There is a lot happening out there that is deeply troubling, but a look at history, both secular and scriptural, shows that there have been times when things were much, much worse. In contrast, the term saint (or saints) appears in thirty-six verses of the Old Testament and in sixty-two verses of the New Testament.. He remarried the following year. degrees fromthe University of Utah and his Ph.D. from the University ofMinnesota. Born In: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Wendy Lee Watson (m. 2006), Dantzel White (19452005; deceased), siblings: Enid Nelson DeBirk, Marjory Edna Nelson Rohlfing, Robert Harold Nelson, children: Brenda N. Miles, Emily Nelson Wittwer, Gloria N. Irion, Laurie N. Marsh, Marjorie N. Helsten, Marsha N. McKellar, Rosalie N. Ringwood, Russell M. Nelson Jr., Sylvia N. Webster, Wendy N. Maxfield, Ancestry: Norwegian American, Danish American, education: University Of Minnesota, University Of Utah, See the events in life of Russell M. Nelson in Chronological Order, (17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). On April 12, 1984, he was made an apostle by Gordon B. Hinckley. Even people who desperately want to change their diets find it extremely challenging if they are addicted to unhealthy foods. Dear Deborah: Thanks for your kind words! That was the message from President Russell M. Nelson about the future of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the beginning of his 1997 address Endure and Be Lifted Up, Elder Nelson uses a spool of thread, a card, tissue paper and a pin to teach an object lesson. I have become keenly aware of this as I communicate with many very faithful Latter-day Saints who are trying to stop eating foods they believe are harmful. The patient was an adult with an atrial septal defect. The parables of Jesus are brief but brilliant and profound literary gems. He earned his B.A. We tested the valve and found the leak to be reduced remarkably. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. and M.D. Its going to be exciting.. . Soon after Joseph Smith received the revelation contained in D&C 89, he read it out loud to the elders gathered at the School of the Prophets. One of my favorite examples was when he describes how he performed exploratory surgery on a man (at the mans request) but literally did not know what to do. . While crossing the Sea of Galilee one night, a violent storm descended. Eat your vitamin pills. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? (Matthew 8:2627). It begins with prayersincere, fervent, and constant communication with the Creator of our spirits and bodies, our Heavenly Father. When high calorie dense foods hit the pleasure signals in our brain, the stimulus can overpower judgment. Nelson received the national honour of being the president of the Society for Vascular Surgery for 1975. Fish for lunch. In 1997, Russell M. Nelson won University of Utahs Distinguished Alumni Award. He also served as the Chairperson of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at LDS Hospital. The past couple months Ive carpooled into work every day with President Russell M. Nelson. In time, the strength you gain in overcoming food addictions will be a source of power in you that will enable you to serve the Lord and others in ways that will surprise you and lead to tremendous joy! Between 2007 and 2015, he served as a member of the Church Boards of Trustees/Education, which is the governing body of the Church Educational System. Fish for lunch. President Nelson, 93, was set apart as the 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Jan. 14, after serving 34 years in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Both can be damaging to the body. As Russell was growing up, his family was not active in any church. But, as a world, we have not yet reached those depths of iniquity and depravity. It can rob one of the power to decide. His profession as a cardiac surgeon has the consequence of lives saved and lives lost. For example, just this year we have seen the Church: eliminate one-third of Sunday meetings, eliminate one-fifth of General Conference meetings, tackle a correction of the name of the Church, change the 100-year relationship with the Boy Scouts of America, introduce a new curriculum, initiate a global ministry tour, hold a Church conference in a major-league ball-park, and announce more temples than ever before. What Does Russell M Nelson Eat For Breakfast I dont know what Russell M. Nelson eats for breakfast, but I imagine its something healthy and nutritious. After getting my food, I saw that four of my colleagues in the Seventy were seated at a table for six, just starting to eat. degrees fromthe University of Utah and his Ph.D. from the University ofMinnesota. Yes. Nelson wasnt kidding when he quipped last fall: Eat your vitamin pills. While we Mormons are doing a great job abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea, too many of us are seriously addicted to sugar, meat, cheese, chocolate, and other rich foods! Crack, a much more concentrated form, is much more highly addictive.