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Emily Jensen updates “Today in the Bloggernacle” every weekday, containing the best of what we've seen from the world of LDS-oriented blog sites.
The extended “Bloggernacle Back Bench” is published Tuesdays.
Wednesday, May 27:
Proposition 8: Now that Proposition 8 has been upheld by the California Supreme Court, this blogger wonders "Will Prop 8 Decision Increase or Decrease Criticism of Mormons?" He can see either happening, but instead thinks that "perhaps the decision will redirect anger at the state of California and the Court...At any rate, I think it's irrational to blame Prop 8 voters for the perceived unconstitutionality of the measure." Check it out.
Chisel marks: Thanks to Ardis E. Parshall, the next time I am downtown Salt Lake City, I'm going to be peering at the granite stones along the stream, looking for chisel marks. This fascinating post looks at how "The Mountain of the Lord's House" was built by workers toiling with the granite. In fact, the ending sentence about the building of the Salt Lake Temple highlights their hard work: "The wonder is not that building the temple took 40 years, but that it took only 40 years."
Larry King: This blog post is one sentence and one link but both are worth a look. "Larry King resigned to being baptized after he's dead."
16-year-old self: If you could write a letter to your 16-year-old self, what would you say? Maybe you would tell yourself to not worry as much and explain what really matters. That's the point of this imaginative blog post that begins "Dear 16...". She gives her 16-year-old self (and probably her contemporary self) 15 reminders such as "Write in your journals," and "Don't bother with putting on your makeup every day" and especially "Stay close to God." Click to read all the funny and/or touching points of perspective.
Monday, May 25
Hard times: Mormon Messages have done it again with a comforting video full of hope from Elder Cook's October 2008 General Conference talk "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time." And I noticed something today, if you click into the "more info" in the description, you will be directed to a link of the full transcript of this General Conference talk. Cool!
Wildly precious: I loved this mother's example of living "One Wild and Precious Life" as she discusses her dreams, now put on hold with the acceptance that she will soon be having her second set of twins and thus enlarging their family to five children 4 and under. She explains "So what about plans? Waylaid, redirected, morphed, they often return to us in pieces or new opportunities." Check out more of her marvelous musings.
Fathers' tales: "Grandpa is no longer adding pages to his life story. At this point, he is merely reflecting on the past and enduring to the end. His ability to impact lives (at least my life), however, has not ceased." So goes this wonderful post titled "Tales from my Fathers" that is an homage to a life well-lived as well as an homage to "something I love about Mormonism: the way in which we emphatically affirm the power of narratives to move us, persuade us, shape us, and redeem us. Our compulsion to record and preserve stories -- particularly family stories -- is one of our most marvelous traditions." Wow.
Facebook dilemma: "Imagine inviting all of your friends over for your birthday party. And by friends, I mean just about everyone you knew in high school, your college friends, people from your ward(s), people from work, relatives, ex-boyfriends/girlfriends...Imagine, furthermore, that everyone is interested in what you say and what you do. It's your party after all. You can't simply have a hundred private conversations." So begins a fascinating post that looks at the Mormon dilemma of "To Be on Facebook But Not of Facebook." What does it mean to be a Mormon on Facebook? Click in to weigh in.
Friday, May 22:
Mormon legislators: Out of all the state legislators in the United States, what percentage would you guess are Mormon? Click on this fascinating study -- "Protestant, Unspecified Lead Religious Affiliations of State Legislators" -- to find out!
Burning things: In honor of the fathers-and-sons outings I keep reading about in the blogs, here is a fun little post that asks "Does that thing burn?" One example of something learned from the campout: "My boys do in fact believe that tents put themselves up and that marshmallows on fire are WAY better than the non-flammable version."
Thursday, May 21:
Sneak peek: Even though there are not any pictures, Ardis provides detailed descriptions in her "Sneak Peek at the New Church History Library." For example, she vividly explains that "Over the door leading from the lobby into the library proper in gold lettering is the favorite scripture of LDS historians: 'There shall be a record kept among you' (D&C 21:1). Underfoot is a carpet in reds, browns and creams, with a pattern that is reminiscent of the marbling seen on the endpapers of elegant old leather-bound books." Click to get more of this fun sneak peek.
