Many Good People Seek Them. You Have Them.

Young men, these standards you are privileged to keep are truly a pearl of great price. The world does not understand them. Many good people seek them. You have them.

Author: Earl C. Tingey
Title: For the Strength of Youth
Where: Ensign, May 2004, 49

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Pornography Strangles the Life Out of Relationships

Pornography also inflicts mortal wounds on our most precious personal relationships. In his talk to men of the priesthood last October, President Hinckley quoted the letter of a woman who asked him to warn Church members that pornography “has the effect of damaging hearts and souls to their very depths, strangling the life out of relationships” (Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2004, 60).

Author: Dallin H. Oaks
Title: Pornography
Where: Ensign, May 2005, 87

Fathers Rise Up and Perform Your Role

There’s another aspect of that, and that is to challenge fathers to take the leadership. The family proclamation asks them to lead out. Fathers should call their families around them for family prayer. Fathers should make sure that family home evenings are held. Sometimes that’s best done by delegating to a mother the planning; she may be a lot better at it than the father. But the Lord holds the father responsible. That’s why we read in the family proclamation that “fathers are to preside.”

Fathers, rise up and perform your role.

Author: Dallin H. Oaks
Title: Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting: Building Up a Righteous Posterity February 9, 2008

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Priesthood Blessings are the Great Equalizer

In Kirtland, when the remaining priesthood keys were restored, the Lord said, “This is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people.” 1 I am grateful for the outpouring of blessings that has come to each of us through the priesthood of God. By the power of the priesthood, this world and everything in it, including each of us, were created. The priesthood is intricately woven into who we are and have ever been. 2 As sons and daughters of God, we each have unique responsibilities and roles, and through the blessings of the priesthood, we are all given equal partnership, gifts, and blessings.

Last fall our oldest granddaughter was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church. After she received the Holy Ghost, her newest sister was blessed and given a name. The following month, another new granddaughter was named and blessed. Since then I have reflected often on the privileges those little girls enjoy because the priesthood of God has been restored.

I hope our granddaughters and grandsons grow up knowing that they are not and have never been third-party observers of the priesthood. The blessings of the priesthood, which “are available to men and women alike,” 3 are woven in and through and around their lives. Each of them is blessed by sacred ordinances, and each of them can enjoy the blessings of spiritual gifts by virtue of the priesthood.

All faithful members of the Lord’s Church are equally blessed by priesthood ordinances. The first ordinance 4 in a child’s life usually takes place when he or she is a baby and is given a name and a blessing. When children reach the age of accountability, they are baptized. There is not a separate baptism for boys and girls. The same baptismal ordinance is performed for a young girl and a young boy, who are baptized in the same font. When those children are confirmed and receive the Holy Ghost, the same power is given to each of them. They qualify for the help of that holy power through their faithfulness and not in any other way.

As members of the Church, we are equal before the Lord as we partake of the sacrament. Through our faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement made possible because of that ordinance, we can all repent and become better.

Each of us is equally entitled to a priesthood blessing when we are sick or need added support from the Lord in our lives. A young woman who desires a patriarchal blessing is equally entitled to know her lineage and potential as a young man her same age. The blessings that come to each of them through Abraham are powerful and important.

We teach all young men and young women to prepare to go to the temple so they can “receive the blessings of [the] fathers that [they] may be entitled to the highest blessings of the priesthood.” 5 When one of my nieces received her temple endowment a few months ago, she exclaimed with joy: “I made it! All of my life I have been taught about preparing for the temple, and I made it!”

Every man and woman who is willing to serve the Lord and can qualify for a temple recommend makes covenants of obedience and sacrifice. Each is endowed “with power from on high.” 6

Every elder and sister who receives a mission call is set apart to do the Lord’s work, and each is given authority to preach the gospel of Christ.

A man and a woman who enter into the full partnership of a covenant temple marriage share equally in the blessings of that covenant if they are faithful. 7 The Lord has said that their covenant will be in force after this life, and together they are promised power and exaltation. 8

President Ezra Taft Benson said, “When our children obey the Lord and go to the temple to receive their blessings and enter into the marriage covenant, they enter into the same order of the priesthood that God instituted in the very beginning with father Adam.” 9

I saw the power of priesthood blessings when I visited a family where the young father lay dying. Surrounding him were his wife and beautiful daughters. On each wall of that room was at least one picture of the family or the temple. The mother testified of their blessings when she said: “We are empowered and protected by our covenants. Our family will endure forever. The Lord is watching over us, and we are not alone.” All faithful members are equally blessed by the outpouring of blessings they receive through priesthood ordinances.

Because the priesthood has been restored, we also share equally in the blessings of spiritual gifts. The Lord gives us these gifts for our own benefit 10 and to help each other. 11

Moroni said that “there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.

“For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;

“And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

“And to another, exceedingly great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.” 12

As I have tried to learn Spanish and remember Portuguese (which I knew as a child), I have prayed for and felt the help of the Lord as I communicate in those tongues. I have heard other Church leaders and missionaries bear powerful testimonies in languages they have barely studied. I know people who are given the spiritual gift of a believing spirit. When they hear the gospel, it rings true in their hearts. I know others who are given the gift of wisdom or the ability to use knowledge in righteous ways. Some have the ability to work miracles, some are gifted healers, and others have great discernment. 13

When I was a little girl, I often experienced serious illness. My father was always willing and worthy to use the priesthood power he held to bless me. But I have also felt that my mother’s special gifts contributed to my healing. She was truly gifted in her ability to minister to my needs and help me get well. Her great faith that the Lord would lead her to answers about medical treatment was a comfort to me. How blessed I was to have two parents who lovingly used their spiritual gifts.

President Wilford Woodruff said that “it is the privilege of every man and woman in this kingdom to enjoy the spirit of prophecy, which is the Spirit of God; and to the faithful it reveals such things as are necessary for their comfort and consolation, and to guide them in their daily duties.” 14

The blessings of the priesthood make it possible for every person who is set apart to serve in any office in the Lord’s Church to receive “authority, responsibility, and blessings connected with the office.” 15

Spiritual gifts are numerous and varied and come to us as we seek them and use them appropriately. We enjoy them because of the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in and around and woven through our lives. 16

Through the blessings of the priesthood, the Lord shows us that He is “no respecter of persons.” 17 In my travels, I usually have the chance to visit members in their homes. Some of those homes are very basic dwellings. At first I would say to myself: “Why am I blessed with a house that has electricity and plumbing when this family does not even have water near their home? Does the Lord love them less than He loves me?”

Then one day I sat in a temple next to a sister who lives in a humble house. I spent two hours at her side. I looked often into her beautiful eyes and saw the love of the Lord in them. As we finished our work in the temple, I had a powerful realization. In all of the eternal blessings, in all of our most important privileges and opportunities, we were equals. I had been “baptized unto repentance,” 18 and so had she. I had spiritual gifts, and so did she. I had the opportunity to repent, and so did she. I had received the Holy Ghost, and so had she. I had received temple ordinances, and so had she. If both of us had left this world together at that moment, we would have arrived equal before the Lord in our blessings and potential.