[9]. These substances trigger chemical reactions in our bodies that we experience as rewarding. We both work in downtown Salt Lake City, and I figured, hey, what better way to start off each day, than driving with the prophet for 35 minutes? To be honest, he did most of the talking okay, he did all of the talking. When he was 16 years old, he was baptised and became a member of the LDS Church. That bright-eyed, little two-year-old can have a good lifea very good lifeand so can his children and his grandchildren, even though they will live in a world where there is much of wickedness (Boyd K. Packer, The Dawning of a Better Day, Ensign, May 2004). But from the disciples experience on the Sea of Galilee there is a great lesson for us. Based on our research the birthday is on 9-Sep-24. FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2018, file photo, President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Wendy, wave as they leave the morning session of a twice-annual conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. They had ten children together, nine daughters, Rosalie, Sylvia, Marsha, Wendy, Brenda, Emily, Laurie, Marjorie, and Gloria, and one son, Russell. After the death of his predecessor, Thomas S. Monson, in January 2018, Nelson assumed the role of the Church President. He even gave a talk devoted to the subject, called Doors of Death. On Monday, September 9th, President Russell M. Nelson will be celebrating his 95th birthday. I also post responses to comments on my articles on my website: https://discoveringthewordofwisdom.com/meridian-comments/. Other languages employ words that connote either expiation or reconciliation. Im sure if instead He had asked the Saints to give up carrot juice, herbal tea, strawberries, and sweet potatoes there would have been some sadness, perhaps even heartache, but the compliance level would have been much higher. And, when embraced properly, the Word of Wisdom is also why many Latter-day Saints say yes to the good things fruits, vegetables and grains. As the day progresses, what are you eating for lunch and dinner? . Now, we almost take for granted that hearts can be operated on, but when Nelson trained to be a surgeon, it was an absolute no-no. In April 2018, he travelled all over the world and came across people of the LDS faith in London, England; Jerusalem; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; Bengaluru, India; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong; and Laie, Hawaii. and M.D. Breakfast can vary, I pretty much eat anything: omelette, avocado toast, pancakes, waffles, hash browns. [16] Boyd K. Packer, Revelation in a Changing World, LDS General Conference (October 1989). for your calorie-dense food choice and propelling you toward making it a habit.[8]. [4] Paul H. Peterson, An Historical Analysis of the Word of Wisdom (M.A. Her articles are always well written and have so much "food" for thought. The first one out of the car was our two-year-old grandson. This is Gods way, especially with addictions. Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. His disciples learned a great lesson that night, one that applies with equal power to us as we face the current and coming storms of life. And if this werent enough, our prophet recently said Wait till next year, and then the next year. Eat your vitamin pills. . There will be places of peace, refuge, and safety for the Saints of the most high in these terrible times. Get some rest. According to our research, He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He joined the research team that invented the first heart-lung machine, a machine that would allow surgery on a heart that could be stopped and then restarted. As a devout member of the LDS Church, Russell M. Nelson has been actively involved in the matters pertaining to the church while simultaneously maintaining a busy career in medicine. He conducted the first successful paediatric cardiac operation at the SLGH, a complete mending of Tetralogy of Fallot in a four-year-old girl, in March 1956. We thank the Lord for His helping us to have a very successful event, said President Russell M. Nelson following the dedication of the Concepcin Chile Temple, Sunday, October 28, 2018. Get your rest. Nelson walked away from his career when he was called into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the April 1984 General Conference and focused on living a life devoted to a different kind of service. . Derek loves all things creative. We need a friend who can support us and to whom we can be accountable. Not all high calorie dense foods are addictive to all people, but for many of us, there are some foods we may find impossible to eat sparingly. Here is an example from his 1996 Address The Atonement. Elder Mark E. Petersen declared, It is against the will of God that any one of us should be in bondagein any way.[21] Clearly one of the central purposes of the Word of Wisdom is to help prevent (or recover from) bondage to various addictions. Sugar is the substance we hear most about, but other foods with high concentrations of sugar and/or fat, often in combination with refined carbohydrates, can be addicting. WebWilson is a spokesman for NFL Play 60 United Way, a program built to provide nutritious meals to children in need. 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Packer, Addiction has the capacity to disconnect the human will and nullify moral agency. For example, from the same talk: While the words atone or atonement, in any of their forms, appear only once in the King James translation of the New Testament, they appear 35 times in the Book of Mormon., From his 1990 address Thus Shall My Church Be Called, he helps us understand the meaning of the word saint., The word Christian appears in only three verses of the King James Version of the Bible. . Nelson wasnt kidding when he quipped last fall: Eat your vitamin pills. Ill share just one example, the wise counsel of Elder M. Russell Ballard: If anyone who is addicted has a desire to overcome, then there is a way to spiritual freedoma way to escape from bondagea way that is proven. If you can support each other, that is great, but the person