General Conference Predictions

I was originally going to wait and do this post closer to conference time, but since other bloggers have begun to post their General Conference Predictions, I thought I'd better get busy and do the same. After each General Conference ends, I analyze special files and facts and figures I have about General Conference and make predictions about the next one. This post will reveal three such predictions: two are mine, and one I am posting a link to. My thanks to Brandon Sanderson, with whom I have shared such predictions in the past. It was his inspiration for me to post these predictions on my blog.

First, the one with the link. I follow a blog that tracks LDS Church Growth. The author of that blog, Matthew Martinich, has done extensive research to find out facts about LDS Church Growth. Round about Conference time, one thing he does is predict potential temple sites that may be announced in the upcoming Conference. His latest blog post highlights his current prediction. It is interesting to me that he has not changed his prediction from last time. Not totally surprising, though, considering no new temples were announced last conference. Before I post a link to his predictions, I should mention that it was also Brandon's suggestion that I suggest to Matt that Matt and I swap predictions. I heard back from Matt today, giving me permission to post a link to his predictions, as long as I gave him full credit for them. So I want to be clear that these are Matthew Martinich's predictions, not mine. That said, the link follows:
 Matthew Martinich's October 2014 Temple Announcement Predictions

Now for my predictions. First, here's what changes I predict in Church leadership for October 2014:

First Quorum of the Seventy: Elders Carlos H. Amado and William R. Walker released and granted Emeritus Status. (Both are 70.)

Area Seventies: Releases and sustainings.

 Usually, there might be more changes in Church leadership, but none of the other First Quorum members are 70, and none of the Second Quorum members have served for the average 6 year period that seems to be the standard practice nowadays. I have noticed that if a Second Quorum member is near or past 70, the First Presidency will release them unless they are on assignment somewhere. Right now Elder Koichi Aoyagi fits that description. There's always a chance that there might be a change in the Presidency of the Seventy, but they usually announce those in advance if there is going to be one in October. (It will typically be announced with the new Area Leadership Assignments within a month or so after April general conference, and the change would have taken effect on August 1.) The Young Men General Presidency (with the exception of Brother Ridd, who was called in April last year) has been serving for more than the now-standard five year period, but I notice they don't typically make changes in Auxiliary Presidencies in October. It's only happened once or twice in October that I know of.

And here's my predictions for who will speak when during general conference in October 2014:

October 2014 Conference Predictions [Text in brackets indicates what actually happened.]

Session	Conducting	Speaker
Saturday Morning	President Henry B. Eyring	President Thomas S. Monson
		Elder L. Tom Perry
		Elder Lynn G. Robbins
		Carol F. McConkie
		Elder Jörg Klebingat
		Elder D. Todd Christofferson
		President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Saturday Afternoon	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf	President Henry B. Eyring (Sustaining of Church Officers)
		President Boyd K. Packer
		Elder Dallin H. Oaks
		Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong
		Elder Larry S. Kacher
		Elder Hugo E. Martinez
		Elder Neil L. Andersen
		Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Saturday Priesthood	President Henry B. Eyring	Elder Quentin L. Cook
		Bishop Dean M. Davies
		Elder Craig C. Christensen
		President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
		President Henry B. Eyring
		President Thomas S. Monson
Sunday Morning	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf	President Henry B. Eyring
		Elder Russell M. Nelson
		Cheryl A. Esplin
		Elder Eduardo Gavaret
		Elder Robert D. Hales
		President Thomas S. Monson
Sunday Afternoon	President Henry B. Eyring	Elder M. Russell Ballard
		Elder David A. Bednar
		Tad R. Callister
		Elder Carlos A. Godoy
		Elder James J. Hamula
		Elder Allan F. Packer
		Elder Richard G. Scott
		President Thomas S. Monson

 Again, I typically have 60-80% accuracy in my general conference predictions. Stay tuned after General Conference for an accuracy report. Oh, and here's an additional prediction that I have made but I don't have written down anywhere. Since we heard from the General Presidents (Rosemary M. Wixom, Bonnie L. Oscarson, and Linda K. Burton) of the Women's Auxiliary Organizations (Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society) and from President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, last General Women's Meeting, I predict that this General Women's Meeting, we will likely be hearing from the First Counselors of each Women's Auxiliary (Jean A. Stevens, Carol F. McConkie, and Carole M. Stephens) and from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.

