Ongoing Blog Developments Underway

Hello again, everyone! With somewhat of a lull today in terms of Church news and temple developments, I wanted to highlight and underscore an item of personal business. As many of you may be aware, I have recently been looking into ways to improve the look and feel of this blog, in addition to testing ways to earn more revenue from my blogging efforts. As a consequence, during this period of tests and tweaks, the layout of this blog may continue to change periodically as I work on implementing those suggestions I have found on how to do all of that. I appreciate your ongoing patience with me as I continue to attempt to work all of that out.

Additionally, I should also note that I certainly hope to be able to revisit my series of posts on near-future temple prospects that might possibly be announced during the next General Conference at some point within the next two and a half months. But my ability to do so will depend on the availability of the information I need to put those posts together. I am doing the best I can to assemble information from other sources for that purpose, but it is somewhat of a slow process.

With all of that said, I also wanted to express my gratitude to each of you, my readers, who have contributed to the ongoing dialogue about subjects covered on this blog. It is my hope that this blog can continue to be one of many sources that will be trusted for accurate and up-to-date information on all important Church news and temple developments. I do continue to monitor all of that on an ongoing basis and will do my best to bring word of those to you all as I become aware of such things.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of updated contents and comments on this blog, please feel free to subscribe. 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 Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! A few more important Church news stories have come to my attention in the last half hour or so, and I couldn't wait to share those with you all. First, the News & Events page on the Church's official website shares these highlights of a presentation given by Elder and Sister Dale G. and Ruth L. Renlund at the Seminar for New Mission Leadership. They focused that presentation on the what, why, and how of developing Christlike attributes. That article is well worthy of your attention.

Turning now to the Church News, this article shares more details about the video featuring Elder Soares which I shared in my previous post. Meanwhile, missionaries serving in the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission recently marched in the Monument Hill Kiwanis Parade, which marked the first time they were invited to participate. You can find more on that in this report. 

And finally, the Church News continued their series entitled: "This Week on Social". In this week's edition, messages from Church leaders highlight and underscore God's love for all of His children, and shared counsel regarding the ongoing implementation of the Church's "ministering" program.

It is interesting to see Church news being reported and published on a larger scale than we have seen previously. I continue to monitor all such developments and will do my level best to continue to bring those to you all here as I learn of them.

That does it for this post. If you enjoyed what you read here, please fee free to subscribe to stay informed of new content. 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.

Miscellaneous Church & Temple News Reported

Hello again, everyone! This post will serve as a way to share some Church and temple news which has been reported today via various outlets. So let's get right into all of that. We begin with this Church News report on the address given by President M. Russell Ballard during the Seminar for New Mission Presidents. The Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described 7 steps whereby the new mission leaders can get the ball rolling in their ministry. He drew on extensive experiences that both he and his ancestors had in their ministries. The article is well worthy of your attention.

Next, a temple update. A new video posted on the LDS Church Temples Facebook page shows progress that has been made on the construction of the Lisbon Portugal Temple, where progress is being made on the interior framework. As far as I know, the last general estimate offered for this temple's completion (mid-2019) has not changed. With that in mind, this temple could be dedicated anytime between August and October next year, but perhaps in the earlier part of that estimate.

We conclude with some additional apostolic news. A new video has been posted which features junior apostle Elder Ulisses Soares discussing the need for kindness and acceptance. And the Church has also announced a regional Face-to-Face event originating from the Philippines for youth in Asia. Elder Gary E. Stevenson and his wife Lesa will be the featured Church leaders at this event, which you can read more about here. Interestingly enough, this event is set to be held on August 11, 5 days after Elder Stevenson's 63rd birthday.

I continue to monitor all Church and temple news and developments, and will do my level best to bring word of those to you as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of new content, please feel free to subscribe. 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 Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! The Church News has reported two additional developments that deserve to be mentioned on this blog. First, this Sunday will mark the very day on which "Music & the Spoken Word" will be celebrating the 89th anniversary of its' commencement. This article provides comments from those involved in the longest running broadcast in history, as well as providing some historical context into how much the world and the broadcast itself have changed since that first broadcast in 1929.

The Church News also continued its' six-part series on the ministry of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the latest chapter of that series, the members of that Quorum talk about how the work done by full-time missionaries throughout the world is an extension of the mission of the apostles to preach the gospel and testify of the Savior worldwide. The article also discusses why the apostles spend so much time with the missionaries as they visit various areas of the Church in which missions are established.