does not need to be doing this diet. Or maybe he likes to eat a hearty bowl of oatmeal with some fresh fruit. I have been a witness to much of that preparation. I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation(Russell M. Nelson, Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, Ensign, May 2018). WebYOU HAVE 20,000 FOLLOWERS: $100 per post at a $5/CPM. Finally, they awakened Him: Lord, save us: we perish.. Soon, he developed his own heart-lung bypass machine and used it to perform the first open-heart surgery in the state of Utah at the Salt Lake General Hospital (SLGH). (New York: Rodale, 2012). President Nelson has been prepared throughout his life to enact change, and we are the beneficiaries of his training. He was kind in his operating room, when often doctors are not. On January 14, 2018, the church ordained and set apart Nelson and announced the news to the media and general church members on 16 January. This leads the addict to abandon what he or she knows is right. Im ready for the weekend! Instead, he started taking part in the administrative side of medicine and was subsequently picked as the president of the Utah State Medical Association. But as with all spiritual gifts, it requires our desiring it, pursuing it, and living worthy of receiving it (Neil L. Andersen, A Compensatory Spiritual Power for the Righteous, BYU Education Week, August 2015). He was later elected as the chairman of its executive committee. His talks are almost always exactly the same length (to the minute). He had three siblings, one brother, Robert Harold (19312014), and two sisters, Marjory Edna (19202016) and Enid (b. program a year early. In Romania, for example, he and Elder Hans B. Ringger met the head of religious affairs after dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu was deposed in 1989. He also landed a job as an assistant secretary at a bank. Nelson has published several books over the years, including a memoir titled From Heart to Heart (1979). In that instance, Elder Nelson with eyes closed, ended the song at the pulpit simply: in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. He did this to personify the scripture the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.. In our case, that may not always happen. God is at the helm! He blows into the spool for as long as he can without using his hands to show that the card sticks to the spool as long as he has breath. Its impossible to limit my learnings to only ten observations, so I encourage you to take the challenge yourself for the full experience, but Ill give you the cliff-notes version in reverse order, #10 through #1. Yes, we see much wickedness all around us. Elder Russell M. Nelson talks about the change in ages for missionaries after the Saturday morning session of general conference on Saturday, October 6, 2012. there is hope for the addicted, and this hope comes through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and by humbling oneself before God, pleading to be freed of the bondage of addiction and offering our whole soul to Him in fervent prayer.[22]. Ill explore this topic in greater depth in the next article where I address the third principle in the Word of Wisdom way to weight loss: Rely wholly on the Lord. My assistant said, Its a miracle.. WebPresident Nelson on the Future of the Church: Eat your vitamin pills. President Nelson comes to the position as President of the Church at age 93the oldest in the Quorum. I have never seen anyone do anything like this in General Conference. Russell M Nelsons wife. Agency, according to Elder Russell M. Nelson, is a gift from God, nearly as precious as life itself.[19] Elder Robert D. Hales reminds us, Our wise use of agency [is] essential that we might have eternal life.[20] How could it ever be wise to do something that compromises our agency? 1926). Elder Gerald Lund weighs in with nearly 50 years of insights, President Nelsons counsel that God is at the helm brings to mind a lesson taught by the Master. Most of us would never consider taking even the first drink or smoking the first cigarette. . While it is true that, when consumed sparingly, foods like cookies, donuts, BBQ ribs, and string cheese will not do us much harm, the same is true of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea. WebRussell M. Nelson has had a lifetime of preparation for this holy calling. Commit to reporting to this person each and every day (in person, over the phone, email, or text). He has previously served as a member of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for about 34 years and in 2015, became the quorum president. This official told him what they most needed help with was their orphans. One day I went down to a small cafeteria in the basement of the Church Administration Building that is reserved for General Authorities. Its going to be exciting.. As I began this exercise, I wondered how many of these talks will specifically devote time to speaking about the Savior? The answer is all of them. In 2014, the University of Minnesota Medical School honoured Nelson with the Surgical Alumnus of the Year Award. I guess more accurately, I accepted a challenge to listen to all of President Nelsons 75 General Conference addresses from 1984 to 2018 by the end of the year. Its going to be exciting.. Compulsive behaviors like pornography and gambling are frequently mentioned, but LDS leaders also warn against less apparent dangers, like excessive video-gaming, texting and use of social media. We spoke briefly about our various assignments, but soon the talk turned to the current financial crisis. I always assumed that counsel