To help prepare myself for the October 2018 General Conference this weekend, I took the time over the past 30+ days to revisit all talks from last spring's sessions. As I went along I tweeted out a favorite quote of mine from each talk. Here I bring them all together in one post.
SATURDAY MORNING
"If we have faith as small as a mustard seed, the Lord can help us remove the mountains of discouragement and doubt in the tasks ahead of us as we serve with God’s children...."
President M. Russell Ballard
("Precious Gifts from God")
"....open the Book of Mormon, and you will come to know that '[God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so].'"
Elder Brian K. Taylor
("Am I a Child of God?")
"Do we harbor what seem like fully justified feelings of resentment and anger? Are we letting pride keep us from forgiving and letting go? I invite all of us to forgive completely and let healing occur from within."
Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk
("Even as Christ Forgives You, So Also Do Ye")
"Just as President Monson was one of the grandest inhabitants to grace this earth, so is President Nelson. He has been profoundly prepared and specifically tutored by the Lord to lead us at this time."
Elder Gary E. Stevenson
("The Heart of a Prophet")
"Obviously, the Savior was not establishing an upper limit of 490.... The Lord used the math of seventy times seven as a metaphor of His infinite Atonement, His boundless love, and His limitless grace."
Elder Lynn G. Robbins
("Until Seventy Times Seven")
“And don’t be alarmed when the prophet’s warning voice counters popular opinions of the day. The mocking fireballs of annoyed disbelievers are always hurled the moment the prophet begins to speak.”
Elder Neil L. Andersen
("The Prophet of God")
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
“The Christlike quality of meekness often is misunderstood in our contemporary world. Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash.”
Elder David A. Bednar
("Meek and Lowly of Heart")
“At the same time, as we honor and are grateful for His sacrifice, we can receive in a great measure the intense desire to be better children of God, to stay away from sin, and to keep covenants like never before.”
Elder Taylor G. Godoy
("One More Day")
“Do those who sit on ward councils, or hold any calling in the ward, see the young women as valuable resources to help fill the many needs within our wards? ....we often think only of the adults in the ward to meet those needs.”
Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson
("Young Women in the Work")
“....the Savior saved our lives and how we need to thank Him every day, every day, every day!”
Elder Taniela B. Wakolo
("Saving Ordinances Will Bring Us Marvelous Light")
“I think it wise to ask ourselves occasionally, ‘What will I teach, or what am I teaching, my children by my acts and attitudes of obedience?’”
Brother Devin G. Durrant
("Teaching in the Home—a Joyful and Sacred Responsibility")
“When ordinances are performed on behalf of the deceased, God’s children on earth are healed.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund
("Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing")
SUNDAY MORNING
“The arrival of a typhoon is no time to dust off the gift of the Holy Ghost and figure out how to use it.”
Elder Larry Y. Wilson
("Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide")
“Every one of our paths is different, yet we walk them together. Our path is not about what we have done or where we have been; it is about where we are going and what we are becoming, in unity.”
Sister Reyna I. Aburto
("With One Accord")
“They know that the price He paid is an ‘all-inclusive price.’ Spiritual taxes, fees, commissions, and charges related to sins, mistakes, or wrongdoings are all covered. True disciples are quick to forgive and quick to ask for forgiveness.”
Elder Massimo De Feo
("Pure Love: The True Sign of Every True Disciple of Jesus Christ")
“I testify that our Heavenly Father is constantly saying, ‘I love you. I sustain you. I am with you. Do not give up. Repent and endure in the path that I have shown you. And I assure you that we will see each other again in our celestial home.’”
Elder Claudio D. Zivic
("He That Shall Endure unto the End, the Same Shall Be Saved")
“....the Father and the Son are sending the Holy Ghost to all who have that gift, ask for that blessing, and seek to be worthy of it. Neither the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Ghost force Themselves into our lives. We are free to choose.”
