Ben

[Gary E. Stevenson @StevensonGaryE]

As you strive to push new limits in deepening your conversion, you too may be subjected to inhospitable environments, severe temperatures, and extreme pressure.

Putting on “the whole armour of God” will allow you to “stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11) and enhance your ability to stand firm in life’s inevitable spiritual battles.

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf @UchtdorfDF]

For three Sundays in a row within the last few weeks, Harriet and I had the joyful privilege of participating in two stake center dedications and one temple dedication—first in Salzburg, Austria, then Prague, Czech Republic, and finally in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon, where we dedicated a house of the Lord.

How beautifully these sacred places work together. In our meetinghouses each Sabbath day, we gather to worship God, strengthen one another, and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ. In the holy temple, that same work continues in an even more sacred and eternal way.

Each dedication has pointed to the same divine purpose of turning our hearts in worship to our Heavenly Father and to His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

[Henry B. Eyring @EyringHB]

Many of us, in moments of personal anguish, feel that God is far from us. The pavilion that seems to intercept divine aid does not cover God; it occasionally covers us.

God is never hidden, yet sometimes we are, covered by a pavilion of motivations that draw us away from God and make Him seem distant and inaccessible.

Our own desires, rather than a feeling of “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10), create the feeling of a pavilion blocking God. God is not unable to see us or communicate with us, but we may be unwilling to listen or submit to His will and His time.

We remove the pavilion when we feel and pray, “Thy will be done” and “in Thine own time.” His time should be soon enough for us since we know that He wants only what is best.

The Lord’s delays often seem long; some last a lifetime. But they are always calculated to bless. They need never be times of loneliness or sorrow or impatience.

Although His time is not always our time, we can be sure that the Lord keeps His promises. For any of you who now feel that He is hard to reach, I testify that the day will come that we all will see Him face to face.

Artwork: "Faith is Holding Both" by Jenna Conlin

[Clark G. Gilbert @ClarkG_Gilbert]

God Loves His Children: Every time I go somewhere, I think “Who does the Lord want me to see?”

During my recent assignment to the Europe North Area, Christine and I joined nearly 1,500 young single adults gathered in from across Europe. We could feel their strength, hope, and commitment to the gospel. More specifically, I could hear the Lord reaching through me to try to communicate just how much the He loved each one them.

Those feelings were real and profound. I know that God loves His children and one of the miracles of my calling is that I repeatedly feel that love pour through me as I teach and minister to others in His name.

[D. Todd Christofferson @ChristoffDTodd]

To me, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is something of a sacred place.

Historically and spiritually, the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the establishment of the Constitution of the United States led the way for religious liberty as the first freedom granted by the First Amendment.

How grateful we are to celebrate what the Lord has done through wise men and women to bring about the privileges many now enjoy throughout the world.

[Neil L. Andersen @AndersenNeilL]

Today we will meet with media from throughout California and guide them through the recently renovated San Diego California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Soon, thousands will walk through the doors of the temple during an open house as we prepare for the August 23 rededication.

It is an amazing blessing to see the Lord’s temples dotting the earth. I love the house of the Lord.

[Greg Welch @ArtDirectorBYU]

This idea works for a lot countries.

[Patrick Kearon @PatrickKearon]

Nowhere should our joy as a people be more apparent than when we gather together each Sabbath in our sacrament meetings to worship the source of all joy!

[Quentin L. Cook @CookQuentinL]

Visiting with missionaries in England recently was immensely nostalgic for me, as I also served as a young missionary in this wonderful country.  

Elder Clark G. Gilbert and I were so grateful to spend time with these amazing servants. I testify that missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world are indeed the Lord’s emissaries.

[Quentin L. Cook @CookQuentinL]

As you study the Savior’s life, the restoration of the priesthood, and the return of the sealing keys by Elijah that unite our families for eternity, you can know with certainty that the Savior fulfilled the Father’s plan.

[D. Todd Christofferson @ChristoffDTodd]

In the temple we learn to distinguish between the holy and the profane, the clean and the unclean.  

The words at the door of the temple—“Holiness to the Lord”— are both an invitation and a commandment to all who would enter. 

Just as this newly dedicated Yorba Linda California Temple is in the world and yet is a place apart, here each of us learns how to be in the world and yet not of the world. 

Gradually all that is impure or unworthy in our character is rooted out as we draw closer to the Lord in His house. Our very desires change over time. It is a conditioning for life in a holy, celestial realm.

[Gérald Caussé @Gerald_Causse]

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are all united in faith and in our commitment to living the gospel. But unity does not mean uniformity. Our church congregations are like a beautiful mosaic—rich with diverse backgrounds, talents, and experiences. 

I invite each of you to find and recognize your gifts so that you can use them to bless others and move the Lord’s work forward.

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf @UchtdorfDF]

In 2016, I had the sacred privilege of organizing the first stake in Prague, Czech Republic. You can imagine the joy I felt returning 10 years later to dedicate a beautiful new stake center in this same stake. 

Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this region has not always been easy. Yet through unwavering devotion and trust in the Lord, the faith of members of the Church has endured. 

As we look back with gratitude for those who came before, we can move forward with hope and confidence in the future. This new meetinghouse symbolizes the faith of members old and new and will be a blessing for all who come and see.

[Matt Brown @MattBrownEP]

I'm not a political or policy genius or anything, but I feel like if you want Congress to try and "fix" something in college sports, they probably shouldn't keep asking the same people who "broke it" about how to fix it.

[Neil L. Andersen @AndersenNeilL]

We care not only about the work our missionaries are doing to invite others to come unto Jesus Christ, but also about who they are becoming in the process.

[Gérald Caussé @Gerald_Causse]

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we bear witness of Him whenever we share His love with all around us—and help it take root in each person we meet.

[David A. Bednar @BednarDavidA]

True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and is a principle of action, trust, and power.

As we act in accordance with the truths of the Savior’s gospel and trust in His promises, we are blessed with the spiritual capacity to “rise up” and press forward through the challenges of mortality while experiencing the joys His gospel makes possible in our lives.

[D. Todd Christofferson @ChristoffDTodd]

In recognition of the 250-year anniversary of the founding of the United States of America as a free and independent nation, Elder Quentin L. Cook and I discussed the importance of religious liberty and its underlying significance for the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

We believe in religious liberty.

As the Eleventh Article of Faith reminds us, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”

[USABJNT @usabjnt]

From Gilbert, Arizona

🇺🇸 No. 8 @bkbranch3