Romney Vs Holyfield Charity Fight

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As you may have already heard, former Massachusetts governor and 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney is set to take on five-time heavy weight boxing champ Evander Holyfield in the ring on May 15th. Event proceeds will benefit Charity Vision, a non-profit with the goal of eliminating curable blindness by providing treatment to those who would otherwise be unable to access care.

While Paige Lavender first covered the news in her Huff Post article breaking news of the main event, what you may not already know is that this fight comes complete with an official weigh-in featuring the contenders. The official weigh-in will be held at XCEL Fitness in Holladay, UT on May 14, the night before the main event. As with the main event, proceeds from tickets purchased for the weigh-in will benefit Charity Vision and its efforts to eliminate curable blindness around the world.

The weigh-in event will feature all Fight Night fighters as they complete their physical exams and weigh-in for the big fight the following evening. The Weigh-in roster includes Evander Holyfield and Mitt Romney, as well as fighters Wes Capper, Steve Rolls, Leon Spinks III, and Jose Haro. Evander Holyfield is also scheduled to take the mic to share stories from his career as well as his views regarding the importance of maintaining physical fitness and giving back to the community.

If you’ll be in the SLC area that week, you can purchase tickets online for the weigh-in event. Each $25 General Admission ticket gives the gift of sight to someone with curable blindness. The weigh-in event will take place from 6:00PM to 8:00PM at the local training facility.

The main Fight Night event will be held at the Rail Events Center in Downtown Salt Lake City the following night, May 15, at 6:30PM, and Weigh-in attendees will have the chance to win a pair of tickets to attend the sold-out black-tie gala featuring the headliners as well as preliminary fights between Freddy Spielberg and Gary Cobia, Jordan Smith and Christian Nava, Wesley Capper and Kent On Sippio-Cook, and Leon Spinks III and Rashad Ganaway.

Following the MayPac madness, join in the fun to be at one of the most buzzed about fights this year while helping an amazing cause!

Happy Birthday to Us!

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MMM turns four years old today. Yay!

Image credit: JD Hancock (used with permission)

Visiting Seattle: Adam S. Miller

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Adam Miller has been described as one of the most interesting and important writers in Mormonism today. Richard Bushman has said "Adam Miller is the most original and provocative Latter-day Saint theologian practicing today." Adam is a professor of philosophy at Collin College in McKinney Texas. Adam is the director of the Mormon Theology Seminar, and is the author of five books including Letters to a Young Mormon and Rube Goldberg Machines: Essays in Mormon Theology.

Adam is also visiting Seattle in March. He will speak at the Seattle North Stake Center on March 8th at 7 p.m. on "Boredom as a Fruit of the Spirit." Hope to see you Seattle readers there.

Giveaway Winner: Valley Food Storage 72-Hour Kit

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The good folks over at Valley Food Storage recently contacted us about a partnership. After requesting and sampling some of their food, we were on board. What really sets Valley apart, in our opinion, is the quality of their product - see for yourself how they stack up against other food storage companies.

For this giveaway, Valley Food Storage is rewarding one MMM reader with a two-person 72-Hour Kit, valued at almost $150. And the lucky winner is:

Andrea S (see comment here) - congratulations!

Giveaway Guidelines:
• Winner must respond via email with their address by Friday, February 13th to claim the kit.
• Kit will be mailed directly to winner at Valley's cost if within the United States.

Giveaway: Valley Food Storage 72-Hour Kit

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The good folks over at Valley Food Storage recently contacted us about a partnership. After requesting and sampling some of their food, we were on board. What really sets Valley apart, in our opinion, is the quality of their product - see for yourself how they stack up against other food storage companies.

For this giveaway, Valley Food Storage is rewarding one MMM reader with a two-person 72-Hour Kit, valued at almost $150. Giveaway guidelines are below.

Giveaway Guidelines:
• Leave a comment on this post.
• Seven days to enter (closes Sunday, February 8th at midnight).
• Winner announced Monday, February 9th.
• Winner must respond via email with their address by Friday, February 13th to claim the kit.
• Kit will be mailed directly to winner at Valley's cost if within the United States.

MMM: Seeds of Unorthodoxy

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by Kristine A:

I had always been a strict orthodox Mormon, probably the Mollyest of Mormons. No R-rated movies. No second pair of earrings. I went to Ricks College and threw away all of my shorts and tank tops. I believed that womanhood = motherhood (and motherhood = priesthood) and that a woman's place was in the home. In 2011, after ten years of marriage and one IVF baby, against all rational thought we took a job cross country in Virginia that was a pay cut; leaving a house in Idaho we rented out at a $400/month loss and creating a need for me to work full-time. It didn't make sense, but we prayed about it and it felt right. Little did we know what lay in store for us in Virginia.

