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57846

Elder Uchtdorf shares cheerful message: ‘Don’t mask your heart’

Emily Abel - Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf recently shared some cheerful advice on managing relationships in the ongoing pandemic. On Facebook , he wrote that people have asked him if he has more time on his hands since he is not traveling on Church assignments personally visiting Latter-day Saints. “I feel that I am actually busier than ever!” wrote Elder Uchtdorf. “I am not traveling, but I am using technology to connect with people all over the world.” In an article from Church Newsroom , Elder Uchtdorf said he prefers the term “physical distancing” over “social distancing” when it comes to taking precautions against...

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A look at the first 6 months of the Salt Lake Temple renovation

Lindsey Williams - Just over six months ago, the doors of the Salt Lake Temple closed to patrons as the first steps of the temple's renovation began. Now, scaffolding surrounds the temple spires, and the project is just starting. Deseret News   reported on some of the changes that have taken place during the first six months, which includes uncovering the foundation, demolishing and dismantling annexes, and removing ornate finials. Recently, the sealing wing has been separated from the north side of the temple and its roof has been removed. This wing will be dismantled completely after workers protect the temple walls in the...

57830

What the 9 women in the General Presidencies had to say about their role in the priesthood

Emily Abel - During the women’s session of the October 2019 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson made this powerful statement to the sisters of the Church: “How I yearn for you to understand that the restoration of the priesthood is just as relevant to you as a woman as it is to any man.” He then entreated the women of the Church “to study prayerfully all the truths you can find about priesthood power.” Like many other Latter-day Saint women in the world, the women in the General Presidencies of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary did not take President Nelson’s invitation...

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How to approach questions about the gospel that challenge your faith

Danielle Christensen - Asking questions about the gospel is encouraged in the Church, as doing so can bring more knowledge and personal growth into your life. But how do you handle questions that challenge your faith? The July 2020 issue of the Ensign  features two articles on this topic, giving insights on how to look for answers in a faithful way. Living with hope  One day, Latter-day Saint Travis Ewell saw a conversation on social media about Church doctrine that gave him pause. Afterward, he decided to look into the arguments of those who felt concerned about the Church, and over time, he lost...

57819

Why I believe in a God that gives us flowers

Emily Abel - A bouquet of flowers has never been a practical gift. We cut down something beautiful, put it in a vase of water to slow down its death, and then present it as a sign of affection—strange when you think about it. Flowers never last more than a week or two and often cause quite a mess as petals and pollen take over your countertop. But I have always loved receiving flowers. I think the temporary, somewhat frivolous nature of the gift is what makes it special—I’m touched to be given something beautiful even when the giver knows it won’t last very...

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‘All Are Alike unto God’: Calling artists for the Church’s 12th International Art Competition

Emily Abel - Does the phrase “All are alike unto God” stir something inside you? Do you enjoy expressing thoughts and emotions through art? If so, you may consider submitting your interpretation of those words to the 12th International Art Competition.   The competition is sponsored by the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. This year’s theme comes from 2 Nephi 26:33 :   [The Lord] doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white,...

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Making the Sabbath a delight, even during a pandemic: Counsel from Elder Soares

Lindsey Williams - Elder Ulisses Soares has experienced atypical Sabbath days as he has waited in the airport while on Church assignments. On one of those Sundays, he found a place where he could be somewhat alone and “closed his eyes and turned his heart to the Lord.” “I felt the Savior’s warmth around me and I knew He accepted my offering that day, even being in a crowded airport,” Elder Soares told Church News . In a recent interview with Church News , Elder Soares shared how pandemic Sabbath day observance, though unusual, can still be a delight. When members are unable to...

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The kind of assuming we can all do a little more

Jannalee Sandau - I think most if not all of us have experienced a hit to our mental health over the past few months. It’s hard not to think negatively in a time when disasters are dropping one after another, we have been isolated from others, and we’ve been at home with our social media more often than we might otherwise be. It is also becoming easier and easier to distrust others as we read the news, inundated with stories highlighting the volatile flaws of human nature and generating fear of interacting with others during this highly contagious pandemic. I have noticed this downcast...

