Third Hour

Church discipline is a common occurrence in the Church and the reprimand can range from informal discipline, such as not taking the sacrament for a short time, to excommunication, which is the highest penalty one can receive. When a person is excommunicated their name is removed from Church records, they can no longer pay tithing, go to the temple, wear garments, or be invited to speak or pray at Church meetings. If the person desires to be readmitted into the Church they can seek to be baptized a year to the day from their excommunication. A year, to the day, after their baptism and confirmation they can apply to receive the restoration of blessings ordinance that restores their previous temple and priesthood blessings. “Afterwards, a new membership record is created, showing the original dates of baptism, endowment, sealing, and (if applicable) priesthood ordinations—with no reference to excommunication,” as if nothing happened” (M. Russell Ballard). My wife and I were looking forward to this time of year, in which I could put... View the full article

1. The deacon who clearly just rolled out of bed via giphy Bed head for DAYYYYZ. 2. The parent chasing their toddler down the aisle (and, should we be lucky enough to witness it, onto the podium) via giphy It's even better if the child is as precious as this bb penguin 😍 3. The couple that is WAY too into their back scratches via Growth Marriage Hopefully they're not as aggressively into their back scratches as this adorably chubby lemur, but you never know. 4. The shameless phone scroller Although, I mean, who am I to judge? Maybe he's just REALLY into the Gospel Library app. 5. The kid that is army crawling under ever pew in the chapel just because he can via giphy Wreaks havoc on the elbows, but is apparently worth it to every two-year-old that's ever been in a sacrament meeting. 6. The REALLY, REALLY loud off-tune singer via giphy I just needed a gif showing someone belting a tune. Obvs Carrie Underwood is NOT off-tune and has probably never sounded bad in her entire life. I SWEAR I VOTED... View the full article

Summertime is nearly here. For members of the Church, that means that the youth are about to go camping. For as long as anyone can remember, camping has been a part of being 12-18 years old in the Church. The format is usually pretty standard: two to five days of bad food, terrible weather, capture the flag, salmonella, and the bishopric’s devotional night (spoiler alert, they want the youth to make good friends and prepare for missions). Going camping can be fun and even insightful, but it has too often become what I call “milkshake camping.” This term comes from a camping trip I went on when I was 14. Our quorum drove out to a sizeable lake. After setting up our tents we didn’t go fishing or build a fire. We didn’t go canoeing or hiking either. We drove ten minutes to Wendy’s to get ice cream. That kind of camping trip is memorable for all the wrong reasons. What if instead of milkshake camping we “took... View the full article

No fun in the afterlife?! You've got to be kidding me! I love to have fun. Pranks, jokes, amusement parks, games, sports, you name it! But is it really true that these things won't exist in the afterlife? I was shocked (I still am, to be quite honest) when I heard Elder Bednar hint that they won't be in an address he gave to BYU students last December. Now, I'm not saying that I believe in some fairytale vision of what Heaven is going to be like. I.e. double rainbows, endless chocolate ice cream, grandma's feather bed (all to myself, thank you very much), or the return of the unicorn—even though this would all be very nice. I'm also not set on the idea that the Celestial Kingdom is going to a solemn gathering place where we walk around using our "reverent arms" or our "inside voices" all the time. So what's the deal? "Men are that they might have joy," right? And if we are to experience joy here,... View the full article

Most of us are used to reading something once and then never taking it off the shelf again. In rare instances, if it's a particularly beloved book, such as How To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter, or Horton Hears a Who we may make a rare exception and revisit it several times. Generally; however, we are accustomed to moving on to the next literary adventure without thinking much about what we read before. Perhaps our approach to reading should change somewhat when considering our patriarchal blessing, one of the few official documents in the known universe written specifically for you. Nonetheless, if we're being honest, the vast majority of us probably don't read our blessings enough. I, for one, am oftentimes more inclined to browse through the latest news headlines than read a blessing I can practically quote word for word. It can be far more enticing to read a story about whales in the Great Salt Lake, a rare spherical cloud spotted in Japan, or even General Authorities depicted as Disney characters than a sacred text... View the full article

