[music "guide us, o thou great jehovah"] (singing) guide us,o thou great jehovah, guide us to the promised land. from the conference centerat temple square in salt lake city, this is thesaturday morning session of the 185th annualgeneral conference of the church of jesuschrist of latter-day saints. speakers are selected fromthe general authorities and general officersof the church.
music for thissession is provided by the mormon tabernacle choir. members and officersof the church have come from allareas of the world to receive counsel andinstruction from their church leaders. (singing) bid our fearfulthoughts be still; when thy judgmentsspread destruction, keep us safe on zion'shill, singing praises,
singing praises, songsof glory unto thee. this broadcast is furnishedas a public service by bonneville distribution. any reproduction,recording, transcription, or other use of this programwithout written consent is prohibited. president dieter f.uchtdorf, second counselor in the first presidencyof the church, will conduct this session.
dear brothers andsisters, dear friends, we welcome you tothe saturday morning session of the185th annual general conference of the church ofjesus christ of latter-day saints and extend a warmwelcome to members and friends participating in the conferencethroughout the world. we rejoice with youthis easter weekend as we remember andhonor our savior and redeemer, jesus christ.
president thomas s. monson,who presides at the conference, has asked that iconduct this session. we acknowledge thegeneral authorities and general officers whowill be in attendance throughout the conference. the music for this session willbe by the mormon tabernacle choir under the direction ofmack wilberg and ryan murphy, with andrew unsworth and claychristiansen at the organ. the choir opened this meetingwith "guide us, o thou great
jehovah" and will now favor uswith "glory to god on high." the invocation will then beoffered by elder timothy j. dyches of the seventy. [music "glory to god on high"] glory to god on high! let heav'n and earth reply. praise ye his name. his love and grace adore,who all our sorrows bore. sing aloud evermore:worthy the lamb!
jesus, our lord and god,bore sin's tremendous load. tell what his arm has done,what spoils from death he won. sing his great namealone: worthy the lamb! let all the hosts abovejoin in one song of love, praising his name. to him ascribed be honor andmajesty thru all eternity: worthy the lamb! our father who art inheaven, we gather before thee in this first session of generalconference, grateful for living
prophets now upon the earth:president thomas s. monson, the first presidency,and the quorum of the twelve apostles, whomwe honor, sustain, and revere. we thank thee forthe restoration of the gospel andthe priesthood power and keys that enable theordinances and covenants of salvation and exaltation. we thank thee for the atonementof thine only begotten son, jesus christ,whose matchless
life gives us hope andbrings healing in his wings. we are gathered acrossthe world and are eager to receive and listento the messages prepared under heaven's help by thosewho will speak and sing to us. bless and guide them. may we open our hearts andminds to the promptings of the holy spiritand bind ourselves to act in allholiness before thee, that the seeds of revelationand inspiration that fall to us
may fall into good groundand bring forth much fruit. we ask this invocationin the sacred name of jesus christ, amen. we will now be pleased tohear from president henry b. eyring, first counselorin the first presidency. following his remarks,the choir will sing "have i done any good?" after the singing we willhear from president boyd k. packer, president of thequorum of the twelve apostles.
he will be followed by sisterlinda k. burton, relief society general president. my dear brothers andsisters, it is a joy for me to extend my love to youin this general conference that joy comes from thewitness of the spirit that the love of the saviorreaches out to each of you and to all of heavenlyfather's children. our heavenly father wishesto bless his children spiritually and temporally.
he understands each oftheir needs, their pains, and their hopes. when we offer succorto anyone, the savior feels as if we reachedout to succor him. he told us that was true whenhe described a future moment we all will have when we see himafter our life in this world is complete. a picture in mymind of that day has grown more vivid in the daysthat i have prayed and fasted
to know what tosay this morning. the lord's descriptionof that future interview was given to hisdisciples, and it describes what we want with allour hearts to be true for us as well (quote): "then shallthe king say unto them on his right hand, come,ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdomprepared for you from the foundation of theworld: for i was an hungred,
and ye gave memeat: i was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: i was astranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: iwas sick, and ye visited me: i was in prison,and ye came unto me. then shall the righteousanswer him, saying, lord, when saw we theean hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? when saw we thee astranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
or when saw we thee sick, orin prison, and came unto thee? and the king shallanswer and say unto them, verily i sayunto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of theleast of these my brethren, ye have done it untome" (close quote). you and i want that warmwelcome from the savior, but how can we deserve it? there are more hungry,homeless, and lonely children of heavenly father thanwe can possibly reach,
and the numbers grow everfarther from our reach. so the lord has given ussomething that we can each do. it is a commandment so simplethat a child can understand it. it is a commandmentwith a wonderful promise for those in need and for us. it is the law of the fast. the words in the book of isaiahare the lord's description of the commandmentand the blessing available to those of usin his church (quote):
"is not this the fastthat i have chosen? to loose the bandsof wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, andto let the oppressed go free, ... that ye break every yoke? is it not to deal thybread to the hungry, ... that thou bring the poor thatare cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked,that thou cover him; and ... thou hide not thyselffrom thine own flesh?
then shall thy light breakforth as the morning, and thine health shallspring forth speedily: and thy righteousnessshall go before thee; the glory of the lordshall be thy rearward. then shalt thoucall, and the lord shall answer; thou shalt cry,and he shall say, here i am. if thou take away from themidst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of thefinger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw outthy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflictedsoul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thydarkness be as the noonday: and the lord shall guidethee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought,and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt belike a watered garden, and like a spring of water,whose waters fail not" (close quote). so the lord has givenus a simple commandment with a marvelous promise.
in the church today, weare offered the opportunity to fast once a month andgive a generous fast offering through our bishop or branchpresident for the benefit of the poor and the needy. some of what you give will beused to help those around you, perhaps someone inyour own family. the lord's servants will prayand fast for the revelation to know whom to helpand what help to give. that which is not needed tohelp people in your local church
unit will become availableto bless other church members across theworld who are in need. the commandment tofast for the poor has many blessingsattached to it. president spencerw. kimball called failing to follow that law a sinof omission with a heavy cost. he wrote (quote): "rich promisesare made by the lord to those who fast and assistthe needy. ... inspiration andspiritual guidance
will come withrighteousness and closeness to our heavenly father. to omit to do thisrighteous act of fasting would deprive us of theseblessings" (close quote). i received one of thoseblessings just days ago. since general conferencefalls on a weekend, that would normally includethe fast and testimony meeting. i fasted and prayed toknow how i should still obey the commandment tocare for those in need.
on a saturday, still fasting,i woke at 6:00 in the morning and prayed again. i felt impressed tolook at the world news. there i read this report(quote): "tropical cyclone pam destroyed many homes as itmade a direct hit on port vila, the capital of vanuatu. it killed at leastsix people in vanuatu, the first confirmed from oneof the most powerful storms ever to make landfall.
hardly a tree stoodstraight as the cyclone bellowed across thepacific island nation. world vision's emergencyassessment team planned to view damage after thestorm died down. ... they advised residentsto seek shelter in sturdy buildings such asuniversities and schools." and then they said, "'thestrongest thing they've got is cement churches,' said ingamepham from care international. 'some of them don't have that.
