Monday, February 10, 2014

April 1998 General Conference Sunday Afternoon

Boyd K. Packer -The Relief Society
  • The tender hand of the sister gives a gentle touch of healing and encouragement which the hand of a man, however well intentioned, can never quite duplicate.
  • This society is organized "according to your natures. ... You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies [within you]. ...
  • "If you live up to [these] privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates. ...
  • "If this Society listen[s] to the counsel of the Almighty, through the heads of the Church, they shall have power to command queens in their midst."
  • Those words, circle of sisters, inspired me. I could see them standing in a circle that reached beyond that room and circled the world. I caught the same vision the apostles and prophets before us have had. The Relief Society is more than a circle now; it is more like a fabric of lace spread across the continents.
  • You sisters may be surprised to learn that the needs of men are seldom, if ever, discussed in priesthood quorums. Certainly they are not preoccupied with them. They discuss the gospel and the priesthood and the family!
  • Do not allow yourselves to be organized under another banner which cannot, in truth, fulfill your needs.
  • We'd like not to take care of the exception first. We will take care of the rule first, and then we will see to the exceptions."
  • When you state a rule and include the exception in the same sentence, the exception is accepted first.
  • Sisters, you must graduate from thinking that you only attend Relief Society to feeling that you belong to it!
  • However much priesthood power and authority the men may possess--however much wisdom and experience they may accumulate--the safety of the family, the integrity of the doctrine, the ordinances, the covenants, indeed the future of the Church, rests equally upon the women. The defenses of the home and family are greatly reinforced when the wife and mother and daughters belong to Relief Society.
  • In the home and in the Church sisters should be esteemed for their very nature. Be careful lest you unknowingly foster influences and activities which tend to erase the masculine and feminine differences nature has established. A man, a father, can do much of what is usually assumed to be a woman's work. In turn, a wife and a mother can do much--and in time of need, most things--usually considered to responsibility of the man, without jeopardizing their distinct roles. Even so, leaders, and especially parents, should recognize that there is a distinct masculine nature and a distinct feminine nature essential to the foundation of the home and the family. Whatever disturbs or weakens or tends to erase that difference erodes the family and reduces the probability of happiness for all concerned.
  • In the Church our service is by call. In the home our service is by choice. A calling in the Church generally is temporary for there comes a release. Our place in the home and family, which is based on choice, is forever and beyond.
  • IN the home it is a partnership with husband and wife equally yoked together, sharing in decisions, always working together. While the husband, the father, has responsibility to provide worthy and inspired leadership, his wife is neither behind him nor ahead of him but at his side.
  • Be very careful to sustain and support rather than supplant the home.
Robert D. Hales -"Behold, We Count Them Happy Which Endure"
  • He could not stop, because he knew who he was, he knew for what purpose he was placed on the earth, and he had the desire to do God's will.
  • I have learned that I am a lot stronger than I thought. I have learned that if you need help, it is OK to ask for it; we all have our limits, strengths, and weaknesses.
  • "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; my country sent me to finish the race."
  • When one of us gives up and succumbs to the wiles of the adversary, we may lose more than our own soul. Our surrender could cause the loss of souls who respect us in this generation. Our capitulation to temptation could affect children and families for generation to come.
  • We cannot expect to learn endurance in our later years if we have developed the habit of quitting when things get difficult now.
  • There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand.
Ronald E. Poelman -Tithing: A Privilege
  • You have made a good beginning, and if you continue as you have begun, you can be a perfect tithe payer.
  • The blessings from living the principle of the tithe can bring peace of mind.
Lynn G. Robbins -Agency and Anger
  • He {satan] damages and often destroys families within the walls of their own homes. His strategy is to stir up anger between family members. Satan is the "father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one to another." The verb stir sounds like a recipe for disaster: Put tempers on medium heat, stir in a few choice words, and bring to a boil; continue stirring until thick; cool off; let feelings chill for several days; serve cold; lots of leftovers.
  • A cunning part of his strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are victims of an emotion that we cannot control.
  • No one makes us mad. Others don't make us angry. There is no force involved. Becoming angry is a conscious choice, a decision; therefore, we can make the choice not to become angry. We choose!
  • "Aggression, ... suppressing the anger, talking about it, screaming and yelling," are all learned strategies in dealing with anger. "We choose the one that has proved effective for us in the past. Ever notice how seldom we lose control when frustrated by our boss, but how often we do when annoyed by friends or family?"
  • Anger can be controlled.
  • "Can ye be angry, and not sin?" The Lord is very clear on this issue: "He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
  • "Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another.
  • The Lord expects us to make the choice not to become angry.
  • Anger is yielding to Satan's influence by surrendering our self-control. It is the detonator of road rage on the freeway, flare-ups in the sports arena, and domestic violence in homes.
  • Unchecked, anger can quickly trigger and explosion of cruel words and other forms of emotional abuse that can scar a tender heart.
  • "Let husband and wife never speak in loud tones to each other, 'unless the house is on fire.'"
  • Physical abuse is anger gone berserk and is never justified and always unrighteous.
  • Anger is an uncivil attempt to make another feel guilty or a cruel way of trying to correct them. It is often mislabeled as discipline but is almost always counterproductive.
Donald L. Staheli -Obedience--Life's Great Challenge
  • "We all have the right to inspiration and direction by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost."
  • Many of us are missing some spiritual opportunities and blessings by "the things that should matter most in life be at the mercy of the things that matter least."
  • "The cares of the world are so many and so entangling, even very good people are diverted from following the truth because they care too much for the things of the world."
  • Seemingly small acts of disobedience can result in longer-term consequences of unhappiness, regrets, and even fatal results.
  • "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power."
Richard E. Turley Sr. -Bridging the Gap between Uncertainty and Certainty
  • How grateful I am for ancient and modern prophets who help us to be aware of those who "lie in wait to deceive."
  • If an agnostic, by following Moroni's challenge, could come to believe, others can also come to understand why we have the earth in the first place.
  • The Spirit will help us in our quest to bridge the gap between uncertainty and certainty.
Richard G. Scott -Removing Barriers to Happiness
  • No one who truly understands the significance of Church membership has any hesitancy in making these adjustments to receive the blessings of worthy fellowship in His kingdom.
  • Your Heavenly Father assigned you to be born into a specific lineage from which you received your inheritance of race, culture, and traditions. That lineage can provide a rich heritage and great reasons to rejoice. Yet you have the responsibility to determine if there is any part of that heritage that must be discarded because it works against the Lord's plan of happiness.
  • No family can long endure under fear or force; that leads to contention and rebellion. Love is the foundation of a happy family.
  • That zeal to defend one's own culture may lead to excesses that are known to be wrong but justified because it's "them" against "us."
  • It is a violation of God's commandments for one culture to persecute another, whatever the reason.
  • You do what is right. Don't worry so much about what everyone else is doing. Certainly don't justify departure from what you know is right because of others' wrong choices.
  • "A perfect oneness will save a people, because intelligent beings [can only] become perfectly one, ... by acting upon principles that pertain to eternal life. Wicked men may be partially united in evil; but, ... the very principle upon which they are partially united will itself breed contention ... to destroy the temporary compact. Only ... truth and righteousness can secure ... an eternal continuation of perfect union; for only truth and those who are sanctified by it can dwell in celestial glory."
Gordon B. Hinckley -New Temples to Provide "Crowning Blessings" of the Gospel
  • May there be peace and harmony and love in our homes and in our families.
General YW Meeting