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Looking back at the remarkable impact of Latter-day Saint women since the Restoration

Jannalee Sandau - This story originally ran in the   July/August 2020 issue of LDS Living .  Throughout the world’s history, women have been some of the strongest and most overlooked foundational influences in society. Yet, whether their lives have been recorded and their names etched in history’s memory or not, from the time of Adam and Eve, women have had a significant role in our Heavenly Father’s plan. And in many ways, the Restoration of the Church also kickstarted a restoration of that noble view of womanhood that continues today. Here is a look back at the remarkable effects of women who know...

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Learn about the unique history of the Auckland New Zealand Temple site

Danielle Christensen - The groundbreaking for the Auckland New Zealand Temple was held on June 13, 2020, and members in the area are looking forward to the day when the building will be complete. The Auckland temple is the second temple of the Church in New Zealand—the first being the Hamilton New Zealand Temple—and will serve about 114,000 Latter-day Saints. Here are some unique facts about the rich history of the site of the Auckland New Zealand Temple that you may not know about. The Church purchased the property where the temple will be built in 1996 as a potential site for a meetinghouse...

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Follow President Nelson's invitation to 'Hear Him' by getting inspired with this new study guide

LDS Living - In February 2020, President Russell M. Nelson extended an invitation to Church members as we commemorate the 200 th anniversary of the First Vision to “think deeply and often” about how we hear the Savior in our own lives. During his April 2020 general conference address “ Hear Him ,” President Nelson spoke of how it has “never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you,” and to do “ whatever  it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation.” He also entreated Latter-day Saints to become more intentional disciples of Jesus Christ and to fill...

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The Church’s homepage has a sleek new navigation menu

Lindsey Williams - If you’re a frequent visitor to ChurchofJesusChrist.org , you may have noticed a recent change in the navigation menu. The homepage navigation menu now has four headings with the following subheadings: • Libraries • Scriptures • Gospel Library • Gospel Media • Music Library • Serve • Callings • Volunteer and Serve • Temples • Family History • Living Life • Inspiration • Life Help • About Us • Beliefs • Worship with Us • News • About Us According to Church News , the changes have been made based on feedback from website visitors. Prior to the change, the website...

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5 questions to ponder for this week’s ‘Come, Follow Me’ reading, Alma 30–31

Lindsey Williams - As you explore Alma 30–31 , here are five questions for you to ponder or ask in your study group to guide your thoughts and conversations. We hope these prompts, in addition to the Come, Follow Me  manual , will enhance your understanding of these chapters. “What lesson can I learn . . . to help me live in this day and age?” In this week’s episode of the Sunday on Monday  Study Group, host Tammy Uzelac Hall shares this quote from President Ezra Taft Benson: The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was...

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My 4 unexpected takeaways from a digital fireside with Brother Brad Wilcox and Sister Michelle Craig

Emily Abel - After enjoying thoughts from Brother Brad Wilcox and Sister Michelle Craig on freedom, I almost stopped the digital fireside they were guests on before the Q&A session, but I’m so glad I didn’t. I would have missed an off-the-cuff discussion that taught me things about the feelings of two Church leaders that I never would have known otherwise.   Brother Wilcox and Sister Craig spontaneously shared personal stories that had me wanting to write down nearly every word coming out of their mouths. I’ve narrowed all those words down to four key takeaways:  1. The Lord sees the potential in our...

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How modern-day Filipino pioneers helped establish the Church in their country

Danielle Christensen - Editor's note: This article used information from Church Newsroom Philippines, which originally published a story on July 6, 2020, about pioneers in the Philippines. Since publication, it has been brought to our attention that some of the information in the Church Newsroom Philippines article is outdated, including the fact that Ruben Gapiz passed away in 2013. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and still acknowledge the remarkable contributions of these pioneer Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saint pioneers aren’t just those who crossed the plains and settled in the Salt Lake Valley. Church members who have established the gospel in their native...

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President Oaks speaks on the challenges in missionary work today

Danielle Christensen - During the 2020 Mission Leadership Seminar, President Dallin H. Oaks shared challenges missionary work faces today. The first is in how missionaries are now sharing the gospel because of the coronavirus pandemic—but that challenge can be turned into an advantage, President Oaks said. “None of us and none of our missionaries should look at these changes as posing new obstacles,” he said. “We should see them as advantages to help us refine our practices to be more effective.” Desiring to return home early is another challenge some missionaries face, Church News   reported. President Oaks advised mission leaders to encourage their...

