“Don’t be too critical of the barrier,” he said. “It’s the only thing that’s keeping you from being devoured.”

Some time ago while visiting Australia, I traveled to a beautiful horseshoe bay renowned for its surfing. As I walked along the beach, I was enthralled by the magnificence of the large crashing waves breaking just outside the bay and the smaller waves rolling in closer to shore.

As I continued my stroll, I encountered a group of American surfers. They were obviously upset about something, talking loudly and gesturing toward the sea. When I asked them what was wrong, they pointed to just outside the bay where the big waves were breaking.

“Look out there,” one of them angrily told me. “Can you see the barrier?” Looking more closely now, I could indeed see a barrier stretching across the entire mouth of the bay, right where the large, enticing waves were breaking. The barrier appeared to be made of a heavy mesh and was supported by floats on top of the water. According to the surfers, it dropped all the way down to the ocean floor.

The American surfer continued, “We are here on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to surf these big waves. We can surf the smaller ones breaking within the bay itself, but the barrier makes it impossible for us to surf the big ones. We have no idea why the barrier is there. All we know is that it has totally spoiled our trip.”

As the American surfers became more animated, my attention was drawn to another nearby surfer—an older man and obviously a local. He seemed to be growing impatient as he listened to the ever-increasing complaints about the barrier.

Finally he rose and walked over to the group. Without saying anything, he pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack and handed them to one of the surfers, pointing out toward the barrier. Each of the surfers looked through the binoculars. When my turn came, with the help of magnification, I could see something that I had not been able to see before: dorsal fins—large sharks feeding near the reef on the other side of the barrier.

The group quickly became subdued. The old surfer retrieved his binoculars and turned to walk away. As he did, he said words I will never forget: “Don’t be too critical of the barrier,” he said. “It’s the only thing that’s keeping you from being devoured.”

Blessed and Happy Are Those Who Keep the Commandments of God, Von G. Keetch

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/blessed-and-happy-are-those-who-keep-the-commandments-of-god?lang=eng

Apostasy is repeatedly acting in clear, open, and deliberate public opposition to the Church or its faithful leaders, or persisting, after receiving counsel, in teaching false doctrine.

June 28, 2014

In God's plan for the happiness and eternal progression of His children,

the blessings of His priesthood are equally available to men and women. Only

men are ordained to serve in priesthood offices. All service in the Church has

equal merit in the eyes of God. We express profound gratitude for the millions

of Latter-day Saint women and men who willingly and effectively serve God

and His children. Because of their faith and service, they have discovered that

the Church is a place of spiritual nourishment and growth.

We understand that from time to time Church members will have

questions about Church doctrine, history, or practice. Members are always

free to ask such questions and earnestly seek greater understanding. We feel

special concern, however, for members who distance themselves from Church

doctrine or practice and, by advocacy, encourage others to follow them.

Simply asking questions has never constituted apostasy. Apostasy is

repeatedly acting in clear, open, and deliberate public opposition to the

Church or its faithful leaders, or persisting, after receiving counsel, in teaching

false doctrine.

THE COUNCIL OF

THE FIRST PRESIDENCY AND

OUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES

OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

teach them to never follow those who think they know more about how to administer the affairs of the Church than … Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ do” through the priesthood leaders who have the keys to preside.

 Keep the eyes of the mission on the leaders of the Church. … We will not and … cannot lead [you] astray.

“And as you teach your missionaries to focus their eyes on us, teach them to never follow those who think they know more about how to administer the affairs of the Church than … Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ do” through the priesthood leaders who have the keys to preside.

“I have discovered in my ministry that those who have become lost [and] confused are typically those who have most often … forgotten that when the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve speak with a united voice, it is the voice of the Lord for that time. The Lord reminds us, ‘Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same’ [D&C 1:38].”

In other words, they leave the Old Ship Zion—they fall away; they apostatize. Tragically, they often experience short-term and eventually long-term unintended consequences, not only for themselves but also for their families.

Stay in the Boat and Hold On!

October 2014

2010–2019

M. Russell Ballard

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/10/stay-in-the-boat-and-hold-on?lang=eng&verse=#p

Bearing One Another's Burdens Includes Sustaining Church Lead

 To bear another’s burdens includes helping, supporting, and understanding everyone, including the sick, the infirm, the poor in spirit and body, the seeker and the troubled, and also other member-disciples—including Church leaders who have been called by the Lord to serve for a season.

Stay in the Boat and Hold On!

October 2014

2010–2019

M. Russell Ballard

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/10/stay-in-the-boat-and-hold-on?lang=eng&verse=#p

Go Back to the Basics

 Go Back to the Basics

There have been times when I didn’t understand certain commandments. Moments when I had questions about polygamy, same-sex attraction, or other things.

But I learned a powerful lesson from the way God taught Adam and Eve.

We’re taught that “God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption” (Alma 12:32, emphasis added).

It wouldn’t surprise me if Adam and Eve had plenty of questions about the commandments they were asked to follow. But before they could understand the commandments, they first had to learn about the plan of salvation.

How well do you understand the plan of salvation? When you have questions, do you go back to the basic principles of God’s plan? As I’ve searched for answers to my questions, studying the plan of salvation has helped me receive glimpses of God’s answers.

When I focus on the basic truths I know, I’m able to stand on a firm foundation. I don’t let trivial things shake my faith. I do not know everything, but I know enough.

“I Do Not Know the Meaning of All Things,” and That’s OK

April 2022

Liahona

Megan Thomson Ramsey

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/04/young-adults/13-i-do-not-know-the-meaning-of-all-things-and-thats-ok?lang=eng&verse=#p

Looking Beyond the Mark

After Adam and Eve transgressed, the Lord clothed, or covered, them with coats of skins (see Genesis 3:21). The Hebrew word for Atonement means “to cover” or “to forgive.”

 After Adam and Eve transgressed, the Lord clothed, or covered, them with coats of skins (see Genesis 3:21). The Hebrew word for Atonement means “to cover” or “to forgive.”

