Today is Harry Potter’s (and author J. K. Rowling’s) birthday. In honor of the world’s most famous boy wizard, fans worldwide are celebrating the release of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” (the script of a stage play that continues the Harry Potter story and officially premiered in London yesterday).

Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are fans of the Harry Potter series, perhaps because there are some similarities between Mormons and the Harry Potter characters. Here are 14 ways that being a Mormon is like living in the Harry Potter world.

1. We have big families.

Sure, the seven-child Weasleys had more kids than the average wizarding family. But that only makes us love them more.

2. We like to eat.

In the Harry Potter world, every important event — from the beginning of the school year to Christmas to Halloween — is marked with a pristine feast. While ward potlucks may not be as lavish, there’s no denying that Mormons like to bond over a good meal.

3. Our lives are changed by a single letter.

If wizarding children feel nervous waiting for their Hogwarts letter, it’s nothing compared to the anxiety induced by waiting for your mission call.

4. We have our own schools.

Like Hogwarts, Church-owned schools include courses in subjects specifically tailored to their students. At BYU, students take Church history classes. At Hogwarts, it’s History of Magic.

5. And some of the schools’ rules might seem a little tight to some.

Students at Hogwarts live by a strict set of rules. Students at BYU, BYU-Idaho and BYU-Hawaii can relate.

6. We put great responsibility in the hands of teenagers.

Young Aaronic priesthood holders may be able to relate to Harry and his friends, who are given great responsibility at a young age (and sometimes don’t get it completely right the first time).

7. We live all over the world, but there are some communities with higher concentrations of Mormons.

Remember how the Weasleys lived in the same little town as the Lovegoods and the Diggorys? Ottery St. Catchpole, Godric’s Hollow, and Hogsmeade might remind Mormons of our own settlements populated primarily by Mormons.

8. We have a history of persecution.

In the Harry Potter books, the wizarding world swore itself to secrecy after witches and wizards experienced great persecution. Mormons also have a history of being mistreated and driven out of settlements.

9. We’re frequently misunderstood.

Do you ever get frustrated when someone on the Internet says something false about Mormons? Yeah, Harry Potter characters get that.

10. We believe that choices are incredibly important.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strongly believe in the importance of personal agency. This is one of the essential themes of the Harry Potter series.

11. We have our own specialized stores.

Wizards have Ollivander’s, Gringotts and Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. We have Deseret Book, CTR Clothing and Sister Missionary Mall.

12. We have our own celebrities.

Harry Potter dealt with wizarding fame throughout the series. Mormon celebrities (like Steve Young, Jane Clayson and Donny Osmond) can surely relate.

13. Some people think we’re strange.

Some people who join the Church experience pushback from family and friends who think Mormons are weird.

14. But when you get to know us, you find out we’re actually pretty cool.

Like this story? Also check out “21 signs the MTC is actually Hogwarts.”

The post 14 ways being Mormon is like being in Harry Potter appeared first on UtahValley360.

(Photo courtesy Mormon Newsroom)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the 2017 Mutual theme in a letter dated Aug. 1, 2016. LDS youth will focus on James 1:5-6 throughout 2017.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

The theme, which was announced by the Young Men and Young Women General Presidencies in a letter, comes from the scripture verses commonly associated with Joseph Smith who came across these words prior to going into the Sacred Grove to pray about which church to join.

LDS youth leaders are encouraged to use the Mutual theme for youth activities throughout the year. More resources will be made available later in 2016 and throughout 2017.

Past Mutual themes have included:

2016: “Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ”

2015: “Embark in the service of God”

2014: “Come Unto Christ”

2013: “Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved”

2012: “Arise and shine forth”

2011: 13th Article of Faith

2010: “Be strong and of a good courage”

2009: “Be thou an example of the believers”

2008: “Be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works”

2007: “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly”

The post 2017 Mutual Theme announced appeared first on UtahValley360.

(Image courtesy Rio 2016 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games)

The whole world will be tuned in to watch more than 10,000 athletes go for gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. And although the games will take place thousands of miles away from Utah, a few of these athletes have close-to-home Mormon ties.

1. Maka Unufe : Rugby : U.S.

For the first time since 1924, rugby is returning to the Olympic games — and Provo native Maka Unufe is on the team. After playing football at Provo High, Unufe took some time away from athletics, until rugby came into his life. He launched his career in the sport when he competed with the Utah Warriors in Club 7s Nationals in 2011, and he joined the U.S. national team last year.

2. Jared Ward : Marathon : U.S.

Jared Ward is a full-time runner, but you can also catch him teaching statistics at BYU as an adjunct professor. Ward was a star cross-country runner at both Davis High and BYU but didn’t run his first marathon until 2013. Now, he’s one of three from the U.S. who will run the men’s marathon at the 2016 Olympics.

3. Valerie Adams : Shot Put : New Zealand

Valerie Adams is no stranger to competition — or the Olympic Games. She is a four-time world champion, a three-time world indoor champion, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. And she’s the first woman to earn four consecutive individual titles at the world track and field championships. She’s also known for winning 56 straight competitions — certainly a force to be reckoned with.

4. Taylor Sander : Volleyball : U.S.

After playing volleyball at BYU, Sander made his debut with the U.S. national team at the 2014 world championship qualifier — and was named best server as the team won the gold medal. In addition to qualifying for the 2016 Games with the U.S. men’s team, Sander plays professionally for BluVolley Verona — a club team in Italy.

Jared Ward (68) ran cross country for BYU. Now Ward is competing in the marathon of the 2016 Rio Olympic games. (Photo by BYU Photo)

5. Tatenda Tsumba : Track and Field : Zimbabwe

OK, so Tatenda Tsumba may not be LDS — but he is a BYU Cougar. Tsumba is a Zimbabwe-born sophomore at the Y and a member of the school’s track and field team. He’ll be competing in the 200-meter sprint in Rio.

6. Sarah Robles : Weightlifting : U.S.

Sarah Robles is an Olympic alum after competing in the 2012 London Games. She’s a California native whose high school shot-putting training included lifting Olympic weights. Just four years after taking up weightlifting competitively, Robles achieved a 265 pound snatch and a 320 pound clean and jerk for a 584 pound total in the 2012 Olympics.

7. John Nunn : Race Walk : U.S.

He’s a member of the U.S. Army. He owns a gourmet cookie business with his young daughter. And he’s a two-time Olympian. John Nunn competed in the London Games and the Athens Games — and now he’s back for a third attempt at race-walking gold.

8. Jake Gibb : Beach Volleyball : U.S.

With a middle name like Spiker, you’d think Gibb had played volleyball all his life. In reality, he didn’t begin playing competitive volleyball until his early 20s, but this marks his third Olympic run. He is the oldest U.S. volleyball player at this year’s Games and is a two-time cancer survivor.

9. Leilani Mitchell : Basketball : Australia

Leilani Mitchell is just 5 feet 5 inches and 138 pounds, but she’s a powerhouse on the basketball court. She’s heading into her seventh season with the WNBA, including four playoff appearances. Mitchell has played professionally in Croatia and France and will represent Australia at the Olympics, where she has dual citizenship with the U.S.

10. Casey Patterson : Beach Volleyball : U.S.

California native Casey Patterson, Jake Gibb’s beach volleyball partner, is a BYU grad and father of three. Patterson has played on international indoor club teams in Puerto Rico and Sweden.

11. Lydia Casey Jele : Track and Field : Botswana

At age 26, Lydia Casey Jele became the first woman from Botswana to qualify for an Olympic track event. Jele will run the 400 meter race.

