“Of All Things,” New Era, Nov. 2004, 34
Of All Things
Write On!
It’s time to prepare your entry for the BYU English Department writing contest for high school students. This is the first year that entries are not restricted to LDS students only.
Cash prizes will be awarded in the categories of fiction, poetry, personal essay, and critical essay. You may submit only one entry per category.
Submit your entries between 1 January 2005 and 31 January 2005. You can get all the rules and an application form at the contest Web site: http://English.BYU.edu/awards/LDShs.htm.
Or you can contact Professor Elizabeth Wahlquist at RE:WRITING Chair, 3125 JKHB, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. You can also call (801) 422-4938 or e-mail her at elizabeth_wahlquist@byu.edu.
They Spoke to Us
General conference talks have messages directed to you. See “They Spoke to Us” in the November Ensign and Liahona for specific talks like these:
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Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles tells how you can know if you’ve been forgiven in “Peace of Conscience and Peace of Mind.”
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What’s so bad about pornography? Read what President Gordon B. Hinckley says in “A Tragic Evil among Us.”
Love and Charity
With the theme “a love of God and of all men” (2 Ne. 31:20) for their values night, the young women of the Glasgow Scotland Stake were asked to bring at least one toiletry item to help with a service project. The results far outstripped the expectations of their leaders. With 28 girls in attendance, they filled 29 small boxes to overflowing. The young women decorated boxes with wrapping paper and stuffed them full of toiletry items. Then they donated the filled boxes to several charities.
Where Can I Turn for Peace?
In 1971, Emma Lou Thayne and Joleen G. Meredith, members of the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association General Board, wrote a hymn for a Laurel conference. Even though the hymn’s title is “Where Can I Turn for Peace?” the two women called it the “telephone hymn,” because they composed it together over the telephone. They wanted the hymn’s message of peace to teach that though everyone has difficult moments, the ultimate source of peace and comfort is the Savior: “Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching. Constant he is and kind, Love without end” (see Hymns, no. 129).
Info Source
If you need to look for a job, teach a lesson on food storage, or research a practical topic, www.providentliving.org would be a great place to start. This Church Web site offers information on many topics, such as social and health issues like exercise and diet, and financial advice like ways to save for a mission. It even gives ideas on ways to serve people. You can also access this site by clicking on the Provident Living link at the Church’s main Web site, www.lds.org.
Book of Mormon Hero: Who Am I?
Read about my life and try to figure out who I am. Then discover more about me from the scripture references below.
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I am the lesser-known brother of a famous prophet of God.
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I helped keep the sacred history of my people.
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Over 400 years after my death, Moroni, the son of Mormon, used me in his writings as an example of great faith in Jesus Christ.
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My father asked me never to forget the words of King Benjamin.
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During my early years, my father was elected chief judge in a contentious political campaign.
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One night, one of my father’s faithful servants saved my father’s life.
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At a young age, I preached the word of God among my people.
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My older brother is mentioned in the scriptures more often than I am, but we worked closely together.
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The prophet Mormon wrote of me that I was “not a whit behind” my brother in power and authority from God.
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During my life, many of the Lamanites and Nephites were members of the Church and lived in peace.
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After being cast into prison, my brother and I were encircled about as if by fire but were not burned.
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In my later years, the Lamanites became more righteous than the Nephites.
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When I think of my name, I remember the first father of my people.