Church News Releases Article Explaining the Principle of Common Consent Prior to the Solemn Assembly

Hello again, everyone! I just wanted to post to pass along this article from the Church News, which sets in context recent teachings of Church leaders regarding what it means to sustain our 13 (soon to be 15 again) in their callings as prophets, seers, and revelators. Among other highlights, it mentions that, as we know, the President of the Church is the only one recognized and sustained to receive revelation for the Church as a whole, although we have also had affirmations that the words of the other apostles likewise constitutes the word of the Lord.

There has seemed to be a mistaken idea put forth by certain individuals that this process is a "vote" and that, if they choose, they are free to vocalize their refusal to sustain the Brethren. There are also those that seem to be under the impression that if they pester the Brethren enough on certain subjects, that will somehow sway them to consider changing Church doctrine and policy.

But both are categorical falsehoods. The Lord has also said that those who refuse to sustain those He has put into place, and who refuse to accept the will of the Lord as expressed by the apostles will one day be held accountable before Him for rejecting those He has called, sustained, and ordained through His prophets and apostles.

So with these ideas in mind, I want to unequivocally testify that I know that the 13 current apostles and the other two that will likely be called within the next week are those the Lord needs in those positions at this time. Whenever there has been a vacancy in the Church presidency or the apostleship, as far back as I can remember, I have prayed in advance to know that whomever was called were the individuals the Lord wanted in those positions at that time.

And each time, as soon as the calls were announced, whether or not it was something I had personally suggested or considered, I have gained the instant confirmation that those calls to those individuals have come from the Lord.

As perhaps a few of you may be aware, I was honored sometime after last General Conference to discover that my thoughts on who might fill the apostolic vacancy were themselves a focus of a post on the Mormon Light blog. Despite my protests to the contrary, the most recent version of that article billed those thoughts as "mere speculation, but [something of which it was] wise to be aware of some of the possibilities".

So I want to clear that point up right now. I never have and never will condone the idea of speculation, and I am just as fully willing to sustain any two Brethren to the apostolic call that may not be on my list as I would be to sustain and support the calls of either or both apostles that did make my list.

This is because I do have that witness, that such calls are divinely directed. President Nelson has been or will be led to the identity of the two men that should be called to the apostleship. And as the Church News article mentioned, although any two Brethren could be called to that assignment at any time, if either or both of those Brethren are not necessarily who anyone expects, that does not mean that any others who may have made the list of anyone else is any less worthy of the calling.

For that reason, I share my absolute conviction that I know the Lord has prepared the Brethren who will be called to the apostleship in just about a week. And there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that He will confirm again to me that those who are called were divinely appointed to join the ranks of the apostleship at this time.

Our current and past apostles and prophets have willingly given up any claim to prestige, acclaim, or success in their professional lives to serve a cause higher than themselves, and what will be said by them next weekend will truly represent the word of the Lord, the will of the Lord, the mind of the Lord, and the power of God unto our salvation.

I know that because I have sought to obtain and have received such a witness, which has sweetly been reiterated to me any time I have asked for such a reconfirmation. My hope and prayer is that all who read these words either have that witness or, if they do not, they will do that which is necessary to obtain such a witness for themselves, and I share these thoughts in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen,

Progress Noted on Concepcion Chile Temple/Church Releases Details of President Nelson's Multi-Continental Tour

Hello again, everyone! Late yesterday, a significant development was reported on the Concepcion Chile Temple, but I was unable to post about it then due to an extensive health issue I am trying to resolve. Nothing too worrisome, just something that demanded my attention more than this blog. So this post will report on those developments. I was also able to find some details on President Nelson's world tour which I will pass along as well.

First, I am pleased to be able to report that at the Concepcion Chile Temple, the cupola has been attached to the steeple wall. If I am understanding this correctly, this temple had previously had a placeholder on top while construction continued elsewhere, and now the permanent fixture has been placed. The next step will likely be topping the temple with the angel Moroni statue.

In the meantime, we turn our attention to the details of President Nelson's world tour. The visits will include meetings with missionaries and members and "other visits", which I interpreted to mean that perhaps looking at present or future temple sites might be involved. The official stops noted on the itinerary include London, England; Jerusalem Israel; Nairobi Kenya; Harare Zimbabwe; Bengaluru India; Bangkok Thailand; Hong Kong China; and will finish up in Honolulu Hawaii.

It does intrigue me that three of the stops on his itinerary are locations that have had temples announced, and that of those three, the artist's rendering was recently released for the temple in Bangkok, and that a groundbreaking had been anticipated in Harare in short order last year but had not taken place.

Let me be clear: I am not in any way trying to imply that I anticipate President Nelson will break ground for either or both of those temples while he is there. Until that is officially confirmed or denied, that may or may not be possible. What I am saying is that I do not find it coincidental that three of the stops on his itinerary are at cities that will someday be home to three new temples of the Church, however soon that might occur.

Having given the general locations of that tour, for specifics, I refer you to this release from Mormon Newsroom. And you can be sure I will continue to keep my eyes open for any additional Church or temple news and pass that along as I hear about it.

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.

Updated Future Estimates for Known Temple Events

Hello again, everyone! As I promised to do, I have taken another look at the estimates I have previously provided for future temple events that are currently anticipated. Based on that additional research, I have made those changes that I have felt would be appropriate. So as to absolve myself of any trouble, I should throw out a disclaimer: I do not in any way have access to inside information that would prove the merit of the information below. 

