Why “Mormon”?
It’s a nickname, really. While Mormon was an ancient prophet here in the western hemisphere whom we love and respect, and for whom our Book of Mormon is named, it’s a nickname that we don’t really use anymore. We prefer “member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” even though it takes a few seconds longer to say. This longer name reinforces the fact that we’re Christian and keeps clear who leads the church.
Have you seen The Book of Mormon musical?
No, thanks. It makes a mockery of things I hold sacred.
Is there a prophet today? Yes.
Learn about Russell M. Nelson here or more about the restoration.
Is the family important? Yes!
Learn more on The Family: A Proclamation to the World
Links
- My LDS “Art Missionaries” Paper
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- The Book of Mormon
- The Holy Bible
- Valerie Hudson Cassler
A few favorite sermons
“The grace of Christ is sufficient—sufficient to cover our debt, sufficient to transform us, and sufficient to help us as long as that transformation process takes. The Book of Mormon teaches us to rely solely on “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8).”
“Against all odds and with none to help or uphold Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the living Son of the living God, restored physical life where death had held sway and brought joyful, spiritual redemption out of sin, hellish darkness, and despair.”
“All things have been given to us, and the act of choosing from among those things—or exercising our agency—alters the nature of our eternal souls. Each time we choose light, truth, and righteousness we become more like our Heavenly Father and we develop some of His most important characteristics: we expand our knowledge, we increase our capacities, we grow in our compassion and love for others, and we build our testimonies. All of these rewards come because our most important act of agency is to choose to see things from a perspective of eternity—to choose to see things through the vision of our Heavenly Father.”
“In his journal Joseph Smith described himself as “a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else.” What did Joseph mean? He was undergoing user testing. His ideas were in the rapid prototyping department. He was a work in progress.“
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe in the infinite potential of people, both in this life and beyond, especially as it relates to marriage and family.
I married my beautiful and people-loving wife Adriane in the Mesa Arizona Temple in 1999 for time and all eternity, and now have four amazing daughters, and I look forward to marriage and family relationships continuing beyond the grave, not “til death do you part.” Just before dying, President Andrew Jackson said, about his wife Rachel Donelson, “Heaven will be no heaven to me if I do not meet my wife there,” and I couldn’t agree more. This link is great for the purpose of the family.
Missionary
I completed two years of mission work in central Italy from 1994-1996, working in soup kitchens, on farms, assisting those with special needs, teaching English classes, hanging around with African street vendors, and proselytizing, along with a lot of sunburns and sight-seeing. There aren’t enough appropriate words to describe those two years and what they mean to me.
Northwest Arkansas
I belong to the Fayetteville First Ward, of the Springdale Arkansas Stake. There are several of these regional stakes in Northwest Arkansas, and I presently serve on the high council of the stake and enjoy my time in service with the other men of the council. My wife is in the regional stake women’s organization leadership (Relief Society) and my daughters all attend the youth programs.
Temples
Temples are where we perform many sacred ordinances, such as our marriage sealing ceremonies and assistive work for our ancestors. We’re ecstatic to be getting a temple in Bentonville, AR, after many years of hoping and praying. More videos about our temples here.
Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square
One of my wife Adriane Parry Hapgood’s many “claims to fame” is that her great-great-great-great-grandfather John Parry started and was the first director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
