Life Balance
Right Amount of Attention to the Important Things
Dilema of Our Whole Life
Huntsman Chemical Corporation
Business of your life
Start Your Morning Prayer, Heavenly Father Please Help me Today, I have this and this and this
43:45 to 46:03
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Do Not die with your music still in you
There is an old saying: do not die with your music still in you. In like manner I would say to you adult leaders, do not get released with your leadership skills still in you. Teach our youth at every opportunity; teach them how to prepare an agenda, how to conduct meetings with dignity and warmth, how to rescue the one, how to prepare and give an inspired lesson, and how to receive revelation. This will be the measure of your success—the legacy of leadership and spirituality you leave ingrained in the hearts and minds of these young men.
APRIL 2013 GENERAL CONFERENCE - THE POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE BOY - ELDER TAD R. CALLISTER
Saturday, October 16, 2021
there is more than enough guidance available to each of us if we will listen.
It is not surprising that in the face of tremendous evil and temptation the Lord does not leave us to find our way on our own. In fact, there is more than enough guidance available to each of us if we will listen. You have received the gift of the Holy Ghost to direct and inspire you. You have the scriptures, parents, Church leaders and teachers. You also have the words of the prophets, seers, and revelators who live in our day. There is so much guidance and direction available that you won’t make major mistakes in your life unless you consciously ignore the guidance you receive.
Paul V. Johnson, The Blessings of General Conference, October 2005
Following the principles and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ day by day is the happiest and most satisfying course in life
Following the principles and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ day by day is the happiest and most satisfying course in life. For one thing, a person avoids a great many problems and regrets....We sidestep the various forms of addiction. We do not fall into the ditch of dishonest conduct. We cross over the abyss of immorality and infidelity. We bypass the people and things that, even if popular, would jeopardize our physical and spiritual well-being. We avoid the choices that harm or disadvantage others and instead acquire the habits of self-discipline and service.
April 2021
General Conference
D. Todd Christofferson
When light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart. … When the spiritual light of the Holy Ghost is present, the darkness of Satan departs.”
The unexpected loss of light was designed to show that without electricity, the darkness of the cavern was impenetrable. It succeeded; we “felt” the darkness. When the lights did return, the darkness instantly surrendered, as darkness must always surrender, to even the faintest light. My sons and I have been left with a memory of a darkness we had never known, a greater appreciation for light we will never forget, and the assurance that we are never all alone in the dark.
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Because “light cleaveth unto light,” the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost will lead you to make choices that will tend to keep you in the light; conversely, choices made without the Holy Ghost’s influence will tend to lead you into shadows and darkness. Elder Robert D. Hales taught: “When light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart. … When the spiritual light of the Holy Ghost is present, the darkness of Satan departs.”
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You are never beyond the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
April 2021
General Conference
Timothy J. Dyches
We should trust in the Lord and be positive about this nation’s future.
Our belief in divine inspiration gives Latter-day Saints a unique responsibility to uphold and defend the United States Constitution and principles of constitutionalism wherever we live. We should trust in the Lord and be positive about this nation’s future.
What else are faithful Latter-day Saints to do? We must pray for the Lord to guide and bless all nations and their leaders. This is part of our article of faith. Being subject to presidents or rulers of course poses no obstacle to our opposing individual laws or policies. It does require that we exercise our influence civilly and peacefully within the framework of our constitutions and applicable laws. On contested issues, we should seek to moderate and unify.
April 2021
Dallin H. Oaks
Friday, October 15, 2021
It Takes Faith!
A nonbeliever might say that faith is for the weak. But this assertion overlooks the power of faith. Would the Savior’s Apostles have continued to teach His doctrine after His death, at the peril of their lives, if they had doubted Him? Would Joseph and Hyrum Smith have suffered martyrs’ deaths defending the Restoration of the Lord’s Church unless they had a sure witness that it was true? Would nearly 2,000 Saints have died along the pioneer trail if they did not have faith that the gospel of Jesus Christ had been restored? Truly, faith is the power that enables the unlikely to accomplish the impossible.
Do not minimize the faith you already have. It takes faith to join the Church and remain faithful. It takes faith to follow prophets rather than pundits and popular opinion. It takes faith to serve a mission during a pandemic. It takes faith to live a chaste life when the world shouts that God’s law of chastity is now outmoded. It takes faith to teach the gospel to children in a secular world. It takes faith to plead for the life of a loved one and even more faith to accept a disappointing answer....
Please know this: if everything and everyone else in the world whom you trust should fail, Jesus Christ and His Church will never fail you. The Lord never slumbers, nor does He sleep. He “is the same yesterday, today, and [tomorrow].” He will not forsake His covenants, His promises, or His love for His people. He works miracles today, and He will work miracles tomorrow.
April 2021
General Conference
Russell M. Nelson
Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters.
Choose to believe in Jesus Christ. If you have doubts about God the Father and His Beloved Son or the validity of the Restoration or the veracity of Joseph Smith’s divine calling as a prophet, choose to believe and stay faithful. Take your questions to the Lord and to other faithful sources. Study with the desire to believe rather than with the hope that you can find a flaw in the fabric of a prophet’s life or a discrepancy in the scriptures. Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters. Allow the Lord to lead you on your journey of spiritual discovery.
April 2021
General Conference
Russell M. Nelson
As we are increasingly coming to know the Savior, scriptural passages and the words of the prophets become so intimately meaningful to us that they become our own words.
