April 2003 General Conference Priesthood Session

David B. Haight -Growing into the Priesthood

• Sometimes we have the feeling that people might not accept us because we have higher standards. There are things that we don't do. We have the Word of Wisdom, which helps us to live a healthier life, a type of life that is conducive to our growing into manhood and having the standards and ideals and a way of living that most of the world would like to have. I found that if you live the way you should live, people notice it and are impressed with your beliefs, and then you have an influence on other people's lives.
• There's so much for us to do. For us to do it, we need to be worthy of the priesthood that we have so that we can help in leading out as the Church moves on, perhaps in a broader way than we've ever done before.
• You young men of the priesthood, resolve to lie the way you should. Don't be caught up in some of the silly things that are going on in the world, but bear in mind what has been given to you.

Daryl H. Garn -Preparing for Missionary Service

• Some young men have had the notion that they can break the commandments, confess to their bishops one year before they plan to go on a mission, and then be worthy to serve. The repentance process is far more than planned confession followed by a waiting period.
• Keep in mind that repentance is not simply a waiting game.
• "There need to be some absolutes in life. There are some things that should not ever be done, some lines that should never be broken, words that should never be spoken, and thoughts that should never be entertained."

H. David Burton -And That's the Way It Is

• Young men, if you want to be world class and qualified to be participants in the really important events of life like priesthood ordinations, blessings of the temple, and missionary service, you too must develop a disciplined daily routine of honesty, virtue, study, and prayer.
• Olympians know and understand the rules that govern their sport. Broken rules can bring severe penalties and even disqualification.
• My young friends, rules are important, even critical. In life there are also penalties, perhaps even disqualification, if rules are broken. Our participation in life's important events may be jeopardized if we failed to follow the rules contained in our Father in Heaven's commands. Involvement in sexual sin, illegal drugs, civil disobedience, or abuse could keep us on the sidelines at key times. You would do well to view rules as safety restraints, not as chains that bind. Obedience builds strength. And that's the way it is.
• When the Lord commands, do it.
• It is easy to lose sight of the really important objectives of life. There is much to distract us. Some are floundering in the water hazards on the left, and others are finding the long, treacherous rough on the right insurmountable. Safety and success come when focus is maintained on the important opportunities found by driving the ball straight down the middle.

James E. Faust -The Devil's Throat

• I recognized that some of you think of yourselves as daredevils, ready to take on almost any challenge. But some of these excursions for excitement will inevitably take you down in the Devil's Throat. The only safe course is to stay well away from the dangers of the Devil's Throat.
• "If you cross to the devil's side of the line one inch, you are in the tempter's power, and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly, because you will have lost the spirit of the Lord."
• Some of you young men may be letting others set your standards. You defend yourselves by saying, "Who said we shouldn't do this or we shouldn't do that?" There are so many shades of right and wrong that each of you has to decide where the line will be. I strongly urge you that if there is any question in your minds or hearts about whether your personal conduct is right or wrong, don't do it.
• It is the responsibility of the prophets of God to teach the word of God, not to spell out every jot and tittle of human conduct. If we are conscientiously trying to avoid not only evil but the very appearance of evil, we will act for ourselves and not be acted upon.
• Much of what comes from the devil is alluring and enticing. It glitters and is appealing to the sensual parts of our nature. His message sounds so reasonable and easy to justify. His voice is usually smooth and intriguing. If it were harsh or discordant, nobody would listen, nobody would be enticed.
• There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don't pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure.
• We must stand against the wind. Sometimes we must be unpopular and simply say, "This is not right."
• God made each of us to be different from anyone else in the world, as our DNA and fingerprints prove. You don't have to work at having a separate identity; you already have one.
• I also believe that in the future the opposition from Satan will be both more subtle and more open. While in some ways it may be more blatant, it will be masked with greater sophistication and cunning. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it.
• You cannot always choose your own company. But you can choose your standards.
• You need to be loyal to the members of your unit because the fellow who is next to you may save your life tomorrow! But that doesn't mean you have to lower your moral standards.

Thomas S. Monson -Stand in Your Appointed Place

• "Home teaching is one of our most urgent and most rewarding opportunities to nurture and inspire, to counsel and direct our Father's children. ... [It] is a divine service, a divine call. It is our duty as Home Teachers to carry the divine spirit into every home and heart."
• The work of reactivation is no task for the idler or dreamer. Children grow, parents age, and time waits for no man. Don't postpone a prompting; rather, act on it, and the Lord will open the way.
• Frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required.
• The seeds of testimony frequently do not immediately take root and flower. Bread cast upon the water returns, at times, only after many days. But it does return.

Gordon B. Hinckley -Loyalty

• Brethren, every man and boy within the sound of my voice knows what is degrading. You do not need a road map to foretell where indulgence will take you. Contrast that with the beauty, the peace, the wonderful feeling that comes of living near to the Lord and rising above the insidious narcotic practices that are all about us.
• You are particular targets for the adversary. If he can get you now, he knows he may win you for a lifetime.
• The kingdom of our Lord needs you. Be worthy of it. Be loyal to your best selves. Never stoop to anything which would take from you the strength to abstain.
• I have long felt that the greatest factor in a happy marriage is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one's companion. In most cases selfishness is the leading factor that causes argument, separation, divorce, and broken hearts.
• Never forget that it was you who selected your companion. It was you who felt that there was no one else in all the world quite like her. It was you who wished to have her forever.
• Be loyal to your companion.
• Give your companion the opportunity to grow in her own interests, to develop her own talents, to fly in her own way, and to experience her own sense of accomplishment.
• You know of the profanity of the school grounds and the street. Avoid it. Never let it cross your lips. Show your loyalty to the God of heaven and to the Redeemer of the world by holding Their names sacred.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi