Week 45: For God Did Send Me

This week's talk is one I used for a talk I gave in my ward a few weeks ago. One of my favorite parts is the analogy of a puzzle and how our lives are just like one.

"Our lives are a little like a jigsaw puzzle. The Lord has the finished picture on the box, but we don’t. We can begin turning pieces over and putting in place the corners and edges that make up the framework already revealed to us through the words of prophets, ancient and modern. Then we might start to guess at how the middle pieces should go together. If we get our mind set on the picture we envision, we may completely miss the picture the Lord intends. Although we can do much to discover which pieces fit where, we need His guidance to complete the picture. As we work on the puzzle and struggle trying pieces together for a fit, He guides us as he helps us see a fit here or there that we hadn’t noticed before. Occasionally He will show us that an entire section of the puzzle fits at the top of the picture, not at the bottom as we had imagined. Then we keep working."

 I've had so many questions come up lately in my own mind. Questions like why are my finances not as blessed as so and so, why have I had to have so much struggle in my life, even why am I not famous yet! :) Today I had a very humbling experience as I went to a Single Mothers Seminar as a guest. As I listened to the stories of these dear single mothers I felt gently chastised and was humbly reminded of all that I DO have. My puzzle according to me was not fitting together well but God knew exactly how beautiful my puzzle was and tonight He showed me that I needed to rearrange some of my pieces or the way I thought about my life experiences to match the picture on the box He created for me.

I dare say we all go through moments like this, where we question our life's path. I can say that the Lord does answer our questions.  I know He sends each of us EXACTLY where we need to be, gives us exactly the challenges or blessings we need to DO the work or fill the empty spot in someone elses puzzle. I am so grateful for this knowledge and for all of you who have been a piece of my puzzle, completing the beauty and complexity of my life. I am also so grateful to have a loving Father in Heaven and Savior who are so patient with my stubborness and so gently encourage me to rearrange my puzzle pieces now and then.

All my love and prayers,

NO MP3

For God Did Send Me

Casey Hurley

Read the Talk HERE



Week 38: When My Prayers Seem Unanswered

I have shared this talk before but recently I have been hearing about this topic again. I wanted to share this talk once more because of its wonderful counsel and help in understanding the way the Lord answers our prayers.

I recently experienced an answer to a prayer that I have been asking for more than 18 years! While traveling alone from an appointment. In the solitude of my van the Lord answered my hearts prayer peacefully and quietly. I felt overwhelmed by the simplicity of the answer. Then as if to prove further the answer was true, my mind was filled with memories of experiences I have had over the past years that have prepared me to receive and accept the words sent to my heart and mind at this time. Little did I know that over the years, my prayers were indeed being answered by the Lord. He was preparing a "holding place in my heart to put the answer". I will never be able to look at my past again without deep gratitude and humility.

I know the Lord Jesus Christ lives! I know He loves us. I know that more than anything He wants to rescue us from our mortal strife and He has through his atoning sacrifice. Never ever give up. When things get to where they seem to hard to bear remember that somewhere somehow He is answering your prayer and that you are deeply and personally known and loved.

All my love,

MP3 Link

When My Prayers Seem Unanswered

S. Michael Wilcox

No Text



Week 26: Honorably Hold a Name and Standing

Hello Friends,

This week's Talk of the Week is Elder Bednar's April 2009 Conference Talk "Honorably Hold a Name and Standing." ThisConference talk is one I frequently reflect on. What does it mean to honorably hold a name and standing? What does it mean to worship as we attend the temple? As I have pondered and sought teaching on these ideas, it has been interesting the insights that have come and the increase in love and appreciation for temples and for our Heavenly Father and our Savior. I love the words of Hymn 70 and the insights that have come as I have pondered and sung this wonderful hymn.

