Mormon Bloggers

I have always been one who loves my anonymity. That may sound ridiculous to many of you who see me posting stuff on the web all the time. But honestly, to me, 80% of that is business. I probably wouldn’t do so much of it if I didn’t think it necessary to building my career as a musician and author. But there is a quote by Elder Neal A. Maxwell that has nagged at me for years. The first part of it I include to give context for the last part – which is the part that has nagged at me since I was 15. Whenever Church members speak of consecration, it should be done reverently while acknowledging that each of us “come[s] short of the glory of God,” some of us far short (Rom. 3:23). Even the conscientious have not arrived, but they sense the shortfall and are genuinely striving. Consolingly, God’s grace flows not only to those “who love [Him] and keep all [His] commandments,” but likewise to those “that [seek] so to do” (D&C 46:9). A second group of... Read the rest of this entry »

The LDS comedy The Singles Ward plays up the oft-used missionary joke of being called to serve in Boise, Idaho. After a young man opens his mission call, his friends say something polite and quickly come up with excuses to leave, commenting privately how awful his call is. When the young man shares his call at a store, the employee smiles politely and says, “How nice.” Other mission calls viewed as awful include a missionary’s home country, a place only a few hours away, or a place where they speak the missionary’s native language. Why do we have this attitude about mission calls? The purpose of a mission is not to go on a vacation, study abroad, or collect stories for bragging rights (as played up in The RM). It’s not about us! The purpose of a mission is to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Heavenly Father wants all His children to return to Him and He loves them all the same, regardless of where they live... Read the rest of this entry »

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Welcome to the Neighborhood News Summer is running away from us so quickly. We can still savor it, but it tastes like a ripe fruit. We can still enjoy it, but we know it’s past its prime. Marion Stewart blogs at ‘Marion’s Melodies’, and she has written her article “Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime.” In it, she reflects on past times with her children, and how much she enjoyed having them at home during the summer. Except for one little detail she couldn’t avoid, one night a week: the ice cream truck. She finally came up with an idea of how to deal with the pesky guy, and you can read about it in her story. I just came across another blog a few days ago (I read a lot of blogs—it’s my job), and someone was commenting that she’d told her children that when they heard the song it was because they were out of ice cream. How funny! I remember running after the guy myself when I was a kid –I grew up in Argentina, however, there are things that seem to transcend all... Read the rest of this entry »

Adrienne Goates — 1992 When a child dies, we often say, “We lost our youngest daughter Adrienne to SIDS.”  She was seven weeks old, exactly forty-nine days, seven weeks of seven days, a perfect symbol of fulness and completeness in Jewish tradition, and she was perfect in every way.  She went to sleep one night, and when we arose in the morning as a family she had quietly passed away during the night while we all slept. I don’t think about the agony of it much anymore.  It was December 9, 1992.  I was scheduled on a business flight to Chicago that morning.  Patsy was tired that night and Adrienne had been fussing, so I offered to stay up with her and comfort her until she quieted down for the night.  I sent Patsy to bed, thinking I could sleep on the flight the next morning.  I never did that.  At around 2:00 a.m., Adrienne finally settled down and I was able to go to sleep too.  When we awakened as a family the... Read the rest of this entry »

There is a new post at The Fulness on what it means to live the gospel. It can be found at: www.justandtrue.com The Fulness has moved. AKPC_IDS += "231954,";Popularity: unranked [?] Read More →

Welcome to the Neighborhood News In our Personal Touch with Rebecca Cressman segment, she interviews Sheralyn Pratt. Sheralyn Pratt graduated from the University of Utah in Communications. She’s best known for creating the private investigator book series featuring the young, fearless, and slightly impulsive California character, Rhea Jensen. Sheralyn has published 3 novels, 1 e-book, and even produced 2 screenplays. She also enjoys adventures. She served a mission for the LDS Church in Budapest, Hungary, and enjoys traveling and living in new places (Maui is her favorite so far). When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking with her dog and learning new skills. She has been a karate instructor, a musical theater performer, and is currently a publicist. Visit her at http://www.sheralynpratt.com/, to learn more about her books. Our first article comes from Russ Beck, who blogs at ‘On the Couch… by Russ Beck.’ His article is aptly named “Five Tips to Strengthen Your... Read the rest of this entry »