12. Cody Sanderson : Wrestling Coach : U.S.

Cody Sanderson — brother of famed wrestler Cael Sanderson — will head to Rio, not to compete but to coach. He’s an associate wrestling coach at Penn State and will be in Brazil with Olympic competitor Frank Molinaro. Originally from Heber City, Sanderson created Utah Valley University’s wrestling program and led the team as head coach.

13. Dustin Williams : Head Athletic Trainer for Track and Field : U.S.

Dustin Williams won’t be winning any medals at this year’s Olympics. Instead, he’ll be behind the scenes, spending long days and nights helping athletes prepare to perform. Williams earned his degrees at Ricks College and Utah State University and has worked as a trainer at BYU and the University of Arizona.

14. Mykayla Skinner : Gymnastics (alternate) : U.S.

A Mesa, Arizona, native, Mykayla Skinner became a member of the U.S. senior national team in 2012. In 2014 she won a gold medal with the team and an individual bronze medal in vault at the world championships in China. This year, she will be in Rio as an alternate to the 2016 five-woman Olympic gymnastics team.

15. Jackson Payne : Gymnastics (alternate) : Canada

After a recent two-year gap to serve an LDS mission in Korea, Jackson Payne jumped right back into his promising gymnastics career. He’s since won first place medals in both the all around and parallel bars divisions in back-to-back Canadian championships. And this year he was awarded a spot on the Canadian men’s gymnastics Olympics team as an alternate competitor.

The post Mormons to watch at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games appeared first on UtahValley360.

“This Is My Beloved Son” is the only non-New Testament depiction in the Light of the World Garden and represents Joseph Smith’s experience known as the First Vision in the LDS faith. The surrounding grove was not created for this sculpture location. This tree-lined area is tucked on the west side of the exhibit, which is in the former Butterfly Garden.

This is one of a five-story series, “Empower Hour,” for Utah Valley Magazine.

Growing up on a dairy farm in Montana, Angela Johnson was inspired by the classical music her mother played in their home. She heard “the power and freedom” in the voices of prima donnas and longed to create those sounds.

“At my first lesson at age 13, I said I wanted to learn a song from ‘Madame Butterfly,’” she remembers.

Angela married at age 18, had four children and continued to seek out vocal training. She then became the teacher as she taught at BYU’s Education Week. Not one to be satisfied with repetitive experiences, Angela spread her artistic wings by doing dramatic presentations and mono acts in addition to teaching music classes.

This desire to avoid monotony in her life tasks followed her into her largest project to date — sculpting the life of Christ.

“I sculpted so many beards of the Savior that I hope I don’t do another beard my whole life,” she smiles. “That’s why Peter doesn’t have a beard.”

But let’s back up to the beginning of when the music decrescendoed and was transposed into an unexpected artistic crossroads.

Highland’s Angela Johnson is the artist behind the sculpture garden opening at Thanksgiving Point.

Clay of sunshine

In Angela’s late 30s, she sat down at the piano and began to vocalize. An energy impacted her in the chest and a shock wave passed through her.

“Through this experience, I learned that I would never accomplish my vocal goals of singing at the Met,” she says. “I was devastated. The scaffolding inside me crumbled, and I went into shock.”

What happened next wasn’t a logical decision on the part of this mother of four. She says she was guided to the art supply store where she bought one block of water-based clay and one sculpting tool. Five minutes later, she walked out and headed home, where she pulled down the plastic on the clay and both hands went in simultaneously.

“I began grabbing clay and sculpting,” Angela says. “I didn’t determine beforehand what I was going to do, but I sculpted a portrait bust of a young girl in pain. It was like an intelligence in my hands I’d never felt before. And I knew it was time for me to develop my talent.”

The music was now coming out of her at a different tempo and with the sound of clay flying. Soon, Angela had completed 12 private commissions. In 2003, she prayed about what to do with her sculpting gifts.

“A concept distilled on my soul that I was to create a sculpture garden depicting Jesus Christ,” she says. “I was captivated and enthralled by it. It was something I could physically sense.”

At the time, Angela didn’t see any of the scenes that she would bring to life. She took responsibility to determine which parts of the Savior’s life to share in artistic form.

In 2007, Angela had created mockettes of the Savior’s life, and she was invited to be a guest artist at an event held at Karen Ashton’s cabin. Karen, who founded Thanksgiving Point along with her husband, Alan, was enthralled with the project and Thanksgiving Point became the home for Angela’s mockette sculptures with plans to present the depictions in monument size within Thanksgiving Point Gardens.

“We wanted to determine the right scale for the garden area,” she says. “I wanted a size that people could relate to — not heroic or oversized. And I didn’t want nature to dwarf them either. We had to find the right balance.”

Seven of Angela Johnson’s 15 scenes include women, such as “One Thing Is Needful,” which depicts Mary and Martha.

Computer software enlarged her sculptures, which creates about 60 percent of the finished shape. The final 40 percent is chipped away to perfection by Angela and a small team of assistants.

“I have visualized Jesus Christ since I was a little girl,” she says. “The brilliance of his soul needs to be reflected in my work — the penetrating look in his eyes and the attentive expression in his face. Christ was someone who listened and focused. He wasn’t distracted, and that’s why people loved him. His glance went through them.”

The sculpture garden now includes 15 scenes, with 14 references coming from the New Testament. The 15th is the First Vision. The scene portrays the Savior, his father and Joseph Smith interacting in the Sacred Grove in 1820.

Angela says music is part of each sculpture and can be felt and heard by astute visitors. For her, this project has enveloped more than a decade and she’s learned life lessons beyond what she could imagine.

“For example, with our opening statue of Christ walking on the water, I had to pick a quadrant of water and work on it,” she says. “I would put clay in this corner and that corner, and I would begin weaving the whole thing together. We can’t swallow a whole project at a time or we get defeated and overwhelmed. We weave.”

Each of the scenes is sponsored by a generous community member. Marilyn Victor was the first to step forward and put her contribution toward “Be Not Afraid.”

“She made a statement by doing that,” Angela says. “There are people who God has blessed with means who have seen the validity of this project.”

The Light of the World sculpture garden anticipates a soft opening in August and an official opening in September. The sculptures will be part of the Thanksgiving Point Gardens ticket.

“Don’t fall into the trap of being immobilized because you don’t know how to do something perfectly.” —Angela Johnson, sculptor

An hour a day

Angela Johnson is passionate about helping women develop talents. In fact, she’s working on a book about the subject. Here are four tips for bringing it out from under a bushel.

1. Remove toxic influences in your life. “We talk about pollution in our environment,” Angela says. “But we also need to stay away from people with hidden agendas or the desire to control us. To develop ourselves and our talents, we need to be surrounded by healthy voices.”

2. Do something hard. “If singing in the choir is hard, do it! If singing a solo in church is more than you think you can do, start by singing to your dog or singing in the mirror,” she says.

“Pick a hard task that intrigues you enough so that you’re willing to work at it. You’ll realize that you didn’t die and that it was actually fun,” she says.

3. Embrace mistakes. “Don’t fall into the trap of being immobilized because you don’t know how to do something perfectly,” she says. “In the beginning, I didn’t like some of my sculptures but I said, ‘This will not intimidate me!’”

4. Don’t say to yourself or others: “You can accomplish anything you set your mind to.” “That’s actually a lie,” Angela says. “We may not be able to win an Olympic gold medal. We have limitations.” Instead, Angela says to tell others, “Let’s explore things together. Let’s talk about your creative zone.”

Scene sponsorship

Generous donors have sponsored scenes in the Light of the World Garden. Two depictions are still looking for donors. For more information, visit lightoftheworldgarden.com.

