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…
OK, hypothetical situation: you’re the final speaker in sacrament meeting, and the previous speakers have left you no time. Technically the meeting should be concluding about now, but you haven’t even started talking yet. What do you do? Deliver the ten-minute talk you worked so hard to prepare? Cut it down to five minutes so…
I hate bad advertising. Take last night, for example. I was driving home when I heard a sixty-second radio spot for a local plumbing company. During the spot, an announcer explains – rather excitedly I might add – that plumbers from this particular company don’t smell bad. And that was it. For a whole sixty…
