"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
Springville,
Utah, publisher Cedar Fort offers a couple of new titles for the LDS
market, aimed at teens and young adults and their leaders.
Doubt
Your Doubts: Seeking Answers to Difficult Gospel Questions
tackles challenging topics such as polygamy, homosexuality, and women
and the priesthood, along with finding a place in the Church,
discovering a testimony, and accepting the gift of the Atonement.
Offering
his own and anecdotal experience to back him up, author Chad P.
Conrad, a 20-year teaching veteran of LDS seminary and institute,
discusses the marriage decision in the context of understanding how
revelation works and may be misused or misinterpreted, especially
when emotions are strong.
The
topic discussions are in-depth and common-sense, quoting leaders and
scriptures and sharing personal experiences as well as examples from
LDS Church history. In “Facing Death,” he describes
tenderly his mother’s passing and peace the family felt because
of their faith in God’s plan. Another chapter examines
questions youth frequently ask about the Second Coming.
Conrad
also explains doctrinal differences between “Mormon
Christianity” and “main-line Christian”
denominations — useful comparisons that more Latter-day Saints
should be aware of — and urges friendship in place of
animosity.
Doubt
Your Doubts is an accessible and
excellent resource for the leaders and teachers of youth and young
adults as well as that age group themselves (CFI 2015, 292 pages in
soft cover $18.99).
Young
adults looking for create ways to get to know each other — as
individuals and potential partners — have a readable resource
in 150 Creative Dates for Couples
at Every Stage. That means from
first date to getting-to-know-you-better to engagement and beyond
(Plain Sight Publishing 2014, 170 pages in soft cover $12.99).
Haley
Miller, speaking from experience, offers doable ideas from
outdoors/nature to “Walking and Talking” to romantic and
even long-distance relationships.
“Dating
is first and foremost about getting to know another person,”
she writes in the intro, “so sitting silently beside each other
at the movies or careening down the ski slopes with your date just
doesn’t cut it. [Besides fun], the activities ... should also
be useful for discovering what type of person your partner is.”
To
that end, this young author serves up 168 fun-to-peruse pages of
ideas, including fun and games, arts and crafts, cultural and
culinary arts, and seasonal/holiday. She always includes “The
Why” along with “The What” and often adds a few
words of advice on “Keeping it Cheap,” “Talking
Tips,” or suggested films that follow the theme.
One
section is devoted to group activities that lend themselves to more
than just being there, and another outlines ideas for bad weather and
Plan B. A fun-to-read (as well as -try) resource.
Laurie
Williams Sowby has been writing since second grade and getting paid
for it since high school. Her byline ("all three names, please")
has appeared on more than 6,000 freelance articles published in
newspapers, magazines, and online.
A
graduate of BYU and a writing instructor at Utah Valley University
for many years, she proudly claims all five children and their
spouses as college grads.
She
and husband, Steve, have served three full-time missions together,
beginning in 2005 in Chile, followed by Washington D.C. South, then
Washington D.C. North, both times as young adult Institute teachers.
They are currently serving in the New York Office of Public and
International Affairs
During
her years of missionary service, Laurie has continued to write about
significant Church events, including the rededication of the Santiago
Temple by President Hinckley and the groundbreaking for the
Philadelphia Temple by President Eyring. She also was a Church
Service Missionary, working as a news editor at Church Magazines,
between full-time missions.
Laurie
has traveled to all 50 states and at least 45 countries (so far).
While home is American Fork, Utah, Lincoln Center and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art have provided a comfortable second home.
Laurie
is currently serving a fourth full-time mission with her husband in
the New York Office of Public and International Affairs. The two
previously served with a branch presidency at the Provo Missionary
Training Center. The oldest of 18 grandchildren have been called to
serve missions in New Hampshire and Brisbane, Australia.
