Category: Cornucopia

  • The Dream of the Green Hill

    The Dream of the Green Hill

    Green Hill Communities | Next About fifteen years ago, I had a dream. In my dream I saw a green hill with several people silhouetted against a cloudy sky. These figures were engaged together in various activities, some speaking, some playing or dancing, and some resting. The clouds in the sky moved quickly by, like…

  • Times & Seasons Welcomes Dane Laverty

    As Maren Mecham continues her guest run here at T&S, we’d like to cordially welcome our newest guest blogger, Dane Laverty.  Dane is a resident of Salem, Oregon and Sacramento, California. He graduated from BYU in contemporary dance, supports his family as a computer programmer, and is attending Willamette University as a business student. Thoughtful…

  • Martin Luther King on Religion and Social Justice

    From the Letter from Birmingham Jail: There was a time when the church was very powerful–in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a…

  • Actions for Haiti

    Actions for Haiti

    I think that viewing the magnitude of human trauma in Haiti right now is similar to trying to mentally envision the difference between a 1000 and a 2000 sided object – we can’t really do it.

  • Vanity, What Is It Good For?

    Vanity, What Is It Good For?

    Several months ago, I temporarily transfered from a place where personal vanity is refreshingly low (Vermont) to a place where it is remarkably high (Northern Virginia) and it has caused me to ponder the following question: is there such a thing as righteous vanity?

  • Summer Seminar 2010—The Foundations of Mormon Theology: The Nature of God and the Human

    SUMMER SEMINAR ON JOSEPH SMITH “The Foundations of Mormon Theology: The Nature of God and the Human” Brigham Young University June 1-July 9, 2010 In the summer of 2010, Brigham Young University, with the generous support of the Mormon Scholars Foundation, will sponsor a summer seminar for graduate students and advanced undergraduates on the theme of…

  • Welcome, Angry People

    Welcome, Angry People

    As is usually the case, when Times & Seasons is mentioned by another news outlet (in this case, the Salt Lake Tribune), some of their readers come here. And, today, some of them sound pretty mad. First, I’d like to point out that if you are also visiting us for the first time, the kinds…

  • Dinner, Old Testament Style

    Middle Eastern foods are my favorite. So at the risk of totally overstepping the bounds as a T&S guest blogger, I offer the following to enhance one’s study of the Old Testament and further an appreciation of ancient culture. May you have your meal with gladness and health!

  • Light Thoughts

    Light Thoughts

    Light and shadow are the essence of photography. Where light and shadow are together, there is something to see and an image can be made. These polar opposites make up the visual part of this life; they are both required in order to see anything. Opposites are necessary in order to understand. I believe that…

  • Welcome Maren Mecham

    We are delighted to welcome Maren Mecham as a guest for the next couple weeks.  Maren Mecham is a native Northern Virginian, earned her BFA from BYU and was a photographer for the church before moving to Palo Alto, CA, where she produced portraits and computer graphics. She has lived in the East, Northeast, Midwest, Intermountain…

  • Church Land Buy

    Church Land Buy

    The Church has reportedly just purchased a couple large plots of land in downtown Salt Lake, including “a 10-acre block directly north of the Little America Hotel and another 2- to 3-acre parcel directly north of the Grand America Hotel. The parcels are across from each other on either side of Salt Lake City’s Main…

  • Good Thoughts on Teaching Sunday School

    Good Thoughts on Teaching Sunday School

    My second-favorite group blog recently posted a series on what’s wrong with Sunday School, showing once again that we bloggers are, if nothing else, talented complainers. So let’s talk teaching and collect a few simple suggestions for improvement.

