Hello again, everyone! I am back once again, this time to share a post which will serve as a tribute to our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, who is celebrating his 94th birthday today (September 9, 2018). So let's talk about this wonderful man whom we sustain as the President of the Church and as a prophet, seer and revelator.
Russell Marion Nelson was born on September 9, 1924 (a day before his future predecessor to the Quorum Presidency, Boyd K. Packer) to Marion C. and Edna Anderson Nelson in Salt Lake City Utah. Though he grew up in a loving family, his parents were not active in the Church. As a teenager, he went looking for books about the Church at Deseret Book. His parents allowed him and his siblings to be baptized when he was 16.
In terms of his family, President Nelson married his first wife, Dantzel, in the Salt Lake Temple. They have nine daughters and one son. When his wife unexpectedly died in 2005, he described having "inconsolable grief" for a time. He married Wendy Watson, a BYU professor, the following April.
He studied at LDS Business College and went on to obtain his BA and MD at the University of Utah. He simultaneously trained as a surgeon and did doctoral studies at the University of Utah. He was part of the research team that developed the heart-lung machine that was used in 1951 on the first open-heart operation on a human being. He spent two years on medical duty for the US Army during the Korean War, then underwent another training period in Boston at the prestigious Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital.
At some point in his medical career, the University of Chicago was anxious to get him to come and teach at their school of medicine, so the president of that university asked Dallin H., Oaks, a professor in the law school there, to try and persuade him. Then-Brother Oaks did his best to convince then-Brother Nelson to accept the offer. But Church President David O. McKay advised him not to go, so he rejected the offer.
In 1955, he accepted a teaching opportunity at the University of Utah School of Medicine. where he built his own heart-and-lung machine. Around a year later, he was on duty to perform the first pediatric cardiac operation. In 1960, he performed the first successful operative repair of a tricuspid heart valve. Being worried that a surgical procedure he had been asked to perform was too risky for anyone, he requested and received a blessing from President Spencer W. Kimball, who was one of his patients.
That surgery was a success, and he later w used the same technique to operate on President Kimball himself while the latter was serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which resulted in the Church being blessed for many additional years by the inspired counsel of President Kimball.
He has served in many positions on different hospital boards and has received several awards for his pioneering work. He likewise had many service opportunities in the Church. He served as a stake president for over six years, during which time he served alongside another future apostle, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. He also served as Sunday School General President (during which time, Brother Wirthlin would again serve alongside him) and in the now defunct calling of regional representative.
In the early 1970s, the Church was looking for a new president for BYU-Provo. Although Dallin H. Oaks was eventually appointed, then-Brother Nelson was also considered. In April 1984, with the advice and consent of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called Brother Nelson to fill one of two vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Then-Brother Oaks was called to fill the other vacancy, and the two have sat side-by-side in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since that time.
Over the next 31.5 years, all the apostles that were junior to President Monson but senior to President Nelson passed away. When President Boyd K. Packer died on July 3, 2015, Elder Nelson became the de facto President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was officially set apart in that capacity 12 days later, on Wednesday July 15, 2015.
He was still serving in that role when the senior apostle, President Thomas S. Monson, passed away on January 2 of this year. President Nelson directed the affairs of the Church as the senior apostle for 12 days before his ordination as Church President. After meeting individually with each of the other 12 apostles, he selected his seatmate, Elder Oaks, and Elder Henry B. Eyring, who had served as a counselor to both Presidents Monson and Gordon B. Hinckley.
President Nelson took great care towards his Brethren in the apostleship. Many of you will recall how, in the midst of an address about charity, the pure love of Christ, that Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin began shaking uncontrollably, In a silent demonstration of what his colleague was talking about, Elder Nelson stood by and supported Elder Wirthlin until he closed his address, then gently helped him back to his seat.
And, of course, we heard recently how, following the Sunday Morning Session of the October 2017 General Conference, President Nelson followed a prompting to skip his lunch break and go immediately to the hospital to visit Elder Robert D. Hales, who passed away within a few minutes after President Nelson arrived.
President Nelson has demonstrated a keen intellect, a willingness to seek for and follow revelation from the Lord, and an undeviating loyalty and full commitment to his family, his Church, and his apostolic colleagues. We have seen him respond swiftly to such revelation, and perhaps the greatest details of the revelation he continues to receive regularly are yet-to-be revealed in the upcoming General Conference.
I have always been impressed and touched by President Nelson's remarks. He has given 75 addresses thus far in General Conference, including 5 last April in his first General Conference as Church President.To review any of those remarkable addresses, click here. He is also rising among the ranks of our other nonagenarian apostles, and he may very well live to become the oldest living apostle, which will happen in just under five years from now.
