November 29, 2025, 3:08 AM MST
As I drove through a fog-shrouded mountain canyon recently on my way from the Salt Lake Valley to Logan, Utah, I was reminded of the days I drove the same route many times during my three years at Utah State University.
As I approached campus, I could see my destination, the new building of the Logan Utah Institute of Religion. The new building was scheduled to be dedicated by new members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Sunday evening, November 23rd.
When Elder Gerald Korth arrived with his wife, Sister Valerie Korth, they took a tour of the new building. They toured classrooms, study areas, teacher offices, common areas and more within the 100,000 square foot building. Along the way, the halls were decorated with Gospel scenes and portraits of the Savior.
As a former Institute student who took classes in the replacement building, I was excited for the current and future students who would study there.
The building is beautiful, but what impressed me most was the atmosphere. Even though the building was brand new, the feeling was similar to what I was used to all my life. The Holy Spirit has not changed. The same feeling I had as I toured the new building was the same feeling I had as a student confirming the beautiful truths of the gospel as I took classes on the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith’s Lectures on Faith, and the religions of the world.
Those learning experiences helped me grow my testimony. They helped me grow more in my faith in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father’s plan for me. They helped me better understand repentance and charity. They made learning the gospel exciting and fulfilling.
And that belief was reinforced by Elder Coase, who spoke to the thousands of people who attended the building’s dedication that Sunday night.
“Proceed with spiritual learning not with doubt but with a sense of awe and wonder,” he said.
The newest apostle didn’t stop there. He went on to compare spiritual learning to the learning of someone who likes to study art.
“Approach the Gospel with the same respect and joy as an art lover visiting a museum, someone who rejoices in the beauty of a masterpiece and the genius of the artist, rather than focusing on the cracks in the canvas or the dim lighting in the room,” he said.
It’s another thing to see those cracks and poor lighting. Focusing on them is different. In my life, the things I focus on have gotten bigger and taken up more space in my heart. Sadly, when we focus on negative events in this life and sad experiences in this life, darkness can quickly creep into places that were once bright.
So I was grateful to hear Elder Coase’s advice to his audience in the Institute when he gave Jesus Christ, the antidote to the creeping darkness.
“As we come to know God more deeply and follow his gospel, the darkness disappears and our lives are filled with eternal joy.”
I know that Elder Kose’s counsel rings true no matter where you are in life. As we draw near to the Savior, as we imitate Him, and as we learn about Him, darkness disappears. And when that darkness disappears, joy appears in its place.
In Doctrine and Covenants 11:11, the Lord says, “I am the light that shines in the darkness.”
Two verses later, the Lord tells us that He will give us the Holy Spirit to help us move forward with that sense of “awe and wonder” that Elder Caussé spoke of.
The Lord said in Doctrine and Covenants 11:13, “I will impart my Spirit to you, and it will enlighten your hearts and fill your souls with joy.”
We are grateful for Elder Coase’s testimony as a special witness of the name of Christ that through him we will be filled with light and joy as we learn about the Savior and His gospel (see D&C 107:23).
— John Ryan Jensen is the editor of Church News.
