Why I’m so grateful someone pushed through awkwardness to serve

With building anticipation for the dedication of the Rome Italy Temple scheduled to get underway beginning tomorrow morning with the public cornerstone ceremony, hundreds of youth packed a stake center on the campus of the soon-to-be-christened temple. When dedicated it will be the 162nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree. And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost. —1 Nephi 8:22–23

I grew up in a strange household religiously. My parents divorced because they couldn’t decide if I would be raised Jewish or Catholic. One would think this is a decision that would have been reached before having a baby (especially when you’ve been married a decade before the baby comes into the picture), but alas, religion opened a hole in their marriage that my parents found impossible to bridge. My father was Jewish, my mother Catholic, and despite living full-time with my mother, I decided I would be Jewish. My mother told me Jews were “people of the Book,” and I liked books. My favorite food, then and now, was also matzo ball soup, and once my mother told me that recipe was also Jewish, well, I was sold. And so, at the wise age of 7, I declared I was Jewish, and almost 25 years later, I still am.

On this week’s episode of All In, host Morgan Jones speaks with Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy, directors of the Tabernacle Choir, in the basement of the historic Salt Lake Tabernacle. Discussing their personal love for music, guest artists, and missionary opportunities among other things, the episode provides uniquely personal insight into the men behind (or rather, in front of) the Choir.

Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church and President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met today at the Vatican in the first-ever face-to-face discussion between the heads of the two global churches.

Ask Utah State basketball coach Craig Smith one question about his returned missionary junior guard Sam Merrill and he can go on for hours.

Making a pilgrimage is to undertake a journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion. Anciently, pagan pilgrims sought to consult the oracles and offer sacrifices at places now familiar to us as impressive ruins. Millions of Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus annually seek enlightenment through the very act of making a journey to sacred sites around the world—not as tourists but rather as pilgrims. The four Gospels tell us that Herod’s temple in Jerusalem was the destination for pilgrims who attended three annual pilgrimage festivals. The journeys were required for all adult Jewish men until the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. The Gospels record that Jesus, His family, and His disciples made their way to Jerusalem in obedience to tradition and to express their religious devotion. The most familiar pilgrimage was, of course, the Passover Feast, a celebration meant to commemorate the release from bondage of the Children of Israel in Egypt.

This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading in Matthew 10-12, Mark 2, and Luke 7 and 11. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Living for additional resources and suggestions.

For daily Gospel-based relationship insights join Jonathan’s Facebook group. To submit a question for Jonathan, click here. Republished with permission from Your Family Expert.