Though he may not ever read this personally, I am grateful for the chance to have paid this birthday tribute to President Nelson. He and the other apostles have my unequivocal support and sustaining vote. I know for myself that President Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of God, that he will not lead us astray, that he speaks for and in behalf of the Lord and that we will be blessed by the Lord as we follow the counsel given by His chosen mouthpiece.
That does it for this post. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Sunday, September 9, 2018
President Russell M. Nelson Celebrates His 94th Birthday Today
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.
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Elder Quentin L. Cook Celebrates His 78th Birthday Today
Hello again, everyone! As mentioned at the end of my last post, I am back in the early morning hours of September 8 to share some thoughts about Elder Quentin L. Cook in honor of his 78th birthday today. Let's dive right into that subject.
Quentin La Mar Cook was born in Logan, Utah to J. Vernon and Bernice Cook on this day in 1940. He was a middle child, having an older brother and a younger sister. He grew up in a very gospel-centered home, although his father eventually lost interest in Church activity. At age 15, he had a discussion with his brother Joe that changed his life.
Joe was unsure whether to put off medical school to serve a mission, with their father favoring the first option. During that conversation, they determined that either the gospel was true or it wasn't, and that if it was, serving a mission would be the best use of Joe's time. Joe’s decision to go resulted in young Quentin accepting his own call to serve in the British Mission.
One of his two mission presidents was, Elder Marion D. Hanks, who simultaneously served as a general authority. At one point during his mission, his companion was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Though the two didn't know it at the time, both would go on to serve as General Authorities and as colleagues in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Cook returned from his mission with a strong testimony of the Savior and a resolve to associate with people who love the Savior, both within and outside of the Church. He married his high school sweetheart Mary Gaddie in the Logan Utah Temple on November 30, 1962. Their posterity includes three children and numerous grandchildren..
He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in political science and from Stanford University with a juris doctorate degree. As a managing partner in San Francisco Bay area law firm, he specialized in business law. He later became president and chief executive officer of California Healthcare System, and vice chairman of Sutter Health Systems.
His church service has included being a bishop, stake president’s counselor, stake president, regional representative, and area authority. While he was in the stake presidency, he was instilled with a love of people from all nations when he had responsibility for Spanish, Tongan, Samoan, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Cantonese congregations.
He was named a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy on April 6, 1996, and as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 4, 1998. He served as a member of area presidencies in the Philippines, the Pacific, and North America, in addition to serving as the executive director of the Church Missionary Department before being called to the Presidency of the Seventy on August 1, 2007.
Just over two months later, October 6, 2007, he was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he was ordained an apostle five days later. The apostolic vacancy had been created by the death of President James E. Faust, which in turn resulted in Elder Henry B. Eyring’s call to the First Presidency.
Elder Cook has spoken several times in General Conference. He spoke twice as a general authority seventy and has given 22 additional address since his call to the apostleship. You can review any of those here. Although he may never read this personally, I am grateful for his service as a special witness of Christ, and I wholeheartedly sustain him and the other apostles.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Quentin La Mar Cook was born in Logan, Utah to J. Vernon and Bernice Cook on this day in 1940. He was a middle child, having an older brother and a younger sister. He grew up in a very gospel-centered home, although his father eventually lost interest in Church activity. At age 15, he had a discussion with his brother Joe that changed his life.
Joe was unsure whether to put off medical school to serve a mission, with their father favoring the first option. During that conversation, they determined that either the gospel was true or it wasn't, and that if it was, serving a mission would be the best use of Joe's time. Joe’s decision to go resulted in young Quentin accepting his own call to serve in the British Mission.
One of his two mission presidents was, Elder Marion D. Hanks, who simultaneously served as a general authority. At one point during his mission, his companion was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Though the two didn't know it at the time, both would go on to serve as General Authorities and as colleagues in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Cook returned from his mission with a strong testimony of the Savior and a resolve to associate with people who love the Savior, both within and outside of the Church. He married his high school sweetheart Mary Gaddie in the Logan Utah Temple on November 30, 1962. Their posterity includes three children and numerous grandchildren..
He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in political science and from Stanford University with a juris doctorate degree. As a managing partner in San Francisco Bay area law firm, he specialized in business law. He later became president and chief executive officer of California Healthcare System, and vice chairman of Sutter Health Systems.
