We are getting two new Apostles during the April 2018 General Conference. Our beloved President Monson & Elder Hales have passed away since our last General Conference. Who will replace them? It has been two and a half years since our last major change in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles when had three vacancies to fill. We created a poll like this before and you guys amazingly called one of the three chosen! (Elder Rasband) Now, if you are curious of how Apostles are actually called, LDS.org has a great article on how new Apostles are called. (hint: it isn’t via online poll) Still, we t ..read more

Are you nervous about holding a First Sunday Council Meeting? Have you been holding them and they aren’t going as you hoped? We are here to help. A new change to the 2018 Come, Follow Me Curriculum for Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society classes is the addition of a First Sunday Council Meeting. This is a departure from the old way of having a lesson selected at the Presidency’s discretion. If you aren’t careful, you might fall right back into that old way. I invited Kurt Francom of Leading LDS to join us because he recently shared 6 Tips for First Sunday Council Meetings. We expound of ..read more

Do you feel like you were never trained in lesson preparation for your teaching calling? I have 5 things you can start doing today that can help you improve lesson preparation so you don’t feel like you suck at teaching. We typically don’t get a lot of training when it comes to being extended a teaching calling at Church. We might get a Manual, but with all the curriculum being on the Church website, more often we are simply told to go find the manual online. If you are super outgoing or have a lot of experience in teaching and lesson preparation, this might not be a big deal. But for 90% of ..read more

Is Pitch Perfect 3 the crowning achievement to the trilogy or just a lackluster addition? Pitch Perfect 3 picks up a few years after the highs of winning the world championships. (Das Sound Machine was robbed) The Bellas now find themselves split apart and discovering there aren’t many job prospects for making music with your mouth. But when they get the chance to reunite for an overseas USO tour, this group of awesome nerds will come together to make some music, and some questionable decisions, one last time. Is It Any Good? (Grade: B-) We get periodically get invited to screenings and I rem ..read more

When faced with hard trials, how do you Move Forward with Faith? We go out on location to discuss Chapter 25: Move Forward with Faith from the Gordon B. Hinckley Manual. It brings an end to the Third Hour of Power podcast series, but also allows us the freedom to broaden the range of what we produce for the podcast for you and how it can enhance our mission. The end of this lesson features President Hinckley pleading with the Lord to increase of the faith of the Latter-day Saints. It was from a General Conference talk in 1987. You can view it here. It might be good to share with your class. S ..read more

Christmas is the perfect time to remember the impact of the Atonement of Jesus Christ: Vast in Its Reach, Intimate in Its Effect We are reaching the end of the Gordon B. Hinckley Manual, Chapter 24: The Atonement of Jesus Christ: Vast in Its Reach, Intimate in Its Effect. This is a tent pole lesson. I recommend you find a way to fit it into your teaching schedule if you are behind. There is going to be a lot of emphasis on the Nativity during December, but we should also take time to focus on the Atonement. The Lesson quotes President Hinckley; There would be no Christmas if there had no ..read more

What do you do to receive the blessings of the Holy Temple? I found that living so close to the temple hasn’t increased my attendance. It still takes an concerted effort to attend regularly and partake in the blessings of the Holy Temple. I am joined my son Garren to discuss Chapter 23: The Blessings of the Temple. Garren is a Deacon now and he shares some of his feelings when it comes to going to the Temple. If you need more help in getting more from the Temple, we share 4 Tips to Get More From the Temple. In fact there was a time I was struggling with something, and I went to the Temple for ..read more

We created a #LightTheWorld Calendar for Google. To help you participate in sharing goodness this Christmas, we collaborated with 20 other bloggers to create a #LightTheWorld Calendar. Each day will have ideas from Mormon.org as well as ideas from a bunch of talented contributors. Not Familiar with #LightTheWorld? The theme #LightTheWorld continues from last year. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their friends are invited to prayerfully consider how they can follow the example of the Savior and share the Light of Jesus Christ with others during the Christmas se ..read more

Are you reaching out with love to new converts and less-active members? Being a new convert to the Church or returning after an absence can be hard. In this episode we talk about how to make that transition a joy for those making it. We are discussing Chapter 22: Reaching Out with Love to New Converts and Less-Active Members from the Gordon B. Hinckley Manual. Converts who join the Church give up a lot, sometimes even family. When Al Carraway joined the Church she lost her relationship with her father for many years. She recounts it in her book, “More Than the Tattooed Mormon“. Read our ..read more

Murder on the Orient Express keeps you guessing until the very end, and then it has you questioning… everything. If you were born before 1985 you probably remember the mystery movie Clue! My sister Summer and I watched that movie on repeat growing up. (Both our parents worked). It always stood out to me at the quintessential murder mystery film. Clue now has a new contender for that title in Murder on the Orient Express. Is It Any Good? (Grade: A) What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into a stylish, suspenseful, and thrilling mystery. Murder on the Orient Expr ..read more