Throughout history, Heavenly Father has called on prophets to testify of Jesus Christ to the world and to teach the doctrine of the gospel.
Heeding the teachings of prophets requires faith. Sometimes a prophet will say something that stands out. Perhaps we don’t understand the principle or doctrine he is teaching. Perhaps the way he says something gives new meaning to the hearer.
A week ago, Church President Dallin H. Oaks traveled outside the United States for the first time since becoming the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He went to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to dedicate the Church’s 220th temple and the 12th temple in that country.
While there, President Oaks spoke with a Brazilian journalist.
“When we come to the temple, we come to a place which is dedicated exclusively for the service of the Lord,” he said.
So far, so good. That made sense to me. But it was what President Oaks said next that caught me off guard.
“And as a result, the Spirit of the Lord is stronger here than any other building except a well-functioning home,” he said.
That phrase hit me differently than anything else President Oaks said that day. I’m not sure I ever heard a Prophet say that before. I am certain I didn’t ever think about that possibility as much as I have this week.
The idea that my home, with four teenagers and a dog, with a husband and wife who have been married for two decades, that has had adult siblings of both my wife and me living with us at different stages, that has seen its share of both chaos and calm, could be a location where the Spirit of the Lord could be felt as strongly as in the temple made me do a lot of evaluating.
The Spirit of the Lord is stronger here than any other building except a well-functioning home.
— President Dallin H. Oaks
Notably to me, President Oaks didn’t say this as though it were an aspirational statement for some time in the future of eternity. He didn’t say a home had to be perfect. He didn’t teach that the home had to have the ideal family structure before the Spirit could be there. He said it needed to be “well-functioning.”
What does that mean?
As I pondered that question, my mind went back to examples I have seen in my life.
As the oldest of five children, I saw the evolution of the home my parents created over the last 50 years. I remember always seeing images of the Savior hanging on the walls. I remember the photo of the Salt Lake Temple, where they were sealed. I remember the cross-stitched “Love one another” that my mother framed and hung on the wall. I remember the “Remember who you are” and the “Return with honor” that my mom would say when a sibling or I walked out the door.
I remember my mom reading to us from the Church’s illustrated “Book of Mormon Stories” book. I remember fighting to stay awake at our early morning Book of Mormon study when I was a teenager. I remember family home evenings each week. And I remember my parents’ constant efforts to get us all together to pray each day.
Not every home looks like this. I know. I feel blessed to have those memories to recall. And I feel equally blessed to be striving to do many of these same things with my family today. We’re not perfect at it. Frankly, sometimes we might be closer to barely functioning instead of well functioning. We are trying.
Whatever a home looks like, though, I believe President Oaks’ statement remains true.
As I looked back at President Oaks’ teachings on the family, I reread his October 2025 general conference message. He offered some ideas on how to strengthen families and invite the Spirit.
“Great blessings come to families if they pray together, kneeling night and morning to offer thanks for blessings and to pray over common concerns. Families are also blessed as they worship together in Church services and in other devotional settings. Family bonds are also strengthened by family stories, creating family traditions and sharing sacred experiences,” he said.
My view of my own home changed this week. And I look forward to putting in the work needed to help it be a well-functioning home, where the Spirit of the Lord can be felt as strongly as in a temple.
— Jon Ryan Jensen is the editor of the Church News.
