Personal Update/Additional Church News and Temple Developments Reported

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to provide a brief personal update, along with sharing some additional Church news and some temple developments which have crossed my radar recently. First, the personal update. At a doctor's appointment towards the end of last month, my wife, my doctor, and I determined that I have received the maximum benefit I am going to get from the pain medication I have been on for over a decade. I am in the process of tapering off of that medication.

In the meantime, I am also in the process of making a switch with the medication I have been on for anxiety and depression, which has presented an additional challenge for me. But I also had a consult with another of my doctors yesterday, and we determined to go ahead with a procedure I have needed but have been avoiding. I have tentatively planned to have that same-day procedure done in mid-April. So my physical and mental health have been challenged recently with all of that going on.

And for that reason, I wanted to again throw out an apology to any of you (especially first-time or recently-returning readers) if what I have said or the way I have said it has come across as abrupt, rude, or with a seeming lack of compassion, tact, understanding, or courtesy. It will be rough going for me for a while with that going on, but my blogging has provided a source of release for the many stresses I am currently under, and my enthusiasm for reporting the subject matter I have continued to cover on this blog is as strong as it ever has been.

Having indulged that personal moment, I'd like to move on to cover recent temple updates and Church news that has been reported. Today marks both the final day for the Rome Italy Temple dedication, and the first day of public tours for the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple. I have mentioned before my theory that President Nelson could (and likely will) head out on another leg of his Global Ministry Tour within the week following General Conference next month, and that this temple dedication could mark either the start, mid-point, or conclusion of that tour.

In the meantime, a report has come in demonstrating that demolition is underway on the Trujillo Alto Ward chapel, as the Church prepares the ground on which it stands for a new meetinghouse that will be adjacent to the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple, which is 1 of the 3 temples set to have a groundbreaking on Saturday May 4. It is wonderful to see the day-to-day milestones of temple construction progress which have been occurring of late.

Turning in conclusion to Church news items, more articles and coverage have been provided for the Rome Italy Temple, including more videos, a copy of the dedicatory prayer, and some additional context into the circumstances leading up to the Rome Italy Temple dedication which has been held over the last 4-5 days. The Church has released a look at the Kinshasa temple in pictures, biographies of more newly-called mission presidents, and some suggestions from the Sunday School General Presidency about how to effectively teach from General Conference messages (which is the prescribed curriculum for Priesthood and Relief Society on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month). Catch those articles via the Church News website.

And more coverage of the Rome Italy Temple, the Kinshasa open house, and other developments can be found on the Church's official Newsroom, which includes the release of a new video featuring the apostles in reverse seniority order reading portions of the Living Christ. As most of you may recall, that document was released by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve in 2000, in honor of the birth of the Savior "two millenia ago".

The most significant thing about that (aside from prophets, seers, and revelators quoting such scripture as if it were their own words) was that only 5 of the apostles who originally signed that joint apostolic testimony are still living. In the almost-2-decades that have passed between then and now, the apostolic Quorums have seen a 66.667% turnover. I am not sure how that compares in terms of other 20-year periods, but it is significant enough a circumstance to bear mentioning here.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments, and will do my level best to keep bringing word of such things to you as I become aware of it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.

Additional News Reported Relating to the Rome Italy Temple Dedication

Hello again, everyone! Some additional news has been reported from Rome Italy as the dedication of that temple continues. All living apostles gathered in Rome for the dedicatory events gathered for a set of historic photographs. Two of those photos show the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, one in their white temple suits, and the other in their "street clothes". As some of you may be aware, it has been a tradition of sorts for the Church to feature new separate photographs for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles anytime there is a change in either of those leading Quorums of the Church. But this is the first time in around 2 decades or so where a photo was taken with all of the apostles together.

There is even more significance in this development, however. For the first time of which I am aware, a group photograph was also taken featuring almost all of the wives of the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The only one missing from that photo was Sister Kathleen J. Eyring, wife of President Henry B. Eyring. As President Eyring mentioned in his address during the last General Conference, his wife is dealing with some significant health issues incident to her age, so she has not been actively able to accompany him to such occasions and assignments for the last several years.

But there is even more significance involved in these developments: In this article from the Church News, a quote from President Nelson emphasizes that the Lord inspired him to gather all of his apostolic colleagues in Rome for this dedication, and he apparently met with each of them individually to extend that invitation personally. It is very wonderful to know that we have a prophet who is not hesitant at all to highlight exactly how much of his actions and decisions have been inspired by the Lord.

As BYU students were told in 1980 by then-Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of Fourteen Fundamentals relating to following the prophet is that the prophet does not need to say "thus saith the Lord" to give us modern scripture or instructions that the Lord has inspired him to give. But we have a prophet who is absolutely fearless in declaring how much of what he does in his ministry has been directed by the Lord.

All of the articles I have cited so far are well worthy of your time. But in addition to that, President Nelson's wife, Sister Wendy W. Nelson, took time while in Rome with her husband to share her testimony and firsthand witness of the foreordination and divinely-inspired calling of her husband as the Prophet of the Lord and President of the Church. One thing she mentioned is that her husband's practice of writing down many instructions from the Lord has accelerated and not slowed at all in the last year. She also again referred to his willingness to be innovative, and to do things differently, in view of the ultimate goal is making the Church run more effectively in every way.