extended to General Conference addresses, but I guess I was wrong. His hymn, Our Prayer to Thee was sung again in the most recent conference. Finally, one of the brethren said, Theyre talking about the possibility of the whole government of the United States failing. I have been a witness to much of that preparation. It is common to hear people say, I could never give up X. That X might be meat or cheese or sugar or soda pop. After his first marriage in 1945, he served the church as a counsellor in bishoprics and as a member of a stake high council. The author of this article has made an impact on my life. This article is part of a series on Discovering the Word of Wisdom. Nelson was one of the leading surgeons who worked with patients suffering from coronary artery disease. When food is processed, nutrients are taken out and fat, sugar, and/or salt are added in. But they are also harmful, and worse, each carries a danger: the danger of addiction. WebPresident Nelson on the Future of the Church: Eat your vitamin pills. In fact, a case can be made for each of these substances being beneficial to the human body in some ways. So what does the future hold for those who are living in the last days of the worlds history? Ask anyone who is struggling to overcome such addictions! The Prices helped organize the first Special Olympics in the country. Satan, our common enemy, has many favorite tools he uses to rob us of our divine potential to accomplish our mission in the Lords kingdom. Just like we can extract sugar from whole plants, we extract oils from whole plants. She was 78 at the time of her sudden death. This is the foundation for why practicing Latter-day Saints say no to alcohol, caffeinated tea, coffee, tobacco or any other addictive substance. He ate quietly for a time as our conversation went right on in that same sense of discouragement. About a hundred years later, the Southern Kingdom of Judah suffered the same end, this time under the hands of Babylon. $140 per post at $7/CPM. Even if you are very young, if you gave up any particular food for the rest of your mortal life, this turns out to be a very short amount of time, infinitesimally small in the eternal scheme of things. Nelson brought about several important changes to the church policies. He has also received honorary degrees from Brigham Young University (Doctor of Science) in 1970, Utah State University (Doctor of Medical Science) in 1989, and Snow College (Doctor of Humane Letters) in 1994. [6] Neal D. Barnard, Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons behind Food CravingsAnd 7 Steps to End Them Naturally (New York: St. Martins Griffin, 2003). If that person can encourage you and provide nonfood rewards, all the better! From his parents, to his late wife Dantzel, to his wife Wendy, to his children and grandchildren all of them are spoken of highly with love and admiration and respect. For a considerable period, he served as the director of the University of Utah thoracic surgery residency program. The, Elder Robert D. Hales, When we hearken to the Word of Wisdom, we escape the captivity of poor health and addiction to substances that literally rob us of our ability to act for ourselves.[18]. As a fan of words, numbers, and analysis, I have always appreciated this approach to studying the gospel. . Actually, all foods, even healthy foods, trigger pleasure signals in our brains, but addictive foods do so more strongly than others. Born on September 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Russell Nelson was one of the four children of Marion Clavar Nelson (18971990) and Floss Edna Nelson (ne Anderson; 18931983). I have studied this pattern many times attempting to learn the basics of a process the prophet has perfected. Changes are still coming, like Thursdays reversal of the policy of not allowing children with LGBTQ parents to be baptized until age 18, or the changes to the Church of Jesus Christs temple ceremony, unveiled inside temples beginning in January. Between 1971 and 1979, he was the General President of LDS Church's Sunday School. Focus on low calorie dense whole plant foods. Many are anxious about current conditions and the future and what that means for them and their families. If it helps, just take it one day at a time. He later became the manager of Gillham Advertising Agency. For more help, please see the companion page, Overcoming Food Additions. For more on getting started on a whole food, plant-based Word of Wisdom diet, see Getting Started. For a complete list of my articles on the Word of Wisdom see Featured Author Jane Birch. You may critique that last sentence as not appropriately alliterative because the words dont begin with the same letter but the definition of alliteration extends to sounds, not just the beginning letter. (Go to Find a Buddy on Getting Started.). As a fan of statistics, I wondered if this was the case for all speakers I checked and it certainly is not. For many, these are daily pleasures they never skip. In 2018, after becoming President of the Church, President Nelson gave a talk called Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, where he teaches the steps necessary to receive revelation. We can then become habituated to these signals and start to crave them, even experiencing a physiological need for them. Born on September 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Russell Nelson was one of the four children of Marion Clavar Nelson (18971990) and Floss Edna Nelson (ne Anderson; 18931983). A few weeks ago our youngest son and his wife and family stopped to see us. Since death is not the end of our lives, we know we