I am realizing that how intimately I know the Savior significantly influences my ability to hear Him as well as how I respond....We need to recognize that knowing the Savior is the most important pursuit of our lives. It should take priority over anything else....As we are increasingly coming to know the Savior, scriptural passages and the words of the prophets become so intimately meaningful to us that they become our own words. It is not about copying the words, feelings, and experiences of others as much as it is coming to know for ourselves, in our own unique way, by experimenting upon the word and receiving a witness from the Holy Ghost.
April 2021
Michael John U. Teh
For that reason, they cannot prevail, and we cannot fall!
Please follow our living prophet President Nelson’s wise counsel. As recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 21:5–6:
“For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
“For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.”
For that reason, they cannot prevail, and we cannot fall!
April 2021
Chi Hong (Sam) Wong
Monday, October 11, 2021
Which of all the voices rise clearly and meaningfully above the fray? It is the voice of God’s prophets, seers, and revelators.
Our current world is deluged in a “war of words and tumult of opinions” (Joseph Smith—History 1:10). Paul reminds us that “there are … so many kinds of voices in the world” (1 Corinthians 14:10). Which of all the voices rise clearly and meaningfully above the fray? It is the voice of God’s prophets, seers, and revelators.
April 2021
General Conference
Taniela B. Wakolo
It behooves each of us to measure up to the sacred ordination we have received.
The future is bright for God’s covenant-keeping people. The Lord will increasingly call upon His servants who worthily hold the priesthood to bless, comfort, and strengthen mankind and to help prepare the world and its people for His Second Coming. It behooves each of us to measure up to the sacred ordination we have received. We can do this!
April 2021
General Conference
Russell M. Nelson
to love our neighbor. We show our love by serving.
The two great commandments can guide us: first, to love God and, second, to love our neighbor. We show our love by serving.
April 2021
General Conference
Russell M. Nelson
I prayed that the people would feel the Lord’s love through my loving service. I have learned this is the key to serving and blessing others in His name.
In my few moments this evening, I will speak to those of you who want to be even more effective in your personal priesthood service. You know of the charge that you are to magnify your call to serve. But you may wonder what to magnify your calling can mean for you.
I will start with the newest deacons because they are the most likely to feel uncertain about what magnifying their priesthood service might mean. Newly ordained elders might also want to listen. And a bishop in his first weeks of service might be interested too.
....I prayed that the people would feel the Lord’s love through my loving service. I have learned this is the key to serving and blessing others in His name.
April 2021
General Conference
Henry B. Eyring
Please use your imaginations to increase faith in Christ, not ruin it.
Of course, imagining lies harms faith. My friends, intentionally envisioning or viewing things that conflict with who you really are, especially pornography, will weaken your faith in Christ and, without repentance, could destroy it. Please use your imaginations to increase faith in Christ, not ruin it...The choice is yours! The Lord said of you, “The power [to choose] is in them.” Elder Neil L. Andersen explained, “Your faith will grow not by chance, but by choice.” He also said, “[Any] honest questions [you may have] … will be settled with patience and an eye of faith.”
April 2021
General Conference
Ahmad S. Corbitt
Bishops, please know that a relatively short time spent with a young priest, young woman, or young adult can help them understand the power available to them through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Bishops, please know that a relatively short time spent with a young priest, young woman, or young adult can help them understand the power available to them through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
April 2021
General Conference
Quentin L. Cook
Saturday, October 9, 2021
When we choose to follow Christ, we choose to be changed. A man or woman changed for Christ will be captained by Christ
Jesus Christ is the light that we should hold up even during the dark times of our mortal life (see 3 Nephi 18:24). When we choose to follow Christ, we choose to be changed. A man or woman changed for Christ will be captained by Christ, and we will be asking, as Paul did, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). We will “follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). We will “walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). (See Ezra Taft Benson, “Born of God,” Ensign, July 1989, 2, 4; Tambuli, Oct. 1989, 2, 6.)
April 2021
General Conference
Thierry K. Mutombo
When others receive benefits because of their diligent choices, we cannot rightly conclude that we have been treated unfairly when we have had the same opportunity.
To begin to make some sense of it, let us explore various types of unfairness. Consider a family in which each child received a weekly monetary allowance for doing common household chores. One son, John, purchased candy; one daughter, Anna, saved her money. Eventually, Anna bought herself a bicycle. John thought it was totally unfair that Anna got a bike when he did not. But John’s choices created the inequality, not parental actions. Anna’s decision to forgo the immediate gratification of eating candy did not impose any unfairness on John, because he had the same opportunity as his sister.
Our decisions can likewise yield long-term advantages or disadvantages. As the Lord revealed, “If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” When others receive benefits because of their diligent choices, we cannot rightly conclude that we have been treated unfairly when we have had the same opportunity.
April 2021
General Conference
Dale G. Renlund
Focus on developing faith in Jesus Christ, that He has both the power to make everything right and yearns to do so.
We can try to hold our questions about how and when for later and focus on developing faith in Jesus Christ, that He has both the power to make everything right and yearns to do so. For us to insist on knowing how or when is unproductive and, after all, myopic.
April 2021
General Conference
Dale G. Renlund
Easter, a time for the righteous principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Atonement to “pass over”—pass over conflict and contention, pass over despair and transgression, and ultimately pass over death
Tomorrow is Easter, a time for the righteous principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Atonement to “pass over”—pass over conflict and contention, pass over despair and transgression, and ultimately pass over death. It is a time to pledge total loyalty in word and deed to the Lamb of God, who “[bore] our griefs, and carried our sorrows”
April 2021
General Conference
Jeffrey R. Holland
No one can employ a sharp tongue or unkind words and still “sing the song of redeeming love.”
No one can employ a sharp tongue or unkind words and still “sing the song of redeeming love.”