Web collaboration: "If you're a developer or a tester or a designer, and you're Mormon, or even if you're not, come play!" Play with Web applications, that is. The church has opened up its online community development after "working to figure out a way to allow folks who want to contribute to its missions to do so." Check out how you can help at "Mormon Open Source Open for Business."
Sacred Space: Both By Common Consent and Times and Seasons excitedly listed the schedule for the upcoming Sacred Space Symposium on June 3 down at BYU. Looks to be fascinating!
Wednesday, May 20
Huntsman's job: "A Utah legislator's personal blog got national attention when he suggested that an Ambassador Hunstman may do wonders to advance LDS missionary work in China." But this blogger explains that "Ambassador Huntsman probably won't be a super missionary." Why? Because "that won't be his job and it would be a disservice to his duties." Click to read more.
Writers' conferences: Coming up on Saturday, June 6, are two different writers conferences. First is the "Sweetwater Writers Conference" hosted by Cedar Fort in Springville, Utah. Or if you are a teen, it's the "Last Call: THE Teen Writers Conference" to be held in Ogden, Utah. Click to find out more or to sign up.
Summer boredom: Have kids? Not excited for the many times they come to you and say "I'm bored" this summer? Well plan on "Preventing Summer Boredom" with this list full of great and creative ideas to keep your kids excited and having fun.
Tuesday, May 19
Strictest parents: "Mormon Family selected as World's Strictest Parents" for a television show aptly titled "World's Strictest Parents" where "two unruly teenagers are taken from their families and dropped into the lives of a family with very strict parents. The disrespectful and/or lazy teens are supposed to learn lessons from the strict family that their own parents wish them to learn." And so what did the Mormon family teach? "The Cork family had two main rules: Respect each other. Teamwork."
Twittering genealogy: Thanks to Twitter, Facebook and some devoted and knowledgeable genealogists, this blogger's "Genealogy Questions Answered in 6 Minutes." Overall, this little experiment "was a terrific experience." I love the power of connected people!
Friday, May 15
LDS app: If you have a Facebook account than you have an "Opportunity for Interfaith Dialogues" by using a Facebook LDS Application. Opening it up under my account, I saw that it organized my Mormon friends (if you've set Mormon as your religious affiliation) and provided opportunities for me to write my testimony and my favorite scriptures. It also has news from LDS.org, a fun seminary scripture mastery, and even an LDS forum full of LDS topics. Check it out!
Last questions: With her dad only having a year to live, this blogger puts together a list of questions to ask him "to take advantage of the time we have now, while he still feels relatively well, to create those things I want to remember him by." So in "Remembering Our Loved Ones: What Would You Ask?" Such questions from her list include "Who has been the kindest to you in your life?" And "What would you like to say when you meet God?" Beautiful idea.
Thursday, May 14:
Moroni's promise: Or more specifically "Moroni's International Promise" as this blogger has complied 59 different translations of Moroni 10:3-5. So cool! Here is verse 3 in Gilbertese: "3. Noria, N na kaungai nanomi bwa ngkana kam wareki baikai, ngkana e botau ma nanon te Atua bwa kam na wareki, bwa kam na uringa aron ana nanoanga te Uea nakoia natiia aomata, mai moani karikan Atam ni karokoa naba te tai are kam na karekei iai baikai, ao kam na karau n iangoi i nanomi."
Written down: Whether you're teaching this upcoming YW lesson on "Personal Records" or have just slacked off on recording your life, this blog post is for you. This is important stuff as record keeping helps us "remember what God has done for us to help us continue in our personal growth, we testify of the gospel to help our families know of the truth, and we record revelation to preserve the work of God on the earth." I love the link resources scattered throughout the post and the awesome printable handout link.
Lawyerly advice: In law school? Thinking of going to law school? Or like this blogger, just finishing up law school? Then enjoy these musings of "Things I Learned From Law School." Check out his insights, which as he says, "I won't even charge $300/hour for the advice!" :)
Wednesday, May 13
Prophetic readings: "What do General Authorities Read?" Or more specifically, which scriptural books are the General Authorities citing the most in General Conference? This BYU Political Science assistant professor provides a thorough analysis of this question by first programming "a quick piece of code to (1) pull each conference talk from April 2005 through April 2009 from the church's website, lds.org; (2) scan each talk looking for scriptural references; and (3) compile the data into a pretty format." His results are fascinating so take a look!
