"Thus Saith the Lord"
Elder Theodore M. Burton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on the global trend of churches losing influence and people neglecting spiritual needs for material pursuits.
In talking with Church leaders, I found that South Americans face the same problems people generally face in other areas of the world. My friends in South America told me that people there are so intent on filling their material needs that their spiritual needs are being neglected. Churches are losing their hold on their members. People are not interested in present-day religions, and church influence is declining. People are finding neither comfort nor solace in religious teachings and philosop ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thus Saith the Lord"
Elder Theodore M. Burton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker observes that churches worldwide are becoming politically active and are reforming, but suggests that they are losing their spiritual essence.
The same thing is true in Europe and the United States. I suppose it is true all over the world. Churches in many areas are becoming centers of political activism. Ministers and priests are leading protest marches for political causes. Pastors are turning to psychology, psychiatry, and social science in an attempt to serve and fill the emotional and spiritual needs of their parishioners. When sermons are given, they are intellectual masterpieces of learned men trained in schools of divinity as o ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thus Saith the Lord"
Elder Theodore M. Burton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts the story of Joseph Smith's prayer in the woods and the subsequent restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ with priesthood authority.
This restoration, foretold in advance, began so quietly and so un-ostentatiously that the world was not even aware that it happened. It came as quietly and unobtrusively as "a thief in the night." 1 Thes. 5:2 It came not by man"™s wisdom, but in answer to a simple prayer by Joseph Smith, a young boy in New York State who went into the woods near Palmyra to ask God a simple question: "Which church is right?" That young man had no idea that a new dispensation of God"™s mercy and kindness w ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thus Saith the Lord"
Elder Theodore M. Burton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker describes the vibrant Church community in South America, with full churches and active participation in various activities.
I found in South America the same rapid growth of the Church that I had experienced during the past three years on the west coast of the United States and Canada. Our problem is not the problem of empty churches, but of church buildings filled to overflowing. We are building as rapidly as we can to fill those needs, but it is a continuing struggle. I was pleasantly surprised to find our buildings in South America used not only on Sundays, but also on weekdays. Our young people were busy almost e ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thus Saith the Lord"
Elder Theodore M. Burton
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker was warmly received in South America due to a shared Christian brotherhood, despite language barriers.
You might well ask, "How was it that you, a stranger, should find such a warm reception in those lands when you couldn"™t even speak their language?" The reason is that I was accepted as their brother in Jesus Christ. We spoke the same language of the heart. We had the same ideals, the same desires, the same goals. I attended a conference in Brazil where the people of the Church were having such a good time talking and visiting together that it was a little difficult to call the meeting to o ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thus Shall My Church Be Called"
Elder Russell M. Nelson
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recalls a humorous comment made after his call to the Quorum of the Twelve, where a doctor friend reported that 'Dr. Nelson was no longer practicing cardiac surgery because his church had made him ‘a saint.’'
The last word in the title is Saints. I smile when I remember a comment made after my call to the Quorum of the Twelve. A doctor friend relayed a report made at a professional meeting that ‘Dr. Nelson was no longer practicing cardiac surgery because his church had made him ‘a saint.’’
Forgiveness
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"Thus Shall My Church Be Called"
Elder Russell M. Nelson
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on the political changes in many countries that have led to increased personal freedoms and the spread of the gospel, attributing these changes to the hand of the Lord hastening His work.
Political changes have occurred recently in many countries. Previous restrictions of personal liberties have been relieved. The shell of spiritual confinement has been shattered. Swelling shouts of freedom fill the air. Surely the hand of the Lord is apparent. He said, ‘I will hasten my work in its time’ D&C 88:73 and that time of hastening is now.
Forgiveness
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"Thus Shall My Church Be Called"
Elder Russell M. Nelson
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker describes the rapid advancements in technology and communication since the birth of Joseph Smith, which have allowed the Church to serve its members and spread its message globally.
For millennia, methods of farming, travel, and communication were largely unchanged from ancient techniques. Developments since the birth of Joseph Smith, however, have risen in remarkable contrast. Joseph Smith had long been foreordained as God’s prophet for the restoration of the gospel in the fulness of times. (See 2 Ne. 3:7–15) Twenty-five years after his birth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially organized. Later in that same century, the telegraph w ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thy Son Liveth"
Elder Spencer W. Kimball
- Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker writes a letter to a grieving mother whose son was killed in battle, discussing the nature of life, death, and God's plan, and comparing the loss to the deaths of Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith.
May I read to you a letter which I wrote some time ago to a mother of my acquaintance whose son had just been killed in battle? I do earnestly pray that some thought contained therein might have brought to her and may bring to others a bit of hope and comfort and courage. Dear Sister: [The letter follows with the speaker's thoughts and comparisons.]
Charity
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"Thy Son Liveth"
Elder Spencer W. Kimball
- Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
A woman in the Far East, grieving the loss of her son, is told by a Brahman to find leaves from a family that has never known sorrow to bring her son back, only to realize that no such family exists.
A woman in the Far East who had lost her boy went to the Brahman and said: "You must give me back my boy, you must, you must." The Brahman with calm dignity said to her: "Come, daughter, you must go out and get the leaves of a plant (which was as common as the commonest weeds with us) and make a tea of the leaves, and drink the tea, and I will give you back your boy. But the leaves must be gathered from the dooryard of a family that has never known sorrow." The woman traveled from village to vil ... (continued)
Faith
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"Thy Son Liveth"
Elder Spencer W. Kimball
- Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on the sorrow felt by families who have lost sons in war and recalls being confronted with such sorrow throughout the Church.