And so history continues to be made in Rome, most notably because today marked the first time in around a decade or so that a temple dedication has been scheduled to be longer than a single day. Dedicatory services will have wrapped up by this time tomorrow in Utah time. And more reports will be provided about this temple's dedication within the next 36 hours or so. I will monitor such developments and pass word of them along to you all as I receive it.

In the meantime, I wanted to pass along a couple more new temple updates before I conclude here. First, with the time in Kinshasa now being just after 8:30 PM, the Church has wrapped up VIP/Media tours for the first temple in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In around 12-13 hours, that temple will be open to the public for an 18-day period, until March 30, with the exclusion of the relevant Sundays. As previously mentioned, that temple will be dedicated the Sunday following General Conference, and I anticipate that event could somehow coincide with another leg of President Nelson's ongoing Global Ministry Tour.

Another update has been reported relating to the Durban South Africa Temple, where efforts are underway to clad the baptismal font in marble, and where ceiling and tiling work continues. On the grounds of the temple, walkways are being poured, and the walls of the water feature are being prepared for their installation. Meanwhile, at the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, stone cladding has been completed.

I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments, and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you all as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. 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.

My Attempt to Clear Up Misconceptions and Misunderstandings

Hello again, everyone! I hope you will all indulge me as I share a personal post. My purpose in doing so is to attempt (even if I fail) to clear up some misconceptions and misunderstandings on the part of anyone who reads this blog regularly. The need to do so has arisen due to my being criticized through a comment on this blog. The comment, made by one of several who use the "Unknown" moniker to post their feedback, called me out for my failure to recognize that I am not always talking to the same individual in each interaction I have with those who comment as "Unknown".

So let me say this right off the bat: I am only as good as the information I am given. I have one individual who comments as "Unknown" and, in doing so, always leaves his first name with his comment, so I know which "Unknown" comments he has made. I recognize fully that, with the Blogger commenting system being what it currently is, there are some who comment using a default system other than Blogger. And for those individuals, the one and only way I would know whether I am talking to the same person or someone different is if they were to tell me.

Because of this problem cropping up, I wish in some ways I could look through the screen and see who I was talking to every time. I cannot do so, and for the most part, being able to would cause more harm than good. I am also not in any way omniscient, and, due to that fact, am only as good as the information I am given. I would personally love to treat everyone who comments here with the consideration and respect they deserve, and would love to refer to them by name. Therefore, for the sake of my not being perfect or able to see through the screen, could you who use the "Unknown" moniker do me a favor? When you comment, please leave your first name for me before posting, as that will help me know to whom I am speaking.

I also wish to clear up another misconception about me and about the things I post. Some of you who comment have told me that, at times, I come across as being far more interested in asserting the accuracy and validity of my own opinion than I do in conducting a process of earnest dialogue between myself and those who comment here. As I mentioned earlier, I am not perfect. In fact, full disclosure here: I am probably the most imperfect man on earth, even on my best days. That is why I am grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, since that can, does, and will make up the difference when I inevitably fall short, which I almost always do.

That said, I do have a firm testimony of the gospel, of the doctrines, practices, and procedures thereof, and I have gained that testimony through years of extensive study. I would be foolish and misguided if I were to claim I have all the answers. I do not now, and I likely will not ever know everything there is to know about the gospel in general, and the topics I cover here in particular. But I have studied for years on end to gain knowledge of such things, and if I don't know something, at least I usually know where to look for answers to such questions. If I have ever portrayed myself as someone who thinks he has all the answers, or whose opinions ought to be considered as the end-all be-all of any discussion, I sincerely apologize. That was in no way, shape, or form my intent.

My purpose for starting this blog was to share my passion for the news and developments of the Church. Generally, I never come away from any interact with anyone in the comments of this blog without having learned something therefrom. As my regular readers will tell you, sometimes in the rush to collect and publish data or information, I overlook something big which escapes my notice. And the efforts others have made to point out such errors are sorely needed. We need to be focused on lifting and encouraging each other, and when that happens through the discussions on this blog, I consider my efforts a success.

Recognizing my imperfections and limitations (which, even on my best days, can be severely debilitating  if I stop and think about them), and acknowledging that I am prone to mistakes constantly, I hope that all of you who read what I post here will forgive and pardon any misunderstanding, misconceptions, or ill feelings any mode or manner of expression I have utilized here may have caused.

My hope and prayer is that we will all do more to ensure civility, kindness, and accuracy purveys and permeates our discussions. If it can be so, then all of my imperfect efforts will have been more than well spent. In the meantime, if any of you have any questions or concerns about my mode and manner of speaking in either blog posts or the comments thereof here, I hope you will feel that this is a safe space where you can let me know about them. As we attempt to uplift, strengthen, encourage, and inspire one another, I likewise hope and pray that the Lord will bless our mutual efforts.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.