Priesthood blessings are the great equalizer. Those blessings are the same for men and women, for boys and girls; they are the same for married and single, rich and poor, for the intellectual and the illiterate, for the well-known and the obscure.

I am grateful that through the infinite fairness and love of God, all men and women were given equal partnership, gifts, blessings, and potential through priesthood ordinances and spiritual gifts. Because of the priesthood, which is woven in and around and through our lives, every power, every covenant we need to do our life’s work and walk back to our heavenly home has been poured out upon our heads. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Author: Julie B. Beck
Title: An Outpouring of Blessings
Where: Ensign, May 2006, 11–13

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Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood - Explained

The late Elder Delbert L. Stapley of the Quorum of the Twelve once observed: "There are two main requirements of this oath and covenant. First is faithfulness, which denotes obedience to the laws of God and connotes true observance of all gospel standards. . . .
"The second requirement . . . is to magnify one's calling. To magnify is to honor, to exalt and glorify, and cause to be held in greater esteem or respect. It also means to increase the importance of, to enlarge and make greater."⁸
The Prophet Joseph Smith was once asked, "Brother Joseph, you frequently urge that we magnify our callings. What does this mean?" He is said to have replied, "To magnify a calling is to hold it up in dignity and importance, that the light of heaven may shine through one's performance to the gaze of other men. An elder magnifies his calling when he learns what his duties as an elder are and then performs them."
Author: Thomas S. Monson
Title: Our Sacred Priesthood Trust
Where: Ensign, May 2006, 54–57

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My Private Life vs. My Professional Life

Danger lurks when we divide ourselves with expressions such as “my private life,” “my professional life,” or even “my best behavior.” Living life in separate compartments can lead to internal conflict and exhausting tension.... Inner peace comes only as we maintain the integrity of truth in all aspects of our lives.

Author: Russell M. Nelson
Title: Living by Scriptural Guidance
Where: Ensign, Nov 2000, 16–18

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The Eye is More Perfect Than Any Camera Ever Invented

With its 107 million cells, connected to the brain by over 1 million neurons, the eye is more perfect than any camera ever invented. It caused Charles Darwin to humbly admit, “That the eye with all its inimitable contrivances … could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest sense.”1

Author: Douglas L. Callister
Title: Our God Truly Is God
Where: Ensign, Jan 2008, 64–68
Why I liked it: Simply a great article I read in the Ensign.

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Those Heroric Opportunites are Few and Far Between

We can live as a Zion people, if we wish to. Will it be hard? Of course it will, for the waves of Babylonian culture crash incessantly against our shores. Will it take courage? Of course it will.

We have always been entranced by tales of courage of those who faced fearsome odds and overcame. Courage is the basis and foundation for all of our other virtues; the lack of courage diminishes every other virtue that we have. If we are to have Zion in the midst of Babylon, we will need courage.

Have you ever imagined that, when it came to the test, you would perform some act of bravery? I know I did, as a boy. I imagined that someone was in peril and that, at the risk of my own life, I saved him. Or in some dangerous confrontation with a fearsome opponent, I had the courage to overcome. Such are our youthful imaginations!

Almost 70 years of life have taught me that those heroic opportunities are few and far between, if they come at all.

But the opportunities to stand for that which is right—when the pressures are subtle and when even our friends are encouraging us to give in to the idolatry of the times—those come along far more frequently. No photographer is there to record the heroism, no journalist will splash it across the newspaper’s front page. Just in the quiet contemplation of our conscience, we will know that we faced the test of courage: Zion or Babylon?

Make no mistake about it: much of Babylon, if not most of it, is evil. And we will not have the pricking of our thumbs to warn us. But wave after wave is coming, crashing against our shores. Will it be Zion, or will it be Babylon?

If Babylon is the city of the world, Zion is the city of God. The Lord has said of Zion: “Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom” (D&C 105:5) and, “For this is Zion—the pure in heart” (D&C 97:21).

Wherever we are, whatever city we may live in, we can build our own Zion by the principles of the celestial kingdom and ever seek to become the pure in heart. Zion is the beautiful, and the Lord holds it in His own hands. Our homes can be places which are a refuge and protection, as Zion is.

We do not need to become as puppets in the hands of the culture of the place and time. We can be courageous and can walk in the Lord’s paths and follow His footsteps. And if we do, we will be called Zion, and we will be the people of the Lord.

Author: David R. Stone
Title: Zion in the Midst of Babylon
Where: Ensign, May 2006, 90–93

Priesthood Means Service; Bearing the Priesthood I Will Serve

Another lesson I learned was the joy of service to others. I have spoken before of how my father, who was the bishop of our ward, had me load up my wagon and deliver needed food and supplies to the homes of those families who were in need. He wasn’t alone in his desire to reach out to those in distress.

Seventy-five years ago, Bishop William F. Perschon presided over the Fourth Ward of the Pioneer Stake in Salt Lake City. He was a German immigrant, a convert to the Church, and he spoke with a thick accent. He was a fine businessman, but what most distinguished him was his great compassion for others.

Each week during priesthood meeting, Bishop Perschon had the Aaronic Priesthood bearers recite the following phrase: “Priesthood means service; bearing the priesthood, I will serve.”

It wasn’t merely a slogan. When widows needed assistance, Bishop Perschon and the Aaronic Priesthood were there to help. When a chapel was being built, Bishop Perschon and the Aaronic Priesthood were there. When the sugar beets and potatoes at the welfare farm needed weeding or harvesting, Bishop Perschon and the Aaronic Priesthood were there.

Later, William Perschon served in the stake presidency, where he influenced a young bishop by the name of Thomas S. Monson. In the 1950s, Bishop Perschon was called to preside over the Swiss-Austrian Mission and played an instrumental role in building the first “overseas” temple, located in Bern, Switzerland.

You could scarcely think of Bishop Perschon without thinking of his concern and compassion for others and his untiring commitment to teach that same quality to others. Of the young men in the Aaronic Priesthood over whom he presided as bishop, 29 went on to become bishops themselves. Ten served in stake presidencies. Five became mission presidents, three accepted calls as temple presidents, and two served as General Authorities.2

That is the power of a great leader, brethren. That is the power of service.

Author: Joseph B. Wirthlin
Title: Life’s Lessons Learned
Where: Ensign, May 2007, 45–47

He Knows The Way Because He Is The Way

I testify that the Savior’s Atonement lifts from us not only the burden of our sins but also the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our despair. 14 From the beginning, trust in such help was to give us both a reason and a way to improve, an incentive to lay down our burdens and take up our salvation. There can and will be plenty of difficulties in life. Nevertheless, the soul that comes unto Christ, who knows His voice and strives to do as He did, finds a strength, as the hymn says, “beyond [his] own.” 15 The Savior reminds us that He has “graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands.” 16 Considering the incomprehensible cost of the Crucifixion and Atonement, I promise you He is not going to turn His back on us now. When He says to the poor in spirit, “Come unto me,” He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up. He knows it because He has walked it. He knows the way because He is the way.

