With more than 11,000 Church members in the Ukraine and with more than 30,000 Latter-day Saints (or Mormons) in surrounding nations, the Kyiv temple will serve as a House of the Lord for Ukrainian Latter-day Saints to gather in worship and holy work for their families, binding them together forever.

Young people from 9 countries in Russia and in what was the Soviet Bloc, traveled many miles to participate in an evening of dance and celebration in traditional costumes, on the eve of the Kyiv temple dedication,

President Monson led Latter-day saints yesterday, August 29th,  in 3 dedicatory services at what is the first temple to be dedicated in what was the Soviet Union–and key landmark in the Ukraine, the Kyiv Mormon temple.

“The magnificent Ukraine temple, Kyiv, … shines as a beacon of righteousness for all who would feel it’s light,” testified the Mormon prophet, spokesman of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mormon temples are symbolic of their faith in the afterlife as well as literal sanctuaries for the Savior and His ongoing instruction to those who are worthy to enter His house.  In the words of one Mormon apostle–a modern-day witness of Jesus Christ:

Each temple stands as a symbol of our membership in the Church, as a sign of our faith in life after death, and as a stepping-stone to eternal glory for us and our family.

Temples differ from regular Mormon meetinghouses. They are edifices where additional service is performed by proxy, for ancestors who have passed beyond the veil without having been baptized or married by one in authority, and wherein they enter in an eternal and not just temporal union. All of our efforts in proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the Saints, and redeeming the dead lead to the holy temple.

President Hinckley declared:

These unique and wonderful buildings, and the ordinances administered therein, represent the ultimate in our worship. These ordinances become the most profound expressions of our theology.

Ordinances of the temple are absolutely crucial. We cannot return to God’s glory without them.

We invite all to learn more about the Savior’s Church in our day–which Mormons claim to be the very Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Six years ago 80% of search engine results for the term “Mormon” were negative or inaccurate. Today the situation has improved. In some countries, Internet search results for “mormon” are now up to 80 percent positive.

Why the significant change? In addition to official Church Web sites, unofficial Web sites sharing positive information about the Church are spreading across the Web. Individuals are using blogs to share their values and gospel messages are making their appearances on social networking sites. In short, because of how members are using it, the Internet is also helping bring people to the missionaries.

The Ensign indicates some of the ways Mormons are spreading the gospel meaningfully, including profiling on the new Mormon.org, blogging, using social media sites and sharing links to gospel-themed media messages; as well as working with the More Good Foundation–which has actively been engaging and empowering members online to improve Mormon presence and to provide accurate content for interested onlookers and seekers.

The founders of the More Good Foundation began to study search engines and how they selected results. The learned that Google, a popular Internet search engine, allows one site to occupy only two spaces on a results page. That means that even if LDS.org has hundreds of relevant pages, only two will appear as search results. That left a lot o open space for negative sites, and people seemed to gravitate to sites that were unrelated to the Church as an institution.
They’re looking for their peers’ perspectives rather than trusting the organization’s,’ said Jonathan Johnson, president of the More Good Foundation.’ If we understand that principle, we will understand why our leaders say we as members can be more effective. We avoid the walls that are created when people see someone in an official capacity.’

Elder Hales poignantly asks each of us what his grandson asked him one day as he sat reading the newspaper, grandson edging closer and closer: “Grandpa are you in there?”  Are we in there?  Are we fully present, listening, doing things together with our children that are meaningful, having them together at dinner for the interaction and attention and direction they need, sharing our love and reaching into their hearts?

Watch this and share this Mormon Message with friends of all faiths.

How do you measure your life?  What criterion do you use to determine if you are living successfully?

Clayton Christensen, Harvard Professor and author of the Innovator’s Dilemma, asks his students 3 questions at the end of each term:

1) How can I be sure that I’ll be happy in my career?

2) How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source of happiness?

3) How can I be sure I’ll stay out of jail?

In a recent viral talk and video, Clayton shared reflections from his own life, interwoven with principles of management theory, to rally a call for his graduating students to contemplate and figure out their purpose before they marched off into investments of time and pursuits that otherwise might not align themselves with that purpose.

Utah native management guru, Clayton Christensen, wrote an article in the summer edition of the Harvard Business Review, “How do you measure your life?”, impelled in part by his own recent confrontation with cancer in the past year. The article has taken off in the online world and gone viral.

