Hello again, everyone! The Church News has passed along this article, which details how, in the early hours of this morning, a vandal struck the St. George Utah Temple. The damage appears to be relatively minor, and normal operations resumed after a few hours. But the most interesting thing is that some of the temple workers were able to keep him there until police arrived without using much physical force or restraint.
While it is sad to hear of the vandalism occurring, I am grateful that those temple workers who were on duty at the time handled this situation so well. The article cites passages of the dedicatory and rededicatory prayers given for that temple, particularly those that are indirectly related to this incident. Just wanted to pass that along.
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.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Vandal Strikes the St. George Utah Temple, Suspending Operations for a Few Hours
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Friday, May 11, 2018
Additional Church News Reported: Part Two--Other Significant Church News
Hello again, everyone! I am back as promised, with the second half of the update I started with my last post. Having shared the updates on the ministry of our apostles, we now turn to the other major stories from the Church News and from Mormon Newsroom. Let's get going on all of that.
LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church, has recently evaluated the refugee situation in Rome Italy, and this report highlights those needs, what is being done about them, and more about the continued assistance needed for the situation as well.
The Church News has also shared this text and video summary of President Nelson's worldwide ministry tour by the numbers. For all female members of the Church and friends of other faiths who feel inferior in any way about the fact that they are "just a mom", the Church News shared this article with a video and text that demonstrates mothers are so much more than that.
Next, those of us who were alive prior to July 2004 no doubt remember Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as an apostle and a wonderful wordsmith. He had a way of combining phrases that left all within the sound of his voice with an indelible impression. The Church News shared this look back at one such address which was given prior to his call as an apostle.
And from Mormon Newsroom, we have this report of an additional statement released by the First Presidency about Utah's marijuana initiative that may be on the ballot. I gather from reading it that many people raised objections about the Church objecting to the initiative, citing the argument that the Brethren are not qualified to voice an opinion on that, since few (if any) of them have worked with doctors who see the measure as important.
To quell those concerns, the Church reached out to a well-respected law firm for their input on that subject, and the result was that the law firm in question cited more specific reasons from a legal standpoint why the measure in its' current form is problematic. Their analysis in response to that request is featured with the release above.
In all honesty, I don't see why anyone takes issue with the Brethren weighing in on such matters. As I have stated before, when the Church feels a need or receives a request to comment on such subjects, official statements on the matter are only released after all the impacts of such measures have been studied, which has included, where needed, consultation with outside experts on those subjects.
And to me, this suggests a lack of understanding on that process from those who raise such objections. It is true that there are some issues that may be outside of the knowledge the Brethren have gained through their experiences. But in such cases, the potential impact of those issues on all people is considered, which often involves outside consultation with those who see a legal, ethical, or moral reason that will justify the Church needing to comment.
If those we sustain as such are truly prophets, seers, and revelators, and I testify that that is the case, then when the Brethren issue statements on such issues, it behooves us as members to give heed to whatever counsel they give. For me, that means that, as a Utah citizen, if this issue makes it to our ballot in November, it is my duty to vote no on that measure.
It has been said by some that when the Lord (and by extension, those He has called to be prophets, seers, and revelators) speaks, the debate should be over. All of us will surely be held accountable before the Lord for any failure on our part to respond to such counsel when it is given. I hope that all of us will remember that.
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.
Additional content posted at 7:40 PM: Not long after I published this post, the Church News released this article sharing content posted on Facebook by several Church leaders. Particularly intriguing to me was the fact that the article passed along summaries of recent posts by Elders Gong and Soares.
Apparently, those posts marked the first time these leaders have added content to Facebook since responding publicly on that site to their apostolic calls. There were also posts from other apostles and general Church leaders regarding their ongoing worldwide ministry efforts. This latest article, like all of the others in this post and the previous one, are well worthy of your attention, and I can without hesitation give my endorsement to them. I continue to monitor all Church news, including temple developments, and will do my best to keep bringing you all word of those as I become aware of them. Thanks agian.
LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church, has recently evaluated the refugee situation in Rome Italy, and this report highlights those needs, what is being done about them, and more about the continued assistance needed for the situation as well.
The Church News has also shared this text and video summary of President Nelson's worldwide ministry tour by the numbers. For all female members of the Church and friends of other faiths who feel inferior in any way about the fact that they are "just a mom", the Church News shared this article with a video and text that demonstrates mothers are so much more than that.
