Archive for November, 2007

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From Beantown to Bayou Country–Former Harvard back-up quarterback Andrew Hatch’s wild journey

Friday, November 30th, 2007

LSU Tigers

From The Harvard Crimson:

One could say Hatch’s faith brought him to this stage. He was raised a Mormon in the Church of Latter Day Saints in Henderson, the second-largest city in Nevada.

“It was how it was raised,” Hatch said of his upbringing. “It’s helped me a lot along the way in many different aspects.”

Coming out of high school, Hatch was aggressively recruited and eventually committed to Brigham Young University after communication with erstwhile head coach Gary Crowton. A colorful man and fellow Mormon, Crowton made an appearance in the Mormon pop culture film The R.M., a farce comedy about a missionary who returned home to find his life all topsy-turvy.

Shortly after recruiting Hatch, Crowton was forced to resign after leading the team to three straight losing seasons, the first sub-.500 campaigns in 29 years. Without Crowton, Hatch lost interest in playing for BYU. So, Crowton gave his friend Harvard coach Tim Murphy a call, encouraging him to pursue the young quarterback. Murphy did, and Hatch made his way to the northeast.

Read the entire article here

Posted in BYU, Missionary, Sports | No Comments »

Republican YouTube Debate Question About Believing the Bible

Friday, November 30th, 2007

Posted in Politics, Video | No Comments »

Mormonism spreading around the world

Friday, November 30th, 2007

Nigeria

From The Columbia Missourian:

LAGOS, Nigeria — Outside Zion Osandu Ndukwe’s one-room apartment, a naked toddler ran up and down a filthy hallway lit by a single candle. The power in the overcrowded slum was off yet again. The stench of urine from the communal bathroom overpowered the fragrance of spices in the bubbling soup a neighbor was stirring.

But this night, the misery all around Ndukwe — the crime, the uncollected trash, the bathtub-size potholes, the cars belching black smoke — stopped at his door. It was a Monday evening, and because Ndukwe, 39, had been baptized into the Mormon Church six months earlier, that meant it was time to be with his family and sing God’s praises.

“I am a child of God!” he sang, as he, his wife and their 4-year-old daughter celebrated in loud, joyous voices a faith once known for its all-white, all-American membership.

“I’m a changed man,” Ndukwe said, sitting on a bed that took up most of his apartment. “I used to drink. I had girlfriends outside my marriage. I don’t do that anymore, and I feel better. The Mormon Church contributed 100 percent to the change.”

Read the entire article here

Posted in LDS Church, Member News, Missionary | No Comments »

Illumination at D.C. Temple kicks off season for Latter-day Saints

Friday, November 30th, 2007

From The Deseret Morning News:

KENSINGTON, Md. — The twinkling glow of 450,000 lights illuminated the chilly night sky just outside Washington, D.C., officially kicking off the Christmas season for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here.

“These lights are our holiday gift to the nation’s capital,” said Ann Santini, director of international affairs for the church.

The 30th annual Festival of Lights at the Washington, D.C., Temple visitors center started Wednesday night with an audience-aided countdown that set off blue, purple, red and white sparkles throughout the temple grounds.

President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church, offered a special Christmas message and blessing to the roomful of ambassadors, members of Congress and other guests.

Read the entire article here

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BYU-Hawaii chief gets warm island welcome

Thursday, November 29th, 2007

BYU Hawaii

From The Deseret Morning News:

LAIE, Hawaii — Inaugurated as the ninth president of BYU-Hawaii Tuesday, Steven C. Wheelwright promised to work to prepare students here “for a rich life of leadership and service.”

In a ceremony woven with traditional Hawaiian ceremony and heritage, the new president was installed with a charge to “lead us to new heights of service, achievement and recognition as a unique institution” by President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and second vice chairman of the school’s board of trustees.

A Hawaiian chant welcomed the new leader, and President Eyring presented him with a bowl carved from koa wood, symbolizing the need to nurture, care and trust.

Read the entire article here

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Collie was right, even when wrong

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

From The Deseret Morning News:

Austin Collie

I’m not even going to go there. I’m not going to discuss whether Austin Collin’s infamous comment was correct or incorrect.

If, after BYU narrowly defeats Utah, he wants to say, “Obviously, if you do what’s right on and off the field, I think the Lord steps in and plays a part in it. Magic happens,” — who am I to say otherwise?

I’m not going to debate what the Lord does and doesn’t do, or whether He has a hand in any ballgame or whether He takes sides, or whether there are Angels on the football field, as it were. It’s pretty obvious we’re not going to figure that one out in this life, and, frankly, it won’t be among my first questions when I reach the next life.

We could bring up all the usual points that people immediately thought of after hearing the quote. It was natural to wonder where the Lord was when BYU (or for that matter Notre Dame or Southern Methodist) lost to their rivals and whether those teams just weren’t living right. It was natural to note that Utah has 27 returned LDS missionaries (including my son), just like Collie, or that they have many kids of different faiths who are “living right.”

Read the entire article here

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Ex-BYU Boss and Friends Return to Pit: Lobos To Host Southern Utah

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

From TradingMarkets.com:

Roger Reid

Although they are part of the visiting cast, they are definitely no strangers to the local stage.

Two are very familiar with playing the role of villains. The other was quite the leading man. Tonight, the trio — Roger Reid, Austin Ainge and Johnny Brown — return to the Pit with Southern Utah in hopes of providing at least a little drama.

“It’s a great place to play basketball,” said Reid, the firstyear head coach of the Thunderbirds, who are the University of New Mexico men’s basketball opponent tonight in the Pit. “It’s a great school that has always had a good basketball program, good players and fans support. It’s a great environment.”