Finding Jesus Christ in the Old Testament

January 2022

Liahona

Marissa Widdison

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/01/finding-jesus-christ-in-the-old-testament?lang=eng&verse=#p

You will face emotional and spiritual challenges that most of your pioneer ancestors could never have imagined.

 Many years ago, some of my younger cousins were assigned to do a service project at our Grandpa Crozier Kimball’s farm. As a reward, they were promised Grandma Clara’s fabulous homemade cake.

When they had completed their tasks, they headed to the kitchen for their reward. Grandpa, however, blocked the kitchen door. My cousin Kathy Galloway, who was about 14 at the time, recalls that he sat down on a piano bench and invited the cousins to sit on the floor. He thanked them for their hard work and then said he had something important to share before they ate their cake.

“There will come a time in your lives when you will need to know and act on what I am about to share with you,” he said.

He explained that his grandfather Heber C. Kimball (1801–68) and other pioneer ancestors had faced arduous physical challenges. Grandpa said the pioneers quickly learned that to survive, they had to work together and love and serve each other.

“This is one of the great legacies they left to you!” he said as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

“In my calling as a patriarch and as your grandfather, when I look down the corridors of time, … my heart aches for you,” he said. “You will face emotional and spiritual challenges that most of your pioneer ancestors could never have imagined.”

Unless the younger generation honors the pioneers’ great legacy of love and service, he added, “many of you will fail because you will not be able to survive on your own.”

Then, with a spirit-to-spirit connection, Grandpa Kimball concluded: “We need each other. In addition to sharing our testimonies of the gospel with one another, our duty is to love and serve and strengthen and nourish and support and sustain each other, … especially in our family. Please remember that in the last days, your very survival may depend on your willingness to work together and to love and serve each other. Now, let us go eat cake!”....We need loving families, service-filled quorums and Relief Societies, and supportive branches, wards, and stakes.

Pursuing the Path of Happiness

January 2022

Liahona

Quentin L. Cook

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/01/pursuing-the-path-of-happiness?lang=eng&verse=#p

Pursuing the Path of Happiness

January 2022

Liahona

Quentin L. Cook

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/01/pursuing-the-path-of-happiness?lang=eng&verse=#p

God's Will For Us

 Agency and Gods Will for us

What He would Have us Do.  

https://youtu.be/g7tii0OBSnU?t=1440

David A. Bednar, Face to Face with Elder and Sister Bednar: Ask, Seek, Knock

His matchless genius for beauty

 I still love to hike high in the mountains among the magnificent granite rocks and peaks. Although silent, they speak of the power and majesty of God—and of His matchless genius for beauty. As Alma testified, “All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, … do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).

I love stargazing at night, trying to wrap my mind around the eternity of time and space within my gaze. I always marvel at the knowledge that comes in those quiet moments that, despite the vastness of the cosmos, the Lord of the universe knows puny me. And He knows each of us. The creation witnesses of the Creator, and if we preserve these special, unspoiled places, they will eloquently and profoundly witness of our God and inspire us onward.

Becoming Better Stewards of the Earth God Created for Us

March 2021

2021

Marcus B. Nash

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/03/young-adults/becoming-better-stewards-of-the-earth-god-created-for-us?lang=eng&verse=#p

Men and women have different but equally important responsibilities in the home and the Church. Priesthood power can help each person perform those responsibilities for the benefit of all.

 “Men and women have different but equally important responsibilities in the home and the Church. Priesthood power can help each person perform those responsibilities for the benefit of all.

“Because God’s priesthood power is on the earth today, great blessings are available to all worthy Church members, whether they are old or young, male or female, single or married.”

—President Joy D. Jones, Primary General President

Experiencing Priesthood Power

March 2021

2021

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/03/experiencing-priesthood-power?lang=eng&verse=#p

Thanking Him rather than asking for something to be taken away helps us accept His effort to mold us into who we are meant to become

 Expressing gratitude when we are hurt or upset can be hard, but if we hope to gain the full power of this portion of prayer, we may need to open our hearts more fully. What if we offered thanks for those situations that bring us frustration, sorrow, or anguish? As we sincerely thank God in and through our trials, we invite Him to help us see our trials and ourselves in a different way. Thanking Him rather than asking for something to be taken away helps us accept His effort to mold us into who we are meant to become. Gratitude allows us to see a flow of blessings deeper and broader than we could ever comprehend otherwise.

Our Guide, Solace, and Stay

February 2021

2021

Bonnie H. Cordon

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/02/united-states-and-canada-section/our-guide-solace-and-stay?lang=eng&verse=#p

Process of Emulating Jesus

 If we choose … the course of discipleship, we will … move from what may be initially a mere acknowledgment of Jesus on to admiration of Jesus, then on to adoration of Jesus, and finally to emulation of Jesus. In that process of striving to become more like Him … , we must be in the posture of repentance.

The Gift of Forgiveness

February 2021

2021

Neil L. Andersen

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/02/the-gift-of-forgiveness?lang=eng&verse=#p

Neal A. Maxwell, “Testifying of the Great and Glorious Atonement,” Ensign, Oct. 2001, 12.

see also:  http://quotestokeep.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-we-know-of-jesusthe-more-we-w.html

Daily Prayer

In prayer we review the happenings of the day, asking, “Where did I see the Lord’s hand in my life? How did my actions reveal honesty and unselfishness? What more could I have done? What thoughts and emotions do I need to control? How could I have better followed the example of the Savior? How could I have been more kind, more loving, more forgiving, and more merciful toward others? In what ways was I less than my Heavenly Father would want me to be?”

The Gift of Forgiveness

February 2021

2021

Neil L. Andersen

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/02/the-gift-of-forgiveness?lang=eng&verse=#p

I am reminded of this:

One of the questions we must ask of our Heavenly Father in private prayer is this: “What have I done today, or not done, which displeases Thee? If I can only know, I will repent with all my heart without delay.” That humble prayer will be answered.