it's hard to find a structurethat you'd think would be able to withstand a category 5[storm]'" (close quote). when i read that, i rememberedvisiting homes, little homes on vanuatu. i could picture inmy mind the people huddled in homes beingdestroyed by winds. and then i rememberedthe warm welcome to me of the people of vanuatu. i thought of themand their neighbors
fleeing to the safetyof our cement chapel. then i pictured the bishop andthe relief society president walking among them, givingcomfort, blankets, food to eat, and water to drink. i could picture the frightenedchildren huddled together. they are so far away from thehome where i read that report, and yet i knew thatwhat the lord would be doing through hisservants would be possible only if people were faithful.
i knew that made itpossible for them to succor those childrenof heavenly father. it was fast offerings givenfreely by the lord's disciples who were far away fromthem but close to the lord. so i didn't wait for sunday. i took a fast offering tomy bishop that morning. i knew that my offering mightbe used by the bishop and relief society president to helpsomeone in my neighborhood. my small offeringmay not be needed
near where my family and ilive, but the local surplus could reach evenas far as vanuatu. other storms and tragedies willcome across the world to people the lord loves andwhose sorrows he feels. part of your fastoffering and mine this month will be usedto help someone somewhere whose relief the lord willfeel as if it were his own. your fast offering will domore than help feed and clothe bodies.
it will heal and change hearts. the fruit of afreewill offering may be the desire in theheart of the recipient to reach out to others in need. that happens across the world. it happened in the lifeof sister abie turay, who lives in sierra leone. a civil war began in 1991 there. it ravaged thecountry for years.
sierra leone was alreadyone of the poorest countries in the world. during the war it was unclearwho controlled the country. banks closed, governmentoffices were shuttered, police forces were ineffectiveagainst rebel forces, and there was chaos,killing, and sorrow. tens of thousands ofpeople lost their lives, and more than two million peoplewere forced from their homes to avoid this slaughter.
even in such times, thechurch of jesus christ of latter-day saints grew. one of the first brancheswas organized in the city where sister turay lived. her husband was thefirst branch president. he served as a districtpresident during the civil war. when guests visitsister turay's home now, she loves to show them twotreasures from the war: a blue and whitestriped shirt she
got from a bale of used clothinggiven by members of the church, and a blanket, now wornand riddled with holes. she says (quote): "this shirt isthe first clothing i received. i used to wear it to go to work. it was so good. it made me feel so beautiful. i didn't have other clothes. during the war, thisblanket kept us warm, me and my children.
when the rebels wouldcome to attack us, this is the only thing icould lay my hands on as we fled to the bush to hide. so we would takethe blanket with us. it would keep us warm and keepthe mosquitoes away from us" sister turay speaksof her gratitude for a missionpresident who would make his way into thewar-torn country with money in his pocket.
those funds from thefast-offering donation of someone like you allowedthe saints to buy food that most sierraleoneans could not buy at a price they could afford. sister turay, speaking ofthose who were generous enough to donate for them tosurvive, says (quote), "when i think of thepeople who did this, i think they were sent by god,because ordinary human beings made this kind gesturefor us" (close quote).
a visitor from the united statessat with abie not long ago. during his timewith her, he found his eyes drawn toa set of scriptures that were on a table. he could tell they werea treasure, well marked with notes in the columns. the pages were worn. some were torn. the cover was detachedfrom the scripture binding.
he held thescriptures in his hand and gently turned the pages. as he did, hefound a yellow copy of a tithing donation slip. he could see thatin a country where $1 was worth its weightin gold, abie turay had paid $1 as her tithing,$1 to the missionary fund, and $1 as a fast offeringfor those who, in her words, were "truly poor."
the visitor closedsister turay's scriptures and thought, as he stood withthis faithful african mother, that he was on sacred ground. just as to receive the blessingof your fast offering and mine can change hearts,so does fasting for the good of another. even a child can feel it. many children and some adultsmay for personal reasons find a 24-hour fast difficult.
it can be, in thewords of isaiah, felt that the fast has"afflicted [their] soul." wise parents recognizethat possibility and so are careful to follow thecounsel of president joseph f. smith (quote): "better toteach them the principle and let them observe it whenthey are old enough to choose intelligently" (close quote). i saw the blessing inthat counsel recently. one of my young grandsonshad found a 24-hour fast
beyond his powers of endurance,but his wise parents still placed the principlein his heart. one of his school friendsrecently lost a young cousin to accidental death. my grandson asked hismother on fast day, at about the timehe had always felt the fast was toohard to continue, whether it would make hisgrieving friend feel better if he continued his fast.
his question wasthe confirmation of president josephf. smith's counsel. my grandson had cometo the point where he not only understoodthe principle of the fast, but it had beenplanted in his heart. he had come to feel that hisfasting and prayers would lead to a blessing fromgod for someone in need. if he lives theprinciple often enough, it will bring thewonderful effects
in his own lifepromised by the lord. he will have the spiritualblessing of power to receive inspirationand greater capacity to resist temptation. we do not know allthe reasons why jesus christ went into thewilderness to fast and to pray. but we know at leastone of the effects: the savior resistedsatan's temptations to misuse his divine power.
the brief time wefast every month and the small amountwe offer for the poor may give us only a small partof the change in our natures to have no moredesire to do evil. but there is a greatpromise, even as we do all that we reasonablycan to pray, to fast, and to donate forthose in need (quote): "then shall thy lightbreak forth as the morning, shall answer; thou shalt cry,and he shall say, here i am."
i pray that we will claim thosegreat blessings for ourselves and for our families. i bear my witness thatjesus is the living christ, that in his churchwe are invited to help him as he caresfor the poor in his way, and that he promiseseverlasting blessings will come from our helping him. in the sacred name ofjesus christ, amen. [music "have i done any good?"]
(singing) have i done anygood in the world today? have i helped anyone in need? have i cheered up the sad,made someone feel glad? if not, i have failed indeed. has anyone's burdenbeen lighter today because i was willing to share? have the sick and the wearybeen helped on their way? when they needed myhelp was i there? then wake up and do somethingmore than dream of your mansion
above. doing good is a pleasure,a joy beyond measure, a blessing of duty and love. there are chancesfor work all around just now, opportunitiesright in our way. do not let them pass by, saying,"sometime i'll try," but go and do something today. 'tis noble of manto work and to give; love's labor has merit alone.
only he who does somethinghelps others to live. to god each goodwork will be known. a blessing of duty and love. many years ago,after world war ii, i was attending weber college,and i met donna smith. about that time i read thattwo essential ingredients for a successful marriageare a cookie and a kiss. i thought that was pretty good. now, i attendedcollege in the morning,
then went back to brighamcity to work in my father's garage in the afternoon. donna's last morningclass was home economics. i stopped by herclassroom before leaving. the door had afrosted glass window. if i stood closeto the glass, she could see my shadow outside. and she would slip outwith a cookie and a kiss. the rest is history.