are going to live forever, which strikes me as a very long time. When President Nelson communicated a correction about the name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it came as a surprise to many (including me) but in actuality, he spoke about this same issue in 1990 in an address called Thus Shall My Church Be Called. Carpooling with him, I learned that President Nelson: Twice, then Elder Nelson has written a hymn that was sung by the Tabernacle Choir in General Conference (once after his talk, and the other time in his 2003 address Sweet Power of Prayer during his talk). It usually does not work to indulge in even small amounts of foods that we find irresistible. It was a profound teaching moment, and I have reminded myself of that day often when I have This explains why the exact same molecules (e.g., glucose and fructose) that are not addictive in whole foods like beets and corn can be addictive in the form of table sugar and Jolly Ranchers. thesis, Brigham Young University, August 1972). President Nelson has noted that he personally knew 10 of the 16 previous Presidents of the Church and has had the experience of losing them all (along with many other family and friends). He was part of the research team that built the heart-lung machine which was instrumental during the first ever human open-heart surgery using mechanical takeover of heart and lungs (cardiopulmonary bypass) in 1951. He spent eight years as the church's Sunday School General President as well as four years as a regional representative. degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. . degrees fromthe University of Utah and his Ph.D. from the University ofMinnesota. On the first Tuesday of this year, President Thomas S. Monson passed away. Most people cannot do this alone. Ordained an Apostle on 12April 1984, Elder Nelson received his B.A. As a surgeon and medical scientist, he was a prominent figure in the field of cardiothoracic surgery and was appointed as the president of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Utah Medical Association. Think of the alternative. Remember the Saviors rebuke on the Sea of Galilee. Vegetable oils are highly processed foods, not whole foods. That was more than ten years ago, but I still vividly remember two things. Then do exactly as you feel inspired to do. Russell Marion Nelson Sr. is an American religious leader, author, philanthropist, and former surgeon, who is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) as its 17th and current president. The University of Utah set up a chair in cardiothoracic surgery named after him and his late first wife Dantzel in June 2018. I think it is safe to suppose that some things in the future (and even in the present) will be so rough that we too shall cry out, Lord, save us! . Brethren, the Lord is at the helm. . He later spent a year in surgical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital. . The collapse of the housing market. Surely there are people around the world with that experience during the COVID-19 crisis. But even though food addiction may not be a sin, like sin it compromises our agency by allowing our flesh to enslave our spirit. Answer: No, not yet. Neither are whole foods. We may seal up the package again, but before we know it, the entire package is gone. Mormon described the evil and depravity of his people in these words to his son, Moroni: Many prisoners [were taken] . As you call on God in mighty prayer, ask Him to help you identify the foods that would be better for you to give up, at least for a time. As evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. Lets face it: focusing on low calorie dense whole plant foods and abstaining from foods that trigger cravings can be a challenge. Also, the financial affluence and the political stability of the United States makes it possible for our Church to take the gospel to the world. [19] Russell M. Nelson, Addiction or Freedom, LDS General Conference (October 1988). Their hedonic desire overruled their basic sense of self-preservation.[11] Interestingly, these are the exact same results other scientists have found when experimenting with rats hooked on cocaine. Most people find, for example, that going a week without sugar radically changes their taste perceptions. While it is true that, when consumed sparingly, foods like cookies, donuts, BBQ ribs, and string cheese will not do us much harm, the same is true of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea. This is obviously a topic I cant adequately address in this article, but I provide many practical tips and suggestions in a companion webpage on Overcoming Food Additions. Here I briefly mention just three key strategies: In analyzing the talks given by our LDS Church leaders, the counsel to pray is one of the most frequently mentioned as key to overcoming addictions of all kinds. There are adequate instances of impressive alliteration I observed throughout this educational experience. Health. Abstain from Foods That Trigger Cravings. And the second was the lesson taught: God is in control. [18] Robert D. Hales, Agency-Essential to the Plan of Life, LDS General Conference (October 2010). Once awakened, Jesus looked at the storm raging around them and said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? (Matthew 8:2326). There are four divinely appointed responsibilities of the Church: Helping to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gather Israel through preaching the gospel, redeeming the dead through family history and temple work, and caring for the poor and needy.

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