I am grateful for Elder Bednar's teaching about the significance of temples and the opportunities and blessings that come as we allow the "fire of the covenant" to burn within us. I am grateful for the protection and the power that come to us as we attend the temple and ponder on the covenants and blessings we receive there. I think there is much for us to understand about the protections and blessings that come that we do not yet grasp. At the BYU Women's Conference, Sister Beck counseled us to attend the temple more frequently and to PAY ATTENTION to who blessings are given by and what powers are given each of us. I have found it helpful to consider 3 Nephi 17:3 in light of temple attendance:

1/ Go unto your homes
2/ ponder
3/ ask—pray
4/ prepare minds for the morrow
5/ come again

I testify that great blessings come from committing to attend and attending the temple as frequently as we are able. I know that our abilities to complete necessary tasks and be more efficient with our time is a blessing that comes as we commit to attend the temple more often. I have increased patience and greater insights into the responsibilities and challenges I face as I increase my temple attendance. The temple is the place we can come to know the Savior better and understand more fully our relationship to Him. It truly is the House of the Lord. How grateful I am to be a witness of this marvelous season of accelerated temple building! It is magnificent to see the work of the Lord rolling forward in significant ways.

Much love,

MP3 Link

Honorably Hold a Name and Standing

Elder David A. Bednar

Shortly after I was called to serve as a stake president in 1987, I talked with a good friend who recently had been released as a stake president. During our conversation I asked him what he would teach me about becoming an effective stake president. His answer to my question had a profound impact upon my subsequent service and ministry.

My friend indicated he had been called to serve as a temple worker soon after his release. He then said: “I wish I had been a temple worker before I was a stake president. If I had served in the temple before my call to serve as a stake president, I would have been a very different stake president.”

I was intrigued by his answer and asked him to explain further. He responded: “I believe I was a good stake president. The programs in our stake ran well, and our statistics were above average. But serving in the temple has expanded my vision. If I were called today to serve as a stake president, my primary focus would be on worthiness to receive and honor temple covenants. I would strive to make temple preparation the center of all that we did. I would do a better job of shepherding the Saints to the house of the Lord.”

That brief conversation with my friend helped me as a stake president to teach relentlessly about and testify of the eternal importance of temple ordinances, temple covenants, and temple worship. The deepest desire of our presidency was for every member of the stake to receive the blessings of the temple, to be worthy of and to use frequently a temple recommend.

My message today focuses upon the blessings of the temple, and I pray the Holy Ghost will illuminate our minds, penetrate our hearts, and bear witness of truth to each of us.

Read the rest HERE

Week 18: My New Life

Hello Friends, A very Happy Mother's Day to each of you. I hope the day is great for you and that as you ponder on your motherhood, you can focus on the great things you are doing right! Motherhood gives us the greatest opportunities to lift and bless others. Truly a process which helps us become like Our Heavenly Father. Our motherhood experiences mold and purify us as nothing else can. I would like to share something a little different this week--a wonderful Mormon Message.

As I have read Stephanie's blog over the past year and a half, I have been completely changed by her passion for mother and wifehood. Her clear vision of who she is and the significance of her role is blessing thousands of lives--even helping some to find the Gospel. As you watch this video, I hope you will feel renewed and empowered to continue on in the missions you are sent to complete.

Much love and a very sweet Mother's Day to you,

*Before playing video Be sure to pause the embeded radio on the right side of the blog.

Week 17: Meeting Your Goliath

This is the fifth Thursday of the month. This year we wanted to hear more from you readers so we asked for talk suggestions or posts to me emailed in. We got a few responses and would like to encourage you to continue sending things in. Think about all the great talks and quotes you've heard recently and how they have helped you or a family member then email the talk with a link, if possible and if you want a little snippet about how it has helped you to talkoftheweek@gmail.com. I will let you know when your talk suggestions will be shared.

Below are some great references in finding articles:
LDS.org
BYU Broadcasting

The opportunity to learn the gospel is just as important as the admonition to teach the gospel. In D&C 50: 22, we read the following: "Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together." Let us teach and receive of one another so we can ALL be edified and rejoice together in the sweetness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

This week's talk was suggested by my dear friend Rebecca. Thanks for sharing this talk with all of us!