When my friend told me that her husband was passing up a fishing trip with his buddies to take her to the movies, I was stunned.   Never, in all the years I’d known them, had he forfeited his precious activities to do anything with her. Their relationship reminded me of the chicken and the egg conundrum.  Which came first; her lack of appreciation for him or his failure to nurture her?  For as long as I had known them she had grumbled about their marriage.  From all that I had witnessed he was, pretty much, absent.   Seldom had I seen them together.  When they came to social gatherings the tension between them was palpable.    They behaved much as strangers, disconnected and aloof. She had talked to me a few times about the distance between them and I had suggested that she look for ways to appreciate him.  I can only imagine how difficult that request really was for her.  She grimaced when I challenged her but I pressed and she agreed.... Read the rest of this entry »

Not long ago I emailed my father with a question having to do with a project I was attempting at my house.  The next morning he was at my door to help get it fixed in spite of the two hour drive to and from. It was a strong reminder to me that my father loves me and is waiting for me to ask for what I need so he can be of service to me. It was also a powerful metaphor for the Father in Heaven we all share; He who wants nothing more than to bless us with His love, His guidance, His forgiveness and all the tender mercies He has in store for us–if we but ask.  There have been many times in my life when my Heavenly Father has blessed me with what I needed and often times, what I have wanted.  These events are particularly close to my heart because they were blessings that showed me how much my Heavenly Father is aware of me as His daughter, of my particular joys and sorrows, and how much He loves me, as He does each one of us. One example in particular stands out more than the rest. ... Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Friend - I was talking to your husband this weekend. He asked how I was doing since I got laid off from my job. I told him that I had started a greeting card business and I was making some progress getting the word out. He was disinterested but pretending to care. I could only guess that he was picturing me sitting with disheveled hair and still in my pajamas late into the day at the dining room table piled high and cluttered with stamping supplies, doo-dads and lace making hand-made cards. Then I said, “I create cards for wives to give their husbands.” Your husband successfully kept the smirk off of his face and his eyes never completed their roll. But he did begin to step away. “The cards have a message of respect . . . to help women learn the language of respect . . . how to show respect for their husbands.” Your husband stopped, dead in his tracks and focused on what I was saying. He blinked. Then, this man of confident countenance softened and... Read the rest of this entry »

My friend shared this amazing video with me, called “Validation.” It’s touching and funny and shows the best, easiest, fastest, cheapest way to make Heavenly Father’s children happier and kinder. I try to live by this principle (making others happy). I hate seeing people sad or upset, because I know how painful it is to feel depressed or stressed or whatever other negative emotion. People want validation, and it’s so easy to give. This small act has such huge results: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine . . .” On the flip side, small acts of unkindness also have huge results: ” . . . but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22; see also Proverbs 15:13). How can we not afford to be kind to one another? Smiles and compliments take little time and energy. And for every smile we bring to someone’s face, we also bring a smile to Christ’s. Challenge: Let’s change this world one smile at a time! AKPC_IDS... Read the rest of this entry »

I read this post on my friend’s blog and asked her if I could repost it here. Note, it has been edited for length and clarity. One Sunday an adorable 12-year-old boy was passing the sacrament for the first time, and I happened to be sitting in his line of duty. I have long since forgotten exactly what happened (and which new, adorable deacon it was), but that new, adorable deacon made some silly mistake, some noticeable breach of “protocol,” in passing the sacrament to me. My heart went out to him in complete and immediate forgiveness. I instantly excused his mistake, thinking, “It’s okay. He’s never done this before.” As my heart turned back to its repentant self-reflection, I realized that perhaps the Savior looks on us that way sometimes. “It’s okay. You’ve never done this before.” Never tried to get through sacrament meeting (or life) with three little kids while pregnant before. Never had this or that calling before. Never tried to x while also dealing with... Read the rest of this entry »