Rachel bounded to the front of the chapel and nearly skipped to the podium. Leaning close to the mic she said, “I have the most fantastic news ever! I’ve just been called to the Detroit, Michigan mission.” She raised both hands in the air in a victory pose, “And I am SO EXCITED. I can’t wait to serve the people of Michigan and I can’t wait to testify of Jesus Christ. I know I’ve been called there for a reason, I know the Lord loves me and I can’t wait to tell everyone how much He loves them too.” With a fist punch, she left the podium and returned to her seat. We live in a pretty reserved ward, but I’m sure I heard a few “Hallelujahs” as she walked down the aisle.

Marriott hotels will be phasing out in-room pay-per-view pornography over the next five years, giving up about $100 million in revenues to do so. (Lucky for them, Marriott guests will still be able to enjoy the Book of Mormon stashed in the nightstand drawer in Marriott hotel rooms, courtesy of the mega-Mormon Marriott family.)

“Typically we start out wanting to do well at our jobs, do well at school, do good things in the community, learn to play the piano or sing, and so on,” Muhlestein said, “As the world lauds these accomplishments, it usually doesn’t take long until we start to use worldly standards and measure success by how well we do at work or what kinds of degrees we have.”

My life would be lived in a wheelchair. That was an irreversible reality. The doctors envisioned a life full of hopelessness, despair, and frustration—and a life that wouldn’t be all that long.

When Reed Mellor was growing up, his father would pick up hitchhikers, bring them home for dinner, and invite them to stay overnight. The next morning, he would give them $20 before sending them on their way. “You know, you’re being taken advantage of,” Mellor recalls telling his dad, a schoolteacher who had to work summers on a farm to make ends meet. His father replied, “That’s okay. It won’t be the last time. I’d rather give to lots than miss the one who needs my help.” It was not just the hitchhikers who were the beneficiaries of his father’s generosity. The Mellors were (and are) devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; they gave dutifully to the church and all of its activities. Today, it is Reed himself who takes this approach. Reed is a successful engineer with his own business outside of Salt Lake City. He and his wife, Lareen, who works as an accountant in the business, are by any measure quite generous with the success they’ve enjoyed. Their charitable giving starts with tithing. “Everything on earth is God’s,” he says. “We are just required to give him 10 percent back.” In this, the Mellors are representative of Mormons in general. Tithing is expected, and widely practiced.

If you saw a rubber shark or the sword from the video game Infinity Blade on American Ninja Warrior last night, chances are you saw Scott Stoddard.

An attorney for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was among those who voiced opposition at the conclusion of weeks of hearings about a proposed water pipeline that would serve Las Vegas residents.

The LDS Youth website (youth.lds.org) is now available in Portuguese and Spanish.

All of us have fun family general conference traditions that we look forward to every six months. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf is no exception. But his came about accidentally—and it's one you can watch for this weekend.

While Mitt Romney said his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump was "far-reaching" and "in-depth"and Trump agreed that "it went great," resistance to Romney becoming the next Secretary of State has arisen.