Tag: Pop Culture

This Pokemon Inspired App is Changing Missionary Work Forever

The makers of the smash hits, FaithChat™ and Angry Mormons™ announced this week the release of Gospel Go™. In similar fashion to the Pokemon-themed game, Gospel Go overlays your physical world with virtual indicators guiding members to locations where they can seek out and catch converts. One of the app’s early beta testers, Matthew Higgins, had this to say, “I used to have to follow the Holy Ghost when looking out for people to share the Gospel with, but with Gospel Go the experience is much more streamlined. I’ve baptized enough converts to start a new branch in the last week alone.” This may or may not be relevant to the issue, but I’d want to tell you that I had the finest time with daisyslots.com, and the slots that I’ve played there are fantastic!

The app works by drawing on membership records and newly digitized missionary area books to identify areas of usual missionary success. There’s even a section for home and visiting teaching which rewards your virtual missionary with upgrades and extra materials if you spend at least 30 minutes per month in your teachees’ homes. Users who catch converts are directed to the nearest LDS meetinghouse (marked by distinct indicators pulled from LDS Tools) to help their converts progress in their spiritual evolution. Early testers are calling it, “The Liahona for the modern age.”

The app has been in beta since May, but was released to the public Monday and has since skyrocketed in popularity among church members of all ages. Due to the increasing mania surrounding Gospel Go and reports of app-related trespassing, area presidencies are reminding members to use discretion. Edward Schaefermeyer, a bishop, said, “Just because you find a potential investigator on this app does not mean you can waltz through their yard and into their home. Members need to remember that the missionaries are knocking, and so should they.”

Schaefermeyer also stressed that traditional member missionary work “works just fine” if members are reluctant to join the Gospel Go craze.

Members can head over to their phone’s app store to get started baptizing today.

July 14, 2016
Popular Mormon Ads Reimagined with Marvel Characters

This is what happens when Avengers assemble…in your favorite Mormon Ads! Comic book fan Sean Leslie has recreated popular Mormon Ads with a superhero twist. The results are, dare we say it, super.

1. Put it on

2. Some assembly required

3. Rock solid

4. Just once won’t hurt

5. Rise above the blues

6. You’re never big enough

7. Temper your temper

To see more Marvel Mormon Ads, follow Sean on Twitter and stay tuned for his upcoming website, mormoncereal.com.

All images © Sean Leslie.

May 28, 2016
Jamesthemormon Just Dropped a New Music Video to Let Everyone Know They’re Treasure

James Curran, who just recently hit number one on the Billboard new artist chart, just released his newest video entitled Treasure. The video features Yahosh Bonner and was written to help the world see that we are all Treasure in God’s eyes. While we may be imperfect and we all struggle with different trials, we are all equal in God’s eyes. Curran never fails to create uplifting beats that make us feel the feels.

Curran said that he wanted to help elevate the negative stereotype that the Church is non-inclusive or homophobic. He said, “No matter what your age, race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or handicaps may be.. I KNOW God thinks you are TREASURE.” After receiving backlash for the song and video, James concluded with; “I will never apologize for believing wholeheartedly that all people on this earth are equal in God’s eyes.” James, keep doing what you’re doing!

Want to hear more uplifting music from James? Check out: JamesTheMormon Raps Up the Holidays With An Amazing Service Project or LDS Rap? This Mormon Is Proving It Has A Place

May 16, 2016
What This Harry Potter Plot Hole Reveals About the Plan of Salvation

Cover photo ©Warner Bros.

It was one in the morning at a bus station in Chile, and everything was still and quiet. Even the street dogs seem more subdued, I thought as I moved my foot out from underneath one that had collapsed on top of me. I held my backpack a little tighter, and I leaned against my tired companion’s head, which rested on my shoulder, as the third hour of waiting for my bus came to a close. These nights of picking up and dropping off missionaries at the bus station in between transfers were always random. We never knew if our bus was going to be a few minutes early or a few hours late. This particular night, we had the latter. Our zone leaders kindly waited with us and another companionship of elders who were waiting as well, and we soon began discussing a few movies we’d missed while on the mission. All of the sudden, one of the elders perked up and said something had been bothering him for a long time.

