Elder David A. Bednar: Watching with All Perseverance

This is a great talk on parenting and helping our children gain a testimony and then become valiant in that testimony.

Spiritual warnings should lead to increasingly vigilant watching. You and I live in “a day of warning” (D&C 63:58)

Elder Bednar introduces his thoughts on a “spiritual early warning system”:

I pray for the guidance of the Holy Ghost as I describe a spiritual early warning system that can help parents in Zion to be watchful and discerning concerning their children. This early warning system applies to children of all ages and contains three basic components: (1) reading and talking about the Book of Mormon with your children, (2) bearing testimony of gospel truths spontaneously with your children, and (3) inviting children as gospel learners to act and not merely be acted upon. Parents who do these things faithfully will be blessed to recognize early signals of spiritual growth in or challenges with their children and be better prepared to receive inspiration to strengthen and help those children.

Component Number One: Reading and Talking about the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon speaks to the spirit and to the heart of the reader like no other volume of scripture.  Regular reading of and talking about the Book of Mormon invite the power to resist temptation and to produce feelings of love within our families.  And discussions about the doctrines and principles in the Book of Mormon provide opportunities for parents to observe their children, to listen to them, to learn from them, and to teach them.

Such conversations can help parents to discern what their children are learning, thinking, and feeling about the truths contained in this sacred volume of scripture, as well as the difficulties they may be facing.

Reading this from Elder Bednar makes me grateful for two things. First, we have tried to follow this counsel as our children have been growing up. Though we didn’t study scriptures every day, there were many times we would have family scripture study together and we have read the Book of Mormon a few times as a family during that scripture study. Second, we have seen the blessings of having our children grow up to be fine people. I believe that has been a direct blessing from reading the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, as a family.

Component Number Two: Bearing Testimony Spontaneously

Testimony is personal knowledge, based upon the witness of the Holy Ghost, that certain facts of eternal significance are true.  The knowledge and spiritual conviction we receive from the Holy Ghost are the result of revelation.

Parents should be vigilant and spiritually attentive to spontaneously occurring opportunities to bear testimony to their children. Discussions – especially when parents are as eager to listen intently as they are to talk – can foster a supportive and secure environment in the home and encourage ongoing communication about difficult topics.

I really like that phrase “especially when parents are as eager to listen intently as they are to talk”. As parents we need to listen. It’s hard when we feel like we have so much to share, and that we are right! But we are still learning, and to learn we need to listen.

Component Number Three: Inviting Children to Act

As gospel learners, we should be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22)

Learning requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception.

I wish there was a way for my students to catch the visual of that preceding quote. Elder Bednar then expounds on this idea that learners (especially children) need to put forth effort to really learn.

Are you and I helping our children become agents who act and seek learning by study and by faith, or have we trained our children to wait to be taught and acted upon? [Great question?] Are we as parents primarily giving our children the equivalent of spiritual fish to eat, or are we consistently helping them to act, to learn for themselves, and to stand steadfast and immovable? Are we helping our children become anxiously engaged in asking, seeking, and knocking? (See 3 Nephi 14:&) I especially like the idea of “consistently helping”; that is an important principal in parenting.

The spiritual understanding you and I have been blessed to receive, and which has been confirmed as true in our hearts, simply cannot be given to our children. The tuition of diligence and of learning by study and also by faith must be paid to obtain and personally “own” such knowledge. [I like that analogy to tuition – the cost- is diligence, study and faith.] Only in this way can what is known in the mind also be felt in the heart. Only in this way can a child move beyond relying upon the spiritual knowledge and experiences of parents and adults and claim those blessings for himself or herself. Only in this way can our children be prepared spiritually for the challenges of mortality.

Elder Bednar finishes his talk with a promise to parents: The spiritual discernment and inspiration you will receive from the combination of these three holy habits will enable you to stand as watchmen on the tower for your families – “watching . . . with all perseverance” (Ephesians 6:18) – to the blessing of your immediate family and your future posterity.

Great talk!