What I have done is to use my knowledge of the progress (or lack thereof) on new temples and others undergoing renovation to gauge how close each might be to a dedication, then used any other facts I could find (including estimates mentioned by others whose opinions I greatly respect, information about climate-related concerns that might alter such estimates further, and even a few newspaper articles from well-respected publications covering progress on such projects on a local level).

The estimates below represent my best efforts to figure out how reasonable a suggested time-frame might be, and they follow below. 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 be with and bless you all in everything you do.

Future estimates for known temple-related events

First half of 2018:

April or May: Full-scale construction anticipated to begin for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

Note: This temple, which had a groundbreaking in December 2016, has been stalled in the approval process, which necessitated a plan modification. So I fully anticipate that, once winter 2018 clears Canada, construction will begin soon afterward.

Sunday April 22: Houston Texas Temple Rededication (private; date has been confirmed; President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will preside at this event)

Sunday May 20: Jordan River Utah Temple Rededication/Mesa Arizona Temple Renovation Closure (both have been confirmed)

Note: Since the rededication Jordan River Utah Temple is the first public temple event of President Nelson’s administration, it seems to be a given conclusion that he will preside at this event, but it will be interesting indeed to see how soon he shares such duties with his counselors, which has seen some variation for each Church president in recent years.

Second half of 2018:

July: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed; official date confirmation pending)

Sunday October 28: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160^th operating temple; confirmed)

Sunday November 18 or December 16: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (which would, if confirmed, make this temple the 161^st or 162^nd operating temple of the Church)

Note: In a recent Italian newspaper article, (if I interpreted the translation correctly), a construction worker assigned to this project indicated that Church leaders had set a date near the end of May by which the project would be turned back over to them. If that occurs on schedule, then I could easily see the dedication scheduled for one of these two dates. That said, because this temple has had other delays in its construction process up to this point, if those delays continue, that would push back the estimated timeline for this event.

Sunday December 9: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (161^st or 162^nd operating temple; date has been officially confirmed)

Note: With this temple’s dedication date confirmed, the one questions, as noted above, is whether or not the dedication of the Rome Italy Temple will be able to occur in late 2018. Until that is officially confirmed or denied, the numbering for this temple is tentative.

Final note on 2018: If the Rome Italy Temple dedication is delayed at all, that may push other events in subsequent years back as well. I have also heard that 2018 could potentially be a big year for groundbreakings of temples currently announced. With the Bangkok Thailand Temple having taken a major step forward towards its’ potential groundbreaking (as the site was announced and the architectural rendering was released on March 19, 2018), I will be watching that one. And with President Nelson set to tour Africa, Asia, and Europe, there may be a possibility that he could break ground for one or more of the announced temples that might be ready for that while he is there. I continue to keep my eyes open for anything official and will be sure to post such news as I receive it.

First half of 2019:

Mid-February: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (163^rd operating temple)

Note: My main rationale for moving this temple up to this spot on this list is in the fact that, as of today, that temple has a similar status to that of the Concepcion and Barranquilla Temples, meaning it may be far enough along to be dedicated sooner than anticipated. I will keep my eyes open for information that could change my mind again, but for now, the rationale to move it up seems sound.

Mid-to-late March: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

Mid-April: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid May: Kinshasa DR Congo Temple Dedication (164^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late May: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid June: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication

Second half of 2019:

Early-to-mid August: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late August: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (166^th operating temple)

Mid-September: Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication

Note: While I would hope that the Saints served by the Frankfurt Temple, which has been closed since 2015, will not have to wait this long to have their temple operating again, at the same time, this temple has had numerous delays, while its’ US counterparts that have closed for renovation more recently have made much more substantial progress. If and when I see anything that would necessitate shifting this estimate again, I will do so.

Mid-to-late October: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

Mid-November: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

Note: While this temple was the second one to close for renovation in 2017, it has not progressed beyond the securing of building permits. For that reason, while I hope to be able to move this estimate up once full-scale efforts are reported, for now, it has felt wise to be more conservative.

Mid-December: Oakland California Temple Rededication

Note: This temple closed for renovation on February 19, 2018 and the renovation process was officially underway as of February 28, 2018. When its’ closure was announced by the First Presidency, the announcement indicated that this temple would be rededicated in 2019. That said, it is an older temple, and if anything delays or prolongs that process, another adjustment to this estimate would be necessary.

Final note on 2019: As with 2018, I have heard that 2019 could potentially be another big year for temple groundbreakings. If that proves to be the case, there will be other temple-related events to add to this list for subsequent years.

                       

First half of 2020:

Mid-March: Arequipa Peru Temple Dedication (168^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late April: Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Dedication (169^th operating temple)

Mid-May: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170^th operating temple)

Note: This estimate will only prove justified if, as widely anticipated, full-scale construction begins for this temple in April or May 2018. If that process is delayed for any further reasons, or if the 20-month construction estimate no longer applies, any subsequent adjustments that may be needed will be made.

Early-to-mid June: Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

Note: While I previously noted that, because this temple is considerably smaller than others, the renovation would likely be concluded in early 2020, not much progress has been reported since the temple closed on October 2 of last year, which I have felt is sufficient reason to push this estimate back. If such progress is reported in the near future, I will be sure to change this estimate again.

Mid-September: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededicatiom

Mid-December: Washington DC Temple Rededication

2021:

Mid-to-late April: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Rededication

Final note: If, as noted above, several temples have a groundbreaking during the next two years, that in turn would necessitate adding their completion estimates to the list above. I continue to monitor all temple-related developments and will pass news of them along as I receive word of them.