DevanJensen

BYU–Hawaii is celebrating the university’s 60 th anniversary with a new book titled BYU–Hawaii: Prophetic Destiny . Capitalizing on the foundational writings of historian Kenneth Baldridge, former BYU communications professor Alf Pratte and past BYU–Hawaii president Eric B. Shumway teamed up to write the full-color, illustrated history of BYU–Hawaii. This book begins with a chronology and tells the stories of its presidents, including important details of how the university came to be. The authors tell the story of young apostle David O. McKay’s 1921 visit to the Church elementary school in Laie, where he witnessed a flag ceremony by children of many nationalities. He envisioned a Church institution of higher learning in Laie. President McKay commissioned Reuben D. Law to build facilities, hire teachers, and begin classes. At the February 1955 groundbreaking ceremony, President McKay prophesied of the school’s global impact in training and preparing future leaders. Intersperse...

Left to right: Paul A. Hoffman (attorney), Devan Jensen (executive editor at BYU Religious Studies Center), Katherine Brimhall (Daughters of Utah Pioneers), Jackson Barlow (Eagle Scout in Alpine, Utah), and Elder Steven E. Snow (Church Historian and Recorder, November 11, 2015. Elder Steven E. Snow, Church Historian and Recorder, dedicated a new Daughters of Utah Pioneers plaque to Lt. Henry Wells Jackson, Utah's only known Civil War fatality. About a hundred people gathered for the ceremony at the Pioneer Memorial Museum in Salt Lake City on November 11, 2015. The plaque is attached to a Civil War Monument located across the street from the museum on the southwest corner of the Utah State Capitol grounds. This was an Eagle Scout project by Jackson Barlow of Alpine, Utah, to honor his namesake ancestor. Jackson, Dona, and David Barlow next to Henry Wells Jackson plaque at Civil War Monument on Utah State Capitol grounds. Following are links to articles about how the pla...

Del Parson, Christ Appears to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. In 1833 the Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons) experienced great trials and hardships in Ohio and Missouri but chose to sacrifice their time and money the build the house of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio. In 1836 Joseph Smith Jr. prayed mightily to dedicate the temple as a place for the Son of Man "to manifest himself to his people" (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:5). He prayed that the Saints might be armed with power and blessed by angels (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:22). Many there testified that they experienced divine manifestations, including a vision of the Savior Jesus Christ and appearance of several angels who restored priesthood keys (see Doctrine and Covenants section 110). Historian Keith W. Perkins has written  here  about the construction, dedication, and miraculous events. Historian Steven C. Harper detailed the historical context  here . After the Saints relucta...

It takes a fairly strenuous course of training to attain to a mental state of nonviolence. In daily life it has to be a course of discipline though one may not like it, like, for instance, the life of a soldier. But I agree that, unless there is a hearty cooperation of the mind, the mere outward observance will be simply a mask, harmful both to the man himself and to others. The perfect state is reached only when mind and body and speech are in proper coordination. But it is always a case of intense mental struggle. It is not that I am incapable of anger, for instance, but I succeed on almost all occasions to keep my feelings under control. What, ever may be the result, there is always in me a conscious struggle for following the law of nonviolence deliberately and ceaselessly. Such a struggle leaves one stronger for it.  Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong. With the weak it might easily be hypocrisy. Fear and love are contradictory terms. Love is reckless in giving away,...

Shy, tongue-tied, twenty-three-year-old Mohandas Gandhi left India for South Africa as an attorney. With little knowledge of South African law, he found himself in over his head with a particularly difficult case involving accusations of bookkeeping impropriety. He chose to immerse himself in the case and learn bookkeeping. Then he made a life-changing decision to help both parties work through their intense emotions to find reasonable solutions that would satisfy all.  Regarding this event, he wrote in 1927:  "I had learnt the true practice of law. I had learnt to find out the better side of human nature and to enter men's hearts. I realized the true function of a lawyer was to unite parties riven asunder. The lesson was so indelibly burnt into me that a large part of my time during the twenty of my practice as a lawyer was occupied in bringing about private compromises of hundred of cases. I lost nothing thereby--not even money, certainly not my soul" (Eknath Easwa...

Gary Harper  wrote a profound article called "Conflict Drama: Victim, Villain or Hero?" A Drama Triangle As in fairy tales or movies, we often tell our own story with three types of characters: victim (damsel in distress or innocent youth); villain (witch, giant, or dragon); and hero (prince or princess). We tend to cast ourselves in the role of innocent victim or noble hero and define ourselves in opposition to a villain. Casting ourselves in these roles may, however, hinder getting what we really want. Innocent victim "Because conflict involves an attack or threat to us or our needs, we feel victimized. With the victim role comes a belief in our innocence as well as a feeling of powerlessness. . . . Although some people suffer in silence, we often express our frustration by complaining about the situation and blaming the person we see as responsible for our plight (the villain)." Noble hero "Though we initially experience conflict from vict...

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.  At this the servant fell on his knees before him. "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I will pay back everything."  The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.  When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He angrily grabbed him and began to choke him. "Pay back what you owe me!" he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay it back."  But the first servant refused. Instead, he had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they wer...