Clayton, who served an LDS mission to South Korea before becoming a Rhodes scholar, spoke of the need to identify life’s purpose before it’s too late. He recalled his own nites at Oxford committing to an hour of study to investigate life’s purpose. That choice kept him from studying another subject but he knew without purpose, the measuring rod for his life would be missing.  In counseling others to discover theirs, he wrote as well, of the pitfalls of those who fail to consider it early enough on in life. Clayton suggests that t’s easy to “overinvest in career” which has tangible immediate rewards often, rather than to invest in relationships that ultimately matter most–since the omissions in relationships don’t immediately show up, though the lack of investment will as the years go by and the most important things fall apart.

In Clayton’s assessment of life and statement of perspective, he writes:

I’ve concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life isn’t dollars, but the individual people whose lives I’ve touchedI think that’s the way it will work for us all. Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people.

Mormons believe in the atonement of Jesus Christ–his incredible sacrifice that allows us to repent and return and sit down with Him and the redeemed in the next life, and to have peace and power in this life. Because the atonement is so unfathomable to grasp, spoke Olson and Millet, we search for the words and imagery to understand it better. Often the word “atonement” is translated as “propitiation” or “reconciliation.”

Bob and Camille reflect on the fact The Church of Jesus Christ is not for the sanctified, but it is to help us become more like the Savior.  Bob said, sometimes I’d like to get up and say, “My name is Bob Millet and I’m a sinner.”  In saying that, tongue and cheek, Bob was saying, and Camille affirming, that the Savior is the Physician we all need. We welcome those who smell of tobacco–those who want to come to change. We all want to change.

For the Mormon message, Mormon Identity radio discussion, listen here.

Why don’t we have crosses in our Church?

The lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith

http://broadcast.lds.org/ldsradio/MormonIdentity/2010-08-0330-paul-and-the-atonement-part-2-64k-eng.mp3

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – Public tours begin Saturday, August 7 for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s newest temple in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The open house runs through Saturday, August 21st, excluding Sundays.  The Kyiv Ukraine Temple will be dedicated on Sunday, August 29th.

The Church was just introduced in the Ukraine in 1991, and since then it has grown steadily.  The Church says at the end of 2009 there were nearly 11,000 members.  This is the first temple of the Church built in Eastern Europe.

The temple’s exteroir is granite and has quartzite crystals to reflect sunlight.  The spire is over 137 feet tall and has a gold Angel Moroni on the top.

Additional Resources:

Open Houses

Kiyv Temple – Russian site

Videos and history of Kiyv  Mormon Temple

The Church has made the following official statement regarding the overturn of Prop 8 and the ban on same-sex marriage.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regrets today’s decision. California voters have twice been given the opportunity to vote on the definition of marriage in their state and both times have determined that marriage should be recognized as only between a man and a woman. We agree. Marriage between a man and woman is the bedrock of society.

We recognize that this decision represents only the opening of a vigorous debate in the courts over the rights of the people to define and protect this most fundamental institution–marriage.

There is no doubt that today’s ruling will add to the marriage debate in this country and we urge people on all sides of this issue to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility toward those with a different opinion.

Newt Gingrich, former House Speaker, offered the following commentary:

Judge Walker’s ruling overturning Prop 8 is an outrageous disrespect for our Constitution and for the majority of people of the United States who believe marriage is the union of husband and wife. In every state of the union from California to Maine to Georgia, where the people have had a chance to vote they’ve affirmed that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Congress now has the responsibility to act immediately to reaffirm marriage as a union of one man and one woman as our national policy. Today’s notorious decision also underscores the importance of the Senate vote tomorrow on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court because judges who oppose the American people are a growing threat to our society.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, Mormons) have long been mis-identified, and had their image swept up in a tide of misunderstanding–traceable to some prominent vitriolic films and to the perpetuation of myths on and offline by the simply unknowing.

This ad campaign has nothing to do with Mitt Romney, as the Church has run these types of campaigns at intervals throughout the past few decades.

President Benton and Sister Benton currently preside over the Buenos Aires West Mission in Argentina. Pushing 400, 000 LDS members (Mormons) in Argentina, the gospel continues to roll forward. Yet, there are about 40 million people in Argentina–most of whom are of European descent, particularly of Spanish and Italian descent–with many wonderful people yet to reach.

