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USA Today: Mormon president can do no wrong to religion's members

USA Today - Mormon President Thomas S. Monson, his two right-hand men and 12 apostles will take to the podium at this weekend's General Conference and offer sermons that many Mormons will treat like faxes from God. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consider these 15 men "prophets, seers and revelators" and look to them for divine guidance on issues as profound as the role of the Holy Spirit and as seemingly trivial as using "thee" and "thy" in prayers. Mormons don't use the term "infallibility" to refer to their leaders and readily acknowledge that they are imperfect men. In...

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Letters from Uganda: Service and compassion change lives

Deseret News - As my husband, Larry, and I approached the gate to the Colline Hotel in Mukono, Uganda, armed guards used mirrors to check under the car for bombs before they let us drive onto the hotel grounds. When we got to our modern hotel room, I walked over to the large window. My eyes met a two-story brick wall with heavy barbed wire along the top. On the other side of the wall was a humble home. Outside the home, girls were doing daily chores, and women sitting on tree stumps were cooking on open fires. Nearby, children were playing with sticks...

Transparent helper

Raising the bar on care of church buildings

Deseret News - To streamline expenses and redirect donations to worthy endeavors, the LDS Church relegated responsibility of building maintenance to local members. In most cases, cleaning our own church has made us more grateful, more responsible and more humble. Despite the benefits, there have been tight budgets, volunteerism slacks and oversight that is perpetually delegated. Suddenly moms are toting spare toilet paper in Sunday church bags. We now bring our own dishwashing soap to kitchen functions and plan to stay hours after an activity to vacuum every inch of carpet, sweep every tiled entrance and empty every garbage can. My Cub Scouts noticed...

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Provo Tabernacle fire report: Light fixture, human error likely the cause

Deseret News - An energized 300-watt lamp placed too close to a wooden speaker enclosure most likely caused a fire that destroyed the Provo Tabernacle last December, according a Provo Fire department report released Thursday. The lights had been temporarily placed inside the tabernacle for a scheduled production. The 100-page report concluded the cause was unintentional, which confirmed investigators' initial suspicion. The Dec. 17 blaze originated in the building's attic, specifically the area around the dimmable incandescent light fixtures. The wooden speaker was located between two lights on the east side. ...

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{Lifestyle} Vogue & Virtue: Knee-length Shorts

Ashley Evanson - Spring weather is just around the corner (unless you live in Utah where it’s still snowing…why?!), and it’s almost time to pull out your shorts. Knee-length shorts, that is. After scouring the stores, here is a great collection of shorts that range from affordable to splurge. Photo from Banana Republic. Bermuda Shorts $41.99 Photo from Gap. Cuffed Shorts $39.95 Photo from Target. Chambray Bermuda Shorts $19.99 Photo from Target. Bermuda Shorts $19.99 Photo from Macy’s. Tommy Hilfiger Bermuda Shorts $49.50 Photo from Old Navy. Cuffed Cargo Bermudas $26.50 Photo from Nordstrom. J Brand ‘Houlihan’ Cargo Shorts $198 (Splurge!) Photo from Forever...

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{A&E} Thoughts on Elder Holland's <i>Created for Greater Things</i>

Ashley Jones - I think it was about four years ago while I was in the MTC when I solidified my testimony of the importance of the twelve apostles. One in particular made a huge difference in my life: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. He spoke to the missionaries in the MTC and gave his moving “Missionary Work and the Atonement” talk. My favorite quote from this speech is: &nbsp; “I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. …How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever...

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Virginia: 400 participate in service expo

LDS Church News - From repairing bicycles to crocheting blankets for terminally ill newborns, McLean Virginia Stake Relief Society members and their neighbors engaged in a unique and extensive community service project on March 12. Four hundred people had a chance to participate in 13 on-site service projects as well as to interact with representatives from 40 non-profit service organizations who were seeking volunteers. The overriding goal of the event was not only to render service but also to provide opportunities for LDS women to become more involved in their local neighborhoods. ...

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'Missions can become addictive'

The Herald Journal - For LDS seniors, missions can become addictive. In part, this is due to the reality that there is a vast range of service opportunities that can be molded to the needs and talents of most senior members of the Church. We have had the privilege and pleasure of three mission assignments since our retirement. Having the responsibility of caring for an aging parent for several years, initially it was not possible to be away from home. Consequently, our first calling was at the USU LDS Institute of Religion. Bart was asked to provide mental health services and to teach classes; Kathleen...

Transparent helper

Relief Society Lesson 31: Honesty

The Exponent - One of the lines in the manual that jumped out at me was this: Honest people love truth and justice. I’ve been in more than one lesson on honesty where hypothetical WWII-Era German families hiding Jewish neighbors in the attic are brought up as thought experiments on what it might mean to always always always be honest. I think that little line lays that thought experiment to waste, more on that in a minute. The rest of that initial line I quoted goes on to say: [Honest people] are honest in their words and actions. They do not lie, cheat, or...

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Donny Osmond visits BYU spring practice, Jake Heaps

Deseret News - Jake Heaps found a little added challenge at Tuesday's football practice. Donny Osmond showed up and told Heaps to throw harder. The young BYU quarterback has invested a lot of TV time watching Donny and Marie Osmond compete on "Dancing with the Stars" in recent years. Donny heard about that and decided to attend BYU football practice and thank Heaps in person. The former teen idol spent a little time with Heaps before practice on Tuesday and watched some of the drills before leaving for a flight to Las Vegas, where he'll resume performing with his sister Marie at the Flamingo...