President Henry B. Eyring
("His Spirit to Be with You")
“....the simplicity of the way or the easiness of the commanded task cannot mean that it is unimportant to achieve our righteous desire. Similarly, even small acts of disobedience or minor failures to follow righteous practices can draw us down toward an outcome we have been warned to avoid.”
President Dallin H. Oaks
("Small and Simple Things")
“But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”
President Russell M. Nelson
("Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives")
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
“Together, our covenants and our Savior’s Atonement enable and ennoble. Together, they help us hold on and let go. Together, they sweeten, preserve, sanctify, redeem.”
Elder Gerrit W. Gong
("Christ the Lord Is Risen Today")
“By following them (the prophets), our lives are happier and less complicated, our difficulties and problems are easier to bear, and we create a spiritual armor around us that will protect us from the attacks of the enemy in our day.”
Elder Ulisses Soares
("Prophets Speak by the Power of the Holy Spirit")
“As He prepared to leave His still-innocent and somewhat-confused little band of followers, He did not list a dozen administrative steps they had to take or hand them a fistful of reports to be filled out in triplicate. No, He summarized their task in one fundamental commandment: ‘Love one another; as I have loved you.… By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.’”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
("'Be With and Strengthen Them'")
“With love as the motivation, miracles will happen, and we will find ways to bring our ‘missing’ sisters and brothers into the all-inclusive embrace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Sister Jean B. Bingham
("Ministering as the Savior Does")
“So, when you are encompassed by sorrows and grief, behold the Man. When you feel lost or forgotten, behold the Man. When you are despairing, deserted, doubting, damaged, or defeated, behold the Man. He will comfort you.”
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
("Behold the Man!")
“Sometimes we talk about going to church. But the Church is more than a building or a particular place.... We take the Church with us wherever we go.... Our very presence and influence can be enough to make wherever we find ourselves a holy place.”
Bishop Gérald Caussé
("It Is All about People")
“In the Lord’s Church, the only culture we adhere to and teach is the culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The unity we seek is to be unified with the Savior and His teachings.”
Elder Quentin L. Cook
("Prepare to Meet God")
“Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.”
President Russell M. Nelson
("Let Us All Press On")
GENERAL PRIESTHOOD SESSION
“Understanding and magnifying the Aaronic Priesthood will prepare them to be faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holders, power-filled missionaries, and righteous husbands and fathers.”
Brother Douglas D. Holmes
("What Every Aaronic Priesthood Holder Needs to Understand")
“He wants all of His ordained sons to represent Him, to speak for Him, to act for Him, and to bless the lives of God’s children throughout the world, to the end ‘that faith also might increase in [all] the earth.’”
President Russell M. Nelson
("Introductory Remarks")
“‘The priesthood is greater than any of its offices.… The priesthood is not divisible. An elder holds as much priesthood as an Apostle. When a man [has the priesthood conferred upon him], he receives all of it.’”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, quoting President Boyd K. Packer
("The Elders Quorum")
“I remind you: priesthood authority comes by way of setting apart and ordination, but real priesthood power, the power to act in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, can come only through righteous living.”
Elder Ronald A. Rasband
("Behold! A Royal Army")
“‘Some service like passing the sacrament is something people see and they thank us for doing it, but other service like preparing the sacrament is usually done without anyone noticing. It isn’t important if people see us serving; what’s important is that the Lord knows we have served Him.’”
President Henry B. Eyring, quoting a 14-year-old boy whom he heard speak in church one day
("Inspired Ministering")
“The Melchizedek Priesthood is not a status or a label. It is a divine power held in trust to use for the benefit of God’s work for His children. We should always remember that men who hold the priesthood are not ‘the priesthood.’”
President Dallin H. Oaks
("The Powers of the Priesthood")
“....there are doors we can open, priesthood blessings we can give, hearts we can heal, burdens we can lift, testimonies we can strengthen, lives we can save, and joy we can bring into the homes of the Latter-day Saints—all because we hold the priesthood of God.”
President Russell M. Nelson
("Ministering with the Power and Authority of God")
