39813

Why Not Receiving an Answer to Your Prayers Is Actually a Proof of Miracles

Shalissa Lindsay, excerpted from "Answers Will Come" - The following is an excerpt from  Answers Will Come: Trusting the Lord in the Meantime. Not having all the answers is more blessed. In our quest for faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a tremendous and indispensable asset. But not because it offers all the answers to every possible question. Even—perhaps especially—within the restored gospel, there have to be some opportunities for us to question and doubt. They provide the opposition against which faith can grow and strengthen. In fact, Christ has deliberately withheld some things for this express purpose. He told Mormon, “I will try the faith...

40537

If Oprah Taught Relief Society: 18 GIFs That Sum Up How Awesome It Would Be

Danielle B. Wagner - For LDS women, Relief Society is often the highlight of the three-hour block. What could be more spiritually uplifting than sitting down with your fellow sisters and feasting on the good word of the Lord? There's a special bond and spirit that permeates this most wonderful of weekly experiences as sisters from the largest women's organization in the world gather together in wards and branches. With so many women being uplifted, edified, and empowered, you have to wonder what it would be like if other influential women could participate in Relief Society for a week. Here are just a few insights...

40543

3 Ways to Survive Your Mormon Quarter-Life Crisis

Katie Lambert - After graduating college, I realized I hadn't hit nearly as many checkboxes as I wanted on the five-year plan I made when I was a Mia Maid.  I wasn't employed at my dream job, let alone employed—unless you count how many hours a day I spent filling out applications, then I guess I had a job finding a job. I was still renting an apartment where my upstairs neighbors controlled the heat and my landlords didn't allow space heaters. The air conditioning in my car was about as effective as a geriatric man breathing on my face. And I spent most of...

40554

"Politico": How a Mormon's Non-Profit Helps Inner City Kids Build Robots

Politico - Now this is the way to make education engaging for kids. Zion Greene and Damion Saunders are building a robot out of Crayola markers, a plastic cup, a DC motor and a piece of foam pool noodle. “What if we made a chain belt, like chains on a bike?” asks Zion, 14, as he threads a rubber band around the motor’s tiny bit. In a vast room inside a former recreation center, 25 middle school and high school kids are tinkering, testing and inventing. At five tables, kids try to build artbots, three-legged machines designed to move and leave marks on...

40467

After My Mother's Death, How My Family Came Together Through Random Acts of Kindness

Time Out for Women - I am grateful for this small answer the Lord gave me that ended up being the big answer to my desire to “Live unto the Lord." “Arbol que crece torsido su tronco nunca enderesa.” The tree that grows twisted, never straightens its trunk. I am the oldest of five children, born to a mother who was one of 20 and a father who was one of 13, both of whom were raised in a tiny little farming town in Michoacán, Mexico. When they married, they decided to raise their children in a foreign land— in hopes that we would have a “better...

40549

Dublin LDS Stake Center Vandalized, Religious Paintings Defaced

The Columbus Dispatch - Police are investigating the vandalism of an LDS stake center in Dublin.  When a group of children who attend religious classes before school each day entered the Dublin Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday morning they found spray paint covering sacred paintings, walls and door knobs. Overnight, church leaders believe someone entered the building at 7135 Coffman Road in Dublin through a door left ajar and vandalized the building, which serves several congregations of worshippers in Columbus’ North Side. Lead image from The Columbus Dispatch ...

40553

Mormon Moviegoer: What Parents Need to Know About "Flatliners" Before Seeing It with Their Family

Daren Smith - Mormon Moviegoers is a collective of LDS film reviewers helping you to make informed decisions about Hollywood films. It was founded by family counselor Jonathan Decker (of Ask a Mormon Therapist ). What is Flatliners about? In Flatliners , a group of medical students explores the realm of near-death experiences in order to find insights into the afterlife. Is it any good? (Grade: D) Flatliners starts with a scene where Courtney (Ellen Page) is driving and gets distracted by her cell phone and drives off a cliff, killing her sister Tessa in the crash. Honestly, it feels like a very on-the-nose...

40546

More About the Church's Major Missionary Changes: Plans to Decrease Missions, Utilize Technology + More

Deseret News - Recently, the Church announced that it will be making changes to the missionary program by standardizing interview questions for prospective missionaries, decreasing missions while trying to utilize tech savviness to locate like-minded religious people, and providing more help for early returned missionaries. Here's a little more insight into some of these changes: Standardizing Interview Questions "For those preparing for missions, Church leaders have approved a standard set of interview questions to be asked of prospective missionaries uniformly across the world," according to statement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released on Mormon Newsroom. "The hope is that each...