There are about 168 missionaries in Buenos Aeres, the majority of whom are from Chile, and about 63 are Latin, of whom the majority are from Chile.  There are 14 sisters currently serving.

A little more than two years ago, we began a pilot program to teach English to the Latin missionaries. Elder and Sister Smith, missionaries from Orem, Utah, now serving in Buenos Aires, oversee that program.  There are three books with Church-related content, in 25 modules, for the Latins to learn English.  At the end of the course, they take a test and can receive a certificate from BYU for that course. In President Benton’s words:

The joy of that is that we are training up great leaders of the future; it dramatically blesses them to find employment of a higher calibre.

President and Sister Benton have issued about 40-45 of those certificates to Latin missionaries over the past two years.

For the full interview, please visit LDS Radio:

A rich, lucid venue through which thousands of voices of genuine, everyday Mormons join the online conversation, Mormon.org address questions often asked by friends of other faiths. Responses are individualized, submitted by authentic faithful members of the Church. They appear in brief snippets or a few paragraphs of thoughtful reflections and personal witnesses of doctrinal beliefs, with accompanying personal photos. This personal outreach by unofficial voices is matched with some official responses to questions by the Church leaders. The blend and diversity of profiling and messaging is intended to open up genuine dialog and communication with online seekers and curious onlookers–you can “meet the Mormons” over the virtual fence.  An initial group of 2,000 have not only already posted profiles visible to the public, but have added explanations of their beliefs and shared glimpses into their own applied faith and lives.

The site offers live chat options and frequently-asked questions, selectable even by gender, age, and location. So friends of other faiths can narrow down their communiques to those in their own socially relevant or preferred demographic.

Share this with your friends of all faiths, and with members of the Church! Tweet about it and visit us on Twitter.

The five-plus-year-old non-profit–founded by Dave Neeleman, Ken Woolley and Jim Engebretson, is an enabler of site and content creation that will allow for Mormons to define for themselves who they are, to reclaim the media conversation, actively dispelling misperceptions about us, and utilizing the “Net”–the New Media and Internet–to be fishers of men in our day– and to do so judiciously, safely, and in organized fashion.

The beautiful metaphor of the net, as the Savior shared it in Luke, included a call to be ‘fishers of men.’ In a meaningful moment of reflection, it occurred to MGF staff that this Internet of our day is much like the fishing net of old–it is, in one sense, a new metaphor for the gospel “net.”  It is a tool of the gathering, the way through which the honest in heart can find the truth through anonymous and self-initiated searching and studying.

In visiting the homepage, you’ll find a listing of many of our lay sites, garnered around areas of interest for honest seekers wanting to know about us for various reasons—from simple curiosity to intense longing to know their purpose on earth. For a purview of the many sites created by lay members under the MGF global umbrella, visit the icon that lists many of those sites and allows you, through one-click, to browse respectively Mormon-themed topical sites–from Mormon temples to Mormon beliefs.  Select your own or mission language or the language of a seeker you know, and pull up and sit down and see what’s available for those Googling us, and for your own edification.

Then, to become involved yourself, just click on the icon, Ways to Share.

President Jonathan Johnson has spoken of President Kimball’s prophetic statement in a Regional Representative’s seminar, with great feeling and pointing to its significance for our day:

I believe that the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse…. When we have used the satellite and related discoveries to their greatest potential,…then, and not until then, shall we approach the insistence o our Lord and Master to go unto all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Kimball 1994).

Now is the time, and More Good Foundation has made it simple to engage, and if you are already engaged, to maximize your influence.  For two of the many ways to contribute, check out SiteAdopt.org and LDSTalks.com. In addition, visit the Share tab mentioned above and see what works for you.

More Good Foundation believes that “ordinary is extraordinary”–that there is power, as Seth Godin illustrated well, in having others hear our story from “us”… You ‘are’ the content the world needs to see–and MGF’s goal is to make that positive content about all of who you are, available and accessible online, in a safe manner.

Below is just one of the many fruits of sharing the gospel online–this one resulting from a contact in Italy from an MGF blog by Giuseppe.