Author:Henry B. Eyring
Title: Do Not Delay
Where: Ensign, Nov 1999, 33

Pondering the goodness of God and evaluating my life during the sacrament rather than focusing only on failures and flaws helps me put my trust in Him.

 Here are some questions you could ask yourself or God during the sacrament:

How did I follow Christ’s example this week?

Whom did I serve?

When did I feel the Spirit this week? Why?

What is a Christlike trait I’m trying to develop? How am I doing?

Is there anything in my life I should pray for help with?

Is there anyone I need to forgive?

What is one problem, big or small, that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ helped me with this week?

Pondering the goodness of God and evaluating my life during the sacrament rather than focusing only on failures and flaws helps me put my trust in Him.

Discerning the Good in Ourselves

September 2021

2021

Emily Abel

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/09/young-adults/discerning-the-good-in-ourselves?lang=eng&verse=#p

The highest type of discernment is that which perceives in others and uncovers for them their better natures, the good inherent within them.

 The highest type of discernment is that which perceives in others and uncovers for them their better natures, the good inherent within them.

Discerning the Good in Ourselves

September 2021

2021

Emily Abel

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/09/young-adults/discerning-the-good-in-ourselves?lang=eng&verse=#p

Stephen L Richards, in Douglas D. Holmes, “Deep in Our Heart,” Liahona, May 2020, 25–26.

While you were throwing the chicken manure, God was preparing the soil.

The Reverend Amos C. Brown tells a story about Howard Washington Thurman. Howard lived next to a woman who mistreated his family because they were Black—even throwing manure from her chicken coop into the Thurmans’ yard.

When the woman fell ill, Howard’s mother took her some soup and roses. With gratitude, the woman asked where the flowers had come from. Mrs. Thurman explained, “While you were throwing the chicken manure, God was preparing the soil.”

“That’s what we’ve got to do in the midst of evil,” Reverend Brown said. “Take the manure but have the faith in God to use it to grow a garden of roses.”

How Can I Help Overcome Prejudice?

September 2021

2021

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/09/overcoming-racism-and-prejudice-we-can-build-bridges/how-can-i-help-overcome-prejudice?lang=eng&verse=#p

If one accepts the terms of the covenant and obeys God’s law, he or she receives the blessings associated with the covenant.

In legal language, a covenant generally denotes an agreement between two or more parties. But in a religious context, a covenant is much more significant. It is a sacred promise with God. He fixes the terms. Each person may choose to accept those terms. If one accepts the terms of the covenant and obeys God’s law, he or she receives the blessings associated with the covenant.

President Russell M. Nelson, “Covenants,” Liahona, Nov. 2011, 86.

Our Heavenly Father’s goal in parenting is not to have His children do what is right; it is to have His children choose to do what is right and ultimately become like Hi

Our Heavenly Father’s goal in parenting is not to have His children do what is right; it is to have His children choose to do what is right and ultimately become like Him. If He simply wanted us to be obedient, He would use immediate rewards and punishments to influence our behaviors

Dale G. Renlund, “Choose You This Day,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 104.

This war in heaven was not a war of bloodshed. It was a war of conflicting ideas—the beginning of contention. Russell M. Nelson, “The Canker of Content

 This war in heaven was not a war of bloodshed. It was a war of conflicting ideas—the beginning of contention.

Russell M. Nelson, “The Canker of Contention,” Ensign, May 1989, 69.

Establish a united place of faith founded on the celestial principles of heaven

 An aspiration of Zion is to establish a united place of faith founded on the celestial principles of heaven, wherein God’s people can walk with Him and God Himself can find abode.

Bring Forth Zion

September 2021

2021

Gerrit W. Gong

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/09/bring-forth-zion?lang=eng&verse=#p

I believe that my husband’s example of living the gospel was the biggest influence on our children.

 Having grown up without the “ideal family” as a model, I constantly doubted myself and my abilities whilst raising our children. This quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles comforted me: “If you … will strive to love God and live the gospel yourselves; … if you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects you to do.” Doing our best will require the Saviour’s help—and if ever there was a time in history when parents needed to rely on Him, it is now!

Instead of worrying about lots of rules and whether our children fulfil them perfectly, we can focus on building our relationship with them and with the Saviour. Our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, said it this way: “Do not try to control your children. Instead, listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them, and lead them toward eternal life. You are God’s agents in the care of children He has entrusted to you. Let His divine influence remain in your hearts as you teach and persuade.” From my experience, this advice rings true.

....

I believe that my husband’s example of living the gospel was the biggest influence on our children. They saw him read scriptures, pray, and attend church—even if on his own. This had an impact far more powerful than anything we formally taught.

Faithful Parenting in Today’s Changing World

April 2021

2021

Denise Dunlop

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/04/faithful-parenting-in-todays-changing-world?lang=eng&verse=#p

Lucifer Was Not Volunteering to Be Our Savior

 Let it be noted that in the great premortal council, Lucifer was not volunteering to be our savior. He was not interested in suffering or dying or shedding any of his blood on our behalf. He was not seeking to become the embodiment of justice but to become a law unto himself. It is my opinion that in saying to the Father, “Give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1), Lucifer was saying, “Give me the right to rule,” intending to exercise that power capriciously. The law would be whatever he said it was at any given moment. In that way, no one could be an independent actor. Lucifer would be supreme, and no one else could advance.

Why We Need Jesus Christ

December 2020

2020

D. Todd Christofferson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/12/why-we-need-jesus-christ?lang=eng&verse=#p

But wherever you are going and however you work through your challenges in getting there, I ask you to come unto the Savior, Jesus Christ, as the imperative first step in getting to your personal destination

 Some of you are where you want to be, or you at least know where you want to go with your lives. Some of you seem to have many blessings and wonderful choices ahead of you. Others of you feel, for a time and for whatever reason, less fortunate and with fewer attractive paths lying immediately ahead.

