Great Shot of the Oakland LDS Temple

This is the first temple I ever visited. I hope to return to it again some day.

Check out the photographer, who travels all over the United States (and world) creating one of the most prolific portfolios I've ever seen.

Mormon "Swashbucklers" Spot Gets Award for Best PSA

This is fun.

One of the recent "Homefront" ads from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was recognized thusly,

Swashbucklers was recognized by community service directors for its relevance, high production quality, and exceptional combination of excitement, humor, and warmth. “The Swashbucklers PSA had a great message about parents spending
quality-family time with their children,” said Jana Gordon of WAVY-TV, Portsmith, VA’s NBC affiliate. “It was incredibly well-produced and the concept was so different than many of the other PSAs the station receives. I really enjoyed sharing that message with our viewers.”

LDS General Conference on Twitter

Just for kicks, I decided to follow the Latter-day Saint (Mormon) General Conference on Twitter while watching it over the Internet, and even offer a few comments here and there. The tag everyone used for their tweets was #ldsconf.

Which turns out to be the number-one tag on Twitter during these times:

I don't know how many people use twitter--but it seems pretty significant to me that the most popular tag was that of the LDS General Conference. Of course, tomorrow it will fall back to Britney this and Obama that.

Why Temples

A neat little video on the purpose of Mormon temples.

Godspeed, Brother Wirthlin

From the LDS newsroom:

SALT LAKE CITY 2 December 2008 Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, the oldest living apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died last night, age 91.

Elder Wirthlin had gone to bed at his Salt Lake City home, and died peacefully at about 11:30 pm of causes incident to age. His oldest daughter, Jane Wirthlin Parker, was present. A member of the family had been staying and caring for Elder Wirthlin, whose wife, Elisa Young Rogers Wirthlin, died in 2006.

He had continued to work at his office right up until the Thanksgiving holiday.

Funeral arrangements will be announced.

Washington Post: Ten Republicans to Watch (Including Two Mormons)

Already the political horse pickers are zeroing in on the favorites for the coming election cycle. The Washington Post listed the early Republican contenders for the political season. And 20% of the ten listed are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

From the article:

Mitt Romney: Discount the former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate at your own peril. Romney has three big things going for him: he is, by almost anyone's account, an expert on the American economy; he is incredibly ambitious and will work harder than almost anyone to make sure his voice is heard; and he has immense personal wealth and a willingness to spend it. Do his flip-flops on social issues (and his Mormonism) still make social conservatives queasy? You bet. But Romney is in the mix and will aim to stay there.

Jon Huntsman Jr.: As The Fix was waiting to meet with Huntsman on Thursday, CNN's Wolf Blitzer was touting him as a rising star in Republican politics. Nice convergence. Huntsman won re-election earlier this month with 78 percent (granted it was in ruby red Utah) and has the looks and resume -- fluent in Chinese, progressive on the environment -- that could make him appealing for a party looking desperately for a different profile. Huntsman is a Mormon, however, and, as Mitt Romney demonstrated earlier this year, that could be a major problem if he decides to run for president.

Opposition in all things? Even as the loud public sentiment of a very vocal minority lashes out against members of the church, we see Latter-day Saints with a greater capacity for political change than ever before. How it plays out could make for a very interesting story.

Reflections of Christ

I was forwarded me this beautiful slide show featuring photos from an exhibit entitled, "Reflections of Christ."



From the website,

The Reflections of Christ photography exhibit is a collaborative effort on many peoples part to teach about Jesus. The primary goal of the project was to create photographs that could cast new light on our perceptions of Christ. I hope that through the words and actions of our cast, crew, and me I guess, that the reader will be aware of how we feel about Jesus.

The photography exhibit is currently on display at the visitor center at the LDS (Mormon) temple in Mesa, Arizona.

UPDATE:

I stumbled across an excellent review of the exhibit. Here's an excerpt.

As I think of the many exhibits of art and photography I've enjoyed over the years, exhibits that brought tears from viewers have been rare. Tuesday night was one of those rare and dramatic moments. How fortunate I was to be in Arizona this week, with just barely enough free time on Tuesday night to dash over to the Mesa Temple and see "Reflections of Christ."

As I walked through the gallery again, the message delivered by this majestic work of art was stronger than ever: Jesus Christ is real! He is real, as real and as tangible as any of the people in these realistic photos. His love is real, His triumph over death His real, His grace is real. And each of us will one day stand before Him, kneel before Him, and recognize Him as our Lord. When that moment comes, we will either recognize Him as our Lord whom we have sought to serve and already know, or as a stranger who was far from the thoughts and intents of our hearts. May it be the former! But in either case, we will see that He is real, more real than any scene in any photograph. So why wait? Why wait for reality to surprise us when we can accept it now - accept Him now - and prepare for that wonderful day when we are united with the Lord, our true and very real Friend and Savior.

Thomas S. Monson - 16th LDS Church President

Two days after the funeral of Gordon B. Hinckley, the Mormon church has announced its new presidency, headed by Thomas S. Monson.


On a related note, I had the opportunity to shake Monson's hand back in 1989 at the Boy Scout National Jamboree.

Mormon President Passes

Gordon B. Hinkley, 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died at around 7pm this evening--old age being the cause.

It's not really all that surprising considering that Hinkley was 97 years old. Even so, the simple fact that he has been at the forefront of Church leadership for my entire life makes it feel strange. I'm sure he is delighted to be reunited with his wife, who died several years ago.

In my mind, Hinkley was one of those prophets who truly stands out in his generation.