General Conference Saturday Morning Session 4-4-09

President Thomas S. Monson - Welcome to Conference
"Because of the passing of Elder Wirthlin, there exists a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. After much fasting and prayer, we have called Elder Neil Linden Andersen to fill this vacancy."

"We now have approximately 53,000 missionaries serving in 348 missions throughout the world."

"The Perpetual Education Fund, established in 2001, continues to move forward. Since its inception, 35,600 young men and young women have been enrolled in the program and have trained to improve their skills and their employment opportunities. Thus far, 18,900 have finished that training. On average, with the 2.7 years of education they are now receiving, they are increasing their income by three to four times."

Elder Robert D. Hales - Becoming Provident Providers: Temporally and Spiritually
"Today I speak to all whose freedom to choose has been diminished by the effects of ill-advised choices of the past. I speak specifically of choices that have led to excessive debt and addictions to food, drugs, pornography, and other patterns of thought and action that diminish one’s sense of self-worth. All of these excesses affect us individually and undermine our family relationships."

"..additional debt is incurred when we cannot control our wants and addictive impulses."

"Being provident providers, we must keep that most basic commandment, 'Thou shalt not covet'(Exodus 20:17). Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement."

"...we go into debt to buy...things we do not really need." "We give away some of our precious, priceless agency and put ourselves in self-imposed servitude."

"When our boys were young, we had a family council and set a goal to take a 'dream vacation' down the Colorado River. When any of us wanted to buy something during the next year, we would ask each other, 'Do we really want to buy that thing now, or do we want to take our dream trip later?' This was a wonderful teaching experience in choosing provident living. By not satisfying our every immediate want, we obtained the more desirable reward of family togetherness and fond memories for years to come."

"...addiction is the craving of the natural man, and it can never be satisfied."

“Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted” (2 Nephi 9:51).

Sister Margaret S. Lifferth - Respect and Reverence
"...reverence for God is strengthened as we show respect for each other."

"Ask yourself these questions: Am I an example of respect in my home by the way I treat those I love the most? What is my demeanor during a sports event? If my child has a disagreement with a teacher, coach, or peer, do I listen to both sides of the issue? Do I show respect for the property of others as well as take care of my own? How do I respond to others with whom I disagree in matters of religion, lifestyle, or politics?"

"Reverence is profound respect mingled with love."(David O. McKay, in Conference Report, Apr. 1967, 86.)

"Reverence Invites Revelation." (Boyd K. Packer, "Reverence Invites Revelation," Ensign, Nov. 1991, 21–23.)

"...reverence will increase if our socializing is done in the foyer and if sacrament meeting begins with the prelude music, not the opening prayer."

"Texting or reading e-mails in a Church meeting is not only irreverent, it is distracting and signals a lack of respect for those around us. So we exemplify reverence by participating in the meeting, listening to the speakers, and singing the hymns of Zion together."

Michael A. Neider - Revealed Quorum Principles
"As bearers of the holy priesthood, we should see that the sisters are not the only examples of virtue. "

"And let every man ^aesteem his brother as himself, and practise ^bvirtue and holiness before me." (Doctrine and Covenants 38:24)

"Brethren, we should be earnest students of revealed priesthood and quorum principles."

"Teaching of fundamentals is urgent. That we might better understand our task and our opportunity" (Thomas S. Monson, "Back to Basics," regional representative's seminar, Apr. 3, 1981, 2. )

"Bishops, do not overlook the strength and skill of your Aaronic Priesthood quorum and Young Women class presidencies."

Allen F. Packer - Finding Strength in Challenging Times!
"We must know—and know that we know."

"As we tugged back and forth, amid all the noise I heard a voice yelling, 'Packer, tackle him!' That was enough to bring me to my senses, so I dropped him on the spot.

I have wondered how I heard that voice above all the other noise. I had become acquainted with the voice of the coach during the practices, and I had learned to trust it. I knew that what he taught worked.

We need to be acquainted with the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and we need to practice and apply gospel teachings until they become natural and automatic."