The post State of the art: Angela Johnson sculpts Christ’s life in Thanksgiving Point’s Light of the World Garden appeared first on UtahValley360.

Can we all agree that being a good mom doesn’t have a specific look? Like the thrift store jeans in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Paints,” motherhood looks a little different on all of us.

I wanted to be that mom. You know the one. She makes homemade fruit snacks. Her kids are always sporting the trendiest clothes and the cutest hairstyles. She sews skirts and headbands. She’s heavily involved in her kids’ classrooms. She throws extravagant, themed birthday parties. She bakes fresh bread for everyone who moves into the neighborhood. She’s the “Yes girl!” You can always count on her to take on any and every project she’s asked to do. She spends blissful hours of one-on-one time with her children every day doing crafts, laughing and bonding. Her kids are never glued to a TV or an iPad. Drive-throughs and sugar? Not for her kids! Bribery and yelling? Not on her watch!

I was ready to ace the motherhood test.

Then I had kids. Reality set in. I made those homemade fruit snacks once, and they were disgusting. Not to mention time-consuming. I threw an extravagant, themed party for my oldest daughter’s first birthday, complete with custom invitations. Now, I’m lucky if I send out more than a last-minute text invite to a birthday get-together at the playground. I once sewed a couple of very imperfect skirts and headbands for my daughter, then ditched my sewing machine (and the swearing it induced).

Now that a second and third child have joined our family, my motherhood looks less like Martha-Stewart-perfection and more like sheer, messy survival.

Our dinners are basic, and my husband cooks them as often as I do. The kids dress themselves, and its not always pretty. I’ve been on time to church maybe twice since my baby was born a year ago. I’ve had to say no to a lot of things, and I’ve had to put myself in a lot of time-outs. I’m certainly not above bribery and I don’t have a heart attack when grandma gives the kids a bag of candy or we grab a drive-through cheeseburger.

Why do we moms sometimes feel like imperfect is synonymous with failure? Imperfect is not failure. Imperfect is real.

But I often still feel that mom-perfection pressure. I feel it when I see moms on social media who seem to have it all together. I feel it when I’m wearing my unwashed hair in a bun and run into the mom at Target who’s all done up (and so are her kids). I feel it when instead of being with my kids all day, I have to hire a babysitter and leave the house to get some work done (or just take a break for everyone’s safety and sanity).

I feel it when I compare myself to the mom who shows up to church on time with her well-mannered, bathed and beautified children as I perpetually show up twenty minutes late, my kids looking a little rough around the edges as we do the walk of shame to the metal chairs at the back of the congregation. I feel it when I have to throw our healthy dinner menu and my mom-perfection pride out the window and let my husband cook waffles for dinner.

Wanting to cook great family dinners, delivering treats to neighbors and doing crafts with kids are not the problem. The problem is feeling like I have to do all of those things all the time, and feeling inferior to the mom who does.

But you know what? The deeper I get into this parenting thing, the more I realize that behind every mom who seems to have it together, there’s a mom who is tired, just like I am. A mom who loses it with her kids from time-to-time. A mom who orders pizza instead of cooking on a busy night. A mom who is perfectly imperfect, just like me.

Why do we moms sometimes feel like imperfect is synonymous with failure?

Imperfect is not failure. Imperfect is real.

Let’s face it. When it comes to this motherhood thing, we’re all just winging it.

We’re all just trying to raise happy, kind kids the best way we know how. And we’re doing what we need to do to keep ourselves sane while we’re at it. If that means you need to hire a babysitter from time to time to work or even just to have a break from mom life? Go for it, sister. If you’re not into making from-scratch dinners for your family every night and opt for takeout instead? Nothing wrong with that. If you love throwing all-out birthday parties for your kids, power to you. Send me an invite.

But can we all agree that being a good mom doesn’t have a specific look? Like the thrift store jeans in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” motherhood looks a little different on all of us.

So let’s make a truce in this weird war of mom-perfection. Instead of playing the comparison game, let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt and do what we can to help and encourage each other.

The post Giving up on mom-perfection   appeared first on UtahValley360.

PMG, Jamesthemormon’s album that stands for the LDS Church’s missionary manual, “Preach the Gospel,” was originally released on Aug. 19, 2015. The album was re-released on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, with a new song featuring singer David Archuleta. (Photo courtesy Jamesthemormon)

It has been a big year for Utah County resident Jamesthemormon.

Jamesthemormon, whose given name is James Curran, made history with his “I’m Not a Rapper” album in April when it hit No. 1 on the Top Hip-Hop/Rap Album chart and No. 7 overall album on iTunes. And now Jamesthemormon has a new goal in mind — charting on the Billboard Top 100 with his new single featuring David Archuleta.

But his goals are not for personal recognition. After all, Curran still maintains that he does not identify himself as a rapper.

Following the success of “I’m Not a Rapper,” Curran said he has put more focus into his music.

“I’m still not pursuing it as a career although I want it to be as successful as possible,” he said. “Just as a person shows up for an intramural basketball game, they aren’t a professional basketball player, but they are still putting their blood, sweat and tears into it. “

On paper, Jamesthemormon’s goal is to chart, but in reality his goal is to share positive and motivational messages that could point people back to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Jamesthemormon doesn’t want to be preachy.

“If you listen to ‘PMG,’ it goes through all of the lessons, but I never talk about anything religious. I don’t say God, I don’t say Joseph Smith. … I wanted people to hear the song, feel something and like the song.” —Jamesthemormon

“You can describe making a sandwich without using the word bread or peanut butter,” Curran said. “You can still get the point across without saying the exact things.”

On Monday, Curran re-released his album, “PMG,” which was originally released on Aug. 19, 2015. The album has six songs that represent the lessons taught by missionaries, and the album title stands for the missionary training manual, “Preach My Gospel.”

“If you listen to ‘PMG,’ it goes through all of the lessons, but I never talk about anything religious,” Curran said. “I don’t say God, I don’t say Joseph Smith. … I wanted people to hear the song, feel something and like the song.”

The album was re-released with a new single, “Workin,” which features prominent LDS singer David Archuleta, who served an LDS mission in Chile. Archuleta is known for his smooth, angelic voice used mainly to sing ballads — talents not typically associated with rap songs. However, Deseret Book contacted Curran and requested the two artists work together. Curran didn’t object.

“When I work with any artist, I’ve written basically anything,” Curran said. “I’m basically borrowing their voice and I tell them how I want it.”

Curran is grateful that people have shared what he has created, especially since he has received hundreds of emails from people saying they have chosen to return to church activity after listening to his music as well as emails from people saying they decided not to take their own lives after hearing his songs.

“I saw that there were people that saw the same vision as me,” he said. “It validated that what we are doing is something that God supports and he’s completely behind it. It made me want to keep going and scale it. My goal is to team up with worldwide artists and do what we are doing not just in Utah.”

And now Curran says his rapping mission to share uplifting messages will continue to move forward. But he needs the community’s help to achieve that goal.

“The community has to rally behind you to get it, and my hope is that they do that,” Curran said.

In order to reach the Billboard Top 100, Curran has asked people to buy the song, write reviews and share on social media. You can purchase “PMG” and the single, “Workin,” on iTunes or at Deseret Book.

The post Jamesthemormon writes songs to inspire, not preach appeared first on UtahValley360.

The Payson Utah Temple was dedicated on June 7, 2015. (Photo by Rebecca Lane)

Faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pay one-tenth of their income as tithing, and often give more in the form of fast offerings and other donations. Church officials use these funds to support the Church’s many functions, including the building and maintenance of temples and meetinghouses, supporting Church-owned universities and schools, humanitarian relief and more. (For more information about tithing, read “5 misconceptions about how tithing is used.”)

