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I just finished reading “Heart of the Matter” by Russell M. Nelson
Quick Take: All the areas of focus from the prophet in one book. Love it!
Longer Take:
I enjoyed President Rusell M. Nelson’s most recent book. If you've listened to his General Conference talks as the prophet, you will have heard many of the stories retold in this book. But to have all his areas of focus in greater detail in one book is just fantastic.
My favourite chapter is the one where he talks about why it was decided to refocus on the full name of the church. I remember struggling when this decision was announced. As a business guy who is fascinated with how branding affects business, it seemed like a mistake to move away from what seemed like a perfectly short and memorable name like “Mormon.” I had no problem sustaining the prophet and using the full name, but it still felt like a mistake. It was not until I read this chapter that I actually gained a testimony of this decision. We need the world to know that everything we do revolves around Jesus Christ. He is our everything. And a refocus on the divinely chosen name of the church helps us do this.
I’m just amazed at all this man is doing. When most people would probably consider their contributable time to be at an end, Russell Nelson, at age 93, was being called as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And at 99 he’s still at it.
Some of My Favourite Quotes:
"... Our callings in the church are not calls to prominence, they are not calls to attract a following. They are calls to serve."
“I invite you to examine your discipleship in the context of how you treat others."
"I fear, too many men have been given the authority of the priesthood but lack priesthood power because the flow of power has been blocked by laziness, dishonesty, pride, immorality, or preoccupation with things of the world. I fear there are too many priesthood holders who have done very little to develop their ability to call upon priesthood power."
"Our opportunity is to exercise the kind of faith that will help us accomplish the impossible..."
"In the House of the Lord, we can make the same covenants with God that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob made, and we can receive the same blessings."
"The question for each of us is then, are we willing to let God prevail in our lives? Are we willing to let God be the most important influence in our lives? Will we allow his words, his commandments, and his covenants to influence what we do each day?"
"Being a member of the house of Israel is not for the faint of heart. To receive the blessings God promised Abraham's seed, we can each expect to have our own Abrahamic test."
"... overcoming the world means growing to love God and his beloved son Jesus Christ, more than you love anyone or anything else."
"...as you make the continual strengthening of your testimony of Jesus Christ your highest priority, you will experience miracles in your life."