Well, there you have it. All the predictions you need to follow along with for October General Conference. Please post here with any questions or comments you may have. Or you can comment on Facebook, where I will be posting a link. I hope you enjoyed reading these predictions about general conference as much as Matt and I enjoyed making them. Best wishes to all my readers until I post again!

Interview on Aaron Miller's blog

This will be a brief post to inform those interested that Aaron Miller, a good friend and fellow blogger, briefly interviewed me about my blog and writing projects. That interview is now being featured on a prominent place on his blog. I have posted a link to this interview on Facebook, but will post it here as well for those of my readers who may follow my blog but not my Facebook posts. In this way, word about the interview should reach everyone who knows me and follows me on either Facebook or this blog. This is a great occasion for me, so I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed getting interviewed. I hope it will be the first of many about my life and writing projects. That said, here's the link:

Aaron Miller's Blog: Interview with James Stokes

I hope this will answer many of the immediate questions my readers may have about the current state of my writing projects. Nothing ready for publishing now. Publishing may be a far distant dream for me. But I am going to work for it and pray for it with all the energy of my soul. And I know that when the time and circumstances are right, God will give me this victory. Thanks for reading this, friends!

BYU Presidential Inauguration/Major General Conference Announcement

Friends, I didn't anticipate blogging today, but two things of note happened that are significant to Church History that I just had to blog about. So I am dedicating this blog post to those two events. I hope you're ready for the excitement, because this is some major cool stuff!

First of all, the inauguration of BYU's new president, Kevin J Worthen, happened today. Why is that significant to Church history? Because BYU has been under the same leadership for the last thirteen years. That's a good chunk of my lifetime. What else makes this significant? This marks the first time in several years that the president of BYU is not a general authority. While it's true that Worthen serves as an area seventy (in the Utah South Area, with specific responsibility for the greater Provo area), he, unlike his two predecessors, Cecil O. Samuelson and Merrill J. Bateman, is not a general authority. I predict that he may become one someday while still in his capacity as BYU President, but only time will tell.

In the meantime, the inauguration was a great event. The BYU Philharmonic Orchestra did the processional and recessional music. There was apparently prelude and postlude done on an organ, but I didn't hear any of it. The inauguration was attended by the entire First Presidency, at least three members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (Elder Russell M. Nelson, who conducted the event in his capacity as a member of the Board of Trustees and, coincidentally, turned 90 today, as I noted in my last blog post; Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who is also on the board and was pulling double duty being recognized also as a former BYU President; and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who was also a former BYU President); Bonnie G. Oscarson and Linda K. Burton (who also serve on the Board of Trustees in their capacities as General Young Women's President and General Relief Society President); Elders Samuelson and Bateman (both former presidents and emeritus general authorities); the widow of Rex E. Lee and her new husband; and several university presidents from surrounding universities. As each tribute and welcoming expression was extended to President Worthen, I hope he drew strength from them. It is surely a daunting task to preside over a university, and I admire him for his ability to take on such a task. President Eyring represented the First Presidency in speaking at the inauguration and giving President Worthen his official charge. Then President Worthen spoke. He spoke as one having understanding of what it means to be in his position. He paid tribute to his predecessors and made it clear that he couldn't and wouldn't try to match their legacies but would do his best to see that BYU continued to be a wonderful place for all who wanted to "enter to learn, [and] go forth to serve." as BYU's motto states. I believe he will do a wonderful job. I look forward to returning to  my schooling when the time is right. Hopefully it can be at BYU, and hopefully it will be during President Worthen's tenure.

