Happy belated Birthday, President Nelson

President Nelson turned 100 yesterday. I was able to listen to half of the celebrations and was touched by the number of well-wishers that weren’t members of our faith. The celebration included some fantastic musical numbers- a perfect tribute to someone who has perfect pitch and is proficient on the piano and the organ. I love learning about our prophets and often hear how they pickup and perfect talents even later in life. It is humbling to think this many has lived over double the life I have. He’s seen more, experienced more, and definitely learned more. Regardless of your beliefs, you’d be foolish to disregard his councils. I spent the last three weeks diving in to the conference talks he has delivered as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has been eye-opening and inspiring! I listened to all of those talks as the years rolled by, but reading them in a more condensed time table allowed me to see some patterns. I’d like to share some of what I learned in this blog post.

First of all, let me celebrate his life by mentioning all of the changes/accomplishments (that I noticed) that he’s accomplished while being president of the church:

1. He changed visiting and home teaching to become “ministering” making it a higher and holier way to serve and focus on others.
   • I have personally seen the way this has been a little bit more challenging– allowing more autonomy and spiritual freedom to navigate how to best serve those in your stewardship. This requires us to be more in tune with the spirit and also know our brothers and sisters better. “…good inspiration is based upon good information.” Revelation comes much easier and faster when we know those that we serve.
2. He combined Elder’s quorum and High Priest meetings.
   • I am not a part of either of these organizations, but it made perfect sense to me that they would do this. This prevents high priest meetings from turning into napping sessions and also makes a more powerful quorum where men can discuss the needs of the entire ward and have more resources to addressing those needs.
3. He shortened Sunday’s church meetings from 3 to 2 hours, encouraging us to use that extra hour to make church “home-centered and church supported.”
   • This was truly divinely inspired 😉 but on a serious note, giving us the charge to make our homes the center of gospel instruction couldn’t have been more timely before the worldwide pandemic of 2020.
4. He made the Youth Battalion, encouraging all youth to take part in the gathering of Israel.
   • I am not sure this was a major change, but when I read it, it seemed profound. I think a lot of the things he has declared have yet to show their full significance.
5. He clarified that witnesses do not need to be priesthood holders, but active members of the church.
   • This shows us a couple of things, one that some policies came out of cultural context and as President Nelson continues this ongoing restoration of the Lord’s church, we can expect to have the fluff stripped away to leave the very core and power of the simplified gospel of Jesus Christ. We can also see that with all of the recent changes done to the endowment session in the temple.
6. He changed when children can start participating in Young Men and Young Women to be the beginning of the year that they turn twelve.
   • I am not sure the main reason for this, but I see more unity and coordination happening in the wards.
7. He changed the webpage and many other things in the church so that they would refocus their efforts to keeping the integrity in the real name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, insuring that the name of our Lord and Savior was not left out of the name of the church in which he presides.
   • Satan is clever in his tactics and getting members to use the nicknames that other faiths gave us that deliberately leave out the Lord’s name is one of his most ingenious moves. I see the importance of making sure people know that this is the Savior’s church and he is at the head of it.
8. The last thing I wrote down (though I am sure there are many other amazing milestones) was the number of temples he has announced: 168
   • This is one of the most jaw-dropping things of President Nelson’s work. He has only served as the president of the church for six years and yet has announced over double the amount we had before he became the president. Since those announcements 11 have been dedicated or are scheduled to be dedicated, 19 are under construction, 15 have found a location for their future temple, and another 15 are in planning. What I have noticed is not just the number, but the spread of these temples. They have been announced from South Africa, Russia, mainland China, Dubai, South America, Europe and all throughout Northern America. Truly the Lord is strengthening his “stakes” and providing more access to all of God’s children to receive the blessings he has to offer. This spread shows me the geographical gathering of Israel.

The three main trends I saw President Nelson focus on were first: warnings of the increasing power of the adversary, warning us that he is quadrupling his efforts. The second thing was the emphasis on the gathering of Israel by increasing temple worship (and making it more easily accessible by building so many across the world) as well as encouraging members to participate in the gathering of Israel by individually making and keeping covenants, sharing the gospel with others (especially through our examples), and participating in work for those who have passed on. The third main thing I noticed was his emphasis on personal revelation and the admonition to “increase your spiritual capacity.”

My favorite talk, or maybe the one I need the most work on was Peacemakers Needed. This council will help guide individuals in the conflicts of our world on the social media platforms, in our marriages and with our families, as we navigate discussions in meetings at church, especially as they relate to our callings, and even in the work force.

Some poignant things I have learned from reading his talks is that jealousy comes from pride, taking offense is usually a lack of charity on our part, and as we demonstrate charity to others, the Lord will magnify our efforts. I spent probably an hour a day in order to get through all of his talks and took notes, underlined way too much, and have post-its for things I need to work on, so if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts on what I learned, feel free to email or call me. But I will end this blog post with my testimony. President Nelson is just a man, but despite the fact that he is just a man, he has accomplished amazing things in the church and as a professional in the work force. He has raised and loved a very large family, instilling in them the love of working hard and loving the Lord. He is a loving and ever moving force. I see the work he does as evidence that he is working in the name of the Lord. He is supported and sustained through our Savior Jesus Christ and I know he is a prophet of God. I am grateful for his example and the guidance he gives God’s children to come to know God and our Savior better. His apostolic blessings are powerful and I have seen them manifest in my own life. His words have truly been prophetic. I saw many things he warned us of or encouraged us to participate in or fix at the beginning of his tenure to see the power of his words manifest just a few years later. I imagine the words he has shared with us since will still hold as much power and protection if we heed his council.