Next, those of us who were alive prior to July 2004 no doubt remember Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as an apostle and a wonderful wordsmith. He had a way of combining phrases that left all within the sound of his voice with an indelible impression. The Church News shared this look back at one such address which was given prior to his call as an apostle.
And from Mormon Newsroom, we have this report of an additional statement released by the First Presidency about Utah's marijuana initiative that may be on the ballot. I gather from reading it that many people raised objections about the Church objecting to the initiative, citing the argument that the Brethren are not qualified to voice an opinion on that, since few (if any) of them have worked with doctors who see the measure as important.
To quell those concerns, the Church reached out to a well-respected law firm for their input on that subject, and the result was that the law firm in question cited more specific reasons from a legal standpoint why the measure in its' current form is problematic. Their analysis in response to that request is featured with the release above.
In all honesty, I don't see why anyone takes issue with the Brethren weighing in on such matters. As I have stated before, when the Church feels a need or receives a request to comment on such subjects, official statements on the matter are only released after all the impacts of such measures have been studied, which has included, where needed, consultation with outside experts on those subjects.
And to me, this suggests a lack of understanding on that process from those who raise such objections. It is true that there are some issues that may be outside of the knowledge the Brethren have gained through their experiences. But in such cases, the potential impact of those issues on all people is considered, which often involves outside consultation with those who see a legal, ethical, or moral reason that will justify the Church needing to comment.
If those we sustain as such are truly prophets, seers, and revelators, and I testify that that is the case, then when the Brethren issue statements on such issues, it behooves us as members to give heed to whatever counsel they give. For me, that means that, as a Utah citizen, if this issue makes it to our ballot in November, it is my duty to vote no on that measure.
It has been said by some that when the Lord (and by extension, those He has called to be prophets, seers, and revelators) speaks, the debate should be over. All of us will surely be held accountable before the Lord for any failure on our part to respond to such counsel when it is given. I hope that all of us will remember that.
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.
Additional content posted at 7:40 PM: Not long after I published this post, the Church News released this article sharing content posted on Facebook by several Church leaders. Particularly intriguing to me was the fact that the article passed along summaries of recent posts by Elders Gong and Soares.
Apparently, those posts marked the first time these leaders have added content to Facebook since responding publicly on that site to their apostolic calls. There were also posts from other apostles and general Church leaders regarding their ongoing worldwide ministry efforts. This latest article, like all of the others in this post and the previous one, are well worthy of your attention, and I can without hesitation give my endorsement to them. I continue to monitor all Church news, including temple developments, and will do my best to keep bringing you all word of those as I become aware of them. Thanks agian.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Additional Church News Reported: Part One--Updates on the Ministry of Our Apostles
Hello again, everyone! Between the Church News website and Mormon Newsroom, several additional Church news stories have recently been published. This post will share some links to and thoughts about those articles.
I had intended to cover all of the noteworthy stories in this post, but the coverage of the updates on the ministry of our apostles wound up being so extensive, I will be focusing solely on that subject in this post, and then focus on other stories in a second post which will be published not long after this one. Let's get right into it all.
We start first with a look at updates on the ministry of our apostles. President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, recently returned from a visit to Canada. He served as a mission president there years ago, and his travels as an apostle have involved several stops in Canada. The Church News has shared this report on how his many experiences in Canada have impacted the lives of all Canadian citizens, including many who are not members of the Church.
In the meantime, Elder Ronald A. Rasband recently visited Saints in the Europe Area. His time there included two visits to European islands that have not previously been visited by an apostle of the Church. The Church News shared highlights of his ministry there. This was another homecoming of sorts for Elder Rasband, who had served as a member of the Church's Europe Area presidency
And Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who had served in the Europe East Area presidency some years prior to his call to the apostleship, returned to that area. He specifically spent some time in Russia, returning to the nation in which he had spent time during his professional career. While there, he talked to the members of the Church about the temple that has been announced for Russia.
Among other things, he noted that, while that temple announcement is wonderful, due to the political situation in that nation, it will likely take some time before the Church is successful in obtaining approvals, purchasing land, and designing the temple, which may also mean it may be some time before construction begins, and even more before it is finished and dedicated.
Although his time in Russia coincided with the dates of President Nelson's European tour, Elder Uchtdorf indicated that he had not been able to read about what the prophet said during those stops. With that in mind, it is amazing to me that Elder Uchtdorf's counsel to the Saints in Russia about the temple that will be built there echoed the instruction President Nelson gave in several of the stops he made where temples have been announced. You can read more about Elder Uchtdorf's time in Eastern Europe in this article.
Next, many of you may know that Elder Quentin L. Cook has been asked to speak at a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults that is set to be held on September 9 of this year (which will be the day after his 78th birthday, and the same day that President Nelson will be 94). While plans for that devotional have remained unchanged, the Church News has reported that the event will be broadcast from Nauvoo, and that a Face-to-Face event for Young Adults will be held during that same weekend, and will feature Elder Cook and two Church historians taking questions.
The Church News also sent out a request for comments from readers about what they have learned from the nearly 4 months of President Nelson's administration. The answers to that question have been published here.
It is awesome to see our apostles traveling so extensively, and to have seen more information published about their ministries. One thing I did want to mention: It often happens that multiple apostles are away from Church headquarters at the same time. When that happens, the most senior apostle who remains in Salt Lake has taken the lead of any meetings held in the absence of those more senior to him.
I haven't double-checked the dates, but there may have been some overlap of the time when Presidents Nelson and Ballard and Elders Holland and Uchtdorf were on the assignments noted. If it happened to be the case that these assignments took these men away from headquarters around the time when a Thursday meeting had been held for the apostles, that would mean Elder Bednar took the lead of the weekly meeting during that time.
It seems that the First Presidency is giving the senior apostles, particularly those who might potentially lead the Church one day, the chance to experience more of a role in the day-to-day operations of the Church. And that is good to see.
I continue to monitor all developments relating to the ministry of the apostles, and am committed to bringing those developments to you all as I receive 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. Until my next post (which should, as noted above, come in the next few minutes to cover other important news items from the Church), I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I had intended to cover all of the noteworthy stories in this post, but the coverage of the updates on the ministry of our apostles wound up being so extensive, I will be focusing solely on that subject in this post, and then focus on other stories in a second post which will be published not long after this one. Let's get right into it all.
We start first with a look at updates on the ministry of our apostles. President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, recently returned from a visit to Canada. He served as a mission president there years ago, and his travels as an apostle have involved several stops in Canada. The Church News has shared this report on how his many experiences in Canada have impacted the lives of all Canadian citizens, including many who are not members of the Church.
In the meantime, Elder Ronald A. Rasband recently visited Saints in the Europe Area. His time there included two visits to European islands that have not previously been visited by an apostle of the Church. The Church News shared highlights of his ministry there. This was another homecoming of sorts for Elder Rasband, who had served as a member of the Church's Europe Area presidency
And Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who had served in the Europe East Area presidency some years prior to his call to the apostleship, returned to that area. He specifically spent some time in Russia, returning to the nation in which he had spent time during his professional career. While there, he talked to the members of the Church about the temple that has been announced for Russia.
Among other things, he noted that, while that temple announcement is wonderful, due to the political situation in that nation, it will likely take some time before the Church is successful in obtaining approvals, purchasing land, and designing the temple, which may also mean it may be some time before construction begins, and even more before it is finished and dedicated.
Although his time in Russia coincided with the dates of President Nelson's European tour, Elder Uchtdorf indicated that he had not been able to read about what the prophet said during those stops. With that in mind, it is amazing to me that Elder Uchtdorf's counsel to the Saints in Russia about the temple that will be built there echoed the instruction President Nelson gave in several of the stops he made where temples have been announced. You can read more about Elder Uchtdorf's time in Eastern Europe in this article.
Next, many of you may know that Elder Quentin L. Cook has been asked to speak at a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults that is set to be held on September 9 of this year (which will be the day after his 78th birthday, and the same day that President Nelson will be 94). While plans for that devotional have remained unchanged, the Church News has reported that the event will be broadcast from Nauvoo, and that a Face-to-Face event for Young Adults will be held during that same weekend, and will feature Elder Cook and two Church historians taking questions.
The Church News also sent out a request for comments from readers about what they have learned from the nearly 4 months of President Nelson's administration. The answers to that question have been published here.
It is awesome to see our apostles traveling so extensively, and to have seen more information published about their ministries. One thing I did want to mention: It often happens that multiple apostles are away from Church headquarters at the same time. When that happens, the most senior apostle who remains in Salt Lake has taken the lead of any meetings held in the absence of those more senior to him.
