There’s a certain power in names. I’ve discovered this especially in nature as I’ve learned from my brother how to recognize the call of a chickadee or as my sister has taught me the names of wildflowers. For me, there is a sense of satisfaction in knowing something’s name—as though by remembering it, perhaps it knows me somehow—and so occasionally, I will put forth the effort to learn about the names of plants and animals that I didn’t know before.

Documents, Volume 11 of The Joseph Smith Papers covers a dynamic period in Joseph Smith’s life. At the outset of the volume, in September 1842, Joseph Smith was a hunted man and had to spend months in hiding avoiding arrest and extradition to Missouri. By February 1843, at the close of the volume, Joseph had experienced one of his greatest legal victories and was optimistically planning for additional growth and settlement in Nauvoo and the surrounding area. Throughout it all he remained energetically engaged in teaching the Saints and supporting the Church. Here are five surprising things we learn about Joseph Smith and Nauvoo in this volume of The Joseph Smith Papers.

As Americans wait to see what Donald Trump will say to the nation on Inauguration Day, here is a look back to see what every past U.S. president has said about God in their own inaugural addresses. With only two exceptions, every president acknowledged our Heavenly Father. And two presidents—Dwight D. Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush—even began their inaugural addresses with prayers. What did your favorite presidents say about the divine? See below to read related excerpts from their speeches.

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Every Christmas, my family reads the story of Jesus’ birth from the second chapter of Luke.

The temple has often been called the Lord’s university. Clearly, the Lord intends the temple to be a house of learning—one we should attend often (see D&C 109:8). In the temple and throughout our lives, we are commanded to seek learning by study and also by faith (see D&C 109:7). Learning by faith involves receiving revelation and having the Lord teach us. Our faith, prayers, fasting, pondering, and asking are all important tools to helping us understand the temple.

The year 1940 might have been a banner year for our family. The health and financial hardships that followed my father’s 1930 graduation from medical school in Philadelphia were past. The family was happily located in Twin Falls, Idaho, where my father’s medical practice (eye, ear, nose, and throat) was thriving and where he served on the high council of the Twin Falls Stake. In January 1938, he and my mother had returned from his four months of valuable postdoctoral training in ophthalmology in Vienna, Austria, and Cairo, Egypt. After years of sacrifice since their marriage in 1929, my mother could at last contemplate a life of security as the wife of a prosperous physician. In January 1940, son Merrill would be four, and in March, daughter Evelyn would be one. In August 1940, I, their eldest, would be baptized following my eighth birthday.

At the end of the 188th Semiannual General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans to build 12 new temples. In addition to this being the largest number of temples ever announced on the same day, the news brings the total number of Latter-day Saint temples operating, announced or under construction to 201. This comes exactly 18 years to the week since the Church completed its 100th temple.

Why are white shirts and ties an expected standard for Latter-day Saint men?

Scripture study can be a bit daunting because of the use of symbolism. Yet a careful and specific study of the words found in scripture and their origins will unlock a treasure and lead to a meaningful understanding of how we can better interpret messages from the word of God. The Book of Revelation, in particular, holds many treasures, but though it can be captivating—it is also a bit bewildering.