Editor's note: This is an excerpt from "Rescued: A Prodigal's Journey Home," by Jerry Earl Johnston and published by Covenant Communications. In 1980, Elder Neal A. Maxwell was a member of the Quorum of the Seventy and the commissioner of church education. I was the book critic for the Deseret News. I wanted to do a series of stories on the favorite books of prominent people and called Elder Maxwell to ask if he’d contribute. He graciously agreed and mailed me his list.

Recently, quite a bit of buzz was generated when Elder Ballard stated at a regional broadcast:

In addition to being a businessman and an apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Reed Smoot became a U.S. senator in 1903, serving for 30 years.

The LDS Church announced on Thursday that it will drop Scouting programs for teens ages 14–18 and implement a new program for young men in 2018. In light of this announcement, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland praised Scout leaders for support of the LDS Church.

Every year there is a lesson on the women of the Church. Every year the women groan for the same reason so many groan at Mother’s Day. Every year the men look at the title and think, “What am I supposed to do with this in quorum meeting?” Be patient. This lesson offers both camps good things to consider and think about.

As the star of the 2004 cult favorite “Napoleon Dynamite,” Jon Heder is used to the typical shouts of the film’s most quotable lines when he’s walking down the street. “Yeah, if I’m out and about, and someone recognizes me,” Heder told the Track. “Or if they’re obnoxious young college-age guys, they’ll say ‘HEY NAPOLEON GIMME YOUR TOTS!’ But I also get a lot of kids and families.”

Wednesday, January 20th, 2016 – Las Vegas, Nevada – JRNL.com announces their ranking as a semi-finalist in RootsTech’s competition Innovator Showdown. Narrowed down from approximately 46 participants, JRNL has made the top 12. JRNL.com merges technology and journaling, providing users with the ability to keep their entries forever. Web, mobile and email-to-journal, make journaling a seamless part of everyday activity. Entries are backed up securely and can be accessed at any time across all devices. While JRNL is an online service, entries can easily be brought to life and forever preserved as a hardbound book with their publishing platform.

David Archuleta shared the sweetest Facebook post to welcome his sister home from her 18-month mission in Texas.

One of the best parts of the holidays is getting to read a heartwarming new Christmas book. Here are the books we’ll be reading this holiday season:

Donny Osmond is currently recording his 60th album and has launched the website Donny.com. And although one of the world's most famous Mormons has suddenly found his religion thrust center-stage with Mitt Romney's run for the presidency, the singer says he’s happy to stay out of the political spotlight. “I’m a singer. Some people have those [political] aspirations. I don’t. I’m an entertainer. I get up on stage and I try to make people enjoy my music, and that political arena -- I'm going to stay out of it, right out,” Donny told me. “I’m glad some people like it, but it's just not for me. My political ideas and things like that, even my religion, I try to keep close to me because it’s a personal thing, and I don’t shove it down people's throats. I don’t condemn any artist that wants to do that, like the Baldwins. That’s their choice. But in my world, I'm just an entertainer.”