Tween cells: Have a tween? Thinking about getting him/her a cell phone? Then check out this post that outlines 10 practical "Tween Cell Phone Rules." Includes important points on pictures, school use, extras, consequences and more!
Survival seeds: Own a can or more of survival seeds that have sat on your shelf for years? You'll want to check out this post that experiments with planting these "Survival Seeds in a Can-9 Years Later." Find out which seeds lasted shelf life.
CoC historians: In a fascinating essay that uses an organizational schema of "the priests (historians who work for the church), the Isaiahs (the faithful iconoclasts), the Jonahs (the disillusioned historians), and the Pauls (the converts)" this blogger analyzes the Community of Christ Historians (Part One) and follows up with (Part Two). This is for anyone interested in Mormon history that isn't exactly LDS history.
Mormon bride: One enterprising and creative young women leader took a contemporary bridal magazine and Mormon-ized it. The result is delightful: just for fun, my visual aid and includes a modest wedding dress, article titles such as "Beauty Tips That Come From Virtue" and "1 Perfect Place to Say 'I Do.'" Click to enjoy.
First time: Sometimes I wonder what people think after going to church for the first time. Well here is a blog that describes exactly that: My First Time Going to LDS Church where he outlines his experience attending an "Annual District Conference of Surabaya and Malang," which is in Indonesia, if you were curious. Very cool!
Mormon politics: "Last year, I did something no sane person would do. I ran for the state Legislature. In Utah County. As a Democrat." So begins Boyd Petersen's long but worthwhile analysis on "The Mortality of Politics: The Challenges of Mormon Tribalism." Read about his experience losing the election and then his research into figuring out some of the reasons why. It touches on the emotional responses in voting and has a summarized history of Mormon politics. Wow!
Reading Revelations: Hooray! The fourth installment of the Mormon Theology Seminar has been scheduled and blogged. This intriguing seminar plans to discuss Latter-day Saint Readings of Revelation 21-22. A little bit about the seminar: it "will feature 12 weeks of blog discussion by six participants; this general post is the first volley in the series. Then, sometime in September (date to be determined), there will be a conference in Austin where the participants will each present a paper dealing with some aspect of these particular chapters." Check it out!
International studies: The International Journal of Mormon Studies Volume 2 Now Released. Click in to purchase a hard copy or to download free and read articles covering Andrew Jenson's world tour, European perspectives on Mitt Romney's presidential bid and 19th-century Lutheran reaction to Finnish missionaries. Fascinating!
Motherhood thoughts: I hope the mothers had an enjoyable day yesterday. To cap off a lot of fascinating blogs relating to Mother's Day, I found this gem full of Thoughts on Motherhood as one mom tries to reconcile perfection, salvation and destination. One of the thoughts: "We can hope to partake of the highest covenants of the priesthood with our spouse and be sealed through the covenant of promise to our children. But not necessarily as part of a happy family."
Friday, May 8
Mom video: Away from your mom this Mother's Day? Then how about sending this lovely Mormon Messages video as a greeting: "Happy Mother's Day, Mom." Or use it as a template to make your own video greeting card. Or, better yet, do both! Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
Daily prayers: Out of all the religious groups in the United States, "Who prays the most?" According to a Pew survey, it's not the Mormons, although we come in second. Click in to find out more.
Wednesday, May 27:
Proposition 8: Now that Proposition 8 has been upheld by the California Supreme Court, this blogger wonders "Will Prop 8 Decision Increase or Decrease Criticism of Mormons?" He can see either happening, but instead thinks that "perhaps the decision will redirect anger at the state of California and the Court...At any rate, I think it's irrational to blame Prop 8 voters for the perceived unconstitutionality of the measure." Check it out.
Chisel marks: Thanks to Ardis E. Parshall, the next time I am downtown Salt Lake City, I'm going to be peering at the granite stones along the stream, looking for chisel marks. This fascinating post looks at how "The Mountain of the Lord's House" was built by workers toiling with the granite. In fact, the ending sentence about the building of the Salt Lake Temple highlights their hard work: "The wonder is not that building the temple took 40 years, but that it took only 40 years."