I think I can pinpoint the exact moment my faith transition began. I had a Virginia friend share some posts from Modern Mormon Men on Facebook and I began following MMM. Shortly after I read two posts about patriarchy, "The Modern Patriarch" and "The Reluctant Patriarch." I'd never even conceived that a Mormon man could not embrace patriarchy. I'd always embraced "girl power" and "proper roles of women" and had felt that unnamed tension. These two posts left me examining my own beliefs, and I ended up talking to my husband about how I never had been totally comfortable with patriarchy. He looked at me like I was Captain Obvious. Apparently for ten years he had struggled with the fact that I was not exactly submissive and easily entreated towards the presider of the home. He said he knew within a month of marriage that his successful, independent, confident, dynamic wife was not going to fit in the leadership model of the family he'd been hoping for, no matter how orthodoxly Molly Mormon I was. The conversation ended with his promise that the only purpose of the priesthood is to serve, so if I ever felt my daughter and I weren't being served enough by him - I should just let him know and he'd make course corrections. It may seem innocuous, but it was the first time I'd allowed myself to question whether anything my Church had given me was God’s will.

Mormons and Beards: A Survey

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If you are currently, or have ever been, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we'd like to encourage you to take this survey on LDS attitudes toward facial hair.

Take the Survey

Enid's Ten Weird Mormon Halloween Costumes

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Happy Halloween from The Garden of Enid!!!

Sunstone Northwest 2014

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We'll be at Sunstone Northwest on November 15th - come say hi! Registration is open.

MMM Is Changing

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First of all, thank you. Thank you for reading Modern Mormon Men. And a special thanks to those of you who've written for our blog. Thank you for helping us make MMM something that matters. And MMM will continue to matter for a long time, or at least we hope it will. And that's why we're changing.

This post is the product of change. As founders, we've both changed - our motivations differ from when we started MMM. Blogs have changed, both in content and form. Our sense is that there are fewer regular readers of blogs. The church has changed and is engaging the online world in new and different ways. And our permanent contributors have changed - life is busy and sitting down to write monthly isn't always a priority. These reasons and more made us feel like we were growing stagnant and needed a good kick in the pants.

So what is actually changing on the blog? Mainly the way we organize and manage contributors. The harsh line between permanent contributors and guest posters will blur. Over 100 people have written for MMM since its founding in April 2011, and going forward, these 100 and hopefully many, many more will regularly write content for MMM.

Those who write for MMM frequently will be called "Regulars" and will be recognized on our sidebar. Even if you're not a Regular and only occasionally write, you'll still be a part of the MMM family. Your writing will be published as you send it to us and each post will have a link to all your other posts and include your picture and bio. We'll keep in touch, but not too often - writing shouldn't be something you have to do, but something you want to do when the inspiration strikes.

So, will you write for us? We hope you will.

Seattle Jon & Scott Heffernan
Founders, Modern Mormon Men

MMM Library: 9-11 Remembrances

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by Seattle Jon:

What do you remember? Leave a comment ...

Seattle Jon
I was an investment banker in Baltimore on 9-11. I was at my desk when the first and second planes hit the towers. I remember the guy who sat across from me (he was also LDS) turning around and saying, "Hey, there are planes hitting buildings in New York." When the third plane hit the Pentagon, he turned around again and said, "Dude ... I think this is the end of the world." His statement sent chills through me. Soon after, we went down to the trading floor where we watched both towers fall on fifty television screens. It was horrifying to think what our headquartered colleagues across the street from the towers were going through. Baltimore essentially shut down, and I was only able to get out of the city because I knew a few cabbies. I spent the next few days glued to the news, worrying about my wife and daughter in Utah.

Scott Heffernan
I was on a mission in Bristol, England on 9/11. We happened to be tracting door-to-door when the attacks began. We knocked on a woman’s door, introduced ourselves as missionaries, and she curtly told us she was not interested. As we were walking away she said, “Wait…Have you seen what’s going on?...I think you better come in.” We watched her TV in shock and confusion as the first tower burned, a plane crashed into the second tower, and then both towers collapsed. It was a heavy, heavy day and the mission changed a great deal after that.

Giveaway: Murder By Sacrament, A Signature Books Title

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Signature Books continues to be a friend to MMM. They got in touch recently asking if we'd like to giveaway two advance reader copies of Murder By Sacrament, Paul M. Edwards' highly anticipated follow-up to The Angel Acronym. Of course we said yes.

Murder By Sacrament: Murder in the bucolic town of Independence, Missouri, is not everyday news. Especially when it occurs in the temple owned by the Reorganized Mormons. Once again, philosophy instructor and amateur sleuth Toom Taggart becomes embroiled in a homicide investigation. In this second novel, Edwards re-acquaints readers with the likeable, curmudgeonly professor who shocks fellow Latter Day Saints by drinking coffee. By coincidence, Taggart is called to oversee the Church’s education department, just as the author himself was some years ago. This gives Taggart even more reason to explore the inner offices at Church headquarters—places and hushed conversations are not meant for outsiders—all of which the author describes with a wink and a nod. Taggart is annoyed at having to navigate the political structure of the bureaucracy, but he cannot bring himself to leave. He is able to teach, and he likes his proximity to Church archives, local bookstores, and the woman who, according to fate, is still seeing the policeman from The Angel Acronym. All the major characters are back, and Taggart’s romantic rival is given the new murder case, meaning that he has to rely once again on Taggart for his knowledge of the Church’s secrets. This gives both men a reason to keep an eye on the other, making for entertaining situations in a funny, insider send-up of the RLDS community.