Penso che ieri sia stato il giorno più emozionante della mia vita. Il battesimo è stato…meraviglioso. Sono rimasti molto sorpresi dalla presenza del Presidente di Missione. E’ stato un giorno veramente speciale. L’emozione era quasi palpabile…la potevo leggere nei volti di tutti i membri, in quello del presidente di ramo. Tutti erano così Felici, ed io…sono immensamente grata di questo. Ho trovato una famiglia meravigliosa e delle persone stupende. Non sò se riuscirò mai ad essere grata abbastanza, per questa grande benedizione che ho ricevuto.

Translation:
I think yesterday was the most emotional day of my life. The baptism was…marvelous. It ‘was a very special day. The excitement was almost palpable … I could read it in the faces of all members. Everyone was so happy, … and I am immensely grateful for that. I found a wonderful family and beautiful people. I do not know if I’ll ever be able to express gratitude enough for this great blessing that I received.

To read more stories, click on the Stories icon.

The site also includes updates from the MGF Facebook Page. We welcome all of you to sign up now and join our page, and to tweet about all we are doing.

You can also share all the pages and sites you like by clicking on our Share buttons. Add links to our pages on Facebook, and spread the word.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.You may reach us through any website or through email at moregoodfoundation.org, or by calling us at 801.705.5104.

He serves as a partner at the RBL Group, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations and leaders deliver value. He studies how organizations build capabilities of speed, learning, collaboration, accountability, talent, and leadership through leveraging human resources. He has helped generate award winning data bases that assess alignment between strategies, human resource practices and HR competencies.

Publications:

He has published 20 books and over 100 articles and book chapters:

▪ Leadership in Asia, 2009

▪ HR Transformation, 2009

▪ The Leadership Code, 2008

▪ Companion for Strategic Human Resources, 2008

▪ HR Competencies, 2008

▪ Leadership Brand, 2007 ▪

Additionally, Dave edited Human Resource Management 1990-1999 and served on editorial board of four Journals. He sits on the Board of Directors for Herman Miller, and Board of Trustees at Southern Virginia University, and is a Fellow in the National Academy of Human Resources.

He has received, for his work, the Warner W. Stockberger Achievement Award, presented to him by the International Personnel Management Association to “recognize an individual in private or public life who has made a contribution toward improvement of public personnel management at any level of government,” and is ranked the #1 most influential person in HR by HR Magazine Ranked #1 most influential person in HR by HR Magazine.

Follow this More Good Foundation link to a website with more information on Mormons in Business.

Look forward to any comments or suggestions for people to profile, who are making a difference and who are engaging in that difference online as well as offline: email@moregoodfoundation.org, attn: KRT.

Well, we all like to know what’s coming (on a light note, you’ve seen the create-your-own-fortune-cookie-app )… And in technology, we can only imagine. Here are a few things to consider regarding what’s in store, or what may not be in store for us, as we continually shape ways to effectively and authentically message, and particularly, engage in Mormon messaging (please share your own thoughts):

What to Watch For

Today’s ‘savviest innovators’ are in fact the ones that are inventing hot gadgets and applications The 2020 themes to watch for will be intelligent devices and cloud services accessed across a wide variety of platforms: web, smartphone, tablet, set-top box, smart surface, etc. By 2020 we will see next generation 3D HD Display technology, coupled with multi-modal (sight, sound, speech, touch) and services which help manage and personalize media. Imagine an experience more like Apple’s Knowledge Navigator (circa 1988), where a conversational intelligent agent helps to organize and synthesize your work or entertainment or personal schedule, all completely integrated and personalized for you.” -W. Luciw

What cloud services do you use? Google apps? Bootcamp to take your Itunes library to the cloud? Any MAC apps?

Unpredicted Outcomes of Inventions

At the pseudo-trivial, hand-waving, vague-generalization level–yes; many gadgets and applications will not be that surprising, especially when one includes the wild fantasies proposed in sci fi fiction. However, there are substantive examples of what exists now that wasn’t even fantasized 10-20 years ago. I expect we will see many innovations that almost everyone will find ‘came out of the blue’-notably including many unexpected, unintended results from innovation that was initiated for some entirely different purpose (e.g., it might be said that the foremost–and completely unintended and unpredicted–result of the invention of automobiles was the creation of suburbs with most people residing far-distant from where they work.” -J. Warren

What do you see coming?
What do you think this implies for Mormon messaging, public perceptions, member involvement in the conversation about faith globally?
Other related issues?