Larry King: This blog post is one sentence and one link but both are worth a look. "Larry King resigned to being baptized after he's dead."
16-year-old self: If you could write a letter to your 16-year-old self, what would you say? Maybe you would tell yourself to not worry as much and explain what really matters. That's the point of this imaginative blog post that begins "Dear 16...". She gives her 16-year-old self (and probably her contemporary self) 15 reminders such as "Write in your journals," and "Don't bother with putting on your makeup every day" and especially "Stay close to God." Click to read all the funny and/or touching points of perspective.
Tuesday, May 26
Memorial Day: Sometimes just a few appreciative words and accompanying touching photographs suffice. In honor of yesterday’s somber holiday here is posts “In Memorial” and “A Grateful Nation” and finally “Thank You on this Memorial Day.”
Found stuff: Art Class Astro-Medallion Necklace Thing. Random Keys. Mission Tie. Finger Brace. These are just some of the quirky “Stuff I Found While Cleaning My Room.” Enjoy a trip down one blogger’s memory lane spurred by a cleaning spree. One man’s trash turns into a Bloggernacle treasure.
Monday, May 25
Hard times: Mormon Messages have done it again with a comforting video full of hope from Elder Cook's October 2008 General Conference talk "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time." And I noticed something today, if you click into the "more info" in the description, you will be directed to a link of the full transcript of this General Conference talk. Cool!
Wildly precious: I loved this mother's example of living "One Wild and Precious Life" as she discusses her dreams, now put on hold with the acceptance that she will soon be having her second set of twins and thus enlarging their family to five children 4 and under. She explains "So what about plans? Waylaid, redirected, morphed, they often return to us in pieces or new opportunities." Check out more of her marvelous musings.
Fathers' tales: "Grandpa is no longer adding pages to his life story. At this point, he is merely reflecting on the past and enduring to the end. His ability to impact lives (at least my life), however, has not ceased." So goes this wonderful post titled "Tales from my Fathers" that is an homage to a life well-lived as well as an homage to "something I love about Mormonism: the way in which we emphatically affirm the power of narratives to move us, persuade us, shape us, and redeem us. Our compulsion to record and preserve stories -- particularly family stories -- is one of our most marvelous traditions." Wow.
Facebook dilemma: "Imagine inviting all of your friends over for your birthday party. And by friends, I mean just about everyone you knew in high school, your college friends, people from your ward(s), people from work, relatives, ex-boyfriends/girlfriends...Imagine, furthermore, that everyone is interested in what you say and what you do. It's your party after all. You can't simply have a hundred private conversations." So begins a fascinating post that looks at the Mormon dilemma of "To Be on Facebook But Not of Facebook." What does it mean to be a Mormon on Facebook? Click in to weigh in.
Friday, May 22:
Mormon legislators: Out of all the state legislators in the United States, what percentage would you guess are Mormon? Click on this fascinating study -- "Protestant, Unspecified Lead Religious Affiliations of State Legislators" -- to find out!
Burning things: In honor of the fathers-and-sons outings I keep reading about in the blogs, here is a fun little post that asks "Does that thing burn?" One example of something learned from the campout: "My boys do in fact believe that tents put themselves up and that marshmallows on fire are WAY better than the non-flammable version."
Thursday, May 21:
Sneak peek: Even though there are not any pictures, Ardis provides detailed descriptions in her "Sneak Peek at the New Church History Library." For example, she vividly explains that "Over the door leading from the lobby into the library proper in gold lettering is the favorite scripture of LDS historians: 'There shall be a record kept among you' (D&C 21:1). Underfoot is a carpet in reds, browns and creams, with a pattern that is reminiscent of the marbling seen on the endpapers of elegant old leather-bound books." Click to get more of this fun sneak peek.
Web collaboration: "If you're a developer or a tester or a designer, and you're Mormon, or even if you're not, come play!" Play with Web applications, that is. The church has opened up its online community development after "working to figure out a way to allow folks who want to contribute to its missions to do so." Check out how you can help at "Mormon Open Source Open for Business."
