Church of Latter-Day Saints: What is a mission?

  Many peers from my high school in Colorado Springs associated with the Mormon religion and regularly attended the Church of Latter-Day Saints. Recently, all of the devout LDS church members have been called to serve on missions. Every male and female between the ages of 18 and 21 serve anywhere in the world to spread their faith for about 1.5 to 2 years. Some missions even include language immersion.
  Students from my old school have been called mostly to areas within the United States (most common). Language immersion mission occurred in the most unlikely places: Oregon, New York, Connecticut, etc.
Here's a link to refer to more information concerning Mormon missions:
http://www.mission.net/en/main_missionfaq.html

Top 10 Psalms According to @BibleSummary

This link relates to class because we reviewed the laws original Christians lived by, including the book of Psalms. I believe the Bible serves as a way to teach life lessons, and should be followed metaphorically -- I know one passage states shellfish cannot be eaten. Anyways, enjoy!
http://www.biblesummary.info/blog/2012/04/top-10-psalms

Some Controversial Material

Since this week's lecture included topics on homosexuality in the Christian faith, I wanted to post a related story from my hometown (once again). As I mentioned in my most recent post, New Life church has been surrounded in scandal a few times in recent history, and I wanted to share some inside information regarding what I heard about Ted Haggard -- because I did, in fact, attend New Life at one point in time. Before I dive into such a controversy, please take note that I'm trying to remove my opinion from this epic simply because tension within their family is absolutely none of my business. Please take all of this information with a grain of salt. All accounts of this story I witnessed from members of New Life, local news broadcasting, Oprah and Celebrity Wife Swap (yes, Ted Haggard was recognized nationally).
Wikipedia has an article about him if you're exceptionally curious:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Haggard
Ted Haggard founded New Life church in the 1980s and served as head pastor until around 2007. From my understanding, an escort (male prostitute) accused Ted Haggard of paying him for services and also taking crystal methamphetamine for a period of time. The church was in an uproar because Ted Haggard preached the 'evils of homosexuality' for years. New Life church excommunicated Ted Haggard from the church, which caused quite a stir on national television. I believe he was banned from Colorado for a while also, but later moved back to Colorado Springs in a home right across the street from New Life church -- I often pass by it on my way to school. His new home is paid for by the followers of the new church he founded in the barn on his property. He and his wife have made several appearances on television believing that God has cured him of his homosexual tendencies.
Here is the link for the Ted Haggard website:
http://tedhaggard.com/

My Hometown Megachurch

So since I'm new to the blogging world, I suppose I will share some more personal details about my life back home. I was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a city I consider divided. Southern Colorado Springs gives a more urban vibe, whereas Northern Colorado Springs reminds me of a religious, rural city of the South (the actual South).
I grew up in Northern Colorado Springs, where religion seems to hold more ground than anything else. Without belonging to a Christian-based faith, many people feel out of place. In fact, I have about five churches within three miles of my house... So faith is really important.
On that note, I wanted to talk a little bit about the Colorado Springs megachurch, New Life, before we delve into homosexuality this week in lecture. New Life has more than 10,000 members led by Pastor Brady Boyd. New Life is a non-denominational Evangelical Christian church, which a large population of my peers attended -- including myself. The church is only 10 minutes from my house, and its size rivals that of an entire conference center. Their Sunday services remind me of concerts due to their theatrical nature.
I will attach a link to the official New Life Church website, though I'm confident this will not be my last post regarding this church. A lot of controversy and scandal within the congregation put New Life under the glaring spotlight of national television a few  years ago, but I will save those stories for next week.
http://www.newlifechurch.org/

First Blog Post

I never blogged before until today!
My first Christian Traditions post should probably reveal something about myself, so I chose to link to one of my favorite songs (if I can figure out how). The song is called "Be My Escape" by Relient K, a Christian band I saw in concert in the 8th grade. I believe "Be My Escape" released in 2006, but that's only a guess. Relient K first played in Ohio in 1997. Since then, Relient K released five full-length albums and toured all over the country.
Growing up in a religious household didn't offer much musical variety. All of my CD's from childhood derive from some Christian background. At any rate, I still love Relient K, even though my musical preferences have dramatically changed since my years in middle school. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvz0J0WBZPE