On the evening of Wednesday, 25 June 2014, viral YouTube sensation, Lindsey Stirling, an American violinist, dancer, performance artist, and composer, performed at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center. During the event hosted by the Washington D.C. North Mission and the visitors’ center, Stirling a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke of her faith and demonstrated her music prowess by playing her violin.
Stirling, who is well known for her amazing choreographed violin performances, both live and in music videos found on her YouTube channel, was a quarter-finalist in 2010 on season five of America’s Got Talent, where she became well-known as the hip-hop violinist. Since then, she has released two studio albums – a self-titled album, Lindsey Sterling, in 2012, and her newest release, Shatter Me, which reached number 2 in America and was nominated for Top Electronic/Dance album at the 2014 Billboard awards.
She has also released an EP and several singles. Her repertoire includes a variety of music styles ranging from classical to pop and hip-hop to electronic dance music with original scores, as well as covers of songs by other musicians and various soundtracks. Her music video “Crystallize” was ranked as the eighth-most watched video in 2012, and her cover version of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” with Pentattonix won Response of the Year in the first YouTube Music Awards in 2013. As of June 2014 her YouTube channel has more than five million subscribers and 675 million total views with 100 posted videos.
During the event at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center, Stirling performed “Shatter Me,” the title song of her second album. According to Stirling’s twitter account, the song, which was released in April 2014, quickly rose to the top of the charts and became the No. 1 album on AmazonMP3 and iTunes. In a recent video, Adweek featured her in a video in which she relates how her videos have gone viral on YouTube.
Stirling performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2013 and this summer she will be touring the United States and Canada.
The name Jabari Parker is well-known in the sports arena. The Chicago-born, 6’8”, 235 pound, all-star athlete will long be remembered for his basketball prowess at Chicago’s Simeon Career Academy. While attending Simeon, he quickly gained the favor of several recruiters, and in fact was a top recruit in the class of 2013, when he became the second player in the history of Illinois high school basketball to start on four state championship teams. After incisive deliberation, he made the decision to play for the Duke University Blue Devils. In an interview with DukeBluePlanet in July 2013, Parker was asked why he chose Duke University to which he responded,
I chose Duke because I thought it was the perfect fit for me. The student population is very tight. It’s a family-oriented community. It’s very nice and diverse and a community that will prepare me for the real-world someday.
The Key Players Who Have Influenced His Basketball Career
My greatest influence basketball-wise is probably my father because he played in the NBA and I’m trying to get to where he has been. He played in college at Texas A&M. Just seeing what he did in college, I think that he made a real big impact and I’m trying to live up to his expectations and what he did.
Being around Coach K, I just want to pick his brain as much as possible. He has a lot of knowledge, a lot on his resume. I’m trying to get to where he has been and accomplish at least 25% of what he has done. His knowledge and love of the game at his age is real rare. Hopefully I can do half as much for him as he will do for me because that’s going to be a lot. He’s going to do more than I expect because, you know, he’s Coach K.
What impressed me most about Coach were his experiences and relationships with his players and how he wants them to be a part of the program forever. He wants them to come back. That’s real big on my end because it’s a family.
A Humble Giant among Men
Although Parker is a basketball phenom, he has not allowed the stardom and recognition to discredit his true character. To understand who the real Jabari Parker is, a person would need understand the things that matter the most to him, namely his family and his faith.
He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and attests that it is his faith that has helped him to remain level headed and well grounded, thus keeping his head in the “real” game. Because of his strong faith and unfailing support from his family, he has been able to accept all of the recognition that he receives with great humility. In the May 21, 2012, issue of Sports Illustrated which had a feature article on Parker, he was quoted as saying, “Basketball is what I do, it’s not who I am.” During the interview with DukeBluePlanet he was asked to elaborate on his comment:
At the end of the day, being a good person is more important than basketball because you are only going to be remembered by what you do and how you carry yourself. You can be the most amazing athlete in the world, but if you’re not there for people and you’re not there for your community, your family, then what is your worth? That’s what separates the greatest from the average people. That little bit of selflessness, that character. I want to live my life not as Jabari Parker the basketball player, but as Jabari Parker the good guy, the helpful guy.
