Church News Update (including 2018 Mutual Theme)

Hello, all! Here is a brief Church News update. Enjoy!

First, and perhaps most importantly, the Church announced today the theme that the youth will use in Mutual in 2018. The words of it come from D&C 19:23, which reads, "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my spirit, and ye shall have peace in me." To read more about how this theme should be used as a guide for activities, click here.

In the Fruita Historic District of Utah's Capitol Reef National Park, the fruit grown there has a unique story whose origins can be traced back to pioneer days. To read more on that, click here.

While Utah marked Pioneer Day on July 24, the Church News published a story about how some Church members found unique ways to honor their own pioneer ancestors. For more on that story, click here.

With Campus Education Week at BYU-Provo scheduled to be held later this month, the Church News ran an article summarizing the eponymous event at BYU-Idaho, which was held from July 27-30. You can read more about that event (including a summary of addresses) here. The keynote speaker was Elder Gerald N. Lund, emeritus General Authority Seventy and author of many wonderful LDS historical fiction novels, most notably (to me) The Kingdom and the Crown (covering the last part of the Savior's life, his death and resurrection), and The Work and the Glory (which covers events in early Church history, primarily the years between 1820-1846, ending with the Saints entering the valley; Elder Lund had promised in his foreword to the 9th volume that he would, a few years after that, go back and write a 10th volume about the descendants of the main characters in modern times, but later said that he regretted that promise and that other books he wrote could be considered the promised sequels to that series).

Sorry about that side note. Getting back to the BYU-Idaho Campus Education Week,, for summaries of what was said, click here.

That's it for this Church news update. As always, thank you for the privilege of your time. Any comments are always welcome, appreciated, and encouraged. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Happy Birthday to 5 great men this month

Hello, all! As August begins, I wanted to remind all of us that it is the month within which 1/3 of all our current apostles (5) celebrate their birthdays. Any way it's considered, that is monumental, and therefore well worth mentioning.

So, when will each of those birthdays be marked, and how old will each apostle be on those dates? The first birthday coming up is for our youngest current apostle, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, who will reach the age of 62 on Sunday. Just three days after that (Wednesday August 9), Elder Neil L. Andersen will mark his 66th birthday (joining his seatmate in the apostleship at that age; Elder Rasband's birthday is six months follow and preceding Elder Stevenson's). In another three days following (Saturday August 12), the second senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the third overall in apostolic seniority, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, will celebrate his 85th birthday.

Nine days after that (on Monday August 21), our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, will mark the milestone of his 90th birthday. In regards to that, I wanted to note: Insofar as I have been able to ascertain, no plans have been made by the Church for any celebration to mark this milestone. That is not unprecedented: some prophets who are more private (particularly later in life) have chosen to quietly observe such milestones without ceremony. I certainly respect that. Speaking personally, I am just glad that it looks like President Monson will be alive to mark such a momentous milestone.

That brings me to our last apostolic birthday for this month. On Thursday August 24, Elder Robert D. Hales will join Elder Oaks as the second current 85-year-old apostle. As this is merely 23 days away, I don't foresee any issue preventing Elder Hales from observing this milestone. While he has been the apostle among the current group that has struggled the most with health issues (until President Monson's recent difficulties), he has valiantly pushed through his illness to minister to the best of his ability. And I think it is fair to say, without fear of contradiction, that Elder Hales's trials has brought him closer to the Lord, and has allowed him to speak on subjects related thereunto of which he now has personal knowledge.

As I have observed with greater frequency of late, I do not hold with, condone, or support in any way those who style themselves as faithful Church members who are trying to perpetuate the idea that an emeritus status of some kind should be enacted for our prophets and apostles (as previously noted, I have heard 85 floated around as the proposed age for apostles, and 90 for the prophet). I love the fact that this Church is led by Jesus Christ under the direction He gives to men who have been seasoned by age and by a wide variety of unique experiences and circumstances. These men willingly put their lives into the Lord's hands, becoming HIs instruments and being fully committed to serving to the best of their ability until their dying breath. And that is as it should be. Anyone who says anything different is not being moved upon by the spirit of the Lord. It's that simple.

As I close this post marking these milestones, I also wanted to note, FWIW, that the next apostolic birthdays after these 5 will happen back-to-back, about half a month after Elder Hales's birthday. Once September starts, the countdown will begin to the 77th birthday of Elder Quentin L. Cook on September 8, and to the 93rd birthday of the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Russell M. Nelson, the very next day. Apostolic birthdays for 2017 will close out with Elder Ballard's in October, President Uchtdorf's and Elder Renlund's one week apart in November, and Elder Holland's in December. All of those will be the focus of future posts on this blog closer to the time.

For now, thanks for the privilege of your time. Hope this post served to inform and inspire you. Any comments are welcome. Until my next post, all the best to each and every one of you.

Elder Quentin L. Cook Opens Black Church Leadership Summit

It was reported by Mormon Newsroom recently that Elder Quentin L. Cook opened a Black Church Leadership Summit in Princeton New Jersey with an address that advocated a "fairness for all" approach in relation to the subject of religious freedom. Such principles are advocated in the 12th of the 13 Articles of Faith penned by Joseph Smith, who was the Lord's instrument in restoring to the earth the same Church established by Jesus Christ during his mortal ministry. That particular article of faith states: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

The reason that the Church and its leaders have been more vocal of late about advocating religious freedom primarily because there have been more governments and other entities lately that have tried to control or regulate the amount of influence any religion and its leaders can have on the lives of their members. This is in direct violation to the ideal of freedom of religion as set forth in the US Constitution. Additionally, the Church, in an essay on religious freedom, quoted the following statement by Joseph Smith:

“If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a ‘Mormon,’ I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves. It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul — civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race."

This is why the Church has lately taken more steps to advocate, support, and campaign for religious freedom, and why we are seeing the leaders of the Church, particularly our apostles, extend their outreach on the subject to so many other friends of other faith. We are currently entering an era where so many governments restrict or forbid religion and the daily practice and influence of religious entities in the lives of their citizenry. When that happens, the power of faith in the lives of people everywhere has limits, and it should not be so. Everyone should be free to be able to practice whatever faith, if any, that they have, just as everyone should be free, if they so choose, to not believe or practice any faith whatsoever. Societies and governments thrive when such religious freedom is encouraged and supported. It is good to see the Church involve in such an outreach. As with everything else, I will pass along any updates on these developments as I receive them.

Until then, thanks for the privilege of your time. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. I will be back again soon, probably later this week, if not tomorrow, with new posts. Until then, all the best.