What Shall a Man Give in Exchange for His Soul?
Elder Robert C. Gay
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts a childhood experience where he paid less for a movie ticket by lying about his age to get more candy bars, and his father taught him a lesson about the value of one's soul.
As I was growing up, my parents assigned me chores around the house and paid me an allowance for that work. I often used that money, a little over 50 cents a week, to go to the movies. Back then a movie ticket cost 25 cents for an 11-year-old. This left me with 25 cents to spend on candy bars, which cost 5 cents apiece. A movie with five candy bars! It couldn’t get much better than that.
All was well until I turned 12. Standing in line one afternoon, I realized that the ticket price for a ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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What Shall a Man Give in Exchange for His Soul?
Elder Robert C. Gay
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares a story about a less-active Melchizedek Priesthood holder who prioritized his son's sports over church attendance, and how a question about the value of a national championship versus eternal blessings led the man to reconsider his choices.
Years later I found myself asking this same question to a less-active Melchizedek Priesthood holder. He was a wonderful man who loved his family. He, however, had not been to church for many years. He had a talented son who played on an elite travel sports team that practiced and played games on Sunday. That team had won multiple major championships. As we met, I reminded him that, as a priesthood holder, he was promised that if he magnified his oath and covenant, he would receive 'all that [our ... (continued)
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What Shall a Man Give in Exchange for His Soul?
Elder Robert C. Gay
- Of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts a personal experience in Africa where he was prompted by the Spirit to help a young boy in distress, teaching him the importance of heeding the Spirit's guidance and God's awareness of each individual.
While serving as a mission president in Africa, I was forever taught this great truth. I was on my way to a meeting when I saw a young boy alone, crying hysterically on the side of the road. A voice within me said, 'Stop and help that boy.' As quick as I heard this voice, in a split second, I rationalized: 'You can’t stop. You will be late. You’re the presiding officer and can’t walk in late.'
When I arrived at the meetinghouse, I heard the same voice say again: 'Go help tha ... (continued)
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What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?
Elder ElRay L. Christiansen
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
Abraham and Sarah were tested by God when asked to sacrifice their son Isaac, demonstrating their dedication and love for God.
Again, when Abraham and Sarah were commanded of the Lord"”requested at least"”to give as a sacrifice their son IsaacGen. 22:2we can imagine what must have gone through their minds. Nevertheless, they met the test. The Lord did it to see how much they loved him. Abraham was sustained, I am sure, by an unwavering trust in God. I am sure that Abraham knew that to accomplish his purposes, God could, if he desired, raise up Isaac from the dead, even after he had died. But what a lesson that is in ... (continued)
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What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?
Elder ElRay L. Christiansen
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
A rich man failed to demonstrate unselfishness and dedication when he chose his possessions over following Jesus to gain eternal life.
An opportunity to demonstrate his love of the Lord was given to another man. He had great possessions, and he had a chance to test his unselfishness when he asked of the Lord, 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life?'Luke 10:25Now this man had done many good things. He had kept most of the commandments, I understand, but he had become selfish because of his great possessions. Evidently he thought more of them than he did of eternal life, because when told by the Savior that in order to gain e ... (continued)
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What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?
Elder ElRay L. Christiansen
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
A poor widow demonstrated true sacrifice by giving all she had to the treasury, which was more valuable to the Lord than larger contributions from others.
Contrast this man with a certain poor widow who cast into the treasury her two mites, which made a farthing"”all that she had. Her contribution amounted to very little in monetary value, about one half of a penny of our money, but it was not the smallness of her offering that made it especially acceptable unto the Lord as he witnessed her placing her money in the treasury, but it was the spirit of sacrifice that she had shown. As he observed others throwing their money into the treasury, the ... (continued)
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What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?
Elder ElRay L. Christiansen
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The Prophet Joseph Smith and his companions exemplified dedication and willingness to sacrifice their lives for the establishment and defense of the kingdom of God.
