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The following has been republished with permission from taylorhalverson.com.

There are many reasons why Jesus came to earth, and our word Atonement has come to embody them all, but I think, if I had to be specific, I would say that the essence of His life centered on forgiveness. In the great hymn of the Restoration, Joseph Smith caught that spirit when he wrote, “Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven” (D&C 128:19). The Savior is the incarnation, the personification, the grand architect of forgiveness and mercy. It is inherent in almost every act of His life. It is the one single most significant quality of the Father that Jesus came to teach us with His words and show us by His example. Indeed, the most beautiful words He spoke during those last agonizing hours of His life are, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Whenever I feel the difficulty of forgiving in my own life, I read those words and the feeling of forgiveness moves into my soul.

The angel Moroni statue that sits atop the Nauvoo Temple was replaced on Tuesday due to damage from a lightning strike that had occurred during the summer, according to a report from KSL. After the strike, much of the gold leafing from the statue was peeled away and a piece of the trumpet had been blown off. But that’s not the first time a temple has been struck by lightning.

Few musicals can claim a nearly 30-year consecutive run and performances for more than a million people. But Michael McLean’s The Forgotten Carols can claim just that—a testament to the show’s message and power. This year, however, McLean has surprises in store for his audiences. The classic beloved story of Nurse Connie Lou and Uncle John, and their amazing spiritual message surrounding Christ’s birth has been reimagined and is even more powerful than ever before.

Carlos Wizard Martins is on a mission to make Brazilians bilingual. Already, the devout Mormon’s mission has gotten him close to making the ranks of The World’s Billionaires — Martins’ stake in his language company, Multi Group, is worth close to $700 million today (his various language school franchises include Wizard, Skill, Alps, Quatrum and Yazigi).

It doesn't take much to make a temple stunning—its inherent physical and spiritual light literally make it glow with radiance.

After reviewing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' plans for an apartment tower, townhouses, retail space, and a meetinghouse at 1601 Vine St., the city Planning Commission's Design Review Committee advised the church to open a garden to the public, work with the Streets Department to improve traffic flow on adjacent Wood Street, and use a higher-grade material than blacktop in a public courtyard.

There are a handful of classic books found on nearly every LDS bookshelf. Jesus the Christ is one of them. But what do we know about the brain behind this Mormon masterpiece? Though we know Elder James E. Talmage was requested by the First Presidency to write Jesus the Christ, his knowledge and training are different from what one might expect. Here are 7 things you didn’t know about James E. Talmage:

Check out the full list of all 100 songs, chosen by voters, or buy the January/February issue of LDS Living to learn the rest of the stories behind the top 10 songs.