The other significant Church History event was announced by Church spokesmen on Monday, though I only came across the story early this morning (Wednesday). It appears that the Church will now give General Authorities the option to speak in general conference in their native tongues. For those who don't speak their language (English speakers particularly), the Church will provide subtitles as they do for those who speak other languages but hear conference proceedings in English. This is a major step in Church history. I believe this will allow the gospel to become more available to all earnest seekers of it. In my opinion, when I read about this, it was as if a voice was saying in my head, "I wonder why they haven't thought of this before." I know that some general authorities have really struggled to get their messages across in English. Amy thinks (and I agree with her) that this will allow greater freedom of expression with addresses that are given in general conference because the speakers will be able to convey thoughts and ideas in their native tongues where there might not be an equivalent expression in English. So it will be wonderful to see what develops with this new announcement.

Anyways, I know it's late and I should be getting to bed. But these developments were so exciting I just had to blog about them! I hope all my readers are well and that you enjoy reading these updates as much as I enjoy writing them. All the best until I write again!

Job Interview Results/Important Events in the Church for September

Well, the long awaited day has arrived. I heard back this week from both Jive! (the company that interviewed me by phone) and, with prompting on my part (I had to inquire by e-mail) from BidSync. For both companies the results were the same. They said they were very impressed with me and my qualifications but that they had decided to go with another candidate. I have a mixture of feelings. I feel disappointment that neither company wanted to take a chance on me. I feel relieved that I don't have to face my fears just yet. I feel concerned that our prayers don't seem to be getting answered, though we have faithfully prayed and acted for almost two years now. I feel confident that soon a solution will present itself. I feel bewildered because I have no idea how things will all come together. I promised Amy that if neither job came through, I would attempt going to the Deseret Industries to see what (if anything) they could do for me. So I guess that's the next step. Even that scares me a little. I wish I wasn't so afraid of new experiences. But having Amy by my side makes each new experience a lot easier.

We took Amy to the doctor recently because she wasn't feeling well. The doctor ran some tests and diagnosed a problem with her thyroid. So he prescribed a thyroid medication that she has been taking first thing in the morning ever since. It seems to be helping, so we are cautiously optimistic.

In the meantime, my headaches continue. I find things to keep me busy every day. I'm sure if I focused more on my writing or got work at the DI that it would help. At least, Amy seems to think so. She's never been wrong yet.

This month is no less significant than last month as far as Church history events are concerned, though they are fewer in number. Only 3 of our 15 apostles have their birthdays in September. Oddly enough, they are on consecutive days. Elder Quentin L. Cook will turn 74 on the 8th, Elder Russell M. Nelson will mark his 90th birthday on the 9th, and President Boyd K. Packer celebrates his 90th birthday on the 10th. This means we will have three nonagenarian apostles serving simultaneously in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Unless I'm mistaken, this is the first time in Church history that this has ever happened.

Of special significance is the sacred event that will take place on Sunday, September 21. On that day the Ogden Temple will be rededicated in three sessions at 10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm. The temple has experienced a complete transformation and modernization. Amy and I haven't and likely won't have the privilege of going to the open house, but from those I know who have gone to see it, I know that the edifice is beautiful. It will be enough for me to attend the dedication at my Stake Center. The Church has not and probably will not announce in advance who will preside at those proceedings, but I look forward to taking part in them nonetheless.

This month will be a busy month for my family. One of my cousins will be ordained an Elder early Sunday morning. During the Sacrament Meeting that will follow, his sister's baby will be blessed. The next week on Saturday a dear friend of the family is getting baptized up in Oakley. Don't know if we'll be able to make it to that baptism, but if we can, we'll be there. That same night is the adult session for our Stake Conference. Stake Conference's General Session is the following day. The week after that is the glorious temple dedication. It will be wonderful to be part of these events.

I am grateful to live in a day and time when the gospel has been restored in its fulness and when the power of God is manifest in the daily lives of those who live the Gospel. I testify of the blessings that flow from adherence to gospel doctrines, principles, and practices. The Lord knows us and is keenly aware of our needs. He will help us to know how to navigate the storms of life, however heavily they may beat down upon us. And He does so through "small and simple" means. The Church is true, and all is well!

