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58085

Women and temple work from ancient Israel until now

Donald W. Parry, adapted from "175 Temple Symbols and Their Meanings" - Editor’s note: The following sections are excerpted from  175 Temple Symbols and Their Meanings by Donald W. Parry and show how women’s involvement of temple work dates back to ancient Israel and how women continue to be more and more involved in temple work as the years go by.  The Old Testament sometimes focuses attention on the role of males in ancient Israelite temples, especially high priests, priests, and Levites. This focus sometimes creates misunderstandings, in our day, regarding the status of females in ancient temples; and too, occasionally we lack a clear comprehension regarding women in our modern temples. In...

58306

See 'The Gathering Collection,' a collaboration with Emily Belle Freeman and Latter-Day Home

LDS Living - Refresh your home’s decor with pieces from the beautiful new collaboration from Emily Belle Freeman and Latter-Day Home: The Gathering Collection. Little decor details can add so much elegance and meaning to your home and will make your time together feel even more special. Here are six great pieces to inspire a feeling of welcome, warmth, and love throughout your home. Gathered Together, Matthew 18:20 (12x16 Framed Art) Matthew 28:10 reads “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” One of the most important elements of the Gathering Collection is...

58298

What 1 of Christ's questions taught S. Michael Wilcox after his wife's passing

LDS Living - Each of us have little quirks that others likely notice about us and are perhaps even annoyed by. Laura “Laurie” Wilcox loved jewelry, especially bracelets, and frequently could only find one of two earrings in a pair. But do those little annoyances matter when the people we love are gone? Or would we give anything to search for a missing earring one last time?  “I used to question why she needed another one, but the sight of all her bracelets and single earrings in the drawer brought such warmth to my heart the other day that I would not have cared...

58305

Am I actually receiving revelation from the Spirit, or did I make up my answer? Here’s how to tell the difference

Danielle Christensen - The principle of revelation can be hard to understand, especially when it comes to anxiety. How can you tell if you’ve made up an answer or if it’s actually revelation from God? Is the Spirit warning you about something, or is it your anxiety getting in the way? A new Deseret Book Live! video answers these issues and more in “ Real Questions: Personal Revelation .” In this segment, artist Kate Lee hosts a discussion between individuals with questions and professionals in order to discover what seeking personal revelation looks like in everyday life. During the discussion, Aliah Hall—a marriage and...

58304

The piece of apostolic advice Elder Rasband doesn’t hesitate to give

Lindsey Williams - Elder Ronald A. Rasband recently reflected on events of the past six months as part of a Church News series sharing counsel from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the pandemic. Part of what Elder Rasband has observed during this time is that no one has been better at communicating the will of the Lord to the world than President Russell M. Nelson. “It’s so simple,” Elder Rasband told Church News . “The Lord’s in charge. His Prophet is the mouthpiece of the Church.” Elder Rasband quoted a 1975 talk given by President Ezra Taft Benson: The most important prophet,...

58294

Morgan Jones: When a friend asked me how I learned a woman's worth

Morgan Jones - Last week I was asked a question by a friend: “What did your parents do to teach you to tolerate nothing less than respect from men?” She explained that she and her husband had been talking about how my sisters and I have always been selective in who we dated (and who they married) and she wanted to know why. I was a little caught off guard and didn’t quite know how to reply at first, but then a memory entered my mind. When I was about 5 years old, my dad promised one weekend that he would take me to...

58291

Following deadly explosion, Church sends nearly $2M in humanitarian aid to Lebanon

Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - The humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Latter-day Saint Charities , has donated nearly $2 million USD to provide desperately needed food and medical supplies to people in Lebanon. The charitable donations are in response to the August 4, 2020, explosion that occurred at the Port of Beirut, killing more than 200 people and injuring more than 7,000. The homes of an estimated 300,000 people were destroyed or severely damaged. These donations by Latter-day Saint Charities are just the latest in a multi-year effort to relieve suffering in Lebanon. Currently, the Middle East/Africa North Area Presidency...

58290

Syracuse Utah Temple location announced; renderings released for temples in Arkansas, Texas

Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced groundbreakings for the Bentonville Arkansas Temple and the McAllen Texas Temple. Renderings of the temples have also been released. Bentonville Arkansas Temple Church leaders will break ground for the Bentonville Arkansas Temple in November 2020. Elder David A. Bednar , a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles , will preside over the ceremony remotely. The Bentonville Arkansas Temple, which was announced in October 2019 by Church President Russell M. Nelson, will be built on an 8.8-acre site located at 1101 McCollum Road. The single-story temple...