I haven't double-checked the dates, but there may have been some overlap of the time when Presidents Nelson and Ballard and Elders Holland and Uchtdorf were on the assignments noted. If it happened to be the case that these assignments took these men away from headquarters around the time when a Thursday meeting had been held for the apostles, that would mean Elder Bednar took the lead of the weekly meeting during that time.
It seems that the First Presidency is giving the senior apostles, particularly those who might potentially lead the Church one day, the chance to experience more of a role in the day-to-day operations of the Church. And that is good to see.
I continue to monitor all developments relating to the ministry of the apostles, and am committed to bringing those developments to you all as I receive 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. Until my next post (which should, as noted above, come in the next few minutes to cover other important news items from the Church), I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Church Announces Additional New Temple Presidents
Hello again, everyone! The Church News noted earlier today that several more new temple presidents have been called. I have revised my list accordingly, and the revisions follow below. I should also note a couple of other things as well.
First, I had a feeling I needed to check the list again, and in doing so, I found some duplication (primarily in the fact that I had forgotten to remove a few temples for which new presidents have been announced from the section of the list which highlights those temples that may get a new president.
Second, among those that have been called are several current area seventies. In addition, the older brother of General Authority Seventy Elder Donald L. Hallstrom has been called as president of one of the temples in Hawaii.
With that said, the updated list follows below. Again, so as not to disturb the flow of that list, I will end now as I always do. 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.
First, I had a feeling I needed to check the list again, and in doing so, I found some duplication (primarily in the fact that I had forgotten to remove a few temples for which new presidents have been announced from the section of the list which highlights those temples that may get a new president.
Second, among those that have been called are several current area seventies. In addition, the older brother of General Authority Seventy Elder Donald L. Hallstrom has been called as president of one of the temples in Hawaii.
With that said, the updated list follows below. Again, so as not to disturb the flow of that list, I will end now as I always do. 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.
New presidents have been called for the following
temples:
1.
Manaus Brazil
2.
Boise Idaho
3.
Denver Colorado
4.
The Hague Netherlands
5.
Oquirrh Mountain Utah
6.
Helsinki Finland
7.
The Gila Valley Arizona
8.
Brigham City Utah
9.
Stockholm Sweden
10. Palmyra
New York
11. Accra
Ghana
12. Papeete
Tahiti
13. Sao
Paulo Brazil
14. San
Jose Costa Rica
15. Albuquerque
New Mexico
16. Provo
City Center
17. Recife
Brazil
18. Cardston
Alberta
19. Payson
Utah
20. Porto
Alegre Brazil
21. Brisbane
Australia
22. Kansas
City Missouri
23. Oaxaca
Mexico
24. Regina
Saskatchewan
25. Cebu
City Philippines
26. Boston
Massachusetts
27. Colonia
Juarez Chihuahua Mexico
28. Billings
Montana
29. Houston
Texas
30. Sydney
Australia
31. Guatemala
City Guatemala
32. Hermosillo
Sonora Mexico
33. Montevideo
Uruguay
34. Indianapolis
Indiana
35. Laie
Hawaii Temple (the new president of this temple is the older brother of General
Authority Seventy Elder Donald L. Hallstrom)
36. Las
Vegas Nevada
37. Atlanta
Georgia
38. Buenos
Aires Argentina
The first presidents will likely be announced for the
following new temples:
1.
Concepcion Chile
2.
Barranquilla Colombia
3.
Rome Italy
4.
Kinshasa DR Congo
5.
Fortaleza Brazil
6.
Port-au-Prince Haiti
New presidents may also be announced for the following
temples:
1.
Bountiful Utah
2.
Cordoba Argentina
3.
Draper Utah
4.
Fukuoka Japan
5.
Manti Utah
6.
Monticello Utah
7.
Redlands California
8.
Sacramento California
9.
St. Louis Missouri
10. Taipei
Taiwan
11. Tegucigalpa
Honduras
12. Tijuana
Mexico
13. Trujillo
Peru
14. Vancouver
British Columbia
15. Veracruz
Mexico
16. Villahermosa
Mexico
17. Washington
D. C. Temple (Note: The Church may opt to wait on calling a new president for
this temple until 2020 when it is rededicated)
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Details Released Regarding the Renovation Plans for the Mesa Arizona Temple
Hello again, everyone! Mormon Newsroom just published this release that provides more details on the renovation plans for the Mesa Arizona Temple. As most of you might be aware, the closure of that temple was announced roughly a year ago, and will be effective on May 20 (the same day on which the rededication of the Jordan River Utah Temple will occur). As some of you may also know, there was supposed to be a meeting held for citizens concerned about those plans. While I have not yet learned whether that meeting has taken place, the fact that these details have been announced via a Mormon Newsroom released indicates to me that all potential obstacles have been dealt with.