Author: Jeffrey R. Holland
Title: Broken Things to Mend
Where: Ensign, May 2006, 69–71

An High Priest of Good Things to Come

Yet in my mind’s eye, for just an instant, I thought perhaps I saw on that side road an old car with a devoted young wife and two little children making the best of a bad situation there. Just ahead of them I imagined that I saw a young fellow walking toward Kanarraville, with plenty of distance still ahead of him. His shoulders seemed to be slumping a little, the weight of a young father’s fear evident in his pace. In the scriptural phrase his hands did seem to “hang down.” 15 In that imaginary instant, I couldn’t help calling out to him: “Don’t give up, boy. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead—a lot of it—30 years of it now, and still counting. You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.

Author: Jeffrey R. Holland
Title: An High Priest of Good Things to Come
Where: Ensign, Nov 1999, 36

I Had to Try

I always thought the moment of truth would come when I was older. But now, here I was, praying alone in the woods, just like Joseph had.

We sat huddled on the wet lawn in front of the Joseph Smith Monument in Sharon, Vermont, draped in ponchos and plastic garbage bags in a vain attempt to keep dry. We strained to hear the speaker over the sound of the rain, as he explained to us the final activity of the wilderness youth conference we were taking part in.

In a few minutes, we would be sent off to be alone in the woods. We were given a list of things to do, including self-evaluation and scripture reading. The last thing we were to do, however, was what really excited me. Alone in the woods, we were to kneel and pray aloud to our Heavenly Father and ask if the Church was true.

Earlier, the speaker had related to us a story about David O. McKay receiving his patriarchal blessing. President McKay was, at the time, a champion marble player, an activity which, the speaker pointed out, required quite a bit of skill. After the blessing, however, the patriarch told 13-year-old David that he had more important things to do than play marbles. The speaker now gave to us that same wise counsel. “Brothers and sisters,” he pleaded, “please, put away your marbles, and take advantage of this opportunity to find out for yourself if the Church is true.”

It was almost silent as we entered the woods and began to break up into smaller and smaller groups. I think everyone could sense, as I did, the importance of what was about to happen. I pulled my poncho over me and took out the worksheet and program we had been given to write on. To begin my solo experience, I sang all of the songs on the program. After completing the other activities, I came to the prayer.

I was excited to pray, but I was also nervous because I had always thought that I would find out whether or not the Church was true when I was older; I had always put it off. I had felt the Spirit before in fast and testimony meetings and when I received a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but I couldn’t honestly say that I knew the Church was true. What if I prayed and there was just nothing? What if, out here in the woods, kneeling and praying aloud got me nothing but wet?

I decided that I’d never know unless I tried, so I knelt on the soggy leaves and bowed my head in prayer. I spoke in a whisper, fearful that someone might eavesdrop, and I asked very simply to know if I really belonged to God’s true church. I finished my prayer and remained kneeling to await an answer.

At first, I received an impression that I already knew the truth of those things. But I figured that must have been my own thoughts, so I prayed again.

“You already know,” came my answer, along with the warm and calm feeling of the Spirit that enveloped me with peace and joy.

My heart quickened, and I couldn’t hold back the smile that soon covered my face. I realized that through my seminary and personal study, I had built my testimony step by step, precept upon precept, so slowly that I didn’t even realize I had it until I put it to the test.

Now I knew that the Church was true and I could put away, or at least put aside, the less important things in my life and get on with my spiritual growth. I felt so relieved, so content, and so grateful that the Lord had taken the time to let me know personally that the Church was true. Already kneeling, I bowed my head again and gave a prayer of thanks to the Lord for his witness to me that, although I hadn’t recognized it before, I already knew.

Author: David Hersam
Title: I Had to Try
Where: New Era, Aug 1992, 38

Replace Some Leisure Activities With Temple Service...Daytime Temple Attendance

“Encouraging Temple Worthiness and Preparation,” Ensign, June 2003, 76

The First Presidency sent the following letter, dated 11 March 2003, to priesthood leaders to be read in sacrament meeting:

We are grateful for the increased availability of temples worldwide and invite adult members to have a current temple recommend and visit the temple more often. Where time and circumstances permit, members are encouraged to replace some leisure activities with temple service.

“Millions of our ancestors have lived upon the earth without receiving the benefit of temple ordinances. We particularly encourage newer members and youth of the Church who are 12 years of age and older to live worthy to assist in this great work by serving as proxies for baptisms and confirmations.

“We request that local priesthood leaders encourage temple-worthy members to consider ways in which more frequent daytime temple attendance could occur. Home and visiting teachers may wish to arrange transportation for those who need it, particularly during the daytime.

Author: The First Presidency
Title: Encouraging Temple Worthiness and Preparation
Where: Ensign, June 2003, 76

Highest Priority to Family Prayer, Family Home Evening

We counsel parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities. However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform.

Author: The First Presidency
Title: “Policies, Announcements, and Appointments,” Keeping Children Close to the Church
Where: Ensign, June 1999, 80

A Testimony Is Not a Work That Is Ever Completed And Concluded.

A testimony is not a work that is ever completed and concluded. It is a process of continuous development. Nourishing and strengthening our testimonies is essential to our spiritual survival.

Author: Helvécio Martins
Title: The Value of a Testimony
Where: Friend, Jun 1991, inside front cover

North Star

The great dipper, or Ursa Major, with the pointers ranging nearly towards the North Star. Moral, the lost may find themselves by the Priesthood.

Author: James E. Talmage
Title: The House of the Lord

If We Desire Fulness, We Cannot Hold Back Part

In pondering and pursuing consecration, understandably we tremble inwardly at what may be required. Yet the Lord has said consolingly, “My grace is sufficient for you” (D&C 17:8). Do we really believe Him? He has also promised to make weak things strong (see Ether 12:27). Are we really willing to submit to that process? Yet if we desire fulness, we cannot hold back part!

Author:Neal A. Maxwell
Title: Consecrate Thy Performance
Where: Ensign, May 2002, 36

We May Have Known the Answer for a Long Time and May Need Resolve More Than Response

In pondering and pursuing consecration, understandably we tremble inwardly at what may be required. Yet the Lord has said consolingly, “My grace is sufficient for you” (D&C 17:8). Do we really believe Him? He has also promised to make weak things strong (see Ether 12:27). Are we really willing to submit to that process? Yet if we desire fulness, we cannot hold back part!

Having our wills increasingly swallowed up by the will of the Father actually means an enhanced individuality, stretched and more capable of receiving “all that [God] hath” (D&C 84:38). Besides, how could we be entrusted with His “all” until our wills are much more like His? Nor could His “all” be fully appreciated by the partially committed.

Frankly, it is our prospective selves we betray by holding back whatever the “part.” No need therefore to ask, “Lord, is it I?” (Matt. 26:22). Rather, let us inquire about our individual stumbling blocks, “Lord, is it this?” We may have known the answer for a long time and may need resolve more than His response.