Sacred Space: Both By Common Consent and Times and Seasons excitedly listed the schedule for the upcoming Sacred Space Symposium on June 3 down at BYU. Looks to be fascinating!
Wednesday, May 20
Huntsman's job: "A Utah legislator's personal blog got national attention when he suggested that an Ambassador Hunstman may do wonders to advance LDS missionary work in China." But this blogger explains that "Ambassador Huntsman probably won't be a super missionary." Why? Because "that won't be his job and it would be a disservice to his duties." Click to read more.
Writers' conferences: Coming up on Saturday, June 6, are two different writers conferences. First is the "Sweetwater Writers Conference" hosted by Cedar Fort in Springville, Utah. Or if you are a teen, it's the "Last Call: THE Teen Writers Conference" to be held in Ogden, Utah. Click to find out more or to sign up.
Summer boredom: Have kids? Not excited for the many times they come to you and say "I'm bored" this summer? Well plan on "Preventing Summer Boredom" with this list full of great and creative ideas to keep your kids excited and having fun.
Tuesday, May 19
Strictest parents: "Mormon Family selected as World's Strictest Parents" for a television show aptly titled "World's Strictest Parents" where "two unruly teenagers are taken from their families and dropped into the lives of a family with very strict parents. The disrespectful and/or lazy teens are supposed to learn lessons from the strict family that their own parents wish them to learn." And so what did the Mormon family teach? "The Cork family had two main rules: Respect each other. Teamwork."
Twittering genealogy: Thanks to Twitter, Facebook and some devoted and knowledgeable genealogists, this blogger's "Genealogy Questions Answered in 6 Minutes." Overall, this little experiment "was a terrific experience." I love the power of connected people!
Monday, May 18
Cambridge fire: “This morning at approximately 10:37 a.m. during the regional stake conference broadcast, the fire alarm sounded in the Longfellow Park LDS chapel in Cambridge, Mass.” So sad as this 1950s-era beautiful building went up in flames yesterday. View pictures of this “Tragedy in Cambridge, MA,” with the news being that the Mormon chapel will have to be entirely rebuilt. Or read some touching memories at “In Memoriam: The Cambridge (Mass) Chapel.”
Huntsman appointment: “But for an LDS mission, how many Americans would have fluent Mandarin skills?” So asks this intriguing post that correlates “Huntsman, Missions, and Language Skills” in looking at Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.’s appointment as U.S. ambassador to China. Plus a side conversation on foreign language envy is included.
PBS gone: “KBYU in Danger of Being Stripped of PBS Affiliation,” at least according to Saturday’s Washington Post article. This poster wonders “Given that BYUTV is now widely available, I know some who don’t really see this as that big of deal. Barring religious programming (whatever that means exactly) strikes me as problematic though. What should be done here? Is this worth a fight?” Check out this intriguing discussion.
Friday, May 15
LDS app: If you have a Facebook account than you have an "Opportunity for Interfaith Dialogues" by using a Facebook LDS Application. Opening it up under my account, I saw that it organized my Mormon friends (if you've set Mormon as your religious affiliation) and provided opportunities for me to write my testimony and my favorite scriptures. It also has news from LDS.org, a fun seminary scripture mastery, and even an LDS forum full of LDS topics. Check it out!
Last questions: With her dad only having a year to live, this blogger puts together a list of questions to ask him "to take advantage of the time we have now, while he still feels relatively well, to create those things I want to remember him by." So in "Remembering Our Loved Ones: What Would You Ask?" Such questions from her list include "Who has been the kindest to you in your life?" And "What would you like to say when you meet God?" Beautiful idea.
Thursday, May 14:
Moroni's promise: Or more specifically "Moroni's International Promise" as this blogger has complied 59 different translations of Moroni 10:3-5. So cool! Here is verse 3 in Gilbertese: "3. Noria, N na kaungai nanomi bwa ngkana kam wareki baikai, ngkana e botau ma nanon te Atua bwa kam na wareki, bwa kam na uringa aron ana nanoanga te Uea nakoia natiia aomata, mai moani karikan Atam ni karokoa naba te tai are kam na karekei iai baikai, ao kam na karau n iangoi i nanomi."