But wherever you are going and however you work through your challenges in getting there, I ask you to come unto the Savior, Jesus Christ, as the imperative first step in getting to your personal destination, in finding your individual happiness and strength, and in achieving your ultimate destiny and success (see 1 Nephi 10:18; 2 Nephi 26:33; Omni 1:26; Doctrine and Covenants 18:11).

All of that can be yours if the answer to the question “Where goest thou?” (Moses 4:15) is “Wherever you are, Lord.”

Pursuing the Fulness of Christ

April 2021

2021

Jeffrey R. Holland

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/04/pursuing-the-fulness-of-christ?lang=eng&verse=#p

I submit that to “be of good cheer” (John 16:33) in [IS] the quest for “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ

 The Savior’s benediction upon His disciples even as He moved toward the pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary is the most moving of these words. On that night, the night of the greatest suffering that has ever taken place in the world or ever will take place, the Savior said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

What a stunning view of life in the most agonizing of hours! How can He possibly say that, facing what He knows He is facing? He can say that because His is the Church and the gospel of the happy endings! For us, the victory is already won. He is taking the long view; He is sharing the big picture.

I think some of us, however, must still have in us that clichéd remnant of Puritan heritage that says it is somehow wrong to be comforted or helped, that we are supposed to be miserable about something all of the time. I submit that to “be of good cheer” (John 16:33) in [IS] the quest for “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13) may be the commandment that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet surely nothing could be more grievous to the Lord’s merciful heart.

Pursuing the Fulness of Christ

April 2021

2021

Jeffrey R. Holland

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/04/pursuing-the-fulness-of-christ?lang=eng&verse=#p

We cannot substitute our own rules for eternal laws any more than a man who touches hot coals can decide not to get burned.

 God’s laws are not negotiable. He allows us to disregard them, but we are not free to create our own rules for the eternities any more than a person is free to create his or her personalized laws for physics. God wants us to be a qualified heir in His kingdom. To expect His heavenly inheritance while following a different course than He has outlined is naïve.

Before being called to full-time Church service, I (Elder Renlund) cared for patients with severe heart failure. In heart failure and transplant cardiology, there are defined, established courses to follow to obtain the best outcome: longer and better quality of life. Treating a patient in another way does not result in the best outcomes. It was astonishing that some patients tried to negotiate the treatment course. Some patients said, “I prefer not to take any medications,” or “I don’t want to have any heart biopsies after transplantation.” Of course, patients are free to follow their own course, but they cannot pursue an inferior course of action and expect the best outcome.

The same is true for us. We are free to choose our own course in life, but we are not free to choose the outcome that comes from following our own rules, no matter how many times someone says we can. Heavenly Father is not to blame when we do not receive blessings connected to the law of chastity because of disobedience.

In this dispensation, the Savior taught that eternal laws are not flexible and open for discussion. He said, “And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same.

“That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, … cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:34–35; emphasis added). We cannot substitute our own rules for eternal laws any more than a man who touches hot coals can decide not to get burned.

The Divine Purposes of Sexual Intimacy

August 2020

2020

Dale G. Renlund and Ruth Lybbert Renlund

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/08/the-divine-purposes-of-sexual-intimacy?lang=eng&verse=#p

Reminds me of this Teaching

http://quotestokeep.blogspot.com/2022/10/we-cannot-create-our-own-path-and.html

There is no Error in the Revelations

 “When did I ever teach anything wrong from this stand? When was I ever confounded? I want to triumph in Israel before I depart hence and am no more seen. I never told you I was perfect; but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught. Must I, then, be thrown away as a thing of naught?”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church, Joseph Smith, Chapter 27, Beware of the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy

Strict compliance with the doctrine enunciated by Jesus Christ is the only means by which a perfect social order can be maintained

 The higher requirement of the gospel followed: “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” The Mosaic provision had been but permissive, and was justified only because of existing unrighteousness. Strict compliance with the doctrine enunciated by Jesus Christ is the only means by which a perfect social order can be maintained. It is important to note, however, that in His reply to the casuistical Pharisees, Jesus announced no specific or binding rule as to legal divorces; the putting away of a wife, as contemplated under the Mosaic custom, involved no judicial investigation or action by an established court. In our Lord’s day the prevailing laxity in the matter of marital obligation had produced a state of appalling corruption in Israel; and woman, who by the law of God had been made a companion and partner with man, had become his slave. The world’s greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ.

James E Talmage, Jesus the Christ, Chapter 27, Continuation of the Perean and Judean Ministry

My shadow on this farm is worth more than the labor of all of you

President McKay told an interesting story. He said, ‘A farmer had a large tract of land. When he grew old it became too much for him. He had a family of boys. He called the boys around him and told them they would have to carry the load. The father rested. But one day he walked out into the field. The boys told him to go back, they did not need his help. He said, “My shadow on this farm is worth more than the labor of all of you.”’

April 2006 General Conference, Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, Gordon B. Hinckley

Speculation

 We can all wonder privately about circumstances in the spirit world or even discuss these or other unanswered questions in family or other intimate settings. But let us not teach or use as official doctrine what does not meet the standards of official doctrine. To do so does not further the work of the Lord and may even discourage individuals from seeking their own comfort or edification through the personal revelation the Lord’s plan provides for each of us. Excessive reliance on personal teachings or speculations may even draw us aside from concentrating on learning and efforts that will further our understanding and help us go forward on the covenant path.

Trust in the Lord

October 2019

2010–2019

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/17oaks?lang=eng&verse=#p

Please note that Lehi did not leave the tree of life. He stayed spiritually with the Lord and invited his family to come where he was to partake of the fruit.

 In returning to Nephi’s story, we know that Nephi’s inclination to trust in the Lord was influenced by his parents’ propensity to trust in the Lord and by their covenant-keeping example. This is beautifully exemplified in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. After partaking of the sweet and joyful fruit of the tree, Lehi “cast [his] eyes round about, that perhaps [he] might discover [his] family.” He saw Sariah, Sam, and Nephi standing “as if they knew not whither they should go.” Lehi then stated, “I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit.” Please note that Lehi did not leave the tree of life. He stayed spiritually with the Lord and invited his family to come where he was to partake of the fruit.

