The LDS Church is expanding its boundaries today far more than restricting them, the managing director of LDS Public Affairs said Tuesday at Utah Valley University.

“As I sat in the hospital, the realization that this is now my story settled in,” Heidi Swapp wrote on her blog shortly after her son Cory’s death. “I didn’t like this story at all. It’s not the story that I imagined for Cory, or for my family. However, I am a storyteller. I am a memory keeper, and I am a person who believes that good comes from even the worst situation, if you look for it.”

When his pregnant wife texted him with a funny business idea—delivering soda to the doors of moms who desperately need it but can't leave the house—Dan Davis got an idea. Why not? Why couldn't he bring moms exactly what they wanted to help make their day that much brighter?

The Church has made huge strides this year in reaching out to the LGBT community and opening up the discussion on homosexuality within the context of the gospel. This article was by far our biggest pot-stirrer of the year, but it is also one that helps spread understanding and compassion. Without proclaiming what is best for others, one man dealing with same-sex attraction, Ty Mansfield, shares his faith-affirming testimony of his experiences that led to his getting married in the temple and starting a family of his own.

Thirty-four Mormon novelists have been nominated as finalists in eight categories for the 2013 Whitney Awards. The awards are for novels written by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy landed on May 31, 2013, in tornado-ravaged Oklahoma City eager to learn stories of faith and service and to minister to those in need. Elder Rasband also carried a personal message for the Saints from President Thomas S. Monson. Elder Rasband was particularly eager to meet Maylene Sorrels. Sister Sorrels had been at work as a kindergarten teacher’s aide at Plaza Towers Elementary when the category 5 tornado—the most destructive rank possible—demolished the school on May 20. She, with the kindergarten teacher, covered their students with their bodies. Though both women received injuries, no one else from the class was hurt. “When we heard the tornado coming close, I just prayed and prayed that my children (some of whom were also in the path of the storm) and the children we were protecting would be all right,” she said. “The Lord hears prayers. Prayers are answered.” Sister Sorrels’s home was badly damaged, but all of her family and the children with her were safe.

For the 25th anniversary tour of Michael McLean's The Forgotten Carols, the cast, crew, and audience joined in the latest internet craze—the mannequin challenge.

Here's a little video Donny Osmond shared on Facebook to make you smile and help you celebrate National Puppy Day.

(1) Lovebug Cookies

A boom during the holiday season helped Apple sell 14.6 million iPads this past quarter, and it’s no secret that kids are using them. A recent study showed 40 percent use iPads before they can even speak.