Additional Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! While I have no desire to detract focus from the September 11 anniversary being marked here in the United States, I wanted to take an opportunity to pass along a few additional Church news stories which have been reported lately. So let's get right into all of that.

First, as Hurricane Florence, which is expected to be quite vicious, prepares to hit the southeast coast here in the United States, the Church News has released this look at the preparations that are underway. In the meantime, the Newsroom website on lds.org reports that all missionaries in that region are currently safe, and that mission presidents have been advised about what to do as the storm gets closer.

Where necessary, missionaries will be moved from the danger zone, and in the meantime, those serving in the area have been instructed to do what they can to help those who will not be evacuating. Leaders on all levels will monitor this storm and take any action as that becomes necessary. I would just add here that to whatever extent the storm impacts the North America Southeast Area of the Church, that might in turn impact the likely timing and prospect of future temples there.

In other news, national rankings are in for universities in the United States, and this article describes how the Church-owned BYU-Provo fared in those rankings. And the final news item I wanted to share is that the Mormon History Association has appointed a new executive director, a woman who is deeply familiar with the history and stories which that association has assembled and released.

I should add in relation to that story that this is one organization which likely won't be affected by President Nelson's statement reemphasizing the name of the Church. This is primarily because the term "Mormonism" refers to the larger movement of all the religious organizations which trace their origin to Joseph Smith and to the Book of Mormon.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Some Thoughts About September 11, 2001

Hello again, everyone! While there have been several Church news stories which I feel deserve a mention on this blog, I wanted to pause for a moment and provide some thoughts about what occurred here in the United States on September 11, 2001, now 17 years ago.

Days before the terrorist attacks that would cause widespread devastation and significant loss of life, the September 2001 Ensign was delivered to my family's mailbox. I remember following my customary practice of opening it up as soon as I could to read the First Presidency message and get a sense of what I could share from it with those I home taught.

Typical of President Gordon B. Hinckley, the prophet at that time, his message was one of optimism, hope, and faith, as he talked about living with and finding comfort from the courage of our convictions, and about how living what we believe, even in times of great trials & tribulation. His message truly was prophetic.

A few days later, when the terrorists hijacked several planes attempting (and in some cases succeeding) in trying to crash them into several national buildings, viewing their actions as a sacred mission, those of us witnessing this tragedy were devastated. But as I recalled the words of President Hinckley's timely message, the words I had read in the Book of Mormon a few days earlier came strongly to my mind:

"And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—

"And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded."

We know from the words of prophets and apostles that, although any land in which the Church is strong can obtain the same promise, the passage above refers directly and specifically to the United States. This gave me reassurance to know that the Lord would preserve the United States, and I found the strength to carry on.

3 days after the attacks occurred, the leaders of the Church held a special service in the Tabernacle. An excellent summation of that service was provided earlier today by retired Church news editor Gerry Avant. It was an event never to be forgotten. But there was more to all of this than that for me.

I had been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting on September 9, 2011. When ward leaders learned that a family in the ward would be moving out that week, they asked if I would mind speaking the following week instead. Since that family had covered the topic on which I was originally asked to speak, I asked if it would be all right if I covered another topic, and my bishop at the time graciously accommodated my request.

I spoke on the comforting spirit of the Holy Ghost, and in my remarks, I shared the passage of scripture that had reassured me in the aftermath of the attacks, in addition to some thoughts from President Hinckley's First Presidency message that month. Many people thanked me afterward for those remarks, but the Lord led me to those resources, so I could not take credit for what I said.

As the days went by, many of us also found assurance in the words of the President of the United States, who at that time was George W. Bush. He correctly pointed out that our enemies (those who perpetuated the attacks) were a group of radical Islamic terrorists, not our Muslim brothers and sisters. Eventually, in trying to appropriately respond to this incident, the United States was thrust into a war on terror, which continues to some degree today.

The one thing that impressed me in all of this was that both our national leaders and the leaders of our Church stepped up in a big way to provide comfort, reassurance, and a fair and balanced perspective on all of this. Though the nation would not recover overnight, the promise that the Lord was aware of this nation and its' leaders, and the calming messages provided by both those leaders and to all of us individually as we sought for it was something I will never forget.

I hope these thoughts have been helpful to at least some of you. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

President Russell M. Nelson Celebrates His 94th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! I am back once again, this time to share a post which will serve as a tribute to our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, who is celebrating his 94th birthday today (September 9, 2018). So let's talk about this wonderful man whom we sustain as the President of the Church and as a prophet, seer and revelator.