Muslim creator Khalid Al Ameri published an AWESOME video a couple of days ago called, "MUSLIMS VS. MORMONS." But the video is far from the controversial "us vs. them" videos you've probably seen floating around social media. This one is about finding common ground, building friendships, and rising together. The video already has almost 800,000 views, and continues to spread far and wide. Take a look, it'll bring a smile to your face: https://www.facebook.com/khalidalameri/videos/450761679069189/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBXTIzHzqYlBk5gtVEC5TTWHg__XHF__Vfu4YMcCWJkQzUYt6G-zdftqZvUTqHBFsGkUGxr_ril4PLjm1ytdNjBBG8HOyx0fH9nv4w6QHwRoIO9JArQZRpDMR2IYa0TIGQkSyPtOpDpJu8je1ZNiQGewGU1Z43IYVQEVxOeYK8F1QgJXNsgNuXLx8Zp2qnBp1AWbAiD2KJKfk5_2Mgc7cPWh5YfsST1GBcf8bxReKN7VvDIMMeuDZ5ZuhESaHs_z0ZtGMYCvVg76iOCWXUVT8GeQwU3_YJHSc32OZW-vVd0YnKCx6bVwYx8E9TOfXpHv9nZTmXOMJRiowdy27IxNrCj40gMDU8dAg4&__tn__=-R In the Facebook post, Khalid says, What happens when a Muslim and a Mormon family come together? Being Muslim is a big part of our lives and has been the foundation of our relationship, our love for each other and for the family we are building. Through the journey of visiting other religious institutions in our country, the United Arab Emirates, we are always surprised and appreciative of just how similar we all are, and visiting this family of Latter Day Saints is just one more example of that. Thank you so much to Sterling and Lindsay Jensen and their... View the full article

The 'problem of time' is the term for one of the most interesting challenges facing physicists today. It consists in reconciling the differences between Newtonian physics and Einstein's special relativity. Sir Issac Newton described time as, “Absolute, true and mathematical time, of itself, and from its own nature, flows equably, without regard to anything external.” In this way of thinking time is like gravity; a force that is universal. Einstein, however, explains time as something that is malleable. That means it isn't actually like gravity, in fact, it suggests that time might not exist outside of our system. Newtonian physics observes time as a force here on earth and the surrounding regions but Einstien suggests that time does not operate the same elsewhere. Why does time seem to work here but not elsewhere? This question is known as the problem of time and believe it or not, the gospel might just answer this longstanding conundrum. A Gospel-Based Explanation of Time. The scriptural record seems to concur with Newton's idea of time existing, at... View the full article

British theologian Austin Farrar once said, "Though argument does not create conviction, lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced; but what no one shows that ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish." In that spirit, this represents Part One of a series of articles dedicated to "rational argument" aimed at maintaining a climate in which belief in the divine coming-forth of The Book of Mormon may flourish. Once upon a time in Mexico Once upon a time I was a missionary in Mexico. Learning a second language was an interesting experience. I quickly learned that translating from one language to another is not as easy as I expected it to be. The grammar and sentence construction in Spanish is different than English. For example, let's look at the phrase, "construction site." In Spanish, it'd be "sitio de construcción." If we make a literal translation of the Spanish words back... View the full article

I eat pizza and french fries often enough that I'm never all that surprised when someone asks, "When are you having kids?" Like, sorry, guys. It's just a food baby. Again. In all seriousness, though, I have been asked a few times too many when my husband and I are having kids — and even though there's no ill intent behind the question, it does bother me. First of all, it's no one's business besides mine and my husband's, and secondly, what if I couldn't? It's No One's Business Image via parentclub.ganzworld.com Several years ago — long before I was even thinking about having children — Elder Neil L. Andersen said: When to have a child and how many children to have are private decisions to be made between a husband and wife and the Lord. These are sacred decisions—decisions that should be made with sincere prayer and acted on with great faith. Let me say it louder for the people in the back: this decision is PRIVATE. He didn't say, "The decision to have children... View the full article