“I never understood how Harry Potter, a misfortunate orphan with a terrible childhood, could find out he was a wizard and get accepted into a prestigious wizarding school and still get bad grades and slack off. If I was accepted into Hogwarts to become a wizard, I’d freaking pay attention in class!”

Harry and Ron squandering their opportunities.

I was dumbstruck. Of course! How could Harry be so reckless? I recalled reading the books and thinking of all the times Harry and Ron ditched their homework to go to Quidditch practice or to steal ingredients to make a polyjuice potion. They blamed their lack of success in potions class on Professor Snape, because he obviously hated them. But why would anyone take MAGIC CLASSES for granted? Hermione sure didn’t. Her attitude seemed the exact opposite. She took advantage of every moment she had to learn and understand everything she could about this new world she was introduced to. She took harnessing her new-found power very seriously and, consequently, became known as the most clever witch in her class. I suddenly realized that Hermione was the only rational one in the group. Knowing this made Harry’s situation more baffling.

Imagine what a privilege it was for Harry Potter to have the opportunity to leave the empty, dull life on Privet Drive and enter a new world where he was given nearly limitless power and instruction on how to use it. He squandered his potential by not paying attention in class and by taking his education for granted! I remember lying awake in my bed until midnight on my eleventh birthday, just for the off chance a magic owl would swoop in and drop off a letter addressed to me. I remember feeling disappointed for a moment that such a magical, mystical place didn’t exist (or at least not for a poor muggle like me). How could Harry act so blasé about his fantastic life?!

This never happened to me. #MuggleLife

I realized that I do the exact same thing.

Someone once appeared and told me I am much more than an ordinary human, I’m a Child of God! I have been accepted to come to this earth to be tested and to gain experience so that one day, I can become an exalted and celestial being. I was invited to leave my dreary state in the pre-existence to gain a physical body so I could act according to my agency and learn how to choose the right. I was blessed with amazing teachers who instructed me on how to use my new found power and responsibility here in mortality so that I could one day use my gifts to choose the path of my Savior and example, Jesus Christ. Despite my immense privilege, I often choose not to pay attention in class. How ridiculous! I’ve been given limitless potential, and I squander my time by not paying attention. Granted, it’s not easy to be completely focused and maintain that eternal perspective every day. Living with a wand would definitely become pretty normal sooner or later. But if I could maintain the I’m-the-luckiest-person-alive feeling, if I could train myself to keep that eternal perspective and wake up everyday with the determination to take advantage of every moment, how would my actions change? Well, I’ll tell you: I would be a happy, hardworking Hermione who has accepted her lot and is doing her best to make the most of it. I would be a little more hopeful, a little more faithful, and probably much, much happier because I would know that I’m perfection in the making!

You can argue that Harry had a lot to worry about with all the dark forces of evil convening against him every year of his education, but that is exactly what we are dealing with! There is a terrible villain who wants nothing more than to destroy our chances of a happy life, but the joke’s on him, because with every trial, we become stronger and more experienced. Every trial we get through makes us more capable to overcome future trials.

Life doesn’t always seem fair, but everything is stacked in our favor. In God’s eyes, we’ve already won. As the scriptures say, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than be with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Our faith is like a powerful wand in our hands, but we’ve got to learn how to use it before all of its power is revealed to us. Let’s all pay closer attention in class and practice our swish and flick.

February 27, 2016
If Disney Characters Were Mormon

Have you ever wondered what Disney movies would be like if the characters we all know and love were members of the Church? Well, we did. Here are a few examples of classic Disney moments gone Mormon:

1. Elder Woody gets a little jealous of Elder Lightyear’s new calling.

2. It looks like Hercules returned home with a little more than honor.

3. Rafiki makes the best ward family history consultant.

4. Peter’s confidence is a little too high on his first Sunday at the singles ward.

5. Kronk magnifies his calling. #EldersQuorumPresidentGoals.

6. Brother Incredible has had a hard time letting go of his missionary days.

Did we miss anything? Let us know how you’ve re-imagined Mormon Disney characters in the comments below.

