Pray, He Is There
By President Susan H. Porter
- Primary General President
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
The speaker prayed her whole life for her father to join the Church and after he passed away, she felt joy knowing he wanted to receive the gospel's blessings.
For my whole life I prayed that my father would become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even as a young girl, I knew how many blessings he could receive. Our family could receive the blessings of being sealed for eternity. My family, friends, and I prayed often for him, but he didn't join the Church. Heavenly Father does not force anyone to make a choice. He can send us answers to our prayers in other ways. When I was old enough, I received my patriarchal blessing. In ... (continued)
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Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ
By Sister J. Anette Dennis
- First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
The speaker's son, in his early teens, started a new book and became frustrated because he couldn't stop looking for deeper meanings in the story, a habit developed from reading symbolic stories with his parent.
I knew this was sinking in one day when my younger son was in his early teens. He had started a new book and just wanted to enjoy the story, but his mind kept trying to find the deeper meaning in everything he was reading. He was frustrated, but I was smiling inside.
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Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ
By Sister J. Anette Dennis
- First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
After Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they were given coats of skins, which likely involved an animal sacrifice, symbolizing the Savior's sacrifice.
When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit and had to leave the Garden of Eden, they were given coats of skins as a covering for them. It is likely that an animal was sacrificed to make those coats of skins—symbolic of the Savior’s own sacrifice for us.
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Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ
By Sister J. Anette Dennis
- First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
Jesus used parables, such as the mustard seed, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son, as symbols to teach deeper lessons to those willing to hear.
Jesus taught through stories and symbols—a mustard seed to teach the power of faith, a lost sheep to teach the worth of souls, a prodigal son to teach the character of God. His parables were symbols through which He could teach deeper lessons to those who had “ears to hear.†But those not seeking the deeper meaning would not understand, just as many who read those same books I read to my children never knew there were deeper meanings and so much more to get out of those storie ... (continued)
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Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys
By President Russell M. Nelson
- President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
President Nelson reflects on the 40th anniversary of his and President Oaks' sustaining to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
My dear brothers and sisters, today is an historic day for President Dallin H. Oaks and me. It was 40 years ago, on April 7, 1984, when we were sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.1[I filled the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve left by the January 11, 1983, death of Elder LeGrand Richards. Elder Oaks filled that which was left by the January 11, 1984, death of Mark E. Petersen.]We have rejoiced in each and every general conference since then, including ... (continued)
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Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys
By President Russell M. Nelson
- President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
President Nelson recounts the history of temples in the Church at the time of his birth and the subsequent acquisition of the Kirtland Temple.
When I was born,2[September 9, 1924.]there were six functioning temples in the Church"”one each in St. George, Logan, Manti, and Salt Lake City, Utah; as well as in Cardston, Alberta, Canada; and Laie, Hawaii. Two earlier temples had functioned briefly in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois. As the body of the Church moved west, the Saints were forced to leave those two temples behind. The Nauvoo Temple was destroyed by an arsonist"™s fire. It was rebuilt and then dedicated by Presiden ... (continued)
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Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys
By President Russell M. Nelson
- President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
President Nelson describes the significant events that occurred in the Kirtland Temple, including the visitations of Jesus Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
The Kirtland Temple has unusual significance in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Several events that took place there had been prophesied for millennia and were essential for the Lord"™s restored Church to fulfill its latter-day mission. The most important of these events occurred on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836.4[Just one week after the Prophet Joseph Smith dedicated the Kirtland Temple.]On that day, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery experienced aseriesof remarkable visitatio ... (continued)
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Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys
By President Russell M. Nelson
- President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
President Nelson explains the importance of priesthood keys and how they affect individual lives and the Church's ability to offer eternal blessings.