Come unto Christ—Living as Latter-day Saints

April 2020

General Conference

John A. McCune

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/24mccune?lang=eng&verse=#p

Stay by the tree

You can’t sing on Sunday, “O Babylon, O Babylon, [I] bid thee farewell” and then seek or tolerate its company again moments later

 The Lord, who “requireth the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34) and who “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (D&C 33:1), knows why you go to church—whether you are present in body only or truly worshipping. You can’t sing on Sunday, “O Babylon, O Babylon, [I] bid thee farewell” and then seek or tolerate its company again moments later (“Ye Elders of Israel,” Hymns, no. 319). Remember that casualness in spiritual matters never was happiness. Make the Church and the restored gospel your whole life, not just a part of your outward or social life. Choosing this day whom you will serve is lip service only—until you actually live accordingly (see Joshua 24:15).

October 2014, Jorg Klebignat, "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence"

There are times, brethren, when you need to restrain those feelings. There are times when you need to allow their full expression

 Now I would speak of something that is most sacred. When we were created, Father in Heaven put in our body the capacity to stir powerful emotions. Within the covenant of marriage, when properly used in ways acceptable to both and to the Lord, those emotions open the doors for children to come to earth. Such sacred expressions of love are an essential part of the covenant of marriage. Within marriage, however, the stimulation of those emotions can either be used as an end unto itself or to allow a couple to draw closer in oneness through the beautiful, appropriate expression of these feelings between husband and wife. There are times, brethren, when you need to restrain those feelings. There are times when you need to allow their full expression. Let the Lord guide you in ways that will enrich your marriage.

There are men, and unfortunately some women, who experiment with stimulating those emotions by influences outside of the covenant of marriage. There is a great difference between love and lust. Pure love yields happiness and engenders trust. It is the foundation of eternal joy. Lust will destroy that which is enriching and beautiful. A husband must have no private, hidden agenda that is kept secret from his wife. Sharing everything about each other’s personal life is powerful spiritual insurance. When you travel, take along a picture of your wife. Set it before you. Remember how you are loved and trusted. You will not be tempted to contaminate your mind or violate your covenants.

The Sanctity of Womanhood, Richard G. Scott, General Conference April 2004

Express them Fully

Avoiding something tempting once will help you develop the ability to resist other temptations in the future

 Last year the professor who conducted the original experiment, Dr. Walter Mischel, wrote a book in which he said the study grew in part out of his concerns about self-control and his own addiction to smoking. He was particularly concerned after the U.S. Surgeon General’s report of 1964 concluded that smoking caused lung cancer. After years of study, one of his professional colleagues reported that “self-control is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Avoiding something tempting once will help you develop the ability to resist other temptations in the future.”

Shipshape and Bristol Fashion: Be Temple Worthy—in Good Times and Bad Times

October 2015

2010–2019

Quentin L. Cook

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/shipshape-and-bristol-fashion-be-temple-worthy-in-good-times-and-bad-times?lang=eng&verse=#p

Promise of greater loneliness for the majority, and stagnation overall...Wickedness, such as immoral conduct, is never part of the answer

 At the commencement of the Savior’s earthly ministry in Israel and later among the Nephites, the Savior addressed the issue of happiness both in this life and in eternity. He stressed ordinances, but He also placed great emphasis on moral behavior. For example, disciples would be blessed if they would hunger and thirst after righteousness, be merciful, be pure in heart, be peacemakers, and follow other basic moral principles. Clearly, our Lord Jesus Christ emphasized, as a foundational doctrinal message, both righteous attitudes and conduct in day-to-day living. His teachings not only replaced and transcended elements of the law of Moses but also were a rejection of the false philosophies of men.

For many centuries the gospel of Jesus Christ has inspired beliefs and established standards of conduct as to what is righteous, desirable, and moral and results in happiness, felicity, and joy. However, the principles and basic morality the Savior taught are under serious attack in today’s world. Christianity is under attack. Many believe that what is moral has basically changed.

We live in difficult times. There is an increased tendency to “call evil good, and good evil.” A world that emphasizes self-aggrandizement and secularism is cause for great concern. One prominent writer, not of our faith, has put it this way: “Unfortunately I see little evidence that people are actually happier in the emerging dispensation, or that their children are better off, or that the cause of social justice is well-served, or that declining marriage rates and thinning family trees … promise anything save greater loneliness for the majority, and stagnation overall.”....

I recognize that, despite the overwhelming happiness embodied in God’s divine plan, sometimes it can feel far away and disconnected from our current circumstances. It may feel beyond our reach as struggling disciples. From our limited perspective, current temptations and distractions can seem attractive. The rewards for resisting those temptations, on the other hand, can feel distant and unattainable. But a true understanding of the Father’s plan reveals that the rewards of righteousness are available right now. Wickedness, such as immoral conduct, is never part of the answer. Alma said it clearly to his son Corianton: “Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.”

Shipshape and Bristol Fashion: Be Temple Worthy—in Good Times and Bad Times

October 2015

2010–2019

Quentin L. Cook

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/shipshape-and-bristol-fashion-be-temple-worthy-in-good-times-and-bad-times?lang=eng&verse=#p

We can celebrate our individual uniqueness as children of God without using authenticity as an excuse for un-Christlike behavior.

 Some misuse authenticity as a celebration of the natural man and qualities that are the opposite of humility, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and civility. We can celebrate our individual uniqueness as children of God without using authenticity as an excuse for un-Christlike behavior.

The Eternal Everyday

October 2017

2010–2019

Quentin L. Cook

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/the-eternal-everyday?lang=eng&verse=#p

To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.

When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.

In the grand division of all of God’s creations, there are things to act and things to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:13–14). As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation.