However, church leaders do not publicly disclose exactly how much money the Church has, where that money is spent, or how much is saved. This has led to much speculation — and criticism — from those both inside the Church and out.

How Church funds are spent notwithstanding, some independent groups have estimated how much money the LDS Church actually has. If you’ve ever been curious, here are our best (unconfirmed) guesses, largely taken from an estimate by sociologist Ryan Cragun and Reuters in 2012. Their estimate was based on records from the Church in Canada, which has certain laws requiring disclosure.

• Annual income from tithes and other donations: $7 billion
• Property values of temples and meetinghouses: $35 billion
• Total amount of land purchased in the United States: 1 million acres
• Total amount spent on relief for disasters since 1985: $1.4 billion

In an interview on the topic of the Church’s finances, Church spokesman Michael Purdy said, “Projections are speculative and do not reflect an understanding of how the Church uses its income to bless the lives of people.”

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke publicly about his experience as part of the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes—the council that determines where and how tithing funds are distributed. He said:

“As the meeting progressed, I found myself wishing that all members of the Church could observe the simplicity, the clarity, the orderliness, the charity, and the power of the Lord’s own way (see D&C 104:16) for conducting the temporal affairs of His Church.”

The post How rich is the LDS Church? appeared first on UtahValley360.

We’ve learned to get more creative in our definition of a date.     (Photo courtesy of Taylor Ann Photography. Photo on main page by Diana Putnam Photography.)

My husband and I were married for three and a half years before kids came into the picture. While our children have brought so much joy and fulfillment into our lives, getting out on dates takes a lot more effort and planning than it used to.

But getting out on those dates has also become crucial to the health of our relationship. Without quality one-on-one time together, my husband and I start to feel like we’re merely roommates or referees instead of partners in a romantic relationship.

So, we’ve learned to get more creative with our definition of a date. Here are some ways to protect your one-on-one time:

1. Opt for a day-date.

Getting out on a Saturday morning can be a refreshing change from the go-to dinner and movie date night. Once in awhile, my husband and I hire a sitter or drop the kids off with a family member then go on a hike, try a new brunch spot and run some kid-free errands.

2. Rent a hotel room for the day.

If an overnight trip away from the kids isn’t realistic right now, consider renting a room for the day. Get into your comfy clothes, rent movies, stock up on treats and reminisce about what life was like before kids. You’ll feel like newlyweds again!

3. Have a night in.

Put the kids to bed early and soak in some one-on-one time at home. Put your phones and computers away, skip the dishes and straightening-up, and plop down on the couch with your favorite snacks. Have some uninterrupted talking time, then end with a movie or TV show you both love. We won’t judge if you’re still in bed by 10.

4. Do a mini-date.

On Saturdays or after my husband gets home from work on a weekday, we like to drop our kids off with a neighbor or have one come over to our place while the two of us escape for an hour. We run, walk, ride bikes or rollerblade through our neighborhood. Then we return the favor for our neighbor. We all get our exercise-endorphins going and have some quality conversation with our spouses. It’s a win-win!

5. Set up a standing date night

Whether it’s every week or once a month, set up a date night with a babysitter or family member you can count on. For my husband and I, knowing we have that one-on-one time to look forward to helps us get through the rough patches of parenthood.

6. Try new things together.

Studies show increased enjoyment and happiness when couples try new things together. Check our our calendar of local activities and pick something you and your spouse have never done. You just might find your new favorite tradition.

7. Work in a work-day date.

Once in awhile I have to do some work near my husband’s office, so we meet at our favorite smoothie shop to talk for half an hour or so. Our mid-day date might be brief, but those little snippets of quality time add up and help us remember to make our marriage top priority.

What are some of your favorite dates to go on with your spouse? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The post Have kids, will date: 7 creative date ideas to keep your post-kids marriage alive appeared first on UtahValley360.

Donny and Marie have crooned, cackled and danced alongside each other their whole lives. The two siblings are in their eighth year of performing together five nights a week at The Flamingo in Las Vegas. They have a template for their show each night, but 50 percent of the show is ad lib, including spontaneous audience interaction and playful sibling rivalry — especially when joking about “Dancing With the Stars,” which Donny won. (Photo courtesy Caesars Entertainment)

One of the unofficial traditions in my family growing up in Utah happened pretty much every Friday night.

My parents would buy or make pizza and we’d sit around the television set and watch the Donny & Marie Show that aired in the 1970s on ABC.

I didn’t know much about the singing Osmond family back then. I didn’t appreciate their garish outfits, corny gags, and funky dance moves. I wasn’t familiar with many of the songs they sang.

All I knew about them was that they were members of my Church. They were Mormons. So we watched faithfully every week.

It was like an elaborate, nationally televised Road Show.

There was something comforting and soothing about that program. In Donny & Marie’s world, everything was idyllic. There were lots of toothy smiles and laughs. The Osmonds were singing-and-dancing emissaries of the Mormon Church. And they were a big deal.

The part of the show I remember most was when Donny & Marie would sing their anthem, “A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock and Roll.” And every show featured Donny & Marie’s good-natured bantering like a brother and sister would do. At the end of each broadcast, Donny & Marie would stand arm-in-arm and sing:

May tomorrow be a perfect day

May you find love and laughter along the way

May God keep you in His tender care

Until He brings us together again.

Then, in unison, they’d say, “Goodnight everybody!”

It was wholesome, feel-good fare that made you think that the world was a very carefree, happy place.

I was too young to have a secret crush on Marie, like a lot of Mormon boys did at that time. But later, her stock rose in my eyes when I learned she married Steve Craig, who helped Danny Ainge lead BYU to Sweet 16 of the 1981 NCAA basketball tournament.

After the Donny & Marie show went off the air, the Osmonds moved into different phases of their entertainment careers. I lost track of them, and I think a lot of other people did, too.

While I was serving my mission in South America, Donny Osmond’s song “Soldier of Love” came out. I remember thinking, as a missionary, that he had gone off the deep end. I vowed to teach him the discussions when I got home. Turned out, I didn’t need to worry about Donny. Still, both he and Marie have gone through their share of trials and tragedies since the 1970s.

In Donny & Marie’s real world, it turned out, not everything was idyllic.

But they are the most successful brother and sister act of all time. Their popular show in Las Vegas was voted “The Best Show in Vegas” by the readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal four years in a row.

When I received tickets for the Donny & Marie Show at The Flamingo in Las Vegas recently, I jumped at the chance to go. My kids, of course, had no idea about Donny & Marie.

So when I received tickets for the Donny & Marie Show at The Flamingo in Las Vegas recently, I jumped at the chance to go. My kids, of course, had no idea about Donny & Marie.

They resisted and didn’t want to attend the concert, no matter how much my wife and I told them how cool it would be.

I learned quickly that even today, the Osmonds and the Mormons are inextricably connected. As we sat in a booth in the intimate setting near the stage at The Flamingo, waiting for the show to start, a maître de asked my 12-year-old son where he was from.

“Utah,” my son said.

The man had probably heard that response a million times. “Are you a Mormon?” he asked with a smile.

“Yeah,” my son said.

Once the show started, I was impressed by the energy and passion Donny & Marie exhibited, even though they are well into their 50s. They poked fun of themselves and joked about how those under the age of 40 have no clue who they are.

At one point, after singing a high-cardio song and dance routine, Marie paused and drank an entire bottle of water in one swallow.

“Who says Mormons don’t drink?” she said cheekily.

Marie’s first country hit, “Paper Roses,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1973. She was 12 years old. And, yes, she can still sing. She’s got amazing range. She’s not just a little bit country. She’s a little bit of everything — including pop, jazz, blues and opera — in that golden voice.

