When Mitt Romney was serving as bishop of his church in 1981, one of his two counselors wrote home to his mother with a prediction: This guy could wind up in the White House. In the then-34-year-old Romney -- who would put in long hours at his consulting job at Bain & Company only to spend early mornings, late nights and weekends visiting ward members in need and administering church business -- Philip Barlow said he saw the marks of an unusually effective leader, and someone who "epitomized Mormon culture."

Mitt Romney told an Iowa audience on Thursday that he has no plans to deliver another speech about his Mormon faith after a Dallas pastor raised the issue earlier this month. “I think the great majority of American people want to select the person who’s the most capable of getting our country going again, with strong values and a strong economy and a strong military,” the Republican presidential candidate said at a campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Thursday afternoon. “Among the things that are unique and exceptional about our country is the fact that, in America, we recognize and appreciate differences in faith.”

Two BYU graduates, Dan Barnes and Wesley LaPorte, appeared on a Jan. 30 episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank” and closed a $300,000 deal with Lori Greiner, the “Queen of QVC," in exchange for a 10 percent equity stake in their company. Their product, PhoneSoap, sanitizes cell phones using ultraviolet light while also charging them.

In this fun Church News article, Adam Bell describes how beatboxing helps him see God's hand in his life and overcome social barriers as a person with high-functioning autism. He also hopes it will help him spread the gospel when he serves a mission.

For Daniel Sorensen, the experience of winning a Super Bowl does not compare to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Lenna Panisi Loveridge was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and currently lives in Colorado with her husband and six children. You may find it interesting that she has a BS in political science from the University of Utah, but it’s just as important that you know she was regularly featured on Tamara Uzelac Hall’s quote wall during those heady U of U days. Lenna is studying the Tongan language to increase fluency so she can follow up her favorite question, “Ko ho’o Alu ki fe?” (Where are you going?) with “Please bring me a sandwich and a Diet Coke before you do.” Lenna feels a deep and abiding connection to her Tongan ancestors; for their faith enough to move mountains and especially for their faith to move TO the mountains. For which she is so grateful.

The year 1940 might have been a banner year for our family. The health and financial hardships that followed my father’s 1930 graduation from medical school in Philadelphia were past. The family was happily located in Twin Falls, Idaho, where my father’s medical practice (eye, ear, nose, and throat) was thriving and where he served on the high council of the Twin Falls Stake. In January 1938, he and my mother had returned from his four months of valuable postdoctoral training in ophthalmology in Vienna, Austria, and Cairo, Egypt. After years of sacrifice since their marriage in 1929, my mother could at last contemplate a life of security as the wife of a prosperous physician. In January 1940, son Merrill would be four, and in March, daughter Evelyn would be one. In August 1940, I, their eldest, would be baptized following my eighth birthday.

This article is republished with permission from Book of Mormon Central. For more inspiring and instructive content on the Book of Mormon visit Book of Mormon Central, subscribe to our mailing list, see our YouTube videos, and follow us on Facebook.

Editor’s note: The author of this article, Clairissa Cooper, is the Lewisville Texas Stake assistant communication director and shares a ward with the Bird family. She has a degree in journalism from Brigham Young University.

The revelation that unfolded before the Brother of Jared's eyes was so extraordinary that his life has become synonymous with bold, consummate, perfect faith.