I continue to monitor all temple news and developments and will do my best to pass those along to you as I receive 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. 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.
I continue to monitor all temple news and developments and will do my best to pass those along to you as I receive 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. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Article Published for New General Authority Seventy Elder Mathias Held
Hello again, everyone! With the need to focus on other topics in blog posts published yesterday (namely the discontinuation of the Church's involvement with the BSA, the new activity program, and the LDS Church Temples website issues), I had to hold off on reporting other developments until now.
But I am pleased to be able to pass along to you all now this article about new General Authority Seventy Elder Mathias Held. My biggest take-away from reading that was amazement about the number of nations in which he and his family have resided. It is easy to see why he was called, as he will have a unique understanding of the issues faced by Church members in several nations.
While not directly related to that article, I did want to mention one other thing as well: The Church has been very good about putting new General Authority Seventies right to work. This has been particularly true in recent years, when at least half of the newly called leaders have been given major assignments not long after they are sustained, whether those assignments are to serve in an area presidency, or to take on other responsibilities at Church headquarters.
As I have also noted previously, since President Nelson became the president of the Church, we have seen a long list of examples demonstrating that he and his presidency want the Church to be more transparent. Among the ways that is occurring have been the facts that major news has been reported on Mormon Newsroom on a more significant scale than we have previously seen, and that more information has been released regarding the ministry of all leaders.
The Church website is also currently in the process of updating the biographies of all general authorities with their latest assignments, which have traditionally been given each year sometime after the April General Conference. So we will likely know more within the next couple of months about what has changed in that regard.
I will do my best to keep you all posted on developments in that regard 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. 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.
But I am pleased to be able to pass along to you all now this article about new General Authority Seventy Elder Mathias Held. My biggest take-away from reading that was amazement about the number of nations in which he and his family have resided. It is easy to see why he was called, as he will have a unique understanding of the issues faced by Church members in several nations.
While not directly related to that article, I did want to mention one other thing as well: The Church has been very good about putting new General Authority Seventies right to work. This has been particularly true in recent years, when at least half of the newly called leaders have been given major assignments not long after they are sustained, whether those assignments are to serve in an area presidency, or to take on other responsibilities at Church headquarters.
As I have also noted previously, since President Nelson became the president of the Church, we have seen a long list of examples demonstrating that he and his presidency want the Church to be more transparent. Among the ways that is occurring have been the facts that major news has been reported on Mormon Newsroom on a more significant scale than we have previously seen, and that more information has been released regarding the ministry of all leaders.
The Church website is also currently in the process of updating the biographies of all general authorities with their latest assignments, which have traditionally been given each year sometime after the April General Conference. So we will likely know more within the next couple of months about what has changed in that regard.
I will do my best to keep you all posted on developments in that regard 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. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
BREAKING NEWS: Church Will Terminate Relationship with the BSA by 2020; New Program for Youth and Children to Be Implemented
Hello again, everyone! Breaking news tonight from the LDS Church. In a joint statement from the BSA and the LDS Church, an announcement has been made that the Church will be terminating all involvement with the BSA by the end of 2019. This comes as a follow-up to the previously announced news that the Church would be evaluating the needs of children and youth and make any changes or adaptations that might be needed to general and specific activities for those 8-18 years old.
Mormon Newsroom also published this release highlighting what is currently known about the new program for those of that age range, saying that more details would be forthcoming. Mormon Newsroom has also provided these answers to frequently asked questions about the extent of those changes and how they will be implemented.
Here yet again we have clear evidence that modern revelation is occurring, and that the Brethren have evaluated how to streamline and unify the guidelines for activity programs for children and youth all over the world, fulfilling a promise made last year that they would be doing so.
I look forward to finding out more about this monumental change, and I will bring you word of any new information as I learn of 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.
Mormon Newsroom also published this release highlighting what is currently known about the new program for those of that age range, saying that more details would be forthcoming. Mormon Newsroom has also provided these answers to frequently asked questions about the extent of those changes and how they will be implemented.
Here yet again we have clear evidence that modern revelation is occurring, and that the Brethren have evaluated how to streamline and unify the guidelines for activity programs for children and youth all over the world, fulfilling a promise made last year that they would be doing so.