Author:Neal A. Maxwell
Title: Consecrate Thy Performance
Where: Ensign, May 2002, 36

Grab Hold...Diversity, Tolerance, Choice

Now words can be used as weapons against you. If they throw the word diversity at you, grab hold of it and say, “I am already diverse, and I intend to stay diverse.” If the word is tolerance, grab that one, too, saying, “I expect you to be tolerant of my lifestyle—obedience, integrity, abstinence, repentance.” If the word is choice, tell them you choose good, old-fashioned morality. You choose to be a worthy husband or wife, a worthy parent.

Author: Boyd K. Packer
Title: The Standard of Truth Has Been Erected
Where: Ensign, Nov 2003, 24
Scripture:
Why I liked it:

Time Have Not Really Changed. Prayer Continues to Provide Power--Spiritual Power.

Now, if we have hesitated in supplicating God our Eternal Father simply because we have not as yet made the attempt to pray, we certainly can take courage from the example of the Prophet Joseph. But let us remember, as did the Prophet, our prayer must be offered in faith, nothing wavering.

It was by faith, nothing wavering, that the brother of Jared saw the finger of God touch the stones in response to his plea.9

It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Noah erected an ark in obedience to the command from God.10

It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Abraham was willing to offer up his beloved Isaac as a sacrifice.11

It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea.12

It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Joshua and his followers brought the walls of Jericho tumbling down.13

It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Joseph saw God our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ, His Son.14

Now, the skeptic may say that these mighty accounts of faith occurred long ago, that times have changed.

Have times really changed? Don’t we today, as always, love our children and want them to live righteously? Don’t we today, as always, need God’s divine, protecting care? Don’t we today, as always, continue to be at His mercy and in His debt for the very life He has given us?

Times have not really changed. Prayer continues to provide power—spiritual power. Prayer continues to provide peace—spiritual peace.

Author: Thomas S. Monson
Title: Come unto Him in Prayer and Faith
Where: Ensign, Mar 2009, 4–9

Our Team Wins

We are surrounded by challenges on all sides (see 2 Cor. 4:8–9). But with faith in God, we trust the blessings He has promised those who keep His commandments. We have faith in the future, and we are preparing for that future. To borrow a metaphor from the familiar world of athletic competitions, we do not know when this game will end, and we do not know the final score, but we do know that when the game finally ends, our team wins. We will continue to go forward “till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done” (History of the Church, 4:540).

Author: Dallin H. Oaks
Title: Preparation for the Second Coming
Where: Ensign, May 2004, 7

If We Become Casual in Our Study of the Scriptures , We Will Become Casual in Our Prayers

We can and must go often and carefully to the word of God. If we become casual in our study of the scriptures, we will become casual in our prayers.

Author: Henry B. Eyring
Title: Prayer
Where: Ensign, Nov 2001, 15

Increasing Your Power to Teach the Gospel Qualifies You In This World or in the World to Come to Help Heavenly Father in Gathering His Children

There is another thing you can do. You can study the word of God, not for yourself alone but to be an emissary of the Lord Jesus Christ to all the world. When you increase your power to teach the gospel, you are qualifying to help Heavenly Father in gathering His children. As you do that, another blessing will come. Should the need ever come in family life in this world, or in the world to come, to draw back lost sheep, you will have received more power than you may now recognize.

Author: Henry B. Eyring
Title: Faith and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 61–64

Withoug Self-Reliance One Cannot Excercise the Innate Desires to Serve

Can we see how critical self-reliance becomes when looked upon as the prerequisite to service, when we also know service is what godhood is all about? Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there? Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse. Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved. Teaching cannot come from the unlearned. And most important of all, spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak

Author: Marion G. Romney
Title: The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance
Where: Ensign, Mar 2009, 61–65

Service is the Very Fiber of Exalted Life

It has always seemed somewhat paradoxical to me that we must constantly have the Lord command us to do those things which are for our own good. The Lord has said, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39). We lose our life by serving and lifting others. By so doing we experience the only true and lasting happiness. Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made.

Oh, for the glorious day when these things all come naturally because of the purity of our hearts. In that day there will be no need for a commandment, because we will have experienced for ourselves that we are truly happy only when we are engaged in unselfish service.

Author: Marion G. Romney
Title: The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance
Where: Ensign, Mar 2009, 61–65

Self-Reliance

Many programs have been set up by well-meaning individuals to aid those who are in need. However, many of these programs are designed with the shortsighted objective of “helping people,” as opposed to “helping people help themselves.” Our efforts must always be directed toward making able-bodied people self-reliant.....The practice of coveting and receiving unearned benefits has now become so fixed in our society that even men of wealth, possessing the means to produce more wealth, are expecting the government to guarantee them a profit. Elections often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society, will make slaves of its citizens.

We cannot afford to become wards of the government, even if we have a legal right to do so. It requires too great a sacrifice of self-respect and political, temporal, and spiritual independence.

In some countries it is extremely difficult to separate earned from unearned benefits. However, the principle is the same in all countries: We should strive to become self-reliant and not depend on others for our existence.

Governments are not the only guilty parties. We fear many parents are making “gullible gulls” out of their children with their permissiveness and their doling out of family resources. In fact, the actions of parents in this area can be more devastating than any government program.

Bishops and other priesthood leaders can be guilty of making “gullible gulls” out of their ward members. Some members become financially or emotionally dependent on their bishops. A dole is a dole whatever its source. All of our Church and family actions should be directed toward making our children and members self-reliant. We can’t always control government programs, but we can control our own homes and congregations. If we will teach these principles and live them, we can do much to counter the negative effects which may exist in government programs in any country.

Author: Marion G. Romney
Title: The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance
Where: Ensign, Mar 2009, 61–65

Only the Gospel is Constanly Relevant, and the Substitue Things Won't Work

By the way, do not expect the world’s solutions to the world’s problems to be very effective. Such solutions often resemble what C. S. Lewis wrote about those who go dashing back and forth with fire extinguishers in times of flood (see The Screwtape Letters [1959], 117–18). Only the gospel is constantly relevant, and the substitute things won’t work.

Author: Neal A. Maxwell
Title: Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been
Where: Ensign, May 2004, 44

Brethren Who Lead the Church are In Touch

Not often but over the years some sources have suggested that the Brethren are out of touch in their declarations, that they don’t know the issues, that some of their policies and practices are out-of-date, not relevant to our times.

As the least of those who have been sustained by you to witness the guidance of this Church firsthand, I say with all the fervor of my soul that never in my personal or professional life have I ever associated with any group who are so in touch, who know so profoundly the issues facing us, who look so deeply into the old, stay so open to the new, and weigh so carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully everything in between. I testify that the grasp this body of men and women have of moral and societal issues exceeds that of any think tank or brain trust of comparable endeavor of which I know anywhere on the earth. I bear personal witness of how thoroughly good they are, of how hard they work, and how humbly they live. It is no trivial matter for this Church to declare to the world prophecy, seership, and revelation, but we do declare it. It is true light shining in a dark world, and it shines from these proceedings.