NO MP3

Meeting Your Goliath

President Thomas S. Monson

For the entire talk go HERE

....The battle for our souls is no less important that the battle fought by David. The enemy is no less formidable, the help of Almighty God no farther away. What will our action be? Like David of old, “our cause is just.” We have been placed upon earth not to fail or fall victim to temptation’s snare, but rather to succeed. Our giant, our Goliath, a.d. must be conquered.
David went to the brook and carefully selected five smooth stones with which he might meet his enemy. He was deliberate in his selection, for there could be no turning back, no second chance—this battle was to be decisive.
Just as David went to the brook, well might we go to our source of supply—the Lord. What polished stones will you select to defeat the Goliath that is robbing you of your happiness by smothering your opportunities? May I offer suggestions.
The stone of COURAGE will be essential to your victory. As we survey the challenges of life, that which is easy is rarely right. In fact, the course that we should properly follow appears at times impossible, impenetrable, hopeless.
Such did the way appear to Laman and Lemuel. When they looked upon their assignment to go unto the house of Laban and seek the records according to God’s command, they murmured, saying it was a hard thing that was required of them. Thus, a lack of courage took from them their opportunity, and it was given to courageous Nephi, who responded, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Ne. 3:7.) The stone of courage is needed.
Next, I select the stone of EFFORT—mental effort and physical effort.

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Ladder of St. Augustine.”)

The decision to overcome a fault or correct a weakness is an actual step in the process of doing so. “Thrust in thy sickle with thy might” was not spoken of missionary work alone.
Then there must be in our selection the stone of HUMILITY, for haven’t we been told through divine revelation that when we are humble, the Lord, our God, will lead us by the hand and give us answer to our prayers?
And who would go forth to battle his Goliath without the stone of PRAYER, remembering that the recognition of a power higher than oneself is in no way debasing; rather, it exalts.
Finally, let us choose the stone of LOVE OF DUTY. Duty is not merely to do the thing we ought to do, but to do it when we should, whether we like it or not.
Armed with this selection of five polished stones to be propelled by the mighty sling of faith, we need then but take the staff of virtue to steady us, and we are ready to meet the giant Goliath, wherever, and whenever, and however we find him.
For the stone of COURAGE will melt the Goliath of fear. The stone of EFFORT will bring down the Goliath of indecision and procrastination. And the Goliaths of pride, of envy, of lack of self-respect will not stand before the power of the stones of HUMILITY, PRAYER, and DUTY.
Above all else, may we ever remember that we do not go forth alone to battle the Goliaths of our lives. As David declared to Israel, so might we echo the knowledge, “The battle is the Lord’s, and he will give [Goliath] into our hands.” (1 Sam. 17:47.)
But the battle must be fought. Victory cannot come by default. So it is in the battles of life. Life will never spread itself in an unobstructed view before us. We must anticipate the approaching forks and turnings in the road. We cannot hope to reach our desired journey’s end if we think aimlessly about whether to go east or west. We must make our decisions purposefully. Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty.
The vast, uncharted expanse of the Atlantic Ocean stood as a Goliath between Christopher Columbus and the New World. The hearts of his comrades became faint, their courage dimmed, hopelessness engulfed them; but Columbus prevailed with his watchword, “Westward, ever Westward, sail on, sail on.” (See Joaquin Miller, “Columbus,” in Ralph Henry and Lucile Pannell, comps., My American Heritage, New York: Rand McNally and Company, 1949, pp. 153–154.)
Carthage Jail, an angry mob with painted faces, and certain death faced the Prophet Joseph Smith. But from the wellsprings of his abundant faith he calmly met the Goliath of death. “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter,” he had said over a month earlier, “but I am calm as a summer’s morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men.” (History of the Church, 6:555.)
Gethsemane, Golgotha, intense pain and suffering beyond the comprehension of mortal man stood between Jesus the Master and victory over the grave. Yet he lovingly assured us, “I go to prepare a place for you … that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2–3.)
And what is the significance of these accounts? Had there been no ocean, there would have been no Columbus. No jail, no Joseph. No mob, no martyr. No cross, no Christ!
Should there be a Goliath in our lives, or a giant called by any other name, we need not “flee” or be “sore afraid” as we go up to battle against him. Rather we can find assurance and receive divine help from Him of whom David wrote in his inspired psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. … Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” (Ps. 23:1, 4.)
Victory will be ours.