 David A. Bednar, And Nothing Shall Offend Them, October 2006 General Conference

The Age and Place of the Gifted Pickle Sucker

 Another potential destroyer of spiritual roots—accelerated by current technology but not unique to it—is the keyhole view of the gospel or the Church. This limited view focuses on a particular doctrine or practice or perceived deficiency in a leader and ignores the grand panorama of the gospel plan and the personal and communal fruits of its harvest. President Gordon B. Hinckley gave a vivid description of one aspect of this keyhole view. He told a BYU audience about political commentators “aflame with indignation” at a then-recent news event. “With studied art they poured out the sour vinegar of invective and anger. … Surely,” he concluded, “this is the age and place of the gifted pickle sucker.” In contrast, to be securely rooted in the gospel, we must be moderate and measured in criticism and seek always for the broader view of the majestic work of God.

Parable of the Sower, Dallin H. Oaks, April 2015

And the Battle Raged On

Spencer W. Kimball was one of the prophets of my youth. These past few years, after being called as an Apostle, I have found peace in his first message at general conference in October 1943. He was overwhelmed by his call; I know what that feels like. Elder Kimball said: “I did a great deal of thinking and praying, and fasting and praying. There were conflicting thoughts that surged through my mind—seeming voices saying: ‘You can’t do the work. You are not worthy. You have not the ability’—and always finally came the triumphant thought: ‘You must do the work assigned—you must make yourself able, worthy and qualified.’ And the battle raged on.”

Be Not Afraid, Ronald A. Rasband, October 2018 General Conference

Do Your Homework

 You wonderful leaders might teach this deacons quorum president that revelation is not a substitute for hard work and homework. President Henry B. Eyring once asked President Harold B. Lee, “How do I get revelation?” President Lee responded, “If you want to get revelation, do your homework.” The wise leader might discuss with his deacons quorum president some of the spiritual homework he might do in preparing to recommend his counselors. He might need to ask and answer questions such as: Who would be a good example that could lift the other boys? Or who would be sensitive to the needs of those who face special challenges?

The Power of the Priesthood in the Boy, Tad R. Callister, April 2013 General Conference 

Grow in the Principle of Revelation

This article is abundant in it lines and directions.  Here are a few:

Because of the increasing dangers we face, our need for divine guidance has never been greater, and our efforts to hear the voice of Jesus Christ—our Mediator, Savior, and Redeemer—have never been more urgent

....

If we will stay on our knees for a while after we finish our prayer, thoughts, feelings, and direction will come into our mind. Recording those impressions will help us remember what actions the Lord would have us take

....

“The standard is clear,” taught Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “If something we think, see, hear, or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing, or doing that thing. If that which is intended to entertain, for example, alienates us from the Holy Spirit, then certainly that type of entertainment is not for us. Because the Spirit cannot abide that which is vulgar, crude, or immodest, then clearly such things are not for us.”

.....

When we receive revelation, we spend time in the presence of God as He reveals His mind, will, and voice unto us (see Doctrine and Covenants 68:4).

Grow into the Principle of Revelation

January 2021

2021

Russell M. Nelson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/01/grow-into-the-principle-of-revelation?lang=eng&verse=#p

Do Not Forget Them

 Now, you missionaries, you are part of this responsibility of binding your converts to the Church. You may not be able to continue to visit them. But you can write them occasionally and give them encouragement. I hope that every one of you will make a record in your scriptures of every man, woman, and child whom you baptize, together with their home addresses. Your penmanship may be terrible, but an occasional note from you will give reassurance and comfort and a rekindling of joy. When you go home do not forget them. At all times live worthy of their trust. Write to them occasionally, assuring them of your love.

Find the Lambs, Feed the Sheep, Gordon B. Hinckley February 1998

We in science describe how these creative forces work without really knowing why they are what they are.

 Astronomers will say that forces from gravity, heat, and atomic interactions created the stars, sun, earth, and moon and gave them the natures they have. This is true, but to paraphrase Nobel laureate Richard Feynman, we in science describe how these creative forces work without really knowing why they are what they are. Asking why is asking what the purpose of forces really is. These scriptures tell us that Christ, and with Him the work and glory of God in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (see Moses 1:39), is in the very purpose and reason for having a physical universe in the first place.

The Light of Christ

August 2021

2021

J. Ward Moody

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/08/the-light-of-christ?lang=eng&verse=#p

I know now that the place of safety in this world is not in any given place; it doesn’t make so much difference where we live; but the all-important thing is how we live

In Kelsey, Texas, in 1942, at the height of World War II, a group of Latter-day Saints approached President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973), who was at the time a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They asked, “Is now the day for us to come up to Zion, … where we can be protected from our enemies?”

President Lee took the question seriously. After pondering, studying, and praying for some time, he concluded: “I know now that the place of safety in this world is not in any given place; it doesn’t make so much difference where we live; but the all-important thing is how we live, and I have found that security can come to Israel only when [we] keep the commandments, when [we] live so that [we] can enjoy the companionship, the direction, the comfort, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit of the Lord, when [we] are willing to listen to these men whom God has set here to preside as His mouthpieces, and when we obey the counsels of the Church.”

Prophecy of War, Prescription for Peace

August 2021

2021

Matthew S. Holland

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/08/prophecy-of-war-prescription-for-peace?lang=eng&verse=#p

He did what he could for the beaten man and then put in place a specific plan for others to do more.

 Remember that when the Lord lets us encounter someone in distress, we honor the good Samaritan for what he did not do as much as for what he did. He did not pass by on the other side even though the beaten traveler on the road was a stranger and perhaps an enemy. He did what he could for the beaten man and then put in place a specific plan for others to do more. He did that because he understood that helping may require more than what one person can do.

Henry B. Eyring "The Caregiver", General Conference, October 2012

No, I am sure your husband had authority for those baptisms, He had all the authority his church, his congregation, and the laws of the land could give him.

Thirty years ago, I had an experience with how priesthood authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differs from other kinds of authority. The wife of a prominent Protestant minister came to my office. For many years she and her husband had served the Lord with great diligence in a Christian ministry. Now she wanted to join the restored Church, but she had a reservation.