Written down: Whether you're teaching this upcoming YW lesson on "Personal Records" or have just slacked off on recording your life, this blog post is for you. This is important stuff as record keeping helps us "remember what God has done for us to help us continue in our personal growth, we testify of the gospel to help our families know of the truth, and we record revelation to preserve the work of God on the earth." I love the link resources scattered throughout the post and the awesome printable handout link.
Lawyerly advice: In law school? Thinking of going to law school? Or like this blogger, just finishing up law school? Then enjoy these musings of "Things I Learned From Law School." Check out his insights, which as he says, "I won't even charge $300/hour for the advice!" :)
Wednesday, May 13
Prophetic readings: "What do General Authorities Read?" Or more specifically, which scriptural books are the General Authorities citing the most in General Conference? This BYU Political Science assistant professor provides a thorough analysis of this question by first programming "a quick piece of code to (1) pull each conference talk from April 2005 through April 2009 from the church's website, lds.org; (2) scan each talk looking for scriptural references; and (3) compile the data into a pretty format." His results are fascinating so take a look!
Tween cells: Have a tween? Thinking about getting him/her a cell phone? Then check out this post that outlines 10 practical "Tween Cell Phone Rules." Includes important points on pictures, school use, extras, consequences and more!
Survival seeds: Own a can or more of survival seeds that have sat on your shelf for years? You'll want to check out this post that experiments with planting these "Survival Seeds in a Can-9 Years Later." Find out which seeds lasted shelf life.
CoC historians: In a fascinating essay that uses an organizational schema of "the priests (historians who work for the church), the Isaiahs (the faithful iconoclasts), the Jonahs (the disillusioned historians), and the Pauls (the converts)" this blogger analyzes the Community of Christ Historians (Part One) and follows up with (Part Two). This is for anyone interested in Mormon history that isn't exactly LDS history.
Mormon bride: One enterprising and creative young women leader took a contemporary bridal magazine and Mormon-ized it. The result is delightful: just for fun, my visual aid and includes a modest wedding dress, article titles such as "Beauty Tips That Come From Virtue" and "1 Perfect Place to Say 'I Do.'" Click to enjoy.
First time: Sometimes I wonder what people think after going to church for the first time. Well here is a blog that describes exactly that: My First Time Going to LDS Church where he outlines his experience attending an "Annual District Conference of Surabaya and Malang," which is in Indonesia, if you were curious. Very cool!
Mormon politics: "Last year, I did something no sane person would do. I ran for the state Legislature. In Utah County. As a Democrat." So begins Boyd Petersen's long but worthwhile analysis on "The Mortality of Politics: The Challenges of Mormon Tribalism." Read about his experience losing the election and then his research into figuring out some of the reasons why. It touches on the emotional responses in voting and has a summarized history of Mormon politics. Wow!
Reading Revelations: Hooray! The fourth installment of the Mormon Theology Seminar has been scheduled and blogged. This intriguing seminar plans to discuss Latter-day Saint Readings of Revelation 21-22. A little bit about the seminar: it "will feature 12 weeks of blog discussion by six participants; this general post is the first volley in the series. Then, sometime in September (date to be determined), there will be a conference in Austin where the participants will each present a paper dealing with some aspect of these particular chapters." Check it out!
International studies: The International Journal of Mormon Studies Volume 2 Now Released. Click in to purchase a hard copy or to download free and read articles covering Andrew Jenson's world tour, European perspectives on Mitt Romney's presidential bid and 19th-century Lutheran reaction to Finnish missionaries. Fascinating!
Motherhood thoughts: I hope the mothers had an enjoyable day yesterday. To cap off a lot of fascinating blogs relating to Mother's Day, I found this gem full of Thoughts on Motherhood as one mom tries to reconcile perfection, salvation and destination. One of the thoughts: "We can hope to partake of the highest covenants of the priesthood with our spouse and be sealed through the covenant of promise to our children. But not necessarily as part of a happy family."
Friday, May 8
Mom video: Away from your mom this Mother's Day? Then how about sending this lovely Mormon Messages video as a greeting: "Happy Mother's Day, Mom." Or use it as a template to make your own video greeting card. Or, better yet, do both! Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
Daily prayers: Out of all the religious groups in the United States, "Who prays the most?" According to a Pew survey, it's not the Mormons, although we come in second. Click in to find out more.
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