Immerse in Scriptures

“Often we spend great effort in trying to increase the activity levels of our stakes.  We work diligently to raise the percentages of those attending sacrament meetings.  We labor to get a higher percentage of our young men on missions.  We strive to improve the numbers of those marrying in the temple.  All of these are commendable efforts and important to the growth of the kingdom.  But when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, these other areas of activity will automatically come.  Testimonies will increase.  Commitment will be strengthened.  Families will be fortified.  Personal revelation will flow” (The Teachings of ETB,44).

Never

“May His promise ever be our watchword: ‘I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’”  Pres. Monson 11/13:87

Parents responsibility for wayward children

President Joseph F. Smith:

“There should [not] be any of us so unwisely indulgent, so thoughtless and so shallow in our affection for our children that we dare not check them in a wayward course, in wrong-doing and in their foolish love for the things of the world more than for the things of righteousness, for fear of offending them.” (Gospel Principles p. 286)

Doors

"When one door...closes,
another opens,
but often we look so long at the closed door
that we do not see the one
that has been opened for us."

Helen Keller

Pour Out Your Heart

"We pour out our heart to God
so that He can fill it."

Craig

Doubt your Doubts

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters-my dear friends-
Please, first doubt your doubts
Before you doubt your faith.
We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner
And keep us from the divine love, peace me gifts
That come through faith in The Lord Jesus Christ."

 Pres. Uchtdorf E.11/13:23

General Conference Blessings

"  We may not know all the reasons why the prophets and  conference speakers address us with certain topics in conference! but The Lord does.  president Harold B. Lee taught: "The only safety we have as members of this church is to...give heed to the words and commandments that The Lord shall give through His prophet...There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes fromThe authority of the Church.  It may contradict your [personal] views.  It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of The Lord Himself, with patience and faith, the PROMISE is that 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against you;...and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory.'
   How did President Lee know what we would be facing in our day?  He knew because he was a prophet,seer, and revelator. And if we listen and obey the prophets now, including those who will speak in this very conference, we will be strengthened and protected.
   The greatest Blessings of general conference come to us after the conference is over,
remember the pattern recorded frequently in scripture:
we gather to hear the words of The Lord,
 and we return to our homes to live them"

Family Proclamation and The Living Christ

"The world is moving away from The Lord faster and faster than ever before. The adversary has been loosed upon the earth.  We watch, hear, read, study, and share the words of prophets to be forewarned and protected.  For example, "The Family:A Proclamation to the World? Was given long befriends we experiences the challenges now facing the family. "The Living Christ:The Testimony of the Apostles" was prepared in advance of when we will end it most.

Hales E 11/13:7

Repentance

"Just as chalk can be removed from a blackboard,
With sincere repentance the effects of our transgression can be erased
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
That Promise applies IN EVERY CASE."

PACKER E.11/13:28

Scriptures Key to Spiritual Protection

"But PEACE can be settled in the heart of each who turns to the scriptures and unlocks the promises of protection and redemption that are taught therein...I bear CERTAIN WITNESS of the scriptures as a key to our spiritual protection.
I also bear witness of the healing power if the Atonement of. Jesus Christ, "that through him all might be saved."

Elder. Boyd K. Packer E 11/13:28

All that is unfair is made right through the Atonement

"It you feel
Unclean,
Unloved,
Or unwhole
Remember
"All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." From Preqch My. Gospel p. 52
Have faith I  the Savior's timing and purposes for you.
"Be not afraid, only believe"( Mark 5:36).

E. Gifford E.11/13 p. 39

"It is a human characteristic to become hardened to the pains of others. That is one of the reasons why the Savior went to such lengths to tell of His Atonement and of His taking up one Himself the pains and sorrows of all of our Heavenly Father's children that He might know how to succor them..

Pres. Eyring E.11/13:58. "Bind up their Wounds"

He is with us

"Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us.  He has promised that this will never change."

"My brothers and sisters, may we have a commitment to our Heavenly Father that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crisis of our lives.  We should not need to experience difficulties for us to remember Him, and we should not be driven to humility before giving Him our faith and trust."

