General Conference gives us an opportunity to receive guidance from living prophets, learn from the Spirit, and receive answers to personal questions. Below are examples of questions during the April 2016 General Conference. To find the answers, click on the link below.
What did the prophet say?
How can I prevent trials from overcoming my faith?
Is there any hope left for me?
How can I make my prayers more meaningful?
Why is there so much persecution today?
How can I protect my family from excessive use of technology?
How can I stay motivated to live the gospel when I keep falling short?
How can I always retain a remission of my sins?
What can I do to better fulfill my role as a father?
What can I do to help refugees?
If I forgive someone, won’t that mean that justice isn’t served?
What is the greatest challenge our youth face today?
How can we better remember the Savior?
To learn more: Answers to Personal Questions from General Conference
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
What did the prophet say in General Conference?
Now, brothers and sisters, I wish to express my gratitude for the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you this morning.
I have been thinking recently about choices. It has been said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny.
When we left our premortal existence and entered mortality, we brought with us the gift of agency. Our goal is to obtain celestial glory, and the choices we make will, in large part, determine whether or not we reach our goal.
Most of you are familiar with Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire Cat, of whom Alice asks, “Which path shall I follow?”
The cat answers, “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”
Unlike Alice, we know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for the path we follow in this life leads to our destination in the next life.
May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals.
Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.
May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.
As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day—whether to make this choice or that choice—if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice.
That this may ever be so is my heartfelt and humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.
To learn more: Choices
I have been thinking recently about choices. It has been said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny.
When we left our premortal existence and entered mortality, we brought with us the gift of agency. Our goal is to obtain celestial glory, and the choices we make will, in large part, determine whether or not we reach our goal.
Most of you are familiar with Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire Cat, of whom Alice asks, “Which path shall I follow?”
The cat answers, “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”
Unlike Alice, we know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for the path we follow in this life leads to our destination in the next life.
May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals.
Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.
May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.
As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day—whether to make this choice or that choice—if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice.
That this may ever be so is my heartfelt and humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.
To learn more: Choices
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
What Refugees Really Need
To learn more: What Refugees Really Need
Friday, April 1, 2016
Preparing for General Conference
How is your family preparing to listen and watch General Conference? Click the link to find some great ideas and suggestions!
To learn more: General Conference Teaching Tips
To learn more: General Conference Teaching Tips
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Spring Will Come
The Lord prepared me to accept my mom’s passing, and I had moments of exquisite peace, but sometimes my grief threatened to overwhelm me. On the afternoon of my mother’s funeral, I walked with my companion in the Sacred Grove. Snow covered the ground and crunched beneath our feet; everything was shades of white and brown and gray. Looking around in light of what had happened, it was hard to remember what spring felt like. The cold wind shook bare branches. My heart ached. Like the outside world, this season in my life felt like winter.To learn more: Spring Will Come
Friday, March 25, 2016
General Women's Session Choir
This year’s general women’s session choir is a microcosm of the worldwide Church. Since 1830, the Church has grown from six members in Fayette, New York, to 15 million members found in countries across the globe. There are now more members outside the United States than inside, and the Church publishes materials in 188 languages.
Many of the sisters have endured unspeakable hardships—witnessing genocide and experiencing displacement and deprivation. “The Savior has suffered for their pains. There is such a sacred spirit about this choir because there are little children that have been rescued from death multiple times who are now singing about the Savior. It’s very, very powerful, and it is sacred,” Sister Severinsen said.
To learn more: General Women's Session Choir
Many of the sisters have endured unspeakable hardships—witnessing genocide and experiencing displacement and deprivation. “The Savior has suffered for their pains. There is such a sacred spirit about this choir because there are little children that have been rescued from death multiple times who are now singing about the Savior. It’s very, very powerful, and it is sacred,” Sister Severinsen said.
To learn more: General Women's Session Choir
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Making the Sabbath a Delight
Accept the challenge to be more deliberate in what you DO on the Sabbath. Keep yourself on track by printing out the Sabbath Day Bucket List. Choose one activity to do each week with your family, and check it off once you've completed it. It is as simple as that.
