Daily Issue

Latter-day Pulse — Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026

Good morning! Today's theme is "Good, better, best": an Apostle's challenge to look hard at our phones, and the quiet power of choosing what gets our attention. Here's your quick dose of faith, news, and fun.

📱 "Smart and Selective" With Your Phone

At an Ensign College devotional on Tuesday, Elder Patrick Kearon asked students to reflect on how they use their phones and social media and to make their own plan, rather than handing them a list. "You can make this really work for you if you are smart and selective," he said (Church Newsroom).

Elder Patrick Kearon smiling with arms open behind the Ensign College pulpit — Source: Church Newsroom (newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org).

⚾ Saints in the Spotlight: Cooper Pratt, World Series Champion

Brewers rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt, a Latter-day Saint, is a world champion. Milwaukee beat Tampa Bay 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to win the World Series four games to one, the first title in franchise history (AP). Pratt hit .421 (8-for-19) with a home run and seven RBIs, and set a rookie World Series record with hits in six straight plate appearances (MLB.com). "I'm so blessed. I owe it all to my Heavenly Father," he said after the clincher (Deseret News). His advice to young athletes: "Choose the right, do your best and work hard" (Church News).

MLB@MLB

Cooper Pratt
MLB debut in June
World Series champion in October 😤

Cooper Pratt, in a World Series champions shirt and cap, cheering beneath the raised World Series trophy as confetti falls and teammates celebrate around him

Oct 28, 2026 · View post on X ↗

Jackson Payne@jackson5payne

New World Series champion Cooper Pratt:

“I owe it all to my Heavenly Father”

Incredible postgame interview here.

Video preview from post by Jackson Payne

Open on X

Oct 28, 2026 · View post on X ↗

🗞️ This Morning in the Church

BYU opens a religious liberty clinic. BYU Law's new clinic will welcome its first students in winter 2027, drafting "friend of the court" briefs for religious groups of many faiths. Stanford, Harvard, Yale and Notre Dame have similar clinics (Church News).

Professor Kelsey Baer Flores teaching from the lectern in a wood-paneled BYU Law School classroom — Source: Provided by BYU Law School, via Church News.

FSY 2027 adds a sleep-at-home option. Preregistration for 2027 For the Strength of Youth is open in the U.S. and Canada. A pilot in select Utah locations lets youth attend by day and go home each evening. The 2027 theme is "Rejoice in Christ" (Church News).

A large group of youth in matching green shirts posing on a lawn at an FSY conference in Kamloops, British Columbia — Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, via Church News.

"Come and see" in East Africa. On an Oct. 16–26 trip through the Africa Central Area, Elder Gérald Caussé told members in Burundi, "You are not far from Christ," backed Kenya's goal of planting 15 billion trees, and dedicated the new area office in Nairobi (Church News).

Elder Gérald Caussé speaking at a pulpit to a large congregation at a stake conference in Kyulu, Kenya — Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, via Church News.

💬 Prophetic Words

"What always saved him was revelation and a willingness to act — being ready to go and to do. And this, my friends, must be you."
— Elder Patrick Kearon, on Nephi, Ensign College devotional, Oct. 27, 2026 (Church News)

A student holding up a phone to take a selfie with Elder Patrick Kearon after the devotional — Source: Church Newsroom (newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org).

📜 On This Day

Oct. 29, 1831: At Hiram, Ohio, Joseph Smith received the revelation now in Doctrine and Covenants 66. William E. McLellin had secretly asked the Lord five questions that Joseph didn't know, and the revelation answered them (D&C 66 heading).

📖 Doctrine Deep-Dive: Good, Better, Best

Elder Kearon quoted President Dallin H. Oaks's 2007 talk "Good, Better, Best": "Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best" (general conference). President Oaks pointed to Martha and Mary, where Jesus said, "one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part" (Luke 10:42).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks speaking at the general conference pulpit in October 2007 — Source: churchofjesuschrist.org.

Reflect: What is one "good" thing on your phone you could trade for something "best" today?

🏛️ Temple of the Day: Nairobi Kenya Temple

The first house of the Lord in East Africa, dedicated by Elder Ulisses Soares on May 18, 2025, as the Church's 204th temple. It serves members in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan, including the Burundi Saints Elder Caussé just visited (official temple page, Church Newsroom).

A Christus statue in the foreground with the white Nairobi Kenya Temple and arriving visitors beyond — Source: Church Newsroom (newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org).

❓ Daily Trivia

Yesterday's answer: Peter Whitmer Jr., at 20. Elder Rasband listed the six charter members' ages: Joseph Smith 23, Hyrum Smith 30, Samuel Smith 22, Oliver Cowdery 23, David Whitmer 25 and Peter Whitmer 20 (Deseret News).

Today’s question: In 2018, President Russell M. Nelson invited youth to fast from social media. How long was the fast?

Reader Trivia

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Tap an answer. We will share the correct answer in tomorrow’s issue.

(Answer in tomorrow's issue.)

🎉 Fun Finish

Reader Poll

What's your best trick for keeping your phone in its place?

Tap a button to vote.

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