Additional Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! The Church News recently posted a few news items that I thought are worth sharing with you all. So let's get right into all of that. First, on January 26 of this year, I provided a link to a post which had been published one week prior to that on the Mormon Newsroom blog. That post had detailed the appointment of a fourth full-time Tabernacle organist, Dr. Brian Mathias. It has been somewhat of a tradition in recent years to only have three full-time appointees, so I found that surprising.

Then today, I learned more about all of this. It would appear that Brother Mathias's appointment was announced with a view to preparing for the day when another full-time organist, Brother Clay Christiansen, would retire. The Church News has published this article to announce that his retirement will soon be effective, which will then leave the standard three full-time male organists, and two female organists that both serve on a part-time basis. On a personal note, I remember being given a tour of the Tabernacle organ with my family, and if my memory is serving me correctly, Brother Christiansen was the one who led that tour for us. I was impressed with his warmth, love for his work, and vast knowledge of the history of that organ. So I certainly wish him well in his retirement.

The other two stories I wanted to pass along in this post relate to the ministry of our apostles. The Church News shared a text copy of the rededicatory prayer for the Houston Texas Temple offered by President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, last Sunday. It is very powerful, and it is fitting that now-President Ballard returned to rededicate this temple in an area that then-Elder Ballard had toured following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.

And the final article I wanted to pass along serves as the Church News summary of President Nelson's global ministry tour, which concluded with his return to Church headquarters in Salt Lake City Utah at some point yesterday. That tour can, according to the article, be summed up in two words: "the temple."

My biggest takeaway from that article, which is well worth reading in its' entirety, was a first-hand dual witness from Sister Nelson. She stated first that she has, time and time again in the last three months, seen the mantle of Church president clearly on her husband, and that she could share her witness of that divinely-inspired call in any venue in the world.

Her second statement was that, while President Nelson had habitually been known to get up in the middle of the night as an apostle and later as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, primarily to jot down thoughts about some insights he wanted to share in his address for the next General Conference, those "rushes of revelation", as many people have described them, have come increasingly more frequently since President Nelson took the mantle of the Church presidency in mid-January.

She fervently shared her witness that President Nelson knows how to receive revelation, and that she has witness how diligent he has been at writing down the impressions he has received, a process that has only increased in its' frequency within the three months he has been Church President.

Now, while I don't know how much of what he writes down has been or might eventually be passed along to the Church, if the General Conference we experienced at the beginning of this month and all we have seen President Nelson do in the three months of his administration thus far is any indication, then not only is he going to be determined to be out among the people as long as he can, but I am equally as certain that he will regularly continue to encourage temple preparation, worthiness to enter there, and the importance of having a valid recommend, no matter how far away any of the Saints might be from their assigned temple.

But I am equally as certain that President Nelson will continue to do whatever he can to continue to bring temples to the people by announcing new locations where such temples will be built, and also by doing whatever he can on his end to hasten the process whereby announced temples are built. That is one of many reasons why the list of potential locations for future temples, which I posted on this blog yesterday, includes a number of long-shot possibilities, and perhaps even a few that seem like they have little to no chance of actually being announced anytime soon.

The list includes such locations primarily because, as the Lord reminded Isaiah in Old Testament times, His ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts. I therefore fully believe that the Lord will continue to surprise us with temples in locations that we cannot now anticipate. So even if a location on my list has a likelihood of slim-to-none that it might go on to be announced, if I have found a compelling reason to include it, it appears on that list.

And in case I did not emphasize this sufficiently, I will be just as overjoyed for any temples announced for any location I have not considered as I will be if I find that those that are announced are in the general or exact locations I have specified.

The Lord knows where He needs His temples to be built, and when the time is right to have such locations identified. I had shared my thoughts prior to General Conference at the start of this month that temples in Russia or India were likely possible, but perhaps not as imminent as many people thought. And I was overjoyed to find both nations had a temple announced this go-round.

To the best of my ability, I am committed to continuing to bring you the latest Church and temple developments, including, where possible, updates on construction efforts, and updated lists of potential locations. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.