This morning, I described how blessed it is to be a peacemaker and how peacemaking begins in the most basic place: in our hearts, then in homes and families.
As we practice there, peacemaking will spread into our neighborhoods and communities.
Peacemakers are sometimes labeled naive or weak from all sides. Yet, to be a peacemaker is not to be weak, but to be strong in a way the world may not understand.
Jesus Christ, the greatest of all, suffered for us until He bled from every pore, yet He never allowed anger to inflame His heart, nor did aggressive, offensive, or profane words escape His lips, even amid such affliction.
With perfect temperance and unmatched meekness, He did not think of Himself but of each of God’s children—past, present, and future. Even in the midst of His greatest agony, the Savior demonstrated perfect and divine temperance.
Among the qualities that adorn true disciples of Christ, temperance stands out as a reflection of the Savior Himself, a precious fruit of the Spirit available to all who open themselves to divine influence.
“And no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care” (Doctrine and Covenants 12:8). #GeneralConference
We learn that while in the garden of Gethsemane, the Savior did ask the Father if the trial could pass over Him—but then He also said that if it was the Father’s will, then the Savior would do it. In other words, the Savior even took on doubt and uncertainty, but He had faith in His Heavenly Father.
Brothers and sisters, your proving and strengthening will come. It may come quietly, through the trials of family life. It may come through illness, or disappointment, or grief, or loneliness.
These moments are not evidence that the Lord has abandoned you. Rather, they are evidence that He loves you enough to refine and strengthen you. He is making you strong enough to carry the weight of eternal life.
If we remain faithful in our service, the Lord will refine us. He will strengthen us. And one day, we will look back and see that those very trials were evidence of His love. We will see that He was shaping us to be able to stand with Him in glory. #GeneralConference
God’s creations include both “things to act and things to be acted upon.” And moral agency is the divinely designed “power of independent action” that empowers us as God’s children to become agents to act and not simply objects to be acted upon.
A primary purpose of the Creation and of our mortal existence is to provide us the opportunity to act and become what the Lord invites us to become.
We have not been blessed with moral agency to do whatever we want whenever we will. Rather, according to the Father’s plan, we have received moral agency to seek after and act in accordance with eternal truth.
President Dallin H. Oaks has emphasized that the gospel of Jesus Christ invites us both to know something and to become something through the righteous exercise of moral agency.
And yet our works and desires alone do not and cannot save us. “After all we can do,” we are reconciled with God only through the mercy and grace available through the Savior’s infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice.
Many of us may expect that our appearance before the bar of the Eternal Judge will be similar to a proceeding in a worldly court of law. A judge will preside. Evidence will be presented. A verdict will be rendered. And we likely will be uncertain and fearful until we learn the eventual outcome. But I believe such a characterization is inaccurate.
The fear of the Lord is not a reluctant apprehension about coming into His presence to be judged. Rather, it is the prospect of ultimately acknowledging about ourselves things as they really are and as they really will be.
Ultimately, we are our own judges. No one will need to tell us where to go. In the Lord’s presence, we will acknowledge what we have chosen to become in mortality and know for ourselves where we should be in eternity.
If our desires have been for righteousness and our works good—meaning we have exercised faith in Jesus Christ, made and kept covenants with God, and repented of our sins—then the judgment bar will be pleasing. #GeneralConference
Elder Brown was my mission president.
When my group arrived in Jamaica, he was literally jumping up and down pumping his fists in excitement.
I have never met a man with so much commitment and passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ!
All of us can have a new beginning through, and because of, Jesus Christ.
Even you.
New beginnings are at the heart of the Father’s plan for His children. This is the church of new beginnings! This is the church of fresh starts!
Our new beginning doesn’t just happen once. We tend to think that baptism is our one shot at a new beginning.
It isn’t.
We don’t have just one chance.
These new beginnings can happen every day!
Jesus gives us as many new beginnings as we need. #GeneralConference
Bishop Jeffrey Schaub from the Grand Blanc Ward shares an update on the ward and its members following the Sunday, September 28 attack on their local meetinghouse.
“We will be happy and find joy again. I know there are a lot of people suffering right now. But we share in that testimony and that love of Jesus Christ that through Him, we’ll find that peace and joy that is missing today, and tomorrow, and the next few days—but it will come."
https://t.co/6UVLKYvNpk
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints condemns horrific acts of violence worldwide, including the recent assassination in Utah. We affirm our repeated calls to seek peace and unity despite our differences. Jesus Christ teaches us to love one another, that hate is wrong and that human life is sacred. We urge all to reject violence and instead build understanding. Recognizing that we are all children of God, we must treat one another with more dignity, compassion and respect. As we mourn with those who have experienced loss and care for those living in fear or conflict, we call upon people everywhere to build communities of greater kindness and love." — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
https://t.co/mvmI7NNN4L
I love hearing President Hinckley’s voice, when I think of the prophets voice I will always hear his first.
I listen to his talks when I need comfort. This talk is after 9/11. We need it today.
When things are moving very fast and people are losing their minds, it’s important to stay grounded. Turn off your phone, read scripture, spend time with friends, and remember internet fury is not real life. It’s going to be ok.
