President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, turns 90 years old on May 31. He has served as a general authority since April 1985 and was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 1, 1995.
He served as first counselor in the First Presidency to President Thomas S. Monson and second counselor previously under President Gordon B. Hinckley. President Russell M. Nelson called President Eyring to serve as his second counselor in the First Presidency on Jan. 14, 2018.
President Eyring was born in Princeton, New Jersey, on May 31, 1933, and married Kathleen Johnson in July 1962. They are the parents of four sons and two daughters.
In honor of President Eyring’s 90th birthday today, here are nine of his quotes from the past year.
1. Jesus is the Christ
“Jesus is the Christ. There really was an Atonement. There really was. He is the Son of God. He was resurrected. He lives. He loves you. And He loves me. I know that. And so, I bear testimony that the most ordinary of people anywhere in the world who think they don’t matter, oh, they matter. God knows them and loves them.”
— Church News podcast, episode 138, May 30, 2023
2. A nudge from the Lord
“Every time that I got a little nudge to do something the Lord would have me do, then He seemed to take care of everything that was over my capacity.”
— President Eyring shares lessons he’s learned, May 28, 2023
3. Covenant of baptism
“I knew that I had made a covenant with God. And there’s great joy possible if you live the covenants that you’ve made.”
— Church News video, May 18, 2023
4. He lives
“A testimony of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a source of both hope and determination. He lives, and because of His sacrifice, we will be resurrected and sanctified. Jesus is the risen Christ, our Savior, and our perfect example and guide to eternal life. I pray that we may, with all our hearts for all our lives, remember His sacrifice and His love of us.”
— Facebook post, April 4, 2023
5. A reason for optimism
“There is reason for optimism: it is that the Light of Christ is placed in every newborn child. With that universal gift comes a sense of what is right, a desire to love and be loved.”
— “Finding Personal Peace,” April 2023 general conference
6. The gift of the Son of God
“The gift of the Son of God is a priceless gift. He is the gift that lights our way and lifts us. He is the gift that sustains us through the difficult days of our mortal journey. He is the gift that offers divine love, lasting hope, and true joy.”
— Facebook post, Dec. 15, 2022
7. Life is a test
“As my mother told me when I complained of how hard something was: ‘Oh, Hal, of course it’s hard. It’s supposed to be. Life is a test.’”
— “Legacy of Encouragement,” October 2022 general conference
8. Learn by the Spirit and identify truth
“Before we were born into mortality, we were spirit children of Heavenly Father. We learned lessons in the spirit world. We made choices about what was true and what was false. We were individuals. We learned by experience and through instruction.”
— BYU–Idaho graduation, July 21, 2022
9. The temple
“The temple is going to have a tremendous impact on the faith growing among the youth. … Young people are going to set a goal to be married in the temple. And when you get families sealed together, the future gets brighter and brighter.”
— President Eyring rededicates Tokyo Japan Temple, July 3, 2022
