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There is much being written out on the ‘net about Mormons. Every so often, we’ll search the web for a few stories posted by Latter-day Saint bloggers that we think you may enjoy, with links to the entries themselves.

Here are some stories from out in the blogs that we found fun and enlightening.

1–Where is the Altar?

When Adam left the Garden, he built an altar.  Abraham made an altar where he almost sacrificed Isaac.  When Lehi and his family camped in the wilderness, he built an altar.  In our temples we kneel at sacred altars to make covenants.

So, then, if our homes are sacred, and like temples, where is the sacred altars of our homes?  This is answered poetically in “The Sacred Altar of the Home” by Momza at Mormonmommybloggers.

2–Hmmm…  It doesn’t SMELL like fish…

OK, here’s a party treat that is just so original, it has to be announced.  The world must know.  For those that don’t like a slice of raw tuna on rice wrapped in seaweed, or for those that can’t handle crab and cream cheese sprinkled with fish eggs, here you go.

Candy and Rice Crispy Treat Sushi!  We know!  We don’t think we would have believed it either, if she hadn’t posted pictures.  Our favorite is the one with the swedish fish…

3–And now, one from a father in Zion

We all know that you can’t raise all of your kids the same way.  They’re just too unique.  It’s a trick they pull.  We think they decide to do it in the pre-existence.  They say, “I’ll set him up for this, then when he thinks he’s got it figured out, you’ll come along, we’ll pull the rug out from under him!”

So, this Mormon Dad is facing raising a young daughter after being accustomed to his other two sons.  Much silliness ensues…

The last few weeks have been filled with stories of inspiring people making a difference in the lives of people they do not know. I have been amazed at the charity people can show in times of need. Service is all around and yet sometimes many feel they do not know how they can help. I hope the stories I will share will help you to reach out and make a difference.

My daughter was invited to attend a party in which her friends were making t-shirts to sell and donate the funds to those in Haiti. At the same party, posters were made for the school to help the people of Haiti also. My daughter thought it was so wonderful to be apart of a service project that was not a part of young women’s or another organization, but rather just a group of girls trying to make a difference.

I met another woman who shared a story of how she was a refuge who had escaped from her countries oppression. They got a sponsor to help bring her family to the Utah Valley. She did not speak a word of English, they were poor and tried to learn the holidays and customs of the United States. Because of her struggle and difficulties with living in a new country, she decided to go into a job that would help people like her. She now works at a non-profit organization that feeds families, provides services for families in need and educates families on how to manage their funds to stop the cycle of poverty. She has been working in this field for 20 years.

Over Christmas break, a family decided to go to another country and help build a school. They brought their older children ranging from 9 to 13. Instead of opening presents in the comforts of their home around a Christmas tree, they were working hard at literally building a school. They were painting, cutting wood and using a hammer. They said it was a lot of work but it was the best Christmas they had ever had. Instead of receiving physical gifts, they were giving.

I share these very short versions of people making a difference to show that there is no limit to the possibilities we have to help. We do not need to be a part of an organization to make an impact. The Lord needs us to serve outside the bounds of what we do daily. We can be a voice for those in need. We can take the talents we’ve been given and use them to bless the lives of others. As written in Mosiah 2:17, “When ye are in service of fellow beings, ye are in service of God.” It is my hope that all of us can find some time is our busy schedules to lighten the load of someone in need or gather people together to make a bigger impact. No matter the size of service, the Lord needs us.

Wendy M. Johnson

How do we know when as a family we are too busy? How can we tell when our children are in too many activities? I think each family faces these questions at one time or another. When I think of answering them I think of many other questions to ask: Are my children leaving the home in the morning without a prayer? Are they going to bed without a family prayer? Are we eating dinner in the car five nights a week? I have five children and have a carpool route for each one of them. Our children have three different departure times in the morning, between 5:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Do I wake them all up at 5:30 a.m. to say a family prayer? We are still trying to figure that out.

Some of our children are in activities they love. But when these activities, combined with many children, contribute to us neglecting our family prayer and scripture reading, then we may be too busy. Family time all too often contains memories of someone missing from an activity because another activity was too important. I have mentioned before that Sundays are my favorite days. It’s a time to rest and just talk with my family. Each Sunday our family sits for a period of about 20 minutes before bedtime to say our family prayers, read the scriptures and write in our journals. I keep the journals underneath our family room table and they are easy to pull out and use. I ask my children to write about something spiritual they can think of that happened during the week. The journals, I think, will be cherished treasures.

I think at this time in life (when kids would rather text for hours, go on facebook or be at a friends house), it is so important that we as families have family meetings to set the standard for each day – including scripture study and family prayer time. I think it is important to prepare our children to be stronger then they are now, and to determine what is important to the family as a whole. May we set a time aside each day to show our children what really matters in life, and set an example of being an unconquerable spirit against those activities that take us away from spiritual family moments. As stated in The Family Proclamation, “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”