April 2021
General Conference
Jeffrey R. Holland
No, for the truly difficult problems we need what the scriptures call “the powers of heaven,” and to access these powers we must live by what these same scriptures call “principles of righteousness.”
Such help and hope are dearly needed because in this worldwide congregation today are many who struggle with any number of challenges—physical or emotional, social or financial, or a dozen other kinds of trouble. But many of these we are not strong enough to address in and of ourselves, for the help and peace we need is not the kind “the world giveth.” No, for the truly difficult problems we need what the scriptures call “the powers of heaven,” and to access these powers we must live by what these same scriptures call “principles of righteousness.” Now, understanding that connection between principle and power is the one lesson the human family never seems able to learn, so says the God of heaven and earth!
And what are those principles? Well, they are listed repeatedly in scripture, they are taught again and again in conferences like this, and in our dispensation, the Prophet Joseph Smith was taught them in response to his own version of the cry “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” In the cold, uncaring confinement of Liberty Jail, he was taught that the principles of righteousness included such virtues as patience, long-suffering, gentleness, and love unfeigned. Absent those principles, it was certain we would eventually face discord and enmity.
In that regard, may I speak for a moment about the absence in some quarters of these principles of righteousness in our time. As a rule, I am an upbeat, cheerful kind of fellow, and there is so much that is good and beautiful in our world. Certainly we have more material blessings than any generation in history, but in 21st-century culture generally and too often in the Church, we still see lives that are in trouble, with compromises resulting in too many broken covenants and too many broken hearts. Consider the coarse language that parallels sexual transgression, both of which are so omnipresent in movies or on television, or note the sexual harassment and other forms of impropriety in the workplace about which we read so much these days. In matters of covenantal purity, the sacred is too often being made common and the holy is too often being made profane. To any who are tempted to walk or talk or behave in these ways—“as the world giveth,” so to speak—don’t expect it to lead to peaceful experience; I promise you in the name of the Lord that it won’t. “Wickedness never was happiness,” an ancient prophet once said. When the dance is over, the piper must always be paid, and most often it is in a currency of tears and regret.
April 2021
General Conference
Jeffrey R. Holland
You have to go there yourself
So it is with the word of God. We can teach it, we can preach it, we can explain it. We can talk about it, we can describe it, we can even testify of it. But until a person feels the sacred word of God distill upon his or her soul like the dews from heaven through the power of the Spirit, it will be like looking at a postcard or someone else’s vacation photos. You have to go there yourself. Conversion is a personal journey—a journey of gathering.
April 2021
General Conference
Jan E. Newman
Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Becoming like our Savior will not happen randomly
President Henry B. Eyring taught: “We have the greatest opportunity with the young. The best time to teach is early, while children are still immune to the temptations of [the] mortal enemy, and long before the words of truth may be harder for them to hear in the noise of their personal struggles.” Such teaching will help them realize their divine identity, their purpose, and the rich blessings that await them as they make sacred covenants and receive ordinances along the covenant path.
We cannot wait for conversion to simply happen to our children. Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Becoming like our Savior will not happen randomly. Being intentional in loving, teaching, and testifying can help children begin at a young age to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is essential to our children’s testimony of and conversion to Jesus Christ; we desire them to “always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them.”
April 2021
General Conference
Joy D. Jones
Testimonies are best cultivated in the home.
Testimonies are best cultivated in the home. During this past year, many of you have dramatically increased the study of the gospel in your homes. I thank you, and your children will thank you.
April 2021
General Conference
Russell M. Nelson
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
As I tried hard every day to do the things I knew I needed to do to invite the Spirit of the Lord into my life and kept doing them, I was no longer attracted to cigarettes and have not been since
By consistently applying the doctrine of Christ in our lives, we will overcome inertia that impedes change and fear that foils action. We will receive personal revelation, for the Holy Ghost “will show unto you all things what ye should do,” and “the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”
For 20 years, Brother Huang Juncong struggled with alcohol, cigarettes, and compulsive gambling. When introduced to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel, Brother Huang desired to change for the sake of his young family. His greatest challenge was smoking. A heavy chain-smoker, he had tried to quit many times unsuccessfully. One day these words from the Book of Mormon lodged in his mind: “with a sincere heart, with real intent.” Though previous attempts had failed, he felt perhaps he could change with help from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
The full-time missionaries united their faith with his and provided an action plan of practical interventions, along with heavy doses of prayer and studying the word of God. With sincerity and real intent, Brother Huang acted with faithful determination and found that as he focused more on the new habits he wished to develop, such as studying the Book of Mormon, he focused less on the habits he wanted to lose.
Recalling his experience from 15 years ago, he remarked, “I don’t remember when exactly I quit smoking, but as I tried hard every day to do the things I knew I needed to do to invite the Spirit of the Lord into my life and kept doing them, I was no longer attracted to cigarettes and have not been since.” Through applying the teachings of the Book of Mormon, Brother Huang’s life has been transformed, and he has become a better husband and father.
Huang Juncong Family
President Russell M. Nelson has promised: “As you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.”
The Power of the Book of Mormon in Conversion, Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai, April 2020 General Conference
Friday, September 24, 2021
Use Your Best Judgement
I was sent to speak to leaders of churches in the United States and ministers of those churches who had met in Minneapolis to deal with the problem of competition among churches.
When I arrived, I found that I was assigned to be a speaker. My subject was to be: Why there was a need for a restoration of the true Church through Joseph Smith. I was a last-minute substitute for Elder Neal A. Maxwell.
When I arrived in the city the night before the meetings and looked at the program, I called President Hinckley. I told him that the meetings were to last three days, that many talks were to be given at the same time, that the crowd could choose which one to attend. I told him that I thought if I told the truth, I feared that no one would come to my second session and that I might be coming home very quickly. I asked him what he thought I should do. He said, “Use your best judgment.”
