by ernie | Jan 9, 2013 | About Mormons
In 1978, and nearly two years into their marriage, my mother and step-father felt a void in their lives. They had decided eating out for Sunday brunch and shopping with their only child wasn’t the best way to spend the Sabbath day. Both had grown up in different faiths and agreed that religion needed to be a part of raising a family.
Over several months, the three of us visited several churches and literally sought after what my mom called “the true Gospel.” My parents discussed attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and soon after, the Mormon missionaries began visiting our home.
While I wasn’t opposed to them coming, I was initially annoyed and really preferred watching my favorite TV shows. But something amazing happened on their third visit. (more…)
by janm | Dec 26, 2012 | About Mormons
Grief is an individual thing. It must have its deep days; it will not be short-changed and it cannot be designed by another. It takes up residence and is resistant to leave.
Letting go is the hardest part. How do you let go of that last goodbye or unrealized dreams of the future?
How do you return to normal when nothing will ever feel normal again?
When someone you love dies unexpectedly, you wonder why the sun is shining. How dare the world move on when it has come to a halt for you? (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Dec 9, 2012 | About Mormons
The Master taught the following as recorded in the Holy Bible, in the New Testament, in John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
A student of the Greek language (the original language of the New Testament) knows and understands that there are different words used to express love in the Greek language. 
The Greek word that is used in these verses is a form of the Greek verb “agape” (ah-gah-pay) which is understood in Christian theology to be an expression of God’s unconditional love. In other words, what the Savior was teaching His disciples, and the lesson that applies to us today, is that we are to love everyone even as the Savior loves each of us – unconditionally. W. E. Vine, a great scholar of the New Testament Greek language, said of the word agape:
It expresses the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential love in them towards the Giver, and a practical love towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver. (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Dec 4, 2012 | Black Mormon, Meet Some Mormons
Without mentioning their last names, when people hear the names Jabari and Ziggy, the first thing that may come to mind is that they are two popular rap or hip-hop singers. However, such is not the case, at least not in this particular case. If the names Jabari and Ziggy are mentioned on the campus of Brigham Young University, sports fans immediately recognize that the persons being spoken of are Jabari Parker and Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah. Both are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and both are sports legends in their own right – Jabari Parker being well known in the world of basketball, and “Ziggy” Ansah being well known in the world of football. Jabari is finishing high school in Chicago and “Ziggy” is a senior at BYU in Provo, Utah.
Ezekiel Ansah, the son of Edward and Elizabeth Ansah, was born in Accra, Ghana. His favorite food is fufu and peanut butter soup. He excels at FIFA soccer. He speaks Twi and Fante, two local Ghanaian dialects and surprisingly enough his favorite athlete is LeBron James, the one to whom Jabari Parker is compared with as for his basketball skills and talents. He is majoring in actuarial science with a minor in mathematics. He enrolled at BYU in 2008 and participated on the track team in 2009 before joining the football team in 2010. [2] (more…)
by miranda | Nov 6, 2012 | About Mormons
Last week my eight-year-old son, Mason, was baptized by my husband, Greg. Mason is now a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or as most people call us—Mormons or Latter-day Saints (LDS).
It was one of those special, emotional, spiritual moments that we wish would pour down on our lives, but normally are more like the desert rains—less frequent but bringing great beauty and refreshment.
We Mormons wait to baptize our children until they can begin to be accountable for their actions. The youngest a child may be baptized is eight, and this is pretty standard for most LDS families, although I knew other children growing up who were baptized later, as their family felt comfortable. (more…)