It is important to note that prior to the organization of the Church, heavenly messengers had conferred the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods upon the Prophet Joseph and had given him keys of both priesthoods.12[SeeDoctrine and Covenants 1327:7"“8, 12]These keys gave Joseph Smith authority to organize the Church in 1830.13[SeeDoctrine and Covenants 20:1"“4] Then in the Kirtland Temple in 1836, the conferral of these three additional priesthood keys"”namely, keys of the gatherin ... (continued)
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Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys
By President Russell M. Nelson
- President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
President Nelson announces the construction of 15 new temples, emphasizing the importance of temples and priesthood keys in the Church.
The templeisthe gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us, for the temple is the only place on earth where we may receiveallof the blessings promised to Abraham.23[SeeDoctrine and Covenants 110:12132:29"“30]That is why we are doing all within our power, under the direction of the Lord, to make the temple blessings more accessible to members of the Church. Thus, we are pleased to announce that we plan to build a new temple in each of the following 15Â locations: Utur ... (continued)
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Rise! He Calleth Thee
By Elder Massimo De Feo
- Of the Seventy
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
The speaker's wife humorously attributes their lack of major problems to his short memory, highlighting that living the gospel doesn't remove trials but helps to deal with them.
Some time ago I asked my wife, "Can you tell me why, as far as I remember, we have never had any major problems in our lives?" She looked at me and said, "Sure. I"™ll tell you why we have never had any major problems; it"™s because you have a very short memory!" Her quick and smart answer made me realize once again that living the gospel of Jesus Christ does not remove pain and trials, which are necessary to grow.
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Rise! He Calleth Thee
By Elder Massimo De Feo
- Of the Seventy
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
Bartimaeus's persistence in calling out to Jesus, despite being told to be quiet, demonstrates the principle of maintaining spiritual focus on Christ.
We read, "And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me."3[Mark 10:48] All around him were telling him to be quiet, but he cried out even more because he knew who Jesus really was. He ignored those voices and screamed even louder. He acted instead of being acted upon. Despite his limited circumstances, he used his faith to go beyond his limitations.
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Rise! He Calleth Thee
By Elder Massimo De Feo
- Of the Seventy
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
The blind man's journey to Jesus, guided by His voice, teaches the principle of following the Lord's guidance to maintain spiritual vision.
The third principle is in the last four words: "[he] came to Jesus." How could he go to Jesus since he was blind? The only way was to walk toward Jesus by hearing His voice. And this is a third principle: we keep a clear spiritual vision when we hear the voice of the Lord and allow Him to guide us. Just as this man raised his voice over the voices around him, he was able to listen to the voice of the Lord in the middle of all other voices.
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Rise! He Calleth Thee
By Elder Massimo De Feo
- Of the Seventy
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
The speaker experiences a sudden change in his physical sight, leading to a spiritual reflection on the need for clear spiritual vision.
I had a sense of this truth a few months ago when I was walking one day and suddenly my sight became blurry, dark, and wavy. I was scared. Then the doctors told me, "If you don"™t begin treatment immediately, you may lose your sight even in a matter of weeks." I was even more scared. And then they said, "You need intravitreal injections"”injections right in the eye, wide-open eye"”every four weeks for the rest of your life." That was an uncomfortable wake-up call. Then a reflection cam ... (continued)
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Rise! He Calleth Thee
By Elder Massimo De Feo
- Of the Seventy
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
The story of Bartimaeus, a blind man, is used to illustrate the importance of recognizing Jesus spiritually, despite physical blindness.
I pondered about the story of a blind man called Bartimaeus, described in the Gospel of Mark. The scripture says, "And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me."1[Mark 10:47] Technically, in the eyes of many, Jesus was just the son of Joseph, so why did Bartimaeus call Him "Son of David"? Simply because he recognized that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, who was prophesied to be born as a descendant of David.2[See Isai ... (continued)
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Rise! He Calleth Thee
By Elder Massimo De Feo
- Of the Seventy
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
Bartimaeus's act of casting away his garment to come to Jesus symbolizes leaving behind the natural man and starting a new life in Christ.
