Phyllis Barber and Joanna Brooks are two of Mormonism’s bravest voices, writers of memoirs in which they offer us privileged glimpses of their inner lives, their comings of age in all the kinds of awkwardness that entails, including learning how to inhabit their bodies and sexuality in healthy ways, tensions between the path indicated by LDS narratives and the various other possibilities suggested by other stories that surround them, struggles with theological ideas and legacies that are especially difficult for women, their searches for place in and peace with the tradition and people into which they were born and “cultured.” Their memoirs serve their own Mormon people through telling Mormon stories that offer companionship to other Latter-day Saints who have been shaped by the same or similar ideas, rituals, and messages–both the ennobling ones and those that miss the mark, even sometimes harm. These books and these writers’ willingness to be exposed personally as well as to share an insider’s view of Mormon teachings and rituals also serve as powerful bridges to those outside the LDS community. Through their intimate depictions of the particularity of their Mormon upbringings and lives, these books provide connection to what is universal in human experience. It is in this way that we truly do become “no more strangers and foreigners.”

For the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to work with youth and their parents in a variety of Church callings in both North America and overseas. Through this, I’ve found that one of the greatest concerns leaders and parents have is how they can help their youth understand doctrine and eternal truths in relation to current social issues—including the really difficult and often confusing ones. Here are a few things we might want to consider as we are teaching the rising generation how to stand strong against the world:

Missionaries and staff have been reported safe after a man with a knife entered the Brazil Missionary Training Center in São Paulo on Wednesday morning.

"Here [in the Kirtland Temple] … the Savior appeared on the breastplate of the pulpit, and after Him three heavenly messengers—Moses, Elias, and Elijah—restoring necessary keys for the kingdom to come back to the earth and to roll forward.”

When I served in the U.S. Army, I had the opportunity on a number of occasions to assist in erecting tents. Aside from the personal tents used by soldiers for their own shelter, administrative tents came in three sizes: GP (General Purpose) Small, GP Medium, and GP Large. I do not remember the dimensions of these tents, but I have the impression that there was room under a GP Large for St. Peter’s Basilica.

Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Be of Good Cheer," by Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 2009, 89-92.

Primary children singing Handel's entire Hallelujah Chorus, parts and all? Incredible. But not as incredible and unexpected as the insights that were learned from this amazing feat.

What better way to celebrate Easter than to hear the testimony of a special witness of Jesus Christ testify that He lives. "This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ 'at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,' for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone."

In March nearly 7,000 people traveled to the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, to spend the weekend at RootsTech, a yearly technology-focused genealogy conference sponsored by FamilySearch and a few other big names in the family history industry. Genealogy — the search for and documentation of one’s ancestors — and “technology” haven’t always been kissing cousins, but this conference speaks to and encourages a growing relationship between the two. The hobby, traditionally picked up near retirement age and most often by women, is now a billion-dollar industry with a growing younger demographic. In the past few years, finding and charting one’s family history has become trendy because it’s also become a lot easier to get started. Companies like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch have spent the last decade or so making all of their tools, records, and data available on the internet, revolutionizing genealogical research — and significantly lowering the barrier to entry in the process. What was once a pastime for older people or professionals with disposable income is quickly becoming a more mainstream pursuit. Taking a peek into the past now requires nothing more than a decent internet connection and a laptop. DNA testing, which just a few years ago cost thousands of dollars and offered little information for genealogists, is now a growing consumer option, reaching back hundreds of years to provide undreamed of amounts of information about our ancestors.

Ever wondered where Mormons are and aren't in the world? Well, Utah Valley 360 put together this great series of lists, showing the states and countries with the most Mormons and missions as well as the states with the least Mormons.