If you ever wanted to go on tour with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, now is your chance. Currently in the middle of a 10-day tour of the Midwest, United States, you can follow them with pictures and stories here. That’s not the end of their foray into social media. On this tour, for the first time ever, the audience gets to choose the show’s encore by texting or tweeting. This not only...

Social conservatives have been complaining for a long time that the media coverage supporting same-sex marriage tilts toward outright bias. In a study released yesterday, the Pew Research Center confirms their concern. The study says, “In a period marked by Supreme Court deliberations on the subject, the news media coverage provided a strong sense of momentum towards legalizing same-sex...

From the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life As the day looms closer when the Supreme Court will be weighing in on same-sex marriage, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has created a graphic to show how the states have changed in their stance toward marriage. Is acceptance of same-sex marriage inevitable? The graph doesn't seem to indicate so. Click here to see the graphic and how each...

From the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life As the day looms closer when the Supreme Court will be weighing in on same-sex marriage, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has created a graphic to show how the states have changed in their stance toward marriage. Is acceptance of same-sex marriage inevitable? The graph doesn't seem to indicate so. Click here to see the graphic and how each...

During the Sunday School lesson on the law of consecration and tithing, we studied Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s October 2010 conference talk entitled:  “Reflections on a Consecrated Life.”  One passage I read seemed particularly interesting in light of the belief in physical-only chance mutations as the driving force for all biological change.   “A consecrated life...

When it comes to resources for family home evening, Sunday School, scouting, primary, youth activities, or Relief Society, more and more Latter-day Saints are turning to Sugardoodle, an increasingly popular website for ideas and materials. One of their most popular products (and one offered for free, I might add), are downloadable pre-prepared packets meant to help maximize the General...

As the much publicized and debated December 21, 2012 date arrives, both scientists and Mayan descendants caution against worries of a giant catastrophe happening in a few days. "NASA scientists took time on Wednesday (Nov. 28) to soothe 2012 doomsday fears, warning against the dark side of Mayan apocalypse rumors — frightened children and suicidal teens who truly fear the world may come to an...

Back around 1985 or early 1986, when I was beginning to compose the lengthy essay that would ultimately become the core of my book Offenders for a Word: How Anti-Mormons Play Word Games to Attack the Latter-day Saints, I was watching one of the nightly network news programs.  The last few minutes of that broadcast were given over to a profile of the efforts of the Rev. Henry F. Fingerlin,...

First day of Forgotten Carols rehearsals and I’m a happy guy.  Reunited with great friends anticipating the best season ever and already having way too much fun.  As we reviewed the blocking of the show and looked for better ways to bring the story to life we found some really fun stuff that’s been buried in the script for several years but now seems to be surfacing....

Three days of chores and I’m feeling “chore’d out”.  Don’t get me wrong.  There’s a great feeling of satisfaction getting an oversized load of stuff hauled off to the dump, getting my dad’s car repaired, moving the fire-pit benches up out of the sure to come snow, putting new tires on Lynne’s car, getting folks to the dentist, the...

I did something wonderful today.  I gave my wife and my daughter and my granddaughter a gift.  I gave them a nap.  Put them in their napping spots, closed the doors, plumped their pillows took Bucky on an adventure which took all afternoon. I’m currently patting myself on the back…taking full (and I mean FULL) credit for my wonderfulness.  Not taking credit...

I was interviewed today.  Utah Valley Magazine has been around ten years and they asked if they could do an article on me for the November/December edition.  The writer was kind enough to come up to Scotshaven to do the interview and as I reflect on our time together I realize something about myself.  I talk to much. I don’t mean just a little bit over the top, to...