Margaret D. Nadauld -Turning Hearts to the Family
  • Do you see yourself as nurturers of precious sons and daughters of Heavenly Father? You can practice now by being loving and gentle to little children and by saying the kindest things in the kindest way in your home.
  • Please, for yourself and your future family, choose a fine education. Be qualified. Be well rounded. Work hard.
  • It is a divine and priceless blessing to be born a woman. Your Heavenly Farther blessed you, His daughters, with some very precious qualities in extra capacity--qualities such as sensitivity, spirituality, a loving, nurturing nature. Please take opportunities to develop these divine gifts and then use them to bless others. Be happy. Scatter a little sunshine.
Carol B. Thomas -Understanding Our True Identity
  • "The [home] is not a monastery for perfect people"; sometimes it is a hospital where we nurse and take care of those we love.
  • In every young woman's heart is a deep yearning to someday be a wife and a mother. These feelings were nurtured in your soul long before you came to this earth. President Hinckley has said, "Women, for the most part, see their greatest fulfillment, their greatest happiness in home and family."
Sharon G. Larsen -Young Women--Titles of Liberty
  • Young women, you are like titles of liberty as you strive to protect your families from such intruders as selfishness, harshness, anger, and strife. Your banner stands for peace and love and service to your families.
  • When you are carrying your title of liberty, your banner, you will find many ways to bless your family, to love your family, and to just pay attention.
  • Young women, in my heart I roll out the red carpet for every one of you and give you a standing ovation.
  • You don't have to be Captain Moroni to make a difference. Our Father in Heaven needs you to be who you are, in your family.
  • Young women, your life is the banner that can help to protect your families from wicked intruders. We call upon you to take a stand for kindness and goodness and service to those you love most--your families.
James E. Faust -How Near to the Angels
  • I believe that because of your righteousness in premortality your spirits were reserved to come forth in this time when women have so man opportunities for expression.
  • "How glorious and near to the angels is youth that is clean; this youth has joy unspeakable here and eternal happiness hereafter.
  • You cannot become great women if you are not also good women, "women whose virtue makes them shine in a crowd."
  • You cannot trust the many conflicting voices that clamor about what women should or should not do in today's society. Some of the loudest voices are echoes of those others who are out of harmony with themselves and out of tune with life in general rather than being unhappy with their role as women.
  • Homemaking is whatever you make of it. Every day brings satisfaction along with some work which may be frustrating, routine, and unchallenging. But it is the same in the law office, the dispensary, the laboratory, or the store. There is, however, no more important job than homemaking.
  • The roles of wife and mother are in the center of your souls and cry out to be satisfied. Most women naturally want to love and be loved by a good man and to respond to the God-given, deepest feelings of womanhood--those of mother and nurturer.
  • Become as skillful as you can, but not exclusively in new careers at the expense of the primary ones, or you may find that you have missed one of the great opportunities of your lives.
  • Priesthood authority should exercise no compulsion, duress, or unrighteous dominion.
  • You should respond generously to those instincts and promptings to do good. Hold your soul very still, and listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Follow the noble, intuitive feelings planted deep within your souls by Deity in the previous world.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Congrats Olympic Medalists!

7 Medals - Canada, Netherlands, Norway
6 Medals - Russia
5 Medals - United States
3 Medals - Austria, Czech Republic
2 Medals - Germany, France, Sweden, Italy
1 Medal - Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, China, Finland, Slovenia, Great Britain, Ukraine

May the Competition be just as fierce and exciting tomorrow! :)

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