Jeff Hampton

Famous Latter-day Saints

6 Latter-day Saint Authors Whose Books Became Movies

By Jeff Hampton

June 29, 2019 09:19 AM MDT

The following story originally ran on LDS Living in 2015 and has been updated to include recent information.

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

5 Things Severus Snape Taught Me About Living the Gospel

By Jeff Hampton

May 02, 2019 09:20 AM MDT

Spoiler Alert: This article assumes the reader is familiar with the plot of the Harry Potter series. If you aren’t, you should stop reading now, pick up the first book, and have your mind blown by its excellence. Then come back and read this.

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Harrowing Story of a Convert Missionary Trapped in Civil War

By Jeff Hampton

January 05, 2019 05:00 PM MST

In 1980, a man named Samuel Doe led a military coup d'état that overthrew the elected government of Liberia. Doe became the country's president, and, over the course of his 10 years in power, Liberia was ravaged by a civil war until rebels eventually assassinated President Doe, who belonged to the Krahn tribe. Suddenly, the life of any Liberian citizen of the Krahn tribe was in danger.

8 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

The Famous Car Logo a Latter-day Saint Inspired

By Jeff Hampton

September 20, 2018 02:30 PM MDT

One evening, legendary sculptor Avard Fairbanks got a call from the engineers at Dodge automobile company. As he recalled, "they explained that they had 10,000 cars that needed hood ornaments and they wanted something as attractive as the ornament on a Rolls Royce, but for the cheapest car! I took along my clay and an animal book by my friend . . . and spent the next several days at their headquarters."

2 Min Read

Fun

10 Little-Known Facts About the Pioneer Trek West

By Jeff Hampton

July 03, 2018 09:00 AM MDT

Today, we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrate our pioneer heritage. Stories will be told and heroes will be remembered—the bravery of the Saints at Winter Quarters, the sacrifice of the selfless young men on the banks of the Sweetwater, and the deep relief of Brother Brigham's famous declaration, "This is the right place. Drive on."

3 Min Read

Fun

4 Epic Church Commercials That Are So '80s

By Jeff Hampton

June 08, 2018 09:07 AM MDT

The Church is pretty good at filming stuff. When the full-length feature Meet the Mormons was released in theaters throughout the country, it was a crowning moment in our long history of cinematic exposure. And let's not forget about Church video campaigns, such as I'm a Mormon and Because He Lives, which have provided our faith with excellent publicity for years.

1 Min Read

Fun

8 times unicorns were mentioned in the bible

By Jeff Hampton

May 15, 2018 02:05 PM MDT

From Noah's Ark to Jonah and the whale, many stories and verses found in the Old Testament fly in the face of modern scientific discovery.

2 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

10 famous Latter-day Saints who served missions (and where)

By Jeff Hampton

March 06, 2018 10:01 PM MST

The prominence of being a celebrity might be taxing at times, but it does provide a unique opportunity for people to publicly share and stand up for their beliefs.

11 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

Top 12 Latter-day Saint NFL players of all time

By Jeff Hampton

February 01, 2018 10:00 PM MST

From Haloti Ngata to Steve Young, take a look back at some of the best Latter-day Saint NFLers.

7 Min Read

Fun

Angels Don't Have Wings + 4 More Things We Know About Them

By Jeff Hampton

October 05, 2017 04:32 PM MDT

We sing about them in beloved Christmas hymns. We read about them in holy scripture. We even have one of them standing triumphantly atop our temples. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we wholeheartedly believe in the existence of angels.

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Mountain Meadows Massacre: 5 things every Latter-day Saint should know

By Jeff Hampton

September 11, 2017 08:44 AM MDT

On September 11th, 1857, a group of Latter-day Saint militiamen persuaded a band of passing emigrants to march down a trail in Mountain Meadows, Utah. Under the pretense of protection and following the orders of their local Church leaders, these militiamen proceeded to execute 120 men, women, and children.

7 Min Read

Fun

5 Gospel Themes Found in Harry Potter

By Jeff Hampton

September 19, 2016 09:00 AM MDT

On the surface, the phenomenon that is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series may appear to simply be a well-crafted narrative about a young wizard destined to save his magical world from evil.