“A testimony of the gospel is a personal witness borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost that certain facts of eternal significance are true and that we know them to be true." (Dallin H. Oaks, “Testimony,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2008, 26.)

"Testimony is to know and to feel, conversion is to do and to become.” (Dallin H. Oaks, quoted in Kenneth Johnson, “Coming to Know for Ourselves,” Ensign, July 2008, 29)

"This witness is not limited to the leaders but is available to all men, women, youth, and even little children. Having the capacity to receive personal inspiration will be necessary in the coming days."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson - The Power of Covenants
3 Nephi 27:20
20 Now this is the commandment: ^aRepent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be ^bbaptized in my name, that ye may be ^csanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand ^dspotless before me at the last day.

"Our access to [moral and spiritual] power is through our covenants with [God]. A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God"

"Divine covenants make strong Christians."

Elder Henry B. Eyring - Adversity
"Particularly when the comfortable times have gone on for a while, the arrival of suffering or the loss of material security can bring fear and sometimes even anger."

"The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life."

Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8,10
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
“Thou art not yet as Job;”

Saturday October 6, 2007 - Priesthood Session of General Conference

General Priesthood Session of the 177th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
L. Tom Perry - Apostle
Raising the Bar (Text, Video)
He talked about how when his son was in high school he was a high jumper. He said that his son was practicing high jumping against the minimum height to qualify. He suggested to his son that he raise it higher. His son said that he might miss. He told his son that if he just did the minimum he would never know what he was capable of.

He talked about potential missionaries should extend themselves above the minimum standards required to serve a mission. He counseled to study before going on a mission and to have a clean appearance even before you go on your mission.

Donald L. Hallstrom - Seventy
Do It Now (Text, Video)
He talked of the mentallity that many of us slip into with zoning out when we read or when lessons are giving because it feels like we have heard it all before. This can block the spirit's access to our minds.

He also talked about being slothful and procrastinating those things that are important.

“For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

“And now, . . . as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end” (Alma 34:32–33).

Quoted President Spencer W. Kimball on procrastination. "President Kimball also taught the profound principle that procrastination leads to the loss of exaltation. He said: “One of the most serious human defects in all ages is procrastination, an unwillingness to accept personal responsibilities now. . . . Many have allowed themselves to be diverted and have become . . . addicts to mental and spiritual indolence and to the pursuit of worldly pleasure” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 4–5)."

L. Whitney Clayton - Seventy
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart (Text, Video)
He described fishing traps where fish can squeeze in, but was much more difficult to get out. He then talked about King David and how David got caught in a trap that was easy to get into, but impossible to get out of. He saw the bait and did not turn away from it.

He talked about how pornography is like this. Like David those that view pornography gradually get into more and trouble. Soon more explicit pictures are desired and the problem grows and becomes more addictive.

Walter F. Gonzalez - Member of the Presidency of the Seventy
Today is the Time (Text, Video)
"What are we doing today to engraven in our souls the gospel principles that will uphold us in times of adversity?"

President Henry B. Eyring - 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency
God Helps the Faithful Priesthood Holder (Text, Video)
He talked about how he now feels like he did when he was a young man and moved from a small ward to a large ward. The large ward had a complicated pattern for passing the sacrament efficiently to a large congregation. Even though he had passed the sacrament many times before he was scared that he would make a mistake in the new pattern.

He talked about giving a talk at a convention of churches where people were to decide which church to go to or at least which talk to go to on subsequent days. He said that preachers and people came up to him related how they had known members that had served not just their church, but the community. He said that he had been concerned about people not liking his message, but each day more and more people came. They came not because the talk was good, but because they had seen the impact of the message on lives of members of the Church.

President Thomas S. Monson - 1st Counselor in the First Presidency
A Royal Priesthood (Text, Video)
He spoke about the characteristics of a true priesthood holder.
Vision, effort, faith, prayer, and virtue.

President Gordon B. Hinckley - Prophet
Slow to Anger (Text, Video)
"A proverb in the Old Testament states: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Proverbs 16:32)."

He said that many of the inmates in prison are probably there because they did something in anger.

"Divorce too often is the bitter fruit of anger."