In church we often hear the questions, “Are there any volunteers for the canning on Friday?”  “Can I get a volunteer for the prayer?”  “Who would like to do this service on Tuesday night?”  “We need five people to go help with this move Saturday morning at 7:00.  By raise of hands, who would like to do that?”  While this way of asking for service may have its merits, I believe there is a far better way that yields much greater blessings to more members and others.  It is found in the assignment. Read the rest of this entry »

I was a student at BYU from 1999-2007.  During that time, I often remember walking across campus and hearing the Carillon Bell Tower toll it’s hourly chime to the tune of “Come, Come Ye Saints.”  Of course, the lyrics always came swiftly to mind – “All is Well! All is Well!”  Sometimes, if I was going to take a tough test, such a thought brought comfort.  At other times, it would unsettle me to think we didn’t do more in “happy valley.” Read the rest of this entry »

FollowTheProphet.net website launches!

My brother and I are pleased to announce the launch of a new website, FollowTheProphet.net!

This website aims to help members of the Church more closely follow the activities of our living prophet.  Between General Conferences we often don’t seem to know what the prophet is doing, or what he is teaching.  Yet, he is very busy, attending temple dedications, giving talks, and visiting the Saints around the world.  This new website aims to fill that gap of knowledge by aggregating all public information about what the activities of the prophet are, and posting them in a central location.  Links to his talks, speeches, devotionals, conferences, temple dedications, visits with the Saints, etc., will all be posted.

See the new site and let us know what you think!  We hope this new service will help members feel closer to God’s living prophet, and stay more connected with his teachings and counsel.

There is a trend lately to reduce Jesus Christ to just a philosophical teacher, an inspirational preacher, or even a figurative figure that did not really even exist, but is solely a creation of the minds of men. These ideas have made it mainstream, and are now explored in the media, such as in PBS documentaries like Frontline’s “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians.”

A new seven-part documentary has been filmed to give an answer to these inquiries, entitled “Messiah: Behold the Lamb of God.” It is produced by The Neal A. Maxwell Institute, the College of Religious Education, and BYU Broadcasting. It will air on BYU Television in December. The Neal A. Maxwell Institute notes the work that has gone into this production: Read the rest of this entry »