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LDS Scholar Recognized by Supreme Court

Deseret News - What an incredible accomplishment. For Dr. Steven Brown, the legal relationship between church and state isn’t just a theoretical set of rules or something to bring up in armchair discussions about politics; as a professor of political science at Auburn University, researching legal topics in American history is part of his career. And it’s a significant part: Dr. Brown’s work has recently been recognized by his receiving the Hughes-Gossett Senior Prize on June 5. The Hughes-Gossett Senior Prize is awarded each year to the writer of the best article in the Journal of Supreme Court History. “The people that select it...

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Quit Bugging Other People About Whether They’re Going to Go on a Mission

Greg Trimble - What a powerful thought: "no amount of speculation, questioning, or coaxing will ever make an unprepared young man into a great missionary." The desire to be a missionary, to grow closer to our Father in Heaven, and to learn more about the gospel lies with each of us individually, and no one else. There is this cultural thing inside the Church wherein other members think it’s their business as to whether your child is going to go on a mission or not. Generally, when a kid turns 18 in the Church, a swarm of people rush in and start peppering the...

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Elder Holland Lists 5 Ways We Can Find More Happiness in This Life

LDS.org - What a powerful article from the September 2017 Ensign: The first 30 years of Book of Mormon history do not present a pleasant story. The hostility within the family of Lehi and Sariah became so intense that the two halves of their family split asunder, with one group fleeing yet farther into the wilderness, fearing for their lives lest they fall victim to the bloodthirsty quest of the other. As the first group plunged into unsettled terrain to seek safety and fashion a life for themselves as best they could, the prophet-leader of this Nephite half of the family says they...

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Why Early Mormon Women Worked Outside of the Home (and How LDS Views on Motherhood Changed Over Time)

Deseret News - Did you know early Mormon women often worked outside of the home, even at the request of Church leaders? In fact, the first female mayor and all-woman city council were LDS women elected in Kanab, Utah. When Holbrook looks back on the history of LDS women who worked and served outside the home, she points to examples such as Emma Anderson Liljenquist, who in 1887, while in her mid-20s, was called by LDS Church leaders to study nursing and obstetrics. Liljenquist writes that she left her husband and three children in Hyrum, Cache County, for six months while she attended classes...

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How a Mormon Became the Illustrator for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Deseret News - Did you know a Mormon played a key role in bringing to life the popular series Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events? Working as the illustrator of this children's book series, now turned into a Netflix series, Brett Helquist now has his iconic artwork on display at the BYU library until September 30. Find out more about how he became the illustrator for this "unfortunate" series. Helquist moved to New York City after graduating in illustration from BYU in 1993. The would-be illustrator of many popular children’s novels found himself working a day job as a graphic designer to pay the rent,...

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Church Releases Statement on Hurricane Irma

Newsroom - On Wednesday, September 6, Category 5 Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean, with winds of 185-mph, making it one of the strongest storms on record in the Atlantic. The Church has 20 missions and one temple in the Caribbean, where the storm has already hit Barbuda, St. Martin, Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. As it continues its path north and west, through the Caribbean to the United States, which is still recovering from Category 4 Hurricane Harvey that made landfall in Texas, the Church released the following statement: As this serious hurricane has approached the Caribbean and continues in its path...

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Mormon Gold Coins + 8 Other Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

Jamie Armstrong - With the turbulent early days of the Church came the loss and destruction of many items the Saints regarded as precious. Here is a look at some of the rarest books, coins, notes, and documents salvaged from Church history. 1830 Book of Mormon and "References to the Book of Mormon" Photo by Stefan Hallberg 1830 Book of Mormon The 1830 Book of Mormon is extremely desirable for many collectors. Although it is not the rarest LDS book, it is the starting point of the Church in this dispensation and, as such, it is indispensable for serious collectors. Five thousand copies of...

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"We Will Never Forget the Charity of the Mormons": One Man's Emotional Response to Missionaries After Hurricane Harvey

LDS Living Staff - After the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, many Mormons stepped up at the opportunity to serve and their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. President Hall of the Texas Houston South Mission told the story of a woman who called out, “I knew the Mormon's would come!” once she saw the yellow shirts of Mormon Helping Hands. The Church’s Bishops’ Central Storehouse sent 18 trucks with supplies such as water, cleaning supplies, clothing, and hygiene kits to Houston and its surrounding areas. Missionaries and volunteers with Mormon Helping Hands have been working tirelessly to muck out and clean up homes as well as provide...

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How the Call We Received in the ER to Be on Reality TV Became a Miracle for My Family

Kelley Opedisano - Audy Leavitt is the interior designer for Charmed Playhouses and co-host of Animal Planet's Playhouse Masters . She shares her stories of faith on her blog alwaysaudy.com. The following story is written by her friend and client, Kelley Opedisano, about her family's playhouse miracle. Kelley's family was featured on the latest episode of Playhouse Masters , which airs Friday at 10/9 central on Animal Planet. Early fall 2015, while watching TLC's  Treehouse Masters together as a family, and after countless requests from my kids, I opened my laptop and filled out the casting application for the show. There were about 10-12...

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With Birth of New Baby, Now 5 Generations of This LDS Family Share the Exact Same Birthday

ABC 15 - Phoenix - With the birth of a new baby girl this September, one LDS family has five birthdays to celebrate on the exact same day, spanning from 1902 to 2017. GILBERT, AZ - September 3rd is a special day for one Valley family. "She was born today, which happens to be my birthday, my mom's birthday, my grandma's birthday and my great grandpa's birthday." Jan McBride, and her daughter Kristen Cooley were born on September 3rd. Baby Everly Cooley was also born [that] day. Lead image from ABC 15 ...