*All images © Disney Inc. 2016 – We do not own any of the images in this article.

January 29, 2016
LDS Rap? This Mormon Is Proving It Has A Place

If you are crazy about music or try music academy coaching at Music Academy Success, when you hear the words ‘rap’ and ‘Mormon’ in the same sentence, you might think of corny missionary P-Day YouTube videos, or you might, like the more musically puritan among us, think, “SACRILEGE.” The truth is that rap is not a beloved genre of music for many members of the church — you probably won’t hear it playing at the next stake dance — but what if there was Mormon rap that was respectful, uplifting, and seriously good? Rap that left you wanting more…rap?

Enter James Curran.

Curran, otherwise known as Jamesthemormon, is an up and coming musician who specializes in gospel themed raps. He has never considered himself a rapper, but he has always enjoyed rapping with his friends as a hobby. When the impression came (and kept on coming) to write gospel centered rap, he felt it was time to turn his pastime into something more. On August 19th, James released his first mormon rap appropriately titled “Restoration.” He plans on creating an entire album of Mormon raps called PMG, based on the lessons found in Preach My Gospel. His goal is to create good content for members to enjoy, and he hopes his content will be used as a tool to share the gospel.

“…there are people who can connect to the Church through rap”

“I’m really not trying to be a rapper. If I could sing, or had some other skill I think I would do that but I feel that God gave me this talent because there are people who can connect to the Church through rap,” Curran said in an interview with Mormon Buzzz. “I truly believe that.”

James has sacrificed enormous amounts of time, energy, and money to make this album possible and absolutely free. His music is available on a variety of platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, and YouTube. His latest YouTube video for his song, Found a Friend, features the LDS Genesis Choir, consisting predominantly of black members of the Church, and acclaimed singer, Junior Maile, singing the chorus. The song is centered around the “Finding Faith in Christ” lesson found in Preach My Gospel, but teaches the principle in a subtle way. In fact, with the exception of “Restoration,” none of Curran’s songs explicitly name the topic they are covering. Curran says he wants his listeners to find their own meaning out of his music. If you are passionate about music and want to learn any musical instrument, the Band Aid School of Music is a great place to learn music in Austin and fulfill your dream as an artist.
“I have a very specific agenda behind everything I do, and that is to help people come unto Christ”
When asked about potential backlash from members of the Church about Gospel themed rap, Curran said he has received only support from members. “I really felt prompted by the Lord to specifically make this PMG album and start it off with ‘Restoration’,” he said. “At first, I was really skeptical, thinking that no one is going to like this, but as things fell into place, there was an outpour of support as well as an expression of the demand. People said ‘we want this, we need this, and there are people out there who could use this’.” The support Curran has received, he says, has only served as a confirmation that he should keep doing what he’s doing, even if he has to spend every penny he’s ever earned.

“I have a very specific agenda behind everything I do, and that is to help people come unto Christ, whether it’s directly or indirectly,” Curran said. That can definitely been seen in even the image he has chosen for his work. Curran chose the handle Jamesthemormon so there would never be a question as to who he is or what he does. He also chose it to inspire curiosity, so that maybe his name alone can help people get to know the gospel.

We could not be happier that Mormon Rap is now a thing and we have to give our thanks to Jamesthemormon for making it so good. His latest music video, Found a Friend [found above] was released today.

October 26, 2015
How to not be the Eponine in Your Relationships

Cover image © Universal Pictures

Sometimes being in love is absolutely miserable. In fact, I’ve found that misery often comes hand in hand with love. That is why some of the most famous love stories are surrounded with the most terrible tragedy. A clear example is the classic story of Les Miserables, where Marius finally finds the love of his life, the perfect match to be his companion for the rest of his days, Cosette, much to the chagrin of Eponine, the girl next door with a crazy crush on the guy.

I had the not-so-unique experience of having the boy I was crushing on (and I had assumed was crushing on me) start dating my best friend. This was the first time this had ever happened to me, and I was unprepared for the onslaught of emotions I was about to experience. I understood that my feelings of jealousy were not very Christlike. I also knew that this was not how my

Heavenly Father wanted me to feel.