The Prophet Joseph Smith permitted himself to be taken by the mob and be put to death, and along with him, Hyrum, whose life was lost by an assassin's bullet, and in the same room at the same time, Dr. Willard Richards and John Taylor, who refused to leave him, and Dan Jones, and others who were loyal and devoted and would have given their lives gladly in preference to the Prophet's life. They set an example for us in this dispensation! There is scarcely an end to the list of those who have don ... (continued)
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What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?
Elder ElRay L. Christiansen
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker tested the dedication of five young men in southern Idaho by asking if they would leave everything to settle a new land for the Church, and they all agreed.
It was not long ago that I was in one of the stakes in southern Idaho. I was asked to interview five young men between twenty-five and thirty-five years of age, most of them married and having one or two children, to see if they were ready to receive an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood for which they had been recommended. I received the thrill of my life. Somehow, I decided"”I don't know whether I made a mistake or not"”but I decided to see what the depth of their willingness to sacrif ... (continued)
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What Shall We Do?
President David O. McKay
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares a personal memory from fifty-eight years ago in Glasgow, where two local elders faced a problem they couldn't solve, but were willing to do whatever was needed when their sympathy was touched.
I remember fifty-eight years ago, on one occasion I sat in council with two local elders in Glasgow who had trouble which they could not solve, and which threatened to become serious. Something that was said touched the sympathy of one, and when you touch the sympathy of a Scotchman you have him, and he said, "Tell, us what you want us to dee, and we'll dee it." (Tell us what you want us to do, and we'll do it.)
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What Shall We Do?
President David O. McKay
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts receiving telegrams from Saints expressing their joy in the conference transmission, including servicemen at Fort Ord and Saints in Tijuana, Mexico.
To you Saints listening in: Thank you for the many telegrams you have sent. We rejoice with you in the excellent transmission of the messages from this tabernacle. I know the Saints would be pleased to hear your comments, but time will not permit our reading them. I have two here, though, which I am sure the Saints and you in California will be pleased to hear. One is: "The servicemen assembled at Fort Ord and those gathered in homes enjoyed the TV broadcast of conference this morning. Approxima ... (continued)
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What Shall We Do?
President David O. McKay
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on the diligence of law officers, the service of Red Cross officials, and the contribution of the Wilford Stake presidency in providing flowers, emphasizing the unity and love within the church.
In your behalf, may I express appreciation and gratitude to all who have assisted in any way in making this great semi-annual conference such an inspirational success. As I was driven down to this session, I saw the officers of the law on duty, and I thought that their diligence has prevented accidents; perhaps they have saved lives by their faithfulness. I know they have greatly contributed to our convenience, and we thank them and our city fathers for their co-operation. To you reporters for y ... (continued)
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What Shall We Do?
President David O. McKay
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker urges members to make their priesthood quorums more effective by engaging in acts of service, such as visiting the sick, helping with harvests, and supporting families of missionaries.
Well, we have been told in this conference what to do. God help us to do it. May I mention two important things just by way of emphasis upon which we should center our efforts. One pertains to the priesthood quorums. Fellow presiding officers in missions, stakes, wards, and quorums,make your quorums more effective in regard to brotherhood and service. The quorums are units which should effectively hold the priesthood in sacred bonds and in helpfulness. I refer particularly to the senior members ... (continued)
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What Shall We Do?
President David O. McKay
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker calls for homes to be places of contentment and peace, emphasizing the role of courtesy, the importance of teaching virtues and faith, and the need for parents to maintain their commitments to each other and their children.
Now the other point relates to your homes. Let us go home with a determination to have our homes places of contentment and peace. There is not one of us who cannot contribute to that condition. The ideal home should be found among the members of the Church of Jesus Christ, and I am just sufficiently old-fashioned to think that the home is still the foundation of the state, especially of a republic. Do not forget it. And the state has no right to take your children and attempt to train them and s ... (continued)
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What Shall We Do?
Neill F. Marriott
- Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts her own wedding day, where she felt a sense of homelessness and fear as she was about to be sealed in the temple, far from her home and traditions. Aunt Carol, whom she barely knew, provided her with comfort and a sense of belonging.