57813

Elder Christofferson explains 2 critical components of conversion

Lindsey Williams - Speaking to mission presidents and companions and the 2020 Mission Leadership Seminar, Elder D. Todd Christofferson pointed to a “simple and profound” statement in Preach My Gospel: “The power of the Holy Ghost is central to conversion.” Church News   shared a summary of Elder Christofferson’s remarks, in which he discussed the importance of missionaries teaching with the spirit of revelation and the spirit of prophecy so the Holy Ghost can bear record. “I think of the spirit of revelation as primarily having to do with the declaration of truth and the spirit of prophecy as the confirmation or testimony of...

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John Bytheway answers why anti-Christ arguments like Korihor’s are preserved in the scriptures

John Bytheway, excerpted from "Golden Answers" - An intriguing question is a gift. When a student asks a tough one, the whole class goes into “search mode,” and we put our collective heads together searching for an answer. Here’s a good one: If the scriptures teach us to “say nothing but repentance unto this generation” ( D&C 11:9 ), why would the scriptures give any airtime to anti-Christs? If Korihor’s arguments were so persuasive that many good people were deceived, why would we preserve those arguments for a new generation? Shouldn’t we have left them buried? Anyone who has read the Book of Mormon knows that space on...

57808

The form of OCD we may misdiagnose as faith crisis

LDS Living - As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, confession is absolutely an aspect of our religion. We are a church that believes in repentance, and confession is one of the steps of repentance . However, do we understand the purposes of confession and a priesthood representative’s role in the repentance process? On this week’s episode of the All In  podcast, Debra Theobald McClendon , PhD, discusses in-depth the topic of scrupulosity, a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that affects people’s religious experience, which she previously addressed in the September 2019 digital-only edition of the Ensign . We often...

57770

'America needs you': President Monson shares 2 ways members can serve God and their country

President Thomas S. Monson, excerpted from "Be Your Best Self" - This excerpt is from  Be Your Best Self by President Thomas S. Monson , which was published in 1979. This excerpt originally ran on LDS Living in July 2017. Recently I was a passenger on a flight that took me from the Pacific Coast across the continent to the Atlantic Ocean. At many points along the way, serenely seen through white, billowy clouds, were the fertile patchwork fields and majestic mountains of this great land. The words of Katherine Lee Bates, author of "America the Beautiful," coursed through my mind and found lodgment within my soul: Oh beautiful for spacious skies,...

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How a run honoring Parley P. Pratt's 1839 jailbreak became a Missouri community's First Amendment celebration

Emily Abel - On July 4, 1839, Parley P. Pratt broke out of the Columbia, Missouri, jail and ran for freedom. Pratt, who was then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, had been arrested because of his participation in a battle against Missourians when Latter-day Saints were expelled from the state in 1838–39. After spending months in jail, he had a dream in which his late first wife promised he would eventually be free. Fittingly, July 4 would be the day Pratt made his escape. He successfully returned to the main body of Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois, and would later lead...

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'Let us trust our youth!': Church leaders discuss how to empower and unite youth during isolation

Emily Abel - Editor's note: " This week from the pulpit " highlights recent messages by General Authorities and General Officers of the Church.   Youth in the Caribbean recently experienced a special occasion in Church history: the first-ever virtual For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conference. The timing of the conference was also special as it gave the over 3,000 youth spread across 27 countries and territories a way to connect to each other during a time of hardship and isolation. “If we had done this the way we typically do FSYs, there is no way at all that they would have heard...

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What I hope I’ll say when my daughter asks me about her place in the Church

Lindsey Williams - Editor's note: Our bi-weekly Friday column, “ Found in the footnotes ,” explores some of the footnotes from remarks given by General Authorities and General Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A few weeks ago, a friend posted on social media that his daughter had asked him what he thought a woman’s role in the Church was. As I read the conversation he had with his daughter, I felt compelled to ask myself, “What would I say if my daughter asked me this question?” Now, I’m not a parent, nor am I a wife. But as I...

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Watch: Peter Hollens and BYU Vocal Point's stunning cover of 'When You Believe'

Emily Abel - YouTube star Peter Hollens and BYU Vocal Point teamed up once again to create an inspiring new music video. This time, their voices blend to share the hopeful message that “there can be miracles when you believe.” The group performed a cover of “When You Believe” from the popular animated movie musical Prince of Egypt . The video begins with the singers recording the song over what they call the “Ultimate Zoom Choir,” and then the shot switches to a stunning view of the group outdoors that was filmed in early February. ►   You May Also Like:  Vocal Point creates...