These articles are well worthy of your attention. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments, and will bring word of those to you as I receive it. That does it for this post. If you enjoyed what you read here, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of new content. 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 Presidents Announced for Two More New Temples

Hello again, everyone! The calls of presidents for two other new temples have been announced. The Barranquilla Colombia and Rome Italy Temples will have as their first presidents men who have previously served in those cities as mission presidents. So the Church continues the tradition of assigning as new temple presidents those who have experience in that area and are known (and well-respected by) the Saints of these cities. With these newly-announced temple presidents, the total number of new temple presidents called now totals 61. In addition to theF ortaleza Brazil and Port-au-Prince Haiti Temples (which are anticipated to be dedicated at some point during the first 6-8 months of next year), the only other temples that may potentially have a new president announced this year (as far as I know) are the temples in Veracruz Mexico and Washington D. C.
It is also worth noting that, although the temple named for the U. S. capital city is currently closed for renovation, and may therefore not have a new president announced until it is closer to completion at some point in 2020, the Church did announce a new president earlier this year for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple, which, as I have previously mentioned, is currently closed for renovation but stalled in that process, so anything is possible.

That said, for those who have not read any of my previous version of this list, I include the newest version of it below. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here now as I always do. That does it for this post. If you liked what you read here and would be interested in doing so, please feel free to subscribe to be notified of new content. 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

39.  Redlands California

40.  Draper Utah

41.  Tijuana Mexico

42.  Sacramento California

43.  Monticello Utah

44.  Bountiful Utah

45.  Freiberg Germany

46.  Oakland California

47.  Villahermosa Mexico

48.  Manti Utah

49.  Suva Fiji

50.  Vancouver British Columbia

51.  Tegucigalpa Honduras

52.  Fukuoka Japan

53.  St. Louis Missouri

54.  Trujillo Peru

55.  Asuncion Paraguay (not anticipated)

56.  Cordoba Argentina

57.  Taipei Taiwan

58.  Kinshasa DR Congo (first president)

59.  Concepcion Chile (first president)

60.  Barranquilla Colombia (first president)

61.  Rome Italy (first president)

The first presidents will likely be announced for the following new temples:

1.      Fortaleza Brazil

2.      Port-au-Prince Haiti

New presidents may also be announced for the following temples:

1.      Veracruz Mexico

2.      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)

Miscellaneous Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! Although my focus in recent days has been on the dialogue of future temples and ongoing temple developments, in addition to reports covering the addresses given during the Seminar for New Mission Leadership, there have been a number of other interesting Church news articles published in recent days. This post will share the highlights of many of the most significant developments in that regard.

Continuing their tradition of featuring articles by general officers of the Church, the Church News published this article, penned by the Young Men General Presidency, in which they detail ways that youth can and should put on the armor of God in their daily lives. Their timely counsel applies equally well for the rest of us.

The Church News also published a series of articles highlighting recent developments that are significant to relevant aspects of Church history, both from the recent and more distant past. This article pays tribute to Emma Smith, the wife of the Prophet Joseph, who was rightly called an "elect lady" and who not only compiled the first Latter-day Saint collection of hymns, but was also chosen by early Latter-day women to be the first General Relief Society President.

As many of you also know, President M. Russell Ballard is a direct descendant of Hyrum Smith, brother to the Prophet Joseph. Hyrum was the father of Joseph F. Smith, who was born while his father and uncle were incarcerated at Liberty Jail. Joseph F. would later go on to serve as an apostle, and later as Church president. One of the major significant developments during that President Smith's prophetic administration was what we know of as Doctrine and Covenants Section 138, the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead.

That revelation was given after President Smith read passages in the Bible and sought to understand them. It has been verified in this article that the branch of the family that had the copy of the very Bible he used felt it would be appropriate during this year that commemorates 200 years since that revelation was accepted by the Church to donate the Bible to the Church. And they did so by handing it off to President Ballard, who, as both a fellow descendant of that family line and a high-ranking Church leader, accepted it on behalf of the Church. That was awesome to hear about.

