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{LDSL Blog} What Is the Best Advice You Have Ever Received?

LDS Living - January 07, 2013

What advice has stuck with you through the years? Share with LDS Living readers and get advice from well known Mormons, too.

Many of us have mottos we live our lives by and pieces of advice shared by others that have changed the way we think and act on a daily basis. Others have discovered the secret to success in some area of our lives. (One my mother taught me: 1 tsp salt per cup of rice and DO NOT remove the lid from the pot until after it's finished cooking no matter what – one of the best cooking tips I've ever received. I had friends in college beg me to know how I made something as boring and bleh as rice be so delicious.)

So we're curious to know – what's the best advice you've ever received? The one tip you would pass on to your posterity and the world, whether it's serious or humorous, practical or inspirational? We'll pick our favorites to run in the March/April issue of our magazine, alongside advice from LDS greats like Jon Heder, Julie B. Beck, Michael McLean, Jimmer Fredette, Elaine Dalton, and more.

Please send your 1-sentence to 1-paragraph advice with your full name and city/state (may be anonymous if topic is sensitive) to editor[at]ldsliving[dot]com. (E-mail the editor.)

Submissions may be edited slightly for grammar, clarity, or length before publication.

{LDSL Blog} Best of: Stories of the Week, December 29-January 3

LDS Living - January 05, 2013

Check out this week's top stories in the Best of LDS Living for the week of December 29, 2012 through January 4, 2013.

You might have missed what went on the last week, but we've put together our list of the week's most popular stories so you don't miss a beat. For December 29, 2012 through January 4, 2013, these are LDS Living’s top hits:

Top 5 LDS Living Stories:

1. January 2013 Primary Sharing Time: Finding God's Plan {Shauna Gibby}

2. Doctrine & Covenants Lesson 1: Introduction {Ted L Gibbons}

3. {Single Saints} The "Nice Guy" Myth {Jessica Carter}

4. {LDSL Blog} Treats in Church - Good or Bad? (+ Poll) {Kate Ensign-Lewis}

5. Timeline: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2012 {LDS Living Staff}

{LDSL Blog} Treats in Church - Good or Bad? (+ Poll)

Kate Ensign-Lewis - January 03, 2013

Mormon culture is a feeding culture - body and spirit. In everything from blessing the refreshments to “nourish and strengthen our bodies,” to the expectation we have of some little snack after a meeting, food is firmly rooted in our meeting customs.

I might go so far as to say we are especially a treat culture. I think it has something to do with drinking neither alcohol nor coffee and we want some other way to dress up or round out a meal. I mean, think of all the calories we save by not having those drinks. (Which then I promptly tend to blow on a chocolate dessert of my choosing.)

But I digress.

Yes, we are a food culture. Very often this translates to bringing snacks to classes on Sunday. We bring them to be nice. Sometimes we bring them to induce participation. Sometimes we bring them to stem the tide of anarchy among the younger ranks (you Primary teachers know of what I speak). And whether that means we're serving sweets or savories, I'll say, while it needs to be checked and shouldn't be expected, I think treats on Sunday can be a good thing. In my own life, I’ve noticed that providing a little treat has made me more likely to pay attention, create a bond, and generally be happier than completely avoiding the practice.

Now, before the opposition gets too riled up, allow me to acknolwedge the problems:

-Sometimes kids come to expect treats every week.
-Sometimes kids leave the class they're meant to attend to go to a class with treats.
-Sometimes non-treat-bringing teachers feel obligated to bring treats, or feel bad if they don't.
-Some teachers might feel treats distract students from the doctrine (although this can be easily avoided).
-Building managers dislike food in the Church building because it can encourage pests. I can’t find in the Handbook if it mentions anything about food in class. (If you know of it, please, leave a reference to it in the comments.)

Depite these potential problems, I think snacks can be a great tool—

{LDSL Blog} Best of: Stories of the Week, December 22-28

LDS Living - December 29, 2012

Check out this week's top stories in the Best of LDS Living for the week of December 22 through 28, 2012.

You might have missed what went on the last week, but we've put together our list of the week's most popular stories so you don't miss a beat. For December 22 through December 28, 2012, these are LDS Living’s top hits:

Top 5 LDS Living Stories:

1. Doctrine & Covenants Lesson 1: Introduction {Ted L. Gibbons}

2. Timeline: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2012 {LDS Living}

3. Kid-friendly Nativity Script {Kate Ensign-Lewis}

4. {LDSL Blog} My Interview with Jane Seymour {Jamie Lawson}

5. {LDSL Blog} Top LDS Living Stories of 2012 {Kaela Worthen}

Timeline: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2012

Kate Ensign-Lewis (Graphic by Kaela Worthen) - December 27, 2012

Read about (and get top news coverage) on the big events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its people in the year 2012. Scroll below graphic for coverage.

Timeline of the LDS Church in 2012 by LDS Living

Check out more information on big events of the LDS Church and its people in 2012:

January 16, 2012
Jon Huntsman Jr. withdraws from the presidential race, ending the momentous occasion of two Mormons running for U.S. president.

Jon Huntsman wasn't in it for long, but he still had time for a few well-written articles to get out there:

Jon Huntsman Jr. picks up a Bush endorsement