God Helps the Faithful Priesthood Holder, Henry B. Eyring, October 2007 General Conference
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Dark Choir of Voices
So what was the gloom I felt several years ago while reading antagonistic material? Some would say that gloom is the product of belief bias, which is the propensity to pick and choose only those things that accord with our assumptions and beliefs. The thought that everything one has believed and been taught may be wrong, particularly with nothing better to take its place, is a gloomy and disturbing thought indeed. But the gloom I experienced as I listened to the dark choir of voices raised against the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ—the gloom that came as I waded, chest deep, through the swamp of the secondary questions—is different. That gloom is not belief bias and it is not the fear of being in error. It is the absence of the Spirit of God. That is what it is. It is the condition of man when “left unto himself.”22 It is the gloom of darkness and the “stupor of thought.”23
The Lord said:
And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.
That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.24
Revelation from the Spirit of God supersedes belief bias because it is not premised only on evidence. I have spent a lifetime seeking to hear the word of the Lord and learning to recognize and follow the Spirit of God, and the spirit associated with the dark voices that assail the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the Restoration is not the spirit of light, intelligence, and truth. The Spirit of God is not in those voices. I don’t know much, but I do know the voice of the Lord, and His voice is not in that dark choir, not at all in that choir.
In stark contrast to the gloom and sickening stupor of thought that pervades the swamp of doubt is the spirit of light, intelligence, peace, and truth that attends the events and the glorious doctrine of the Restoration, especially the scriptures revealed to the world through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Just read them and ask yourself and ask God if they are the words of lies, deceit, delusion, or truth.
Stand Forever, LAWRENCE E. CORBRIDGE,General Authority Seventy, January 22, 2019
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Competition vs Contention
Athletes from all over the world have come together in Tokyo, Japan. The Olympic Games will shine a light on athletes and teams demonstrating friendship and respect even as they compete against each other for gold, silver, and bronze medals.
There is a difference, however, between healthy competition and any kind of destructive contention, which the Savior declared was “not of [Him], but is of the devil” (3 Nephi 11:29). On the other hand, friendship and respect can literally be lifesaving.
I was among those who worked to develop an artificial heart-lung machine, which in turn helped in the pioneering of open-heart surgery. There was a great spirit of cooperation and respect among the few of us working in that new area of medical research. We knew that our real competition was against disease and death. Our cooperation in the race to pioneer new medical procedures literally saved lives.
It is possible to disagree with others without violating the Savior’s injunction to “love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12). It is possible to have a different opinion than your neighbor while still loving that neighbor. It is even possible to “compete” in a spirit of mutual respect that brings out the best in everyone.
May we reflect personally on what we can do to eliminate contention from our own lives as we embrace the Olympic ideals of excellence, friendship, and respect.
Saturday, September 11, 2021
I didn’t want to eat. I wanted to pray.
Another time—it was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, about 1943—I went to priesthood meeting. There was a large framed board. It had the pictures of all the young men serving in the military. Priests who had been at the sacrament table a few months earlier were now in the war. Each week it would be updated. Those who were killed in action had a gold star by their picture; those who had been wounded, a red star; and those missing in action, a white star. Every week, as a 12-year-old deacon, I checked to see who had been killed or wounded.
In quorum meeting that morning, the member of the bishopric said: “This Thursday is Thanksgiving. We ought to all have family prayer in our homes.” Then he said, “Let’s put on the blackboard the things we are grateful for.” We did, and he said, “Include these things in your Thanksgiving prayer.” I got sick to my stomach, as we never had a prayer or blessing.
That night at 6:30 we went to sacrament meeting. At the end of the meeting, the bishop stood up and was very tender. He told about the young men from our ward who had been killed and wounded. He talked about our liberty, our freedom, our flag, and this great country, and our blessings. Then he said, “I’d hope every single family would kneel and have family prayer on Thanksgiving Day and thank God for His blessings.”
My heart ached. I thought, How can we have family prayer? I wanted to be obedient. I hardly slept all Sunday night. I wanted to have a prayer for Thanksgiving. I even thought I would say it if someone asked me, but I was too shy to volunteer. I worried all day Monday, and all day Tuesday, and Wednesday at school.
Dad did not come home on Wednesday until early in the morning. Thursday we all got up. There were five boys and two sisters. We skipped breakfast so we would have a real appetite for Thanksgiving dinner. To work up an appetite, we went to a nearby field and dug a hole six feet deep and six feet wide. We made a trench to it as a hideout. I remember with every shovelful of dirt, I thought, Please, Heavenly Father, let us have a prayer.
Finally at 2:30, my mother called us to come and eat. We cleaned up and sat at the table. Somehow Mom had managed to have a turkey with all the trimmings. She put all the food on the table, including the turkey. I thought my heart would burst. Time was running out. I looked at my father, then my mother. I thought, Please, now, someone, anyone, please can’t we have a prayer. I was almost panicky; then all of a sudden everyone started to eat. I had worked hard all morning and afternoon to work up an appetite, but I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t want to eat. I wanted to pray more than anything else in this world, and it was too late.
Beloved youth, be grateful for parents who have prayer and read the scriptures. Prize family home evening. Be grateful for those who teach and train you.
Author: Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone
Title: One Link Still Holds
Where: Ensign, Nov 1999, 13
I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God because I have treasured it.
