Throughout his service in the Church, President Nelson has often spoken of our Savior and the sacred night of His birth. Here are a few of President Nelson's teachings on the topic, excerpted from the new book Teachings of Russell M. Nelson.

Little Paxton, our grandson, was born with a very rare chromosomal deletion, a genetic disorder that distinguishes him, literally, as one in hundreds of millions. For our daughter and her husband, an uncharted, life-changing journey began when Paxton was born. This experience has become a crucible for learning special lessons tied to the eternities.

When tragedy hits, it is human nature to want to help. We bring food; we do laundry; we offer childcare. We want to connect! Some people do this through service; others do it through commiseration. We often feel the need to relate to the person suffering by sharing our own experiences.

This is the first article a two-part series about Ron Leishman: his conversion, his faith, and his career. For more about Ron's mission, his role in creating a superhero legend, and the miracles that fill his life, check back for part two.

If you expect your patriarchal blessing to make wild or unusual promises and predictions, you may be misunderstanding what a patriarchal blessing is. Your patriarchal blessing isn’t a fortune cookie, and the patriarch isn’t a fortuneteller.[1] The patriarch is a prophet, called to convey God’s words and will to you. He is only authorized to pronounce the promises he is prompted by the Holy Ghost to give. Patriarchs are counseled by their leaders to avoid making sensational or extravagant promises in the blessings they pronounce, even if the Spirit shows them rather remarkable things about the blessing’s recipient. President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972), tenth President of the Church, explained, “I know of one or two cases … where a brother has been blessed by the patriarch and told that he would become a member of the Council of the Twelve [Apostles]. Usually [the patriarchs] don’t say that … even if the patriarch felt that the chances are [very good] that a man will be called to the leading councils of the Church.” President Smith added, “Patriarchs should be very careful in giving their blessings not to make extravagant expressions and to be conservative in what they say.”[2] Thus, you should not expect extravagant things to be mentioned in your blessing. Patriarchs generally avoid, for example, talking about things like the timing of the Second Coming when they give a blessing. While the young man or young woman being blessed may live to see the second coming of Christ, most patriarchs simply wouldn’t mention that in the blessing. President Smith further explained:

An anonymous letter with only a post office box address was delivered to Elder Oaks. The letter expressed a concern so decisively that he felt to share both it and his reply with me. They state very well the struggle with self-worth so many of us feel in this life.

Going back to school is the perfect time to get back into good spiritual habits and reenergize your family's Come, Follow Me study. Whether your goal is to improve your family study or better engage your children in the gospel, these items are sure to help you stay on track all year.

From Academy Award-winning actors to those with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, learn more about the famous actors and actresses who converted to the Church.

See how many problems you can spot in this personal story:

This week’s bonus Father’s Day episode of This is the Gospel celebrates stories from faithful men who are braving the wilderness of fatherhood. John admits he's not very handy as his attempts to create the perfect swing set fall short and, as a result, he allows comparison to take over. John isn't sure he's got what it takes for fatherhood to begin with but when infertility makes that even harder, he learns that “what it takes” might be different than he imagined.