Where Two or Three Are Gathered
President Henry B. Eyring
- First Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts the parable of the seed and the sower from the Bible, emphasizing that the condition of the soil, or the heart of the person, determines the growth of the seed, which is the word of God.
They are not alone in their concern, nor is their test a new one. During His mortal ministry, the Savior gave us the parable of the seed and the sower. The seed was the word of God. The sower was the Lord. The survival of the seed and its growth depended on the condition of the soil. You remember His words:
"And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
"Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, becaus ... (continued)
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Where Two or Three Are Gathered
President Henry B. Eyring
- First Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker shares his own experience of being given words from the Spirit to testify, which have often been exactly what someone needed to hear, even if he does not remember saying those words.
I know from experience what the faith of good people can do to bring words from the Spirit at the close of a sermon. More than once, someone has said to me after my testimony, "How did you know what I so needed to hear?" I have learned not to be surprised when I cannot remember saying the words. I spoke the words of testimony, but the Lord was there, giving them to me in the moment. The promise that the Lord will give us words in the very moment applies especially to testimony (seeD&C 24:6List ... (continued)
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Where Will This Lead?
By President Dallin H. Oaks
- First Counselor in the First Presidency
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📖 general conference
A group of students watched a squirrel being stalked by an Irish setter, leading to the squirrel's death because no one intervened in time.
Some decisions are choices between doing something or doing nothing. I heard an example of this kind of choice at a stake conference in the United States many years ago.
The setting was a beautiful college campus. A crowd of young students was seated on the grass. The speaker who described this circumstance said they were watching a handsome tree squirrel with a large, bushy tail playing around the base of a beautiful hardwood tree. Sometimes it was on the ground, sometimes up and down and aroun ... (continued)
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Where Will This Lead?
By President Dallin H. Oaks
- First Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
A Colombian couple made a significant sacrifice to be married in the temple by traveling five days and nights on the floor of a bus to reach the temple in Peru.
Here is another example of the effect on the future of decisions made in the present. This example concerns the choice to make a present sacrifice to achieve an important future goal.
At a stake conference in Cali, Colombia, a sister told how she and her fiancé desired to be married in the temple, but at that time the closest temple was in faraway Peru. For a long time, they saved their money for the bus fares. Finally they boarded the bus to Bogotá, but when they arrived there, th ... (continued)
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Where Your Treasure Is
Elder Michael John U. Teh
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The speaker and his wife visited members in the Philippines who were affected by a major earthquake and a super typhoon, and were inspired by their faith and gratitude despite living in temporary shelters and having lost much.
Last January my sweetheart, Grace, and I received an assignment to visit the members in the Philippines who were devastated by a major earthquake and a super typhoon. We rejoiced because the assignment was an answer to our prayers and a testament to the mercy and goodness of a loving Father in Heaven. It provided some closure to our longing to personally express to them our love and concern.
Most of the members we met were still living in temporary shelters like tents, community centers, and Chu ... (continued)
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Where Your Treasure Is
Elder Michael John U. Teh
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
A sister realized the futility of her material possessions after a calamity and gained a better perspective on what is truly necessary in life.
In times of calamity or tragedy, the Lord has a way of refocusing us and our priorities. All of a sudden, all the material things we worked so hard to acquire do not matter. All that matters is our family and our relationships with others. One good sister put it this way: "After the water receded and it was time to begin cleaning up, I looked around my home and thought, "˜Wow, I have accumulated a lot of garbage these many years."™"
I suspect that this sister has gained a better perspective ... (continued)
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Where Your Treasure Is
Elder Michael John U. Teh
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
A 73-year-old widow in the Philippines lost her home, daughter, and grandson in an earthquake but remained faithful, treasured her temple recommend, and continued to pay tithing despite her hardships.
May I conclude with the story of a 73-year-old widow whom we met during our trip to the Philippines:
When the earthquake struck the island of Bohol, the home that she and her late husband had worked so hard to build crumbled to the ground, killing her daughter and grandson. Now alone, she needs to work to support herself. She has started taking in laundry (which she does by hand) and has to go up and down a good-sized hill several times a day to fetch water. When we visited her, she was still li ... (continued)
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Where, Then, Is Hope?
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
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📖 general conference
The speaker refers to the biblical story of Noah and the flood to emphasize the importance of not modernizing or dismissing traditional religious narratives.
The Old Testament unfolds the story of the creation of the earth and man by God. Should we now disregard this account and modernize the creation according to the theories of the modernists? Can we say there was no Garden of Eden or an Adam and Eve? Because modernists now declare the story of the flood is unreasonable and impossible, should we disbelieve the account of Noah and the flood as related in the Old Testament?
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Where, Then, Is Hope?
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
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📖 general conference
The speaker recounts the conversation between Jesus and Martha about the resurrection, which Jesus affirms by stating he is the resurrection and the life.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him and they discussed the matter of the death of her brother and the resurrection. "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."John 11:25
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Where, Then, Is Hope?
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
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📖 general conference
Jesus teaches that the only way to a meaningful religious experience is through him, rejecting alternative spiritual practices.
When the Lord spoke to the Pharisees at the Feast of the Tabernacles, he used these words: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
"Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep."John 10:1,7
Forgiveness
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Where, Then, Is Hope?
