way cool professor

Homework and Missionary Work Come Together on Student Blogs

Ashley Evanson 12/02/2008 02:59 PM MST

Blogging is more than just posting family pictures, dishing on your favorite things, or a soapbox for you to stand on and spill your heart out. In the eyes of one BYU professor, blogging is how he and students share the gospel worldwide.

For his religion class this semester, Richard Holzapfel changed his usual scripture log assignment to an online blogging assignment where students write their thoughts and feelings on gospel subjects.

“I read Elder Ballard’s call for members of the Church to engage in the online dialogue about the Church this past summer [Ensign, July 2008],” Holzapfel said. He soon thereafter heard a returned missionary expressing disappointment in no longer being able to continue his mission work. “It hit me. We can continue doing missionary work in Provo and at BYU because ‘The world is our campus,’ and the world is alive online.”

In Elder Ballard’s Ensign talk, he wrote, “The emergence of new media is facilitating a worldwide conversation on almost every subject, including religion, and nearly everyone can participate.”
Holzapfel asked his religion classes to create a blog for the sole purpose of Gospel discussion. “I asked them to be ‘real,’” he said.

He explained the impact he and students can have by comparing the situation to cars. People aren’t always convinced by a car commercial, but if their friend has a new car and likes it, they might be more willing to buy one because of the non-authoritative recommendation. “The Church Web site is important,” he said. “However, people will more likely listen to real, flesh and blood members than the official Web site.”

Ryan Howard from State College, Pa., is one of professor Holzapfel’s students. He told BYU’s newspaper the Daily Universe that he was hesitant about the assignment at first.
“After we discussed it a little in class, I realized that blogging can actually be a pretty effective way to get ideas and opinions out there, and in the context of this assignment, increase the amount of pro-Mormon material on the Web,” he said.

Holzapfel said he and students have already seen positive results, engaging in conversations about the gospel with people all over the world.


To read Holzapfel’s blog, go to rsc.byu.edu/blog. For a full list of his students’ blogs, e-mail ashleyk@ldsliving.com with the word “blog” in the subject line.
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Topher tells a funny

So I was out blogging around (oh hush, you know you do it too) and came across this.

And I really wanted the rest of you to read it. And laugh.

Advent Conspiracy

This is from April.

I love it. Go and visit her and see how great she is.

Other Peoples Christmas Decorations

Here is my third installment of other peoples Christmas junk:

This is my favorite so far. I think I will be making one of these. Someday. Like 2013. Maybe.

Head over to Green Jello and look at her fab Advent wall hangy thingy

Dinner

This is from today's Serious Eats Newsletter. I am in LOVE. I want to eat this 3 meals a day for the next week. Really.

Can you believe this kind of lusciousness greets me in my Inbox? I am one lucky girl...

Bubble and Squeak
- serves 4 -
Adapted from April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig.
Ingredients
1 pound green or Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced/shredded

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

6 tablespoons butter
1 to 1 1/2 pounds leftover mashed potatoes, or 1 pound potatoes, boiled and mashed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and add the onions with a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until soft, then add the cabbage. Cook for an additional 15 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
2. In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with the cabbage mixture, stirring thoroughly to combine. Adjust the seasoning, then mold into 4 patties.
3. Heat the remaining butter in the same skillet and fry the patties until brown. Transfer to an oven-proof dish and heat through in the oven as the patties come off the skillet. Multiple skillets can be used to expedite things.
4. When all the patties are in the oven, fry 4 eggs in butter. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper.

Witty Wednesday/Christmas Stuff

Sent to me by my SIL Jennifer:

LOST IN THE DARNDEST PLACES:

An elderly Floridian called 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into.

She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: 'They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake pedal and even the accelerator!' she cried.

The dispatcher said, 'Stay calm. An officer is on the way.'


A few minutes later, the officer radios in. 'Disregard.' He says. 'She got in the back-seat by mistake.'