I look forward to finding out more about this monumental change, and I will bring you word of any new information as I learn of 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
LDS Church Temples Site Accessibility Issues
Hello again, everyone! For the last week or so, the LDS Church Temples site has been down. I have heard widespread concern about what is going on there, and today, we got some answers. It appears that due to a server error, the site data is temporarily inaccessible. I heard in passing that efforts are underway to restore the data, but depending on the extent of the problems, it may be impossible to do so.
So I wanted to prepare any of you reading this post for the possibility that the site may eventually be completely taken down. What does that mean for future discussions on this blog about temple progress (including the analysis of the latest developments)? I am not sure about that.
The Church has published every six months or so status updates on the temples currently under construction, and I imagine that will continue. And I am also sure that any major announcements, such as dedications, rededications, new temples, or groundbreakings will be a major focus on this blog going forward.
But if the site winds up going down permanently, it will certainly be more difficult to determine how close each temple is to reaching the next phase, and it will also be difficult (but not impossible) to access information about the size of each temple district, and any relevant information about how such districts may need to be split.
Once I have any additional information on this, I will be sure to pass that along. But I would be remiss indeed in failing to acknowledge how the developments reported on that site have enabled me to pass those along to all of you who read the posts on this blog. It is clear that ongoing temple developments are a highly important subject of interest to many. With that in mind, I will do everything I can on my end to find out what I can about temple progress going forward.
In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers go out to all who are involved in the process of trying to fix this issue, and I am sure that continued prayers in that regard would be beneficial to that process. If the issues, such as they may be, can be fixed, I am sure they will be.
Rest assured that I am keeping my eyes on this and all other temple developments, and I will do the best I can to pass any additional news along as I become aware of 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.
So I wanted to prepare any of you reading this post for the possibility that the site may eventually be completely taken down. What does that mean for future discussions on this blog about temple progress (including the analysis of the latest developments)? I am not sure about that.
The Church has published every six months or so status updates on the temples currently under construction, and I imagine that will continue. And I am also sure that any major announcements, such as dedications, rededications, new temples, or groundbreakings will be a major focus on this blog going forward.
But if the site winds up going down permanently, it will certainly be more difficult to determine how close each temple is to reaching the next phase, and it will also be difficult (but not impossible) to access information about the size of each temple district, and any relevant information about how such districts may need to be split.
Once I have any additional information on this, I will be sure to pass that along. But I would be remiss indeed in failing to acknowledge how the developments reported on that site have enabled me to pass those along to all of you who read the posts on this blog. It is clear that ongoing temple developments are a highly important subject of interest to many. With that in mind, I will do everything I can on my end to find out what I can about temple progress going forward.
In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers go out to all who are involved in the process of trying to fix this issue, and I am sure that continued prayers in that regard would be beneficial to that process. If the issues, such as they may be, can be fixed, I am sure they will be.
Rest assured that I am keeping my eyes on this and all other temple developments, and I will do the best I can to pass any additional news along as I become aware of 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Upcoming Topics That Will Be Covered On This Blog In the Near Future
Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post right now with a preview of some topics I will be covering over the next several months on this blog. I will not be offering a potential timeline for when those topics will be covered, since the best-laid plans are often altered.
It goes without saying that I will continue to provide Church and temple news as I become aware of such reports. Additionally, I have plans in place to post at least once every month or two with an update on the latest apostolic statistics, which I feel is very important information.
The jury is still out on how extensively I will cover potential temple possibilities in the near future. With the success I saw in doing so previously, it is an attractive prospect and a very worthy subject that has wide interest. But the form and extent to which such coverage will occur largely depends on the amount of time I can devote to such posts and the future availability of information that would mold the information I share in that regard.
I will, of course, also be looking forward to passing along my predictions for each General Conference, including the potential speaking order, changes in Church leadership, and temple prospects. I also fully intend to continue to provide birthday tributes to our apostles on this blog as well.
There are likewise several projects I have in my personal files at the moment in various stages of completion which may also be the subject of future posts on this blog. And I am certain we will continue to see some breaking news developments, whether those are related to the ministry of our apostles, the death of a Church leader, or any major policy announcements.
I have previously shared my opinion that news and updates related to the day-to-day spreading of the gospel are being reported on a larger scale, to a much greater extent, and with much increased regularity. So I have no doubt that we will likely see many developments that deserve extensive coverage.