Donny, who still lives with his family in Utah County, had a 50-something woman in the front row crying like a teenager. When he stepped off the stage and serenaded her while sitting on her lap, I thought she was going to pass out. Later, she gushed to Donny, “I’ve waited 50 years for this!”

Donny had a 50-something woman in the front row crying like a teenager. When he stepped off the stage and serenaded her while sitting on her lap, I thought she was going to pass out.

In an attempt to explain how big a star Donny & Marie were to my kids, I told them that Donny was so popular, he couldn’t serve a mission.

“It would have been nice to be able to have served a regular full-time mission,” Donny once wrote, “but when I was of that age, my career was such that everyone, including my parents and the leaders of the Church, thought that I could do a lot of good in the world by continuing being in the public eye, by living an exemplary life and sharing my beliefs in every way that I could.”

During the show, Donny shared how at one point in his career, as he was trying to make a comeback, that a publicist suggested that Donny get arrested for drug possession at an airport in an attempt to change his squeaky-clean image. Of course, he didn’t do that.

“How would I explain that to my kids?” Donny said.

Donny and Marie exchanged wisecracks throughout the show, just like they did on TV 40 years ago. Donny reminded the audience about his first-place finish in “Dancing With the Stars” a few years ago, while reminding the audience that Marie finished third.

Their songs were interspersed with video montages of previous performances from years ago with stars like Bob Hope, Michael Jackson and Andy Williams.

It was clear that they are comfortable with themselves, their beliefs and even the stereotypes about them. They’ve embraced what they meant to people decades ago and while they did perform modern songs, they understand what brings people to their concerts. So they sang some of their old hits, including Donny’s “Go Away Little Girl.”  And, yes, he even sang “Puppy Love,” which had the woman in the front row swooning.

Donny and Marie explained that their show in Vegas started as a six-week special engagement in 2008. But eight years later, it’s still going strong.

Toward the end of the 90-minute show, Donny and Marie mingled among the audience and interacted with us. At one point, Marie wandered around and drew giant lips (the top of the lip was an “M”) with lipstick on the foreheads of several men. I was one of the “lucky” ones who got the treatment. I never expected to get “kissed” by Marie.

“I’ll never wash my forehead again,” I joked with my family. My wife wasn’t amused.

I was thoroughly entertained that night and the 90 minutes flew by. When it was over, I was disappointed it didn’t go on longer. Though my kids wouldn’t admit that they liked the show, I could tell they were entertained.

It was wholesome, feel-good fare that made you think that the world was a very carefree and happy place, just like their old TV show.

Some things never change.

Read the 2016 May/June cover story on Donny Osmond here to find out what Donny is up to today. 

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland blows a kiss to the crowd at the Marriott Center after his BYU Education Week Devotional on Tuesday morning.
(Photo by Mark A. Philbrick/BYU Photo)

The world needs religion to help direct its moral compass, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland told a packed Marriott Center at the BYU Education Week Devotional on Tuesday morning.

In a world that is seemingly getting less religious, Elder Holland used the speech to address a concern for the direction and attitude of society toward religion as it relates to a study from the 90s by Will and Ariel Durrant. The Durrants said, “There is no significant example in history of (any) society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion.”

Elder Holland, an apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, expounded on the warning saying, “If we are not careful, we may find religion at the margins of society rather than the center of it, where religious beliefs and all the good works those beliefs have generated may be tolerated privately but not admitted (or at least not encouraged) publicly.”

To illustrate the point that a moral society needs religion as an influence, Elder Holland shared a heavily annotated devotional acknowledging literary, political and religious leaders who were influenced by the guidance of their faith.

“Voices of religious faith have elevated our vision, deepened our human conversation, and strengthened both our personal and collective aspiration since time began.” —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

“Just to remind us how rich the ambiance of religion is in the Western culture and because this is Education Week, may I mention just a few of the great religiously-influenced, non-LDS pieces of literature that I met while pursuing my education on this campus 50 years ago, provincial and dated as my list is,” Elder Holland said. “I do so stressing how barren our lives would be had there not been the freedom for writers, artists, and musicians to embrace and express religious values or discuss religious issues.”

Elder Holland began with the literary leaders, including:

1. King James Bible

2. “Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan

3. “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri

4. “Paradise Lost” by John Milton

5. “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville

6. “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

7. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain

Elder Holland also included classic international authors such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, George Herbert, John Donne, William Blake and Robert Browning. He included American writers such as Emily Dickinson, William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor.

Elder Holland addressed a concern he had after reading a study by Will and Ariel Durrant. The Durrants said, “There is no significant example in history of (any) society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion.”
(Photo by Mark A. Philbrick/BYU Photo)

Shortly after recognizing literary influences in the religious sector, Elder Holland continue to recognize evangelical leaders and political leaders — both past and modern — who paved the path, driven by faith and preserving or creating religious freedom.

8. Martin Luther: Began the Protestant Reformation in 16th-century Europe

9. John Calvin: Protestant theologian

10. John Wesley: An Anglican cleric and theologian in the 1700s

11. Billy Graham: American evangelical Christian

12. Pope Francis: The current pope for the Catholic church

13. Dali Lama: The spiritual leader of Tibet

14. Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer: Burned at the stake in Oxford for their conviction of the Bible

15. William Wilberforce: Allowed Christianity to drive him to help abolish slavery in Great Britain

16. Martin Luther King Jr.: Fought for racial and civil justice in the United States

17. George Washington: The first U.S. president who prayed at Valley Forge

18. Abraham Lincoln: U.S. president who helped abolish slavery in America

These examples were used to illustrate how history has been influenced by religion.

“So the core landscape of history has been sketched by the pen and brush and words of those who invoke a Divine Creator’s involvement in our lives and who count on the religion  to bind up our wounds and help us hold things together,” Elder Holland said.

Elder Holland emphasized that religion is what makes people better and drives people to do good.

“Voices of religious faith have elevated our vision, deepened our human conversation, and strengthened both our personal and collective aspiration since time began,” Elder Holland said.

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland addresses BYU Education Week attendees.
(Photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU)

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland addressed a packed Marriott Center on Tuesday morning for the BYU Education Week Devotional.

In the hour devotional, Elder Holland spoke on the necessity of religion in our lives in his address, “Religion: ‘Bound by Loving Ties.'” Here are seven powerful Elder Holland quotes on the importance of religion:

1. “’Religion’ is that which unites what was separated or holds together that which might be torn apart.”

2. “In more modern times, individuals can certainly be ‘spiritual’ in isolation, but we don’t live in isolation; we live as families, friends, neighbors and nations. That calls for ties that bind us together and bind us to the good.”

3. “I do wish to make the very general observation that part of this shift away from respect for traditional religious beliefs — and even the right to express those religious beliefs — has come because of a conspicuous shift toward greater and greater preoccupation with the existential circumstances of this world and less and less concern for — or even belief in — the circumstances, truths and requirements of the next.”

4. “If we are not careful, we may find religion at the margins of society rather than the center of it, where religious beliefs and all the good works those beliefs have generated may be tolerated privately but not admitted (or at least not encouraged) publicly.”

5. “Voices of religious faith have elevated our vision, deepened our human conversation, and strengthened both our personal and collective aspiration since time began.” (Read more about those influencers here.)

6.. “Beyond the social, political and cultural contributions that I have been focusing on today, I testify that true religion is infinitely more than that — it gives us ‘peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come,’ as the scripture phrases it.”

7. “Only in the living of our religion will the preservation of it have true meaning.”