Sister Vicki F. Matsumori: Helping Others Recognize the Whispering of the Spirt.

Sister Matsumori counsels:
There are places where it is easier to feel the Spirit. Testimony meetings and general conference are some of those places. Certainly temples are another. The challenge for each of us is in providing an environment where the Spirit can be felt daily in our homes and weekly at church.


One reason we are encouraged to pray and read the scriptures every single day is that both of these activities invite the Spirit into our homes and into the lives of our family members.


This is one of the reasons we have tried to be more diligent about having family scripture study every morning (at 6:25 am!) and family prayer at night -- to invite the Spirit into our home. Also, if you it seems like you haven't felt the Spirit for a while, check to make sure you are doing these basic things.

She also said:
Because the Spirit is often described as a still, small voice, it is also important to have a time of quiet in our lives as well. The Lord has counseled us to "be still, and know that I am God." 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.


These are great promises. I think that one of the keys is that we need to seek and find time in our day. It will not find us! There are just too many things going on. We need to make time for the Spirit to comfort us and to play a role in our lives.

Finally, some wonderful promises related to listening for and understanding the Spirit:
When we come to understand the whisperings of the Spirit, we will be able to hear Him teach us "the peaceable things of the kingdom" and "all things what [we] should do." We will recognize answers to our prayers and know how to live the gospel more fully each day. We will be guided and protected. And we can cultivate this gift in our lives as we follow those spiritual promptings. Most importantly, we will feel Him witness to us of the Father and of the Son.

Elder David A. Bednar: More Diligent and Concerned at Home

I want to suggest three ways each of us can become more diligent and concerned in our homes.


Elder Bednar has my attention here. An apostle is going to give advice on what we can do to have successful homes.

Suggestion Number One: Express Love-and Show it.
We can begin to become more diligent and concerned at home by telling the people we love that we love them.
As disciples of the Savior, we are not merely striving to know more; rather, we need to consistently do more of what we know is right and become better.


It is not enough to know, we must also do. This is a very important principle that translates our knowledge and faith into action.

We need to both express and demonstrate love.


Elder Bednar then quotes President Monson. This is such important counsel that I am including it to:

"Often we assume that [the people around us] must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know . . . We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us."


From the scriptures: The relationship between love and appropriate action . . . "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)


Feeling the security and constancy of love from a spouse, a parent, or a child is a rich blessing. Such love nurtures and sustains faith in God. Such love is a source of strength and casts out fear. Such love is the desire of every human soul.


We should frequently review our relationships with those closest to us to make sure that we are showing love and that the love is having the above mentioned effects.

Suggestion Number Two: Bear Testimony-and Live it.
We also can become more diligent and concerned at home by bearing testimony to those whom we love about the things we know to be true by witness of the Holy Ghost.


We should remember that bearing a heartfelt testimony is only a beginning. We need to bear testimony, we need to mean it, and most importantly we need to consistently live it. We need to both declare and live our testimonies.


So, bearing testimony should be more than a missionary teaching technique or a Fast and Testimony Meeting event. We need to share our testimony with our family members and then live it, because they are closest to us and are always watching.

Suggestion Number Three: Be Consistent


Elder Bednar related some experiences from his family about Family Home Evening. I really enjoyed that. It showed me that even future apostles (and their families) had trials and that things like FHE did not always go smoothly. I could really relate to his examples and it gave me hope!

The consistency of our intent and work was perhaps the greatest lesson-a lesson we did not fully appreciate at the time.


Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results.


Consistency is a key principle as we lay the foundation of a great work in our individual lives and as we become more diligent and concerned in our homes. 


We were creating family goals tonight (Jan 4th) in Family Home Evening. Many of our goals were these small "brushstrokes": weekly FHE, family prayer night and day, family scripture study on the weekdays, a family game night once a month, Mom & Dad going to the temple twice a month. We set those goals (and others) because we believe, and know from past experience, that they do help create (as much, or more, than anything else) a strong home.

