Mormon Media

Now and Forever
Marion D. Hanks

“You must begin by accepting the fact that you are what you are, and then setting to work to be the very best you can be. You are a thinking, communicating, choice, eternal child of God. You are free to choose, to dream, to plan, free to work, to learn, to grow. Because you are who you are and what you are, your ceiling is unlimited. Your objective is to know yourself, value yourself, improve yourself, share yourself, be yourself. Start now to teach and to achieve. There won’t be a better time.”

In this volume, Elder Marion D. Hanks, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, writes to youth, explaining in 64 short articles how young people can grow and fully develop their potential. Many stories from Elder Hanks’ extensive experience with youth are used to convey his message.

In one chapter he relates an experience from a sacrament meeting where the man giving the opening prayer, being short in stature, had lowered the microphone. Every speaker during the rest of the meeting stooped instead of raising the microphone.

“How many of us stay at mediocre levels because someone else ‘adjusted the microphone’ for us at that height? … Refuse to let any other person set standards for you which are not worthy of you or of your high and noble calling or of the name you bear or the commission you have accepted.”

Bookcraft, Inc., 166 pp., $3.50.

Stand Ye in Holy Places
Selected sermons and writings of President Harold B. Lee.

Prepared prior to President Harold B. Lee’s passing in December 1973, this selection of his sermons and writings stands as a printed testimony to his broad understanding of the gospel in action.

The material includes general conference addresses, radio broadcasts, articles from Church publications, and talks delivered to the student body at Brigham Young University.

The volume also contains material prepared for study manuals. In one such article, written for the 1950 M Man and Gleaner Manual, President Lee wrote:

“Not many have seen the Savior face to face here in mortality, but there is no one of us who has been blessed to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism but that may have a perfect assurance of His existence as though we had seen. Indeed, if we have faith in the reality of His existence even though we have not seen, as the Master implied in his statement to Thomas, even greater is the blessing to those who ‘have not seen, and yet have believed’ (John 20:29), for ‘we walk by faith, not sight.’ (2 Cor. 5:7.)

“With such a testimony, the youth of this day go not alone. They ‘shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’ (Ps. 91:1.) If they are beckoned into dens of vice where danger lurks; if they are faced with temptations where wrong decisions mean disaster, if they are confronted with great problems to solve or obstacles to surmount, they will always ask, as did Paul, in the depths of their humility, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ I fancy I can hear the Master’s answer to this question: ‘Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answers to thy prayers.’ (D&C 112:10.)”

Deseret Book Co., 398 pp., $5.95.

Ancient America Speaks
Film: Long version, 28 min., short version, 15 min.; color.

Ancient America Speaks is an archaeological tour through Central and South America highlighting a time period coincident with that recorded in the Book of Mormon. Filmed at various locations of interest and hosted by Paul Cheesman, associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, the tour shows evidences of highly developed civilizations.

An inspection of major discoveries and artifacts reveals that, “In addition to being outstanding metalsmiths, artisans, and builders, these ancient inhabitants were gifted in the art of medicine to an astonishing degree. They were familiar with the use of narcotics, treated abnormal pregnancies, and even performed successful skull operations.”

The film follows the discoveries of contemporary man and then points out that much of what scholars have revealed about these people was recorded centuries ago on metal plates that were translated into the Book of Mormon. It also demonstrates that the people of these past civilizations “… showed a great interest in religion. According to many interesting discoveries that have been made, religion was the center of their lives. There is much evidence of a highly organized priesthood in their religious practices. These early Americans understood the story of the creation of the world, the great flood, the closed ark, the building of the high tower and the confusion of the languages, much the same as they are found in the Old Testament.”

The film closes with a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, a testimony based on knowledge derived from the Spirit.

Produced by BYU’s Department of Motion Picture Production, Ancient America Speaks is available through BYU Educational Media Service and the Deseret Book Company.