I slept in the basement of our house when I was a kid. Unfortunately, in between my bedroom and the stairwell leading upstairs was a dark, ominous storage room. This room was home to a collection of spiderwebs, menacing noises, and unidentified creatures which I was certain were prepared to snatch up any unsuspecting children in a moment's notice. Needless to say, it was a place that filled me with intense fear. Therefore, whenever I was alone and preparing to go upstairs, I would check to see if the door was open or not. If it was (revealing a black hole of mystery I wanted no part of), I proceeded to sprint past it and up the stairs searching frantically for my mother, father, or older brother until I could ensure complete safety. Perhaps you found yourself in a similar situation as a child. Sometimes the only solace to be found was by running into a loved ones' arms and feeling their warm embrace. A gentle voice reminded you that... View the full article

This article is about anger. It's about how Satan sows seeds of anger throughout the world, and within Latter-day Saint ranks, specifically. But before we get there we need to understand the nature of Satan just a bit. "Know your enemy," right? To do that, let's look at a few pop culture references. Types of Villainy There are a few different kinds of "villains" in the movies. First, there's this kind of villain: https://giphy.com/gifs/SVPcRsMZTT5Ze This is Ivan Drago from Rocky IV. You know the type. Powerful. Big Muscles. Can break stuff. That said, these villains are not exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer, if you catch my drift. Examples might include Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Biff from the Back to the Future movies, and Jaws from the old James Bond movies. All brawn, no brains. Essentially, they're just big bullies. But there's another type of villain. A much more insidious type. The criminal "mastermind." The evil genius. More often than not, this is the mind behind the curtain that uses... View the full article

The summer blockbuster Avengers Endgame has earned exactly one bajillion dollars. It has become one of the most successful films of all time and is the concluding story in Marvel Studio's decade-long epoch of superheroes and bad guys duking it out. There is a myriad of opinions as to why this film appeals to audiences around the world, but so far none of them have taken into account anything more substantive than dazzling computer graphics or witty humor. What most people don't seem to realize is that this movie stole borrowed elements from the greatest story ever told. There are three church doctrines in Avengers that seem to emerge throughout its three- hour run time. It may have crossed some minds that it is a little hokey if not downright inappropriate to compare eternal truth to something as superfluous as a comic book movie. Hokey it may be, but there is precedent for looking for the gospel in the world around us. In his earthly ministry, the Savior Himself looked to... View the full article

Polygamy: The word nobody likes talking about, but also the controversial subject from the history of the Church that there's really no getting around. Each member has to find their own way to come to terms with it. Maybe the most frustrating question is: Why? Why did God command Joseph Smith to institute a practice that is so repugnant to our moral sensibilities? As I've tried to expand my own understanding of our history I've come to one conclusion. I don't fully understand why polygamy had to happen, but I do know that Joseph Smith wasn't just trying to sleep around. I'm sorry if that sounds crude, but really, that's what it comes down to for most people, isn't it? Either polygamy was a commandment from God, or Joseph Smith was abusing his authority to satisfy his own desires. The latter is the initial reaction for many non-believers. Even for many members, it's the concern hiding underneath their questions about polygamy. I'm not much bothered by that allegation anymore, and... View the full article

Growing up, I always looked forward to Mother's Day because my ward would usually hand out flowers or chocolates to all the women aged twelve and above. As a twelve-year-old, I cared less about the role of motherhood than I did about forcefully shoving a Snickers into my mouth. My love of Snickers hasn't changed (obviously, because I'm not a crazy person), but my deep appreciation for mothers has — they have my utmost respect, admiration, and love. And that doesn't only apply to my mother and step-mother, but the many women who have, over my lifetime, mothered and strengthened me during both wonderful and disheartening times. This Mother's Day, as I celebrate and honor the wonderful women in my life, I could write an entire article on how much I love and appreciate them — but honestly, these quotes say it SO much better than I can. 1. "One cannot forget mother and remember God" "One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God." ~ Thomas... View the full article

Every time one of the Twelve says in general conference that he is a special witness of Jesus Christ, internally I'm like, "Cool, he's basically saying he just hung out with Jesus before this meeting." Truthfully, I think many of us assume that when an apostle says he's a "special witness" of Christ's divinity, he's actually saying that he's physically seen Jesus Christ. But is that even true? What exactly does being a "special witness" entail? And does a member of the Twelve (and the First Presidency) HAVE to see Christ to be an apostle? To be completely honest, the answers to all of those questions sometimes seem a little murky — but there's actually a lot of things we do know. What Are "Special Witnesses"? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcugWmAg8tk The role of a special witness is, essentially, to testify to the world of Jesus Christ. This is different from a regular witness of Christ, as we are typically only called upon to testify locally. The term "special witness" comes from D&C 107:23: "The twelve traveling councilors are called to... View the full article

