Over my lifetime, I have offered all manner of prayers. These range from earnest, well-intended pleas on behalf of others (“please comfort my sister as …
What Else Did God Say To Joseph?
Not too long ago, I sat through an Elders Quorum lesson about the First Vision. The teacher, who I like and who generally does a …
Memo To YW Leaders: Thanks, But No Thanks
In our current callings, my wife and I spend a lot of time digging through Church instruction manuals. I teach both the 12/13 year old …
In Praise Of Good Bishops
Here’s the one lesson I learned from my 3.5 year stint as an Elders Quorum President: never, ever aspire to be a Bishop. Seriously, it …
Using Prayer As A Weapon
Here’s how the bedtime ritual usually goes at my house. After baths are finished, hair is combed and teeth are brushed, my family gathers for …
The Theology of “Saturday’s Warrior”
Many Church members consider Johnny Lingo to be the zenith of kitschy Mormon culture (for the uninitiated, you can see it here). When I was …
Wealth & Worthiness
I have long believed that the Church’s reliance on a lay clergy is both one of its strongest selling points, as well as one of …
Lessons Learned (aka Thanks, Bloggernacle!)
Unfortunately, a confluence of factors — vacation, increased tasks at work trying to make up for said vacation, shuttling daughters to and from various summer …
How My Wife Exercises Her Priesthood
Tired of talking about gay marriage? How about women and the Priesthood? 🙂 In all seriousness, let me share with you a recent experience that …
Raising “Good” Children vs. Raising “Happy” Children
This one is for you parents and aspiring parents out there. How would you answer the following question: Is it more important to you that your …
Voting Mormon
In a previous post, I explored the idea of defining “political” vs. “moral” issues for purposes of deciding when (and how) the Church should get …
Taking Back Sunday: A Call To Put Up Or Shut Up
Beyond white shirts, facial hair and Coke — the Bloggernacle’s equivalent of the Holy Trinity — nothing gets Mormon bloggers’ collective knickers in a twist …
New Same-Sex Marriage Ruling; Same Old Polygamy Stereotypes
Unless your last name is Van Winkle, you likely already know that, yesterday afternoon, the California Supreme Court concluded that the state’s law prohibiting same-sex …
Rethinking The “Moral vs. Political” Question For An International Church
The general election is looming, which means that soon, we here in the U.S. will be hearing an official First Presidency statement in our wards …
Why Eugene England Still Matters
If you spend any time here in the Bloggernacle, or leafing through the pages of any number of “alternate voices,” you are bound to encounter …
The Amazing Adventures Of “The Mormon Answer Man”
Look up there . . . . who’s that emceeing the Ward Roadshow? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the Mormon …