President Dallin H. Oaks and his recent invitations to 'be optimistic' and 'stay on the covenant path'

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2025/10/14/president-dallin-h-oaks-inside-life-faith-ministry/">President Dallin H. Oaks</a> was set apart as the <a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2025/10/14/president-dallin-oaks-named-prophet-announces-new-first-presidency-eyring-christofferson/">18th President</a> of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 14, 2025. Since that time, he has carried the <a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2026/01/11/president-dallin-h-oaks-feels-responsibility-of-mantel-of-prophet-burley-idaho/">holy mantle</a> as the Lord&rsquo;s Prophet to the world, sharing the invitation to &ldquo;<a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2026/01/11/president-dallin-h-oaks-feels-responsibility-of-mantel-of-prophet-burley-idaho/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CBe%20happy%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.%20%E2%80%9CDo%20not%20be%20depressed.%20Trust%20in%20the%20Lord.%E2%80%9D">be optimistic</a>&rdquo; and to &ldquo;<a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2026/02/10/president-dallin-h-oaks-speaks-byu-draw-closer-jesus-christ-overcome-doubts/">stay on the covenant path</a>.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">On this episode of the Church News podcast, <a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/authors/ryan-jensen/">Church News editor Ryan Jensen</a> shares recorded excerpts from President Oaks&rsquo; interview prior to the <a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2026/01/11/president-dallin-h-oaks-dedicates-burley-idaho-temple/">Jan. 11 dedication</a> of the <a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/almanac/temples/burley-idaho/">Burley Idaho Temple</a> and his <a href="https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/dallin-h-oaks/coming-closer-to-jesus-christ/">Feb. 10 devotional at Brigham Young University</a>.&nbsp;<strong id="docs-internal-guid-fbbfff42-7fff-bab0-4220-0cbf45eeb7b6"> </strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast">The Church News Podcast</a> is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of <a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a> across the globe. Hosts <a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/authors/ryan-jensen/">Jon Ryan Jensen</a>, editor of the <a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/">Church News</a>, and <a href="https://www.thechurchnews.com/authors/mary-richards/">Church News reporter Mary Richards</a> share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, &ldquo;What do I know now?&rdquo; because of the experience. Produced by <a href="https://kellieannhalvo.com/">KellieAnn Halvorsen</a>.</p>