Joseph Smith published the first bit of his translation of The Book of Abraham in the Church's newspaper, Times and Seasons, in 1842. Joseph died in 1844. More than fifty years later, Latter-day Saints got their hands on the first English translation of a document known as The Apocalypse of Abraham. The Church published it (in two installments) in their magazine, Improvement Era, in 1898. Researchers believe The Apocalypse of Abraham was probably first written in Hebrew or Aramaic, but during Joseph Smith's time I cannot find any record to suggest that the world at large knew of the text's existence. Decades after Joseph's death, Professor G. Nathanael Bonswetsch of the University of Goettingen (Germany) helped to bring the only (and oldest) known manuscript of The Apocalypse of Abraham into the world spotlight after he found the manuscript at the University of Moscow. It was written in Old Slavonic (a precursor to Russian). The chances that Joseph Smith knew of the existence of The Apocalypse of Abraham half a world away (and half a century away from an English translation), are virtually... View the full article

I've loved to write all my life. (Okay, to be honest, I know I just used that phrase, but I've never understood it — it's not like I came out of the womb and was like, "Someone hand me a pencil, STAT!" But in any case, you get the gist.) As an elementary schooler, I filled notebooks with stories about my favorite Pokemon, Charmander, almost burning down my house and tales about my imaginary pet dolphin, Cadoshe — and no, I don't have any idea where that name came from. Clearly, my imagination knew no bounds. But even though I love to write, the one thing I have NEVER enjoyed doing is (*embarrassedly mutters*) journaling. This year, though, I made a goal to journal more often — and although I'm still not an avid journal-keeper by any means, I've been a little better. Really, it all came down to simply learning what works for me — and what works for me may not work for you! So I've compiled this... View the full article

No, not that kind of Las Vegas entertainer! Adam London is a magician, comedian, and devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. During his afternoon show, Laughternoon, at The D Hotel in Las Vegas, you won't find scantly dressed assistants or raging music and lights—thank goodness! But you can expect to laugh out loud, fall in love with rubber duckies, and be charmed by a little (or a lot!) or pure magic. Adam got his start in comedy and magic at a young age. Growing up in Slaterville, Utah, Adam learned magic from his grandfather. Reminiscing, Adam said with a chuckle, "He got me to come over and do yard work and then he'd teach me tricks." During this time, Adam performed at church, scouting, and family events. "People loved it so I wanted to make my life out of it. I always did funny magic which fit my personality." Deciding to Pursue Comedy As a Career Indeed, comedy and magic fit Adam's light-hearted and warm personality, but it's... View the full article

Have you ever thrown a football to a pregnant woman? One day early in my marriage, my wife and I went to a park to play catch with a football (#provolife). She was pregnant with our first child and was just starting to show (see previous hashtag). We took our positions on the grass, and I spiralled the football in her direction. Surprisingly, as the football came closer, her face was racked with uncontrollable conflict. While her eyes carefully tracked the football, her arms were fully extended with her palms out as if willing the football to stop in midair. Being pregnant with her first child had instilled a healthy sense of “mama bear” syndrome and she was determined to keep the football as far away from the growing embryo as possible while attempting the catch. What ensued was a not-so-graceful attempt to catch the football with her extended fingertips as she pulled the rest of her body back as far as possible. Not surprisingly, the football bounced off... View the full article

Another (long-standing policy) bites the dust. The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just announced a change that both members and non-members should be super excited about. Civil marriage versus temple marriage The relationship between civil marriage and temple marriage is a bit complicated in different parts of the world. In the United States, for example, a temple "sealing" is recognized as a legal marriage. The long-standing policy in situations like this has been that if a couple chooses to marry civilly (not in the temple) first, they must wait an entire year before being able to be sealed for eternity in a Latter-day Saint temple. In countries where temple sealings are not recognized as legal marriages, couples are permitted to marry civilly, followed by a temple sealing, without the year-long wait. But a new policy change is setting a worldwide standard. Now, whether or not your country recognizes a temple sealing as a legal marriage, couples first married civilly are no longer required to wait for... View the full article