Author: Jeffrey R. Holland
Title: Prophets in the Land Again
Where: Ensign, Nov 2006, 104–7

Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Recently, I read about Erik Weihenmayer, a 33-year-old man who dreamed of climbing Mount Everest, a feat that defies many of the world’s most expert climbers. In fact, nearly 90 percent of those who attempt the climb never reach the summit. Temperatures sink lower than 30 degrees below zero. Besides extreme cold, 100-mile-per-hour winds, deadly crevasses, and avalanches, the climber must overcome the challenges of high altitude, lack of oxygen, and perhaps unsanitary food and water. Since 1953, at least 165 climbers have died in the attempt to scale the 29,000-foot-high summit.

In spite of the risks, hundreds line up each year to make the ascent, Erik among them. But there is an important difference between Erik and every other climber who had attempted to ascend before: Erik is totally blind.

When Erik was 13 years of age, he lost his sight as a result of a hereditary disease of the retina. Although he could no longer do many of the things he wanted to, he was determined not to waste his life feeling depressed and useless. He then began to stretch his limits.

At age 16 he discovered rock climbing. By feeling the face of the rock, he found handholds and footholds that allowed him to climb. Sixteen years later, he began his ascent up Mount Everest. The story of his climb, as you might imagine, was filled with many harrowing and life-threatening challenges. But Erik eventually scaled the south summit and took his place with those who had gone before him, one of the few to stand on top of the highest mountain on the face of the earth.

When asked how he did it, Erik said, “I just kept thinking … keep your mind focused. Don’t let all that doubt and fear and frustration sort of get in the way.” Then, most importantly, he said, “Just take each day step by step.” 1

Yes, Erik conquered Everest by simply putting one foot in front of the other. And he continued to do this until he reached the top.

Like Erik, we may have obstacles that would hold us back. We may even make excuses why we can’t do what we want to do. Perhaps when we are tempted to justify our own lack of achievement, we can remember Erik, who, in spite of having lost his sight, accomplished what many thought was impossible simply by continuing to put one foot in front of the other.

Author: Joseph B. Wirthlin
Title: One Step after Another
Where: Ensign, Nov 2001, 25

Give Enough So That You Can Give Yourself into the Kingdom of God

Brother Marion G. Romney, who was the bishop of our ward when I was called on a mission and who later served as a member of the First Presidency of the Church, admonished: “Be liberal in your giving, that you yourselves may grow. Don’t give just for the benefit of the poor, but give for your own welfare. Give enough so that you can give yourself into the kingdom of God through consecrating of your means and your time.” 12

Author: Joseph B. Wirthlin
Title: The Law of the Fast
Where: Ensign, May 2001, 73

The More We Know of Jesus..The More We Will Want to Be Like Him

The more we know of Jesus, the more we will love Him. The more we know of Jesus, the more we will trust Him. The more we know of Jesus, the more we will want to be like Him and to be with Him by becoming the manner of men and women that He wishes us to be. 

Author: Neal A. Maxwell Title: Plow in Hope Where: Ensign, May 2001, 59

See also:  http://quotestokeep.blogspot.com/2022/08/process-of-emulating-jesus.html

Fearful of the Dawn, Evil Cannot Stand the Steady Scrutiny of Bright Truth

Ever wonder why the sensual scene so often features flashing but fading lights? Or why all the reinforcing glitz? Or why all the loudness masquerading as music? Because, fearful of the dawn, evil cannot stand the steady scrutiny of bright truth, nor can it endure the quiet reflections of soul-searching!

Author: Neal A. Maxwell
Title: The Seventh Commandment: A Shield
Where: Ensign, Nov 2001, 78

Filling One's Canteen with Residual Sand and Gravel

Henry Fairlie wrote of how “the lustful person will usually be found to have a terrible hollowness at the center of his life” (Henry Fairlie, The Seven Deadly Sins Today [1978], 187). Still, some naive youth talk about “filling their canteens,” which will be empty except for the residual sand and gravel of toxic memories.

Author: Neal A. Maxwell
Title: The Seventh Commandment: A Shield
Where: Ensign, Nov 2001, 78

How the Atonement of Jesus Christ Changes Your Life

In the Master’s service, you will come to know and love Him. You will, if you persevere in prayer and faithful service, begin to sense that the Holy Ghost has become a companion. Many of us have for a period given such service and felt that companionship. If you think back on that time, you will remember that there were changes in you. The temptation to do evil seemed to lessen. The desire to do good increased. Those who knew you best and loved you may have said, “You have become more kind, more patient. You don’t seem to be the same person.”

You weren’t the same person because the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. And the promise is real that we can become new, changed, and better.

Author: Henry B. Eyring
Title: In the Strength of the Lord
Where: Ensign, May 2004, 16

Washings And Anointings Tell Us Who We Are.

Washings and anointings tell us who we are.

Author: Robert D. Hales
Title: Temple Blessings
Where: November 15, 2005 BYU Devotional

True Doctrine, Understood, Changes Attitudes And Behavior. The Study Of The Doctrines Of The Gospel Will Improve Behavior Quicker Than A Study Of Beha

True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior.

Author: Boyd K. Packer
Title: Do Not Fear
Where: Liahona, May 2004, 77–80

Clear Declaration Of Truth Makes A Difference In People'S Lives. That Is What Changes Hearts.

Clear declaration of truth makes a difference in people's lives. That is what changes hearts.

Author: M. Russell Ballard
Title: Pure Testimony
Where: Ensign, Nov 2004, 40–43

Some Depart From The Road Markers Which Point Toward Life Eternal, Only To Discover The Detour Chosen Ultimately Leads To A Dead End

Some depart from the road markers which point toward life eternal, only to discover the detour chosen ultimately leads to a dead end. Indifference, carelessness, selfishness, and sin all take their costly toll in human lives.

Author: Thomas S. Monson
Title: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 87–90

What Does It All Lead to? Nowhere!

I told the Relief Society of secret underground drug parties that go by the name of Rave. Here with flashing lights and noisy music, if it can be called that, young men and women dance and sway. They sell and buy drugs. The drugs are called Ecstasy. They are a derivative of methamphetamine. The dancers suck on babies’ pacifiers because the drug makes them grind their teeth. The hot music and the sultry dancing go on until 7:30 of a Sunday morning. What does it all lead to? Nowhere. It is a dead end.

Author: Gordon B. Hinckley
Title: Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children
Where: Ensign, Nov 2000, 50–53

The Contribution of the Wives fo Priesthood Holders

It is not possible in words to describe the contribution, the service, the sacrifice given by the wives of priesthood leaders all across the world.

Author: Boyd K. Packer
Title: The Twelve
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 83–87

Let Us Worthily Partake Of The Sacrament Each Week And Continue To Draw Upon The Holy Spirit To Root Out The Last Vestiges Of Impurity Within Us.

You may ask, Why doesn’t this mighty change happen more quickly with me? You should remember that the remarkable examples of King Benjamin’s people, Alma, and some others in scripture are just that—remarkable and not typical. For most of us, the changes are more gradual and occur over time. Being born again, unlike our physical birth, is more a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of mortality.