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
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📖 general conference
Jesus confirms the story of Noah and the flood when discussing the end of the world with his disciples, which the speaker uses to question the selective belief in scriptural accounts.
Let us examine what the Master said when the disciples came to him as he sat on the Mount of Olives. They asked him to tell them of the time of his coming and of the end of the world. Jesus answered: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
"For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that N ... (continued)
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Where, Then, Is Hope?
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
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📖 general conference
The speaker discusses the skepticism of the Pharisees and Sadducees who demanded a sign from Jesus to prove his teachings, which he rebuked.
"The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
"He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
"And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
"A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign."Matt. 16:1-4
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Where, Then, Is Hope?
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
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📖 general conference
The speaker concludes with a personal testimony of his belief in God, Jesus Christ, and the presence of a modern-day prophet.
Personal conviction
Permit me to conclude with my personal conviction and testimony. I know God lives, the same God described in the Old and the New Testaments. I know Jesus Christ is his Son. He gave his life in the great atoning sacrifice whereby he became my Savior, your Savior, and the Savior of all mankind. I also know there is a prophet of God on the earth today who speaks the mind and will of the Lord to his children in the same manner that prophets have spoken to God's children in all ag ... (continued)
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Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts
Elder Larry W. Gibbons
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The speaker illustrates the concept of 'almost' Latter-day Saints with examples of individuals who compromise their standards in specific situations.
Consider the woman who keeps the Sabbath day holy, unless she needs something from the store. Or the man who is honest in all his dealings until he cannot resist the urge to exaggerate his tax deductions because it saves him over $1,000. Or the father who is kind and gentle with his wife and children except when he has had a difficult day at the office.
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Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts
Elder Larry W. Gibbons
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
Rabbi Harold S. Kushner expresses that observing commandments enhances him rather than diminishes him, feeling cared for by God.
In a talk at Brigham Young University in 1994, Rabbi Harold S. Kushner said:
"I"™m a traditional Jew, and I observe the biblical dietary laws. "¦ I suspect most of you assume I go around all day saying to myself, "˜Boy, would I love to eat pork chops, but that mean old God won"™t let me."™ Not so. The fact "¦ is, I go around all day saying, "˜Isn"™t it incredible? There are five billion people on this planet and God cares what I have for lunch [and] what kind of language I use."™
" ... (continued)
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Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts
Elder Larry W. Gibbons
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
Elder Neal A. Maxwell humorously suggests that some members of the Church like to keep a 'summer cottage' in Babylon, indicating a reluctance to fully commit to gospel standards.
In the priesthood leadership session of a regional conference, we sang the hymn "Ye Elders of Israel." The chorus contains a line "O Babylon, O Babylon, we bid thee farewell."4[Hymns,no. 319.]Following the singing, Elder Neal A. Maxwell spoke and expressed the thought that bidding Babylon farewell is actually one of our challenges, that too many of us like to keep a summer cottage there.5[SeeThe Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book,ed. Cory H. Maxwell (1997), 25.]
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Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts
Elder Larry W. Gibbons
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
The speaker's friend, a respected physician who writes about nutrition, struggles with his love for doughnuts and creates an 80:20 theory of nutrition to justify indulgence.
I have a dear friend who is a respected physician. He writes a regular national article on health. Often his subject concerns nutrition. He has a problem. He loves doughnuts"”delicious but not usually considered one of the world"™s most nutritious foods.
To resolve this dilemma, he has come up with what he calls his 80:20 theory of nutrition. This theory says if you are very good 80 percent of the time, you can eat what you want the other 20 percent of the time.
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Which Road Will You Travel?
Elder Thomas S. Monson
- Of the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on seeing a hitchhiker with a sign reading 'ANYWHERE,' which prompts thoughts on the importance of having a plan and direction in life.
Several days ago, while driving to my home, I approached the entrance to Interstate 15. At the on-ramp I noticed three hitchhikers, each one of whom carried a homemade sign which announced his desired destination. One sign read "Los Angeles," while a second carried the designation "Boise." However, it was the third sign which not only caught my attention but caused me to reflect and ponder its message. The hitchhiker had lettered not Los Angeles, California, nor Boise, Idaho, on the cardboar ... (continued)
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Which Road Will You Travel?
Elder Thomas S. Monson
- Of the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reminisces about childhood boat races on the Provo River and compares the boats' lack of control to the directionless life of the hitchhiker.
When I reflect on the race of life, I remember another race, even from childhood days. Perhaps a shared experience from this period will assist in formulating answers to these significant and universally asked questions. When I was about ten, my boyfriends and I would take pocketknives in hand and from the soft wood of a willow tree fashion small toy boats. With a triangular-shaped cotton sail in place, each would launch his crude craft in a race down the relatively turbulent waters of the Provo ... (continued)
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Which Road Will You Travel?
Elder Thomas S. Monson
- Of the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker tells the story of Randall Ellsworth, a missionary who was paralyzed in an earthquake but through faith and determination, recovered and returned to his mission.
One who listened and who followed was the Mormon missionary Randall Ellsworth, about whom you may have read in your daily newspaper or watched on the television set in your home. Six months ago, while serving in Guatemala as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Randall Ellsworth survived the devastating earthquake which hurled a beam down on his back, paralyzed his legs, and severely damaged his kidneys. After receiving emergency medical treatment, Randall was flown ... (continued)
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