As a quorum member, as a home teacher, and as a missionary, you cannot help people repair spiritual damage unless your own faith is vibrant. That means far more than reading the scriptures regularly and praying over them. The prayer in the moment and quick glances in the scriptures are not preparation enough. The reassurance of what you will need comes with this counsel from the 84th section of the Doctrine and Covenants: “Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man.”2
That promise can be claimed only if we “treasure up” the words of life and do it continually. The treasuring part of that scripture has meant for me a matter of feeling something about the words. For instance, when I have gone to try to help someone wavering in his or her faith about the Prophet Joseph Smith’s divine calling, feelings come back to me.
It is not only the words from the Book of Mormon. It is a feeling of assurance of truth that comes whenever I read even a few lines from the Book of Mormon. I cannot promise that it will come to every person infected with doubt about the Prophet Joseph or the Book of Mormon. But I know Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God because I have treasured it.
Henry B. Eyring, October 2013 General Conference, Bind Up Their Wounds
Thursday, September 2, 2021
One can’t help but wonder whether this too is one factor in the growing sexual fluidity reported by so many of today’s youths
Invariably those who criticize services such as OnlyFans are considered “prudes” or worse. And discussions of hypocrisy may ensue, given that large numbers of men and women access pornography at least occasionally. “Sex work” professions are among the oldest professions out there, some point out. But the question is not the existence of pornography, but the ethics and wisdom of legal and cultural frameworks that have made it destigmatized, instantly available, ubiquitous (present, appearing, or found everywhere.), and even celebrated in some circles.
The villains of OxyContin aren’t those who became addicted, but those that pushed it, knowing the dangers.
“Who, cares,” some might counter, “it’s their body and their choice.” But this flies in the face of increasingly overwhelming evidence that our culture of ubiquitous pornography is profoundly damaging in a number of respects, not just to the creators and their inherent worth and dignity, but to those who consume it. It is not a coincidence that as the market for simulated sex expands, the thing itself declines. Every U.S. state now has below replacement fertility. Sexual intercourse in general is down considerably. Many factors may be at play here, but unfettered access to prurient (having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters.) content certainly doesn’t contribute to stable and lasting relationships.
Further, some online porn platforms promote endlessly bizarre forms of kink that warp the sexual scripts young people mimic. One can’t help but wonder whether this too is one factor in the growing sexual fluidity reported by so many of today’s youths. A recent and comprehensive Gallup Poll showed that while just 1.3% of those born before 1946 identify as LGBT, rising to 2.0% among baby boomers and 3.8% among Gen X, it soared to 9.1% among millennials and a staggering 15.9% among Gen Z (not even including the 5%-8% who declined to state a sexual preference). While some would argue that this is a positive result, allowing those in younger generations to embrace their own sexual identity, dismissing the idea that social contagion may play some part — including the sexual scripts learned via an endless array of pornography — ignores an important variable worthy of investigation. Certainly the long-term effects on family formation of this explosion in nontraditional sexual identification are likely to be profound.
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Make your first allegiance your membership in the Church of Jesus Christ.
I testify that you will remove barriers to happiness and find greater peace as you make your first allegiance your membership in the Church of Jesus Christ, and His teachings the foundation of your life. Where family or national traditions or customs conflict with the teachings of God, set them aside. Where traditions and customs are in harmony with His teachings, they should be cherished and followed to preserve your culture and heritage. There is one heritage that you need never change. It is that heritage that comes from your being a daughter or son of Father in Heaven.
Removing Barriers to Happiness, Richard G. Scott, April 1998 General Conference
Saturday, July 24, 2021
The nearer we live to God, the closer we obey his laws and keep his commandments, the more power we will have
Our responsibilities before the Lord are great. We have no right to break any law that God has given unto us. The more we do so the less power we have before God, before heaven and before the earth, and the nearer we live to God, the closer we obey his laws and keep his commandments, the more power we will have, and the greater will be our desire for the building up of the kingdom of God while we dwell here in the flesh.
Saturday, July 17, 2021
The Holy Ghost typically can “bring … to your remembrance” only that which you first put there. True Christ-centered doctrinal knowledge combined with “the sword of [His] Spirit” (D&C 27:18) is the greatest fortification and offensive weapon you possess.
Prayerfully read the scriptures, again and again. Don’t merely sip familiar stories through a straw. Feast upon them. Consider keeping doctrinal study notes and continually adding to them. For each topic, consider identifying and then memorizing in logical order a few scriptures to support your own thoughts and teachings. As Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “When scriptures are used as the Lord has caused them to be recorded, they have intrinsic power that is not communicated when paraphrased.”6
Consider memorizing a few quotes by prophets and apostles. The Holy Ghost typically can “bring … to your remembrance” only that which you first put there (see John 14:26). True Christ-centered doctrinal knowledge combined with “the sword of [His] Spirit” (D&C 27:18) is the greatest fortification and offensive weapon you possess.
When scriptures are used as the Lord has caused them to be recorded, they have intrinsic power that is not communicated when paraphrased.
When scriptures are used as the Lord has caused them to be recorded, they have intrinsic power that is not communicated when paraphrased.
Richard G. Scott, “He Lives,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 88.
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Love is not to say, acceptance or endorsement, but it is to say inclusion and not ostracism
It is important that their be love and that their be hope, Love is not to say, acceptance or endorsement, but it is to say inclusion and not ostracism. We want to be with you and work together....We want people to feel that they have a home here that we have much much more in common than anything that is different about us.
Acceptance: the action or process of being received as adequate or suitable, typically to be admitted into a group.
Endorsement: an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something.
Ostracism: exclusion from a society or group.