At the same time, let us not justify ourselves in a casual effort. Let us not be content to retain some disposition to do evil. Let us worthily partake of the sacrament each week and continue to draw upon the Holy Spirit to root out the last vestiges of impurity within us. I testify that as you continue in the path of spiritual rebirth, the atoning grace of Jesus Christ will take away your sins and the stain of those sins in you, temptations will lose their appeal, and through Christ you will become holy, as He and our Father are holy.
Author: D. Todd Christofferson
Title: Born Again
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 76–79

Obedience to Duty the Essence of Manhood

The leaders who have the most influence are usually those who set hearts afire with devotion to the truth, who make obedience to duty seem the essence of manhood, who transform some ordinary routine occurrence so that it becomes a vista where we see the person we aspire to be.

Author: Thomas S. Monson
Title: Examples of Righteousness
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 65–68

The Face Of Sin Today Often Wears The Mask Of Tolerance.

The philosophies of men surround us. The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that facade is heartache, unhappiness, and pain. You know what is right and what is wrong, and no disguise, however appealing, can change that. The character of transgression remains the same.

Author: Thomas S. Monson
Title: Examples of Righteousness
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 65–68

By Honoring His Priesthood He Will Be Protected Against The Temptation To Sexual Sin So Prevalent In The World In Which We Live.

A young man hearing my words today can have confidence that by honoring his priesthood he will be protected against the temptation to sexual sin so prevalent in the world in which we live. It will be possible for the Aaronic Priesthood holder hearing me tonight, as his faith increases in the sure reward of eternal life through the eternal priesthood, that he will have the power to see in the daughters of God their true worth and in the promise of a posterity a reason to be pure and to stay clean.

Author: Henry B. Eyring
Title: Faith and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 61–64

The Articles Of Faith Give Our Youth Comfort And Confidence As They Learn The Fundamental Doctrines Of The Church

The Articles of Faith give our youth comfort and confidence as they learn the fundamental doctrines of the Church.

Author: William R. Walker
Title: Three Presiding High Priests
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 37–39

Service Is A Characteristic Of His Followers—A Divine Quality.

Service is a characteristic of His followers—a divine quality.

Author: Carlos H. Amado
Title: Service, a Divine Quality
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 35–37

We Need To Partake Of The Sacrament Each Week (See D&C 59:9) To Qualify For The Precious Promise That We Will “Always Have His Spirit To Be With [Us]”

We need to partake of the sacrament each week (see D&C 59:9) to qualify for the precious promise that we will “always have his Spirit to be with [us]” (D&C 20:77).

Author: Dallin H. Oaks
Title: Testimony
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 26–29

The Wife Of My Bosom Was An Immortal, Eternal Companion; A Kind Ministering Angel, Given To Me As A Comfort, And A Crown Of Glory For Ever And Ever.

I learned that the wife of my bosom might be secured to me for time and all eternity; and that the refined sympathies and affections which endeared us to each other emanated from the fountain of divine eternal love. It was from him that I learned that we might cultivate these affections, and grow and increase in the same to all eternity; while the result of our endless union would be an offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, or the sands of the sea shore. …

“I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved—with a pureness—an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling. … I felt that God was my heavenly Father indeed; that Jesus was my brother, and that the wife of my bosom was an immortal, eternal companion; a kind ministering angel, given to me as a comfort, and a crown of glory for ever and ever.”6

Author: Henry B. Eyring quoting Parley P. Pratt
Title: Faith and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
Where: Ensign, May 2008, 61–64

I Am Carrying my Priesthood Here

Wherever we go, our priesthood goes with us. Are we standing in “holy places”?3 Said President J. Reuben Clark Jr., who served for many years as a counselor in the First Presidency: “The Priesthood is not like a suit of clothes that you can lay off and take back on. … Depending upon ourselves [it is] an everlasting endowment.” He continued: “If we really had that … conviction … that we could not lay [the priesthood] aside, and that God would hold us responsible if we [demeaned] it, it would save us from doing a good many things, save us from going a good many places. If, every time we started a little detour away from the straight and narrow, we would remember, ‘I am carrying my Priesthood here. Should I?’ it would not take us long to work back into the straight and narrow.”4


Author: Thomas S. Monson
Title: The Priesthood—a Sacred Gift
Where: Ensign, May 2007, 57–60

My Immediate Audience is Myself

These remarks are addressed to the imperfect but still striving in the household of faith. As always, my immediate audience is myself.

Author: Neal A. Maxwell
Title: Consecrate Thy Performance
Where: Ensign, May 2002, 36
Scripture:
Why I liked it:

Time for Scripture Study Requires a Schedule That Will Be Honored

Time for scripture study requires a schedule that will be honored. Otherwise, blessings that matter most will be at the mercy of things that matter least.

Author: Russell M. Nelson
Title: Living by Scriptural Guidance
Where: Ensign, Nov 2000, 16–18

What Does My Membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mean to Me?

What does my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mean to me? It means everything. It influences, enlivens, permeates, and gives purpose and meaning to everything in life that is important to me: my relationship with God, my Eternal Father, and with His Holy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It teaches me that through obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel, I will find peace and happiness in this life and be invited to live in God’s presence, with my family, in the life that surely will follow mortality, where His mercy will satisfy the demands of justice and encircle me and mine, and you and yours, in the arms of safety. 3

Author: Richard G. Hinckley
Title: Repentance, a Blessing of Membership
Where: Ensign, May 2006, 48–50

Fathers Play an Important Role in Strengthening Gender Identity in Their Children

One authority states: “Studies show that fathers also have a special role to play in building a child’s [self-respect]. They are important too, in ways we don’t really understand, in developing internal limits and control in children.” He continues: “Research also shows that fathers are critical in the establishment of gender in children. Interestingly, fatherly involvement produces stronger sexual identity and character in both boys and girls. It’s well established that the masculinity of sons and the femininity of daughters are each greater when fathers are active in family life.” 5

Author: James E. Faust
Title: Fathers, Mothers, Marriage
Where: Ensign, Aug 2004, 2–7

No Better Way to Ensure Proper Living

We repeat what we have said before: make a habit of going to the house of the Lord. There is no better way to ensure proper living than temple attendance. It will crowd out the evils of pornography, substance abuse, and spiritual atrophy. It will strengthen marriage and family relations.

Author: Gordon B. Hinckley
Title: Closing Remarks
Where: Ensign, May 2005, 102

The Only Way I Have Left to Show the Lord How Much I Love Him

I have a dear friend who served as a stake president. The patriarch in the stake over which he presided had experienced some health challenges and was unable to perform in his calling. The ailing patriarch had difficulty moving about and dressing and caring for himself, and his strength was limited. One Sabbath afternoon this good stake president visited the home of the patriarch to encourage him and check on his well-being. As the stake president entered the home, he found the patriarch dressed in his suit and white shirt and tie, sitting in a recliner in the front room. The stake president greeted the dear patriarch and, knowing how hard it must have been to dress himself, graciously suggested to the patriarch that it was not necessary for him to get dressed up on the Sabbath or to meet visitors. In a kind but firm voice, the patriarch reproved the stake president and said, “Don’t you know that this is the only way I have left to show the Lord how much I love Him?”

