“If you are segregated, you don’t understand each other. You’re not communicating with each other, and the communication becomes a huge issue.”

Sister Jean B. Bingham, the general Relief Society president, offered a prayer for the unity of the nation at the White House on the National Day of Prayer on May 3.

Al was told in a priesthood blessing, right when we got married, that the temple should be our centerpiece. A centerpiece is pretty self-explanatory: it is placed in the center and everything else is placed and works around it. In that same blessing, we were told that we should have a picture of a temple in every room of our house, even the bathrooms, to help us be mindful of the temple when we weren’t inside its walls. With the help of Deseret Book and pass-along cards, we listened.

On Instagram, Elizabeth Smart summarized her feelings regarding the release of Wanda Barzee: "I ask those that have the power, and her family to start proceedings to have her be civilly committed. To my knowledge she has neither complied with medication or treatment and as some one who has experienced first hand just how depraved she truly is, I believe her to be a threat and a danger not just to myself but to the community, any vulnerable person. I am very concerned and precautions have been taken however I refuse to live in fear. I have spent the last 15 years rebuilding and moving forward with my life, having a family, and pursuing my goals. I lived in absolute fear and terror for nine months, no matter the outcome I will not do so again."

"Seeing how the LDS [humanitarian] model is designed and delivers consistently is exciting," said Staci Coomer of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services. "They do it thoughtfully and well, and it's amazing to see in action. We know the LDS will be a great partner."

LDS.org recently shared this touching quote and simple tale, illustrating to us what heaven truly means and how we can achieve it in this life.

"Learning how to accept help will not only help heal us, but it will help heal others as well," Dustin Rackley said.

As the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous discovered, something profound can happen when addicts invite God or a power higher than themselves into their lives and efforts at recovery. Through understanding addiction as a symptom of spiritual “dis-ease” and addressing recovery as an attempt to restore a healthy balance between one’s own ego and desires to run things versus the will and wisdom of God or the universe, AA and its Big Book and Twelve-Step offspring programs have saved countless lives. What are the spiritual principles at work in addiction recovery? Do addicts at their wits’ and wills’ ends discover secrets that are also at work in others’ vital spiritual lives? Can non-addicts increase their own spirituality from interacting with recovering addicts and applying Big Book insights in their own spiritual journeys? However one ends up viewing the answers to these question, it’s undeniable that powerful things happen in addiction recovery work that are worth close examination (along, of course, with proper celebration of the returns to joy in recovering addicts’ lives). In this podcast, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and recovering addicts “Keith,” “John,” and “Bill” discuss addiction and recovery, AA’s Twelve Steps, and the spiritual powers that seem to be unleashed in the interaction of addicts sharing and teaching another. They also introduce and discuss the LDS Church’s Addition and Recovery Program (ARP) that is modeled after AA’s Twelve Steps but which has also adapted–in some ways successfully but still needing additional development–its approach to better match Mormon gospel teachings and to handle special concerns that arise when recovery programs become affiliated with institutions. The panel also discusses the special challenges Latter-day Saints often face in recovery, but also how the unprecedented levels of honesty and disclosure that operate in recovery work can help build even stronger LDS communities.

The First Presidency has reiterated its policies, guidelines, and practices “to ensure the safety of all participants and protect the Church and its volunteers.”

Kristin Chenoweth will be the featured guest artist and narrator at this year’s Christmas concerts by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer will perform with the choir, Orchestra at Temple Square and Bells on Temple Square on December 13, 14 and 15, 2018, in the Conference Center.