October 2002 General Conference Sunday Afternoon

Joseph B. Wirthlin -Shall He Find Faith on the Earth?

• Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
• Faith exists when absolute confidence in that which we cannot see combines with action that is in absolute conformity to the will of our Heavenly Father. Without all three--first, absolute confidence; second, action; and third, absolute conformity--without these three all we have is counterfeit, a weak and watered-down faith.
• First, we must have confidence in that which we cannot see.
• Second, for our faith to make a difference, we must act.
• Third, one's faith should be consistent with the will of our Heavenly Father, including His laws of nature.
• Often what passes for faith in this world is little more than gullibility. It is distressing to see how eager some people are to embrace fads and theories while rejecting or giving less credence and attention to the everlasting principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is distressing how eagerly some rush into foolish or unethical behavior, believing that God will somehow deliver them from the inevitable tragic consequences of their actions. They even go so far as to ask for the blessings of heaven, knowing in their hearts that what they do is contrary to the will of our Father in Heaven.
• Only when our faith is aligned with the will of our Heavenly Father will we be empowered to receive the blessings we seek.
• Our faith is the foundation upon which all our spiritual lives rest. It should be the most important resources of our lives. Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.
• If we approach them with love rather than reproach, we will find that the faith of our grandchildren will increase as a result of influence and testimony of someone who loves the Savior and His divine Church.
• Sometimes the world appears dark. Sometimes our faith is tried. Sometimes we feel that the heavens are closed against us. Yet we should not despair. We should never abandon our faith. We should not loose hope.
• Often when the world seems dark, when the heavens seem distant, we seek to blame everything around us, when the real cause of the darkness may be a lack of faith within ourselves.
• Be of good cheer. Have faith and confidence. The Lord will not forsake you.

Richard G. Scott -To Be Free of Heavy Burdens

• I know that you can escape the controlling influence of the evil one, and the repressive chains that bind your life.
• Satan strives to convince one that sins can be hidden from others, yet it is he that causes them to be revealed in the most compromising circumstances.
• "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;
• "Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commands of the Lord shall be forgiven."
• That scripture emphasizes that the Lord cannot abide sin but He will forgive the repentant sinner because of His perfect love. It also teaches that not only is it important to keep a commandment you have broken, but by obeying all the commandments you will obtain additional power and support in the process of repentance.
• If you have felt impressions to be free of burdens caused by yourself or others, those prompting are an invitation from the Redeemer. Act upon them now. He loves you. He gave His life that you may be free of needless burdens. He will help you do it. I know that He has the power to heal you. Begin now.

Elder Kenneth Johnson -Yielding to the Enticings of the Holy Spirit

• Physical barriers and external forces may prevent us from pursuing deviant paths, but there is also a feeling within each of us, sometimes described as a still, small voice, that when recognized and responded to will keep us from succumbing to temptation.
• "We cannot set off on a wrong course without first overruling a warning."
• It is clear to me that many decisions--some seemingly small at the time and others with which I have wrestled, recognizing their import--have caused me to climb to higher planes than I would had I not yielded to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.

Claudio R. M. Costa -Fun and Happiness

• Happiness is much more than just fun. Fun is just a fleeting moment, but happiness is a lasting thing.
• Both fun and happiness are fine, but certainly happiness is the most worth seeking. Happiness can encompass fun as well, but fun alone will not assure us true happiness.
• "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

Keith B. McMullin -Come to Zion!

• Life is not a struggle with time--it is a struggle between good and evil.
• "Stop! Wait! When you get up in the morning, before you suffer yourselves to eat one mouthful of food, ... bow down before the Lord, ask him to forgive your sins, and protect you through the day, to preserve you from temptation and all evil, to guide your steps aright, that you may do something that day that shall be beneficial to the kingdom of God on the earth. Have you time to do this? ... This is the counsel I have for the Latter-day Saints to day. Stop, do not be in a hurry. ... You are in too much of a hurry; you do not go to meeting enough, you do not pray enough, you do not read the Scriptures enough, you do not mediate enough, you are all the time on the wing, and in such a hurry that you do not know what to do first. ... Let me reduce this to a simple saying--one of the most simple and homely that can be used--'Keep your dish right side up,' so that when the shower of porridge does come you can catch your dish full."
• As we week with all our hearts to bring forth and establish Zion, the vexations of too little time will disappear.
• Zion comes not as a gift but because virtuous covenant people are drawn together and build it.
• The first is love.
• "The laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish."
• Self-reliance comes next.
• Heavenly Father does not do for us what we can and should do four ourselves. He expects us to use the means we receive of Him to care for ourselves and our families. When we do so, we are self-reliant.
• Lastly, consecration.