  • A New World Christmas

    A New World Christmas

    As I’ve mentioned before, Mormons don’t follow the traditional liturgical calendar, but that won’t stop me from using this January 6, the twelfth day of Christmas and the feast of Epiphany or Three Kings Day, as a happy occasion to put up the one last Christmas post that escaped December. (It’s also a great reason…

  • Gospel Principles Lesson One

    Gospel Principles Lesson One: Our Heavenly Father

  • Why It Is Sometimes So Hard to Understand the OT

    Why It Is Sometimes So Hard to Understand the OT

    A different idea of history What I say here about the Old Testament will be brief, so brief in fact as to be a caricature. Those who are specialists in biblical studies, are likely to find this woefully inadequate. I plead mea culpa in advance. In spite of that, I think this will do as…

  • A New Year’s Exhortation

    A new century dawns upon the world today. The hundred years just completed were the most momentous in the history of man upon this planet. It would be impossible in a hundred days to make even a brief summary of the notable events, the marvelous developments, the grand achievements, and the beneficial inventions and discoveries,…

  • The New Book

    There’s an interesting article by Peggy Fletcher Stack about some of the changes in the revised _Gospel Principles_ manual. Among other things, references to _Mormon Doctrine_ have been removed. T&S’s Julie Smith asks some good questions — “Over the years, I’ve heard many, many people express that the Teachings of the Prophets books were very…

  • Ring Out Wild Bells

    Ring Out Wild Bells

    Following up on Kaimi’s post concerning “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” I thought we ought to take the opportunity to read over the full text of Lord Tennyson’s “Ring Out Wild Bells,” another frequently sung hymn whose lines concerning injustice, social inequity, political divisiveness, and faith we never sing!

  • Ch-ch-ch-changes

    It appears that several church programs are changing in 2010.

  • Thank you, Eric Huntsman

    We’re very lucky to have had Eric blogging with us for the past few weeks. Thank you, Eric!

  • ICE agents impersonating missionaries to make arrests

    At least, that’s what’s alleged in this interview with UCSB professor Jacqueline Stevens:

  • When Stereotypes Collide

    There’s so much here I don’t even know where to begin:

  • Christmas with Autism

    Christmas with Autism

    In April of 2008, our son Samuel was diagnosed with autism . . . But in this Christmas week, I wanted to share some specific experiences that we have had with our special needs child, first the challenges that the holiday posed and then the wonderful blessings that we have experienced together as a family.…

  • An LDS Observance of Advent

    An LDS Observance of Advent

    A recent spoof on Conan O’Brien that has made the rounds on the Internet highlights how little many outside the Church know about LDS practices. The hilarious skit, ostensibly in honor of a “Mormon Christmas,” points out that we really do not have many LDS-specific holiday traditions, at least not many that anyone can readily…

  • What the Smith Boys Said This Year

    This year, Simon turned eleven, Nathan turned eight, Truman turned five, and Julie turned old.

  • Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert

    Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert

    [Choir policy keeps members from posting or blogging about the Choir before and even during events.  Here I am sharing only some very general information about the concert after it is over. Although I will respond to comments, I do not intend to speculate on policies, how guests are chosen, etc.] Perhaps the most important…

  • Truant Blogger Here at Last

    Truant Blogger Here at Last

    First, apologies for keeping you all waiting. The Choir’s Christmas concerts were last week, which was also the last week of BYU’s fall semester. This week I am in the midst of finals. And in the few moments I squeeze out, there are family Christmas preparations to make! I am a complete neophyte to the…

  • 8 cow women

    The inimitable ladies of Feminist Mormon Housewives are raising money for Heifer International again this year. This is a charity which buys cows (and ducks and chickens) for impoverished villagers in third-world countries; it’s hard to think of a better cause. If you’re able to pitch in, I encourage you to click over to FMH…

  • An initial question

    Why do we use first initials for LDS leaders who otherwise use their middle names? M. Russell, L. Tom, D. Todd, L. Whitney — we all know who these people are. What is the reason for continued usage of first initials, rather than simply saying “Russell Ballard” or “Todd Christopherson”?

  • The globe and the gourd: Christianity in a global world

    The globe and the gourd: Christianity in a global world

    It’s a small object, not a simple one: a Peruvian nativity carving, fashioned inside a gourd from intricate wood figures painted in bright colors. It was on display at the creche festival last weekend; I lingered over it for a moment, pointed out the tiny llama to my children, and moved on long before its…