I recently saw a homeless man holding a cardboard sign that read, “Need Money for Booze.” I’m not joking. Rather than claim to be a Vietnam vet or a disabled person or simply in need of help, this guy chose to be shamelessly candid. “I’m an alcoholic and I need a drink.” His thinking, I…
It’s been a big year for Joseph Smith. For starters, it’s the bicentennial of his birth. That’s two hundred years for those of you unfamiliar with century-counting language. Three hundred years is what, tricentennial? And four hundred years is, golly I don’t know … quartet-centennial? I bet you don’t know either. Which makes me realize:…
Ward Christmas socials are a common tradition throughout the church. It’s one of those unwritten rules, I think. You have to have one. There’s no questioning the practice. It’s so ingrained in our culture, in fact, that to suggest in ward counsel that the ward NOT throw a party this year is a crime punishable…
There’s an old saying in the Mormon community: When the going gets tough, the casseroles start coming. And it’s true. We Latter-day Saints give each other food during difficult times. It’s our way of expressing sympathy, love, and affection. That’s because we’ve learned that food, not laughter, is the best medicine for all of life’s…
My wife and I missed all the sessions of general conference last week. But we had a good excuse. My wife was giving birth. Our second son popped out during the Saturday morning session not half an hour after the two new apostles were called. I suggested that we name him Dieter Uchtdorf Johnston in…
Whenever general conference rolls around I think, “What’s the big news, what new program will the church institute, what’s going to change?” Normally there isn’t a big announcement. More often than not it’s conference as usual. But occasionally the brethren surprise us with some new, exciting church program. Like when President Hinckley announced his plans…
