With a century of life under his belt, President Russell M. Nelson has shared his wisdom and life experiences with people and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all around the world.
Since becoming President of the Church in 2018, President Nelson has largely focused his teachings on personal revelation, covenants, temple building and attendance, peacemaking and “thinking celestial.”
Below is a round up of some of his recent teachings and invitations.
“Taking the long view”
In his October 2023 general conference talk titled “Thinking Celestial,” President Nelson focused his remarks on the importance of making spiritually-minded choices.
He reflected on his life and spoke about God’s plan for His children, emphasizing how God's plan is only possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
“Here is the great news of God’s plan: the very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout all eternity the best it can be,” he said.
According to President Nelson, “thinking celestial” helps those who practice it better follow Christ and His gospel.
As an example, President Nelson shared a time when he and his wife, Dantzel, were living off of $15 a month. Though he had not been paying tithing on that income, his wife encouraged him to do so and he quickly repented. Upon paying $1.50 a month in tithing, President Nelson said he noted his blessings.
“Was the Church any different because we increased our tithing? Of course not. However, becoming a full-tithe payer changed me. That is when I learned that paying tithing is all about faith, not money,” he said. “As I became a full-tithe payer, the windows of heaven began to open for me. I attribute several subsequent professional opportunities to our faithful payment of tithes.”
Focus on the temple
In his six years as President of the Church, President Nelson has announced 168 temples, bringing the total number of temples built, announced or in construction to 350.
In 2019, President Nelson announced plans to renovate the Salt Lake Temple, one of the oldest operating temples in the world. The project would include reinforcing the temple foundation to ensure its protection against natural disasters, such as earthquakes.
“We are sparing no effort to give this venerable temple, which had become increasingly vulnerable, a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the millennium,” he said in a video shared during his October 2021 general conference talk titled “The Temple and your Spiritual Foundation.”
President Nelson taught that "in like manner, it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures—perhaps measures we have never taken before—to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations."
"Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures,” he said.
Such measures include regular temple attendance and strengthening our covenants with God, he taught.
Of the new temples announced by President Nelson, “25 are the first in 26 different countries or territories, and another four, the first in U.S. states,” according to a report by Church News. Some of these temples are located in Guam, Mongolia, Russia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
“Disciples of Christ are peacemakers”
In his April 2023 talk titled “Peacemakers Needed,” President Nelson shared a story from his surgical internship while he was training to be a surgeon.
He said that during an operation, there was a moment of tension where a member of the surgical team performed a task poorly.
“The surgeon erupted in anger," President Nelson said. "In the middle of his tantrum, he threw his scalpel loaded with germs. It landed in my forearm!”
While the scalpel did not infect President Nelson, the experience left a lasting impression.
“In that very hour, I promised myself that whatever happened in my operating room, I would never lose control of my emotions,” he said. “I also vowed that day never to throw anything in anger — whether it be scalpels or words.”
According to President Nelson, "the Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade and inspire — no matter how difficult the situation."
“True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers,” he said.
President Nelson also spoke about peacemaking in October 2002, in a talk titled “Blessed are the Peacemakers.”
Ninety-nine plus one
In a message posted on social media channels 100 days before his 100th birthday, President Nelson shared the parable of the lost sheep and suggested a way that people can celebrate his birthday is by reaching out to those in need.
“I am soon approaching my 100th birthday. One of the places where the Savior used the number 100 in the scriptures was the parable of the lost sheep. Though 99 of his flock were safely by his side, the shepherd went in search of the one who was lost,” President Nelson said on Instagram, Facebook and X.
He continued by saying that at his age, he has no need of physical gifts, but one "spiritual offering" that would bring him joy would be for each of us to reach out to "the one," those people in our lives who may be feeling lost or alone.
Since his post, thousands on social media have shared service experiences using the hashtag #99plus1.
During his time as prophet, President Nelson implemented “ministering,” a simpler way for members of the Church to care for one another.
“A hallmark of the Lord’s true and living Church will always be an organized, directed effort to minister to individual children of God and their families,” he said in his 2018 address titled “Ministering with the Power and Authority of God.”
“Because it is His Church, we as His servants will minister to the one, just as He did. We will minister in His name, with His power and authority, and with His loving-kindness,” he said.
President Nelson has spent much of his life serving others, be it through his medical career, callings in the Church or through collaboration with groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Those wanting to read more of President Nelson's conference addresses can do so on the Church's website. President Nelson is expected to speak in the upcoming Semiannual General on Oct. 5-6, 2024. Anyone wanting to watch can find livestream links here.