Happy 101st birthday to our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson! Few men live to reach that age and, as I tell my patients, getting old isn't for the weak. I thought there was no better way to celebrate President Nelson than to share some of our favorite memories/teachings from the seasoned apostle. Enjoy!
--Spencer
"Think Celestial!"
President Russell M. Nelson has shared countless inspiring messages, but one phrase continues to echo in my heart: “Think Celestial!” In just two words, he encapsulates a lifetime of prophetic counsel; a call to lift our gaze, deepen our discipleship, and anchor our choices in eternal perspective.
I’ve listened to all of President Nelson’s General Conference addresses, and I testify that he is called of God and communes with Jehovah. His words are not just wise, they are divinely inspired. Heavenly Father truly desires for each of us, including you, to return and live with Him again. That invitation is always extended. The choice to accept it is ours.
When we “think celestial,” we remember who we are and where we’re going. We are children of God, eternally connected to Him. This mindset helps us realign our priorities, endure trials with hope, and make decisions that reflect our divine heritage.
President Nelson teaches:
“The very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout all eternity the best it can be! Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of ‘thinking celestial’! Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded. We learn from the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob that ‘to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.’
Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever. So, think celestial.”
This isn’t just a slogan, it’s a spiritual strategy. It’s how we navigate mortality with purpose, clarity, and peace. So today, and every day, let’s lift our thoughts heavenward. Let’s think celestial.
-Michael
"We Can do Better and be Better"
I know we’re doing favorite quotes from President Nelson but I took the liberty of sharing my favorite talk. No, I won’t quote the entire talk though it is definitely worth a re visit often (I listened to it last week). It is the talk, “We can do better and be better” from April 2019. It was given in a general conference address to the holders of the priesthood and has served as a “touchstone” address that I go to again and again for guidance and counsel at various times and stages of my life.
In this address, President Nelson begins by addressing how prophets in the scriptures are often called upon to teach and invite people to repent. He then proceeded to share more about repentance with the following:
"The word for repentance in the Greek New Testament is metanoeo. The prefix meta- means “change.” The suffix -noeo is related to Greek words that mean “mind,” “knowledge,” “spirit,” and “breath.”
Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to “repent,” He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit—even the way we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies."
This serves at the backdrop for his invitation to repent in 2 specific ways: in how we treat our bodies and in how we treat the women in our lives. I find myself seeking to continually care for my body in a better way and often find the words from this talk coming to mind as I seek to do so: "Your care of that temple is important. Now, I ask you, brethren, are you more interested in dressing and grooming your body to appeal to the world than to please God? Your answer to this question sends a direct message to Him about your feelings regarding His transcendent gift to you."
Furthermore, I find myself repeating his words about caring for the women in our lives when listening to my wife or daughter:
"Brethren, your first and foremost duty as a bearer of the priesthood is to love and care for your wife. Become one with her. Be her partner. Make it easy for her to want to be yours. No other interest in life should take priority over building an eternal relationship with her. Nothing on TV, a mobile device, or a computer is more important than her well-being. Take an inventory of how you spend your time and where you devote your energy. That will tell you where your heart is. Pray to have your heart attuned to your wife’s heart. Seek to bring her joy. Seek her counsel, and listen. Her input will improve your output."
Doing better and being better are part of the eternal nature of progression and President Nelson's invitation to repent was a good reminder of the need to find ways to progress. He was and is very disarming about his invitation to repent. It is not a guilt trip or a harsh invitation, rather he is inviting us to find specific ways to change and become more like our Savior.
-Russell
"Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives"
I have a great love for President Nelson. He has been the prophet for the entirety of my marriage (I remember hearing the news of President Monson's passing while I was on my honeymoon). When contemplating which of the Prophet's teachings I wanted to share in this post, a quote kept coming to my mind: "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."
In many ways I find this equally comforting and depressing. It's hard to raise children in an increasingly evil world, which brings me down at times. However, the promise is there that with the influence of the Holy Ghost. Whether it's the temptations surrounding us on a daily basis, struggles with mental health, or struggles with interpersonal relationships, the Holy Ghost can and will guide us where we need to go or the direction we need to take. This is a hard one for me at times because I feel like my mental health struggles impede me from feeling the Spirit's comfort. It takes conscious thought at times to remember to hope for that guidance.
In this talk, he also said, "If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation." Whether we're talking about politics, celebrities, mental health, the gospel, or anything else, the internet is saturated with garbage. There's plenty of truth out there as well, but it takes time, effort, and personal revelation to sift through it. I pray that I can internalize these principles more and I look forward to hearing from our prophet again in October.
-Spencer