we were married inthe salt lake temple, and that began the greatadventure of our lives. over the years i have frequentlytaught an important principle: the end of allactivity in the church is to see that a man and awoman with their children are happy at home,sealed together for time and for all eternity. in the beginning"the gods went down to organize man in their ownimage, in the image of [god]
to form they him, male andfemale to form they them. and the gods said:we will bless them. and the gods said:we will cause them to be fruitful and multiply,and replenish the earth, and subdue it." and so the cycle of humanlife began on this earth as "adam knew hiswife, and she bare unto him sons anddaughters, and they began to multiply andreplenish the earth.
and ... the sons and daughtersof adam began to divide two [by] two in the land, ... and they also begatsons and daughters." the commandment to multiplyand replenish the earth has never been rescinded. it is essential tothe plan of redemption and is the sourceof human happiness. through the righteousexercise of this power, we may come close toour father in heaven
and experience a fulnessof joy, even godhood. the power of procreation is notan incidental part of the plan; it is the plan of happiness. it is the key to happiness. the desire to mate in mankindis constant and very strong. our happiness in mortallife, our joy and exaltation, are dependent uponhow we respond to these persistent,compelling physical desires. as the procreative power maturesin early manhood and womanhood,
very personal feelingsoccur, in a natural way, unlike any otherphysical experience. ideally, the matingbegins with a romance. though customsvary, it flourishes with all the storybook feelingsof excitement and anticipation, even sometimes rejection. there are moonlight and roses,love letters and love songs, poetry, the holding ofhands, and other expressions of affection between ayoung man and a young woman.
the world appears todisappear around the couple, and they experiencea feeling of joy. and if you suppose thatthe full-blown rapture of young romance,that love, is the sum total of thepossibilities which spring from the fountains oflife, you have not yet lived to see thedevotion and the comfort of longtime married love. married couples are tried bytemptation, misunderstanding,
financial problems, familycrisis, and illness. and all the while,love grows stronger. mature love has a bliss noteven imagined by newlyweds. true love requires reservinguntil after marriage the sharing of thataffection which unlocks those sacred powersin that fountain of life. it means avoiding situationswhere physical desires might take control. pure love presupposesthat only after a pledge
of eternal fidelity, alegal and lawful ceremony, and ideally aftersealing in the temple, are those procreative powersreleased in god's eyes for the full expression of love. it is not to beshared, only then. it is to be shared solelyand only with that one who is your companion forever. when entered intoworthily, the process combines the most exquisiteand exalted physical,
emotional, andspiritual feelings associated with the world love. that part of life has noequal, no counterpart, in all human experience. it will, when covenantsare made and kept, last eternally, "for therein arethe keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receivehonor and glory," "which glory shall be a fulnessand a continuation of the seeds forever and ever."
but romantic love isincomplete; it is a prelude. love is nourished bythe coming of children, who spring from thatfountain of love entrusted to thecouple that married. conception takes placein a wedded embrace between husband and wife. a tiny body begins toform after a pattern of magnificent complexity. a child comes forth inthe miracle of birth,
created in the image of itsearthly father and mother. within its mortalbody is a spirit able to feel and perceivespiritual things. dormant in that mortalbody of the child is the power to begetoffspring in its own image. "the spirit and the bodyare the soul of man," and there are spiritualand physical laws to obey if we are to be happy. there are elements,laws, including
laws relating thispower to give life, "irrevocably decreed inheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which allblessings are predicated." these are spirituallaws which define the moral standard for mankind. there are covenantsthat must bind, seal, and safeguard and givepromise of eternal blessing. alma admonishes hisson shiblon, "see that ye bridleall your passions,
that ye may befilled with love." a bridle is used to guide,to direct, to restrain. our passion is to be controlled. when lawfully used, thepower of procreation will bless and will sanctify. temptations are ever present. because the adversarycannot beget life, he is jealous toward all whohave that supernal power. he and those who follow himwere cast out and forfeited
their right to a mortal body. "he seeketh thatall men might be miserable like unto himself." he will tempt, if he can,to degrade, to corrupt, and, if possible, to destroythis gift by which we may, if we are worthy,have eternal increase. if we pollute our fountainsof life or lead others to transgress, there will bepenalties more "exquisite" and "hard to bear" than allthe physical pleasure ever
could be worth. alma told his son corianton,"know ye not, my son, that these thingsare an abomination in the sight of the lord; yea,most abominable above all sins save it be the sheddingof innocent blood or denying the holy ghost?" we cannot escape theconsequences when we transgress. the only legitimate, authorizedexpression of these powers,
the procreative power, isbetween husband and wife, a man and a woman, who have beenlegally and lawfully married. anything other than thisviolates the commandment of god. do not yield to thetemptation of the adversary, for every debt oftransgression must be paid "till thou hast paidthe uttermost farthing." nowhere is the generosity andmercy of god more manifest than in repentance.
our physicalbodies, when harmed, are able to repairthemselves, sometimes with the help of a physician. if the damage is extensive,however, often a scar will remain as areminder of the injury. within our spiritual bodiesit is another matter. our spirits are damaged whenwe make mistakes, commit sin. but unlike the caseof our mortal bodies, when the repentanceprocess is complete,
no scars remain because ofthe atonement of jesus christ. the promise: "behold, he whohas repented of his sins, the same is forgiven,and i, the lord, [will] remember them no more." when we speak ofmarriage and family life, there inevitably comes to mind,"what about the exceptions?" some are born with limitationsand cannot beget children. some innocents havetheir marriages wrecked because of theinfidelity of their spouse.
others do not marry and livelives of single worthiness. for now, i offer thiscomment: god is our father! all the love and generositymanifest in the ideal earthly father ismagnified in him who is the father and ourgod beyond the capacity that the mortalmind can comprehend. his judgments are just. his mercy is withoutlimit to compensate beyond any earthly comparison.
"if in this life only we have[faith and] hope in christ, we are of all menmost miserable." reverently now iuse the word temple. i envision a sealingroom and an altar with a young couplekneeling there. the sacred temple ordinanceis much more than a wedding, for this marriage can be sealedby the holy spirit of promise, and the scripturesdeclare that we "shall inherit thrones,kingdoms, principalities,
and powers, dominions." i see the joy that awaits thosewho accept this supernal gift and use it worthily. sister donna smith andi have been side by side in marriage for nearly 70 years. when it comes to my wife,the mother of our children, i am without words. the feeling is so deepand the attitude so powerful that i am leftalmost without expression.
the greatest rewardwe have received in this life andthe life to come is our children andour grandchildren. toward the end of ourmortal days together, i am grateful foreach moment i am with her side by sideand for the promise that the lord has giventhat there will be no end. i bear witness thatjesus is the christ and the son of the living god.
he stands at thehead of the church. through this atonement andthe power of the priesthood, families which arebegun in mortality can be togetherthrough the eternities. the atonement which wecan claim, each one of us, bears no scars. that means that no matter whatwe've done or where we've been or how it was, ifwe truly repent, he has promisedthat he would atone.