For more than three decades I have been tutored and taught by President Russell M. Nelson. I stood on a hill with him in Budapest, Hungary, where he spoke prophetically about the future of Eastern Europe.
I have bowed my head with him as he prayed in perfect Portuguese, breaking ground for the Curitiba Brazil Temple.
I stood by his side in Montreal, Canada, as he explained to reporters why we prefer the full name of the Church.
I have been lifted as he has testified of Jesus Christ. I have knelt with him in prayer. He has blessed me with his hands on my head. He has counseled me with love and inspiration.
I was in the room as our hands were upon his head as he was ordained and set apart on January 14, 2018, as the President of the Church.
I confirm in humility and truth through hundreds of experiences that he is the Lord’s prophet upon the earth. I love him and am so grateful for his 101st birthday. Happy birthday, President Nelson! #PresidentNelson101
Did you know moderates make up the majority of Americans? And yet, we find ourselves politically homeless.
There’s never been a more ripe time for us to break the two-party stranglehold.
Join me, won’t you? https://t.co/trFzbelq0y
Our major parties have lost the ability to solve our country’s problems, especially at the national level.
Both sides have become overly obsessed with holding onto power at all costs, abandoning principle.
It’s time for a change in Washington.
https://t.co/DuJs330f2u
Every 6 months, millions of LDS Church members watch "General Conference"
21,000 of them gather in a remarkable piece of real estate to watch in person.
Most have no idea how massive, one of a kind & record-breaking this building is.
Some mind-numbing facts 🤯:
- There's a man-made waterfall inside that's fed from a natural creek, plus a 4 acre garden on the roof!
- It's 1.4 million square feet and only took 3 years to build
- It's the largest theatre-style auditorium ever built
- The concrete footings for the roof structure are 8 feet thick and 40 feet wide
- It's built to withstand floods and 8.4 richter scale earthquakes
- There are no columns or obstructed views across all 21,000 seats, as shown below
- The upper level is designed to sink 5/8 of an inch when full (freaky)
-Every piece of the stage is movable, designed to be converted for stage productions and concerts
- There are 50,000 miles of electrical wire in the building, enough to circle the globe twice
- The organ is one of a kind, and the organ pipes range from 3/4 inch to 40 feet tall and tool 3 years to install
- The carpet and upholstery are designed to reduce reverberation from the speakers
- From the top of the balcony to the podium is the length of a football field, and you could fit a Boeing 747 inside
- An additional 18,000,000 pounds could be placed on the roof without it collapsing, with a weight-bearing capacity of 300 lbs per square inch
- It was built to last 150+ years
- The main chandelier is 3 stories tall
- It was made from the same granite quarry as the famous SLC temple across the street
- The parking garage below hold 1,300 cars and is 450,000 square feet, as big as 2 Costcos
- It took over 1,100 workers and 80 subcontractors to finish
- The garden on the roof has a full irrigation system and an elaborate snow melting system and water collection system
- #LDSConf is translated into over 100 languages in 60 translation booths downstairs with the help of 800 volunteers
- Conference is broadcasted to over 200 countries around the world and has been happening for 193 years
- The speakers are leaders from the LDS Church, speaking across 5 2 hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday every Fall and Spring, including today!
- Talks are given center on Jesus Christ and other topics related to our faith
Anyone can tour this building for free. Regardless of your faith, or no faith even, Temple Square is an awesome, special place to visit, even if you're purely a real estate aficionado
I better wrap this up so I can go watch myself. You can stream live in YouTube.
Hope you found this interesting! Follow @mhp_guy for more cool stuff sometimes I guess.
I have reflected many times on the miracle of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Today we commemorate the 200thanniversary of the angel Moroni’s first visit to the Prophet Joseph Smith. What a remarkable visitation this was! Moroni was a messenger sent from God to teach Joseph Smith about the work that God had for him to do. Moroni became one of Joseph’s major tutors.
On his first visit, Moroni told Joseph Smith that “there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent. … the fulness of the everlasting gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants.”
Joseph Smith translated this ancient record “by the gift and power of God.” This record is known today as the Book of Mormon.
I cherish the Book of Mormon and the opportunity to study its teachings. It is a thrill to invite visiting dignitaries to learn of its profound teachings of Jesus Christ.
The true value of the Book of Mormon can be summed up in the words of a man I taught many years ago in Accra, Ghana.
This man was a serious student of the Bible and one who loved the Lord. I explained to him that after the Savior’s Crucifixion and Resurrection He came to the people of ancient America to whom He taught His gospel.
Together, he and I read the Savior’s sermon to the people of the Americas. I then presented a copy of the Book of Mormon to him, to which he said:
“You could have given me diamonds or rubies, but nothing is more precious to me than this additional knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
On this 200-year anniversary, I ask each of us to consider: What is this book worth to you? If you were offered diamonds and rubies or the Book of Mormon, which would you choose?
I testify that the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. It contains the answers to life’s most compelling questions. Its truths have the power to inspire, comfort, restore, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.
It is my hope that each of us will see this book, today and always, as it really is: more precious than all the riches in the world.