But what did Bartimaeus do after that? At the Lord"™s command to rise, he acted again in faith. The scripture says, "And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus."4[Mark 10:50] This humble and faithful man understood that he could rise to a better life at Jesus"™s command. He knew that he was better than his circumstances, and the very first thing he did when he heard Jesus calling him was to throw away his beggar"™s coat. Again he acted instead of being acted upon. He might ... (continued)
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Rise! He Calleth Thee
By Elder Massimo De Feo
- Of the Seventy
📅 April 2024
📖 general conference
Bartimaeus's faith in Jesus Christ leads to a miracle, emphasizing the purpose of blessings to follow Christ.
Then the story of this blind man ends with the words "he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way."5[Mark 10:52] One of the most important lessons in this story is that this man exercised true faith in Jesus Christ and received a miracle because he asked with real intent, the real intent to follow Him. And this is the ultimate reason for the blessings we receive in our lives, which is to follow Jesus Christ. It is about recognizing Him, making and keeping covenants with God because of ... (continued)
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Sacred Scriptures"”the Foundations of Faith
By Elder Quentin L. Cook
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 October 2024
📖 general conference
The Mussman family, taught by sister missionaries, read the entire Book of Mormon and were nearing baptism when they received anti-Church literature. The father confirmed his testimony to the young bishop, and the family chose not to review the critical pamphlets, instead proceeding with baptism and later temple sealing.
New converts have blessed and been the lifeblood of the Church throughout its history. One example is particularly precious to me. When I was a young bishop, two marvelous sister missionaries were teaching the William Edward Mussman family. The father, a very capable lawyer, was general counsel of a major corporation. His devoted wife, Janet, was helping the family strive to live a more Christlike life.
Their exceptional son and daughter, both in their early 20s, were also being taught. All four ... (continued)
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Sacred Scriptures"”the Foundations of Faith
By Elder Quentin L. Cook
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 October 2024
📖 general conference
Coach Andy Reid spoke at a multifaith event in New York City about second chances and opportunities, which align with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The next day, he and the speaker attended a sacrament meeting with many new converts, highlighting the growth of the Church.
The conversions that are occurring in our day are equally remarkable. Last June, Coach Andy Reid, head football coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, and I, along with others representing our faith and other faiths, spoke in a multifaith event at the Riverside Church in New York City. Coach Reid emphasized second chances and responding to invitations and opportunities, which is what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. The next morning, with our wives, Tammy Reid and Mary, we attended the sacrame ... (continued)
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Seek Him with All Your Heart
By Bishop L. Todd Budge
- Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
📅 October 2024
📖 general conference
Elder Nelson advised a missionary in Tokyo on how to respond to people too busy to listen, suggesting a comparison between nourishing the body with food and nourishing the spirit with the word of God.
Several years ago, my wife and I served as mission leaders in Tokyo, Japan. During a visit to our mission by then-Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of the missionaries asked him how best to respond when a person tells them that they are too busy to listen to them. With little hesitation, Elder Nelson said, "I would ask if they were too busy to eat lunch that day and then teach them that they have both a body and a spirit, and just as their body will die if not nourished, so will their spirit if ... (continued)
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Seek Him with All Your Heart
By Bishop L. Todd Budge
- Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
📅 October 2024
📖 general conference
Sister Naomi Wada, an accomplished Japanese calligrapher, took time to meditate on the meaning of the word 'mui' before creating a piece of calligraphy for the speaker, which now serves as a reminder to be still and focus on the Savior.
While serving in the Asia North Area Presidency with Elder Takashi Wada, I learned that his wife, Sister Naomi Wada, is an accomplished Japanese calligrapher. I asked Sister Wada if she would draw for me the Japanese characters for the word mui. I wanted to hang the calligraphy on my wall as a reminder to be still and to focus on the Savior. I was surprised when she did not readily agree to this seemingly simple request.
The next day, knowing that I had likely misunderstood her hesitance, Elder ... (continued)
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