The other day I had The Talk with a girl. The Talk, for those of you who are either unfamiliar with my specific lingo or have managed to warp into an alternate universe where relationships always glide along intuitively without any sort of verbal guidance, is a checkpoint in which two parties in a relationship assess their progress up to that point, compare feelings, and make decisions regarding the immediate future in terms of the relationship as a whole. Or to use fewer words: It’s where the girl holds your heart hostage and can either give it back unharmed or toss it into a meat grinder.

The following is an excerpt from A Prophet's Voice: Messages from Thomas S. Monson.

Beginning in 2018, Relief Society and Melchizedek Priesthood meetings will start to look a little different. The new direction might be a little daunting for some members, but these new changes will help members build on Teaching in the Savior’s Way and use the new Come, Follow Me resources available on the Gospel Library App and lds.org. Here’s some more information to help you find more resources about and understand how each of the new Relief Society and Melchizedek Priesthood lesson changes will pan out.

In May, we held a handover for our bee project in Bulawayo. This is the project where we are helping young people who are heads of family. These young people are between the ages of 14 and 17 and have complete responsibility for their younger siblings due to the death of both parents and do not have any relatives to help. Among other donations, the Church provided wood, wire, screens and paint and the kids constructed 20 beehives. They also constructed tables and benches for their classrooms and built platforms to hold the beehives. Along with the building of the hives and physical aspects of the project, they attend training classes on the care and nature of bee keeping as well as training in starting and managing a business. The leaders in the community were invited to the handover and several people from America were in attendance. The completed hives were all placed in rows for the handover and when we lifted the lids, they had baited the interior wood slats and screens with honey and sweets, so as to entice the bees to select their hives. The next step is to take the hives and place them in several fields to start the process of luring bees to their hives. They are hoping that the bees will like the look of their hives and select them for their homes and manufacturing plant. If a queen bee doesn’t select their hives within a few weeks, then there are places to purchase bees. Who knew?

A few weeks ago the Church released a transparent new video about temple garments, explaining the sacred, religious purpose of the clothing by comparing them to the religious clothing worn by various other religions. The video took social media by storm, largely through sharing by members with their friends, and was reported on by several major news outlets, including USA Today, The Huffington Post, and The Washington Post.

We tend to think of religions as being conservative, stodgy, or lagging when it comes to anything that has to do with technology, and especially online technology. Therefore it may come as a bit of a surprise to find out that at least one religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are commonly known by the abbreviation “LDS” or the nickname “Mormons,” is one of the most advanced large organizations in the world when it comes to SEO, content marketing, and the use of social media [Full disclosure, I am an active member of the LDS Church]. As a member of this religious community and someone who makes his living from consulting with businesses regarding digital marketing, I have been more than curious to learn from the campaigns the LDS Church has engaged in to get their message out. Here are some of the lessons entrepreneurs and businesses can take from the Mormon way of doing digital marketing.

On January 4, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs featured President Thomas S. Monson as the Veteran of the Day. Along with this honor, the department shared this touching tribute:

This year the Church is inspiring millions around the world to celebrate this Christmas season by following the example of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, and serving others. Unlike last year's #LightTheWorld, which provided daily service ideas, this year's campaign features weekly themes, videos, and corresponding service ideas for the week.

"I say unto you, be one," a new Church website reads, quoting Doctrine and Covenants 38:27.

We were in a wooden fishing boat fashioned to resemble those used at the time of Christ. No sign or buoy marked the spot where Jesus walked on the water and beckoned to Peter, “Come.”