The other story about Church history relates, albeit indirectly, to someone else connected with the Smith family line. Elder Bruce R. McConkie, who, as some of you may know, was the son-in-law of President Joseph Fielding Smith, and had been promised by his father-in-law that he would be called to fill the next apostolic vacancy (a promise which that President Smith's successor Harold B. Lee fulfilled), had a brother, James W., who was a musical genius and who was poised to become more famous that Bruce R.

But James W.'s prospects in that regard were forever altered when he unexpectedly passed away at age 32. Some of his children contracted polio, and although James had been warned of the risk of infection from that ailment, he still showed affection to his children that had it. While all of them survived that illness, he did not. For a time, his works were not released to the public. During the recent Mormon Arts Festival, held in Carnegie Hall in New York City, his work was unveiled, and the Church News shared this report of that unveiling. The artistic gift must run through that family, as Bruce R. McConkie was recognized as a prolific writer who gave us the lyrics to the hymn "I Believe in Christ", and whose final apostolic address will forever be celebrated as a gospel classic.

The Church continues to release a video series geared to help combat the problem of suicide, which is titled "His Grace." The latest video posted in that series shares this inspiring story on the latest video in that series. And in conjunction with those ongoing efforts, the Church also shared some insight into why we need to talk about suicide.

And KSL has reported on a donation which an LDS foundation has provided to Affirmation, an organization started by Church members but not officially Church sanctioned, which seeks to provide resources to Church members who are dealing with same-gender attraction. I know many people have talked about how the Church's stance on same-gender attraction seems to be responsible for the high rate of suicide among those that grapple with that issue, so hopefully this development is a welcome one to those who feel that way.

Voting is underway for videos submitted for the "Film Your Faith" contest, which is held every year through the Faith Counts organization, which brings together individuals from a wide variety of religious backgrounds to find common ground in religious worship. More on that voting process can be found here.

And finally, a group of Taiwanese YouTubers conducted a social experiment in which they asked one woman to portray a homeless person who needs help, for the purpose of seeing who might render her assistance. Though many people passed by without helping, the one and only group that did consisted of missionaries of the Church who are serving in that area. You can find more details, including comments from those conducting the experiment, the women who assisted them with it, and the missionaries who helped her, in this article.

I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed about new content featured on this blog, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

President Eyring Teaches How to Be Confident Rather Than Self-Doubtful

Hello again, everyone! The Church News continues to report on the addresses given during the Seminar for New Mission Leadership.. Just about an hour ago, this report was published summarizing President Eyring's counsel to those new leaders. His message was on a subject he has covered before, how to be confident instead of self-doubting in assignments and situations that seem beyond an individual.

He spoke of his personal experiences receiving Church callings for which he felt inadequate and, to a certain degree, unworthy. He again highlighted an experience he shared before about how President James E. Faust had called him into his office shortly after then-Elder Eyring's call to the apostleship. He could see that the new apostle was struggling with the magnitude of his new role. Elder Eyring anticipated that the veteran apostle would offer him advice to get through those feelings. But President Faust instead offered this powerful lesson: "Don't ask me. Ask him."

Now-President Eyring went on to talk about how he now occupies the office in which that visit with President Faust occurred. He then noted that at times since that meeting in April 1995, and particularly as he has been called to continue his service in the First Presidency under a third president of the Church, he has kept President Faust's counsel in mind.

He went on to describe his understanding of how those called to preside over missions or serve as Church missionaries may face the same feelings on inadequacy. And he offered some suggestions in terms of how all Church members, in whatever their calling may be, can refocus their attention away from wanting their service to be acceptable to those under whose direction they are called to serve to instead being more concerned about whether that service is acceptable to the Lord.

He pointed out that, of all opinions, our standing with the Lord should be the most important. And he urged mission presidents to encourage their missionaries to serve under the Lord's direction, endorsement, blessing, and approval.

It is a very timely message. In a world dominated by the idea that we need to focus first on pleasing others and ourselves by what we do, we are prone to forget that the Lord's opinion should be the one that matters most. Only He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, and at the day of judgement, we will not be asked about what we did to be acceptable to our fellow man, but what we did to be accepted of Him, which includes rendering service to those among whom we share our earthly sojourn.

May we all remember the importance of that message. That does it for this post. If you liked what you read here and would like to, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed about new content on this blog. 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.

