Lunch and Learn Series with Deseret Book Artists and Authors11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Downtown Deseret Book Store, SLC, Utah

On June 25, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke to 173 newly called mission presidents and their wives at the 2013 Seminar for New Mission Presidents. The Second Counselor in the First Presidency spoke of his admiration and love for his unique audience and counseled them to trust the Lord and follow the promptings of the Spirit. “You presidents have been given priesthood keys to preside over your missionaries and administer the work of sharing the gospel in your mission areas,” he said. “After all is said and done, the fruits of your labors as mission president and wife will be seen and felt in the lives of your missionaries, in the lives of those converts you will find and who accept the message, in the lives of members who are strengthened by your example and your testimony, and last, but not least, in the lives of your own family.”

The excitement of the new Children and Youth program was palpable after a November 2019 Face to Face event with Elder Gerrit W. Gong. Then just a few months later in February 2020, President Dallin H. Oaks and Sister Kristen Oaks shared inspiring tips on accomplishing goals.

Acting according to the Spirit is not always easy, and often requires significant sacrifice and, at times, deep obedience against the purely rational mind.

Celebrated news anchor Tom Brokaw joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square for a special Music and the Spoken Word which commemorates the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. The special, entitled “9/11: Rising Above,” will air on radio, television, cable networks and Internet channels around the country.Choir music director Mack Wilberg said the program will focus on how Americans have risen above the grief and loss of that September day. “The message of this show is that—as individuals and as a nation—we can find healing and strength in adversity and literally rise above all the negatives.”

Connie Xiaohua Zhang was born and raised in Beijing, China. She earned her BA in economics from Beijing University and MBA from Harvard Business School. She is the founder and CEO of Riley River Consultants, established in 2009. She helps North American green technology companies and medical device companies develop business in China. She is a renowned speaker and instructor who teaches about networking and marriage relationships across multiple key Chinese social media platforms. She is the author of Network Up (2019) and How to Raise Socially Intelligent Children (2020). She teaches online courses and gives talks to broad audiences in China about networking. She also holds a real estate license from the state of Texas, where she manages a broad portfolio of real estate. She enjoys international travel with her husband and two sons and oil painting in her leisure time.

Church leaders confirmed this morning that all missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in Japan are safe and accounted for. The Church had been working diligently to make contact with missionaries in Sendai despite difficulty with communication systems and traveling in and around the city. Families and friends of the missionaries in the Sendai area had been anxiously awaiting word that their loved ones were safe. The Church released a statement yesterday saying, "our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan following the recent devastating earthquake and tsunami."

The First Presidency has called two new mission presidents and their wives to serve in missions in Pennsylvania and California.

So what are the fundamental principles of stewardship, according to LDS belief? This list of five principles is brief and incomplete—and for now I won’t bother including all of the scriptural references—but I intend this to provide at least a primer for how we might begin to define our own stewardship more clearly. Suffice it to say, Mormon belief contains powerful doctrines about stewardship laid out explicitly in modern and restored revelation, and we dishonor these revelations by ignoring their relevance to the problems we face and by belittling the concerns about the health and well-being of the environment.

The Fourth of July is a time for family and friends, hot dogs and hamburgers, firecrackers and bottle rockets. And for believers, it's an opportunity to examine the relationship between patriotism and faith.