An Everyday Mormon

Imagine Gandhi, the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa all agreed to speak at a special conference and each in turn would speak anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes about experiences in their lives and give us, their audience, advice on how to live happier and productive lives.  Can you imagine the lines at the ticket booth for this event?  Can you imagine all the news reporters scrambling around to get behind the scenes info or the photographers with press passes trying to sneak a shot of the three together?  Can you imagine the advice we would hear?  Can you imagine how that event might inspire us to be better people and how it’d motivate us to a more meaningful life?  Sadly, this event isn’t likely to happen anytime soon or even in heaven.  But what if I told you there is something just as awesome and inspiring held twice a year every year? That, my friends, is called General Conference in which leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ...

I found myself in quite a predicament this last Friday morning.  My Dad and little brother were coming up for the BYU-UCLA football game here in Provo later that night but I was short one ticket.  I had been responsible for the first time in my life and early in the week set up a deal with two other students that they would give me their student passes for the weekend and in return I would give them 20 dollars.  Simple enough right?  The tickets for my family were all set until late Thursday night, one of my offers fell.  I was bummed, to say the least, and quite afraid I wouldn’t be able to get another student pass lined up.  It was the season opener and EVERYBODY seemed to be going.  It was especially a big deal for me because, besides the fact that my family and I are diehard BYU fans, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity because I had obtained the fourth spot in line, basically meaning front row seats.  I had told my dad the day before ho...