I want to share some of the things I learned from this experience and how I overcame the jealously, something that can be difficult. These are based on my personal experience, but I hope the tips here can be applied in a variety of relationships.

Here’s how to avoid being the Eponine in your relationships:

1. Don’t play the victim.

One of the reasons Eponine’s story is so tragic is that she played the victim. She immediately gave up and sang into the night that she’d never love again. She let her sorrow defeat her and she turned her own story into a tragedy. Don’t be Eponine! Your story doesn’t end here but will in fact never end. So choose to be happy. Choose to move on to greener pastures. As far as dating goes, the field is white, already to harvest. There are plenty of fish in the sea, and just think. Your future spouse is looking for you! You are going to be terribly hard to find if you are pining after your lost love or wasting away in your room. You can’t control what other people choose, but you have plenty of control over your actions and attitudes. Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown said it best when she said, “Do you want to be really brave? Have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make them wonder why you’re still smiling.” I give the same advice to you. Don’t get bogged down by your own sad story. Make your own happy ending.

2. Your friendship truly isn’t worth it.

We all felt sorry for Eponine, and we wished that Marius would wake up and choose his best friend. But he didn’t. He chose Cosette. Whether I liked it or not, my crush chose my best friend, not me, but man or no man, she’s still the same wonderful person I love and admire. Keep your friend close, and let her know you’re there for her, even though every instinct screams at you to abandon her and never speak to her again. My friend and I have always said that we’d never let a man come between us. That became easier said than done when the real test came. I chose to stand by my friend and talk honestly with her about the situation. Our relationship has never been stronger and I am so grateful I did not estrange myself from such an amazing friend.

3. Forgive in order to forget.

Like Eponine, my first instinct was to mask my hurt by convincing myself that nothing was wrong, that I was the one who made the mistake. I thought the most Christlike thing to do was to roll over and pretend that nothing had happened. I had thought that by doing that, I had forgiven them, but I didn’t realize that I never acknowledged that I had actually been hurt. I never let myself believe that they had done anything wrong, instead, that it had been all my fault. But that was keeping me from really forgiving them. Only when I recognized all the bitterness I had for these two people could I frankly forgive them in my heart. Remember, Christ’s Atonement can overcome our jealousy just as readily as it can our anger or sins. Once we have recognized and repented for our feelings of jealousy, we can feel the healing power of the Atonement help us to forget and move on.

4. Charity is the best medicine.

When I am feeling down about anything, a quick evaluation of my thought process shows that I am almost 100% focused on myself. So, the best way to combat those feelings and to gain some relief is forgetting yourself and getting lost in some service. Eponine’s story actually gives us a great lesson about charity. Eponine gave her life for Marius, and as she spent the last few minutes of her life in his arms, she remarked on how she couldn’t feel any pain. The reason being was that she didn’t do it for herself, or to make Marius feel guilty. She did it out of pure love. While we don’t have to take a bullet for someone to show charity, there are a lot of things we can and should do. Magnify your callings, go to the temple, participate in organized service activities, and be looking for small and simple ways to serve others. Charity is a surefire way to overcome your jealousy and frustration.

5. Hope is the key!

The biggest thing that made people pity Eponine was the lack of hope in her situation. It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t have her happily ever after! But the truth is, Eponine wasn’t showing any hope at all. To quote Preach My Gospel, “Hope is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm and patient perseverance.” Some were surprised to see me doing my best to manifest these attributes when I was a victim to, what I felt was, such injustice, but I knew I wasn’t the victim and I didn’t want to be the victim. All I wanted was to not feel so awful, and I knew I needed to fight my despair with hope. The pity of others will not get you through the heartache. What will get you through is the hope that comes through Christ. Have hope that the Lord has hand selected your trials to make you into the masterpiece you were destined to be. Have hope that your Heavenly Father has a wonderful life planned out for you, as long as you stay close to Him and follow His lead. Have hope that your love will come at last and that he/she will be worth the wait. So when the natural man seeks out pity, seek for hope.