and when he atoned,that settles that. there are so many of uswho are thrashing around, as it were, withfeelings of guilt, not knowing quite how to escape. you escape by acceptingthe atonement of christ, and all that was thatmight be heartache can turn into beautyand love in eternity. i am so grateful for theblessings of the lord jesus christ, for thepower of procreation,
for the power of redemption,for the atonement--the atonement which can washclean every stain, no matter how difficult orhow long or how many times repeated. the atonement can put you freeagain to move forward cleanly and worthily to pursue that paththat you have chosen in life. i bear witness that god livesand jesus is the christ, that the atonement is nota manmade thing that's within the whole church.
the atonement is individual. and if you have somethingthat's bothering you--sometimes so long ago, you can hardlyremember it--put the atonement to work. it will clean it out. and you, like he, willremember your sins no more. in the name ofjesus christ, amen. next to the inspiringtalks, music, and prayers thatalways touch our hearts
during general conference,i've been told by many sisters that what they love most iswatching the first presidency and quorum of the twelveas they exit this podium with their eternal companions. and don't we all enjoyhearing the brethren tenderly express their love for them,just as elder packer has just done? on another occasion, speakingabout his wife, donna, president boyd k. packer said,"because of the office i hold,
i have a solemn obligation totell the truth: she's perfect." "she is the sunshineof my life," said president dieter f.uchtdorf of his wife, harriet. president henry b. eyring,referring to his wife, kathleen, said, ""[she is] aperson who has always made me want to be the verybest that i can be." and president thomass. monson, speaking of his beloved frances, said:"she was the love of my life, my trusted confidant,and my closest friend.
to say that i miss herdoes not begin to convey the depth of my feelings." i, too, would like to express mylove for my beloved companion, craig. he is a precious gift to me. referring to my husband, acherished and sacred phrase in my patriarchalblessing promises that my life and thelives of my children will "be well in his keeping."
it is clear to me that craig isa fulfillment of that promise. borrowing from thewords of mark twain, i say that "life without[craig] would not be life." i love him, heart and soul! today i wish to honor husbands,fathers, brothers, sons, and uncles who knowwho they are and who are doing their best tofulfill their god-given roles as described in thefamily proclamation, including righteouslypresiding and providing
for and protectingtheir families. please know that i ampainfully aware that the topics of fatherhood,motherhood, and marriage can be troubling for many. i know that somechurch members feel that their homeswill never reach what they perceive to be the ideal. many are hurting because ofneglect, abuse, addictions, and incorrecttraditions and culture.
i do not condone theactions of men or women who have willfully oreven ignorantly caused pain, anguish, anddespair in their homes. but today i am speakingof something else. i am convinced that a husbandis never more attractive to his wife than when he is serving inhis god-given roles as a worthy priesthood holder--mostimportantly in the home. i love and believe thesewords from president packer to worthy husbandsand fathers (quote):
"you have the powerof the priesthood directly from the lordto protect your home. there will be times[that] all that stands as a shieldbetween your family and the adversary'smischief will be that power" (close quote). earlier this year i attendedthe funeral of an extraordinary, ordinary man--myhusband's uncle don. one of uncle don's sonsshared an experience
he had had as a small child,shortly after his parents had purchased their first home. because there were five smallchildren to feed and clothe, there was not enoughmoney to fence the yard. taking seriously oneof his divine roles as the protector ofhis family, uncle don drove a few small woodenstakes into the ground, took some string, and tiedthe string from stake to stake all around the yard.
then he called hissmall children to him and showed them thestakes and the string and explained tothem that if they would stay on the insideof that makeshift fence, they would be safe. one day the visitingteachers watched in disbelief as they approached the houseand saw five little children standing obediently atthe edge of the string, looking longinglyat a ball that had
bounced beyond their boundariesand out into the street. one little child ran to gettheir daddy, who, in response, ran and retrieved the ball. later in the funeral,the oldest son tearfully expressed that all he hadever hoped in this life was to be like hisbeloved father. president ezra taftbenson said (quote): "oh, husbands andfathers in israel, you can do so much for thesalvation and exaltation
of your families! remember your sacred calling asa father in israel--your most important calling in time andeternity--a calling from which you will never be released.""you must help create a home where the spirit of the lordcan abide" (close quote). how applicable thoseprophetic words are today. it must be difficult atbest for covenant men to live in a world that notonly demeans their divine roles and responsibilities but alsosends false messages about what
it means to be a "real man." one false message is"it's all about me." on the other end of the scaleis the degrading and mocking message that husbands andfathers are no longer needed. i plead with you to notlisten to satan's lies. he has forfeited that sacredprivilege of ever becoming a husband or father. and because he is jealous ofthose who have the sacred roles he will never fill, he isintent on making "all men ...
brothers and sisters,we need each other! as covenant-keeping women andmen, we need to lift each other and help each otherbecome the people the lord would have us become. and we need to work togetherto lift the rising generation and help them reach theirdivine potential as heirs of eternal life. we could do as elder robertd. hales and his wife, mary, have done and followthe proverb "thee
lift me and i'll lift thee,and we'll ascend together." we know from the scripturesthat "it is not good that ... man should be alone." that is why our heavenly fathermade "an help meet for him." the phrase "help meet" means"a helper suited to, worthy of, or corresponding to him." for example, our two hands aresimilar to each other but not exactly the same. in fact, they areexact opposites,
but they complement each otherand are suited to each other. working together,they are stronger. in a chapter about families,the church handbook contains thisstatement: "the nature of male and femalespirits is such that they complete each other." please note that it does notsay "compete with each other," but "complete each other." we are here to help and liftand rejoice with each other
as we try to becomeour very best selves. sister barbara b. smithwisely taught (quote), "there is so muchmore of happiness to be had when we can rejoicein another's successes and not just in our own." when we seek to "complete"rather than "compete," it is so much easierto cheer each other on! when i was a young motherof several small children at the end of days filledwith diapering, dish washing,
and disciplining, no onesang more emphatically the primary song "i'm soglad when daddy comes home." i'm sad to admit, however,that i was not always cheerful when craig seemed tobounce through the door after a hard day of work. he always greeted us eachwith a hug and a kiss and turned many difficultand sometimes disastrous days into delightfuldaddy times. i wish i had been alittle less preoccupied
with the endless list ofto-dos still to be done and had more wiselyfocused, like he did, on things that mattered most. i would have stopped more oftenand enjoyed sacred family time and would have thanked him moreoften for blessing our lives! not long ago a faithfulsister in the church shared with me a deepconcern she had been praying about for some time. her concern was for someof the sisters in her ward.
she told me howit hurt her heart to observe that they sometimesspoke disrespectfully to their husbands andabout their husbands, even in front of their children. she then told mehow as a young woman she had earnestlydesired and prayed to find and marry aworthy priesthood holder and build a happy home with him. she had grown up in a homewhere her mother had "ruled
the roost" and her father hadcowered to her mother's demands in order to keep peace at home. she felt that therewas a better way. she had not seen it modeled inthe home that she grew up in. but as she prayedfervently for guidance, the lord blessed herto know how to create a home with her husbandwhere the spirit would be warmly welcomed. i have been in that home, and ican testify it is a holy place!