RS Sister Barbara Thompson: Mind the Gap

Many of us have gaps in our own lives. Sometimes it is the difference between what we know and what we actually do or the gap between our goals and what we actually accomplish. These gaps can be reminders of ways in which we can improve or, if ignored, can be stumbling blocks in our lives.


I want to mention a few gaps I see either in my own life or in the lives of others. The ones I will address tonight are the following:


First, the gap between believing you are a daughter of God and knowing in your heart and soul that you are a precious, beloved daughter of God.


Second, the gap between completion of the Young Women program and becoming a fully participating member of Relief Society—“the Lord’s organization for women.”¹


Third, the gap between believing in Jesus Christ and being valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ.


Sister Thompson started with a nice analogy to signs found in "The Tube" in London. We need to pay attention to those gaps in our lives - to 'mind' them. We need to be aware of who we are (children of a Heavenly Father), beware of the gap of inactivity, and live our testimony and belief in Jesus Christ.

Learning the Lessons of the Past - Elder M. Russell Ballard sat pm

When you are willing to listen and learn, some of life's most meaningful teachings come from those who have gone before you. They have walked where you are walking and have experienced many of the things you are experiencing. If you listen and respond to their counsel, they can help guide you toward choices that will be for your benefit and blessing and steer you away from decisions that can destroy you.

I really like that comment, especially as a history teacher, because it gives sound advice and is true whether 'those who have gone before you' only recently went 'before you' (like parents and grandparents) or who traveled a more distant trail in medieval or ancient times. I would love to use this quote as a signature line on my emails, but it is probably too long.

Elder Ballard gives a really good analogy and examples of learning from those who are more experienced. I need to remember this for my social studies and even literature students.

It's hard to imagine a scenario in which it would not be worthwhile to consider and learn from the experience of others. Many professions require internships, during which aspiring professionals shadow seasoned veterans to learn from their years of experience and accumulated wisdom. Rookies in professional sports are often expected to sit on the bench and learn by watching experienced players.

Our Heavenly Father loves all of His children, and He wants them all to have the blessings of the gospel in their lives. Spiritual light is not lost because God turns His back on His children. Rather, spiritual darkness results when His children turn their collective backs on Him. It is a natural consequence of bad choices made by individuals, communities, countries, and entire civilizations.

This is a great explanation as to why we have so many troubles in the world today and why individuals become so lost and hopeless (losing hope.) We turn his back on Him. And history bears that out, over and over again. We can turn that around individually by having faith that keeping the commandments and following the prophets and church leaders will turn us towards God. If we do not feel that we have that faith, we need to pray for that faith until we have it.

We live in an era when the boundaries of good taste and public decency are being pushed to the point where there are no boundaries at all. The commandments of God have taken a beating in the vacillating marketplace of ideas that absolutely rejects the notion of right and wrong.

Elder Ballard has a view and perspective on the world that is large, through his travels for business and church. In my limited experience, I would have to agree with his assessment. He then continues by reminding us that we are in the midst of a familiar cycle. This cycle is recorded in the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, and throughout human history (as he outlined in an earlier part of this talk.)

Do you see the historical patter emerging again - the pattern of righteousness followed by prosperity, followed by material comforts, followed by greed, followed by pride, followed by wickedness and a collapse of morality?

I like this phrase:

You don't have to spend time as a Laman or a Lemuel in order to know that it's much better to be a Nephi or a Jacob. He continues, You don't have to follow the path of Cain or Gadianton in order to realize that "wickedness never was happiness." And you don't have to allow your community to become like Sodom or Gomorrah in order to understand that it isn't a good place to raise a family.

Another good quote for history students. Perhaps I should include this in my signature line! (I did!)

Learning the lessons of the past allows you to walk boldly in the light without running the risk of stumbling in the darkness.

Nourished by testimony and watered with faith, the lessons of the past can take root in your hearts and become a vibrant part of who you are.

The next two quotes are just a perfect conclusion to this inspiring talk. I have been assigned to speak in the Quatama ward this week (16 Aug 2009) on temple work, with the goal of inspiring members to prepare to attend ward temple night on September 8th. I will probably use parts of both quotes because the hit at the heart of the why and how of preparing to go to the temple and then attend the temple regularly after that.

