This week on social media, Church leaders expressed their admiration for President Russell M. Nelson’s Christlike example as he nears his 101st birthday on Sept. 9.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, said that serving with President Nelson for 41 years has been a “distinct privilege.”
“During this time, I have learned and observed much from him about following Jesus Christ, receiving personal revelation and expressing genuine love to God’s children,” he wrote in a Sept. 2 post.
Other leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also took to social media this week to share how President Nelson’s example has impacted them.
President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, spoke of how President Nelson’s faithfulness in seeking and receiving the Lord’s direction serves as an example to him.
“I am inspired by and grateful for the Christlike love and care he has for all of God’s children. I know that he is called of God to lead the Lord’s true Church,” he wrote in a Sept. 3 post.
President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said one quality of President Nelson is the “warm and productive unity” he’s able to maintain between the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“Having spent 31 years in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and over seven years as its president, President Nelson has been uniquely close to the quorum, letting him include the Twelve in so much that the First Presidency has undertaken,” he wrote in a Sept. 4 post.
He also addressed the young adults of the Church in an Aug. 31 post after a devotional that evening and expressed hope that they will live in a way that his grandchildren will want to follow. He emphasized the importance of remembering that life is about “consistent, calculated, eternal progress.”
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on how President Nelson reflects the Savior.
“His clarity and inspired simplicity in teaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ bless my life and strengthen my testimony,” he wrote in a Sept. 5 post.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared stories of how President Nelson followed Christ’s example of ministering. When Elder Uchtdorf and his wife visited Salt Lake City at general conference, President Nelson invited them to his home.
“They were the most wonderful hosts and treated us like kings and queens in their home. His children sang beautifully together during our visit. The atmosphere showed that this was a man of God who truly lived his faith. How grateful I am for the warmth and kindness this prophet of God has always shown to me,” he wrote in a Sept. 3 post.
While in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared of the “abundance of love” he felt while visiting with government officials, ministers of religion and hundreds of missionaries and members of the Church.
“The restored gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed the lives of members and friends of the Church for one century in South America, and we anticipate a marvelous future for the next 100 years and beyond,” he wrote in an Aug. 29 post.
Primary General President Susan H. Porter and counselors Sister Amy A. Wright and Sister Tracy Y. Browning shared a video with The Friend Magazine about how to watch the upcoming Friend to Friend broadcast.
“We’ll have a new song that we’ll be singing — ‘This Little Light of Mine’,” Sister Browning said in the Sept. 4 reel.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles encouraged members to “hold up” President Nelson by following his counsel, teaching his words and praying for him.
In a Sept. 2 post, he wrote, “We hold up the Lord’s light when we hold fast to our covenants and when we support our living prophet as he speaks the words of God.”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the decade from 1820 to 1830. He shared in a post and reel that during this time, the Prophet Joseph Smith had many experiences that led to the Restoration of the Church. He shared that seminal events of that decade are taking place now.
“We have commenced a decade that may prove to be as momentous as any that has followed the unparalleled founding decade of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints almost two centuries ago,” he wrote in an Aug. 31 post. The video was also posted to Elder Stevenson’s YouTube channel.
In an effort to help followers better understand their identity as daughters of heavenly parents with a divine nature and eternal destiny, Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, shared scriptures that highlight faith of women in the gospel.
“These women turned to God to discover their path to their eternal potential,” she wrote in a Sept. 3 post.
Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that two combined components, nitroglycerin and kieselguhr, created something “transformative and precious” — dynamite. Likening this to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ, he shared that “the combination of the Savior’s gospel and His Church brings power into your life.”
He invited followers to commit themselves to the Savior, His Church and the gospel in an Aug. 31 reel, which was also posted on Elder Renlund’s YouTube channel. “This power is far greater than dynamite. It will shatter the rocks in your way and transform you into an inheritor in God’s kingdom.”