Staying True to the Home Team
Although Parker has achieved status as an outstanding basketball player and has been afforded many opportunities, he has not forgotten his real roots. He still considers Chicago to always be his home base, as it is there where it all began. He realizes, especially growing up on the South Side of Chicago, that the city is incessantly represented in the news media in a negative light. He has stated that he wants to be that person who helps to shed more light on the positive and help to eliminate the focus on the negativity.
Oh Chicago is the best. That’s the reason that I am the person that I am now. The hard-nosed style of basketball that we play around the city is from the community that I represent. Being from the South Side, I want to make a positive impact as much as possible. You see on CNN, they talk about the crime rate, there is a lot of negativity. I want to be as positive an influence as possible and be that guy who helps the city be looked at in the right way.
When he is off the court, Parker describes himself as a “relaxed cool guy.” He says that he enjoys being around different types of people and getting to know more about them, as they learn more about him. He also loves music. One of his future goals is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, his immediate goal and purpose in life is to have a positive impact both on and off the court. There is no doubt that Jabari Parker is a name that people will be hearing for some time to come. The video below highlights the first 18 years of his remarkable life and career.
Scriptures teach us, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). And we are further admonished, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2). Therefore, when a brother or sister has been found guilty of any transgression – from the smallest to the most serious – we must do all that we can to help them return to the fold in good standing.
Whom the Lord Loves, He Chastens
As young children, whenever we misbehaved it often became necessary for our father to discipline us. At times the discipline may have seemed a bit severe or unfair, but our father always reassured us that it was because he loved us that it was necessary at times to discipline us in order to correct our behavior. In the same way, our loving Heavenly Father disciplines us whenever we commit a transgression. The scriptures teach us in Hebrews 12:6-11,
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Church Discipline and Repentance
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whenever a member has committed a transgression, he is able to talk with his bishop, branch president, or stake president who can help him overcome the transgressions in his life through a process called repentance. Those who are serving missions may speak with their mission president who is there to help them overcome their transgressions.
For more serious transgressions such as serious violations of civil law, spouse abuse, child abuse, adultery, fornication, rape, incest, and apostasy, formal Church discipline is often required. This formal discipline is begun when a presiding priesthood leader determines through prayer and revelation that it is necessary to hold a disciplinary council. It should be noted that the “purposes of disciplinary councils are to save the souls of transgressors, protect the innocent, and safeguard the purity, integrity, and good name of the Church.”
Such formal Church discipline may include restriction of Church membership privileges or a loss of Church membership, also known as excommunication. Excommunication is rare and is considered as a final means of resolution. Before a pronouncement of excommunication, all things are carefully and prayerfully taken into consideration in order to help a member who has transgressed to remain a faithful, active member of the Church.
During the proceedings of a disciplinary council, prayerful counsel is offered to the member for whom the council is being held. It becomes the responsibility of the member who has transgressed to act upon the counsel that is given to help him work through the repentance process and to regain his good standing in the Church. Excommunication is usually sought after counsel has been given and the transgressor willingly refuses to accept and follow the counsel which had previously been given.
The Church of Jesus Christ Responds to Questions Regarding Discipline
In response to the many questions received recently from the news media regarding Church discipline, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued the following statement:
The Church is a family made up of millions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and opinions. There is room for questions and we welcome sincere conversations. We hope those seeking answers will find them and happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes members’ actions contradict Church doctrine and lead others astray. While uncommon, some members in effect choose to take themselves out of the Church by actively teaching and publicly attempting to change doctrine to comply with their personal beliefs. This saddens leaders and fellow members. In these rare cases, local leaders have the responsibility to clarify false teachings and prevent other members from being misled. Decisions are made by local leaders and not directed or coordinated by Church headquarters.
