Biographical information from the Church website

Church Service

Elder Edward B. Rowe was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the April 2025 general conference. At the time of his call, he had been serving as a member of the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area.
Elder Rowe has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission, elders quorum president, high councilor, bishop, and mission president.

Professional Life

Elder Rowe received a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Brigham Young University. He also received a master’s degree in public policy and a juris doctor degree from the University of Chicago. He practiced international law for many years as a partner in various law firms in Washington D.C. and overseas. He has served as chief executive officer for The Stirling Foundation since 2019.

Personal Life

Edward Butler Rowe was born in Provo, Utah, on April 23, 1967. He married Brooke Francis in 1989. They are the parents of five children.

Brief summary

In “Choose Jesus Christ as Your Guide,” Elder Rowe compares his experience of walking through a former war zone filled with hidden land mines to our journey through mortality. Just as he relied completely on an experienced guide for safety, we need Jesus Christ to guide us through the spiritual dangers of life. Elder Rowe teaches that the Saviour is both a perfect and personal guide who knows us individually and a Master Healer who can redeem and strengthen us when we stumble, stray, or are wounded by sin and weakness. He emphasises the covenant path as the place where we learn to walk with Christ and develop trust in Him.

Key quotes

‘…I need Jesus Christ to be my guide through life’s journey amid its spiritual land mines. All of us do.’ (Paragraph 7)

‘Jesus Christ denieth none! No one need walk alone!’ (Paragraph 8)

‘Though our paths in life are unique, each is to be within the covenant path. For that is Christ’s path. We enter that path and connect ourselves to Jesus Christ as our guide through exercising faith in Him, repenting, and making sacred promises, or covenants, with Him.’ (Paragraph 12)

‘We follow in His footsteps within the covenant path by being in holy places, like the temple, and by having sacred experiences through partaking of the sacrament, praying, studying the scriptures, and ministering to others.’ (Paragraph 13)

‘No matter how injured you are or how imperfect and inadequate you feel at following Him, He loves you. His merciful hand is extended to you even now. Please take it!’ (Paragraph 18)

‘…may we all accept Christ’s invitation to be our guide and walk with Him. And when we struggle or stray, let us return unto Him that He may heal us—that He may heal you.’ (Paragraph 19)

‘When I was in the border area, as the days wore on, I noticed myself at times becoming casual in my efforts to follow my guide. My attention would drift, and I would become less careful. Then, back at camp, I would hear of someone injured or killed in the border region who had stepped on a mine. This would resharpen my focus. I’ve often thought back to my time in the border region and have asked myself, “Why did I ever allow myself to become casual even for a moment when I knew that casualness could lead to casualties?”

Similarly, there are times in our lives when we may become casual in following Jesus Christ and risk stepping on spiritual land mines laid by Satan. It is important that we heed the counsel of President Dallin H. Oaks, who warns: “Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice. It is a continuous commitment and way of life that should guide us at all times and in all places. His teachings and His example define the path for every disciple of Jesus Christ” (“Following Christ,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 23).’ (Footnote 13)

Questions to discuss or ponder

What lessons did you take from Elder Rowe’s story about landmines? (Paragraphs 2-6)

What spiritual landmines might we encounter in our life? (Paragraph 7)

What does it mean to you to understand that Christ’s Atonement is both infinite and individual? (Paragraph 11)

How can we follow in Christ’s footsteps? (Paragraph 13)

What are the blessings of doing this? (Paragraph 14)

How can we avoid becoming casual in our discipleship? (Footnote 13)

Invitations and application

‘“The Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” invites us—we who “labour and are heavy laden” with our weaknesses and imperfections—to walk with Him as our guide.’ (Paragraph 9)

‘While the Savior’s Atonement is infinite, His invitation is individual. He invites you and me to accept Him as our personal guide. He suffered not just for humanity—He suffered for each of us individually.’ (Paragraph 11)

The heart of Elder Rowe’s message is that Jesus Christ is both the Guide and the Healer. He knows the dangers we cannot see, invites us to walk with Him on the covenant path, and lovingly heals us when we fall short. No one needs to walk alone, and no one is beyond the reach of His redeeming mercy.

Additional thoughts

“Living and loving covenant commitments creates a connection with the Lord that is deeply personal and spiritually powerful. … Jesus then becomes much more than the central character in scripture stories; His example and teachings influence our every desire, thought, and action” (Elder David A. Bednar, “But We Heeded Them Not,” Liahona, May 2022, 15).

‘As we walk by faith with Him, abiding in Him, and He in us, we come to know He lives. His Easter promises are real.’ (Elder Gong, General Conference, April 2026)

‘There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel. As we consider our commitment to the Savior, are we careful or casual? Because of our mortal nature, don’t we sometimes rationalize our behavior, at times referring to our actions as being in the gray, or mixing good with something that’s not so good? Anytime we say, “however,” “except,” or “but” when it applies to following the counsel of our prophet leaders or living the gospel carefully, we are in fact saying, “That counsel does not apply to me.” We can rationalize all we want, but the fact is, there is not a right way to do the wrong thing!’ (Sister Bacly Craven, General Conference, April 2019)

What do you think Sister Craven means when she talks about our commitment to the Saviour being careful or casual? How would casual and careful compare?

You can watch Elder Rowe’s talk here.

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