In memory...

...of Elder Neal A Maxwell who passed away yesterday at the age of 78.

I know we're not supposed to have 'favorites' among General Authorities, but Elder Maxwell was most definitely my favorite. (And yes, I have my 'least favorites' among the Apostles, too...which I won't get into)

Perhaps it was his sublime sense of humor, and overwhelming humility, or perhaps his constant focus on becoming more Christ-like. Like many of the Apostles, he had a 'personal theme' which was contained in the majority of his talks in General Conference and elsewhere: being a disciple of Christ and turning our will to God.

[Quick quiz: Which apostle is associated with these other 'personal themes'? (i.e. if you hear a conference talk on this subject, which apostle is most likely giving it?) Answers below:
1) Pornography
2) Service
3) Repentance
4) Missionary Work]

In honor of Elder Maxwell, I'll be reading many of his 30 published works (which I conveniently have on a GospelLink CD-ROM) and sharing some thoughts about them every week in a new feature called "Maxwell Moments", which I'll post every Sunday. This is actually not a new idea--I had been planning a "Maxwell Moments" series from his writings for quite a few months now, sensing--subconsciously, I guess--that despite his seemingly improved health at April Conference, Elder Maxwell's mortal journey was close to an end.

Coming this Sunday: The one and only gift we have to give to God