sisters and brothers, howoften do we intentionally "speak kind wordsto each other"? we might test ourselvesby asking a few questions. with a little adaptation,these questions could apply to mostof us, whether we're married or single, whateverour situation at home might be. number one: when was thelast time i sincerely praised my companion,either alone or in the presenceof our children?
number two: when was the lasttime i thanked, expressed love for, or earnestly pled infaith for him or her in prayer? number three: when was thelast time i stopped myself from saying something iknew could be hurtful? number four: when was the lasttime i apologized and humbly asked for forgiveness withoutadding the words "but if only you had" or "but ifonly you hadn't"? number five: whenwas the last time i chose to be happy ratherthan demanding to be "right"?
now, if any of these questionslead you to squirm or feel a little tinge of guilt,remember what elder david a. bednar has taught: that "guiltis to our spirit what pain is to our body--a warning ofdanger and a protection from additional damage." i invite each of us toheed elder jeffrey r. holland's heartfelt plea(quote): "brothers and sisters, in this long eternal questto be more like our savior, may we try to be 'perfect' menand women in at least this one
way now--by offending not inword, or more positively put, by speaking with a newtongue, the tongue of angels." as i've prepared forthis opportunity today, the spirit hastaught me, and i have committed to speakwords of kindness more often to mycherished companion and about him, to liftthe men in my family and express gratitudefor the ways they fulfill their divineand complementary roles.
and i have committed to followthe proverb "thee lift me and i'll lift thee, andwe'll ascend together." will you join me in seekingthe help of the holy ghost to teach us howwe can better lift each other in ourcomplementary roles as covenant sons and daughtersof our loving heavenly parents? i know that throughthe enabling power of the atonement of jesuschrist and our faith in him, we can do it.
i pray we will putour trust in him to help us help each otherlive happily and eternally as we ascend together. the congregation will nowstand and join the choir in singing "high onthe mountain top." after the intermediatehymn, we will hear from elder dallin h. oaksof the quorum of the twelve apostles. elder l. whitney clayton ofthe presidency of the seventy
will then address us. following elderclayton's remarks, the choir will sing"come unto jesus." [music "high on the mountain top"] this is the 185th annualgeneral conference (singing) high on the mountaintop a banner is unfurled. ye nations, now look up;it waves to all the world. in deseret's sweet, peacefulland, on zion's mount behold it stand!
for god remembersstill his promise made of old that heon zion's hill truth's standard would unfold! her light should there attractthe gaze of all the world in latter days. his house shall there bereared, his glory to display, and people shall be heardin distant lands to say: we'll now go up and servethe lord, obey his truth, and learn his word.
for there we shall betaught the law that will go forth, withtruth and wisdom fraught, to govern all the earth. forever there hisways we'll tread, and save ourselveswith all our dead. subjects for general conferencetalks are assigned--not by mortal authority but bythe impressions of the spirit. many subjects would address themortal concerns we all share. but just as jesusdid not teach how
to overcome themortal challenges or politicaloppression of his day, he usually inspireshis modern servants to speak about whatwe must do to reform our personal lives to prepare usto return to our heavenly home. on this easterweekend, i have felt impressed to talk about theprecious and timeless teachings of one of the parables of jesus. the parable of the soweris one of a small number
of parables reported in allthree of the synoptic gospels. it is also one of an evensmaller group of parables jesus explained to his disciples. the seed that was sown was"the word of the kingdom," "the word," or "the wordof god"--the teachings of the master and his servants. the different soils onwhich the seeds fell represent different waysin which mortals receive and follow these teachings.
thus, the seeds that"fell by the wayside" have not reached mortal soilwhere they might possibly grow. they are liketeachings that fall upon a heart hardenedor unprepared. i will say nothingmore of these. my message concerns thoseof us who have committed to be followers of christ. what do we do with the savior'steachings as we live our lives? the parable ofthe sower warns us
of circumstancesand attitudes that can keep anyone who has receivedthe seed of the gospel message from bringing fortha goodly harvest. some seed (quote)"fell on stony ground, where it had not muchearth; and immediately it sprang up, because ithad no depth of earth: but when the sun wasup, it was scorched; and because it had no root,it withered away" (end quote). jesus explained that thisdescribes those who (quote)
"when they have heard the word,immediately receive it with gladness," but because they"have no root in themselves, when affliction or persecutionariseth for the word's sake, immediately they areoffended" (end of quote). what causes hearers to "haveno root in themselves"? this is the circumstanceof new members who are merely convertedto the missionaries or to the many attractivecharacteristics of the church or to the many great fruitsof church membership.
not being rooted in the word,when opposition arises they can be scorched and wither away. but even those raised in thechurch--long-term members--can slip into a condition wherethey have no root in themselves. i have known some ofthese--members without firm and lasting conversion tothe gospel of jesus christ. if we are not rooted inthe teachings of the gospel and regular in itspractices, any one of us can develop a stony heart,which is stony ground
for spiritual seeds. spiritual food is necessaryfor spiritual survival, especially in a world that ismoving away from belief in god and the absolutesof right and wrong. in an age dominatedby the internet, which magnifies messagesthat menace faith, we must increase ourexposure to spiritual truth in order to strengthen our faithand stay rooted in the gospel. young people, if thatteaching seems too general,
here is a specific example. if the emblems of thesacrament are being passed and you are texting orwhispering or playing video games or doing anythingelse to deny yourself essential spiritualfood, you are severing your spiritualroots and moving yourself toward stony ground. you are making yourselvesvulnerable to withering away when you encounter tribulationlike isolation, intimidation,
or ridicule. and that applies to adults also. another potential destroyer ofspiritual roots--accelerated by current technology but notunique to it--is the keyhole view of the gospelor the church. this limited view focuses on aparticular doctrine or practice or perceived deficiencyin the leader and ignores the grandpanorama of the gospel plan and the personal and communalfruits of its harvest.
president gordon b. hinckleygave a vivid description of one aspect ofthis keyhole view. he told a byu audience aboutpolitical commentators (quote) "aflame with indignation"(unquote) at a then-recent news event. "with studied art theypoured out the sour vinegar of invective and anger. ... surely," he concluded,"this is the age and place of the gifted pickle sucker."