When I was born, my parents planted a magnolia tree in the backyard so there would be magnolias at my wedding ceremony, held in the Protestant church of my forefathers. But on the day of my marriage, there were no parents at my side and no magnolias, for as a one-year convert to the Church, I had traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, to receive my temple endowment and be sealed to David, my fiancé.
When I left Louisiana and neared Utah, a feeling of homelessness swept over me. Before the ... (continued)
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What Shall We Do?
Neill F. Marriott
- Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares an experience of defending motherhood during an unexpected and critical phone call from a stranger who was offended by her choice to have a large family.
Some years ago, I prayed for the words to defend motherhood when I received an anonymous phone call.
The caller asked, "Are you Neill Marriott, the mother of a big family?"
I answered happily, "Yes!" expecting to hear her say something like, "Well, that"™s good!"
But no! I"™ll never forget her reply as her voice crackled over the phone: "I am highly offended that you would bring children onto this overcrowded planet!"
"Oh," I sputtered, "I see how you feel."
She snapped, "No ... (continued)
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What Temples Are For
Elder W. Grant Bangerter
- Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts the dedication of the Jordan River Temple, where three services were held each day for five days, emphasizing the ongoing importance and dedication to temple work among Latter-day Saints.
Others today here have spoken about the temple, but last November, at the dedication of the Jordan River Temple, we held three services a day for five days, and we didn"™t say it all. This is a good time to talk about temples, and I would like to explain what temples are for. As a people, the Latter-day Saints have accomplished a magnificent work in the temples. They serve with commendable devotion to find the names of deceased relatives, to work in extracting names from the records, and then ... (continued)
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What Temples Are For
Elder W. Grant Bangerter
- Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker describes the significant increase in the number of temples from twenty-one to forty-one in just two years, highlighting this period as unprecedented in the history of the Church.
We are passing through a remarkable period in connection with the temples. Four more new temples were announced last week. The past two years have seen the number of temples, including those in operation and those in planning or under construction, increase from twenty-one to forty-one. Three of these have been dedicated and have commenced their operation in the same period. Nothing of like nature has taken place in the entire history of the Church. The stake conferences now being conducted thro ... (continued)
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What Temples Are For
Elder W. Grant Bangerter
- Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares a personal story about his grandparents who thought they had completed all their temple work for deceased relatives fifty-five years ago, but since then, the family has discovered sixteen thousand additional relatives.
Your genealogy has not all been done.My own grandparents performed "all" the temple work for their deceased relatives fifty-five years ago. Since that time our family has discovered sixteen thousand others. In areas where new temples are being built, this work is just beginning. The controlled extraction process being carried on in many of the stakes of the Church with such great devotion and success does not touch those of the more recent generations and will not save those of our own close r ... (continued)
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What Temples Are For
Elder W. Grant Bangerter
- Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts the efforts in Chile to prepare members for the Santiago temple by ordaining ten thousand men to the priesthood and gathering one hundred thousand names of deceased relatives for temple work.
In Chile, for example, where I served at the time the temple in Santiago was announced, it was found that among one hundred thousand members only three thousand men had been ordained to the priesthood. Thus, since they must have the priesthood to enter the temple, only a limited number would be qualified. We determined, therefore, that we would prepare at least ten thousand men to be thus ordained so that they with their faithful companions could then go to the temple. The Saints in Chile have a ... (continued)
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What Temples Are For
Elder W. Grant Bangerter
- Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker tells of an elders quorum president who set a leadership goal to help every member of his quorum go to the temple, and how he eventually succeeded in this endeavor.
Now, where temples have long been established, it is time for a renewed and continuing preparation. This is the work of home teachers, quorum presidents, bishops, and especially high priests, as well as all others involved in teaching the gospel. I remember one elders quorum president who determined that his leadership objective would be to help every member in his quorum to go to the temple. His initial report stated that all but six had qualified. He later reported that all but three had gone ... (continued)
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