7 reasons to attend the first annual Pocket Film Fest
Old or young, it seems everybody is spending a lot of time on his or her smartphone. That’s no surprise. A new smartphone today is far more powerful than a desktop computer of just a few years ago. For nearly any task, there’s an app for that. The screens are beautiful, sharp and bright. Phone storage capacity seems bottomless. […]
Act fast: 5 can’t-miss LDS Church history artifacts to see this week
After nearly 30 years, 7 million visitors and more than 108 different exhibits, it’s time for a renovation of the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. The museum will be open through Sunday, Oct. 5 and close the next day for major interior renovations. It will remain closed for one year, with an aim to finish before […]
5 questions every family should ask their grandparents
Family history work is about more than dates and places, though those facts are important. It’s about more than providing temple ordinances, though sealing families together is certainly the end goal. In its purest form, family history work is about strengthening family ties through the generations—doing the work necessary to “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart […]
How a young Utah father overcame his addiction to pain killers
A motorcycle accident on June 12, 2007, left Eric Jensen in bad shape. His body was covered in deep road rashes, his spine had two herniated discs and he had nerve damage in his left arm. Jensen’s wife, Brittany, felt fortunate her husband was alive. But nothing could prepare either of them for what they would face […]
10 inspiring books by non-LDS writers
The LDS book market is a publishing force to be reckoned with, with hundreds of new titles by LDS authors being published every year. Elder Orson F. Whitney said in 1888, “We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own. … In God’s name and by his help we will build up a literature […]
12 languages you might hear at general conference
LDS Church spokesman Dale Jones announced Monday that general conference speakers “whose primary language is not English now have the choice to deliver their talks in their native tongue.” If speakers elect to do so, English subtitles will be shown in the Conference Center with live English interpretation provided for all English-language broadcasts. Exactly who will speak in […]
Helping kids love the temple at every age
It is a time of unprecedented temple building, and Utah has more temples than any other state. Utah is home to 17 temples — 10 more than California, which has the second-most—and is home to the only two cities in the world with two temples (Provo and South Jordan). One open house is currently running with […]
5 ways to spiritually charge your family for back to school
School supplies? Check. Fall sports fundraiser? Done. School clothes? Purchased. Utah County families are gearing up for back to school next week, which means that never-ending to-do list might actually be shrinking. But there are a few important things LDS families can do for their kids to help them make good decisions as they begin […]
VIDEO: Elder Bednar calls Saints to ‘flood the earth’ using social media
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to share “authentic, edifying and praiseworthy” messages on social media websites today at a BYU Education Week devotional held in the Marriott Center. Watch the full broadcast here, beginning at approximately 15:30. “I […]
10 great wedding gifts from the LDS Distribution Center
The wedding season is a busy time, especially in communities where many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live. Weddings are exciting, joyful and can be — for Church members who attend several celebrations every summer — expensive. But they don’t have to be. The LDS Distribution Center sells thousands of items […]
BYU is nation’s most ‘stone-cold sober’ university for 17th consecutive year
The Princeton Review released its 2015 edition of “The Best 379 Colleges” Monday and once again BYU is the country’s most “Stone-Cold Sober” university. Surprise, surprise. The rankings are based on an 80-question survey taken by some 130,000 college students (average 343 per campus) in the U.S. Questions ask current university students about their school’s […]
Audiobooks that will make your family road trip fly by
If you’re going on a road trip with your family this summer, gear yourself up for listening to whiny kids, bored teenagers and a few too many rounds of “99 Bottles of (whatever) on the Wall.” Or, you could just take one of these audiobook recommendations from seasoned librarian Carla Zollinger. Zollinger has worked for […]
Money magazine likes the value of a BYU education
Money magazine wanted to discover which of the roughly 1,500 U.S. four-year colleges offers the biggest bang for the tuition buck, and BYU came in ninth. Money measured the schools in three major categories: educational quality, affordability and alumni earnings provided by PayScale.com. Here are the top 10 schools in Money’s opinion: 1. Babson College […]
For better or for worse: 5 ways things are improving in our world
Any General Conference-watching Latter-day Saint has heard warnings. The world is moving “deeper and deeper into sin,” one general authority said in 1999. Our youth are being raised in “enemy territory,” an apostle said in 2011. The world is “deteriorating,” another said in 2004. But what about the good in the world? What about the […]
The Book of Abraham: 5 things you need to know
When the First Presidency released a statement about women and the priesthood on June 28, they mentioned the role of questions in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the importance of studying out the answers to questions through prayer, personal study and revelation. The Gospel Topics pages on LDS.org are a great place for Church members […]