in contrast, to be securelyrooted in the gospel, we must be moderate andmeasured in criticism and seek always forthe broader view of the majestic work of god. jesus taught that (quote)"some fell among thorns, and the thorns grewup, and choked it, and it yielded nofruit" (end of quote). he explained that these are(quote) "such as hear the word, and the cares of this world,and the deceitfulness of riches,
and the lusts of other thingsentering in, choke the word, and it becomethunfruitful" (end of quote). this is surely a warningto be heeded by all of us. i will speak first of thedeceitfulness of riches. wherever we are in our spiritualjourney--whatever our state of conversion--we areall tempted by this. when attitudes or priorities arefixed on the acquisition, use, or possession of property,we call that materialism. so much has been said andwritten about materialism
that little needsto be added here. those who believe inwhat has been called the theology ofprosperity are suffering from the "deceitfulnessof riches." the possession of wealthor significant income is not a mark of heavenlyfavor, and their absence is not evidence of heavenly disfavor. when jesus told afaithful follower that he could inherit eternallife if he would only give all
that he had to thepoor, he was not identifying an evil inthe possession of riches, but an evil in that follower'sattitude toward them. as we are all aware, jesuspraised the good samaritan who used the same coinage toserve his fellowman that judas used to betray him. the root of all evil is notmoney, but the love of money. the book of mormon tells ofa time when the church of god "began to fail in itsprogress" because "the people
of the church began to ...set their hearts upon riches and upon the vainthings of the world." whoever has an abundanceof material things is in jeopardy of beingspiritually "sedated" by riches and other things of the world. that is a suitableintroduction to the next of the savior's teachings. the most subtlethorns to choke out the effect of thegospel word in our lives
are the worldlyforces that jesus called the "cares and richesand pleasures of this life." these are toonumerous to recite. some examples will suffice. on one occasion jesusrebuked his chief apostle, saying to peter, "thouart an offence unto me: for thou savourest notthe things that be of god, but those that be of men." savoring the thingsof men means putting
the cares of this worldahead of the things of god in our actions, ourpriorities, and our thinking. we surrender to the"pleasures of this life" when we are addicted, whichimpairs god's precious gift of agency; when we are beguiledby trivial distractions, which draw us away from thingsof eternal importance; and when we have anentitlement mentality, which impairs the personal growthnecessary to qualify us for our eternal destiny.
we are overcome bythe cares of this life when we are paralyzed byfear of the future, which hinders our going forwardin faith, trusting in god and his promises. twenty-five years agomy esteemed byu teacher hugh w. nibley spoke ofthe dangers of surrendering to the cares of the world. he was asked in an interviewwhether world conditions and our duty tospread the gospel
made it desirableto seek some way to "be accommodatingto the world in what we do in the church." his reply (quote): "that's beenthe whole story of the church, hasn't it? you have to be willingto offend here, you have to be willingto take the risk. that's exactly wherethe faith comes in. ... our commitment issupposed to be a test,
it's supposed to behard, it's supposed to be impractical in the termsof this world" (end of quote). this gospel priority wasaffirmed on the byu campus just a few months ago by anesteemed catholic leader, charles j. chaput, thearchbishop of philadelphia. speaking of concerns that thelds and catholic communities share, such as (quote) "aboutmarriage and family, the nature of our sexuality, thesanctity of human life, and the urgency of religiousliberty" (end of quote),
he said this: "iwant to stress again the importance of really livingwhat we claim to believe. that needs to be a priority--notjust in our personal and family lives but in our church,our political choices, our business dealings,our treatment of the poor; in other words, ineverything we do. ... here's why that'simportant," he continued. "learn from thecatholic experience. we catholics believethat our vocation
is to be a leaven in society. but there's a fine line betweenbeing leaven in society, and being digested bysociety" (end of quote). the savior's warning againsthaving the cares of this world choke out the word of god inour lives surely challenges us to keep our prioritiesfixed--our hearts set--on the commandments of god andthe leadership of his church. the savior'sexamples could cause us to think of this parableas the parable of the soils.
the suitability ofthe soil depends upon the heart ofeach one of us who is exposed to the gospel seed. in susceptibilityto spiritual things, some hearts arehardened and unprepared, some hearts arestony from disuse, and some hearts are set uponthe things of the world. the parable of the sower endedwith the savior's description of the seed that (quote)"fell into good ground,
and brought forth fruit"(unquote) in various measures. how can we prepare ourselvesto be that good ground and to have that good harvest? jesus explained that(quote) "the good ground are they, which in an honestand good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bringforth fruit with patience" (end of quote). we have the seedof the gospel word. it is up to each of usto set the priorities
and to do the things that makeour soil good and our harvest plentiful. we must seek to be firmlyrooted and converted to the gospel of jesus christ. we achieve this conversion byprayer, by scripture reading, by serving, and by regularlypartaking of the sacrament to always have hisspirit to be with us. we must also seek thatmighty change of heart that replaces evil desiresand selfish concerns
with the love of god andthe desire to serve him and his children. i testify of thetruth of these things, and i testify of oursavior jesus christ, whose teachings point theway and whose atonement makes it all possible. last january, seven-year-oldsailor gutzler and her family were flying from florida toillinois in a private airplane. sailor's father wasat the controls.
just after nightfall,the aircraft developed mechanicalproblems and crashed in the pitch-dark hillsof kentucky, upside down in very rough territory. everyone but sailordied in the accident. her wrist wasbroken in the crash. she suffered cuts and scrapesand had lost her shoes. the temperature was 38 degreesfahrenheit, or 3 degrees celsius.
it was a cold, rainykentucky winter's night, and sailor was wearingonly shorts, a t-shirt, and one sock. she cried out for her motherand father, but no one answered. summoning everyounce of courage, she set off barefoot across thecountryside in search of help, wading through creeks andcrossing ditches and braving blackberry briars. from the top of onesmall hill, sailor
spotted a light in thedistance about a mile away. stumbling through the darknessand brush toward that light, she eventuallyarrived at the home of a kind man she had never metbefore, who sprang to her care. sailor was safe. she would soon be taken to ahospital and helped on her way to recovery. sailor survived because shesaw a light in the distance and fought her way toit, notwithstanding
the wild countryside, thedepth of the tragedy she faced, and the injuriesshe had sustained. it's hard to imaginehow sailor managed to do what she did that night. but what we do knowis that she recognized in the light of that distanthouse a chance for rescue. there was hope. she took courage in thefact that no matter how bad things were, her rescuewould be found in that light.
few of us will ever endurean experience as harrowing as sailor's. but all of us will atsome time or another have to traverse ourown spiritual wilderness and undertake our ownrugged emotional journeys. in those moments, however darkor seemingly hopeless they may be, if wesearch for it, there will always be a spiritual lightthat beckons to us, giving us the hope of rescue and relief.
that light shines from thesavior of all mankind, who is the light of the world. perceiving spiritual lightis different from seeing physical light. recognizing thesavior's spiritual light begins with ourwillingness to believe. god requires that initiallywe at least desire to believe. "if ye will awake andarouse your faculties, ... and exercise aparticle of faith,"
the prophet almateaches, "yea, even if ye can no more thandesire to believe, let this desirework in you, even until ye believe in a mannerthat ye can give place for a portion of[the savior's] words." alma's call for us to desireto believe and to "give place" in our hearts forthe savior's words reminds us that belief and faithrequire our personal choice and action.
we must "awake andarouse [our] faculties." we ask before itis given unto us. we seek before we find. we knock before itis opened unto us. we are then giventhis promise (quote): "for every one that asketh,receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him thatknocketh, it shall be opened" (end quote). no more impassionedplea for us to believe
has come than fromthe savior himself during his earthly ministry whenhe appealed to his disbelieving listeners (quote): "if i donot the works of my father, believe me not. but if i do, thoughye believe not me, believe the works: thatye may know, and believe, that the father is in me,and i in him" (end quote). every day each ofus faces a test. it is the test of our lifetimes.
will we choose tobelieve in him and allow the light of his gospelto grow within us? or will we refuse tobelieve and insist on traveling alone in the dark? the savior provideshis gospel as a light to guide those who choose tobelieve in and follow him. after the crash,sailor had a choice. she could have chosen to stay bythe airplane in the dark, alone and afraid.