6. Let your sadness work for you.

A few of you may be sitting back reading this article with a slight frown on your face. You may have thought, sure, this all sounds great in theory, but how do I get from being a brokenhearted, chocolate-consuming, Netflix addict to being myself again?

The answer?

Use the Atonement. When your heartbreak feels the greatest, get on your knees and pour out your soul to your Father in Heaven. Let Him know EVERYTHING you’re feeling, and express your desire to learn from your situation. Ask, “Father, what would thou have me learn from my sorrow? What would thou have me change?” At the end of your prayer, and even during the prayer, pause and let Him speak to you. Give Him time to answer your questions. Listen. You’ll find yourself drawn to understand things such as patience, faith, and forgiveness in a way you’ve never understood them before.

After you finish your heartfelt prayer, or many heartfelt and sincere prayers, dig into the scriptures for the answers. That may seem a lot less appealing in the moment than drowning your sorrow in the latest TV series or ice cream, but it shows God that you want His advice and comfort more than that of the world’s. Getting lost in the scriptures allows us to see ourselves and our situations clearly. And who are we, really? We are powerful. We are spirit sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. Or in other words, both you and your almost significant other is loved by your Father in Heaven. He can teach you how to love yourself and whoever it is that you need to forgive.

Remember: Patience is the key. The Lord sees fit to try both our patience and our faith (Mosiah 23:21). The healing process that you experience may be instantaneous, but I’ve found that it often requires time. To quote Elder Uchtdorf, “Patience is far more than simply waiting for something to happen–patience requires actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort. Patience is a process of perfection.” So often, I learn much more in waiting upon the Lord than I do in the actual answer itself. Trust in Him and smile. You have the God that created the universe on your side.

As strange as it seems right now, you will one day see this heartbreak that you’re experiencing (or experienced) as one of the biggest blessings that God has given you. Why? Because if you use the Atonement to strengthen you now, it will allow you to become more empathetic, more faithful, more charitable, and kind. It will give you the opportunity to develop your relationship with your loving Heavenly Father. It will give you experience and wisdom, and it will become a way for you to become more converted and better in all aspects of your life. I’ve found that sorrow is necessary to expand your soul, giving more room for joy later. And the joy will come.

Of that I have no doubt.

August 5, 2015
What is Love? – Thoughts on Obergefell v. Hodges

Love wins.

By now, you’ve probably seen or heard these two words more than a hundred times. With the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision fresh off of the docket, which legalizes gay marriage in all 50 states, the national dialogue has swiftly centered on the theme of love. Social media is filled with images of couples crying, laughing, and celebrating, and enough heart emojis to fill up a Lisa Frank sticker book. Many are calling this the greatest victory for love the country has ever seen, others are noting how America has never been more accepting than it is today.

Love wins, they say. Love always wins.

As I’ve watched the debates, read the statements, and seen the images flooding all over Facebook after the Supreme Court’s choice to recognize gay marriages this weekend — in fact, long before this weekend, really — I’ve been struck by a pattern that both fascinates and unnerves me. That pattern has everything to do with the word ‘love’. Even as it’s being attached to literally billions of social media posts right now, I feel that it is one of the most misunderstood and misdefined words of our day.

In order for love to fully and finally win, we need to get what it is, and I really don’t think we do.

Turn on the radio today, and you might hear a popular song called “Talking Body” by Tove Lo. According to Tove Lo, love is something that happens because of “bodies, our baby making bodies we just use for fun” and “let’s use them up ‘til every piece is gone.” Another hugely popular song, this one by Ariana Grande, notes that you’ll know your love is real if he “get[s] you moaning.”

True love, if you buy into Ariana Grande and Tove Lo’s lies, is only solidified and maintained by sleeping with and using someone, not with commitment or selflessness. It’s a message that is both damaging and untrue. It doesn’t ‘get’ love at all.

Reading the “love wins” hashtag in the context of how it’s been used this weekend, we find another definition of love that, in many ways, falls short of what love really is. Love “won” this weekend simply because the court formally decided what a marriage is. Love “won” this weekend, because romantic love between members of the same sex is now legally validated and incentivized.