His church service has included being a bishop, stake president’s counselor, stake president, regional representative, and area authority. While he was in the stake presidency, he was instilled with a love of people from all nations when he had responsibility for Spanish, Tongan, Samoan, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Cantonese congregations.
He was named a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy on April 6, 1996, and as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 4, 1998. He served as a member of area presidencies in the Philippines, the Pacific, and North America, in addition to serving as the executive director of the Church Missionary Department before being called to the Presidency of the Seventy on August 1, 2007.
Just over two months later, October 6, 2007, he was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he was ordained an apostle five days later. The apostolic vacancy had been created by the death of President James E. Faust, which in turn resulted in Elder Henry B. Eyring’s call to the First Presidency.
Elder Cook has spoken several times in General Conference. He spoke twice as a general authority seventy and has given 22 additional address since his call to the apostleship. You can review any of those here. Although he may never read this personally, I am grateful for his service as a special witness of Christ, and I wholeheartedly sustain him and the other apostles.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
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, September 7, 2018
Additional Church News Reported
Hello again, everyone! A few additional Church news items have been reported recently, so I wanted to pass along the most significant ones. First, Church leaders, in recognition of the wide-spread problem of mental health issues and as a result of the National Weekend of Prayer for Faith, Hope and Life, are calling on Church members to join in prayer particularly on behalf of those who have mental health issues and/or are feeling suicidal.
Elder LeGrand R. Curtis, who is a General Authority Seventy and currently a counselor in the Utah Area of the Church, represented the Brethren at a media event held today in support of both the weekend of prayer and the Utah Governor's Teen Suicide Prevention Taskforce, on which the Church was asked to participate. You can read more about his remarks and the request for Church members' prayers on this issue in this article (from the Church News) and this one from the Newsroom on the Church's official website.
The Church News website also released the next edition of their article series "This Week on Social", which shared posts from Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, who also spoke on the subject of suicide and mental health issues; while President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, who shared an experience highlighting the importance of learning to surrender our personal wills to that of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Posts from three other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were also highlighted, including one from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in which he reminisced about how he was able to overcome his doubts and fears about the future by listening to the wise counsel of his wife; while Elder David A. Bednar shared thoughts on repentance; and Elder Dale G. Renlund shared thoughts about traveling with President Nelson and watching him minister to Church members.
Saints in London England are celebrating 60 years since the temple in that city was dedicated, and this article highlights some interesting facts about that temple. With that temple having its' first rededication occur in October 1992, it may be another 4-20 years at minimum before another such renovation is needed.
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 word of them. Just a heads-up reminder: tomorrow and the day after will mark the respective 78th birthday of Elder Quentin L. Cook and the 94th birthday of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, so be on the lookout for posts honoring these two men over this next weekend. I will also be bringing word of any weekend developments which may occur as well.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Elder LeGrand R. Curtis, who is a General Authority Seventy and currently a counselor in the Utah Area of the Church, represented the Brethren at a media event held today in support of both the weekend of prayer and the Utah Governor's Teen Suicide Prevention Taskforce, on which the Church was asked to participate. You can read more about his remarks and the request for Church members' prayers on this issue in this article (from the Church News) and this one from the Newsroom on the Church's official website.
The Church News website also released the next edition of their article series "This Week on Social", which shared posts from Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, who also spoke on the subject of suicide and mental health issues; while President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, who shared an experience highlighting the importance of learning to surrender our personal wills to that of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Posts from three other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were also highlighted, including one from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in which he reminisced about how he was able to overcome his doubts and fears about the future by listening to the wise counsel of his wife; while Elder David A. Bednar shared thoughts on repentance; and Elder Dale G. Renlund shared thoughts about traveling with President Nelson and watching him minister to Church members.
Saints in London England are celebrating 60 years since the temple in that city was dedicated, and this article highlights some interesting facts about that temple. With that temple having its' first rededication occur in October 1992, it may be another 4-20 years at minimum before another such renovation is needed.
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 word of them. Just a heads-up reminder: tomorrow and the day after will mark the respective 78th birthday of Elder Quentin L. Cook and the 94th birthday of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, so be on the lookout for posts honoring these two men over this next weekend. I will also be bringing word of any weekend developments which may occur as well.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
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.
Dates Announced for 2019 Church-wide Events/Open House Begins for Concepcion Chile Temple
Hello again, everyone! Two big news items have been reported by the Church today. First, the schedule for the currently-set 2019 Church-wide Events has been announced. I say "currently-set" because there will be other events, such as Face-to-Face gatherings for youth and young adults that will be scheduled and announced at a later date. And more specific details, such as the speakers for the Worldwide Devotionals for Young Adults, the BYU-Provo Women's Conference, and the annual Evening with a General Authority for CES personnel, will be announced later on.