but there was along night ahead, and it was justgoing to get colder. she chose another way. sailor climbed up ahill, and there she saw a light on the horizon. gradually, as she madeher way through the night toward the light,it grew brighter. still, there musthave been times when she could not see it.
perhaps it went out of viewwhen she was in a ravine or behind trees or bushes. but she pressed on. whenever she couldsee the light, sailor had evidence thatshe was on the right path. she did not yet knowprecisely what that light was, but she kept walking towardsit based on what she knew, trusting and hoping that shewould see it again if she kept moving in the right direction.
by so doing, she mayhave saved her life. our lives can be like that too. there may be times when we havebeen hurt, when we are tired, and when our livesseem dark and cold. there may be times whenwe cannot see any light on the horizon, and wemay feel like giving up. if we are willing to believe,if we desire to believe, if we choose to believe,then the savior's teachings and example will showus the pathway forward.
choose to believe. just as sailor had to believethat she would find safety in that distantlight, so too we must choose to open our hearts to thedivine reality of the savior, to his eternal lightand his healing mercy. prophets across the ageshave encouraged us and even implored us tobelieve in christ. their exhortations reflecta fundamental fact: god does not forceus to believe.
instead he invites us to believeby sending living prophets and apostles to teach us,by providing scriptures, and by beckoning tous through his spirit. we are the ones whomust choose to embrace those spiritualinvitations, electing to see with inward eyes thespiritual light with which he calls us. the decision to believe isthe most important choice we ever make.
it shapes all ourother decisions. god does not compelus to believe any more than he compels us tokeep any commandments, despite his perfectdesire to bless us. yet his call to usto believe in him, to exercise thatparticle of faith, and to give place for hiswords remains in effect today. as the savior said(quote), "i bear record that the fathercommandeth all men, everywhere,
to repent and believein me" (end quote). belief and testimony and faithare not passive principles. they do not just happen to us. belief is something we choose. we hope for it, we work forit, and we sacrifice for it. we will not accidentallycome to believe in the savior and his gospel anymore than we will accidentally pray or pay tithing. we actively choose tobelieve, just like we choose
to keep other commandments. put belief into action. sailor could notknow at first if what she was doing as she pushedher way through the underbrush would actually work. she was lost and injured. it was dark and cold. but she left the crash site andventured out in hope of rescue, crawling and scrapingher way forward until she
saw the light in the distance. once she had seenit, she did her best to move toward it,remembering what she had seen. we likewise must giveplace for the hope that we will find spirituallight by embracing belief rather than choosing to doubt. our actions are theevidence of our belief and become thesubstance of our faith. we are choosing tobelieve when we pray
and when we read the scriptures. we are choosing tobelieve when we fast, when we keep thesabbath day holy, and when we worshipin the temple. we are choosing to believewhen we are baptized and when we partakeof the sacrament. we are choosing to believewhen we repent and seek divine forgivenessand healing love. never give up.
sometimes progressin spiritual things can seem slow or intermittent. sometimes we may feelthat we have lost ground, that we have made mistakes, orthat our best efforts to find the savior are not working. if you feel this way,please do not give up, ever. go right on believing in him andin his gospel and his church. align your actionswith that belief. in those moments when thelight of your faith is dimmed,
let your hope for thesavior's love and grace found in his gospel and hischurch overcome your doubt. i promise that he standsready to receive you. over time you willcome to see that you have made the best choiceyou could possibly have made. your courageous decisionto believe in him will bless youimmeasurably and forever. the blessings of belief: ihave felt the merciful love of the savior in my life.
i have searched for him inmy own moments of darkness, and he has reached out tome with his healing light. one of the greatjoys of my life has been traveling withmy wife, kathy, to meet with membersof the church in many corners of the globe. these wonderfulencounters have taught me and taught us about god'slove for his children. they have shown me the limitlesspotential for happiness
that becomes theblessing of those who choose to follow theteachings of the lord jesus christ. i have learned that believing inhim and in his redemptive power is the true path to"peace in this world, and eternal life inthe world to come." i testify that jesus christ isthe source of light and hope for all of us. i pray that we may allchoose to believe in him.
[music - "come unto jesus"] (singing) come untojesus, ye heavy laden, careworn and fainting,by sin oppressed. he'll safely guide you unto thathaven where all who trust him may rest. come unto jesus; he'll everheed you, though in the darkness you've gone astray. his love will find youand gently lead you from darkest night into day.
come unto jesus; he'll surelyhear you, if you in meekness plead for his love. oh, know you not thatangels are near you from brightest mansions above? come unto jesusfrom ev'ry nation, from ev'ry land andisle of the sea. unto the high andlowly in station, ever he calls, "come to me." ever he calls, "come to me.
come." we thank all whohave participated and express gratitudeto the mormon tabernacle choir for thebeautiful music they have provided this morning. our concluding speakerfor this session will be elder l. tom perryof the quorum of the twelve following his remarks, thechoir will close this meeting by singing "ibelieve in christ."
the benediction will then beoffered by elder larry j. echo hawk of the seventy. last november ihad the privilege of being invited, alongwith president henry b. eyring and bishopgerald causse, to attend a colloquium on marriage andfamily at the vatican, in rome. in attendance werereligious representatives from 14 different faiths, fromsix of the seven continents, all who had been invited toexpress their beliefs in what
was happening to thefamily in the world today. pope francis opened thefirst session of the assembly with this statement:"we now live in a culture of the temporary,in which more and more people are simply giving up onmarriage as a public commitment. this revolution in manners andmorals has often flown the flag of freedom, but in fact it hasbrought spiritual and material devastation tocountless human beings, especially [to the poor]and most vulnerable. ...
it is always theywho suffer ... most." in referring to those of therising generation, he said, "it is important that they donot give [up on] themselves over ... the poisonousmentality of the temporary, but rather be revolutionarieswith the courage to seek truth and lasting love, going [on]against the common pattern; this must be done." this was followed by threedays of presentations and discussions withreligious leaders addressing
the subject of marriagebetween a man and a woman. as i listened to thewidest imaginable variety of worldwidereligious leaders, i heard them agree completely witheach other and express support for one another's belief onthe sanctity of the institution of marriage and of theimportance of families as the basic unit of society. i felt a powerful senseof commonality and unity with them.
there were many who sawand expressed this unity, and they did so ina variety of ways. my favorite one was amuslim scholar from iran who quoted two paragraphsverbatim of our very own proclamation on the family. during thecolloquium, i observed that various faiths anddenominations and religions are united onmarriage and family. they are also united on valuesand loyalty and commitment,
which are naturallyassociated with family units. it was remarkablefor me to see how marriage- and family-centeredpriorities cut across and superseded politicaland economical and religious differences. when it came to love ofspouse, hope and worries and dreams for children,we are all the same. it was marvelousto be in meetings with worldwide presentersas they universally
addressed the feelings ofthe importance of marriage between a man and a woman. each of their addresseswas followed by testimonies by other religious leaders. president henry b. eyringgave the final testimony of the colloquium. he bore a powerfulwitness to the beauty of committed marriageand to our belief in the promised blessingsof eternal families.