58255

As we strive to ‘hear Him,’ President Eyring says we can take courage from this verse in Helaman

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. The other day I found myself driving down a road in Salt Lake County. Even though I’ve lived in Utah for nearly eight years, sometimes a landmark still catches my eye, and on this day, suddenly I saw a place where I longed to be. The angel Moroni statue rose up over the horizon, sitting atop the Jordan River Utah Temple. Though I had driven the...

58285

Elder Cook encourages racial unity; Elder Holland and others commemorate anniversaries

Lindsey Williams - Editor's note: " This week from the pulpit " highlights recent messages by General Authorities, General Officers, and leaders of the Church. Sometimes history can be something to celebrate. Other times history can teach valuable lessons. Messages from Church leaders this week addressed both. Speaking to faculty and staff at Brigham Young University, Elder Quentin L. Cook noted that when it comes to Church history, “Understanding moments when we have been marginalized and persecuted should give us courage to stand with the marginalized today.” He continued, “Recognizing when we have fallen short should create more desire to do our best today.”...

58284

Sheri Dew on gratitude and grieving after the loss of her mother

Danielle Christensen - Sheri Dew recently shared her thoughts on grief following the loss of her mother earlier this summer. Dew is a former member of the Relief Society General Presidency who now serves as the executive vice president of Deseret Management Corporation and the CEO of Deseret Book Company. In a Church News   article, Dew reflects that grieving is a “kind of enhanced gratitude.” “I’m coming to realize that grieving is a kind of enhanced gratitude. Surely it is yet another dimension of the spirit of Elijah—hearts of the children turning to their fathers . . . and mothers. Memories have paraded...

58282

Church announces youth theme for 2021

Lindsey Williams - In 2021, youth around the world will be engaged in “a great work.” A notice from the Young Men and Young Women General Presidencies posted to ChurchofJesusChrist.org says: President Russell M. Nelson has invited every young woman and every young man to “enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel.” In response to the prophet’s invitation, and in coordination with the course of study for seminary and Come, Follow Me, the youth theme chosen for 2021 is “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small...

58278

'There's never an end': The surprising response President Nelson gave to a Primary child's question that changed my understanding of the gospel

Dr. David T. Morgan, Contributor - The April 2020 general conference was like no other. Broadcasting from a small auditorium, there was no general admission, prophets sat six feet apart from one another, and I imagine their words echoed from the walls of the mostly empty room. We listened from home and other locations, where fear was an emotional common denominator. COVID-19 was relatively new to the United States at that time and much was unknown, so families and individuals tuned in to conference to hear words of solace and peace. I was one of those. I was scared, upset, and fearful of what the future held....

50197

5 things you never knew about the Christus statue

Matthew O. Richardson, adapted from "The Christus Legacy" - Editor's note: This adaptation from Matthew O. Richardson's  The Christus Legacy originally ran on  LDS Living in 2015.  During April 2020 general conference, President Nelson introduced the Church's new symbol, which includes a representation of Thorvaldsen’s marble statue, the  Christus .  This iconic representation of the Savior is well-known to Latter-day Saints, but it wasn’t always that way. Check out how this statue came about and how it eventually earned its fame in the Latter-day Saint world. 1. There are five known sketches/models of the Christus : three plaster models and two pencil drawings. The inspiration for Bertel Thorvaldsen's Christus  statue...

58277

Responding to President Cordon’s invitation, the LDS Living staff pays tribute to our Young Women leaders

LDS Living - In a new video posted on Tuesday, Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon shared a special invitation in preparation for the celebration of 150 years of Young Women. “We love our Young Women leaders. We would like to hear how they’ve influenced your life, whether you’re a young woman now or a young woman long ago, so here’s our next invitation. Using #StriveToBe, post on social media how your young women leader has blessed your life, and then if you can, reach out. Tell her what she means to you.” This is the second challenge issued by President Cordon in...

58045

'Jesus made flowers': How learning about the Savior's attributes changed my perspective on being gay

Charlie Bird, excerpted from "Without the Mask" - The August pick for  LDS Living Book Club is  Without the Mask by Charlie Bird. Follow the LDS Living Book Club  Instagram  for more insights with the author. My first taste of performing on a football field came when I was about nine years old. My family was all-in when it came to high school sports, and our community involvement led me to secure a spot as “coach’s assistant” for the high school team. I loved helping out and watching from the sidelines. Most of the time I just refilled waters or carried towels, but eventually I was given the highly...