And be assured, regardless of your age, your accumulated wisdom, if you have been a faithful striving participant in the work, you know enough to share. You can articulate, among many other principles, the very purpose of life, your own responses to its challenges and access to the atonement and redeeming principles. Like the air we breathe, we take it for granted that we’ve got at our disposal a revealed set of truths regarding the pre-mortal, mortal, and post-mortal realities. That is more than one in seven say of those polled recently,  say they know–this was a poll of presently “unchurched,” self-identifying Christians in America, of whom there are millions outside of this study. 

About 14% of this self-professed Christian group among the un-churched larger group  feel they have any defined or clear meaning or purpose in their lives, according to a new Barna study survey-interviewing over 2,000 of them.  The question is: “How will we help them?”  In many instances, we can find them online as we share our knowledge of the purpose of life–and make our entries accessible and findable.

There are many  who consider themselves spiritual but non-religious. We work with them, interact with them online, and many of them, feeling ‘hurt’ by some experience within their past congregations, have distanced themselves.  While we cannot take accountability for others’ choices to be offended, we can invite others to return to fellowship and introduce to them the purpose of life in its fulness–and the gospel of Jesus Christ restored to the earth, as we as Mormons know it.

Other findings of the Barna research team regarding these self-identified Christians who’ve departed from conventional  church going, include the following:

• Two-thirds (68%) hold a biblical view of God – that is, He is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the universe and He still rules that universe today.
• Only one-third (35%) agree to any extent that the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches.
• Only one in seven (15%) claim that their religious faith is very important in their life.
• One out of five (22%) contends that the ultimate purpose of life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul.
• A mere one in seven (14%) claims to have a clear sense of the meaning and purpose of their life.
• And minorities of the group, ranging from one-quarter to one-third, support the notions of salvation by grace alone, Jesus Christ living a holy and sinless life on earth, and Satan existing today. (This is a stunningly pathetic portrait of the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Redeemer, perfectly sinless Son of God.)

I don’t know about you, but I am ‘not okay’ with this.

Lest you think it’s really not so and people must know they have a purpose. Check this out, written by a sincere inquirer and writer:

How to Find My Purpose in Life

Find Your Purpose in Life
Find my purpose in life??? A friend of mine asked me once, “Do you know why you are here?” Feeling kind of stupid because I really didn’t know, I replied, “No” and waited for a profound response. “To be of service.” Okay, so I did not want to admit that I never really gave my purpose in life too much thought. I was too busy worrying about bills, children, and my husband to think about why I’m here. Sounds kind of selfish, but years later, her words made sense to me. After I quit my job and returned to college at age 40, I still did not know what I wanted to do with my life, but my friend’s words made me realize my true calling would have to be something I loved, something I had a passion for that would also allow me “to be of service to others.” But how do I find my passion, my purpose? The answer came to me during my last semester in graduate school.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You’ll Need:
A computer or paper and magazines
Step
1

To find purpose in life, open your mind and be willing to discover an image or images that represents your passion. Look for pictures on the computer or in magazines. Google images is a good place to start on the computer. Soon you’ll be on your way to finding your purpose in life.
Step
2

To find your purpose in life, think about your life especially the years before you were eighteen. Think about your deeply held convictions about life. Choose pictures that evoke an emotional response. They just need to be images that involve a certain “sting” for you. It’s not nessecary that you know why they create an emotional response from you.
Step
3
Copy the images onto a word document or on a free web page. Google pages offers free web pages, and images are easy to post. If you don’t have a computer, cut your images out and glue them to a large cardboard. Your purpose in life will soon be revealed to you.
Step
4

Look for underlining repetitive themes in the images you choose. They will lead you to your purpose in live. Write about them on your web page, on a word document, or on a piece of paper. Search for a moment or moments during your childhood that connect to your theme. Eventually an image should appear for you that represents your passion or calling in life.

When Albert Einstein was a little boy, his father gave him a compass. He was fascinated by the compass. The compass was his image that represented his discovery of the theory of relativity after he became an adult.
Step
5
Keep writing about your image or images. Take your time. For some people, their image will appear right away. Others may take a little longer.
Step
6
After you discover your image, make changes in your life that will put you on the road to achieving your passion. You will find that your purpose in life will lead you to be of service to others.