Russell Marion Nelson was born on September 9, 1924 (a day before his future predecessor to the Quorum Presidency, Boyd K. Packer) to Marion C. and Edna Anderson Nelson in Salt Lake City Utah. Though he grew up in a loving family, his parents were not active in the Church. As a teenager, he went looking for books about the Church at Deseret Book. His parents allowed him and his siblings to be baptized when he was 16.

In terms of his family, President Nelson married his first wife, Dantzel, in the Salt Lake Temple. They have nine daughters and one son. When his wife unexpectedly died in 2005, he described having "inconsolable grief" for a time. He married Wendy Watson, a BYU professor, the following April.

He studied at LDS Business College and went on to obtain his BA and MD at the University of Utah. He simultaneously trained as a surgeon and did doctoral studies at the University of Utah. He was part of the research team that developed the heart-lung machine that was used in 1951 on the first open-heart operation on a human being. He spent two years on medical duty for the US Army during the Korean War, then underwent another training period in Boston at the prestigious Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital.

At some point in his medical career, the University of Chicago was anxious to get him to come and teach at their school of medicine, so the president of that university asked Dallin H., Oaks, a professor in the law school there, to try and persuade him. Then-Brother Oaks did his best to convince then-Brother Nelson to accept the offer. But Church President David O. McKay advised him not to go, so he rejected the offer.

In 1955, he accepted a teaching opportunity at the University of Utah School of Medicine. where he built his own heart-and-lung machine. Around a year later, he was on duty to perform the first pediatric cardiac operation. In 1960, he performed the first successful operative repair of a tricuspid heart valve. Being worried that a surgical procedure he had been asked to perform was too risky for anyone, he requested and received a blessing from President Spencer W. Kimball, who was one of his patients.

That surgery was a success, and he later w used the same technique to operate on President Kimball himself while the latter was serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which resulted in the Church being blessed for many additional years by the inspired counsel of President Kimball.

He has served in many positions on different hospital boards and has received several awards for his pioneering work. He likewise had many service opportunities in the Church. He served as a stake president for over six years, during which time he served alongside another future apostle, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. He also served as Sunday School General President (during which time, Brother Wirthlin would again serve alongside him) and in the now defunct calling of regional representative.

In the early 1970s, the Church was looking for a new president for BYU-Provo. Although Dallin H. Oaks was eventually appointed, then-Brother Nelson was also considered. In April 1984, with the advice and consent of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called Brother Nelson to fill one of two vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Then-Brother Oaks was called to fill the other vacancy, and the two have sat side-by-side in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since that time.

Over the next 31.5 years, all the apostles that were junior to President Monson but senior to President Nelson passed away. When President Boyd K. Packer died on July 3, 2015, Elder Nelson became the de facto President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was officially set apart in that capacity 12 days later, on Wednesday July 15, 2015.

He was still serving in that role when the senior apostle, President Thomas S. Monson, passed away on January 2 of this year. President Nelson directed the affairs of the Church as the senior apostle for 12 days before his ordination as Church President. After meeting individually with each of the other 12 apostles, he selected his seatmate, Elder Oaks, and Elder Henry B. Eyring, who had served as a counselor to both Presidents Monson and Gordon B. Hinckley.

President Nelson took great care towards his Brethren in the apostleship. Many of you will recall how, in the midst of an address about charity, the pure love of Christ, that Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin began shaking uncontrollably, In a silent demonstration of what his colleague was talking about, Elder Nelson stood by and supported Elder Wirthlin until he closed his address, then gently helped him back to his seat.

And, of course, we heard recently how, following the Sunday Morning Session of the October 2017 General Conference, President Nelson followed a prompting to skip his lunch break and go immediately to the hospital to visit Elder Robert D. Hales, who passed away within a few minutes after President Nelson arrived.

President Nelson has demonstrated a keen intellect, a willingness to seek for and follow revelation from the Lord, and an undeviating loyalty and full commitment to his family, his Church, and his apostolic colleagues. We have seen him respond swiftly to such revelation, and perhaps the greatest details of the revelation he continues to receive regularly are yet-to-be revealed in the upcoming General Conference.

I have always been impressed and touched by President Nelson's remarks. He has given 75 addresses thus far in General Conference, including 5 last April in his first General Conference as Church President.To review any of those remarkable addresses, click here. He is also rising among the ranks of our other nonagenarian apostles, and he may very well live to become the oldest living apostle, which will happen in just under five years from now.

Though he may not ever read this personally, I am grateful for the chance to have paid this birthday tribute to President Nelson. He and the other apostles have my unequivocal support and sustaining vote. I know for myself that President Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of God, that he will not lead us astray, that he speaks for and in behalf of the Lord and that we will be blessed by the Lord as we follow the counsel given by His chosen mouthpiece.

That does it for this post. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.