58251

142 years ago, the first Primary meeting was held. Here’s some of what’s changed since then

Lindsey Williams - In 1878, Aurelia Spencer Rogers spoke with then-Relief Society General President Eliza R. Snow about a need she saw among the children of the Church—structure and some supervision. President Snow supported Sister Rogers’s idea for creating a place for young children to gather, and on August 25, 1878, around 225 children met in the Farmington Rock Chapel, singing, learning, and participating in activities, according to Church News . Today, on the 142nd anniversary of that first meeting, Primary General President Joy D. Jones shared a post on Facebook about a visit she recently took with the Primary General Presidency to that...

58250

What this week's 'Come, Follow Me' teaches us about remembering the words of the prophets

Danielle Christensen - The prophets have told us time and time again to remember. President Spencer W. Kimball even said that “remember” is perhaps the most important word in the dictionary. In April 2019, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also spoke about how remembering is vital. “If it is good and worthy and eternal, we should remember it,” he said during BYU–Idaho’s Winter Commencement . “Remember and never forget that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that His name is the only name given under heaven whereby any man, woman, or child can be saved, and that...

58249

First Presidency announces new online system for temple prayer rolls

Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - It is a common practice among many people of faith to pray for loved ones when they face illness, afflictions or other challenges. In many faith traditions, this includes praying collectively for those with specific needs. The scriptures record multiple examples when Jesus Christ prayed in groups and admonished those present to also pray. In temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this practice is observed. Members are invited to place the names of those in need on what is known as the “prayer roll” of the temple. Members then unite their faith in asking Heavenly Father to...

58232

How a gospel podcast changed my perspective on dating during 2020

Emily Abel - When I tuned in to an episode of the Sunday on Monday podcast, the last thing I was expecting to hear was dating advice. As a matter of fact, the last thing I was looking for from anyone was dating advice. After dating consistently but unsuccessfully during college, marriage was feeling less like an achievable goal and more like an elusive legend told to enchant the young women around the fire at girl’s camp. And when a brief relationship post-college dissolved, the only thing “in the air” seemed to be coronavirus. Any awkward effort I’d made to put myself out there...

58238

Pocatello Idaho missionaries and Nashville Tribute Band join together for special music video of 'I Was Born'

LDS Living - If you’ve served a mission in the last seven years, chances are that the Nashville Tribute Band’s album The Work became a part of your mission experience.  For missionaries in the Pocatello Idaho Mission, their relationship with the  music became even deeper when they joined together with the band itself to create a music video of “I Was Born.” The video has already been viewed over 17,000 times.  “This video was made to keep the mission united and to remember our purpose,” President Stephen Southward, who presides over the mission, said. “We all come from different places, but we know as...

58083

The essential daily question Jesus Christ asks all of us

S. Michael Wilcox, excerpted from "What Seek Ye?" - First and last words have always intrigued me. Their positioning adds a dimension of importance. The first and last words of Jesus in the Gospel of John are questions—very relevant questions for us all, very simple questions, which is wonderful to me. Let’s look at Jesus’s first three words. John the Baptist was standing with John the Beloved and Andrew by the Jordan River just north of the Dead Sea when Jesus walked by, drawing from the Baptist the words, “Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw...

58237

‘Life has always been a little messy’: Elder Holland addresses fear of the future in new message

LDS Living - In response to questions surrounding when seminary and institute will return to the classroom, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said in a new video and article released Sunday that while there many not be a perfect answer to these questions, the hope is that in whatever way possible, high school and college students are having a “scriptural experience and a spiritual education every day of the week.”  “Given the world we’re in, they need it,” Elder Holland said.  But Elder Holland’s video also speaks to broader concerns related to fear for the future, those who may feel there’s “no reason to continue...

58231

A love beyond borders: The touching story of how a Latter-day Saint Australian ballet dancer fell in love and then proposed on national TV

Emily Abel - Kirstie Stevens of Queensland, Australia, had perhaps the best surprise of her life when her boyfriend, Jake Mangakahia, proposed to her on live national television. The couple had been separated because of coronavirus lockdowns, but Mangakahia wasn’t going to let that stop him from proposing to the woman he believes God led him to. After briefly discussing their separation, the newscaster announced Mangakahia had something he needed to say. Moments later he was down on one knee. “I love everything about you . . . your smile, your laugh . . . I can’t help falling in love with you. So...