Discarding the Ring

I am pretty excited for Amazon Prime's new Lord of the Rings television show. (It comes out tonight.) So far the reviews have been overall positive. The show's effects and visuals are supposed to be incredible (somehow the series' budget is purported to be upwards of $1 billion!*) and outside of knowing Sauron, Galadriel, and Elrond survive throughout the series, I have no idea what's going to happen. Sign me up!

*Based on the number of purchases my household has made on Amazon, we've invested a sizable portion into the budget.

Of Middle Earth and Missionary Work

(Clearly this strip was drawn before Elder Uchtdorf gave this talk.) As long as our missionary force includes primarily young men and women, we'll continue to compare popular culture with the gospel. 

Perhaps the best use of this technique I heard of was from a returned missionary who served in Japan. In his mission, his mission president gave the missionaries permission to share portions of Disney's The Little Mermaid with investigators who struggled with the basic tenants of Christianity. That movie demonstrates a father's love and his willingness to sacrifice for a wayward child in a way that seemed to help crystalize the role of Jesus Christ in the plan of salvation.