Author: David A. Bednar
Title: Quick to Observe
Where: Ensign, Dec 2006, 30–36

Things Have a Way of Working Out.

As a grandfather who has lived a long time, I counsel you to have faith. Things have a way of working out. Stay close to the Church. Keep your children close to the Church.

Author: Boyd K. Packer
Title: Do Not Fear
Where: Liahona, May 2004, 77–80

The Tares are Looking More Like Tares All the Time

Individuals and nations will continue to choose what they want, but they cannot alter the ultimate consequences of what they want.

Therefore, in this hastened ripening process, let us not be surprised that the tares are looking more like tares all the time.

Author: Neal A. Maxwell
Title: Hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Where: Ensign, Nov 1998, 61

Divorce Can Be Justified Only in the Rarest of Circumstances

Divorce can be justified only in the rarest of circumstances. In my opinion, “just cause” for divorce should be nothing less serious than a prolonged and apparently irredeemable relationship that destroys a person’s dignity as a human being. Divorce often tears people’s lives apart and shears family happiness. Frequently in a divorce the parties lose much more than they gain.


Author: James E. Faust
Title: Enriching Your Marriage
Where: Ensign, Apr 2007, 4–8

Single Practice to Happy Marriage

After dealing with hundreds of divorce situations through the years, I am satisfied that the application of a single practice would do more than all else to solve this grievous problem.

If every husband and every wife would constantly do whatever might be possible to ensure the comfort and happiness of his or her companion, there would be very little, if any, divorce. Argument would never be heard. Accusations would never be leveled. Angry explosions would not occur. Rather, love and concern would replace abuse and meanness.

Author: Gordon B. Hinckley
Title: The Women in Our Lives
Where: Ensign, Nov 2004, 82–85

General Authorities Teach General Principles

We can add to that that we are teaching general principles because we are General Authorities and general officers.

Author: Dallin H. Oaks
Title: Building Up a Righteous Posterity
Where: Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting February 9, 2008

We who are General Authorities and general officers are called to teach His general rules. You and we then lead specific lives and must seek the Lord’s guidance regarding specific circumstances. But there would be mass confusion and loss of gospel promises if no general ideal and no doctrinal standard were established and, in our case today, repeated.

Author: Jeffrey R. Holland
Title: Building Up a Righteous Posterity
Where: Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting February 9, 2008

Confession...Eliminates the Deceit Inherit in Wrongdoing.

The price of discipleship is to forsake evil transgression and enjoy what President Spencer W. Kimball has called “the miracle of forgiveness.” It is never too late. But there can be no remission of sin without a godly sorrow being abundantly manifested in the mind, in the heart, and in the actions of the offender. A major step toward purging oneself of wrongdoing is for the transgressor to confess the transgression to the common judge in Israel, who is the inspired bishop or branch president of the offender. While forgiveness comes only from the Lord, confession is necessary, among other reasons, to eliminate the deceit inherent in wrongdoing.

Author: James E. Faust
Title: The Price of Discipleship
Where: Ensign, Apr 1999, 2

Father Should Do the Ushering of Disruptive Children

The reverence we speak of does not equate with absolute silence. We must be tolerant of little babies, even an occasional outburst from a toddler being ushered out to keep him from disturbing the peace. Unless the father is on the stand, he should do the ushering.

Author:Boyd K. Packer ,” Ensign, Nov 1991, 21
Title: Reverence Invites Revelation
Where: Ensign, Nov 1991, 21

When You Find Who You Are, You Will Be Sorry You Didn’t Try Harder

Elder Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, tells a tender personal story ...When he was a teenager, his family moved from a very comfortable environment for young Henry to a location that was not to his liking. He sulked for a bit until the Spirit spoke directly to him about who he was in God’s plan and how he ought to proceed. One day the Spirit instructed, “When you find who you are, you will be sorry you didn’t try harder.”

Author: Henry B. Eyring as Quoted by Robert C. Oaks
Title: Your Divine Heritage
Where: Ensign, Apr 2008, 46–50

The Stuff of Which Your Dreams are Made

And so, my dear young men, you may not think seriously about it now. But the time will come when you will fall in love. It will occupy all of your thoughts and be the stuff of which your dreams are made. Make yourself worthy of the loveliest girl in all the world. Keep yourself worthy through all the days of your life. Be good and true and kind one to another.

Author: Gordon B. Hinckley
Title: Living Worthy of the Girl You Will Someday Marry
Where: Ensign, May 1998, 49

If You Want Something to Last Forever, You Treat It Differently

If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. You shield it and protect it. You never abuse it. You don’t expose it to the elements. You don’t make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by.

Author:F. Burton Howard
Title: Eternal Marriage
Where: Ensign, May 2003, 92

We Cannont Expect His Help If We Are Unwilling to Keep His Commandments

We cannot expect His help if we are unwilling to keep His commandments.

Author: Gordon B. Hinckley
Title: If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear
Where: Liahona, Nov 2005, 60–62
Scripture: D&C 101:7

Eliminate "Nonmember" from Our Vocabulary

I believe it would be good if we eliminated a couple of phrases from our vocabulary: "nonmember" and "non-Mormon." Such phrases can be demeaning and even belittling. Personally, I don't consider myself to be a "non-Catholic" or a "non-Jew." I am a Christian. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That is how I prefer to be identified—for who and what I am, as opposed to being identified for what I am not. Let us extend that same courtesy to those who live among us. If a collective description is needed, then "neighbors" seems to work well in most cases.

Author: M. Russell Ballard
Title: Doctrine of Inclusion
Where: Ensign, Nov 2001, 35
Scripture:
Why I liked it:

How Many Kills You Can Make in a Minute with a Computer Game Will Have Zero Effect on Your Capacity to Be a Good Missionary

How many kills you can make in a minute with a computer game will have zero effect on your capacity to be a good missionary

Author: Elder M. Russell Ballard
Title: The Greatest Generation of Missionaries
Where: Ensign, Nov 2002, 46

Second Only to Your Love, They Need Your Limits

The For the Strength of Youth pamphlet is very clear in its call for young women to avoid clothing that is too tight, too short, or improperly revealing in any manner, including bare midriffs. 6 Parents, please review this booklet with your children. Second only to your love, they need your limits

Author: Jeffrey R. Holland
Title: To Young Women
Where: Ensign, Nov 2005, 28

The Inexhaustible Gospel

I am excited to report to you that I am enjoying the scriptures more than ever. I have read a lot in my life—thousands of books, I’m sure. But rarely do I do encore reading except for the holy scriptures. Therefore, I am even more anxiously engaged in the restored gospel than ever because the restored gospel is so engaging. It really does get a grasp on our minds, and there is no end to the exploration that one can make of it. It is, as I said years ago, an “inexhaustible gospel.” To be anxiously engaged really does mean that we are engaged intellectually as well as spiritually, and life in the kingdom, as you all know, is also very engaging. So although some people at my stage of life might say, in effect, “Been there, done that,” not I. I feel instead this sense of anxious engagement in something that I have yet to take the full measure of. As I look back across the sweep of this century, I feel that very strongly.