5 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

LDS TV Host Who Investigates Hauntings & UFOs Finds Surprising Ways to Share His Faith

By Jeff Hampton

August 04, 2016 04:30 PM MDT

Ben Hansen once climbed into a cage, then stared great white sharks in the eye as the cage was lowered into the water. "I thought that if I could do that . . . I could do anything in life," Hansen later said. That experience, daring though it may have been, wasn't the scariest thing he has ever had to do. It took him four more years to get up the courage to make the ultimate committment—buying an engagement ring.

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Teen With Cancer Starts Foundation to Make Other Cancer Patients' Dreams Come True

By Jeff Hampton

August 01, 2016 03:32 PM MDT

Alec Unsicker has walked in the shoes of cancer patients. That's why the 18-year-old Latter-day Saint, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 11, created the AJU Foundation.

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

Mormon Channel: 6 Signs You Might Be in an Emotionally Abusive Relationship

By Jeff Hampton

July 27, 2016 04:00 PM MDT

Most romantic relationships start out good, but they don't all end that way. Sadly, for every stroll into the sunset somebody takes with a new life partner, somebody else gets stuck in an emotionally abusive relationship.

2 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

Former BYU Basketball Star Kyle Collinsworth Signs with NBA Team

By Jeff Hampton

July 21, 2016 01:50 PM MDT

Kyle Collinsworth graduated from BYU in April as perhaps the most complete basketball player in school history. As the WCC Player of the Year, he is BYU's all-time leader in rebounds and assists, and over the course of his career, he accumulated more triple-doubles (12) than any player in college basketball history.

1 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

LDS Athlete Barely Misses Olympic Games After Controversial Track Race

By Jeff Hampton

July 14, 2016 07:30 PM MDT

Shaquille Walker has been a star since the second he stepped on campus at BYU. The middle distance runner came to college a two-time Georgia state champion in the 800 meter (half-mile) run, then proceeded to really excel—breaking school and national records and earning All-American Honors. Sadly for BYU fans, Walker recently announced he would forego his senior season and join a professional running team.

2 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How an LDS Family with 3 Million YouTube Followers Stands for Their Faith

By Jeff Hampton

July 08, 2016 02:00 PM MDT

With 3 million subscribers and nearly 6 billion views, Family Fun Pack is one of the biggest channels on YouTube. The channel follows parents Kristine and Matt, along with their five children—Alyssa, David, Zac, Chris, and Michael—in their day-to-day lives. They post a daily video, coinciding with their motto: "fun with the family, every day."

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

BYU Study Reveals One of the Biggest Mistakes Parents Make + 4 Things Your Kids Need to Learn

By Jeff Hampton

July 07, 2016 06:20 PM MDT

There are so many dangers and pitfalls in the world, it often seems as though parenting is making sure our children don't do certain things. Don't touch that hot stove. Don't run into the street. Don't take drugs.

5 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

Blind LDS Athlete to Compete in 2016 Paralympic Games

By Jeff Hampton

July 05, 2016 05:00 PM MDT

Meet the LDS paralympic athlete who just qualified for the 2016 Games in Rio.

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Incredible Story of the Stake Center That Became a Jewish Synagogue

By Jeff Hampton

March 18, 2016 09:00 AM MDT

It was a Saturday morning like any other.

7 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

7 Mormons Who Made March Madness History

By Jeff Hampton

March 15, 2016 09:00 AM MDT

Is your bracket filled out? Good. Mine is too.

4 Min Read

Fun

Why Brigham Young Commissioned a "Mormon Alphabet"

By Jeff Hampton

March 06, 2016 10:49 PM MST

Though it's the primary language of the United States, English is notoriously difficult to learn. And despite having fewer native speakers than both Mandarin and Spanish, it's the most widely spoken language in the entire world—which means lots of people have had to learn it. It's a challenging task for all who undertake it, and that was the problem Brigham Young hoped to solve when he ordered that the board of regents at the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah) create a new alphabet.

2 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

Mitt Romney Warns Americans About Dangers of 2016 Presidential Election

By Jeff Hampton

March 03, 2016 04:00 PM MST

Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, arguably the most prominent Mormon in politics today, addressed a crowd of college students and reporters at the University of Utah on Thursday morning in a speech that could shape the future of the upcoming presidential election.

2 Min Read