To learn more: Making the Sabbath a Delight
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Family Friendly Ideas for Centering Easter on Christ
Knowing that Easter is not about bunnies, baskets, and egg hunts, and wanting my kids to understand the same, I looked online for ideas to focus the holiday more on Jesus Christ. A few years ago we started making these resurrection rolls on Easter Sunday. I found that it was a fun way to teach my kids about the significance of the Savior’s sacrifice and the miracle of His Resurrection. And the kids look forward to it every year.
To learn more: Family Friendly Ideas for Centering Easter on Christ
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
Notes from Women's Conference
Did you miss Women's Conference? Sister Jackie Riley has shared her notes from Sister Elaine Dalton's comments on What Would a Holy Woman Do?
• Ask HARD Questions
• Ask questions with the intent to ACT!
• Think of yourself as a HOLY WOMAN already….You are one
• If you feel you are not HOLY then utilize the Atonement and YOU WILL BE A HOLY WOMAN again
• Each of us are ELECT – not ordinary
• We had exceeding faith – that is why we came on earth to live
• Each of us are here in this day to change the world
• We must PRESS FORWARD
• We’re all going to experience resistance
• We have an EDGE – it is the constant companionship of the HOLY GHOST
• The Lord is absolutely in the details of our lives
• From the Hymn…..More fit for the kingdom -- we must strive to be
• FAITH is a POWER!
• TESTIMONY is a POWER!
• VIRTUE is a POWER….
• The HOLINESS is a POWER!
• Stand ye in holy places and be not moved
• D&C 88 – establish a house of order, faith, fasting, prayer, a HOUSE OF GOD
• The Spirit cannot dwell in unholy places
• Covenants are the vehicle that makes us holy
• There are angels round about you as you attend the temple
• The TEMPLE is in the center of our lives
• Doctrine & Covenants 46 – we have the ability to receive Spiritual Gifts
• We have the gift of DISCERNMENT
• We have the gift of UNDERSTANDING
• Your purity and light shines from within you
• We are living below our privileges –Eliza R. Snow
• Your Patriarchal Blessing tells you of individual gifts
• If you keep your covenants – parents your children who have gone astray will one day come back to the fold
Referenced Elder Nelson’s talk “A Plea to My Sisters” – Oct 2015 General Conference
• We need your strength, conversion, conviction, your voice
• Women in the church must be distinct and different
• We need women who are organized and who can organize
• We need women who receive revelation
• We need women who are covenant keepers
• Awake and arise as is explained in Moroni
• Lay hold on every good gift
• Covet the BEST GIFTS! The scriptures teach us we should
• HAPPY WAYS are HOLY WAYS
• Ask HARD Questions
• Ask questions with the intent to ACT!
• Think of yourself as a HOLY WOMAN already….You are one
• If you feel you are not HOLY then utilize the Atonement and YOU WILL BE A HOLY WOMAN again
• Each of us are ELECT – not ordinary
• We had exceeding faith – that is why we came on earth to live
• Each of us are here in this day to change the world
• We must PRESS FORWARD
• We’re all going to experience resistance
• We have an EDGE – it is the constant companionship of the HOLY GHOST
• The Lord is absolutely in the details of our lives
• From the Hymn…..More fit for the kingdom -- we must strive to be
• FAITH is a POWER!
• TESTIMONY is a POWER!
• VIRTUE is a POWER….
• The HOLINESS is a POWER!
• Stand ye in holy places and be not moved
• D&C 88 – establish a house of order, faith, fasting, prayer, a HOUSE OF GOD
• The Spirit cannot dwell in unholy places
• Covenants are the vehicle that makes us holy
• There are angels round about you as you attend the temple
• The TEMPLE is in the center of our lives
• Doctrine & Covenants 46 – we have the ability to receive Spiritual Gifts
• We have the gift of DISCERNMENT
• We have the gift of UNDERSTANDING
• Your purity and light shines from within you
• We are living below our privileges –Eliza R. Snow
• Your Patriarchal Blessing tells you of individual gifts
• If you keep your covenants – parents your children who have gone astray will one day come back to the fold
Referenced Elder Nelson’s talk “A Plea to My Sisters” – Oct 2015 General Conference
• We need your strength, conversion, conviction, your voice
• Women in the church must be distinct and different
• We need women who are organized and who can organize
• We need women who receive revelation
• We need women who are covenant keepers
• Awake and arise as is explained in Moroni
• Lay hold on every good gift
• Covet the BEST GIFTS! The scriptures teach us we should
• HAPPY WAYS are HOLY WAYS
• Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and he will direct thy path
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
Love One Another -- 14 Day Challenge
Love is in the air. Well, maybe not for you. But it could be.