As I mentioned earlier in this post, I cannot put a time-frame or expected frequency on how and when these posts will be published here. But I can promise to continue to bring you the latest developments as I receive word of them. And in that regard, I wanted to note that Elder Patrick Kearon of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke last night at a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults. Mormon Newsroom shared this report of the remarks he made, in which he urged millennials to "rise out of [and above] themselves."
That is a timely message. As I have observed a few times before, the one downside of modern technology is that so many who utilize it extensively do not take time for human interactions, or to focus on the more important things. The Church has for years urged all of us to maintain the important connections in our lives with family, friends, and others through personal communication.
One reason I imagine that the Church retired home and visiting teaching and has replaced it with ministering, which is intended to be more governed by general principles and adaptations as the Spirit directs. That accomplishes two things: it places more accountability on the ministering brothers and sisters for figuring out how best to minister to every individual to whom they are assigned to minister, and it encourages some form of personal contact, no matter what form that contact takes.
So we can see that Elder Kearon's message continues a theme that has been prevalent since the ministering announcement, that all of us can, should, and must do more to minister to those around us and to take time to put aside things that might drown out the voice of the Spirit. A timely message indeed.
I am committed to continuing to monitor all Church and temple news, and to bringing those updates to you all soon after learning of them. Whatever that might involve, you can count on 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.
It goes without saying that I will continue to provide Church and temple news as I become aware of such reports. Additionally, I have plans in place to post at least once every month or two with an update on the latest apostolic statistics, which I feel is very important information.
The jury is still out on how extensively I will cover potential temple possibilities in the near future. With the success I saw in doing so previously, it is an attractive prospect and a very worthy subject that has wide interest. But the form and extent to which such coverage will occur largely depends on the amount of time I can devote to such posts and the future availability of information that would mold the information I share in that regard.
I will, of course, also be looking forward to passing along my predictions for each General Conference, including the potential speaking order, changes in Church leadership, and temple prospects. I also fully intend to continue to provide birthday tributes to our apostles on this blog as well.
There are likewise several projects I have in my personal files at the moment in various stages of completion which may also be the subject of future posts on this blog. And I am certain we will continue to see some breaking news developments, whether those are related to the ministry of our apostles, the death of a Church leader, or any major policy announcements.
I have previously shared my opinion that news and updates related to the day-to-day spreading of the gospel are being reported on a larger scale, to a much greater extent, and with much increased regularity. So I have no doubt that we will likely see many developments that deserve extensive coverage.
As I mentioned earlier in this post, I cannot put a time-frame or expected frequency on how and when these posts will be published here. But I can promise to continue to bring you the latest developments as I receive word of them. And in that regard, I wanted to note that Elder Patrick Kearon of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke last night at a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults. Mormon Newsroom shared this report of the remarks he made, in which he urged millennials to "rise out of [and above] themselves."
That is a timely message. As I have observed a few times before, the one downside of modern technology is that so many who utilize it extensively do not take time for human interactions, or to focus on the more important things. The Church has for years urged all of us to maintain the important connections in our lives with family, friends, and others through personal communication.
One reason I imagine that the Church retired home and visiting teaching and has replaced it with ministering, which is intended to be more governed by general principles and adaptations as the Spirit directs. That accomplishes two things: it places more accountability on the ministering brothers and sisters for figuring out how best to minister to every individual to whom they are assigned to minister, and it encourages some form of personal contact, no matter what form that contact takes.
So we can see that Elder Kearon's message continues a theme that has been prevalent since the ministering announcement, that all of us can, should, and must do more to minister to those around us and to take time to put aside things that might drown out the voice of the Spirit. A timely message indeed.
I am committed to continuing to monitor all Church and temple news, and to bringing those updates to you all soon after learning of them. Whatever that might involve, you can count on 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Two Additional Articles Posted on Mormon Newsroom
Hello again, everyone! Earlier today, I noticed that Mormon Newsroom had published two additional articles that I wanted to share with you all. I was not able to do so before now because my wife and I spent most of our afternoon and evening going to and from Salt Lake City for a doctor's appointment. But those two newest articles are worthy of mention, so I wanted to discuss them now.
Before doing so, I did want to mention something interesting which I have noticed. We have seen a lot of major Church news released since President Monson's passing four months ago. But it has been amazing and inspiring for me to realize that a greater number of those news articles have been published in the last four months on Mormon Newsroom than has previously been the case.