She came to ask me why she had to be baptized when she had already been baptized a Christian by her minister husband, who had baptized many people in his congregation. She asked, “Are you telling me that my husband didn’t have any authority to baptize all those people he baptized?”

The Spirit came to my aid, as we pray for in these situations.

“No, I am sure your husband had authority for those baptisms,” I replied. “He had all the authority his church, his congregation, and the laws of the land could give him. He used that authority in baptizing, performing marriages, employing persons for the physical needs of his church building, and appointing persons to participate in its worship services. We don’t question that authority, but we want you to know of a different kind of authority: the power God delegates to mortals.”

I explained that what causes us to require baptism for persons converted to the restored Church of Jesus Christ is the need for baptism by the divine authority Jesus gave to Peter and the other Apostles. With that authority, He told them whatsoever they bound on earth would be bound in heaven (see Matthew 16:19; 18:18). In other words, it would be valid and effective beyond the veil of death to satisfy the requirements of heaven. I testified to her that this authority has been restored and now exists only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sometime later, both this woman and her husband were baptized. I have known them for many years as faithful members.

Authority, Ordinances, and Preparation

August 2021, Liahona

2021

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/08/authority-ordinances-and-preparation?lang=eng&verse=#p

In intelligence and performance, He far surpasses the individual and the composite capacities and achievements of all who have lived, live now, and will yet live!

 In the sweeping vision of the universe He gave to Abraham (see Abraham 3), the premortal Christ taught personally about His knowledge and intelligence in comparison with all of the rest of our Heavenly Father’s spirit children. He declared, “I am more intelligent than they all” (Abraham 3:19). Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum the Twelve Apostles helped us appreciate the deep significance of this stunning truth when he explained:

“He is utterly incomparable in what He is, what He knows, what He has accomplished, and what He has experienced. …

“In intelligence and performance, He far surpasses the individual and the composite capacities and achievements of all who have lived, live now, and will yet live!”

Elder Maxwell also observed, “Yet, movingly, He calls us His friends.”

The Book of Abraham: A Most Remarkable Gift for Our Time, By Andrew C. Skinner,

Professor Emeritus of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University

Such as I am, I am at the Master’s pleasure. He died for me, and I hope that I shall never consider my life as too great a sacrifice to offer unto Him, if necessary, in return.

 Evan S. Morgan, age 62, accepted his mission call even with health concerns, stating, “Such as I am, I am at the Master’s pleasure. He died for me, and I hope that I shall never consider my life as too great a sacrifice to offer unto Him, if necessary, in return.” To this, President Smith replied, “God bless and heal that man, for he has a noble spirit; and his generous offering of sacrifice for the gospel’s sake is accepted. Let him be honorably released from the call with our blessing.”

Liahona March 2021, Early Missionary Calls: Voices from a Century Ago

Tribute to a Seminary Principal

Tribute to a Seminary Principal, By Joyann Bergevin, Washington, USA

My husband, Jerry, had been in poor health for several years when he became seminary principal for the wards that met in our meetinghouse. I don’t think anyone knew how difficult it was for him to get up early every morning—especially during the dark, cold winter months—and go to our building. Sometime later, he passed away.

Several years after Jerry’s passing, I was surprised to receive a touching letter from a young woman who had moved away years earlier. She had tucked it into her wedding announcement. The letter read:

“I absolutely adored your husband and was so sad to hear he had passed away. He was the best seminary principal we ever had. Every morning he would wait in between the doors and open them as he wished everyone a good morning. After class, he would open the door again and say, ‘Have a good day at school!’

“I always made sure to say thank you and occasionally tell him how grateful we were to have him. I felt safer with him there.

“He was always so humble, and his kindness was recognized by all. I think my attendance was better because I didn’t want Brother Bergevin waiting in the cold, thinking I was on my way or I was late. He was an incredible man and he will always be remembered.”

I’m sure that Jerry had no idea anyone would still think of him so many years later. Yet this thoughtful young woman still did, and she was kind enough to send me this sweet letter, which I was grateful to receive.

The hymn “Each Life That Touches Ours for Good” (no. 293) begins with these lines:


Each life that touches ours for good

Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;

Thou sendest blessings from above

Thru words and deeds of those who love.

I chose this hymn for Jerry’s funeral because I believe that we often bless the lives of others without realizing it. I know that Jerry blessed many lives with his generosity, service, and love.

The gospel story is a family story—nothing more, nothing less.

The gospel story is a family story—nothing more, nothing less. It begins with heavenly parents, and it ends with children making their way through the sometimes exhilarating, sometimes overwhelming challenges of mortality and back to their heavenly home, having received all of the essential ordinances of eternal exaltation.

That’s the story of our lives. God has given us the outline, but He leaves it up to us to flesh out the details through our choices and faithfulness. There is an extraordinarily happy ending in store for all who desire it. But before we can claim it, we have to become more than just His children—we have to become His disciples.

  The Essential Role of Women, Liahona March 2021, M. Russell Ballard

Some women wish they could find more stories of women in the scriptures and in Church history.

Some women wish they could find more stories of women in the scriptures and in Church history. We need to develop the skill to find their influence, as did one young sister. She said, “Mormon must have had an amazing wife to have raised a remarkable son like Moroni!”

If you look carefully and with the right spirit, you can find similar manifestations of effective nurturing throughout the scriptures.

 The Essential Role of Women, Liahona March 2021, M. Russell Ballard

Joseph spoke upon the subject, he advised every one to be up and a doing, and liberate their friends from bondage as quick as possible.

The Kimballs had moved from New York to be with the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio, and then moved to Far West, Missouri. Just a year later, in 1839, they had to flee Missouri with thousands of other Latter-day Saints to escape persecution at the hands of violent mobs. They made their home in Nauvoo, hundreds of miles from where their journey had started.