Inclusion: the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure
D. Todd Christofferson, Library->Life Help->Same-Sex Attraction->Member Stories Retrieved 6/12/2021
Saturday, June 5, 2021
My Mother
No love in all the world can equal the love of a true mother. … I have felt sometimes, how could even the Father love his children more than my mother loved her children? It was life to me; it was strength; it was encouragement; it was love that begat love or liking in myself. I knew she loved me with all her heart. She loved her children with all her soul. She would toil and labor and sacrifice herself day and night, for the temporal comforts and blessings that she could meagerly give, through the results of her own labors, to her children. There was no sacrifice of self—of her own time, of her leisure or pleasure, or opportunities for rest—that was considered for a moment, when it was compared with her duty and her love to her children.
Joseph F. Smith
Teachings of Presidents
Saturday, April 17, 2021
We must try to keep both of the great commandments. To do so, we walk a fine line between law and love.
We must try to keep both of the great commandments. To do so, we walk a fine line between law and love.
My dear sisters in the gospel of Jesus Christ, I greet you as divinely assigned guardians of the eternal family. President Russell M. Nelson has taught us, “This Church was restored so that families could be formed, sealed, and exalted eternally.” That teaching has important implications for persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, commonly referred to as LGBT. President Nelson has also reminded us that we don’t “have to [always] agree with each other to love each other.” These prophetic teachings are important for family discussions to answer the questions of children and youth. I have prayerfully sought inspiration to speak to this audience because you are uniquely affected by these questions, which directly or indirectly affect every family in the Church.
I.
I begin with what Jesus taught were the two great commandments.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
“This is the first and great commandment.
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
This means we are commanded to love everyone, since Jesus’s parable of the good Samaritan teaches that everyone is our neighbor. But our zeal to keep this second commandment must not cause us to forget the first, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. We show that love by “keep[ing] [His] commandments.” God requires us to obey His commandments because only through that obedience, including repentance, can we return to live in His presence and become perfect as He is.
In his recent talk to the young adults of the Church, President Russell M. Nelson spoke of what he called the “strong connection between God’s love and His laws.” The laws that apply most significantly to the issues relating to those identifying as LGBT are God’s law of marriage and its companion law of chastity. Both are essential in our Father in Heaven’s plan of salvation for His children. As President Nelson taught, “God’s laws are motivated entirely by His infinite love for us and His desire for us to become all we can become.”
President Nelson taught: “Many countries … have legalized same-sex marriage. As members of the Church, we respect the laws of the land … , including civil marriage. The truth is, however, that in the beginning … marriage was ordained by God! And to this day it is defined by Him as being between a man and a woman. God has not changed His definition of marriage.”
President Nelson continued: “God has also not changed His law of chastity. Requirements to enter the temple have not changed.”
President Nelson reminded all of us that “our commission as Apostles is to teach nothing but truth. That commission does not give [Apostles] the authority to modify divine law.” Thus, my sisters, the leaders of the Church must always teach the unique importance of marriage between a man and a woman and the related law of chastity.
II.
The work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is ultimately concerned with preparing the children of God for the celestial kingdom, and most particularly for its highest glory, exaltation or eternal life. That highest destiny is possible only through marriage for eternity. Eternal life includes the creative powers inherent in the combination of male and female—what modern revelation describes as the “continuation of the seeds forever and ever.”
In his talk to young adults, President Nelson taught, “Abiding by God’s laws will keep you safe as you progress toward eventual exaltation”—that is, to become like God, with the exalted life and divine potential of our Heavenly Parents. That is the destiny we desire for all we love. Because of that love, we cannot let our love supersede the commandments and the plan and work of God, which we know will bring those we love their greatest happiness.
But there are many we love, including some who have the restored gospel, who do not believe in or choose not to follow God’s commandments about marriage and the law of chastity. What about them?
God’s doctrine shows that all of us are His children and that He has created us to have joy. Modern revelation teaches that God has provided a plan for a mortal experience in which all can choose obedience to seek His highest blessings or make choices that lead to one of the less glorious kingdoms. Because of God’s great love for all of His children, those lesser kingdoms are still more wonderful than mortals can comprehend. The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes all of this possible, as He “glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands.”
III.
I have spoken of the first commandment, but what of the second? How do we keep the commandment to love our neighbors? We seek to persuade our members that those who follow lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender teachings and actions should be treated with the love our Savior commands us to show toward all our neighbors. Thus, when same-sex marriage was declared legal in the United States, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve declared: “The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love and treat all people with kindness and civility—even when we disagree. We affirm that those who avail themselves of laws or court rulings authorizing same-sex marriage should not be treated disrespectfully.”
Further, we must never persecute those who do not share our beliefs and commitments. Regretfully, some persons facing these issues continue to feel marginalized and rejected by some members and leaders in our families, wards, and stakes. We must all strive to be kinder and more civil.
IV.
For reasons we do not understand, we have different challenges in our mortal experiences. But we do know that God will help each of us overcome these challenges if we sincerely seek His help. After suffering and repenting for violations of laws we have been taught, we are all destined for a kingdom of glory. The ultimate and final judgment will be by the Lord, who alone has the required knowledge, wisdom, and grace to judge each of us.
Meanwhile, we must try to keep both of the great commandments. To do so, we walk a fine line between law and love—keeping the commandments and walking the covenant path, while loving our neighbors along the way. This walk requires us to seek divine inspiration on what to support and what to oppose and how to love and listen respectfully and teach in the process. Our walk demands that we not compromise on commandments but show forth a full measure of understanding and love. Our walk must be considerate of children who are uncertain about their sexual orientation, but it discourages premature labeling because, in most children, such uncertainty decreases significantly over time. Our walk opposes recruitment away from the covenant path, and it denies support to any who lead people away from the Lord. In all of this we remember that God promises hope and ultimate joy and blessings for all who keep His commandments.
