April 1996 General Conference Saturday Morning

James E. Faust -The Prophetic Voice

• If they wanted to follow the right path, to keep [in] the main channel of the stream--where the body of the Church goes, there is the authority.
• "If this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply  ye be found even to fight against God."
• "Thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church."
• "My integrity will not permit me to yield my conscience to anyone."
• Stand by the authorities.
• The Prophet Joseph explained in the winter of 1832-33 that "no true angel from God will ever come to ordain any man, because they have once been sent to establish the priesthood by ordaining me thereunto; and the priesthood being once established on earth, with [the] power to ordain others, no heavenly messenger will ever come to interfere with that power by ordaining any more. ...You may therefore know, from this time forward, that if any man comes to you professing to be ordained by an angel, he is either a liar or has been imposed upon in consequence of transgression by an angel of the devil, for this priesthood shall never be taken from this church."

Keith B. McMullin- "Ye May Know"

• One never stands alone in carrying the word of God to the world.
• "'Words do not convey meanings; they call them forth.' I speak out of context of my experience, and you listen out of the context of yours, and that is why communication is difficult."
• A millennium of experience through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and all the powers of the universe combined cannot approach the sublime and complete experience of one brief moment under the influence of the Holy Ghost.

Earl C. Tingey -The Sabbath Day and Sunday Shopping

• "Sabbath observance was a sign between ancient Israel and their God whereby the chosen people might be known."
• A very important aspect of properly observing the Sabbath concerns shopping on Sunday. Unfortunately, many commercial businesses and establishments are open on Sunday. The world sees no conflict in Sunday shopping. But we of the Church have been counseled and taught by prophets to keep ourselves "unspotted from the world." We should not shop on Sunday.
• We as a community of Saints should use our influence, in a positive way, to encourage other citizens to not shop on Sunday. We should start with ourselves. If we will not shop on Sunday, businesses which open on Sunday will have no financial reason to remain open on Sunday. It's really that simple.
• "Our observance or nonobservance o the Sabbath is an unerring measure of our attitude toward the Lord personally and toward his suffering on Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. it is a sign of whether we are Christians in very deed, or whether our conversion is so shallow that commemoration of his atoning sacrifice means little or nothing to us."

Chieko N. Okazaki -Baskets and Bottles

• God has given us many gifts, much diversity, and many differences, but the essential thing is what we know about each other--that we are all his children. Our challenge ... is for all of us to learn form each other, that we may all love each other and grow together.  
• "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance."
• Our unity grows from what we have in common all around the world.
• Let us rejoice with each other, listen to each other, learn from each other, and help each other ... as we deal with our different circumstances, different cultures, different generations, and different geographies.

Russell M. Nelson -"Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods"

• When spiritual needs arise, they may look to the left, the right, or round about. But looking to other people on the same level cannot satisfy spiritual shortages.
• Inner peace cannot be found in affluence accompanied by spiritual privation.
• I perceived such confusion in the mind of a newspaper reporter who asked one of our leaders when a representative of such-and-such a country would become a General Authority. While that question was being answered, I thought about our beloved General Authorities born in the countries of Asia; of Europe; of North, Central, and South America; and of the islands of the sea. Though these Brethren come from many nations and speak several tongues, not one of them was called to represent his native country. Presiding quorums of the Church are not representative assemblies. Each leader has been called to face the people as a representative of the Lord, not the other way around.
• "It is dehumanizing to define ourselves by our desires alone."
• In rendering service to others, which way do we face? From the right or the left, we can only push or pull. We can lift only from a higher plane. To reach it we don't look sideways; we look up to our Master. Just as we must look to God to live well, so we must look to God to serve well.

Boyd K. Packer -The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promises

• We know that young people generally don't like restrictions. Believe it or not, we were young once and we remember.
• Young people, learn to use moderation and common sense in matters of health and nutrition, and particularly in medication. Avoid being extreme or fanatical or becoming a faddist.
• The Word of Wisdom does not promise you perfect health, but it teaches how to keep the body you were born with in the best condition and your mind alert to delicate spiritual promptings.
• Learn to "listen" to your feelings. you will be guided and warned and taught and blessed.
• Even though young life is always filled with uncertainties, young people, do not fear the future!
• Your young dreams can be realized. All of your worthy natural physical and emotional desires can be satisfied. you can find a companion to whom you can offer a body free from addiction, from depressants, from stimulants, and a mind sensitive to spiritual guidance and impressions.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I was at my parents home, sitting outside with them, and a bunch of cats. One of them walked up with three cute kittens. A black one and two orange ones. They were super cute and adorable, only it seemed like I looked away at the wrong moment, and one of the orange ones was laying on it's side as if it were dead. My mom picked it up and asked Meralto what had happened. He said that he'd found the kitten not acting well in the backyard and that he'd given him some fluids via a shot. Apparently that was the wrong thing to do. Due to his experience he'd put the shot in the wrong spot, compromising the kitten. I don't know if the kitten actually died, as I was distracted by the other two kittens, and then my mom was telling me how Grandma had called saying that she was going to make dad a pair of shoes and she just needed a couple of questions answered really quick. Well, apparently the undertaking was a it much for grandma as she kept calling with more questions about the size of feet, what type of shoes my dad liked to wear, colors...etc. Mom was getting frustrated with her. And finally asked "Is this going to be like that 'small' fish tank we agreed to take from you. (it took up much of the entertainment center and was deeper then we usually like in our fishtanks) where we'll get the shoes and it will be nothing like we talked about? They might actually be detrimental to his feet?

And then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D