Friends in Old Familiar Places

I had a series of unique experiences today, and I just had to blog about them. I had a physical therapy appointment at 2:30 in Alpine, and I went expecting to have a great opportunity to get a workout. But the Lord had more in mind for me today than that. As I was nearing the end of my workout, one of the newer Physical Therapy aides looked at my chart, then looked at me. He had an excited expression on his face.

"Are you James Stokes?"

"Yes, I am."

"Did you live in Payson about 20 years ago and go to Barnett Elementary School?"

"Yes, I did."

He then told me his name. It was a name I instantly recognized from class pictures at Barnett Elementary School. As we compared who we had for 1st-3rd grades, we realized we never had classes together, but he still remembered interacting with me. He asked me if I remembered a certain classmate, and I responded I did. He said he was still good friends with that classmate and would tell him I said hello the next time he saw him. And while once the excitement of the moment wore off I forgot the name of that classmate, I will never forget how great it felt running into someone who remembered me from way back then. He said he hardly recognized me. I don't blame him. I've changed a lot since then.

After Physical Therapy, I headed to Wal-Mart with Amy to do some shopping. Since she wasn't feeling well, she stayed in the car and sent me on alone to get the groceries. In the process of doing so, I saw a man who looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place him. He nodded and waved to me as he passed. I continued shopping. A few minutes later, I encountered him again. He said, "Hello, James. Do you remember me?"

I admitted that I did not. He identified himself as Allan Leatham. My brain went back in time and connected the name to one of the men I had worked with in the temple on the Friday 3rd shift. He told me he was retired now and volunteering as an assistant manager over certain areas of that Wal-Mart. He said he and his wife were still serving at the temple and were planning on serving a mission soon, locally, which would allow them to retain their temple service. I was overjoyed to see him and told him to please say hello to all the Friday 3rd shift brethren for me. He promised that he would do so.

Directly after that, we went to Good Earth so I could pick up some more Granola Bars. I had selected the ones I needed and was just checking out when something told me to turn around and look behind me. There standing behind me was another dear friend, a surrogate grandfather who is as dear to me as my own natural grandfathers, George Sturt. I wasted no time in greeting Uncle George and in asking after his welfare. I was pleased to see that he was doing well. Since Aunt Louise passed away in 2012, I've worried about him, but he's done fantastic. He asked how I was doing, and I told him. He asked how Amy was, and I explained that she was not feeling well and was waiting for me in the car. I told Uncle George we'd wait for him to come out so he could say hello to her as well. He was happy about that. I exited Good Earth and told Amy about this third encounter. We waited, and soon enough, he came out. He asked Amy how she was doing, and they talked a bit about her family history. After a couple of minutes, he left.

It is sobering to think that if I had been in those places just a few minutes earlier or later, I would have missed each of these encounters. I believe these were encounters the Lord wanted me to have today. It was fun to see these friends in old familiar places. I know that the Lord is keenly aware of us, and because of this, He often sends tender mercies such as chance encounters that couldn't have happened by accident.

In other news, I got another call this morning from a representative from Jive!, another company I had applied with. She said that they were looking to fill one position very soon and that based on my resume, I was a very strong candidate. Unfortunately, I had to get all this by voice mail. When the phone rang this morning, I was tired from a bad night and kind of cranky and not wanting to talk to anyone. Once I knew what the message was about, I attempted to return the call and wound up having to leave a message on her voice mail. I hope she will call again. This time, I will be ready for her.

Still haven't heard back from BidSync, but I hope to within the next couple of days. Don't know what to hope for or expect, so I am merely praying that the Lord's will might be done. I have recently become aware of a feeling of cowardice on my part when it comes to the idea of entering the work force. I find the prospect of starting any new phase of life scary. I have always been anxious about starting at a new school. I was very nervous about getting married. While I long to be a father, I'm scared to think about beginning the new experience of parenthood. Since I've never had a regular job before, I'm a bit of a nervous wreck when I contemplate entering the work force. But I have never let fear keep me from doing the right thing. And I have always been better off for doing the right thing. As James Neil Hollingworth, pseudonym Ambrose Redmoon, put it, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear." So I feel confident that when it comes down to it, I will be just fine.