Exploring Additional Temple Prospects for the Near Future

Hello again, everyone! With the recent discussions that have taken place in previous threads on this blog (which relate to how President Nelson's legacy as a temple-building Church president may outshine and overshadow that of President Hinckley), I have felt impressed to take a look at other potential locations which were not originally on my list for the near future, but which may need to be added in light of that new information.

I should also note that, unlike the locations currently on my list for a potential announcement in October, I am not yet going to add any contextual reasoning behind the inclusion of these sites for the moment, but that if any or all of these prospects do wind up on the list for October's General Conference, I will then be adding my rationale behind their inclusion.

A list of those prospects follows below, again organized first by the area of the Church under which those cities fall, then by potential likelihood within that area. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here as I always do. That does it for this post. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed on new content as it is posted, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Africa Southeast: Kampala Uganda; Maputo Mozambique; Lubumbashi DR Congo; Cape Town South Africa

Africa West: Monrovia Liberia

Asia: Ulaanbaatar Mongolia

Asia North: Kobe/Osaka/Nagoya Japan

Brazil: Florianopolis Brazil

Europe: Edinburgh Scotland; Vienna Austria

North America Central: Wichita Kansas; Green Bay Wisconsin; Council Bluffs Iowa

North America Northeast: Augusta Maine; Morristown/East Brunswick New Jersey; Concord New Hampshire; Montpelier Vermont

North America Southeast: Jacksonville Florida

Pacific: Tarawa Kiribati; Pago Pago American Samoa

Additional Temple Progress Reported

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to report that, within the last hour, two important temple developments have been reported. We first turn to an update on the renovation process for the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple. A new photograph posted to the LDS Church Temples Facebook page shows that the framing on the temple's exterior has continued to make steady progress.

As I mentioned on this blog earlier this year, the general estimate for that temple's completion was pushed back from mid-2019 to mid-to-late 2019. With that in mind, despite this reported progress, I do not currently see any reason to believe that this temple will be rededicated any sooner than between October and December of next year. But if and when my thoughts change in that regard, I will pass that information along.

And just around half an hour ago, that same page reported a development related to the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple. At the site where that is being built, a new photograph shows that preliminary work is underway on the meetinghouse that will be near the temple. As I mentioned previously, when the groundbreaking was held for the Winnipeg temple in December 2016, the Church indicated that the construction process was anticipated to take around 20 months or so.

With that process only having formally begun within the last six weeks, I have offered my estimate (which I will stand by until I see a reason to change it) that if all goes well, construction could conclude for this temple in February or March 2020, with a dedication following in April or May of the same year. Again, if I see any reason to alter that estimate in the future, I will be sure to do so.

I continue to monitor all temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you as I receive them. That does it for this post. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of new content. 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.

Elder Bednar Shares 5 Vital Lessons on Revelation and Its' Role in Missionary Work

Hello again, everyone! Elder David A. Bednar's recent address at the Seminar for New Mission Leadership was shared today in this article. He focused his remarks on 5 principles that should be vital lessons about the way revelation works, and spoke of how those connect to missionary work. As part of his remarks, he took time to debunk some common misconceptions on the subject of revelation that he had heard exist on a wide scale both in and out of the Church.

This is a timely message, not just for those involved in the missionary work of the Church, but for every Church member, especially those in leadership positions. I have had the opportunity to serve in Aaronic Priesthood Quorum presidencies, and have also served in the Ward Sunday School Presidency. And I can attest firsthand to the revelation that comes in those callings when the right questions are asked at the right time.

The Brethren have recently reiterated the importance of revelation in the lives of each member of the Church. That was the subject of the first address given by President Nelson to the entire Church in General Conference last April. The overwhelming sense I get from these messages is that the Lord is very anxious to speak to us about the important decisions in our lives, and that we need to keep ourselves open to those promptings as they come.

Everything we have seen occur during President Nelson's prophetic administration (which will have spanned a full half-year this Saturday) indicates that he knows how to receive revelation, and that the Lord is motivating through inspiration given to his servant those changes that will allow us as Saints to better care for one another, and to be united in the work.

We live in a significant period of time, where we are hearing more about the regular revelation that is coming at Church headquarters than I can ever remember previously occurring. So I fully believe the Church's best and most significant revelations are yet to come, and I am committed to continue to bring coverage of those developments 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to, feel free to subscribe for notification of new content on this blog, whether future posts or comment threads. 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.