Howard W. Hunter

Only three months after the Church was officially organized, the Lord instructed Emma to make a selection of hymns to be used by the Saints:

Despite a man threatening President Howard W. Hunter with a bomb during a BYU fireside at the Marriott Center, the future prophet responded calmly and with conviction, continuing his address once the man had been apprehended. Of the event, Jeff Call writes, "The incident lasted only about 10 minutes, though for those who attended and followed what was going on, it seemed much longer."

What a great testimony to the strength of latter-day prophets as well as those who support and sustain them.

Last spring I came across an article on My Best LDSabout what could be the shortest general conference talk ever given. Now, a fact like that is hard to prove considering we do not have transcripts for every conference talk given in our Church's history, but it seems likely that this could be the shortest talk ever given in general conference, especially considering that speakers in the 1800s were not known for their brevity.

Thanks to the Deseret News for making us aware of this story.

When Thomas S. Monson was called to the Quorum of the Twelve in October of 1963, one of the first assignments he was given was to supervise the work of the gospel in the Polynesian area. He came to know and love the members in Polynesia, even giving his October 1966 conference talk on "God's Gifts to Polynesia's People."

As we have been learning about President Howard W. Hunter this year in Priesthood and Relief Society, we have mostly gotten to know about him as an adult—a leader of the Church with profound ideas and a strong testimony. But what was he like as a child? The journal he left as a 10-year-old gives some fun, unique insights into the boy who became a prophet. Here are just a few:

As a supplement to this year's Relief Society and Priesthood lessons from the life of President Howard W. Hunter, the Church History department has created an online photo gallery and timelineabout the life of this wonderful prophet. Here are some photographic highlights and facts about Howard Hunter that you might not have known, ones that will help you love him even more.

We are so blessed to be learning from the life of President Howard W. Hunter this year in Priesthood and Relief Society. He's an extraordinary man whose life was filled with so many experiences and messages that can change our own.

As young men, each of the presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had to figure out schooling, family and missions — and some even served in the military. Eventually, each had a woman who caught his eye, whether a childhood sweetheart or a woman seen at a dance or driving in a red convertible.

This special exhibit is a great way to get to know Howard W. Hunter, whose teachings we are studying this year in church. It will be available in 10 languages worldwide.

MR says: From meeting movie stars and royalty to flying planes, from milking cows to traveling the world, check out some of these incredible pictures of our Latter-day prophets.

When there is a vacancy in The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the President of the Church is the one who ultimately issues the calling to a new apostle. The process of receiving that inspiration includes earnest prayer and discussion with all of the current apostles. President Gordon B. Hinckley shared this after filling a vacancy left by the passing of Elder Marvin J. Ashton in 1994:

It seems like general conference surprises are increasing at an alarming rate. Here are a few past general conference moments no one saw coming.

This is an excerpt from “The Law of the Harvest: As a Man Sows, So Shall He Reap.” Elder Howard W. Hunter. BYU Devotional. March 8, 1966. From my own experience in business and as a lawyer and church worker, and from my firsthand observations in this country and other countries of the world, there appears to me to be a trend to shift responsibility for life and its processes from the individual to the state. In this shift there is a basic violation of the Law of the Harvest, or the law of justice. The attitude of “something for nothing” is encouraged. The government is often looked to as the source of wealth. There is the feeling that the government should step in and take care of one’s needs, one’s emergencies, and one’s future.