With the appearance of heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, cupid candies, valentine cards, and lovey-dovey stuffed animals on store shelves across America, it’s clear that in the United States, there is a definite commercialization of love during the month of February.
But love isn’t confined to a month. Love is not dependent on relationship status. In fact, it’s not about one day. It’s about every day.
In the words of our loving prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, “Love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar.”
If we want to be better followers of Him, we need to be more. We need to LOVE more.
To focus on the essence of the gospel and ensure that “love is the air,” we invite you to participate in our 14-day challenge to love one another.
With the appearance of heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, cupid candies, valentine cards, and lovey-dovey stuffed animals on store shelves across America, it’s clear that in the United States, there is a definite commercialization of love during the month of February.
But love isn’t confined to a month. Love is not dependent on relationship status. In fact, it’s not about one day. It’s about every day.
In the words of our loving prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, “Love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar.”
If we want to be better followers of Him, we need to be more. We need to LOVE more.
To focus on the essence of the gospel and ensure that “love is the air,” we invite you to participate in our 14-day challenge to love one another.
To learn more: Love One Another -- 14 Day Challenge
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Friday, January 22, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Friday, January 15, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Sunday, January 3, 2016
2016 Theme
The theme chosen for this year is "WHAT WOULD A HOLY WOMAN DO?" The theme was chosen from the book by the same title written by Wendy Watson Nelson.
"What woman would describe herself as "holy"? And yet, the Lord has commanded us to "practice holiness ... continually." What is the meaning of holiness? How can we become a little more holy day by day? Is that even possible? Or is holiness just a lofty, impossible goal?
In considering these questions, bestselling author Wendy Watson Nelson offered a three-day experiment to several friends. For three days each woman chose one of her normal daily activities and asked herself "How would a holy woman do this?" For example, how would a holy woman handle a conflict, or avoid a conflict? How would she manage a lengthy to-do list? What would she do in difficult situations? And then each woman followed through on the answer. Their experiences are both eye-opening and encouraging as we begin to understand how gifts of the Spirit can help us become the women that the Lord needs us to be. This powerful message will inspire listeners to take their own three-day challenge and discover what the Lord is willing to teach each of us about becoming more holy." (Description of book from Deseret Book)
Scripture: "And ye must practice virtue and holiness before me continually." D&C 46:33
Quote: "Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are." Jeffrey R. Holland
To learn more: What Would a Holy Woman Do?
"What woman would describe herself as "holy"? And yet, the Lord has commanded us to "practice holiness ... continually." What is the meaning of holiness? How can we become a little more holy day by day? Is that even possible? Or is holiness just a lofty, impossible goal?
In considering these questions, bestselling author Wendy Watson Nelson offered a three-day experiment to several friends. For three days each woman chose one of her normal daily activities and asked herself "How would a holy woman do this?" For example, how would a holy woman handle a conflict, or avoid a conflict? How would she manage a lengthy to-do list? What would she do in difficult situations? And then each woman followed through on the answer. Their experiences are both eye-opening and encouraging as we begin to understand how gifts of the Spirit can help us become the women that the Lord needs us to be. This powerful message will inspire listeners to take their own three-day challenge and discover what the Lord is willing to teach each of us about becoming more holy." (Description of book from Deseret Book)
Scripture: "And ye must practice virtue and holiness before me continually." D&C 46:33
Quote: "Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are." Jeffrey R. Holland
To learn more: What Would a Holy Woman Do?