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My only son participated in passing the sacrament for the first time last Sunday. Since he’s almost as tall as me and now has such sacred responsibilities, I guess it’s time to admit that he’s growing up. He has been anxiously awaiting this day, not only because the Primary program was absolute torture for him a few weeks ago, but also because he’s got a great quorum of friends to welcome him.

Author's note: This article was originally published by the Deseret News in January 2015. It has been updated and republished here with permission.

Sugar easily draws our attention and our taste buds. At family get-togethers, sugar is as common as the relatives who are in attendance. And holidays? You might as well be celebrating sugar as opposed to pilgrims or freedom.

Slate published a story today called Saturday’s Warriors: How Mormons went from beard-wearing radicals to clean-cut conformiststhat caught our attention. While it's an interesting rundown of how LDS culture has evolved from essentially bearded polygamists to clean-shaven business men, the tone of the article is somewhat negative towards the Church.

In selecting Paul Ryan for his running mate, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has made modern political history: a major party ticket with no Protestant Christian. Some historians call it the first ever. Others say it's technically the first since Abraham Lincoln. And there is an argument to be made regarding Dwight Eisenhower.

With President-elect Donald Trump considering Mitt Romney for secretary of state, I began thinking of all of the Latter-day Saints who currently hold important political positions in the United States, not to mention those in the past who have played an influential role in government.

Years ago, before the Church instituted the three-hour block schedule for our Sunday meetings, we used to go to the chapel for meetings three times every Sunday—once in the morning for priesthood meeting, a second time for Sunday School opening exercises and classes, and finally a third time for a ninety-minute sacrament meeting. When I was a very young man, our ward’s Sunday School superintendent, Brother Marchant, came to our class one Sunday to ask for volunteers who would be willing to give the prayer, the 2½-minute talks, and the sacrament gem (a verse of scripture shared before the sacrament was passed) in the following week’s Sunday School opening exercises. My strategy was to quickly volunteer to say either the prayer or the sacrament gem. I was motivated by the desire to avoid having to give a talk at all costs! Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t the only person in the class with that strategy, and I missed out on my first choice, the prayer. I was quick enough, however, to score the sacrament gem assignment. Given the other alternative, I felt lucky.

David Palmer, or Brother Palmer as his students know him, was discussing the importance of missionary work in a seminary class he taught several years ago when a student asked, “It’s true that you don’t have to go on a mission to go to the celestial kingdom, right?”

On the June 16th show of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Mormon toddler Titus "Trick-shot" Ashby went up yet again against an NBA legend--this time, Jason Collins. In addition to beating him (as he has all previous competitors, including Kobe Bryant), State Farm awarded the toddler with a $50,000 scholarship to college once he graduates high school. Pretty cool for someone who's just two years old.