V.
Mothers and fathers and all of us are responsible to teach both of the two great commandments. For the women of the Church, President Spencer W. Kimball described that duty in this great prophecy: “Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world … will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different … from the women of the world. … Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and the spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.”
Speaking of that prophecy, President Russell M. Nelson declared that “the day that President Kimball foresaw is today. You are the women he foresaw!” Little did we who heard that prophecy 40 years ago realize that among those the women of this Church may save will be their own dear friends and family who are currently influenced by worldly priorities and devilish distortions. My prayer and blessing is that you will teach and act to fulfill that prophecy, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
October 2019
2010–2019
Dallin H. Oaks
Note: This fits well with what is taught by Elder Neil L. Andersen
https://quotestokeep.blogspot.com/2019/05/remember-first-commandment-before-you.html
My Mother
Becoming a covenant woman in partnership with God is how great and good daughters of God have always mothered, led, and ministered, serving in whatever way and place He has prepared for them. I promise that you will find joy in your journey to your heavenly home as you return to Him as a covenant-keeping daughter of God.
October 2019
2010–2019
Henry B. Eyring
I made a decision in advance to follow God’s laws, and I never had to revisit it.
My question today is, do we stand by our promises and covenants, or are they sometimes half-hearted commitments, casually made and hence easily broken? When we say to someone, “I will pray for you,” do we? When we commit, “I will be there to help,” will we? When we obligate ourselves to pay a debt, do we? When we raise our hands to sustain a fellow member in a new calling, which means to give support, do we?
One evening in my youth, my mother sat with me at the foot of her bed and spoke fervently of the importance of living the Word of Wisdom. “I know from the experiences of others, from years ago,” she said, “the loss of spirituality and sensitivity that comes from not following the Word of Wisdom.” She looked right into my eyes, and I felt her words penetrate my heart: “Promise me, Ronnie, today [she called me Ronnie], that you will always live the Word of Wisdom.” I solemnly made that promise to her, and I have held to it all these years.
That commitment served me well when I was in my youth and in later years when I was in business circles where substances flowed freely. I made a decision in advance to follow God’s laws, and I never had to revisit it. The Lord has said, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” What is He saying to those who abide by the Word of Wisdom? That we will have the promise of health, strength, wisdom, knowledge, and angels to protect us.
October 2019
2010–2019
Ronald A. Rasband
Whenever possible I would rather have the reader focus directly on Book of Mormon language than on someone else's language about it
Whenever possible I have let the scriptures speak for themselves without commentary from me. Occasionally those passages are quite lengthy...Whenever possible I would rather have the reader focus directly on Book of Mormon language than on someone else's language about it.
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, Preface
Friday, April 16, 2021
What Righteous Priesthood Men and Priesthood Leaders Do
One priesthood leader in South America was burdened by the hunger and deprivation of the members of his little stake. Unwilling to allow the children to suffer in hunger, he found an empty plot of land and organized the priesthood to cultivate and plant it. They found an old horse and hooked up a primitive plow and began working the ground. But before they could finish, tragedy struck and the old horse died.
Rather than allow their brothers and sisters to suffer hunger, the brethren of the priesthood strapped the old plow to their own backs and pulled it through the unforgiving ground. They literally took upon themselves the yoke of the suffering and burdens of their brothers and sisters.
April 2011
H. David Burton
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
The gospel gathers with its influence those who love its principles; and if any should be gathered in who cannot abide its requirements, they pass off and mingle with the elements that are congenial to the spirit they possess.
Where people are pure and chaste in their thoughts and actions, the Spirit of God has such power with them that they readily perceive and comprehend the truth. It is by this means that the best among the children of God are being gathered out from the various nations. Truth cleaves to truth, light to light and purity to purity. The gospel gathers with its influence those who love its principles; and if any should be gathered in who cannot abide its requirements, they pass off and mingle with the elements that are congenial to the spirit they possess.” (“The Sin of Adultery and Its Consequences,” Millennial Star, 14 Mar. 1863, p. 169.)
https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/US8EAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA169&dq=george+q+cannon+where+people+are+pure+and+chaste+in+their+thoughts+and+actions
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
We Can Never Be the Same Again
There is nothing more vital to our success and our happiness here than learning to hear the voice of the Spirit. It is the Spirit who reveals to us our identity-which isn't just who we are but who we have always been. And that when we know, our lives take on a sense of purpose so stunning that we can never be the same again.
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Have I Humbled Myself Before God...Am I Attentive to the Teachings of His Servants
Have I humbled myself before God?
The first requirement listed in Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 is to humble oneself before God. We do this by accepting and being willing to follow His will as it is written in the scriptures, taught by His servants, or as it comes to us in promptings.
I ask myself if I am fighting God on anything in my life right now. Am I resisting His direction? Am I attentive to the teachings of His servants? If I am not, I make plans to improve and commit to do better as I prepare to partake of the sacrament. God is all-knowing—when I recognize that He can see the big picture for my life, it’s easier to humble myself before Him and trust that He will guide me to what is best.
For The Strength of Youth, How to Always Have the Spirit, March 2021, Paul B. Pieper
Saturday, February 27, 2021
I know from the experiences of others
One evening in my youth, my mother sat with me at the foot of her bed and spoke fervently of the importance of living the Word of Wisdom. “I know from the experiences of others, from years ago,” she said, “the loss of spirituality and sensitivity that comes from not following the Word of Wisdom.” She looked right into my eyes, and I felt her words penetrate my heart: “Promise me, Ronnie, today [she called me Ronnie], that you will always live the Word of Wisdom.” I solemnly made that promise to her, and I have held to it all these years.