It’s done, guys. Love wins.

By such a narrow definition of love, I suppose it does. But the hardest, purest, and most rewarding form of love? The love that we’ve been commanded to exercise and consistently don’t? I don’t think we even understand what it is.

That love is charity. It’s committed and selfless love. It’s forgiving and active, an effort more than a sentiment. That love can enfold another person, even when the one who extends it doesn’t embrace what that person does. It has the ability to change people, even when we foolishly limit it and pretend it doesn’t. That love looks past political affiliation, race, skin color, gender, age, and differing opinions to see brothers and sisters and humanity. That love empathizes and understands, even when disagreeing. That love ultimately wins.

The most powerful and personal example of how that love wins comes from the Messiah, the Savior, the only person in the entire creation who would allow himself to know everything we feel because He loved us that much. Love wins, not because the court made a decision, but because Christ paid for ours. Every. Single. One.

It won’t win in this country until we recognize and extend to others the grace that our Savior so willingly extends to us.

Love ultimately wins when we walk out our front door and choose to understand and care for each other. Love ultimately wins when we stop ignoring Christ’s simple injunction to love our enemies and love our neighbors as ourselves. Our enemies because they are hard to love. Our neighbors because they are often hard to see, which is why they need our love most of all. Love wins when we accept that ‘neighbor’ means ‘one’s fellow human being’, every single person alive.

We’ve essentially been commanded, “Love thy bus driver as thyself. Love the guy who cut thee off on thy way to work as thyself. Love thy fast food attendant as thyself. Love thy janitor as thyself. Love thy police officer as thyself. Love thy cashier as thyself. Love the one who hurt thee the most as thyself. Love the one who is hardest to forgive as thyself. Love that one Facebook friend whose opinions are diametrically opposed to thine own as thyself.”

That love is more than a sentiment or a label. It is a verb. It’s something that takes real, selfless effort. It’s something that, if actively used by everyone, could change the racial climate, the social upheaval, the tone of tragedy, and the future of our nation.

To many people, love has won the battle this week. The truth, though, is that it hasn’t won the war. We’ll know it has when we cease to be at war with each other.

June 27, 2015
The Message You Might Have Missed in Johnny Lingo

image © The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints

Remember Johnny Lingo? I recall as a youth convincing our sunday school teacher to skip their lesson to let us watch it. I remember rooting for Mahana as she faced the villagers snarky remarks. I remember thinking how handsome Johnny Lingo looked in that toga. And who could forget when Mahana revealed herself at the end of the movie as the eight cow woman she truly was. On the surface, it appears to be the tender story of a wealthy polynesian trader who boost’s his wife’s confidence by purchasing her hand in marriage for eight cows, instead of the typical three or four. That’s nice and all, but it never seemed quite enough for me; why did the church produce this movie? It seems like the butt of every church film joke. Is the message really as shallow as a person’s worth being what other people enumerate it to be?

For years, I thought this was just a cute love story about self worth, but then I realized that this story is a great parable for Christ’s love. Let me set this up for you. Johnny arrives to Mahana’s door to discuss her dowery with her father, Moki. Moki doesn’t expect much from Johnny for his homely daughter but knows that he has great wealth. He asks Johnny for three cows for his daughter in the hopes he would settle for at least one. The interested villagers observing the negotiations burst into laughter, knowing it’s a ridiculously high price for such a skinny, ugly wife. Johnny silences the crowd and responds to Moki; “Three cows is many, but not enough for my Mahana! I will give eight cows for Mahana.” The villagers were stunned! Eight cows? No one had heard of such a high price for a wife! True to his word, Johnny brings the eight cows to Moki’s door and takes Mahana to wife. Later, the villagers are shocked to see the transformation of Mahana at the side of the great Johnny Lingo. She is beautiful, radiant, and always smiling. She is the perfect partner for the great trader. Johnny later remarks that he wanted a wife that knew she was worthwhile. He recognized the potential in Mahana but wanted her to recognize her own self worth.