F. Melvin Hammond -Dad, Are You Awake?

• To every father, I pose the same penetrating question, "Dad, are you awake?" Do your sons ever wonder if you are asleep when it comes to the things that are most important to them?
• First, our love for God and accepting our role as the family leader in keeping His commandments
• Every father in the Church should function as the patriarch of his home. He should take the lead in spiritually guiding the family. He ought not to delegate nor abrogate his responsibilities to the mother.
• Second, the relationship we have with our wives--their mothers.
• Consider everything else that we do, the way we treat our wives could well have the greatest impact on the character of our sons.
• The Spirit of the Lord cannot be expected to bless our lives if we persist in being angry, callous, and cruel to our mates. We cannot expect our sons to develop respect and gentleness toward their mothers if we do not provide the proper example.
• Third, to provide discipline that is just and administered with love.
• Every child needs to be disciplined. Not only do they need it; they expect it; they want it. Discipline gives direction and teaches self-control, but in all discipline there should be a sense of righteous judgment and pure love.

Gordon B. Hinckley -Each a Better Person

• I challenge every one of you who can hear me to rise to the divinity within you.
• If we live by the principles of the gospel, we must be good people, for we will be generous and kind, thoughtful and tolerant, helpful and outreaching to those in distress. We can either subdue the divine nature and hide it so that it finds no expression in our lives, or we can bring it to the front and let it shine through all that we do.
• WE do not need to wear our religion on our sleeves. We certainly do not need to be boastful about it or to be arrogant in any way. Such becomes a negation of the Spirit of the Christ whom we ought to try to emulate. That Spirit finds expression in the heart and the soul, in the quiet and unboastful manner of our lives.
• All of us have seen those we almost envy because they cultivated a manner that, without even mentioning it, speaks of the beauty of the gospel they have incorporated in their behavior.
• We can lower our voices a few decibels. We can return good for evil. We can smile when anger might be so much easier. We can exercise self-control and self-discipline and dismiss any affront levied against us.
• Let us be a happy people. The Lord's plan is a plan of happiness. The way will be lighter, the worries will be fewer, the confrontations will be less difficult if we cultivate a spirit of happiness.

General Relief Society Meeting

Bonnie D. Parkin -With Holiness of Heart

• Covenants save us from needless suffering.
• Have you ever wondered how our sisters survived being driven from Nauvoo, many walking the entire trek? When their feet were tired, they were carried by their covenants! What else could grant such spiritual and physical fortitude?
• Women of covenant stand firm when evil is called good and good is called evil.
• Remembering our covenants keeps us from being led astray.
• Send me where you need me, when you need me.

Kathleen H. Hughes- Blessing Our Families through Our Covenants

• It's important for us to realize that there is no one way that a righteous family looks.
• If we keep these covenants, our families will be blessed. That's not to say we'll never suffer; but in the end, we know that there is a reward for keeping our promises.
• Modesty is a battle worth fighting.
• If we don't teach them the standards, then the world will, with disastrous results.
• Let's rid ourselves of the "what ifs" and the "if onlys" and "cast [our] burden upon the Lord."

Anne C. Pingree -Charity: One Family, One Home at a Time

• "Many small people in many small places doing many small things can alter the face of the earth."
• Charity is not an act but a condition or a state of being [one becomes.]
• I believe the most important acts of charity are small and simple in nature, eternal in consequence, and are rendered within the walls of our own homes.

James E. Faust -You Are All Heaven Sent

• I believe the four great enduring concepts of this (relief) society are:
• First, it is a divinely established sisterhood.
• Second, it is a place of learning.
• Third, it is an organization whose basic charter is to serve others. Its motto is "Charity never faileth."
• Fourth, it is a place where women can socialize and establish eternal friendships.
• Relief Society truly is for all women, regardless of their ages.
• I believe some of you have a tendency to underestimate your profound capacity for blessing the lives of others. More often than not, it is not on the stage with some public pronouncement but in your example of righteousness and the countless gentle acts of love and kindness done so willingly, so often on a one-to-one basis.
• All of the sisters anywhere in the world can inherit and benefit from the blessings of the Lord for women.
• The woman does not walk ahead of the man; neither does the man walk ahead of the woman. They walk side by side as a son and daughter of God on an eternal journey.
• We are all heaven sent, but what we are able to accomplish in the Lord's work depends to a large extent on our willingness and ability.
• "Do the best you can, and remember that the greatest asset you have in this world is those children, whom you've brought into the world, and for whose nurture and care you are responsible."

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

-Sarnic Dirchi