Watch a portion of Elder Holland’s devotional below or watch the nearly hour-long devotional here.

Want more from Elder Holland’s devotional? Read more of a summary of the talk and learn about historical figures influenced by religion here. 

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Elizabeth Smart teamed up with Fight the New Drug to share the dangerous effects of pornography, specifically how they made her nine months of captivity even worse.

In 2002, Elizabeth Smart made headlines when she was kidnapped from her bedroom in Salt Lake. Smart, only 14 at the time, spent nine months held captive where she was raped daily by her captor Brian David Mitchell.

“I remember he pulled out this magazine of hard core pornography,” Smart said in the video. “I remember he would just sit and look at it and stare at it. … When he was done, he would turn and look at me and he’d be like, ‘Now we’re going to do this.’ It just led to him raping me more, more than he already did, which was a lot.”

“All I know is pornography made my living hell worse.”                        —Elizabeth Smart

“Looking at pornography wasn’t enough for him. Having sex with his wife after looking at pornography wasn’t enough for him. And then it led him to finally going out and kidnapping me. He just always wanted more. I can’t say that he would not have gone out and kidnapped me if he had not looked at pornography. All I know is pornography made my living hell worse.”

Since her rescue, Smart has become a advocate of sexual assault survivors. She travels the country giving speeches, created the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and joined her foundation with Operation Underground Railroad.

Fight the New Drug is a nonprofit organization that warns people about the dangers pornography have on the mind and in a relationship. Learn more about the organization at fightthenewdrug.org.

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The bishop stood before the throng of men and boys in my ward and announced that we would not be holding priesthood meeting on that particular Sunday afternoon.

There were some audible cheers and spontaneous clapping from some of the Aaronic Priesthood holders, who were hoping to go home and relax.

I was one of them.

The reason for cancelling priesthood meeting that Sunday in the spring of 1983 was that a substantially wetter-than-usual winter caused flooding throughout the Salt Lake Valley. A river rushed through downtown Salt Lake City and rising waters were threatening homes in my ward in Holladay. Our task, the bishop instructed us, was to change into our work clothes and start filling sandbags to save homes of our ward family.

We spent the rest of the day, and night, hefting sandbags to the banks of the swollen creeks in the backyards of those homes. While I remember working hard, I also remember the joy I felt in serving others, especially when I saw a woman, who had feared her home would be flooded, crying with gratitude when she saw an army of priesthood holders congregating in her yard.

It was the priesthood in action and that lesson has remained with me all of these years.

It was the priesthood in action and that lesson has remained with me all of these years.

Decades later, in the Cedar Hills 4th Ward, I remember a similar feeling of united service. It was the winter of 2008, just one week after the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley. The plan for Elders Quorum meeting that day was to discuss memories of the prophet, and reflect on lessons he taught us.

However, a blizzard blasted Cedar Hills during Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School, blanketing the parking lot with about a foot of heavy, wet snow. Our stake president decided to cancel the rest of the meetings that day so we could make sure everyone returned home safely. As I trudged around our neighborhood that Sunday afternoon, I witnessed dozens of ward members braving the elements in a winter wonderland, shoveling snow from driveways. There was no better way to honor the memory of President Hinckley.

It is through service that we can feel an increased measure of love for those around us. It is one of the best ways to draw close to the Lord, and be like Him.

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The LDS Church reassigned 30 volunteers assigned to Russian missions. (Image courtesy LDS.org Media Library)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has reassigned 30 volunteers assigned to Russian missions who are currently receiving instruction in the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC). These volunteers will still serve Russian-speaking missions in different areas in Russia or in Eastern Europe.

“With recent changes in the law, volunteers in Russia may not proselyte publicly, but instead focus on supporting the Church and its members, and on engaging in community and humanitarian service,” said Eric Hawkins, LDS Church spokesman. “This has decreased the number of volunteers needed and has made it necessary to adjust some assignments.

“The Church continues to operate its seven missions within Russia — seeking to comply with every requirement of Russian law — and will continue to call additional volunteers as required to support the Church there.”

“The Church continues to operate its seven missions within Russia — seeking to comply with every requirement of Russian law — and will continue to call additional volunteers as required to support the Church there.” —Eric Hawkins, LDS Church spokesman

These change of assignments are from multiple missions in Russia and “are intended to place volunteers where they are needed most,” according to a press release. The changes have caused a slight decrease in volunteers in Russia. However, there are 47 volunteers currently at the MTC who will continue with their original mission assignments in Russia.

The LDS Church made some changes in July to comply with a new Russian law limiting religious organizations from proselyting. The law was created to prevent terrorism. Because of the new law, the Church has started calling missionaries “volunteers.”

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(Photo courtesy Mormon Newsroom)

It’s back to school time, which means it’s also time to start a brand new year of seminary. But if you have a child in seminary this year, you might have noticed things have changed since you were in high school.

Here are five changes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made to seminaries and institutes in the last decade.

1. Scripture Mastery is now Doctrinal Mastery

In the past, seminary students have memorized 25 assigned passages of scripture each year. This year, that Scripture Mastery program has been replaced with a new “Doctrinal Mastery” program, which aims to help students face the challenges of the 21st century by establishing a foundational understanding of essential doctrines of Jesus Christ.

“Building on what already has been done in Scripture Mastery, this new initiative will focus on building and strengthening our students’ faith in Jesus Christ and fortifying them with increased ability to live and apply the gospel in their lives,” said Elder M. Russell Ballard in an introduction to the program. “Drawing on the scriptures and the words of the prophets, they will learn how to act with faith in Christ to acquire spiritual knowledge and understanding of His gospel. And they will have opportunities to learn how to apply the doctrine of Christ and gospel principles to the questions and challenges they hear and see every day among their peers and on social media.”

Parents can learn more about the Doctrinal Mastery program here.

2. Registration and other processes? There’s an app for that.

The mySeminary app was created to help parents and priesthood leaders engage in seminary. The app can be used to register students for seminary and to follow their progress during the year. The app also allows parents to review student attendance, excuse absences, edit contact information, view assignments and more. Priesthood leaders have access to similar information, as well as information they need about the youth in their unit, like registration status.

3. Updated manuals for all four years

Every year since 2013, a revised seminary student manual has been introduced. This year marks the release of the revised New Testament manual, the last of the four. (A new manual for the Book of Mormon was released in 2013, Church History in 2014, and Old Testament in 2015.) All of these manuals can be accessed here.

The manuals were released in conjunction with the new Youth curriculum in 2013 and aim to be more student-centered than student manuals used in the past.

Read more about the revised manuals, especially the new Church History manual, here.

4. Students are now required to take tests

Parents of today’s seminary students had two requirements for graduation: at least 75 percent attendance and an endorsement from their priesthood leaders.

Today, in addition to those two requirements, seminary students must read the assigned book of scripture for the year and pass a “learning assessment” — a test — with at least a 75 percent. This requirement went into effect in 2014. These tests are available to view and study online here, and if a student doesn’t meet the 75 percent requirement the first time, they can try again with help.

5. More required reading

Since 2014, seminary students have been required to read the assigned book of scripture for the year. This year, it’s the New Testament. Parents can support their children in meeting this requirement by reading along with them and encouraging youth to stay on pace to finish by the end of the school year.

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Hank says, “It’s almost a sin how much I love this woman.” He and Sara are raising “the five best kids on the planet. They are everything to us!”

Fast-talking Hank Smith has 17 CDs of his famously funny and gospel-packed messages especially for youth. But he also “speaks adult” as a corporate trainer and headline speaker at BYU’s Easter Conference and RootsTech. But this father of five does the listening when he gets told almost daily that he’s the next version of everyone’s favorite LDS speaker.