Actions to address a person’s membership and standing in their congregation are convened after lengthy periods of counseling and encouragement to reconsider behavior. Ultimately, the door is always open for people to return to the Church.
Excommunication is not necessarily an End
Careful note should be taken of the final line in the statement, “Ultimately, the door is always open for people to return to the Church.” The statement made by The Church of Jesus Christ should help to shed a light of hope and understanding on the often misunderstood subject of excommunication. Excommunication from the Church does not have to signify an end to all things even though Church privileges are taken away. As stated, the door is always open and people who have been previously excommunicated can return to the Church.
One person wrote the following in the comments of Jana Riess’ article Are we looking at a Mormon purge?, which helps to clarify the definition of excommunication as it applies to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
Excommunication is not irretrievably permanent, and it’s actually meant to be a beginning and not an end. Although there are serious consequences that go along with it (related to ordinances and gifts thereof, names on records of church, holding callings, etc), people who are excommunicated are not disposed of nor are they out of the community. People for whom that action is invoked can (and often do) attend church weekly and church activities, receive home and visiting teachers, associate with members, and meet intensively and regularly with their bishop. (In this way, excommunication may differ quite dramatically from the way the same word is used in other traditions.) They are by no means thrown away or spiritually dead, and we are to remain without judgment of them and welcome them in our community just as we would anyone else.
Church disciplinary action is not intended to be the end of the process—rather, it is designed to be the beginning of an opportunity to return to full fellowship and to the full blessings of the Church. Priesthood leaders try hard to be sensitive to the disciplined person’s needs for understanding, encouragement, counsel, and assistance. They work to see that he or she has regular visits with his or her bishop; that the person has mature, caring home teachers or other specially assigned individuals; and that his or her family receive the attention, counsel, and fellowship they need during this difficult time.
The desired result is that the person will make whatever changes are necessary to return fully and completely to be able to receive the marvelous blessings of the Church. When the person has progressed to that point, his or her current bishop or stake president has the authority to convene a new disciplinary council to consider what action needs to be taken—even if the person is now living in a new ward or stake or if a new bishopric or stake presidency is now serving.
After the rebaptism of a person who has not been endowed in the temple, his or her membership record shows the original baptism date, with no reference to the excommunication. A man who previously held the priesthood but was not endowed should generally be ordained to his former priesthood office. Again, his membership record will show his original ordination date, with no reference to excommunication.
The Healing Streams of Mercy and Love
As a former Stake High Council member, and a former member of two Bishoprics as both Second and then First Counselor, I have had the opportunity to be a part of disciplinary councils. It was my experience then, and is my sincere belief now, that disciplinary councils are not held merely to discipline a person for the transgression which he or she has committed, but rather that person is viewed and treated as a special soul of worth, a son or daughter of a loving Heavenly Father.
The council is begun with prayer asking for the Lord’s guidance and direction in attending the affairs of the council, and no decision is made as to the outcome of the hearing until the presiding priesthood leader and his counsellors have sought the Lord for guidance and inspiration.
Furthermore, it has been my experience as I have been called upon to participate in such councils, that the overarching message that is conveyed to the transgressor is that they are loved by their Heavenly Father and by the members of the Church, even on the rare occasion that a person is excommunicated. In all instances, regardless of the outcome of the council, the healing streams of mercy and love continue to flow.
Well-known comedian Jeff Foxworthy is the host of the Game Show Network’s game show “The American Bible Challenge” – a program where people of different Christian faiths compete in a test of their knowledge of the Bible. In a recent interview with the Christian Post, Foxworthy commented,
Well, most of our contestants are pretty knowledgeable and I have a lot of friends that can quote a lot more Scripture than me. But as a whole I think that previous generations were probably more knowledgeable than ours. We have way too many distractions these days.
To make the challenge of the game a little more interesting, instead of ordinary prizes, Foxworthy decided to give the winners a financial reward that they could use to better their communities. The third season of the show, which premiered on 22 May 2014, is a little different in that the viewers will have an opportunity to learn more about the contestants – where they are coming from, and why they are competing.
