- Neither the Bible nor the Book of Mormon in and of themselves is sufficient. Both are necessary for us to teach and learn about the full and complete doctrine of Christ. The need for the other does not diminish either one of them. Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon are necessary for our salvation and exaltation. As President Ezra Taft Benson so powerfully taught, "When used together, the Bible and the Book of Mormon confound false doctrine."
M. Russell Ballard -That the Lost May Be Found
- Being lost can apply to whole societies as well as to individuals. Today we live in a time when much of this world has lost its way, particularly with regard to values and priorities within our homes.
- There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home.
- Equally worrisome is the ever-growing gap between the rich and poor and between those who strive to preserve family values and commitments and those who have given up on doing so. Statistically, those who have less education and consequently lower incomes are less likely to marry and to go to church and much more likely to be involved in crime and to have children outside of marriage. And these trend are also troubling in much of the rest of the world.
- Opposite of what many had thought, prosperity and education seem to be connected to a higher likelihood of having traditional families and values.
- The real question, of course, is about cause and effect. Do some sections of our society have stronger values and families because they are more educated and prosperous, or are they more educated and prosperous because they have values and strong families? In this worldwide Church we know that it is the latter. When people make family and religious commitments to gospel principles, they begin to do better spiritually and often temporally as well.
- So the bad news is that family breakdown is causing a host of societal and economic ills. But the good news is that, like any cause and effect, those ills can be reversed if what is causing them is changed. Inequities are resolved by living correct principles and values.
- The Church is a mooring in this tempestuous sea, an anchor in the churning waters of change and division and a beacon to those how value and seek righteousness. The Lord uses this Church as a tool in pulling His children throughout the world toward the protection of His gospel.
- Life is better (and much happier) as hearts turn toward family and as families live in the light of the gospel of Christ.
- "Bachelorhood ... [carries] to the superficial mind the idea that [it is] desirable because [it brings] with [it] the minimum of responsibility. ... The real fault likes with the young men. The license of the age leads them from paths of duty and responsibility. ... Their sisters are the victims ... [and] would marry if they could, and would accept cheerfully the responsibilities of family life. "
- No career can bring you as much fulfillment as rearing a family.
O. Vincent Haleck -Having the Vision to Do
- Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Larry Y. Wilson -Only upon the Principles of Righteousness
- We lose our right to the Lord's Spirit and to whatever authority we have from God when we exercise control over another person in an unrighteous manner.
- We simply cannot force others to do the right thing. The scriptures make it clear that this is not God's way. Compulsion builds resentment. It conveys mistrust, and it makes people feel incompetent. Learning opportunities are lost when controlling persons pridefully assume they have all the right answers for others.
- Wise parents must weigh when children are ready to begin exercising their own agency in a particular area of their lives. But if parents hold on to all decision-making power and see it as their "right," they severely limit the growth and development of their children.
- Our children are in our homes for a limited time. If we wait until they walk out the door to turn over to them the reins of their moral agency, we have waited too long. They will not suddenly develop the ability to make wise decisions if they have never been free to make any important decisions while in our homes. Such children often either rebel against this compulsion or are crippled by an inability to make any decisions on their own.
- All are loved. All are welcomed.
David F. Evans -Was It Worth It?
- The Lord loves both the person who has never had the gospel and the person who is returning to Him. To Him and to us, it doesn't matter. It is all one work. It is the worth of souls, whatever their condition, that is great to our Heavenly Father, His Son, and to us.
- "Our missionary experiences have to be current. It is not enough to sit back and ponder former experiences. To be fulfilled, you have to continue to naturally and normally share the gospel."
- Whenever the gospel is shared, it is never "just one boy." Whenever conversion happens or someone returns to the Lord, it is a family that is saved.
- "Never delay a prompting."
Paul B. Pieper -To Hold Sacred
- Our experiences with the divine may not be as direct or dramatic nor our challenges as daunting. However, as with the prophets, our strength to endure faithfully depends upon recognizing, remembering, and holding sacred that which we receive from above.
- As we seek answers from God, we feel the still, small voice whisper to our spirits. These feelings--these impressions--are so natural and so subtle that we may overlook them or attribute them to reason or intuition.
- Sacred means worthy of veneration and respect. By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things. Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence. Sacred ranks high in the hierarchy of heavenly values.
Neil L. Andersen -What Thinks Christ of Me?
- Our journey of discipleship is not a dash around the track, nor is it fully comparable to a lengthy marathon. In truth, it is a lifelong migration toward a more celestial world.
Thomas S. Monson -As We Close This Conference
- "Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing--yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth."
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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