40545

Mormons Lend Meetinghouse to Jewish Congregation for One Year

Deseret News - When the Shir-Ha-Ma’alot Jewish congregation was in need of a place to worship, this LDS stake had the solution.  After meeting for a year in an LDS stake center, the Shir-Ha-Ma’alot Jewish congregation listened to a Shabbat service sermon by Rabbi Richard Steinberg titled, “What We Have Learned from Our Friends.” The Oct. 13 service was the last time the Jewish group would meet at the Church’s Irvine California Stake Center. Members of the stake were invited by the rabbi to join the evening’s service. More than 200 Jews and Mormons met together. Those in attendance welcomed each other with expressions...

40544

Church Announces Upcoming Changes to Missionary Program

Mormon Newsroom - According to Mormon Newsroom, exciting new changes are coming to the Church's missionary program.  Changes are coming to the way The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints engages in missionary work around the world. Such changes will include a new set of interview questions to be asked of prospective missionaries; a trimming of the number of missions to better fit the needs of each region of the world; replacing tablets with smartphones and an increased use of technologies that help find those interested in religion. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles  alluded to such changes...

40483

The Powerful Metaphor That Taught Me to Trust My Savior No Matter What

Emily Freeman, author of "Even This" - We sit together on a black leather couch and I hold a bundle of white, wadded tissues in my lap. I have poured out the truth of it—how my life was perfect until my wedding day, until we were married. Then everything went downhill. For 10 years life has gone downhill. The tumor, the diabetes, the unnumbered miscarriages, the babies we never held outnumbering the ones we did. The exhaustion that came with the four pregnancies we barely made it through. The months and months of bed rest. The years without pay, without a job, without steady income. We have borne...

39948

FHE: Thomas S. Monson

Shauna Gibby - Conference Talk:  For a message from President Monson read "Closing Remarks," by Thomas S. Monson, Ensign , Nov 2009, 109-10. Thought: I love you, my brothers and sisters. I pray for you. I would ask once again that you would remember me and all the General Authorities in your prayers. We are one with you in moving forward this marvelous work. I testify to you that we are all in this together and that every man, woman, and child has a part to play (Thomas S. Monson, "Closing Remarks," Ensign , Nov 2009, 109-10). Song: "Master, the Tempest is Raging," Hymns...

40507

Quiz: Book of Mormon Name or Pokémon—Can You Tell the Difference?

Alexandra Mortenson - There are many interesting words in the Book of Mormon—names of people, tribes, coins, places, etc. To test your knowledge of these words, we put together a quiz to see if you can identify which word is from the Book of Mormon and which is the name of a Pokémon character.  Pokémon images from pokemondb.net Book of Mormon image from lds.org ...

40540

Church to Make Big Changes to Visiting Teaching Messages in 2018

LDS Church News - Exciting changes are happening for visiting teaching messages in 2018 that will help sisters focus on the needs of those they minister to. Beginning January 2018, changes to the monthly visiting teaching message will help sisters “minister” to each other in a more personal way. Rather than providing a specific message, each month a “Visiting Teaching Principle” will provide ideas to help sisters minister more effectively to each other. “We want to help sisters understand how to really care for and strengthen each sister,” Sister Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society general president told the Church News. “The [Church] handbook doesn’t talk...

40538

"Huff Post," BYU's "The Daily Universe" Reveal Shift in Mormon Political Views

LDS Living Staff - The Huff Post and BYU's The Daily Universe teamed up to conducted roughly 60 interviews with college students, many of whom were Mormon, to find out about their political views.  As the Huff Post notes, their findings were not scientific but they did show some surprising shifts in millennial Mormons' political stances versus older generations.  According to the Huffington Post article, there were a few themes that emerged throughout the interview. Young Mormons are more likely to identify as moderates. According to research from Religion Service News senior columnist Jana Riess, millennial Mormons could be less likely to identify as a Republican...

40535

Understanding the 2018 Relief Society and Melchizedek Priesthood Meeting Changes: Resources, Lesson Topics + More

LDS Living Staff - Beginning in 2018, Relief Society and Melchizedek Priesthood meetings will start to look a little different. The new direction might be a little daunting for some members, but these new changes will help members build on Teaching in the Savior’s Way and use the new Come, Follow Me resources available on the Gospel Library App and lds.org . Here’s some more information to help you find more resources about and understand how each of the new Relief Society and Melchizedek Priesthood lesson changes will pan out. First Sunday “Our first-Sunday meeting will be a time to counsel together about our responsibilities, opportunities, and...

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