LDS Living Magazine

Try to imagine yourself driving down the freeway on a beautiful fall day. The leaves on the trees are stunning, absolutely gorgeous; the colors are many and varied. As you continue to look to your left and then look to your right to take it all in, you suddenly realize, to your horror, that you haven’t been paying enough attention to what is directly in front of you—namely an automobile! Before you know it, you bump into the back of the car and suddenly feel sick all over.

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was 15 years old when his older brother, Joe Cook, faced a choice between medical school and serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After discussing the matter, the brothers felt the decision should depend on three questions—questions Elder Cook would later call “keystones of faith”: Is Jesus Christ divine? Is the Book of Mormon the word of God? Is Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Restoration?

The Book of Psalms is inseparably connected to music. Since Old Testament times, believers have prepared to connect with God by singing and listening to psalms—and we can do the same today. Here’s an easy way to incorporate sacred songs as you study Psalms. The current hymnbook has nearly 80 hymns that reference Psalms. To support your study, the Church has a convenient index for finding songs connected to specific books of scripture.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints commemorated 125 years in Japan on September 1, as Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with Church members and leaders in the Asia North Area, which includes East Asia and Micronesia. In Japan, Elder Bednar and his wife, Susan, planted a commemorative tree and met with Latter-day Saints during a nationwide broadcast marking the anniversary.

This week, the Church opened ticketing for the Salt Lake Temple Open House tours. In only a day, the first one million spots were reserved. These tickets went fast—250,000 were booked within 30 minutes of the initial batch’s release. But don’t worry if you haven’t grabbed your spot yet. The open house will run for six months—from April 5 to October 1, 2027—and more reservations will become available through future ticket releases.

Beginning Sept. 6, youth classes in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will look different—shorter meetings, a new discussion-based curriculum, and a revised “For the Strength of Youth” guide. In a recent Church News podcast interview, Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman and Young Men General President Timothy L. Farnes discussed the new resources and how to navigate the transition. ... Here are five ways youth, leaders, and parents can prepare for the Sunday changes.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Tuesday invited people around the world to participate in the 2027 Salt Lake Temple Celebration, announcing the event’s theme, “Rejoice in Christ,” and opening reservations for tours of the renovated Salt Lake Temple.

Loving, hopeful words will transform our homes more completely than any remodel. Here are five reminders of what words can do. “President Thomas S. Monson used to say, ‘There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.’ Saying ‘thank you,’ ‘I am sorry,’ ‘I love you’ will do just that.” —Elder Ronald A.

CNN, a major United States-based media outlet, has published a story on the renovation of the iconic Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just days before ticket distribution begins for a six-month celebration starting in April and running through October 1, 2027. “This is such a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for … the rest of the world to come and see what for more than a century was for Church members only,” Elder Matthew S.

A breathtaking new hymn, “Peace, Peace, Be Still,” has joined the hymnbook. Similar in melody to “If You Could Hie to Kolob” and comforting like “Lead, Kindly Light,” this moving piece is one everybody needs to hear—and could soon become your congregation’s favorite. Songwriter Sally DeFord wrote the lyrics to the hymn while she was recovering from hand surgery.