MORMON SOPRANO

Our family is now officially entering Week 16 of unemployment. Hunky Hubby (HH) has exerted a heroic effort securing temporary work along the way. But the last three weeks have been a particular struggle as the already slow flow of available Temp jobs first turned into a trickle, and then dried up altogether. “Employment” seems to be a rare island oasis in an otherwise vast and endless desert.

According to the pollsters and statisticians, we aren’t alone. Our family is just one of thousands who have fallen victim to the ‘job drought’ – aka, “economic downturn”.

So, what is one to do in this situation? The title of this post offers one popular choice. The phrase ”Basket Case” is a (more…)

Bruce R. McConkie, Apostle (1915-1985)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915-1985) served as a General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for thirty-eight and a half years. He was called to the First Council of the Seventy in October 1946 and was ordained an apostle in October 1972. He was a prolific writer, and the author of several important reference works on LDS doctrinal subjects, including Mormon Doctrine, an encyclopedic work covering over 1,100 gospel subjects; other works are; A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary (three-volumes); and a six-volume series on the life and mission of Jesus Christ, entitled The Messiah. The words of his testimony became the text to a beloved LDS hymn “I Believe In Christ” (a dedicated post up next). Recently, Elder McConkie’s son has written a book about the life of this great man.

At the conclusion of the April 1985 General Conference of the church, Elder McConkie gave a talk entitled “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane“. The words of this talk are powerful, and filled with depth. However, they took on a greater sacred significance when Elder McConkie died just twelve days after giving the address. I would like to share a few excerpts with you. I have selected some music and photos that I hope will enhance your reading experience: (more…)

President Thomas S. Monson

“Eventually we must have our own strong and deeply placed foundation, or we will be unable to withstand the storms of life, which will come…How, you may ask, can we most effectively gain and maintain the foundation needed to survive spiritually in the world in which we live?…First, prayer…Second, study the scriptures and “meditate therein day and night”…and Third, be involved in the Lord’s service…”

- Thomas S. Monson, “How Firm a Foundation,” Ensign, Nov 2006

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The hymn “How Firm A Foundation” has been a popular favorite among Christians ever since it first appeared, in 1787. It was brought to America by Dr. John Rippon, a Baptist minister from London. When it appeared in Rippon’s collection ‘A Selection of Hymns,’ (1790) the poem’s author was signed simply as “K” followed by a dash. There has been speculation this stands for (more…)

On Sunday August 7, 2005 President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Aba Nigeria LDS Temple .

Cameroon LDS Temple Trip 2005

Two weeks later an excited and courageous group of Latter-day Saints from Cameroon boarded two mini-buses and headed to Nigeria to receive the sacred blessings contained in a temple of the Lord. The two branches of the Church in Cameroon are Douala and Yaounde. Members from both branches were included in this trip.

As the crow flies, Aba is only about 175 miles west of Douala. Douala is 125 miles west of Yaounde. However, the roads from Douala to Aba are not direct, nor are they paved. Accompanied by a local missionary couple, (more…)

On September 11, 2001 I woke up to just another ordinary Tuesday as a busy mother, wife, and full-time ‘non-traditional’ college student. My mom came and picked up my two young girls to take them to school, and I jumped into my car and headed up to campus. At the corner of 700 East and 400 South I casually flipped on the radio, and the whole world as I knew it collapsed. Here is my personal journal entry from that cataclysmic day:

“Tuesday Sept. 11, 2001 America Is Attacked By Terrorists! Today was a horrible day in the history of our nation. Terrorists hijacked four separate airplanes. One was crashed into the North World Trade Tower [in New York City]. A half hour later, another one slammed into the South World Trade Tower…each over 100 stories high, full of thousands of people. Another airplane was crashed into the Southwest Wing of the Pentagon in Washington DC. The fourth landed in a field. No survivors.
“New York is in such a state of disaster it is impossible to know (more…)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on April 6, 1830, with Joseph Smith as president and prophet. less than three years later, Feb. 27, 1833, a revelation was given to the prophet Joseph called the “Word of Wisdom“, which is often termed the “Mormon Health Code”. At the time of this revelation, it came about as quite a challenge for the members as it went completely against the ‘society norm’ of what was considered acceptable and popular. However, One hundred and seventy-five years later, this health code is being praised by doctors and health-care researchers world-wide as “state-of-the-art” medical advice. It teaches what is harmful, & what is necessary for a healthy mind, body and spirit! (more…)

Today is probably just another ordinary day for most of us. But in my mind’s eye this morning, as I was navigating the traffic to work (because I missed the bus and had to take the car) I suddenly thought of thousands of military personnel who are waking up on an uncomfortable cot somewhere; to heat and sand and homesickness. I don’t know why this particular thought came into my head at this particular moment. I do not have any close relatives or friends serving right now. But someone else does. My heart was filled with sadness, and then an overpowering gratitude for all those who are quietly sacrificing and serving. My heart reaches out to the millions more who are missing someone this morning, and aching to have them back in their arms safely again.

All I can say to you is thank you. Thank you for doing what you are doing so that I can worry about mundane things like whether the truck in front of me is going to let me merge – or whether my computer is going to boot up faster – or whether I can finish my project deadline – or what I’m going to cook for dinner.

This flash presentation was created by Todd Clegg of GCS Distributing. Thank you so much for letting us pass it on!

Homeward Bound Lyrics by Marta Keen Thompson

“In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing
And the sky is clear and red,
When the summer’s ceased its gleaming,
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure’s lost its meaning,
I’ll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture;
Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling
And I’ll return to you somehow.

If you find it’s me you’re missing,
If you’re hoping I’ll return,
To your thoughts I’ll soon be list’ning,
In the road I’ll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing
As my journey nears its end,
And the path I’ll be retracing
When I’m homeward bound again.

Bind me not to pasture;
Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling
And I’ll return to you somehow.

In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing,
I’ll be homeward bound again.

Millais "Autumn Leaves" 1856

Hi readers – The Crispness of Fall is in the air!

Most of us do a good “Spring Cleaning” each year. I’m no exception. However, I always get a hankerin’ for an Autumn spruce-up. So, in the “Spirit of the season” I am trying on a new look for the site. My awesome host ( Word-press) also just released a new feature called “Sticky Page”. This feature keeps a designated “top page”, and then all new pages will update underneath. This allows me to delete the extra “Welcome Page” that was cluttering things up – and still offer a little intro for new readers. For all returning readers, you can just scroll past the “Welcome”, and continue reading as usual. Let me know what you think about the new look. I’m open to suggestions. Is it easier to find things, or more difficult? What’s better/worse? What features or options would you like to see on Mormon Soprano in the future? I will appreciate feedback.

Since it is just the beginning of Autumn, I anticipate I may get another hankerin’ to try on something new…so, check back often (as usual) for all the latest exciting updates from MoSop!

Wishing you a Happy “Change-Of-Seasons”!

Brigham Young University Broadcasting and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir have joined forces to create a new music video of director Mack Wilberg’s arrangement “Called To Serve“. A favorite hymn of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this song is a lively anthem which pays tribute to those who follow Jesus Christ’s charge to “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15). Similar to another stirring and well-known anthem “Onward, Christian Soldiers”, this hymn inspires each of us to reach out, serve others, and share the good news of our King, Jesus Christ!

(Give video several seconds to Load)