What About Jesus?
...the stories we tell: Licked cupcakes A rose that has been passed around Used shoes Chewed gum Handled doughnuts Bent nails Licked twinkies Used q-tips -STORYLINE: Nobody wants you "used" or "damaged". ...and what our leaders have said: "Your virture is worth more...
Brethren and Cistern
Mother's Day is coming. I've heard it called Mothering Day and I like that better. We each experience mothering differently. Some of us don't have children, yet we mother. Some raise children born to other mothers. Some of us are motherless children either literally...
Marriages in the United Kingdom
I couldn't imagine not having family and friends at a wedding. For many UK members the icing on the cake is the sealing in the temple, but feel wonderful that all family members whether LDS or not can enjoy and take part in a civil ceremony ! For me, it was lovely...
Spirit and Emotion
At 16 I went to Camp Helaman. It was given the name to evoke thoughts of the 2000 stripling warriors. Many comparisons were made between the young men of which I was a part and the stripling warriors. Its purpose was as a missionary preparation camp. I had just missed...
Law of Armed Conflict and The Book of Mormon
"Atticus" returns to talk about war and law. Because he is an active member of the military, we decided it would be best to keep his real name private. Enjoy his post! The Book of Mormon is full of war stories, strategies and bloodshed. I've heard lots of people say...
Deus ex machina
It always seems that whenever I set out to write about something specific it changes and I feel inspired to go in another direction. This post will be no different. For those not familiar with the concept of Deus ex machina, it is a plot device wherein everything...
The Expansiveness of the Atonement
Note: This is a talk given in my Sacrament Meeting about two weeks ago by my friend Sam Tomlinson. Sam is a young man I used to teach when he was in Priest Quorum and we used to be hometeaching companions. I hope you enjoy his talk as much as I did. - Mike Barker,...
Our Lives as Torah
This term I began studying Biblical Hebrew. Languages do not come easily to me. I devised a plan to motivate my study- rekindle my love of Judaism. I have been amazed by how much my heart sang within the richness of Jewish thought and the scriptural and life...
The Temple as a Ritual Apex
By Dr. Walter Van Beek We have rituals in the church, many rituals. We call them differently, though, as we prefer to speak about the sacrament, about blessing, anointment, ordination, or more generally about ordinances – preferable priesthood ordinances – or...
Postum? Why Yes. More Please.
HISTORY OF ORIGINAL POSTUM: Postum was developed by C.W. Post in the 1890s as a result of a stay he had in a sanitarium owned by Kellogg. An instant cereal beverage was served there as a healthy drink for its patients. C.W. Post knew a good thing when it saw...
“Where’s da mama in this story?”
I spent one lovely evening of my winter break in a cozy home in Arizona with new friends, drinking herbal tea, eating delicious homemade treats, and of course, talking. The friends' two year daughter reached that point beyond tired, where her little child's eyes were...
Exaggerating for The Lord
I want to start out with full disclosure. I have said it 800 million times before, but I am a fan of hyperbole. I think hyperbole makes a good story a great one. The story of how I broke my foot becomes exponentially more funny and interesting when I tell the...
Men and Women as Friends
Paul and I go way back. Back to our college days at BYU when we both lived in brick apartments off 9 East. Back then we called him Pablo as a term of endearment, and everyone loved him. He was so popular that when we held a jokey “Mr. 91st Ward” pageant (guess who’s...
Finding God in Paris
In the winter of 2001, my French-speaking daughter, Lauren, suggested she and I take a trip before she graduated college, went on a mission, got married and whatever else would follow. She had been to Europe during high school and longed to return to Paris. Flights...
My Mother’s Wedding
I was at my mother’s wedding. I was my mother’s nine-year-old bridesmaid, dressed in a royal blue velvet dress with a round neck and an empire line marked by a white lace trim. I followed my mother somberly as she made her way up the aisle of the Calvary Chapel to a...
A Testimony
This was originally posted on Adrienne's blog at http://agnosticmormonmom.blogspot.com/ I Bore My Testimony? By Adrienne Rivetti Jensen So, yesterday I bore my testimony at church for the first time in well over seven years. What compelled me to do such a thing? I...
LGBTQ Mormon Crisis
Two Printable handout for bishops and stake presidents that talks empirically about LGBTQ suicides:
The LGBTQ Mormon Crisis: Responding to the Empirical Research on Suicide
Youth Suicide Rates and Mormon Religious Context: An Additional Empirical Analysis
The Barker Brothers’ Projects
These videos were created for Latter-day Saint parents and allies to voice their love for their LGBT brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. They want to give a message of comfort and support to other parents who are navigating the difficult conflicts that can arise in families around this issue.
“Cogito!” (“I think!”) follows the intellectual adventures of a recovering academic outside the walls of academia.
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