I hope many of you were able to view the October 2009 LDS General Conference. My husband was in the choir on Saturday afternoon, and the kids and I were excited to see him. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from General Conference. You can already read, listen or watch the sessions at this link:
“For what we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are – and who we will become.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Saturday morning
“Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Saturday morning
“We should remember that saying ‘I love you’ is only a beginning. We need to say it, we need to mean it and, most important, we need to consistently show it. We need to both express and demonstrate love.” Elder David A. Bednar, Saturday morning
“Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls.” Elder David A. Bednar, Saturday morning
“. . . bearing up under our own burdens can help us develop a reservoir of empathy for the problems others face.” Elder L. Whitney Clayton, Saturday morning
“If we provide a ‘still’ and quiet time each day when we are not bombarded by television, computer, video games, or personal electronic devices, we allow that still, small voice an opportunity to provide personal revelation and to whisper sweet guidance, reassurance, and comfort to us.” Sister Vicki F. Matsumori, Saturday morning
“God’s love is so perfect that He lovingly requires us to obey His commandments because He knows that only through obedience to His laws can we become perfect, as He is. For this reason, God’s anger and His wrath are not a contradiction of His love but an evidence of His love. Every parent knows that you can love a child totally and completely while still being creatively angry and disappointed at that child’s self-defeating behavior.” Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Saturday afternoon
“We may feel the words of spiritual communication more than hear them, and see with spiritual eyes rather than with mortal eyes.” President Boyd K. Packer, Saturday afternoon
“When temptation comes, you can invent a delete key in your mind – perhaps the words from a favorite hymn. Your mind is in charge; your body is the instrument of your mind. When some unworthy thought pushes into your mind, replace it with your delete key. Worthy music is powerful and can help you control your thoughts.” President Boyd K. Packer, Saturday afternoon
“Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil. And I have learned to conclude all my prayers with ‘Thy will be done.'” President Boyd K. Packer, Saturday afternoon
“I have seen enough ups and downs throughout my life to know that winter will surely give way to the warmth and hope of a new spring. I am optimistic about the future. Brethren, for our part, we must remain steadfast in hope, work with all our strength, and trust in God.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Saturday Priesthood session
“There may be those who, after many years of Church service, believe they are entitled to a period of rest while others pull the weight. To put it bluntly, brethren, this sort of thinking is unworthy of a disciple of Christ. A great part of our work on this earth is to endure joyfully to the end—every day of our life.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Saturday Priesthood session
“Brethren, you have a duty to learn as much as you can. Please encourage your families, your quorum members, everyone to learn and become better educated. If formal education is not available, do not allow that to prevent you from acquiring all the knowledge you can. Under such circumstances, the best books, in a sense, can become your “university”—a classroom that is always open and admits all who apply.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Saturday Priesthood session
“The destiny of the rising generation of priesthood holders is far more than to be ready to bring God’s power down to heal the sick. The preparation is to be ready to go and do whatever the Lord wants done as the world is preparing for His coming. None of us knows exactly what those errands will be. But we know what it will take to be ready, so each of us can prepare.” President Henry B. Eyring, Saturday Priesthood session
“To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry. I testify that such is possible.” President Thomas S. Monson, Saturday Priesthood session
“First, I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.” President Henry B. Eyring, Sunday morning
“Former United States president Ronald Reagan has been quoted as saying, ‘I do not want to go back to the past; I want to go back to the past way of facing the future.’ His counsel still resonates within me. There is something about reviewing the lessons of the past to prepare us to face the challenges of the future.” Elder L. Tom Perry, Sunday morning
“I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.” President Thomas S. Monson, Sunday morning
“Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.'” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Sunday afternoon
“Now, I did not sail with the brother of Jared in crossing an ocean, settling in a new world. I did not hear King Benjamin speak his angelically delivered sermon. I did not proselyte with Alma and Amulek nor witness the fiery death of innocent believers. I was not among the Nephite crowd who touched the wounds of the resurrected Lord, nor did I weep with Mormon and Moroni over the destruction of an entire civilization. But my testimony of this record and the peace it brings to the human heart is as binding and unequivocal as was theirs. Like them ‘[I] give [my name] unto the world, to witness unto the world that which [I] have seen.” And like them, “[I] lie not, God bearing witness of it. I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies, given today under my own oath and office, be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. I hope I have a few years left in my ‘last days,’ but whether I do or do not, I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days.” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Sunday afternoon
“Some parents place undue priority on temporal and material possessions. Some are far less diligent in their efforts to immerse their children in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember that having religious observance in the home is as important as providing food, clothing and shelter.” Elder Quentin L. Cook, Sunday afternoon
“Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard.” Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Sunday afternoon
“My brothers and sisters, He has prepared us. If we heed His words and live the commandments, we will survive this time of permissiveness and wickedness — a time which can be compared with the waves and the winds and the floods that can destroy. He is ever mindful of us. He loves us and will bless us as we do what is right.” President Thomas S. Monson, Sunday afternoon