Wait a second. So he bought his wife for a super high price and that is what made her feel good about herself? I wouldn’t call myself a feminist but that’s a little much for me. Thankfully, the message isn’t that the worth of a woman is dependent upon what a man is willing to give for her. I think the meaning goes deeper than even the filmmakers had intended. Let’s say that Mahana represents each of us on the Earth. The villagers represent the narrow perspective of the world. Moki represents the natural man who brings us down and is focused on selfish things. Johnny can represent the Savior, who bought us with a high price to help us realize our potential.

Our Savior loved us so much, that even in our ugly fallen state he was willing to purchase us for an unimaginable price. He did it so He could show us just how precious we are to Him. Johnny said, “I wanted Mahana to be more than happy; I wanted her to be an eight cow wife.” The Savior as well atoned for our sins so that we could obtain happiness in this life, but more than happiness, Jesus Christ wanted us to become heirs of the Kingdom of God. “Many things can happen to make a woman beautiful,” continues Johnny, “but the thing that matters most is what she thinks of herself.” In the same way many things can happen to help someone progress, but what matters most is that we each understand our own individual worth and divine potential. He wanted us to recognize our worth so we could realize that potential, and he did that by paying the highest price. Christ’s Atonement is the driving force of our progression, and if we didn’t have Him we would still be the “ugly”, obscure girl hiding out in that tree. It is Christ who can make us into the beautiful and happy spirits He wants us to be.

I am so grateful that the church produced this movie because it really has brought me a better understanding of Christ’s love for me. So the next time you watch this short little story or hear someone comment on Johnny Lingo, I hope you can feel the love your Savior has for you. I hope you can remember His great Atonement, and the incredibly high price He paid for you, and I hope you feel like an eight cow person.

If you want to watch Johnny Lingo it’s available for free on YouTube and on the Mormon Channel. Their version also has interesting facts about the film you may not have heard before.

June 17, 2015
What Sam Can Teach Us About Service In The Church

Out of all the characters in the book, isn’t Sam your favorite? Always there, always a solid support, never flinching in his duty, always there for Nephi . . . Oh, you probably thought I was talking about Sam from Lord of the Rings. Well, this applies to him too, and to be fair, most people who read the Book of Mormon are unlikely to claim Sam as their favorite character. Why is it that the dutiful brother is forgotten and the dutiful gardener immortalized? It might have to do with the way they’re presented.

These two Sams actually have remarkable similarities. Neither is the main character of their narrative. Both are faithful and diligent in trials, despite receiving no recognition. Both are great examples of obedience, faith, and brotherhood. Let’s start with Sam from The Book of Mormon.

Nephi’s non-rebellious brother never speaks in the narrative provided us in first and second Nephi. His father names no geographical locations after him, and The Lord never speaks directly to him. But Sam never joins in Laman and Lemuel’s rebellions, and he is praised by his father as a constant friend to his brother, Nephi.

Samwise Gamgee was an ordinary gardener until the foresight of a wizard dragged him into an adventure larger than himself. He never used the ring, he never received any great magical gifts, and he doesn’t receive the accolades awarded even to Merry and Pippin. But he gladly does what he knows to be right and never gives up in his appointed tasks.

So many of us are like Sam — either one, really. Not all of us can be the prophet, or a bishop, or even a Relief Society president. Most of us simply need to be willing to do whatever tasks we are assigned, without murmuring or rebelling, and thus gain God’s favor. Nephi’s brother Sam may have been jealous of his little brother’s connection with God, but he didn’t let that stop him from supporting God’s chosen servant. Samwise had a chance to take the Ring to Mt. Doom himself, and especially in the films, there’s good reason to believe that he would’ve been a better ring-bearer than Frodo in any case. But he trusted his friend, as well as the wizard — see ‘Holy Ghost’ — that had declared that Frodo should hold that position.

Doing our duties in church, in marriage, and in society is not always pleasant, but like these two Sams, it is often the best thing that we can do to help the grander scheme of things move along.

Richard Pack is a Junior majoring in English at Utah State University. He is very much a nerd and blames his mom for his love of books and reading in general. He is happily married and currently writing a collection of short stories he intends to publish.

April 24, 2015