greg roper

A back story after the passing of former Jazz player Jose Ortiz: Utah took him with the 15th pick in the 1987 draft. The Jazz had targeted mini-point guard Muggsy Bogues — envisioning him as John Stockton’s backup — but Washington surprisingly took Bogues at No. 12.

The tsunami that hit Indonesia's Aceh Province in December 2004 killed more than 200,000 people and left many more homeless and hungry. Two days later, 'hardline conservative' Pres. Boyd K. Packer rang Alwi Shihab on his mobile phone, providing a model for all Saints to follow.🧵

Yikes!!

The Doctor brought a whole saxophone to the game 😳 🎷 now you can’t even bring a paper sign.

"If I told you there was one free thing you could do every Sunday that would make your kids happier, healthier, smarter, and closer to you, you'd think I was selling something." Take your kids to church regularly. I don't care if you believe. The data is so lopsided that skipping it is the parenting equivalent of refusing vegetables because you don't like the taste. Grades. Religious teens get As at almost twice the rate of nonreligious teens. In a class of 100, that's 24 A-students instead of 14. Church gives a kid the same academic boost as being born rich instead of poor. College. Working-class religious kids earn bachelor's degrees at double the rate of their nonreligious peers. Middle-class kids do it at 1.5x the rate. For families without a trust fund, this is one of the most powerful forms of upward mobility social scientists have measured. Character. Religious teens are far less likely to lie, cheat, or do things they hope their parents never find out about. They're more likely to care about racial equality, the elderly, and the poor. They reject the idea that morality is whatever works for you in the moment. That kind of kid doesn't happen by accident. It's built. Closeness. 60% of parents of religious teens say they feel "extremely close" to their kid, compared to 50% of nonreligious parents. The kids report the same thing back. They get along better with their parents, talk about hard stuff, and actually want to spend time with their family. Despair. Religious teens are dramatically less likely to be depressed, anxious, lonely, or feel that life is meaningless. 90% of devoted religious teens never binge drink, compared to 41% of the disengaged. Economists named the modern epidemic "deaths of despair." Regular church attendance is one of the strongest known buffers against it. Parents are spending fortunes trying to solve teen mental health. The most evidence-backed intervention is free. Purpose. Religious young adults report higher purpose, gratitude, life satisfaction, and resilience. These are the exact traits every parent says they want their kid to have. Here's why it works. Affluent families already surround their kids with networks of stable, accomplished adults through neighborhoods, schools, and parents' colleagues. Working and middle-class families usually don't. A congregation is often the last institution in American life that puts your kid in weekly contact with dozens of stable, employed, sober adults who know their name. It used to be called "a village." Now it barely exists outside of churches. "But I don't believe." Your kid doesn't need your theology. They need you to show up. "But church is boring." So is sitting through a kindergarten music recital. Parenting is the deliberate choice to be bored on purpose for someone you love. There's a church within 15 minutes of nearly every American home. You don't need money, connections, or credentials to walk in. Nothing else in this country will surround your kid with engaged adults, teach them moral seriousness, and give them a stable weekly rhythm at zero cost. You already drive them to practices that produce far less. The free thing on Sunday produces more, on more dimensions, than almost anything else you do as a parent. You don't have to believe anything. You just have to take them.

Gram Parsons pulled an absolute power move: get hired to play jazz piano for the byrds, immediately stop playing piano and switch to guitar, convince them to record an entire country album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and then dip before the album even comes out

(1/2)FUNNEL CLOUD: Mindy Cannon sent me this video of a funnel cloud taking shape just northwest of Fillmore, Utah this afternoon! I sped up the video a little bit so you could see the clear rotation extending down from the cloud. #utwx

I grew up in the church&served a mission. I had been home for 12 years. I sat in a gospel class one day, I felt the same feeling as you are expressing, that I really did not know anything. What, I did know was that God had previously answered my prayers. Peace to you my brother!

@Samsworth_TV @CoachKarl22 Find the fan who got tangled with Coach.

I wonder what @CoachKarl22's side of the story to this one is? Would be interesting to hear what he remembers about it.

This is fun! ⬇️

@RadarOmega North of OKC

While supercells rage across north-central Oklahoma, roost rings have popped up on radar in the western portion of the state! These radar echoes are likely explained by bats emerging from their roosts, which are common in western Oklahoma during the Spring and Summer months!

A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on “x’s and o’s” as compared to time spent learning about people." Mike Krzyzewski,

There are almost 3.6 million people in Utah today. The first census of the United States in 1790 had 3.8 Million people which consisted of 16 states.

Another quiet giant being built right here in Utah

I called the NBA offices to inquire about the coin toss. They had me leave a message.

@JasontheLayman @deznat_dad @LDS_Dems Yikes! Both compilations of holy writ taste sweet to me.

@deznat_dad @LDS_Dems The Book of Mormon continually lies. The Holy Bible continually speaks the truth. The two collections of books couldn't be more spiritually opposite of each other. It's like comparing a bowl of fresh fruit (Holy Bible) to a manure pile (BoM) and saying they taste the same.

According to the Book of Mormon, 4000 years before Christopher Columbus made his treacherous transatlantic journey, the Jaredites accomplished this feat! (Without sails or the mention of a fresh water supply on their year long journey.) Truest book on earth, folks! 😂

I love these lines from this. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, quiet goodness must persevere, even when, as prophesied, a few actually rage in their anger against that which is good. Likewise, the arrogance of critics must be met by the meekness and articulateness of believers.

“Church members will live in this wheat-and-tares situation until the Millennium. Some real tares even masquerade as wheat, including the few eager individuals who lecture the rest of us about Church doctrines in which they no longer believe. They criticize the use of Church resources to which they no longer contribute. They condescendingly seek to counsel the Brethren whom they no longer sustain. Confrontive, except of themselves, of course, they leave the Church, but they cannot leave the Church alone. Like the throng on the ramparts of the “great and spacious building,” they are intensely and busily preoccupied, pointing fingers of scorn at the steadfast iron-rodders. Therefore, brothers and sisters, quiet goodness must persevere, even when, as prophesied, a few actually rage in their anger against that which is good. Likewise, the arrogance of critics must be met by the meekness and articulateness of believers. If sometimes ringed by resentment, we must still reach out, especially for those whose hands hang down. If our shortcomings as a people are occasionally highlighted, then LET US STRIVE TO DO BETTER.” Neal A. Maxwell April 1996 GC #SaintsOnX

It has almost been a week since Easter and the celebration of our Resurrected Savior. The reality of a risen Lord and promised hope of every one of us living once again makes me pause. We must love one another, we are all eternal. ❤️

“I think it would be imprudent and unwise not to have a reserve.” -Elder Bednar This is a masterful interview given by @RyanQualtrics to Elder @BednarDavidA and I encourage everyone to watch the full video. Especially for @FurkanGozukara, @devouringmarrow and @TuckerCarlson . “The people who want to tell us how to spend the money. I would just emphasize one undergirding principle. The assets of The Church are primarily income consuming they are not income producing.” -Elder Bednar Full video: youtu.be/mpm3O1raENw?si…