And so it returns, as it always does, to your own personal faith and testimony. That is the difference-maker, my young brothers and sisters. That is how you know. That is how you avoid the mistakes of the past and take your spirituality to the next level. If you are open and receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit in your lives, you will understand the lessons of the past, and they will be burned into your souls by the power of your testimonies.

And how do you get such a testimony? Well, there's no new technology for that, nor will there ever be. You cannot do a Google search to gain a testimony. You can't text message faith. you gain a vibrant, life-changing testimony today the same way it has always been done. The process hasn't changed. It comes through desire, study, prayer, obedience, and service. That is why the teachings of prophets and apostles, past and present, are as relevant to your life today as they ever have been.

When he talks about 'no new technology, nor will there ever be', I would add that there is no better time to start gaining such a testimony, nor will there be any better time than now to start.

Finding Strength in Challenging Times! - Elder Allan F. Packer sat am

These are the days when prophecies are being fulfilled. We live in the dispensation of the fulness of times, which is the time to prepare for the Savior's return. It is also the time to work out our own salvation.

There seem to be quite a few talks this conference (as well as the last) that remind us quite clearly that we are living in the last days. The phrase "these are the days when prophecies are being fulfilled" really brings that home to me. In addition to that, we are told that this is also 'our time' and we need to be working on our own salvation. That makes it very personal.

As far as having a testimony goes, Elder Packer tells us that, "we must know - - and know that we know." There is implied a double duty. A larger duty.

We need to be acquainted with the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and we need to practice and apply gospel teachings until they become natural and automatic. These promptings become the foundation of our testimonies. Then our testimonies will keep us happy and safe in troubled times.

There are a couple of key elements in this paragraph. One is that the bar is higher for us as members. We need to get a testimony, then we need to do something about it - practice and apply gospel teachings. They must become and feel natural and automatic. Second, the road to happiness in these troubled times is our testimony. Happy and safe, those are two great promises.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks defined a testimony this way: "A testimony of the gospel is a personal witness borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost that certain facts of eternal significance are true and that we know them to be true." At another time Elder Oaks said, "Testimony is to know and to feel, conversion is to do and to become."

I like the definition of testimony from Elder Oaks. I also appreciate the next step - from 'knowing and feeling' to 'doing and becoming.' Knowing (a testimony) is an early step. What we must work towards is doing (discipleship.)

There are several things we can do to develop a deep conversion and learn how to receive divine inspiration. First, we must have a desire. . . Next, experiment on the word. . . To study and learn is the next step. This includes pondering, which broadens and deepens our testimonies."

I like this list of three things to do on this very important subject. It seems a natural progression that we need to take so that we are not 'just members' in name only. Two very important goals: Develop a deep conversion and Learn how to receive divine inspiration. This is a good measuring tape of where we are right now. Do I really want these blessings. If so, then we are told what to do next - experiment with the word, have faith enough to put it (teaching and commandments and counsel.) Then, study, learn, and ponder. We should be constantly growing in knowledge and experience.

Joseph Smith told us to watch for answers by paying attention to the thoughts and feelings that come into our minds. Over time we will learn to recognize these as promptings.

If you have wondered how to 'recognize the promptings of the spirit', here is your answer. 'Pay attention to thoughts and feelings.' As you do, over time, you will become better at recognizing this gift from God.

If we have unrealistic expectations of how, when, or where answers come, we risk missing the answers which come as quiet, reassuring feelings and thoughts that most often come after our prayers, while we are doing something else. These answers can be equally convincing and powerful.

It seems that we need to become proficient in the 'language of the Spirit.' We need to be ever vigilant and alert to the answers that we will be given.

Asking for a testimony of truth opens the windows of inspiration. Prayer is the most common and powerful way to invite inspiration.

We need to ask, through prayer, for a testimony. That will lead to inspiration. We need to invite inspiration.