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On a completely different note, here is part 2 of

Pictures of Other peoples Christmas Decorations

(Is that what I even called it last time?)

Jan Mary is posting pictures of her decorations. One post for each day of December. She is a digital scrap booker, so if you are needed some digital scrap booking help, just pop on over.

To her blog. You could go to her house, but she lives in Ireland. Yes, she is a leprechaun.

Just kidding. I hope that isn't an ugly thing to say in Ireland. When I lived in Hong Kong people there used to think I came from a family of gangsters because I had lived in Chicago. I was never offended, just mildly amused. So please Jan Mary, just be mildly amused at my lame attempt at humor.

Okay, now that I have offended everyone of Irish descent. HOLD ON. I am of Irish descent.

Just go and look at her Christmas pics!!

my favorite price: FREE

Another for my LDS friends. And really they have lots of stuff any Christian family would want....

FREE SHIPPING today only at Deseret Book (December 2)

The only catch is that you have to spend $50. But I always spend $50, so it is not much of a catch for me. ha ha

enter the code Free50 and you are set!

Now hurry and finish your Christmas shopping with out leaving your house. That is the way I do it and I know you all want to be just like me.

No autographs, please

Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!!!!!!!


I noticed that someone had linked to me from a page I had never heard of.


My blog is mentioned on MormonTimes.com

I am a freaking Mormon celebrity.

okay, she doesn't actually mention me personally but she has a link to my post about the apostle song. I can't even remember where I found that now.

Oh my gosh. Have I mentioned that yet?


SO I can't even think straight now. But I wanted to let you all know that in my perfect organization I have my advent countdown box thingy ready and filled up until Christmas. First year ever! Usually I am scrounging 10 minutes before it is time for one of the kids to open it.

And it is snowing. Can you believe it? It is 37 degrees out though, so it is just muddy on the ground.

So I feel the need to be really witty and useful so these new visitors will like me.

That is really lame to even think!

What I really need to do are get the pictures from William's Eagle Court of Honor on here. And figure out what to get my mother for Christmas. And what to get Lucy for Christmas.


Help, please.

Pictures of other peoples decorations

As you all start posting pictures of your Christmas trees and decorations I have decided to live vicariously through you.

Because I am not a decorator. I would even be unable to play one on TV. I just can't seem to motivate. But I can bake. See, I do have Christmas skills, but they are consumable skills. Anyway, I am starting a new , ummm, thingy here at Dahhhling I love You.


PICTURES OF OTHER PEOPLES DECORATIONS

Great idea, right? Cause I won't have pictures of my own decorations. We will have to put up a tree because my parents are coming. Sooo, I need to be sure and have that up by December 23, in the afternoon.

You will be happy to know that I purchased some new lights for the tree because we discovered at Halloween that ALL of ours were dead. If that seems like a weird thing to discover at Halloween, let me explain. I went to Trunk or Treat at Church. AND I decorated my area.

I know, good job Cynthia. I wanted to use our lights to light up the 3 carved Pumpkins that we had. I cut holes in the back and stuffed the lights in since we have a no candle rule in the church building.

Our tree lights were all dead, as I said, so I used the dangly outside lights that we haven't hung up in ten years. They worked fine.


So, without further ado here is a link to my friend Lisagh at Grograin Garage. I can give you a commentary on what you will see at Lisagh's:

Preppy pink and green stuff.
monogrammed stuff
these banana shoe things that she really likes (they go between your toes and seam to cost more that $30, so I am out)
Canada
key fobs
naughty kitties
an AWOL sock monkey

I LOVE her blog. I always have fun reading it. I think it is the blogs of people with totally different lives than the ones we live that are the funnest to read, don't you guys think so too? Is that are really ridiculous run-on?


She has a problem that worries me, too. curious kitties.

Will I have an installment of "How Esme destroyed the Christmas Tree?"

Man I hope not. Adrian has been threatening her with a trim of her whiskers whenever she is naughty. He is just trying to tease the girls and me.

I think.

Oh, here is the LINK