Author:Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Title: Insights from My Life
Where: Ensign, Aug 2000, 7

Missionary Work Frankly Described

Now, my dear young friends, I hope all of you are pointed in the direction of missionary service. I cannot promise you fun. I cannot promise you ease and comfort. I cannot promise you freedom from discouragement, from fear, from downright misery at times. But I can promise you that you will grow as you have never grown in a similar period during your entire lives. I can promise you a happiness that will be unique and wonderful and lasting. I can promise you that you will reevaluate your lives, that you will establish new priorities, that you will live closer to the Lord, that prayer will become a real and wonderful experience, that you will walk with faith in the outcome of the good things you do.

Author: President Gordon B. Hinckley Title: To the Boys and to the Men
Where: Ensign, Nov 1998, 51

Be Excellent. Don't Be A Scrub.

This is the great day of decision for each of us. For many it is the time of beginning something that will go on for as long as you live. I plead with you: don’t be a scrub! Rise to the high ground of spiritual, mental, and physical excellence. You can do it. You may not be a genius. You may be lacking in some skills. But so many of us can do better than we are now doing. We are members of this great Church whose influence is now felt over the world. We are people with a present and with a future. Don’t muff your opportunities. Be excellent.

Author: President Gordon B. Hinckley
Title: The Quest for Excellence
Where: Ensign, Sep 1999, 2

Turn On the Lights In Our Parents' Eyes

When I was a boy, my mother had to go to work at Garfield Smelter and work like a man to help support the seven children. She worked the graveyard shift as much as she could, I'm sure to be with us during the day. I don't know when the poor woman slept. One Saturday morning, she got off work about 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. She went to bed for a couple of hours and then got up. She had invited all her relatives to dinner. There must have been 35 or 40. She decorated the tables and arranged the chairs and put all the dishes and silverware out. She cooked and baked all day long. The dirty pots and pans and dishes stacked up.

Everyone came to dinner, and after dinner all the dirty dishes were brought into the kitchen. The food was cleared and stacked on the table and cupboards; then the kitchen door was closed and the family began to visit. It was about 8:00 p.m.

I remember standing all alone in the kitchen. In my young mind, I thought: My mother worked all night; she has worked all day to get this dinner. When everyone leaves, she will have to do the dishes and put the food away. It will take two or three hours, and that's not fair. Then I thought, I will do them.

I washed the dishes, did the silverware, the glassware. We didn't have an electric dishwasher; ours was a manual dishwasher, and that night I was manual. I used a half-dozen dish towels. I was drenched from head to foot. I put the food away, cleaned off the table and drainboards; then I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floor. When I was finished, I thought the kitchen was immaculate. It took about three hours.

Then I heard the chairs shuffling, and everyone left. The front door closed, and I heard my mother coming to the kitchen. I was pleased and thought she would be. The door swung open, and even at the age of 11, I recognized that she was startled. She looked around the kitchen, looked at me, and then there was a look I didn't recognize at the time. I do now. It was something like "Thanks. I am tired. I think you understand, and I love you." And she came over and hugged me. There was a light in her eye and a warmth in my heart. I learned it is a wonderful feeling to turn on the lights in our parents' eyes.

Author: Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone
Title: One Link Still Holds
Where: Ensign, Nov 1999, 13

Can We Even Imagine Sending [Our Children] Out in the Morning Without Kneeling and Humbly Asking Together for the Lord's Protection?

With the influences of evil that surround our children, can we even imagine sending them out in the morning without kneeling and humbly asking together for the Lord's protection? Or closing the day without kneeling together and acknowledging our accountability before Him and our thankfulness for His blessings? Brothers and sisters, we need to have family prayer.

Author: Elder Neil L. Anderson
Title: Prophets and Spiritual Mole Crickets
Where: Ensign, Nov 1999, 16

Your Hands Full Now; Your Heart Full Later

We have 10 children. One unsettled Sunday morning when our family was young, my wife was in sacrament meeting. As usual, I was away on Sunday. Our children took up much of a row.

Sister Walker, a lovely, gray-haired grandmother who raised 12 children, quietly moved from several rows back and slid into the row among our restless children. After the meeting, my wife thanked her for the help.

Sister Walker said, “You have your hands full, don’t you?” My wife nodded. Sister Walker then patted her on the hand and said, “Your hands full now; your heart full later!” How prophetic was her quiet comment. That is what grandmothers do!

Author: President Boyd K. Packer
Title: The Golden Years
Where: Ensign, May 2003, 82

People Will Flock Unto the Church

We talked about … people coming as doves to the windows, that all nations should flock unto [the Church]. … If we had told the people what our eyes behold this day, we should not [have been] believed

Author: Elder Sidney Rigdon, Quoted By: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Title: As Doves to Our Windows
Where: Ensign, May 2000, 75 See Also History of the Church, 6:288–89.

Why I liked it: I have heard on at least two occasions people speaking of how a general authority came to a stake conference etc. and spoke of how in the last days people would run to the church. This backs up such stories--that all nations should flock unto the church.

Church is Like a Hospital

Now, if you feel too spiritually maimed to come to the feast, please realize that the Church is not a monastery for perfect people, though all of us ought to be striving on the road to godliness. No, at least one aspect of the Church is more like a hospital or an aid station, provided for those who are ill and want to get well, where one can get an infusion of spiritual nutrition and a supply of sustaining water in order to keep on climbing.

Author: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Title: He Hath Filled the Hungry with Good Things
Where: Ensign, Nov 1997, 64

He Who Wants to Keep His Garden Tidy Does Not Reserve a Plot for Weeds

You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy does not reserve a plot for weeds.

Author: Dag Hammarskjold

Live Life to Its Fullest

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake.

Author: George Bernard Shaw

We Can Share with All Students the Fire of Our Faith, and They Can Warm Their Hands by It

For many years, I have loved the story that President Packer has told about William E. Berrett's boyhood Sunday School teacher. An elderly Danish brother was called to teach a class of rowdy boys. It didn't seem like much of a fit. He didn't speak the language very well; he still had a heavy Danish brogue; he was much older, with big farm hands. Yet he was to teach these young, rambunctious 15-year-olds. For all intents and purposes, it would not have seemed like a very good match. But Brother William E. Berrett used to say—and this is the part President Packer quotes—that this man taught them somehow; that across all those barriers, across all those limitations, this man reached into the hearts of those rowdy 15-year-old kids and changed their lives. And Brother Berrett's testimony was "We could have warmed our hands by the fire of his faith."

Every student deserves at least that. We may not give the fanciest lesson. We may not be skillful with audiovisual aids (though we can use any we know how to use). But we can share with all students the fire of our faith, and they can warm their hands by it.

Author: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Title: Teaching and Learning in the Church
Where: Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting: Teaching and Learning February 10, 2007