This is a weird week.
We wind down from Christmas festivities and look back on what the old year has brought. At the same time, we start gearing up for what the new year might bring.
In that vein, here is a quick look back along with some blogs/sites that are looking forward.
A quick look back: As one Facebooker put it, it’s definitely been the year of the Mormon when rapper P. Diddy quotes Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Awesome. Oh, and as a side note, this lovely Christmas blog essay from Elder Perry’s son Lee Tom Perry was posted this week.
Looking forward: Prepare for and supplement your Sunday study with these amazing resources. First, you can find 17 images from the life of George Albert Smith courtesy of the LDS Media Library. Or click here to read President Smith’s first conference address as prophet. Or this blogger is providing a topical timeline of President Smith’s life. Click in, scroll through and learn much!
Or, have you seen this BookofMormononline.net site? One word: incredible. For instance, click in to the Facsimiles section to find digitized editions of the Book of Mormon. Or let the computer read the Book of Mormon aloud to you. Check it out!
Finally, do you still need a calendar for 2012? This preparedness blogger has you all set up. Click to download her darling “2012 Calendars." Then print, and voila!
Now let me look around for more year-end stuff to highlight from the Bloggernacle:
Power pick: I love, love, love virtually meeting people from around the world, and the blog Women in the Scriptures has just run a series called "Latter-day Women Around the World." You can meet “Pamela from Finland” and “Emma Lucy in Bosnia” and “Filicity from South Africa” and “Isa from Brazil” and five other incredible women (just scroll down in the link above). I love how their testimonies shine through in these interviews as do their fascinating culture and fantastic personalities. Enjoy!
Techie tip: Last week, the @ldschurch Twitter feed tweeted: “The #LDS #Ensign prototype app is available for Android and iOS tablets only. Download it and leave us feedback.” So what is this Ensign prototype app? You can read all about it here. But here is a snippet: This new app is “a collaborative effort through the church’s Curriculum, Media Services, and Information and Communications Systems Departments. The interactive magazine includes audio, video, links to LDS.org and extra pictures not available in the printed version.” So cool! If you received a new tablet for Christmas, be one of the first to try this new magazine prototype!
Emily Warburton Jensen loves searching through the LDS blog world for developments and testimonies that best capture the ever-evolving LDS online experience. Email: ejensen@desnews.com
Email: ejensen@desnews.com