Mormon Newsroom has always had extensive coverage of the major Church news stories. But since January, the number of those stories published first on Mormon Newsroom instead of any other source have increased substantially.
A couple of examples of that have been the fact that Mormon Newsroom was the first source to publish the changes in area leadership (not to mention the fact that the first report of those changes came several weeks earlier this year than has been the case previously) and that more extensive coverage has also been devoted to the ministry of our current apostles and other Church leaders.
In short, there have been a greater number of news items first published on Mormon Newsroom in the last few months than has been the case in any other previous three-month period. That is the case for two reasons: First, there have been many more developments having an impact on the whole Church within that time than we have previously seen, and second, President Nelson mentioned during the January 16 temple broadcast and press conference that the Church was working towards greater transparency. It has been amazing to see that unfold.
Sorry for that lengthy commentary. That said, now let's turn our attention to the two items which I referenced at the beginning of this post. First, as some of you might recall, several months ago, the Church reported that the First Presidency had sent out surveys to all currently-serving missionaries to gague the conditions impacting safety and security in each area of the world. Mormon Newsroom provided this update, which highlights what the Church has done and plans to do in the near future in response to the results of those surveys.
As some of you might also recall, President and Sister Nelson had been slated to speak at the final session of the BYU-Provo Women's Conference, but had to cancel those plans due to a scheduling conflict. At President Nelson's request, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, newly sustained as an apostle last month, and his wife Susan filled that assignment in their stead. Mormon Newsroom shared a summary of the remarks they offered, along with a summary of the talks given by Sisters Sharon Eubank and Reyna I. Aburto, the counselors in the Relief Society General Presidency.
It has been customary for the entire Relief Society General presidency to address the Women's Conference every year, but in view of Sister Jean B. Bingham being in Washington D. C. over the last few days to participate in the National Day of Prayer, she was not able to join her counselors in speaking during the Women's Conference this year.
Both articles are well worthy of your attention, and I can wholeheartedly recommend them to you all. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will, to the best of my ability, bring you word of ongoing developments on either front as I learn 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. 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.
Before doing so, I did want to mention something interesting which I have noticed. We have seen a lot of major Church news released since President Monson's passing four months ago. But it has been amazing and inspiring for me to realize that a greater number of those news articles have been published in the last four months on Mormon Newsroom than has previously been the case.
Mormon Newsroom has always had extensive coverage of the major Church news stories. But since January, the number of those stories published first on Mormon Newsroom instead of any other source have increased substantially.
A couple of examples of that have been the fact that Mormon Newsroom was the first source to publish the changes in area leadership (not to mention the fact that the first report of those changes came several weeks earlier this year than has been the case previously) and that more extensive coverage has also been devoted to the ministry of our current apostles and other Church leaders.
In short, there have been a greater number of news items first published on Mormon Newsroom in the last few months than has been the case in any other previous three-month period. That is the case for two reasons: First, there have been many more developments having an impact on the whole Church within that time than we have previously seen, and second, President Nelson mentioned during the January 16 temple broadcast and press conference that the Church was working towards greater transparency. It has been amazing to see that unfold.
Sorry for that lengthy commentary. That said, now let's turn our attention to the two items which I referenced at the beginning of this post. First, as some of you might recall, several months ago, the Church reported that the First Presidency had sent out surveys to all currently-serving missionaries to gague the conditions impacting safety and security in each area of the world. Mormon Newsroom provided this update, which highlights what the Church has done and plans to do in the near future in response to the results of those surveys.
As some of you might also recall, President and Sister Nelson had been slated to speak at the final session of the BYU-Provo Women's Conference, but had to cancel those plans due to a scheduling conflict. At President Nelson's request, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, newly sustained as an apostle last month, and his wife Susan filled that assignment in their stead. Mormon Newsroom shared a summary of the remarks they offered, along with a summary of the talks given by Sisters Sharon Eubank and Reyna I. Aburto, the counselors in the Relief Society General Presidency.
It has been customary for the entire Relief Society General presidency to address the Women's Conference every year, but in view of Sister Jean B. Bingham being in Washington D. C. over the last few days to participate in the National Day of Prayer, she was not able to join her counselors in speaking during the Women's Conference this year.
Both articles are well worthy of your attention, and I can wholeheartedly recommend them to you all. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will, to the best of my ability, bring you word of ongoing developments on either front as I learn 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. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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