On May 10, 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads connected at Promontory Summit in Utah. To commemorate the event, several golden spikes were created. A special wooden tie was laid, and Leland Stanford drove one golden spike into it as onlookers cheered. The spike is now displayed in the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University (Wikipedia). With the completion of the Intercontinental Railroad, Latter-day Saints stopped crossing the plains in wagons or pushing handcarts and simply took the train. This transformed the process of emigration to Utah and indeed made Utah and Salt Lake City "the crossroads of the west." The transcontinental railroad being finished with a spike of gold was the brainchild of David Hewes, a San Francisco financier and contractor. Two trains met at Promontory, Utah, to join the tracks being laid from east to west and west to east — Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific No. 60 (better known as the Jupiter). Between 500 and 3,000 people were there to witness the momentous event. In the United States, the event has come to be considered one of the... View the full article

I bought a new expensive computer to run specialized software for editing films. I started a new project and everything looked great. Then I opened a project I’d transferred from my old computer and all the images, all the faces of people, were blue! What happened? I called tech support. They navigated me through menus to a box they told me to click. Immediately all colors displayed correctly, beautifully. No more blue people. The color management system on the old computer operated differently. That simple click re-calibrated the earlier project’s color settings so the computer processed color data correctly to show true colors. That changed everything. The Savior wants us to know we can choose how we react to the Word of God. He identified four main choices and the natural results of each option. He expressed this by comparing the Word of God to a seed. A sower casts seeds that fall onto four types of soil. Each kind of soil yields a certain consequence for that seed. Seed that... View the full article

The Office is one of those shows that will probably have re-runs forever. The show ran for 9 seasons featuring a wacky boss, employees playing pranks, and overall hilarity. We have all had a boss or supervisor that is a Michael Scott, known a co-worker who was a total Stanley or Dwight, or have had meetings where we watch for the DVD symbol to hit directly in the corner. But what if the characters from The Office were in your ward? Who would they be? Michael Scott: The Bishop Michael Scott would be the bishop that has a heart of gold but, like all bishops, he isn't perfect. He would have all sorts of crazy ideas to increase retention and baptism rates. The ward council would constantly have to talk him down and scale down those ideas. Michael would also be constantly trying to relate to the youth and would probably make a fool of himself in the process. But ultimately, his heart of gold would prevail. Michael would be able to offer a... View the full article

In Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages, Chapman clearly defines 5 ways people express and feel love in their lives. These languages have permeated modern culture and most people are at least familiar with the idea, if not the specific languages. Just to recap, the 5 are words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. And thinking about the love languages reminds me of the great commandment as recorded in Matthew 22, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” At first, this commandment sounds relatively easy to fulfill. But how exactly do we love the Lord? It doesn’t seem like the 5 love languages can be directly used to show our love for God. But can we use them in less apparent ways to show love to our Love? Let’s take a look. Acts of Service Probably the easiest language to translate, which is why I’m discussing it first. Matthew 25: 40... View the full article

I’ve always been sensitive. Seriously, like, since birth. For example, one of my first memories is of my siblings playing The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse on the Super Nintendo (#throwback) and in it, Pete (the mean bulldog that is Goofy’s frenemy) has kidnapped Mickey’s dog, Pluto, so he’s the final boss. But let me tell you, guys… He looks like a straight up BULLY. He’s all red with rage and has a weird staff that’s head is like, an alligator? Anyway, I couldn’t handle how angry he looked. I sobbed so loudly that my dad came in from mowing the lawn and made my siblings turn off their game. (#sorrynotsorry) Basically, I’ve never liked when people are mean, even if that person (or bulldog, I guess) is fictional. So when people are mean to me? It crushes me. I’m talking a wear-my-sweats, devour-pounds-of-ice-cream, cry-in-my-bed level of devastation. Or at least, it used to. Until I figured out that how people treat me? It's not a reflection on me at all.... View the full article