Although their arrival in Nauvoo had been under trying circumstances, Vilate’s October 1840 letter to her husband was teeming with excitement. “I want to be baptised for my Mother,” she exclaimed. “I calculated to wait until you come home, but the last time Joseph spoke upon the subject, he advised every one to be up and a doing, and liberate their friends from bondage as quick as possible. … Thus you see there is a chance for all. Is not this a glorious doctrine?”

Vilate was one of the first women to be baptized for the dead in Nauvoo.

A Glorious Doctrine,  Vilate Kimball, October 2021 Liahona

Submit to the hand of the Lord, … and acknowledge his hand in all things … , then you will be exactly right, and until you come to that point you cannot be entirely right.

“Submit to the hand of the Lord, … and acknowledge his hand in all things … , then you will be exactly right, and until you come to that point you cannot be entirely right. That is what we have to come to.”

Brigham Young, Remarks, Deseret New, Octo 25, 1857

Our flight from the world should be noticed, and this itself will be a message to the disobedient.

In fact, the Lord says that not only should we be obedient ourselves, but we should encourage others to do the same. He says, “Every man [and woman] should take righteousness in his [or her] hands … and lift a warning voice unto the inhabitants of the earth; and declare both by word and by flight that desolation shall come upon the wicked” (verse 37).

“Both by word and by flight.” I love this phrase. Those who are obedient will flee the world and gather in Zion. That used to mean to gather to the headquarters of the Church; today, it means to gather together in places of righteousness, including the temple. As President Russell M. Nelson has said, “Each one of us needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is possible only in the house of the Lord.”

As we gather to Zion, that should be a message to others. In other words, people should notice that we don’t participate in certain things. We remove from certain places; we flee to the temples, to chapels, and to our homes. It should be clear to others what we consume and don’t consume, what we watch or don’t watch, what we read or don’t read, and what we say or don’t say. Our flight from the world should be noticed, and this itself will be a message to the disobedient.

Also, the Lord expects us to use our voices. While we flee the evils of the world, we must also declare the glories of the gospel. In normal and natural ways, people will be curious about why we don’t participate in certain worldly things, and we should have the courage to answer them, not out of condescension or pity but out of love and a genuine desire to save them.

As Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “I am not asking that you stand on a street corner with a megaphone and shout out Book of Mormon verses. What I am asking is that you always look for opportunities to bring up your faith in natural and normal ways with people—both in person as well as online. I am asking that you ‘stand as witnesses’ [Mosiah 18:9] of the power of the gospel at all times—and when necessary, use words.”

What Comes from Above Is Sacred, Elder Jorge M. Alvarado, Liahona June 2021

If you will keep your boys close to your heart, within the clasp of your arms; if you will make them to feel that you love them, that you are their parents, that they are your children, and keep them near to you, they will not go very far from you,

 Oh! my brethren, be true to your families, be true to your wives and children. Teach them the way of life. Do not allow them to get so far from you that they will become oblivious to you or to any principle of honor, purity or truth. … If you will keep your boys close to your heart, within the clasp of your arms; if you will make them to feel that you love them, that you are their parents, that they are your children, and keep them near to you, they will not go very far from you, and they will not commit any very great sin. But it is when you turn them out of the home, turn them out of your affection—out into the darkness of the night into the society of the depraved or degraded; it is when they become tiresome to you, or you are tired of their innocent noise and prattle at home, and you say, “Go off somewhere else,” it is this sort of treatment of your children that drives them from you.

Our children are like we are; we couldn’t be driven; we can’t be driven now. We are like some other animals that we know of in the world. You can coax them; you can lead them, by holding out inducements to them, and by speaking kindly to them, but you can’t drive them; they won’t be driven. We won’t be driven. Men are not in the habit of being driven; they are not made that way. …

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 253

They Cannot Do For Our Children What We Would Not Do For Them

 It is increasingly clear that we must teach the gospel to our families personally, live those teachings in our homes, or run the risk of discovering too late that a Primary teacher or priesthood adviser or seminary instructor could not do for our children what we would not do for them.

June 2021 Liahona, Jeffrey R. Holland, Keeping Our Children Close to Our Hearts

Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most.

Patience is a process of perfection. The Savior Himself said that in your patience you possess your souls. Or, to use another translation of the Greek text, in your patience you win mastery of your souls. Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most. This was true in the time of the Savior. It is true in our time as well, for we are commanded in these latter days to “continue in patience until ye are perfected.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Continue in Patience", Ensign, May 2010, 56–59

when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings—that’s when the trouble begins.

That is a good lesson for us all, brethren, in any calling or life situation. We can be grateful for our health, wealth, possessions, or positions, but when we begin to inhale it—when we become obsessed with our status; when we focus on our own importance, power, or reputation; when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings(Website administrators thought: Social Media Posts)—that’s when the trouble begins; that’s when pride begins to corrupt.

 Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Pride in the Priesthood, October 2010 General Conference

When our heart is in the right place, we do not complain that our assigned task is unworthy of our abilities.

When our heart is in the right place, we do not complain that our assigned task is unworthy of our abilities. We gladly serve wherever we are asked. When we do this, the Lord can use us in ways beyond our understanding to accomplish His work.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Pride in the Priesthood, October 2010 General Conference

The Church has the responsibility—and the authority—to preserve and protect the family as the foundation of society

 The Church has the responsibility—and the authority—to preserve and protect the family as the foundation of society. The pattern for family life, instituted from before the foundation of the world, provides for children to be born to and nurtured by a father and mother who are husband and wife, lawfully married. Parenthood is a sacred obligation and privilege, with children welcomed as a “heritage of the Lord” (Ps. 127:3).

A worried society now begins to see that the disintegration of the family brings upon the world the calamities foretold by the prophets. The world’s councils and deliberations will succeed only when they define the family as the Lord has revealed it to be. “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Ps. 127:1).

“Exceeding Great and Precious Promises”

October 1994

1990–1999

Howard W. Hunter

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1994/10/exceeding-great-and-precious-promises?lang=eng&verse=#p