That commitment served me well when I was in my youth and in later years when I was in business circles where substances flowed freely. I made a decision in advance to follow God’s laws, and I never had to revisit it. The Lord has said, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” What is He saying to those who abide by the Word of Wisdom? That we will have the promise of health, strength, wisdom, knowledge, and angels to protect us.
October 2019
2010–2019
Ronald A. Rasband
When we use Come, Follow Me, we are like the children of Israel, marking the side posts of our doors, protecting our families from the influence of the destroyer.
“When we use Come, Follow Me, we are like the children of Israel, marking the side posts of our doors, protecting our families from the influence of the destroyer.”
October 2019
2010–2019
Mark L. Pace
Friday, February 26, 2021
When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power.
When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.
Spiritual safety ultimately lies in “‘never taking the first enticing step toward going where you should not go and doing what you should not do.’
Satan does not have a body, and his eternal progress has been halted. Just as water flowing in a riverbed is stopped by a dam, so the adversary’s eternal progress is thwarted because he does not have a physical body. Because of his rebellion, Lucifer has denied himself all of the mortal blessings and experiences made possible through a tabernacle of flesh and bones. One of the potent scriptural meanings of the word damned is illustrated in his inability to continue progressing and becoming like our Heavenly Father.
Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. President Russell M. Nelson has taught that spiritual safety ultimately lies in “‘never taking the first enticing step toward going where you should not go and doing what you should not do.’ … As human beings we all have [physical] appetites necessary for our survival. ‘These appetites are absolutely essential for the perpetuation of life. So, what does the adversary do? … He attacks us through our appetites. He tempts us to eat things we should not eat, to drink things we should not drink, and to love as we should not love!’”
One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction.
October 2019
2010–2019
David A. Bednar
A half-hearted commitment to our covenants will not guarantee us anything
The only way faith grows is for an individual to act in faith....Covenants anchor us to the Savior and propel us along the path that leads to our heavenly home. The power of covenants helps us maintain the mighty change of heart, deepen our conversion to the Lord, and receive Christ’s image more fully in our countenance. But a half-hearted commitment to our covenants will not guarantee us anything. We may be tempted to equivocate, throw our old ways in calm water, or bury our weapons of rebellion with the handles sticking out. But an ambivalent (having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone) commitment to our covenants will not open the door to the sanctifying power of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
October 2019
2010–2019
Dale G. Renlund
In matters of faith and conviction, it helps to direct your inquiry toward those who actually have some!
“It came to pass, that as [Jesus] was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
“… Hearing [a] multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
“… They told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
“And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Startled at his boldness, the crowd tried to silence the man, but “he cried so much the more,” it says. As a result of his persistence, he was brought to Jesus, who heard his faith-filled plea for the restoration of his sight and healed him.
I am moved by this vivid little vignette every time I read it. We can sense the man’s distress. We can almost hear him shouting for the Savior’s attention. We smile at his refusal to be silenced—indeed, his determination to turn the volume up when everyone else was telling him to turn it down. It is, in and of itself, a sweet story of very determined faith. But as with all scripture, the more we read it, the more we find in it.
One thought that struck me only recently is the good sense this man had in having spiritually sensitive people around him. The entire significance of this story hinges on a handful of anonymous women and men who, when asked by their colleague, “What does this commotion mean?” had the vision, if you will, to identify Christ as the reason for the clamor; He was Meaning Personified. There is a lesson in this little exchange for all of us. In matters of faith and conviction, it helps to direct your inquiry toward those who actually have some! “Can the blind lead the blind?” Jesus once asked. “[If so,] shall they not both fall into the ditch?”
October 2019
2010–2019
Jeffrey R. Holland
Sunday, February 21, 2021
Condemn Others, finding Fault with the Church...while he himself is righteous
“I will give you one of the Keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is an eternal principle, that has existed with God from all eternity: That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will apostatize, as God lives.”5
Saturday, February 20, 2021
It is Not Easy to Rise Above Such Abuse
This is a day of sometimes merciless attacks in social media and in person against those who seek to uphold the Lord’s standard in dress, entertainment, and sexual purity. It is often the youth and young adults among the Saints, as well as women and mothers, who bear this cross of mocking and persecution. It is not easy to rise above such abuse, but remember the words of Peter: “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”
Foot Notes: 1 Peter 4:14. Remember also the promises cited in 2 Nephi 9:18 and 3 Nephi 12:12.
October 2019
2010–2019
D. Todd Christofferson
The Lord’s commandments are our guide to better choices and happier outcomes.
I haven’t met anyone who found the gospel later in life who didn’t wish it could have been earlier. “Oh, the poor choices and mistakes I could have avoided,” they will say. The Lord’s commandments are our guide to better choices and happier outcomes. How we ought to rejoice and thank Him for showing us this more excellent way.
October 2019
2010–2019
D. Todd Christofferson
Monday, February 1, 2021
The circus keeps coming back, you know,’ [she said.]
I’ve shared with you previously an example of this philosophy. I believe it bears repeating. Many years ago, Arthur Gordon wrote in a national magazine, and I quote:
“When I was around thirteen and my brother ten, Father had promised to take us to the circus. But at lunchtime there was a phone call; some urgent business required his attention downtown. We braced ourselves for disappointment. Then we heard him say [into the phone], ‘No, I won’t be down. It’ll have to wait.’
“When he came back to the table, Mother smiled. ‘The circus keeps coming back, you know,’ [she said.]
“‘I know,’ said Father. ‘But childhood doesn’t.’”2
October 2008, General Conference, Joy in the Journey, Thomas S. Monson
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