That's the latest on us. More to come in a few days when I find out the result of the interview!

Meridian Idaho Temple Groundbreaking/Job Interview

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd post today. I was pleased to see that ground was broken for the Meridian Idaho Temple on Saturday. I was also pleased to see that the anticipated completion date for the temple is sometime in 2017. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Elder David A. Bednar presided at the groundbreaking. I should have guessed that it would be either him or President Henry B. Eyring, as both served as presidents of what was once Ricks College but became BYU-Idaho during Elder Bednar's tenure. As I previously mentioned, 8 of the 12 remaining temples that have been announced could potentially have their groundbreaking either this year or next year. The remaining four have yet to have a temple site announced. It is a great blessing to see the work of the Lord progressing. If any of you, my readers, are interested in keeping track of the progress of temple construction, you can go to ldschurchtemples.com, a great website that, while not owned or operated by the Church, nonetheless has the latest official information on temples.

In other news, I finally got a chance to take Amy to the doctor last week. After listening to her symptoms, he recommended a blood test. When he phoned us with the results, he reported that her thyroid levels were low. So he has given her something for that. She seems to be doing better as a result. We are cautiously optimistic about that.

As for my health, my headaches seem to be better now that the storms seem to have let up for the moment. I should have predicted a storm coming with how bad the pain was. However, the storm has passed, and all is well.

The only thing that could make our situation better is if we were better off financially. I have interviewed for at least 18 jobs in the last 18 months with no success. They always tell me that they were impressed with me but that they didn't have any positions that would match my unique talents and abilities, whatever that means.

That being said, I did have another job interview just last Friday, with a company in American Fork called BidSync. I found out from my mom that Elizabeth works there as well, though during the course of my interview I discovered that she worked in a different department from the one I interviewed with. How did the interview go? It was interesting. I was interviewed by a man and a woman. The man did most of the talking, with the woman chipping in occasionally. After looking over my resume and letters of recommendation, most of their questions centered on my work with Wikipedia and my time serving with the American Fork Youth Court. They seemed very impressed with me and told me I had done well. They did mention, however, that I was the most responsive candidate so far and that they had several other interviews lined up for the next week (this week). They told me that they would likely get back to me on whether or not I got the job by Friday. So I am just waiting to hear from them.

I don't know what to hope for. It's a good job with decent pay and excellent benefits, and it sounds like something I can easily do. But there's a part of me that always questions whether or not I did the right thing in applying and interviewing for the job. I have just been praying that the Lord's will might be done. I guess that's all I can do.

In the meantime, I got some excellent advice from Chris Heimerdinger and Brandon Sanderson about my writing that I will be using to press forward with my writing. I have also been reading the very interesting 3 book series by Brent (BJ) Rowley called The Light Traveler Series. It is interesting to me how he explores the concept of out-of-body experiences and one young man's adventures with those abilities.

While I can think about a lot of ways my life could be better, the fact of the matter is that it is pretty darn good right now. I have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and all the blessings that affords. I am surrounded by my family and my wife's family, and I get along well with all of them. I love them. While I am not working, I get to spend an unprecedented amount of time with my sweet wife, Amy. I have clothes on my back, a roof over my head, and food in my belly. Though life could be better, it could also be a lot worse. I love life, and I know that the things that aren't right now will be made right, in this life or the next. And in that thought, I take great comfort. I am a very blessed man, and I feel very lucky and happy to be alive. Never underestimate the power of the small and simple moments in your life. It is in those times that we find our greatest periods of growth and development and can improve ourselves to become what our Heavenly Father wants us to be. May it be so for each of us.

Phoenix Arizona Temple Open House and Dedication

Just posting here to reiterate exciting news that the Church announced earlier today (Friday). Church officials announced that an open house would be held for the recently completed Phoenix Arizona Temple from Friday October 10-Saturday November 1. The temple will be formally dedicated in three sessions on Sunday November 16. Sessions will be at 10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm. This will be the Church's 144th temple and the fifth temple in Arizona.