General Conference next year will be held on April 6 and 7 and on October 5 and 6, with the Priesthood Session continuing in April and the Women's Session in October. In an unusual move, the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional, which has typically been held on the first Sunday of December, will be held on Sunday December 8 next year. You can find a complete PDF list of the scheduled events here, with the list speaking for itself.
In the meantime, the other big news is that the open house is beginning for the Concepcion Chile Temple. Tours for VIP and members of the media are now underway, and the tours for the general public will begin a week from tomorrow. The Church has released these details about that open house.
Among the important highlights of those details is that the open house will be held between September 15 and October 13, Sundays and General Conference Saturday excluded. The Church has replaced the traditional cultural celebration with a planned devotional for youth, their parents, and their leaders, which will be held on Saturday September 27. The following day, the temple will be dedicated in three sessions.
I would assume that for the first new temple dedication of his presidency, President Nelson will preside at this event. And I would not in any way be surprised to learn that Elder Holland will accompany the presiding officer, since he served as president of what was then the Chile Area of the Church between 2002 and 2004. There may be others in Church leadership with a direct or indirect connection to Chile who may also attend, but I haven't done the research on who might fit that description.
Either way, it will be exciting to see how things unfold in the coming months with Church news and temple developments, and to the best of my ability, I will try to bring word of those developments to you as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated.
Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
General Conference next year will be held on April 6 and 7 and on October 5 and 6, with the Priesthood Session continuing in April and the Women's Session in October. In an unusual move, the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional, which has typically been held on the first Sunday of December, will be held on Sunday December 8 next year. You can find a complete PDF list of the scheduled events here, with the list speaking for itself.
In the meantime, the other big news is that the open house is beginning for the Concepcion Chile Temple. Tours for VIP and members of the media are now underway, and the tours for the general public will begin a week from tomorrow. The Church has released these details about that open house.
Among the important highlights of those details is that the open house will be held between September 15 and October 13, Sundays and General Conference Saturday excluded. The Church has replaced the traditional cultural celebration with a planned devotional for youth, their parents, and their leaders, which will be held on Saturday September 27. The following day, the temple will be dedicated in three sessions.
I would assume that for the first new temple dedication of his presidency, President Nelson will preside at this event. And I would not in any way be surprised to learn that Elder Holland will accompany the presiding officer, since he served as president of what was then the Chile Area of the Church between 2002 and 2004. There may be others in Church leadership with a direct or indirect connection to Chile who may also attend, but I haven't done the research on who might fit that description.
Either way, it will be exciting to see how things unfold in the coming months with Church news and temple developments, and to the best of my ability, I will try to bring word of those developments to you as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated.
Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
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, September 6, 2018
New President Called for the Veracruz Mexico Temple
Hello again, everyone! Though I have no wish to detract from the big news of today (which is the artist's rendering and site confirmation for the Pocatello Idaho Temple), I did want to note that a new president has been called for the Veracruz Mexico Temple, which is something I had anticipated would occur.
This brings the total number of new temple presidents called this year to 64. Given that many other first presidents have been announced for most of the temples anticipated to be dedicated next year, I am also anticipating that the first presidents for the Fortaleza Brazil and Lisbon Portugal Temples will be announced in the near future. The only other temple on my personal list of those that might have a new president announced this year is the one in Washington D. C.
I am aware, of course, that that particular temple closed for renovation in March of this year, but my reason for suspecting that a new president could be announced for that temple is that a new president was announced earlier this year for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple, which has been closed since November of last year for renovation, but for which, as far as I know, the renovation process has not yet begun almost a year later.
It will be interesting to see what happens in that regard. I continue to monitor all of these developments and will pass word of them along to you all as I receive 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.
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.
This brings the total number of new temple presidents called this year to 64. Given that many other first presidents have been announced for most of the temples anticipated to be dedicated next year, I am also anticipating that the first presidents for the Fortaleza Brazil and Lisbon Portugal Temples will be announced in the near future. The only other temple on my personal list of those that might have a new president announced this year is the one in Washington D. C.
I am aware, of course, that that particular temple closed for renovation in March of this year, but my reason for suspecting that a new president could be announced for that temple is that a new president was announced earlier this year for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple, which has been closed since November of last year for renovation, but for which, as far as I know, the renovation process has not yet begun almost a year later.
It will be interesting to see what happens in that regard. I continue to monitor all of these developments and will pass word of them along to you all as I receive 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.
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.
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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