The Lobos (6-0), off to their best start since the 1998-99 season, are heavy favorites to continue their early roll. Southern Utah enters the Pit at 1-4.

Reid last visited the famous arena as head coach of Brigham Young in 1996. He was scheduled to return again in 1997, but never made it.

Read the entire article here

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Dispute continues over whether Romney did or didn’t rule out a Muslim in his Cabinet

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

From USA Today:

Mitt Romney

A disagreement over whether Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney did or did not recently rule out including a Muslim in his Cabinet or as an adviser on Middle East issues continues this morning with an interview at National Review Online’s The Campaign Spot blog. In that interview, Mansoor Ijaz — who wrote this Christian Science Monitor op-ed piece that started the disagreement — defends his assertion.

Romney, asked about the allegation yesterday, disputed Ijaz’s account:

“His question was did I need to have a Muslim in my Cabinet to be able to confront radical jihad and would it be important to have a Muslim in my Cabinet,” Romney said, according to CNN’s Political Ticker blog, “and I said, ‘No I don’t think you need to have a Muslim in the Cabinet to take on radical jihad any more than during the second world war we needed to have a Japanese American to help us understand the threat that was coming from Japan.’

Read the entire article here

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Tickets for new Idaho LDS temple a hot item

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

From KTVB.com (Idaho Falls):

Rexburg Temple

REXBURG - Tickets to see the new Mormon temple in Rexburg are proving to be a hot item.

Officials with the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say tens of thousands of tickets were scooped up Monday for the monthlong open house featuring the new temple. Monday was the first day tickets for the 40-minute tours were available to the public.

So far, tours scheduled for at leasat three days are completely booked.

Church spokesman Clark Hirschi says the response so far has been overwhelming.

Read the entire article here

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LDS Stop Smoking Program

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

From PR-USA.net:

The “LDS Stop Smoking Program” has been used by thousands of Mormon missionaries since 1983 to teach people who want to quit smoking, but keeping missionaries supplied with printed copies has been challenging because the manuals are provided at no charge.

The “LDS Stop Smoking Program” is used in most of the missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world. It is not an official program of the Church, but it has become a frequently used resource when missionaries encounter someone who wants to join the rapidly growing Church, but needs to stop smoking.

No Smoking

Mormons (a nick name) are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They believe in a teaching known as the “Word of Wisdom” which teaches that they should not use coffee, tea, alcohol, or tobacco.

Read the entire article here

Posted in LDS Church, Missionary | 2 Comments »

How three Silicon Valley CEOs took unusual college paths to the top

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

From The San Jose Mercury News:

For decades, teens have thumbed through the best-selling “What Color Is Your Parachute?” for career advice. But who among the CEOs of Silicon Valley’s 150 largest companies could have guessed that they would arrive at the same conclusion: Make mine golden.

The reality is, even some of Silicon Valley’s CEOs - people promoted for their vision - were once teenagers who struggled to decide what to study, let alone what college to attend. In fact, such momentous decisions were sometimes shaped by serendipity and practicality.

Take the cases of Micrel founder Raymond D. Zinn, Landec CEO Gary T. Steele and Quantum CEO Richard E. Belluzzo.

Micrel

Zinn wound up at Brigham Young University because that was the only school his Mormon parents would pay for. His career path was also indirectly shaped by his parents.

The son of an Imperial Valley cattle rancher, Zinn awoke many days at 3 a.m., donned jeans, boots and a cowboy hat, and headed out before dawn to tend the herd and other chores. It was hard work that shaped his work ethic - his motto is to tackle the hardest work before the heat of the day.

Read the entire article here

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Church vandalism deemed a hate crime

Monday, November 26th, 2007

From The OC (Orange County) Register:

FULLERTON Police are continuing their investigation of what they have now labeled a hate crime at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last week.

Swastikas and the numbers “666″ were found painted on walls and religious paintings in church classrooms at 2225 N. Euclid St., Capt. John Petropulos said today.

Damage has been estimated at $40,000, Petropulos said.

Church officials notified police last Tuesday morning a window was broken to gain entry to the Fullerton LDS headquarters. A suspected vandal had used a paint brush to mark the items before spilling the paint on the carpet and breaking dishes, police said.

Petropulos said detectives have been checking leads since the pre-Thanksgiving incident.

Read the entire article here

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Documentary chronicles life of BYU basketball legend Kresimir Cosic

Monday, November 26th, 2007

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

Kresimir Cosic

PROVO — The life of Kresimir Cosic is being chronicled in a documentary debuting this week at Brigham Young University.
“An Off-Court Story” details the Cosic’s journey from war-torn Croatia to BYU basketball star. Cosic was a five-time All American and Western Athletic Conference record holder.
Drafted into the NBA, Cosic turned down millions to return to Croatia. He eventually served as deputy ambassador to the U.S.
While at BYU, Cosic became the first Croation baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also translated the Book of Mormon into Croation.
He died in 1995 from cancer at age 46.
The documentary was produced by BYU graduate Lindsey Blumell, who says she was struck by his legacy while she served a church mission in Croatia.

Read the entire article here

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Over Two Thousand Nativity Scenes Decorate LDS Church in Ontario

Saturday, November 24th, 2007

From Bayshore Broadcasting:

Over two thousand nativity scenes decorate the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Walkerton this holiday season.

It’s one of the largest displays of nativity scenes in the world, according to organizer Flora Nabrotzky.

Nabrotzky says there are a few displays outside, but inside they go from the floor to the ceiling, and range in size from miniature to larger than life.

This is the third year the church has hosted the displays. Nabrotzky says she can’t believe how much the display has grown.

Read the entire article here

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