Monson E 11/13:87 "I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee"

Change Focus

“How do we lead our children to deep conversion and to access our Savior’s Atonement? I love the prophet Nephi’s declaration of what his people did to fortify the youth of his day: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, [and] we prophesy of Christ … that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”4
How can we do this in our homes? Some of you have heard me tell how overwhelmed my husband, Mel, and I felt as the parents of four young children. As we faced the challenges of parenting and keeping up with the demands of life, we were desperate for help. We prayed and pleaded to know what to do. The answer that came was clear: “It is OK if the house is a mess and the children are still in their pajamas and some responsibilities are left undone. The only things that really need to be accomplished in the home are daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening.”
We were trying to do these things, but they were not always the priority and, amidst the chaos, were sometimes neglected. We changed our focus and tried not to worry about the less-important things. Our focus became to talk, rejoice, preach, and testify of Christ by striving to daily pray and study the scriptures and have weekly family home evening.
A friend recently cautioned, “When you ask the sisters to read the scriptures and pray more, it stresses them out. They already feel like they have too much to do.”
Brothers and sisters, because I know from my own experiences, and those of my husband, I must testify of the blessings of daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening. These are the very practices that help take away stress, give direction to our lives, and add protection to our homes. Then, if pornography or other challenges do strike our families, we can petition the Lord for help and expect great guidance from the Spirit, knowing that we have done what our Father has asked us to do.
Brothers and sisters, if these have not been practices in our homes, we can all begin now. If our children are older and refuse to join us, we can start with ourselves. As we do, the influence of the Spirit will begin to fill our homes and our lives and, over time, children may respond.”

Linda K Reeves E.5/14  Protection from Pornography-A Christ Centered Home
Sister Reeves has 13 children.

We Never Walk Alone

My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.
Pres. Monson, E. 11/13 p.124. We Never Walk Alone

Tests of Life are Tailored

E. 11/06

Christ saw and suffered for us one by one

The Savior, as a member of the Godhead, knows each of us personally. Isaiah and the prophet Abinadi said that when Christ would “make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed” (Isa. 53:10; compare Mosiah 15:10). Abinadi explains that “his seed” are the righteous, those who follow the prophets (seeMosiah 15:11). In the garden and on the cross, Jesus saw each of us and not only bore our sins, but also experienced our deepest feelings so that he would know how to comfort and strengthen us.

Elder Bateman 
April 1995
The power to Heal from Within

Repentance-SMILE

"Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life.
 Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden and pain.
 Suffering for sin does not by itself change anything for the better.
Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life.
And, of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation.
Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it.
 It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration. Repentance exists as an option only because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is His infinite sacrifice that “bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance” (Alma 34:15)."
Elder Christofferson
Oct. 2012

P+S+S+T

"I have learned a truth that has been repeated so frequently in my life that I have come to know it as an
ABSOLUTE LAW
it defines the way OBEDIENCE and SERVICE relate to the POWER OF GOD.
When we OBEY the commandments of The Lord and SERVE His children unselfishly, the natural consequence is
POWER FROM GOD-power to do more than we can do by ourselves. Our insights, our talents, our abilities are expanded because we receive strength and power from The Lord."

E. Scott E5/13 p 30 "for peace at home"

Your fingers have been trained...

"It is no coincidence that FamilySearch and other tools have come forth at a time when young people are so familiar with a wide range of information and communication technologies. Your fingers have been trained to text and tweet to accelerate and advance the work of the Lord—not just to communicate quickly with your friends. The skills and aptitude evident among many young people today are a preparation to contribute to the work of salvation.

I invite the young people of the Church to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. I encourage you to study, to search out your ancestors, and to prepare yourselves to perform proxy baptisms in the house of the Lord for your kindred dead (see D&C 124:28–36). And I urge you to help other people identify their family histories.

Elder Bednar E.11/11  The Hearts of the Children

When one door closes

"When one door closes,
another opens,
but often
we look so long at the closed door
that we do not see
the one that has been opened for us."


Helen Keller