Spirit World

"The spirits of the just are exalted to a greater and more glorious work; hence they are blessed in their departure to the wold of spirits.
Enveloped in flaming fire they are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and notions, and are often pained therewith."

Joseph Smith, History of the Church 6:52

Forgiveness

"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you-Let him who was my servant Harvey, return unto me, and unto the bosom of my Church, and forsake all the sins wherewith he has offended against me, and pursue from henceforth a virtuous and upright life, and remain under the direction of those whom I have appointed to be pillars and heads of my Church. And behold, saith the Lord your God, his sins shall be blotted out from under heaven, and shall be forgotten from among men, and shall not come up in one ear, nor be recorded a a memorial against him, but I will lift him up, as out of deep mire, and he shall be exalted upon the high places, and shall be counted worthy to stand among princes, and shall yet be made a polished shaft in my quiver for bringing down the strongholds of wickedness..."
The Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Joseph Smith (2008 RS manual) p.75

Plan of Salvation

Joseph Smith declared, "The great plan of salvation is a theme which ought to occupy our strict attention, and be regarded as one of HEAVEN'S BEST GIFTS TO mankind." (J.S. manual, 2008, p. 208)

Eliza R. Snow recorded: "[Joseph Smith] said he did not care how fast we run in the path of virtue. Resist evil, and there is no danger; God, men, and angels will not condemn those that RESIST everything that is evil, and devils cannot; as well might the devil seek to dethrone Jehovah, as overthrow an innocent soul that resists everything which is evil. (ibid, p. 214)

On Being Born Again

You may ask, Why doesn't this might change happen more quickly with me?...For most of us, the changes are more gradual and occur over time. Being born again, unlike our physical birth, is more a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of mortality.

At the same time, let us not justify ourselves in a casual effort. Let us not be content to retain some disposition to do evil. Let us worthily partake of the sacrament each week and continue to draw upon the Holy Spirit to root out the last vestiges of impurity within us. I testify that as you continue in the path of spiritual rebirth, the atoning grace of Jesus Christ will take away your sins and the stain of those sins in you, temptations will lose their appeal, and through Christ you will become holy, as He and our Father are holy."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson- his first talk as an Apostle, April Conference 2008

Favorite Quotes from Pres. Monson's First General Conference

"We who have been ordained to the priesthood of God can make a difference. When we qualify for the help of the Lord, we can build boys, we can mend men, we can accomplish MIRACLES in His holy service. Our opportunities are without limit."

"The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that facade is heartache, unhappiness, and pain. "

"There is no friendship more valuable than your own conscience, your own moral cleanliness-and what a glorious feeling it is to know that you stand in your appointed place clean and with the confidence that you are worthy to do so."

I am Sufficient

"I promise you that He knows your capacities and that they are sufficient that you may with full faith have the hope of eternal life for you and your families forever."

Pres. Henry B. Eyring, April Conference 2008

Treasure the Words of Prophets

"The more we treasure the words of the prophets and apply them, the better we will recognize when we re drifting off course-even if only by a matter of a few degrees."

Elder Dieter F. Uchtodorf, April Conference, 2008

Visualize Eternity

"I believe that if we could create in our minds a clear and true picture of eternal life, we would start behaving differently. We would not need to be prodded to do the many things involved with enduring to the end, like doing our home teaching or visiting teaching, attending our meetings, going to the temple, living moral lives, saying our prayers, or reading the scriptures. We would want to do all these things and more because we realize they will prepare us to go somewhere we yearn to go."

Elder L. Tom Perry, April Conference, 2008

Holy Ghost

"The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear."

Elder Gerald Lund , April Conference 2008

Heavenly Father's Face is Familair to me

"We once knew well our Elder Brother and our Father in Heaven.
We rejoiced at the prospects of earth life that could make it possible for us to have a fulness of joy.
We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Heavenly Father and our brother, the Lord,
how much we loved them and
how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one.
Now we are here. Our memories are veiled.
We are showing God and ourselves what we can do.

Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His Face is to us. "

("Jesus Christ-Gifts and Expectations," Christmas Devotional, Salt Lake City, Utah,
7 December 1986.) Ezra Taft Benson