Jessica Reilly lifted her infant daughter, Shayn, out of the bath around 7 o’clock that night last May. Jessica rubbed lotion on Shayn’s belly, preparing her for bed – just another part of their evening routine.

Historical sites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have many classic tourist sites: Temple Square, Palmyra, Liberty Jail, etc. The classic tourist sites have more in common than just historical significance; they have crowded visitors’ centers and crowded tour groups, too. However, there are a few under the radar sites for the adventurer who wants to seek some of the less known (and less crowded) scenes of church history.

Despite what you may have heard on Broadway, there is no way to succeed in business without really trying. Even if you really try, however, you aren't necessarily guaranteed to succeed. There are certain things you need to know and understand. Provo resident Stephen W. Gibson, 72, knows those things and, nearly 15 years ago, made a decision to share that knowledge with some people who desperately needed it. In 1999, Gibson and his wife, Bette Gibson, temporarily moved to the Philippines to pursue the self-appointed task of teaching business principles to Filipinos who had served proselytizing missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but hadn't been able to move ahead with their professional ambitions after returning home. The Gibsons, both Latter-day Saints, considered becoming missionaries themselves in order to advance their plans.

The last we heard of Neleh Dennis she was coping with her new-found fame as the runner-up on a “Survivor” reality TV show and starting a TV career.

When asked how Joe Lieberman's Jewish faith would affect his campaign, a U.S. senator from Louisiana said, "I don't think American voters care where a man goes to church on Sunday." The senator had forgot that Lieberman, a practicing Jew, worships at a synagogue, not a church, on Saturday, not Sunday. The comment was an example of an ignorance about religious minorities that can sometimes lead to religious bigotry at the polls. Mitt Romney's candidacy may be a sign things are changing.

Official statistics are hard to come by, but it has become clear over the past several years that Mormonism is seeing many of its 18- to 30-year-olds reduce their participation in the church or leave the faith altogether. Two recent actions confirm this trend and reveal the church’s initial responses in trying to stem the tide. First, in an effort to better track singles and help them feel connected to a local unit by providing new opportunities for callings and meeting other singles without “ward hopping,” the church has disbanded Utah student wards and reorganized them into singles wards in all-single stakes. And second, because it seems to recognize that it meets the needs of families better than it does singles, it has begun re-emphasizing the counsel for young adults to not delay marriage, to not be afraid of finding a worthy partner and starting a family right away even if this means possibly experiencing financial and other struggles not faced by those who delay marriage and children until after completing school or professional training. In this podcast, host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Joanna Brooks, Tresa Edmunds, and Jared Anderson explore this issue of a church seemingly in danger of losing a generation of young people.

On Monday afternoon, just hours before the Alabama Crimson Tide blew out the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the BCS National Championship football game, Peggy Fletcher Stack posted a short note at the Salt Lake Tribune‘s Following Faith blog on the Catholic pregame rituals of ND. Specifically, Stack drew readers’ attention to the Mormon story embedded within a fuller exploration of that subject at the Wall Street Journal: Star linebacker, Heisman Trophy runner-up, and devout Mormon Manti Te’o joins his teammates in “attend[ing] a Catholic Mass, receiv[ing] ‘a priest-blessed medal devoted to a Catholic saint,’ and ‘kiss[ing] a shrine containing two slivers Notre Dame believes came from Jesus’ cross.’” He was even photographed receiving a blessing from Notre Dame president emeritus Father Theodore Hesburgh (a blessing Te’o reportedly sought out).

Wherever you live, you have friends who are searching for the greater happiness you have found in living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They may not be able to describe that happiness in words, but they can recognize it when they see it in your life. They will be eager to learn the source of that happiness, especially when they see that you face trials just as they do.

The first time I prayed with a group of evangelical Christians was nearly 40 years ago. My wife and I had been living in Japan, and were on our way back to our native England via Taiwan, when our one-year-old baby daughter fell sick. Unable to find an English-speaking doctor, we ended up at a U.S. military base, where the doctor on duty prescribed rest for the baby and promptly invited us to stay with him and his family for a few days at his home in the mountains. I have never forgotten that kindness. One evening he invited us to join him as he taught his evangelical church youth group in his home. The kids sat in a circle on the floor and, when they prayed, we all held hands. I admit to a moment of self-consciousness -- Mormons typically don’t pray like that in a group setting. But the overwhelming impression was the evident goodness of these people, and while we had doctrinal differences it was obvious we were praying to God in the name of the same Jesus.

The following is information from LDS Philanthropies, the charitable-giving arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These are worthy causes you may want to consider donating to.