Theres obviously truth here–knowing our purpose ‘will’ lead to service. What might we add to this tapestry for those seeking to know the ‘rest of the story?’

People are seeking.
People are knocking.

What will we do online? We can create a virtual door for them to open. Adopt a website on which you can share your convictions, your artistic talents, your family photos and activities, your modus operandi for making decisions. People hunger to know, as Reynolds Price says in A Palpable God, that there is a just God who knows them and an ultimate storyline that makes sense.

Would you like to be involved in making a difference. Let us know your ideas, and we will share ours with you as well. Please contact us with your feedback and meaningful insights and comments: email@moregoodfoundation dot org.

So, for a short tribute here to the Late Jazz Owner, entrepreneur, Latter-day Saint (Mormon) who vowed to himself not to lose perspective, change how he saw himself or others once he accumulated wealth and financial prosperity. Thanks, Larry, for continuing your influence on this side of the veil. Our love goes to you as we share a glimpse of your soul, shaped by the gospel of Jesus Christ and a love of your wife, Gail, and your family.

It wasn’t because we didn’t want things, but we wanted to build security more. Gail and I were uncomfortable with debt. We had always lived within our means. It’s important that husbands and wives share the same philosophy about money because it can be such a source of contention. We were fortunate because we shared the same upbringing and outlook on money. We never bought anything on credit, and our priority was to pay off bills. We had both been self-sufficient as teenagers, even while we were dating. Gail baby-sat and cleaned houses. I had a paper route and worked other odd jobs as a teenager. I saved up money and bought a Schwinn three-speed bike, and we used that as our transportation for dates — we’d ride double. We had been working since we were 12 years old.

When we got married, we continued to live frugally. On our honeymoon, we stayed in cheap hotels and bought our food at the grocery store and fixed sandwiches while we drove. We just didn’t spend money. We didn’t have a power mower for years. We owned one of those old-fashioned hand mowers with the twirling blades that was powered by sweat. We stayed in the same house — 1,700 square feet, three bedrooms — for four-and-a-half years, remaining there even after we had our fourth child. We didn’t landscape for years because we couldn’t afford it. We had no lawn. Our yard was dirt and weeds so tall that you couldn’t see the kids when they were playing out there. We could have afforded a bigger house, but it just didn’t feel right to take on that kind of debt. Just because the bank says you qualify for a certain mortgage doesn’t mean you should do it.

Our one luxury was an annual family vacation, but even those were spartan events. We’d go four-wheeling and stay in Motel 6, all of us in one room, and eat fast food.

I advise people not to change their standard of living as their income increases. Protect the base. It’s tattooed on my brain. I still won’t spend $60 at a restaurant. We eat at restaurants that have good food but are cheap — $15 or so for a meal. Gail still shops at Costco and buys things on sale. It’s just ingrained in her. If she buys something nice, it’s the exception. I drive what most would consider a normal car.

My conservative nature has proved to be advantageous and put me in a position to do some of the things I’ve done. One of my investments was a joint purchase of 48.8 acres of land near Littleton, Colo. It was in the middle of nowhere at the time. We could see that the city was going to expand southward and figured land there would appreciate. Eventually, they built a dam out there and then things started to develop, and we sold the land to a developer. When we returned to Utah, I had saved $88,000 — which I used to buy my first car dealership. By saving that money, I was able to start my own business and everything in my professional and entrepreneurial career began with that purchase.

Through the years, as my wealth grew beyond any of my wildest expectations and I could afford to buy things, I spent money sparingly with two notable exceptions — my Cobras and our current home. I have always been determined not to let money change me, and I hope I have achieved that. I have not wanted the accumulation of money to change my lifestyle or the way I treat others or cause me to lose perspective. For me, money was the means to an end, and that end is to help others.

Application & Challenge to Share Your Faith & Perspective Online
Have to ask: Have you written yours? Do you record the things that pass before your observation, that are generously taught to you by the Spirit? Start a blog or site today to share a slice of your life and faith with the world. Contact us at email at More Good Foundation or write a response to this post. How have you kept your priorities straight in the face of any worldly acclaim? or in the face of none that is visible but that is so evident in who you are and who others have become through God’s work in your life?

Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance by David Archuletta will be on the shelves on June 1st for those who’d like to know more about what makes David tick and why “modest is hottest”….

David is an excellent-souled, transparent, young Mormon, a Utah-reared single adult who has moved into the musical arena with alacrity, and who has kept centered amid an artistic world that requires filtering, and fusion of purpose and faith to stay focused on things that matter most. David has been riveted. He has been successful and He has known Who is behind that success.

David’s personal and musical review of his life to this point is available now for pre-order. For members and friends of all faiths, this work may answer some of the questions so often asked about David: “What makes him different, his eyes so light?”; “Why is so sure about his morality that he can refuse to autograph photos in inappropriate ways?”; “Why does he make intricate plans to visit the House of the Lord while on his busiest tours?” “What is the Source of his soul-presence, purpose, and how has life been for him with stardom thrust upon him as a teenager, and a Mormon young adult?”

David has decided to share his story with the world. Each of us can do likewise online–it doesn’t have to be a book, it can be a blog, a witness of Christ, an explanation of our desires to live a virtuous life, a statement of belief on Facebook, an answer to a seeker’s question.

What is your story of faith, and has it largely been shared or unshared? For ways to contribute, please visit sites mentioned above or check out siteadopt dot org or the More Good Foundation website at www.moregoodfoundation dot org.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Talent,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Audiovisual Department) is entering early pre-production on a very large film project whose subject is “The New Testament,” under the direction of the First Presidency.

based on the events of the New Testament, to be produced near Salt Lake City, UT. We seek a broad variety of cast who resemble the cultures and races represented within the scriptural account, namely: Semitic, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and others of Middle Eastern, Southern European, or North African origin.

We seek ALL possible candidates for a variety of roles: Actors and Extras. If you know of anyone who fits the following description and would be willing to participate in our production, please forward this information to him/her.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Generally, we seek individuals with darker hair, olive or brown skin tone, the ability to grow a beard (for men), and other common Semitic characteristics are desired.

LOCAL and NON-LOCAL
Near or far, we need you! We are currently exploring the possibility of providing food and lodging for those who may require it during the production. If you live outside of the state of Utah and would be interested in such provisions, please indicate this when you submit your information. More information about this option will be available late 2010.

PAYMENT
Positions will be PAID based on our standard rate card.

TIME TABLE
Shooting begins Spring 2011. We are gathering cast and extras potentials now in order to alert participants to important benchmark dates and respond early to questions such as…
· When do I start growing my hair?
· Where and when will the productions take place so I can arrange my work schedule?
· In which production(s) am I cast (or extra)?
· What should I bring? …wear? …expect?
· Where will I stay?
· How long will I be needed?
· How much will I be paid?
· etc.

LDS MEMBERSHIP
The hiring process for both active, worthy members of the LDS Church and non-member candidates remains consistent with previous practice. There are two paths by which a candidate may participate:

As an employee: The LDS Church can only hire as employees members of the Church who are ‘temple worthy’, as determined by their ecclesiastical leader.

As an independent contractor: Candidates who are affiliated with a legitimate talent agency or have an active business license can be contracted as independent contractors.

(Proof of compliance with employment/contracting criteria will be obtained once contact has been made.)

TO APPLY
STEP 1: Please send an e-mail to SLcasting@LDSchurch.org with TWO (2) Current Photos of applicant taken within the last 3 months: (1) Oneheadshot, face forward; and (2) One profile shot. These photos need to be close enough and of sufficient resolution to clearly see your
entire face and hair. “.jpg” or “.bmp” formats only, please. Save your files with the applicant’s NAME (ex. “yourname_profile.jpg”).

Actors applying for speaking roles should also include a current résumé in this e-mail.

STEP 2: Please go to http://goo.gl/kR1z and complete the online application form.

Please submit your application AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The earlier you apply, the greater your chances of being included.

We will make every effort to inform you when your information has been received. Please be patient. It may require as much as four weeks to process your application.

Thank you for your support of LDS Audiovisual productions! We look forward to your submission!

Best regards,
Alisa Anglesey
LDS Audiovisual Casting
SLcasting at LDSchurch.org

Stephanie started a blog, in response to Elder Ballard’s call to participate in the conversation about who we are, and has received tremendous online response to her example of faith. One person, many lives changed as a result of the healing power and grace of the atonement of Jesus Christ.