Now the question becomes, who will officiate at the dedication? President Thomas S. Monson presided at the last temple dedication in Arizona on March 2. President Henry B. Eyring accompanied him and, at his invitation, read the prayer at the first and third sessions of the dedication. As President of the Church, President Monson has dedicated thirteen (and rededicated three) temples. As a counselor in the First Presidency, he dedicated seven additional temples at President Gordon B. Hinckley's invitation. President Eyring has dedicated one temple and rededicated at least two that I know of. President Dieter F. Uchtorf has dedicated four temples. President Boyd K. Packer has dedicated 2 temples (Regina Saskatchewan and Brigham City Utah). If I had to take a guess, I would predict that either President Monson or President Eyring or both will be in Arizona for the temple dedication. We may find out at October's General Conference during President Monson's opening address, when he will give a progress report on temples.

I am grateful to live in a day when the gospel is restored in its fulness and where we have the blessing of a house of the Lord just up the road from us. Even when I have been too sick to take advantage of the blessings that temple attendance affords, I have still been able to feel the spirit of that sacred building every time I pass it.

I testify that what the prophets said are true, that the power of Satan decreases with each temple that is dedicated. I bear witness of the power of temple covenants that bind families together not just for this life but for the eternities. And I will be forever grateful that I had the privilege of spending six years of my life serving in the temple. The greatest blessing that came from my service is my sweet wife, Amy. I don't know where I'd be or what I'd be doing without her. I know my life would be much emptier. Oh, what joy it gives me to know that death can never separate us! How I treasure the knowledge that if I remain faithful, I can be with her and all other members of my family, past, present and future, forever! Truly we are blessed to be a temple-attending people!

Happy Birthday to 5 great men this month!

I was encouraged by Brandon Sanderson as part of my "homework" from him to continue regularly updating my blog. Other than the fact that my headaches have inexplicably increased and that my employment counselor has accepted another job elsewhere and will be replaced by someone I have only had brief contact with in the past, nothing much is new in our lives. Then I remembered that this blog's purpose was to allow me to "sound off" about things that are important to me. This month is a very significant month in Church history, so I thought I'd post about that. First of all, the Church recently announced it would be breaking ground for the temple in Meridian Idaho on August 23 at 10 am. It is unknown as yet who will preside at that groundbreaking. My guess? Well, it could be one of many individuals. Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy has direct supervisory responsibility for the Idaho Area of the Church. But all members of the Presidency of the Seventy jointly supervise the areas in the United States and Canada, so it could be any one of those seven, including Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Senior President of the Seventy, who is assigned to assist in all areas of the world as needed. It could also be done by any one of the First Presidency or the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or any one of the members of the Seventy or Presiding Bishopric that are not filling other assignments. It is always interesting to me to see how groundbreaking assignments are fulfilled.

Additionally, there are potentially another 8 temples that could have their groundbreaking within this year or the next year, so that's exciting to me as well.

But by far the most exciting thing to me about the month of August is this: of the 15 currently serving apostles, 1/3 (5) of them have their birthdays this month. Today, Elder L. Tom Perry turned 92, and is keeping a schedule that reportedly even his own children can't keep up with. (Click here for an article on him). He is currently the oldest living apostle, and based on what has been reported about his health and pace, I anticipate that he may break Elder David B. Haight's record as oldest living apostle ever in this dispensation. (He will surpass that record on July 5, 2020.)

Also having a birthday this month (and no less significant) are Elder Neil L. Andersen (On August 9, he will turn 63.); Elder Dallin H. Oaks (On August 12, he will turn 82.); our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson (On August 21 he will turn 87.) and Elder Robert D. Hales (On August 24, he will turn 82.).

I am grateful for the mammoth way each of these men have contributed to the furthering of the Lord's work. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have that each of these men have been called of God to be prophets, seers are revelators. I testify that we will be blessed as we follow the counsel of all who have been called of God to lead us in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. I share this testimony and this post with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.