5 misconceptions about LDS tithing
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a global faith that receives funds and other donations from a variety of donors. The Church uses these charitable donations to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, to care for the poor, and to strengthen members’ faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. But the details of exactly […]
7 tender lessons from Book of Mormon fathers
In Latter-day Saint doctrine, a father’s purpose is to preside over, provide for and protect his family. But the best fathers do that and more. In this most important of male roles, fathers have good models to look to in the Book of Mormon. Here’s a look at seven tender fathers who show modern-day dads what […]
9 LDS Church history day-trip destinations
Church history sites dot nearly every corner of Nauvoo, Illinois. Upstate New York and Kirtland, Ohio, have their share of historically significant places too. But families living in Utah County don’t need to drive across the country to learn more about the heritage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon Historic […]
10 of the most indispensable LDS talks ever given
The April 2014 General Conference was inspiring and relevant, as all such conferences are. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are counseled to study the words of the prophets and find in that study ways to become better disciples. But there are thousands more addresses in the archives of the Church from previous conferences, […]
Memorial Day activity: New Civil War records released
In conjunction with Memorial Day, FamilySearch.org announced significant updates to its free Civil War historic records collection online. Families can discover ancestors who fought in America’s Civil War by browsing the Civil War landing page for records of the 3 million soldiers who fought in the Civil War, including the 620,000 who died. “Each soldier […]
The artist next door: A closer look at two extraordinary artists you may not know are your neighbors
When Christina Ashby from Orem saw a painting of her dad as Santa, she was thrilled. What 5-year-old wouldn’t be? Later, when she was in high school, Ashby’s dad was Santa in a second painting. But this kind of thing isn’t unusual when celebrated artist James C. Christensen lives down the road. “We have three […]
BYU co-eds have lower chance of developing eating disorders
Incoming Brigham Young University co-eds have good grades, high ACT scores … and a lower-than-expected chance of developing an eating disorder while in college. In the United States, 20 million women will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their lives, according to the New York-based National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). […]
Quiz: How well do you know Utah County moms?
Utah County is home to some pretty fantastic moms. And while the work of a mother is largely done within the walls of her home, Utah Valley mothers have made their mark on the community, local schools, the blogosphere, the media and more. Take this quiz to find out just how much you know about […]
A BYU camp for every teenager
The average age on BYU’s campus drops significantly during the summer months, but it’s not just because of EFY. BYU summer camps bring thousands of teenagers with interests as diverse as they are to campus every summer. With dozens of specialized camps on campus, you’re sure to find something for every teenager in your life. […]
Girls on the Run teaches young women to put their best foot forward
Give a girl the right shoes, and she can run the world. So says Girls on the Run, a nonprofit organization that aims to help young girls develop self-confidence by pairing life lessons with running. After school, girls in grades 3 through 8 meet to train for a race and are also taught by female […]
9 support groups you never knew existed in Utah
“There is strength in numbers” might be a cliche, but it’s also the key to learning and healing for many people with challenges. Whether you’re struggling with an addiction or adjusting to breastfeeding, there are people out there who are going through the same. And chances are, there’s an organized support group ready and waiting […]
5 unique birthday party ideas for elementary-aged kids in Utah Valley
Planning a kid’s birthday party can be intimidating, especially with the picture-perfect parties of Pinterest and mommy blogs to contend with. But when it comes to party venues, Utah Valley has plenty of options. Whether you’ve got a princess-obsessed kindergartner or a 6th grader who’s sure he’ll be an astronaut when he grows up, these […]
2014 college and high school graduations
College graduations Brigham Young University April 24, 2014, 4 p.m. — commencement (Marriott Center, BYU) Speaker: Elder Craig A. Cardon of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints April 25, 2014 — convocations Utah Valley University May 1, 2014 — commencement (UCCU Center, Utah Valley University) May 2, […]
British Pageant comes to Nauvoo for 2014 season
Last year, a new Church Pageant opened in the British Isles. More than 300 volunteers gave nine performances of “Truth Will Prevail,” a musical production that tells the story of early Latter-day Saints in Britain. Audiences of more than 1,500 people attended the pageant, including Elders Russell M. Nelson, M. Russell Ballard and Jeffrey R. […]
Writers’ workshop features local authors
BYU English professor and published author John Bennion says personal stories are like wriggling, juicy worms. “Everybody has such great stories once we start digging,” he said. Bennion, along with four other authors with Utah Valley ties, will be teaching classes in nonfiction writing at the second annual Solstice Writing Retreat this July, hosted by […]