This 5 min video of President Nelson sharing his testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ is powerful. We love and sustain Pres. Russell M. Nelson, his councilors and the other leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hymn #36, “They The Builders of the Nation” is one of my favorite hymns in our green hymn book. I actually like it more than “Come, Come Ye Saints“, which I like too, but not as much. As I was listening to the words of Builders the other day, a line in the first verse stuck out at me and has been on my mind ever since, here is the first verse, and the line in bold,
“They, the builders of the nation,
Blazing trails along the way;
Stepping-stones for generations
Were their deeds of ev’ry day.
Building new and firm foundations,
Pushing on the wild frontier,
Forging onward, ever onward,
Blessed, honored Pioneer!
“Blazing trails for generations, were their deeds of every day.” This picture collage below is of my ancestors. They came from England, Scotland, and Germany. Some of them joined the church in the early days — the 1830s, some later in the 1920s. All of them were pioneers in their own way.
This lyric made me think about those every day deeds of my ancestors. What were they? What were the every day choices they made that laid a foundation of faith for their descendants? It was things like, reading the scriptures, praying with faith, acting in faith, following the prophet even when it was very hard, dedicating their lives to the gospel of Jesus Christ, building the temple, leaving their homes in far away lands to come to America to be with the Saints, leaving their families to serve missions, having children in hard circumstances, and sacrificing what they wanted for what the Lord needed from them. None of them had very easy lives. Continue reading
Today marks the 174th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum Smith. I shared how I came by my testimony of Joseph Smith four years ago. It still stands to this day, I know that Joseph Smith is the Lord’s prophet of the Restoration and that through him we have the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today.
Announcement of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum Smith the Patriarch, at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844. This document was included at the end of the 1844 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, which was nearly ready for publication when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered.
1 To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we announce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch. They were shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844, about five o’clock p.m., by an armed mob—painted black—of from 150 to 200 persons. Hyrum was shot first and fell calmly, exclaiming: I am a dead man! Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaiming: O Lord my God! They were both shot after they were dead, in a brutal manner, and both received four balls.
2 John Taylor and Willard Richards, two of the Twelve, were the only persons in the room at the time; the former was wounded in a savage manner with four balls, but has since recovered; the latter, through the providence of God, escaped, without even a hole in his robe.
3 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated! Continue reading
This week there are two broadcasts from the Church that you will want to tune into watch.
Friday, June 1st, 7:30 MDT the Be One concert, which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the revelation on the priesthood, will be broadcast from the Conference Center on Temple Square. Featured performers include, Gladys Knight, Alex Boyé, the Bonner family, the Unity Gospel Choir International, and members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The broadcast will be live on the Church satellite system, LDS.org, MoTab.org, mormonchannel.org, Facebook, Instagram, Mormon Channel for Roku, and the Mormon Channel on YouTube.
Next Sunday, June 3rd, Pres. and Sister Nelson will be speaking at a worldwide devotional for youth. Pres. Nelson has given us all an assignment of reading from The Book of Mormon everyday and to ask in our prayers to have our hearts prepared to receive what the Lord would have us learn from the broadcast.
If you miss either of these programs, they will be avalible for streaming at broadcasts.lds.org shortly after they end.
Finally, Facebook recently changed what shows up in your newsfeed — which means you are probably not seeing Millennial Star updates. If you get your Millennial Star updates via Facebook, make sure to go to our facebook page and choose the “See First” option on the Following button to keep seeing our posts.
This morning Pres. Nelson and other church leaders met with the leadership of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Watch the press conference from this morning HERE.
Pres. Nelson spoke about this meeting today on his Facebook page. He said,
“It was my pleasure today to meet with national officials of the NAACP to affirm the fundamental doctrine—and heartfelt conviction—of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that all people are God’s precious children and are therefore brothers and sisters. Nearly a quarter century ago, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles proclaimed that “all human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.”
Today, in unity with such capable and impressive leaders as the national officials of the NAACP, we are impressed to call on people of this nation and, indeed, the entire world to demonstrate greater civility, racial and ethnic harmony, and mutual respect. In meetings this morning, we have begun to explore ways—such as education and humanitarian service—in which our respective members and others can serve and move forward together, lifting our brothers and sisters who need our help, just as our Savior, Jesus Christ, would have us do. These are His words: “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27).
Together we invite all people, organizations, and governments to work with greater civility, eliminating prejudice of all kinds, and focusing more on the many areas and interests that we all have in common. As we lead our people to work cooperatively, we will all achieve the respect, regard, and blessings that God seeks for all of His children.
Considering the toxic environment of most social media, the online public square and the real public square, this is good council for all people to follow. Latter-day Saints can and should lead the way in promoting civility. Let’s get to it!