president eyring's testimonywas a fitting benediction to these special three days. now, you may be asked,"if the majority felt that similarly of family,priorities, and belief, if all religious faithsand religions essentially agree on whatmarriage should be, and if they all agreedon the value that should be placed on homeand family relationships, then why are we any different?
how does the church of jesuschrist of latter-day saints distinguish anddifferentiate itself from the rest of the world?" here is the answer: while itis wonderful to see and feel that we all have such in commonwith the rest of the world in regards to families, onlywe have the eternal perspective of the restored gospel. what that restored gospel bringsto a discussion on marriage and family is so large andso relevant that it cannot be
overstated. we make it asubject of eternity. we take the commitment andthe sanctity of marriage to a greater level because ofour belief and understanding that families go backbefore this earth was and they will goforward into eternities. this doctrine istaught so simply, powerfully, and beautifullyby ruth gardner's text of a primary song, "familiescan be together forever."
pause and just think for amoment about primary children all over the world singing thesewords in their native tongues at the top of their lungs, withenthusiasm and love a family can invoke: "fam'lies canbe together forever through heav'nly father's plan. i always want to bewith my own family, [for] the lord hasshown me how i can." the entire theologyof the restored gospel centers on families and on thenew and everlasting covenant
of marriage. in the church of jesuschrist of latter-day saints, we believe in premortallife, where we all lived as literal spirit childrenof god, our eternal father. we believe that wewere and still are members of his family. we believe thatmarriage and family ties can continue beyond thegrave, that marriage performed by those who have the properauthority in his temples
will continue to be validin the world to come. our marriage ceremonieseliminate the words "'til death do us part" and instead say"for time and for all eternity." we also believe that strongtraditional families are not only the basic unit of a stablesociety, a stable economy, and a stable culture ofvalues, but that they are also the basic unit ofeternity and the kingdom and government of god. we believe that the organizationand government of heaven
will be built around familiesand extended families. it is because of our beliefthat marriage and families are eternal thatwe, as a church, ought to be leadersand participate in worldwide movementsto strengthen them. we know that itis not only those who are actively religiouswho share common values and priorities of lastingmarriages and strong family relationships.
a great number ofsecular people have concluded that a commitment tomarriage and a family lifestyle is the most sensible,the most economical, and the happiest way to live. no one has ever come upwith a more efficient way to raise the nextgeneration than a household of married parentswith children. why should marriage andfamily matter--everywhere? public opinion showsthat marriage is still
the ideal and the hope amongthe majority of every age group. even among the"millennial generation," where we hear so muchabout choosing singleness, personal freedom, andcohabitation before marriage, the fact is that strongmajorities worldwide still want to have childrenand to create strong families. once we are married andonce we have children, the true commonalityamong all mankind becomes even more evident.
as "family people"--nomatter where we live or what our religious beliefs maybe--we share the many struggles, the same struggles,the same adjustments, and the same hopes andworries for our children. as a new york timescolumnist said, david brooks said:"people are not better off when they are given [the]maximum personal freedom to do what they want. [they are] better off when theyare enshrouded in commitments
that transcend personalchoice--commitments to family, [to] god, craft and country." one problem is, so much ofthe media and entertainment that the world shares doesnot rely on the priorities and values of the majority. for whatever reason, too muchof television, movies, music, and internet presentthe classic case of the minority masqueradingas the majority. immorality and amoralityrange from graphic violence
to recreational sex. it is portrayed asthe norm and can cause those who have mainstreamvalues to feel that they're out of date, of a bygone era. in such, the media andinternet dominate the world. it has never been harder toraise responsible children and keep marriagesand families together. despite what much of the mediaand entertainment outlets may suggest, however, anddespite the very real decline
in marriages and familyorientation of some, the solid majorityof mankind still believes that marriage should bebetween one man and one woman. they believe in fidelitywithin the marriage, and they believe in the marriagevows "in sickness and in health 'til death do us part." we need to remindourselves once in a while, as we were reminded in rome,of the wonderful reassurance and comforting fact thatmarriage and family still
have the aspiration andideals of most people and that we are notalone in these beliefs. it has never beenmore of a challenge to find a practical balancebetween employment, families, and personal needsas it is in our day. as a church, wewant to assist all that we can tocreate and support strong marriages and families. that is why the churchis actively participating
and provides leadershipin various coalitions and ecumenical effortsto strengthen the family. it is why we share ourfamily-focused values in the media andon social media. it is why we share ourgenealogical and extended family records with all nations. we want our voice to be heardagainst all of the counterfeits and alternativelifestyles that try to replace family organizationsthat god himself established.
we also want our voice tobe heard sustaining the joy and fulfillment thattraditional families bring. we must continue to projectthat voice throughout the world in declaring why marriage andfamily are so important--why marriage and family reallydo matter and why they always will. my brothers and sisters,the restored gospel centers on marriage and families. it is also onmarriage and families
that we can unite mostwith other faiths. it is aroundmarriage and families where we find thegreatest commonality with the rest of the world. that the church of jesuschrist of latter-day saints has the greatest opportunityto be a light upon the hill. let me close by bearingmy witness (and my nine decades on earth fullyqualify me to say this) that the older i get, themore i realize that family
is the center of life. it is the key toeternal happiness. i give my thanks to my wife, tomy children, my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren,to all the cousins and in-laws of an extended family whomake my life so rich--yes, even eternal. of this eternal truthi bear my strongest and most sacred witness. [music - "i believe in christ"]
(singing) i believe inchrist; he is my king! with all my heartto him i'll sing; i'll raise my voicein praise and joy, in grand amens my tongue employ. i believe in christ;he is god's son. on earth to dwellhis soul did come. he healed the sick;the dead he raised. good works were his;his name be praised. i believe in christ--mylord, my god!
my feet he plants on gospel sod. i'll worship himwith all my might; he is the sourceof truth and light. i believe in christ;he ransoms me. from satan's grasphe sets me free, and i shall live with joy andlove in his eternal courts i believe in christ;he stands supreme! from him i'll gainmy fondest dream; and while i strive through griefand pain, his voice is heard:
"ye shall obtain." i believe in christ; socome what may, with him i'll stand in that greatday when on this earth he comes again to ruleamong the sons of men. when on this earthhe comes again to rule among the sons of men. to rule again. our dear heavenly father, wehumbly bow our heads in prayer. we give thanks to thee forthy great plan of salvation
and especially for our saviorand redeemer, jesus christ, and for his atoningsacrifice in our behalf. we thank thee for thy livingprophet, president thomas s. monson, and for thoseprophets and apostles that serve with him. we pray for thy blessingsto be upon them, to sustain them anduplift them as they serve. we are grateful forthe spiritual messages that we have received thisday from thy valiant servants.
as we adjourn from thissession of general conference, we ask thee for thy spiritto be with us in all we do. we offer this prayerin the sacred name this has been a broadcastof the 185th annual general saints. speakers were selected fromthe general authorities music was provided by themormon tabernacle choir. this broadcast has beenfurnished as a public service
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