I grew up as the son of a golf professional in St. George. I was the student body vice president and captain of the football team at Snow Canyon, so I got used to speaking to large groups early on. After I graduated in 1996, my dad thought I could use a change of geography and sent me to Southern Virginia where his college roommate had just bought a university. While I was back there, my sister put me in contact with EFY, and I got asked to be a counselor for one week. I wrote in my journal that I wanted to do something like that for the rest of my life. That’s a weird thing to say at age 18.

When I returned from my mission in Fresno, Calif., I worked 10 weeks of EFY. Some people are terrified of speaking to youth, but to me it’s a source of energy.

Mapleton’s Hank Smith spoke at a Sunday night fireside as part of Salem Days this past summer. He has quickly become the most sought-after speaker in Utah Valley and beyond for his humor and ability to connect with youth — including on social media (@hankrsmith on Twitter/Instagram and fb.com/hanksmithcds on Facebook).

I was married in 2000 and was pursuing a degree in business at Dixie. One of my friends from EFY was a seminary teacher and asked me to sub his class for two weeks while he had back surgery. It paid better than my landscaping job, and it was inside — remember this was St. George, so air conditioning was the determining factor. A few weeks later, I received a job offer to teach seminary part time at the same high school where I graduated. The guy hired me without ever seeing me teach, but he had heard positive feedback. I taught seminary during my junior and senior years of college, and by then I had fallen in love with the job. I felt bad for my wife, Sara, because she thought she was marrying a businessman.

My first full-time job was in Park City, which is where our first baby was born. That changes everything! Instead of asking, “What do you want to do this weekend,” you’re like, “How do I bathe this thing?” After three years we moved to Copper Hills in West Jordan. Along the way I earned a doctorate from BYU. My dissertation was on how trust between faculty members impacts student achievement. I spoke on that topic yesterday for the Washington County School District.

I taught at BYU while I was working on my doctorate, and then I was assigned to Springville High School. After two and a half years there, I came back to BYU after the longest hiring process of my life. I became a full-time faculty member a few months ago. I still feel like an intruder around here. I do not belong across the hallway from Daniel Judd! I see Andrew Skinner in the hallway. I hang out with my heroes. The BYU Religion Department does an excellent job of balancing the academic side of religion with faith-building.

My most effective teaching tool is humor. Kids deserve to laugh, and they can learn while laughing. The Holy Ghost speaks to me through humor all the time.

I’m a storyteller at heart, and a good story has a cast. I use different voices when I teach — Laman, Nephi, Dumbledore. The youth are spiritually sensitive! They are funny. They are resilient. I had a colleague tell me he figured out why I’m so good at this. He said, “You like the youth! A lot of us like them because we are supposed to, but you genuinely enjoy being with them.”

And I do. Kids can tell when their teachers or leaders don’t want to be there. My heart really loves them. I listen to see what they are dealing with — but I’m getting too old for pop culture. They’ll mention something about a Kardashian, and I’m like, “Is that the name of a donut?”

“I’m a storyteller at heart, and a good story has a cast. I use different voices when I teach — Laman, Nephi, Dumbledore.” —Hank Smith, speaker

I am told nearly every day that I’m “the next John Bytheway.” I don’t know if I can handle that type of pressure! John is absolutely amazing. I’m not even close to being as good as he is. He paved this road I’m lucky enough to be on. My family listened to him yesterday on the way home from St. George, and I texted him and told him how much my kids loved his message. The fact that he and I are friends is still shocking to me.

The first time I met John was several years ago when a guy in California asked me to speak to an encampment with 5,000 scouts. When I got the flier about the event, it showed that I was speaking alongside John Bytheway and Elder L. Tom Perry. My wife said, “Is this for real? I think someone is pranking you!” I knew I didn’t fit in, but they were very kind to me.

Now I travel with John and Meg Johnson as we host conferences titled “When Life Gets Hard.” John is the reason people come, Meg is the speaker they go home talking about, and I’m there for … well, I’m not quite sure. We did seven of these events this year, including an Alaskan cruise with 250 people who came to hear us speak. One year I spoke 100 times at girls camps, firesides and other church meetings. This helped me get better at speaking and it gave me easy chances to record my message.

My first talk on CD might have sold a few hundred copies. It wasn’t flying off the shelves, but it was helping some families. They asked me to do another one. And now I just finished recording my 17th CD.

My wife once said to me, “I envy people who listen to your CDs … because they have a stop button if they need you to be quiet for a minute.” Sara plays a Savior-like role to me. It’s almost a sin how much I love this woman. I thought I was at my max goodness and she took me to new heights. I hope I’m helping somebody to be their best selves, too.

I treasure some of the letters I’ve received … “I’m an 11-year-old living on an army base in Berlin and I listen to your CDs as I go to sleep” … or the letters I get from single moms. Both of my sisters are single moms, so those are touching to me.

I also use social media to expand the classroom and reach people I’d never reach. I love speaking at schools and corporations for that very reason. Plus, the high-fives I get are pretty awesome.

The two sides of my heart are being with my wife and five kids and then also helping other people when I can. I feel strongly about using my unique gifts to help others — both inside and outside the LDS Church.

This is one of five stories in Utah Valley Magazine’s “How I Did It” section in the September/October issue of the magazine. 

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Dalin Earls sported his orange shirt across Utah as a way of bringing along his brother, who is serving as an LDS missionary in Hong Kong. The Payson Temple was one of 17 Dalin saw during his 15-day, 1,174-mile journey to visit every LDS temple in the state.

Dalin Earls is not a cyclist. He simply wanted to see every LDS Temple in Utah. To add in an element of adventure — and to understand how a physical feat builds spiritual strength — he used a bicycle as his mode of transportation. Fifteen days, 17 temples and 1,174 miles later, he completed his Utah Pedal Pilgrimage.

I’ve lived in Utah since 2010. Before I moved here I didn’t realize there were so many temples in the state. I thought there was one in Salt Lake and I assumed there would be one in Provo. When I learned how many temples are here, I thought it would be cool to see all of them.

I took a history class and the professor talked about pilgrimages. You put yourself through a physical thing to strengthen yourself spiritually. So I got the crazy idea of biking to all the LDS Temples in Utah and called it the Utah Pedal Pilgrimage.

I’m not a cyclist, although some people say I now qualify. When I moved out here I didn’t have a car so I would bike to work and school. As a missionary I biked. Biking was just how I got around.

During my Utah Pedal Pilgrimage, my mom was my support vehicle, my pit crew and my catering service. In the book “Into the Wild,” there is a quote that says, “Happiness is only real when shared.” Going on this trip with someone was cool but going on this trip with my mom made it even cooler. I haven’t lived at home for six years now, so it was an opportunity for us to rebuild our mother-son relationship.

I started at the Idaho border just north of the Logan Temple on July 13, 2016, and ended at the Arizona border just south of the St. George Temple on July 28.

I prayed about a lot of things along the way — about the man I am, the man I want to be. At the St. George Temple, there was this overwhelming feeling that God was hearing me and that he accepted the sacrifice of my ridiculous bike trip. I’m far from perfect, but it was comforting to feel I was doing alright.

I had decided I was going to go border-to-border on my trip. After going to the St. George Temple, it was eight miles to the Arizona border. It was the hottest, nastiest uphill climb. The quote “It’s all downhill from here,” does not apply to the state of Utah.

We got to the Arizona border and I wanted to sit there and say a prayer, but the ground was too hot. So I squatted in the tiny shade of the “Welcome to Arizona” sign and said a prayer. Then I went back to Provo and back to normal life.

