About My Father's Business

Today was a unique day.  It's not every day that a major religious organization changes leadership.  In fact, in the nearly 200 years since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith, it's only happened 16 times.  That's roughly once every 11 years.  It's only happened 5 times in my lifetime, and really only 4 times that I remember.  For the LDS faith, the calling of a new prophet and First Presidency feels a lot less like a changing of the guard, and more like the next-man-up mentality held by many sports teams.  When the prophet passes away, the apostle with the most seniority, in terms of years serving as an apostle, not years of life, is called as the next prophet, and life goes on. Even though a divine pattern for succession has been established and the whole event is predictable, it's still a unique and sacred experience for most members of the church.  We have an opportunity to see the mantle of prophet pa...

As his earthly ministry was coming to an end, Jesus' disciples asked him "what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"  The Savior then taught them how to avoid being deceived and for which signs they should watch.   Signs are all around us.  There are signs dotting every road and street, alerting us and helping us stay safe.  There are signs on hiking trails in the wilderness, helping to orient us and keep us on the right path.  There are signs everywhere we look, providing guidance and information, but all of these signs mean nothing unless we look for them, and pay them heed. The evolution of personal, mobile devices has forever altered the way we receive information.  Gone are the days of watching for signs to tell of forthcoming events.  We no longer look to the skies for an indication of coming weather.  We have an app for that, that will notify us of changes in the weather, and of approaching storms. ...