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31978

7 Things You Should Know About the Tabernacle Choir's 2016 Christmas Guest, Rolando Villazón

Collin Bishop - Earlier this morning, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir announced their Christmas guest for 2016 — Rolando Villazón. Known as one of the most talented and sought-after performers in the world of opera, we wanted to learn a bit more about the tenor who will be joining the world-famous choir this holiday season. 1. Rolando was discovered when someone heard him singing in the shower. In an interview with ClassicFM.com , Villazón said someone came knocking one day as he was getting out of the shower in his Mexico City apartment. The visitor told Rolando he had heard him singing in the shower...

31975

Elder Christofferson Shares One Word We Use to Describe God's Love That Is Misleading

LDS Living Staff - Elder D. Todd Christofferson never shirks from saying exactly what needs to be said. This perceptive and thoughtful Apostle of the Lord recently shared on Facebook a very interesting message about how we often describe God's love in a way that could lead to incorrect, possibly even dangerous, impressions: Nearly two weeks ago, I spoke in general conference about the precious gift of God’s divine love. Some refer to God’s love as “unconditional.” However, that term appears nowhere in scripture. Rather, His love is described as “great and wonderful,” “perfect,” “redeeming,” and “everlasting.” The word “unconditional” can convey mistaken impressions about...

31969

Big Ten Hires LDS Animator to Make Epic LEGO Movies

Katie Lambert - Some may say Legos are child's play—but Jared Jacobs knows better. His motion-stop videos starring LEGO figurines garner thousands of views on Instagram and captured the attention of the Big Ten Network, which now pays Jacobs to make mini-movies of college football plays. But these viral videos all began with a set of LEGOs that didn't even belong to Jacobs.  I've had the #OhioState fight song stuck in my head all day because of this video! #goldyeller A video posted by Jared Jacobs (@goldyeller) on Oct 4, 2016 at 10:50am PDT Jacobs, who graduated from BYU-Idaho, began as an art major...

31972

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Announces 2016 Christmas Guest

Mormon Tabernacle Choir - One of the world’s leading tenors and most beloved entertainers, Rolando Villazón, will be the featured guest artist at this year’s Christmas concerts by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square on December 8, 9, and 10 in the Conference Center. Villazón will also join the Choir, Orchestra, and Bells for the Sunday broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word on December 11, which will not be ticketed. "Rolando Villazón is one of the great singers of our time," said music director Mack Wilberg. "Pairing his talent with that of the Choir and Orchestra will...

31970

Huff Post Calls Mormon Candidate a "Safe, Smart Choice for President" (+ Other National Media Reactions to Evan McMullin)

Danielle B. Wagner - "It’s been an unusual election year, to say the least, hasn’t it?" That's how the latest Huffington Post piece featuring Evan McMullin begins. But what's even more unusual is that the article—printed in a news source with a more liberal reputation—goes on to praise a Mormon, independent, conservative presidential candidate, one who, until recently, hasn't been given much national attention. Granted, Evan McMullin has recently shown his bid for presidency is more sincere and plausible than some critics originally supposed. The most recent polls from Utah show that Evan McMullin "surged into a statistical tie with the two major party presidential...

31983

There's No Proof Pres. Benson Ever Said That Quote You've Seen About Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils

Danielle B. Wagner - It's election time, and with it generally comes the circulation of a quote that Mormons love to use: "If you vote for the lesser of two evils you are still voting for evil and you will be judged for it. You should always vote for the best possible candidate, whether they have a chance of winning or not, and then, even if the worst possible candidate wins, the Lord will bless our country more because more people were willing to stand up for what is right." Often attributing it to President Ezra Taft Benson, people love to use this quote to...

31950

"I Just Witnessed a Miracle": Tim Tebow Prays Over Fan Who Collapsed from Seizure

Deseret News - Though Tim Tebow's immediate response to pray over a fan who looked like he was having a seizure has been called a miracle, what he did next is what was truly touching and demonstrates what it means to care for and love your fellow brothers and sisters. When a man collapsed on Tuesday while Tim Tebow was signing autographs, the famed athlete quickly jumped into action. Tebow immediately began to pray for and comfort the man, laying a hand on him and engaging him in conversation for 15 minutes to help keep him calm and comfortable until paramedics arrived, USA Today...

31977

Even a Cyclone Didn't Stop the Temple Rededication + 4 More Things About the Church in Fiji

Mindy Selu - “Bula!” While it may be Fiji’s overwhelming humidity that hits you first, it’s the wide smiles and friendly faces that stay with you. On this island, where paradise consists of blankets of greenery and sandy beaches leading into pristine, aqua waters, happy members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abound—Saints who choose to put the gospel before everything else. Image courtesy of Mindy Selu “God created Fiji on one of his happiest days,” Elder Glen L. Rudd, former president of the Church’s Pacific Area, has said. And once you get to know the kindhearted and friendly people of...

31944

Why We Aren't God's Only People

Katharine Lyon - In a new video series from Mormon Channel called Hope Works, guest speakers present TED-style talks to promote faith and hope. In one of the videos, Samuel Hislop presented a speech, entitled “We Aren’t God’s Only People,” to explain the positive effects of faiths outside of our own. Samuel Hislop opens up to the audience, sharing an experience from his mission when his inability to understand other religious views drew him away from Christ. Serving an LDS mission in eastern Ukraine, Hislop was surrounded by many Eastern Orthodox Christians, who greet one another on Easter with the Paschal greeting, “Иисус Воскрес,”...

31942

Elder Renlund Shares 6 Unforgettable Truths Learned from His Heart-Transplant Patients

Deseret News - From a powerful conversion story to a touching story of a grandfather receiving the heart of his grandson, Elder Renlund shared powerful experiences that teach beautiful eternal truths. As a third-year medical student, Elder Dale G. Renlund encountered a distinguished physician at the University of Utah who posed the question to another student: “We learned from the patients, and then we wrote the textbooks: What did you learn from your patient?” Elder Renlund, a former practicing cardiologist, General Authority Seventy, and now a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, used that theme in his Sept. 29 address to the...