Yesterday we were told in conference that about nine hundred of our stalwart sons had been sacrificed in this diabolical world holocaust. It has seemed to me even more than that, for as I have gone about the Church I have been confronted with such sorrow in all parts of the country. These tragic stories of sons killed in the training fields and theatres of war have not been limited to any individual, or locality, but everywhere our relatives and friends weep in their loneliness and sorrow.
Baptism
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"Thy Will Be Done, O Lord"
Elder Franklin D. Richards
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
Brigham Young's commitment to God's will is highlighted through a quote from a letter he wrote to Orson Spencer.
President Brigham Young’s feeling about this divine principle is recorded in a letter to Orson Spencer in January of 1848 when he said, “As the Lord’s will is my will all the time, as he dictates so I will perform.†(Millennial Star,vol. 10, p. 115.)
Forgiveness
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"Thy Will Be Done, O Lord"
Elder Franklin D. Richards
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts the story of Jesus in Gethsemane, demonstrating the principle of submitting to God's will.
After the Last Supper, Jesus and the eleven apostles left the house in which they had eaten and walked to the olive grove known as Gethsemane, on the slope of Mount Olivet. Jesus apparently frequented this grove or garden when he desired privacy for prayer and meditation.
He left eight of the apostles near the entrance, with the suggestion, “Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.â€Matt. 26:36
Peter, James, and John accompanied the Savior further and “then, saith he unto them, ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thy Will Be Done, O Lord"
Elder Franklin D. Richards
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares the story of Joseph Smith's dedication to doing God's will, as evidenced by his prayer at the Kirtland Temple dedication and his diary entry.
In the prayer offered by the Prophet Joseph Smith at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, which prayer was given to him by revelation, he said, “… Help thy servants to say, with thy grace assisting them: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours.â€D&C 109:44
In the fall of 1834 the Prophet was busily engaged in preparing for the school of the elders and wrote in his diary, “No month ever found me more busily engaged than November; but as my life consisted of activity and un ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thy Will Be Done, O Lord"
Elder Franklin D. Richards
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker tells the story of Brother and Sister Alvarez, new converts in Mexico who experienced blessings and peace after choosing to be baptized despite potential estrangement from family and friends.
This is the testimony of two wonderful young people I met recently in Mexico, Brother and Sister Alvarez. They told me that since they were baptized eight months ago, rather than the estrangement from family and friends they had feared, they were finding a new love and respect being given to them, besides all the wonderful new friends that they had found among their brothers and sisters in the Church. They had prospered materially, and above all they had found a peace and nearness to their Heave ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thy Will Be Done, O Lord"
Elder Franklin D. Richards
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares his personal story of choosing to serve a mission over accepting an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, which set a pattern for his life and brought him great happiness.
As a young man I was offered an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. This was an honor and a real temptation. However, in my early life I had definitely decided that I would like to go on a mission, and I could now see that if I accepted the Naval Academy appointment I probably would not be able to serve as a missionary.
After prayerful consideration I declined the appointment, as I felt it was the will of the Lord that I go on a mission. Soon thereafter I received a call to serve in ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thy Will Be Done, O Lord"
Elder Franklin D. Richards
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts how he and his wife accepted the call to preside over the Northwestern States Mission despite it being an inconvenient time, and how President McKay promised it would be the happiest time of their lives.
In 1959 when I received my call to preside over the Northwestern States Mission, it came at a most inconvenient time. But both Sister Richards and I felt that if the Lord wanted us to go, then we should go.
Many of our friends, Church members and nonmembers, indicated that they felt we were making a real sacrifice. We felt otherwise, and as President McKay set me apart, he promised me that it would be the happiest time of our lives. And it was, because our entire time was spent in serving our fe ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Thy Will Be Done, O Lord"
Elder Franklin D. Richards
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker discusses the difficulty of accepting God's will in the face of death, but emphasizes the promise of resurrection through Jesus Christ.
In many other ways, to accept the will of the Lord is ofttimes most difficult, as is the case of the death of a loved one.
Death is an important part of eternal life, yet we are never quite ready for the change. Not knowing when it will come, we properly fight to retain life for ourselves and for our loved ones. We pray for the sick and administer to the afflicted. We implore the Lord to heal and extend life. But all are not healed, even though great faith is manifested.
However, God has given u ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"Till We Meet Again"
President Gordon B. Hinckley
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on the wars of the 20th century, including the loss of his eldest brother in the First World War, and emphasizes the need to turn to the Lord for peace and guidance.
I"™ve lived through all of the wars of the 20th century. My eldest brother lies buried in the soil of France, a victim of the First World War. I have lived through the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and lesser conflicts. We have been a very quarrelsome and difficult people in our conflicts one with another. We so need to turn to the Lord and look to Him.
Forgiveness
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"Till We Meet Again"
President Gordon B. Hinckley
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts singing 'God Be with You Till We Meet Again' in various languages and situations around the world, including farewells to missionaries, with soldiers in Vietnam, and in many other circumstances, expressing a sense of unity and prayer.
I have sung those words in English when others sang them in a score of languages. I have lifted my voice with those wonderful and simple words on memorable occasions on all the continents of the earth. I have sung them in bidding farewell to missionaries, with tears in my eyes. I have sung them with men in battle dress during the war in Vietnam. In a thousand places and in many circumstances over these almost numberless years, I have raised my voice with so many others in these words of parting, ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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