Three Mormon Moms Take On the Challenge
Among those who will be competing this season is a team of 3 moms. What is so special about these moms? Jill Davidson Mason, Deborah Dushku Gardner, and Heidi Glyn Barker are all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the “Mormon” Church by the media and others) – a faith which many people do not consider to be Christian. They will be playing for the charity which Gardner and Barker co-founded, One Heart Bulgaria.
There are many people who debate that Mormons are Christian because they use other volumes of scripture in addition to the Holy Bible. One volume of scripture in particular is the Book of Mormon which they testify is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Because of this, there are many people who believe that Latter-day Saints (as they are properly called) consider the Book of Mormon to be more important than the Bible, and for the most part, do not use the Bible in their personal study and teaching. However, the Bible is always mentioned first when referring to the “Standard Works” of The Church of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Mormons believe:
The Holy Bible literally contains within its pages the converting, healing Spirit of Christ, which has turned men’s hearts for centuries, leading them to pray, to choose right paths, and to search to find their Savior.
The Holy Bible is well named. It is holy because it teaches truth, holy because it warms us with its spirit, holy because it teaches us to know God and understand His dealings with men, and holy because it testifies throughout its pages of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“It’s a little bit crazy. It’s kind of a mix between ‘The Price is Right’ and ‘Jeopardy,’ “Gardner told UPR. “There’s a lot of jumping around. You would think that a Bible trivia show would have some reverence to it, but it’s not. It was just an amazing experience.”
Gardner and Barker had previously served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bulgaria and were mission companions. After returning home from their missions, they wanted to continue to help the country that they had come to love, and so they co-founded One Heart Bulgaria, an organization that coordinates services to 28 orphanages in Bulgaria. Gardner shares some of her story in an “I’m a Mormon” video which was publish in May 2011, and on her Mormon.org profile.
Some people may consider members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be a rather “peculiar” or strange people, not only because of some of their beliefs and practices, but because of their devotion to their faith. Devout Mormons, as they are often called, believe that their religion is more than just a Sunday religion. It is something that they uphold and practice every day of their life – at home, at school, in the market place, in the work place, or even in the public square. Wherever they may be, the doctrines and principles that they are taught are a guiding force in their personal life, as well as in their dealings with others.
Living the Life of a Latter-day Saint
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ live normal, busy lives like most other people. They go to work each day, go to school, attend college classes, do grocery shopping, and take care of their homes and families, as well as any other tasks that may be required. As such, each member of the Church gives of their time differently. Depending on life situations, some may be able to sacrifice more time than others. Nevertheless, by comparison there are few Christians who give of their time like Latter-day Saints.
Joseph Smith, the first Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the “Mormon” Church by the media and others) in Lectures on Faith taught that “a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” Although members of the Church do not sacrifice everything that they have, most willingly give of their time each week to attend Church meetings, perform their Church callings, and participate in activities and service projects.
An Approximate Breakdown of Time Sacrificed
Exactly how much time an average Latter-day Saint sacrifices in performing church, family, and community service can only be approximated.
On a daily basis, the average Mormon may spend only a few minutes reading and studying the scriptures. A full-time missionary, however, spends up to 2 hours per day studying the scriptures.
During the week, some LDS youth attend early morning Seminary classes for one hour prior to the start of the regular school day. Other LDS youth, depending on their location, may have Seminary included as part of their school curriculum.
Sundays are divided into three one hour blocks of instruction to include Sacrament meeting, Sunday school, Relief Society for women, Priesthood for men, and Primary for the younger children. There are also other church meetings to attend depending on a person’s calling. It is not uncommon for Stake Presidents, Bishops, and auxiliary presidents to spend up to 20 hours or more in their church callings, whereas someone else in a different calling may spend less than an hour. The time that is spent in a particular calling includes, but is not limited to: leadership meetings and training, presidency meetings, interviews, lesson preparations, planning and attending activities.
• Young Women/Young Men activities: 1-2 hours at activities; more spent individually on Personal Progress and Duty to God requirements.