When people hear about my story, I hope they find it in themselves to go for whatever big, crazy, intimidating idea they just can’t get rid of. That’s what this was for me.

We have more power than we realize to create life-changing events.

This is one of five stories in Utah Valley Magazine’s “How I Did It” section in the September/October issue of the magazine. 

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In a video uncharacteristic for The Piano Guys, singer Al van der Beek joins the group, adding vocals to their typically instrumental songs.

The Piano Guys chose the song  “Okay” written by Andy Grammar and Dave Bassett, because they wanted to uplift in a world that focuses on sharing the bad news.

“This is the essence of hope,” The Piano Guys wrote on YouTube. “And the essence of this song. ‘No matter what you’ve been through, no matter if you think you’re falling apart, it’s gonna be okay.’

“Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But we believe that someday, somehow, all things will be made right. And as the Proverb says, ‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.’”

The Piano Guys are releasing a new album, “Uncharted,” on Oct. 28.  The album includes four songs already released on YouTube: “Fight Song/Amazing Grace,” “Sky Full of Stars,” “Hello/Lacrimosa” and “Jungle Book/Sarabande.” It will also include eight never-before-heard songs.

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(Photo courtesy LDS.org Media Library)

If you’re naming a baby in 2016, you might not think a group of (mostly) elderly men and women can offer much by way of modern name inspiration — but you’d be surprised. From current Church leaders to prominent figures in Church history to canonized scriptures, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers plenty of name inspiration. Here’s a list of baby names perfect for 2016 parents-to-be inspired by prominent LDS people.

21st-century Church leaders

Boys names inspired by apostles (Popularity rank in the U.S., 2015)

1. James (7) (James E. Faust)
2. David (18) (David A. Bednar, David Todd Christofferson, David B. Haight)
3. Joseph (21) (Joseph B. Wirthlin)
4. Henry (29) (Henry B. Eyring)
5. Thomas (51) (Thomas S. Monson, L. Tom Perry)
6. Evan (67) (Neil Evan Andersen)
7. Maxwell (113) (Neal A. Maxwell)
8. Richard (155) (Richard G. Scott)
9. Dean (204) (Robert Dean Hales)
10. Gunnar (238, Gunner) (Dale Gunnar Renlund)

Girls — General auxiliary presidents

1. Lucy (55) (Lucy Grant Cannon)
2. Mary (124) (Mary Ellen Wood Smoot)
3. Margaret (154) (Margaret Dyreng Nadauld)
4. Rosemary (Rose, 166) (Rosemary M. Wixom)
5. Eliza (175) (Eliza Roxcy Snow)
6. Ruth (293) (Ruth May Fox) (Ruth Hardy Funk)
7. Adele (Adele Cannon Howells)
8. Roxcy (Eliza Roxcy Snow)
9. Emmeline (Emmeline Woodward B. Wells)
10. Belle (Belle Smith Spafford)

Other Church figures 

Girls — wives and mothers of 21st-century apostles (Popularity rank in the U.S., 2015)

1. Emma (1) (Emma Jensen, mother of Boyd K. Packer; Emma Ash, mother of Neal A. Maxwell)
2. Nora (41) (Elsie Nora Sonne, mother of L. Tom Perry)
3. Stella (51) (Stella Harris, mother of Dallin H. Oaks)
4. Melanie (80) (Melanie Twitchell, wife of Ronald A. Rasband)
5. Ruby (83) (Ruby M. Olson, wife of David B. Haight)
6. Katherine (84) (Katherine Jacob, wife of D. Todd Christofferson; Kathy Sue Williams, wife of Neil L. Andersen; Kathryn Andersen, mother of Neil L. Andersen)
7. Alice (87) (Alice Holland, mother of Jeffrey R. Holland)
8. Madeline (90) (Madeline Bitner, mother of Joseph B. Wirthlin)
9. Clara (98) (Clara Tuttle, mother of David B. Haight)
10. Mary (124) (Mary Crandall, wife of Robert D. Hales; Mary Gaddie, wife of Quentin L. Cook

Boys — Men mentioned in scripture

1. Noah (1)
2. Jacob (4)
3. James (7)
4. Michael (9)
5. Benjamin (10)
6. Elijah (11)
7. Daniel (12)
8. Matthew (15)
9. David (18)
10. Joseph (21)

From LDS history (2015 rankings not included)

Girls — Notable figures in Church history

1. Mary (Mary Fielding Smith)
2. Elizabeth (Elizabeth McCune)
3. Susa (Susa Young Gates)
4. Jane (Jane Elizabeth Manning James)
5. Julia (Julia Murdock Smith)
6. Emma (Emma Smith)
7. Lucy (Lucy Mack Smith)
8. Whitney (Newel K. and Elizabeth Ann Whitney)
9. Eliza (Eliza R. Snow)
10. Miriam (Miriam Angeline Works Young)

Boys — Notable figures in Church history

1. Kimball (Heber C. Kimball)
2. Ezra (Ezra T. Benson)
3. Oliver (Oliver Cowdery)
4. Grant (Heber J. Grant)
5. Hyrum (Hyrum Smith)
6. Alvin (Alvin Smith)
7. Talmage (James E. Talmage)
8. George (George A. Smith)
9. Brigham (Brigham Young)
10. David (David Whitmer)

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke and then offered a dedicatory prayer for the Light of the World exhibit at Thanksgiving Point on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Light of the World sculpture exhibit at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, in a standing-room only event (which was originally scheduled inside the garden until rain changed the plans). Here is the text of his dedicatory prayer upon the 15 scenes depicting the teachings and miracles of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of artist Angela Johnson.

“Our beloved and holy Father in Heaven, we’re gathered in this beautiful and now sacred location having had a most rewarding cultural and religious experience. We’re grateful for the natural setting in which we find ourselves, and we’re grateful for the people who have contributed so much to this setting and toward this moment. We do make particular mention of Sister Angela Johnson, who’s dedicated her artistic talent to advancing the mission and message of thy beloved son Jesus Christ.

“We’re surrounded here by her statuary and the evidence of her inspiration. We ask a special blessing upon her and upon our beloved friends Alan and Karen Ashton and all who serve at Thanksgiving Point and the Foundation, all others who have donated, will yet donate and participate in any way in making these dreams and this garden become a reality.

“Let He Who Is Without Sin” is one of 15 scenes of the teaching and miracles of Jesus Christ as depicted by artist Angela Johnson at the Light of the World exhibit.

“In the spirit of this occasion and the invitation that has been extended, I’m honored to be voice in dedicating this Light of the World Garden and the statuary in it toward all the  purposes for which they’ve been created. In doing so, I pronounce a blessing that this will remain a pristine acreage of beauty and inspiration, that neither the forces of nature nor the hand of man will mar or deface or otherwise damage or defame the art or the garden or the spirit that is created and the sanctity we feel here. Furthermore, I bless all those who may come here of whatever faith or of no faith at all, that they might be touched by thy spirit and by the messianic majesty of thy son. I pray that such visitors — older and especially younger, local or from distant lands — that they’ll all be open to the light of the world that this artwork represents, that there will be reverence for and devotion to the divinity of thy son, and the blessings that have come to all of us because of Him, and will yet come if we follow His light.

“May we come unto Him, may we be touched by Him, may we be comforted by Him, may we be ultimately saved by Him. This is our prayer this day, and that is the purpose of this garden. To that end, that each individual who comes here will be blessed, will be safe, will be inspired, and will be more Christ-like in their lives, we so pray and so dedicate, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

The Light of the World Garden is now open to the public at Thanksgiving Point. Learn more about the garden here.

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