Signature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. Signature published its first book, Saintspeak by Orson Scott Card, in 1981, and continues to publish eight to ten books a year dealing with Mormon history, fiction, essay, humor and art. Best-selling and/or award-winning titles from the press include Peterson's The Backslider, Quinn's Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, Compton's In Sacred Loneliness and the diaries of Joseph Smith, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, B. H. Roberts and Reed Smoot, among others. Purchase any of these titles and more through Signature's online store.

For this giveaway, Signature is generously providing two advance reader copies of its forthcoming title Murder By Sacrament. The winners will have a few weeks jump on the rest of you who'll have to wait until the book releases in October. To enter the giveaway, follow the guidelines below.

Giveaway Guidelines:
• Leave a comment on this post.
• Six days to enter (closes Sunday, September 7th at midnight).
• Winners announced week of Monday, September 8th.
• Winners must respond via email with their addresses to claim the books.

Labor Day

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In honor of Labor Day, we present pioneer midwives who between the three of them experienced countless labors (we assume, although Caroline Hardie couldn't have been in high demand - look at that scowl!).

taken from the Relief Society Magazine, 1917

Swagger Wagons

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Good news to all readers on the fence about buying a mini-van because you think they're not cool.

Lost Apostles Events with Authors Marquardt and Shepard

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Signature Books recently published Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism's Original Quorum of Twelve, a compelling and interesting look at six of the original twelve apostles of the restored church. Authors Mike Marquardt and Bill Shepard will be discussing their book at the following events happening this week. Check them out!

Reading and Book Signing
Ken Sanders Rare Books (268 S 200 E, SLC)
Tuesday, July 29th   7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Complementary food from the famous Chow Truck
more info

Various Presentations
2014 Sunstone Salt Lake Symposium
University of Utah Olpin Student Union
July 30th - August 2nd
final program

Garden of Enid Comic Compilation

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Enid comics are posted on the comic homepage regularly on Wednesdays and Sundays and sometimes on days in between. You can also follow the adventures of Enid on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Trust us, this is worth reading and supporting. Some of our recent favorites are below (posted with author's permission).

*****

*****

*****

Another Modern Mormon Man Born

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MMM co-founder Scott Heffernan and his wife Aimee welcomed another boy yesterday (that makes three). Perhaps his recent Big Tent illustration wasn't about room for all in the church after all, but was instead a reminder to buy a bigger tent for when he takes his family camping. Anyway, congratulations Scott and Aimee!

Giveaway 32: Church Books Grab Bag Winner

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The Backslider, Levi S. Peterson, (read reviews) (MMM posts)
Standing on the Promises Book 1: One More River to Cross, Margaret Blair Young and Darius Gray (read reviews)
The Gospel and Man's Relationship to Deity, B. H. Roberts, 1946 Edition (read reviews)
Daughters of Light, Carol Lynn Pearson, (read reviews) (MMM posts)
From Quaker to Latter-day Saint: Bishop Edwin D. Woolley, Leonard J. Arrington (read reviews)

And the winner is: EricL (see comment)

Please respond via email by Friday, June 20th to claim the books.

GO USA! BEAT GHANA!

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Forget blessing your food or thanking Him for a few extra days of kids in school ... pray for U.S.A. goals.

GO U.S.A. BEAT GHANA!

Giveaway 32: Church Books Grab Bag

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Seattle Jon lives a few blocks from one of the few Deseret Industries outside of Utah. With fewer members around to pick over church books, he is constantly buying so these books don't end up in landfills. For this giveaway, we are offering one reader the chance to receive the following gently used church books.

The Backslider, Levi S. Peterson, (read reviews) (MMM posts)
Standing on the Promises Book 1: One More River to Cross, Margaret Blair Young and Darius Gray (read reviews)
The Gospel and Man's Relationship to Deity, B. H. Roberts, 1946 Edition (read reviews)
Daughters of Light, Carol Lynn Pearson, (read reviews) (MMM posts)
From Quaker to Latter-day Saint: Bishop Edwin D. Woolley, Leonard J. Arrington (read reviews)

Giveaway Guidelines:
• Leave a comment on this post.
• Seven days to enter (closes Sunday, June 15th at midnight).
• Winner announced Monday, June 16th.
• Winner must respond via email with their address by Friday, June 20th to claim the books.
• Books will be mailed at our cost if within the United States.