• Scouts: 1 hour per week at activities; more spent individually fulfilling requirements.
• Primary Activity Days: 1 hour
• Family Home Evening: 1-2 hours
• Date Night: 1-4 hours; many local church leaders have encouraged a weekly date night for married couples.
A report by Utah Valley 360 also outlines how Latter-day Saints may spend their time on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis:
Monthly/Quarterly
• Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching: 1-2 hours (depending on the number of families a person has been assigned)
• Weekday Relief Society Meetings: 1 hour
• Child of Record Baptisms: 2 hours
• Scout camp outs: 2 days
• Parent/Children interviews: 5 minutes to 2 hours
Twice Yearly/Yearly
• General Conference: 10 hours (four 2-hour General Sessions, one 2-hour Priesthood Session and one 2-hour Women’s Session) held in April and October of each year.
• Youth Conference: 1-2 days
• Girls Camp: 3-5 days
• Scout Camp: 3-6 days
• Pioneer Trek: 3-5 days
• Stake Conference: 2-6 hours (2-hour general session, 1-2 hour adult session, and other leadership training sessions.
Latter-day Saints also give of their time to attend the temple which could constitute two to three hours per endowment session. The amount of time spent in the temple during each subsequent visit will depend on such factors as travel times, wait times, and what ordinances a person is planning to perform during their visit. Temple ordinance workers serve approximately 6 hours per week for several months or maybe even years.
Latter-day Saints are also service minded people, and could spend anywhere from an hour to 20 hours or more in providing meals for those in need, helping families to move, cleaning church buildings, and assisting in humanitarian efforts.
They also spend a considerable amount of time doing genealogy work. Some may spend only a few minutes each week doing family history research, and others may spend several hours per week depending on their schedules.
As there are no paid ministers in the Church, members are called on from time to time to give a talk/message to the congregation during Sacrament meeting, or other church meetings such as ward and stake conferences. Some members are also called upon to teach various classes. And so, preparation time must also be calculated into the equation.
Missionary service is another major part of the Church with males starting at the age of 18 serving full-time for two years, and females starting at age 19 serving for 18 months. A retired couple may serve a mission for a period as short as 6 months or as long as 2 years. Missionary Presidents and their wives serve for 3 years, and Church-service missionaries usually serve approximately 8 hours per week for 6 months to 2 years.
Latter-day Saints are Willing Servants
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ sacrifice their time in many ways, not out of obligation, but because they believe that when they are in the service of their fellowman, they are in the service of God. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, “Our lives of service and sacrifice are the most appropriate expressions of our commitment to serve the Master and our fellowmen.”
Stirling, who is well known for her amazing choreographed violin performances, both live and in music videos found on her YouTube channel, was a quarter-finalist in 2010 on season five of America’s Got Talent, where she became well-known as the hip-hop violinist. Since then, she has released two studio albums – a self-titled album, Lindsey Sterling, in 2012, and her newest release, Shatter Me, which reached number 2 in America and was nominated for Top Electronic/Dance album at the 2014 Billboard awards.
She has also released an EP and several singles. Her repertoire includes a variety of music styles ranging from classical to pop and hip-hop to electronic dance music with original scores, as well as covers of songs by other musicians and various soundtracks. Her music video “Crystallize” was ranked as the eighth-most watched video in 2012, and her cover version of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” with Pentattonix won Response of the Year in the first YouTube Music Awards in 2013. As of June 2014 her YouTube channel has more than five million subscribers and 675 million total views with 100 posted videos.
Although Parker is a basketball phenom, he has not allowed the stardom and recognition to discredit his true character. To understand who the real Jabari Parker is, a person would need understand the things that matter the most to him, namely his family and his faith.
Although Parker has achieved status as an outstanding basketball player and has been afforded many opportunities, he has not forgotten his real roots. He still considers Chicago to always be his home base, as it is there where it all began. He realizes, especially growing up on the South Side of Chicago, that the city is incessantly represented in the news media in a negative light. He has stated that 