Week 9: Remember Lot's Wife

Hello Friends,

This week's talk is "Remember Lot's Wife," a devotional given by Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland in January 2009 at BYU. I appreciate Elder Holland's
insights about how to move forward with faith and the dangers of living
in the past. He counsels us to reach forth for things which are
beyond. Let go of past hurts and shortcomings. God has great things in
store for each of us and the best is yet to be. I especially enjoyed
his recounting of his lack of courage as he was a BYU student. Somehow
it gives me greater courage to do hard things, knowing he struggled too.
"Faith builds on the past, but never longs to stay there." May our faith
and confidence in the future grow as we "trust that God has great things
in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the 'high priest of
good things to come.' "

Best Wishes,



MP3 Link

Remember Lot's Wife

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

The start of a new year is the
traditional time for us to take stock of our
lives and see where we are going
measured against the backdrop of where
we have been. However, I don’t want to
talk to you about New Year’s resolutions
per se because you only made five of
them and you have already broken four. (I
give that remaining one about another
week.) But I do want to talk to you today
about the past and the future, not so
much in terms of New Year’s
commitments, but more with an eye
toward any time of transition and change,
and those moments come virtually every
day of our lives.

Read the rest HERE.

Week 6: Temple Marriage: What can we learn from it?

 

I want to tell you about a person who has been such an inspiration and example to me, my grandpa Ivan Johnson. He is 93 years old, blind, and suffers from hearing loss. He goes to the St. George temple three days a week for 6 hours at a time. I asked him the other day why he does it and he told me, "I have nothing else to do." He then went on to say, "It [the temple] is a good place to be, a good place to be found." Then of course as only a wife can do my grandma Margaret reminded, "The Lord wants him to."  When I asked him what blessings he has received because of his service he told me two things, "[It has] Kept me out of mischief." and "The people have become like family." My Grandma also mentioned that a blessing she sees is that others remember his service and desire to do the same. Grandpa said that he feels all the people that have been helped and that with some imagination you can almost feel them rejoicing that their families are being brought together forever. To which grandma commented that it isn't imaginary it is real. My grandparents told me that they have been going to the temple at least once a week for over 65 years. And the last 6 years grandpa has been spending 18 hours a week there.

The picture above was taken on my last visit. Grandpa was waiting for his ride to the temple. I was impressed by his dedication and excitement to go. He was ready and waiting just as a child does when their friend is coming to play.  I thought about his example here and wondered do I have such a desire and excitement to serve in the Temple? How is it that this little old man can serve the Lord even though he suffers from many disabilities? If he can do it then why can't I, an able bodied, young woman dedicate my time to the Lord and serve in His house.

I wondered what keeps me from serving. A few years ago I thought that I had to give 2 hours at a time to do an Endowment Session. It wasn't until a year and a half ago when my youngest child started preschool that I decided to follow my grandpa's example and go more often, that I realized I could do Sealing’s or Initiatory and stay for as long as I can. Another thing that has kept me from going to the temple in the past is not being able to schedule time to go with my spouse. Although it is ideal to serve together, if circumstances are difficult, I've come to learn that it is better to go alone than not at all. My grandma is not physically able to go with my grandpa but she serves by preparing his clothing and supporting him and his desire to serve. I believe that they are both blessed because of their desire to serve the Lord in the Temple.

I know that my family's life has been blessed by my service. I leave Sealing work with a greater love for my spouse and my children which in turn blesses my home with more peace as I am less tempted to yell or lose all my patience at once. I leave Initiatory with hope and courage to do what I am asked to do. I leave Endowment sessions with a sense of who I am and a great, loving testimony for the Savior and His atonement. I do not think I even know half of the blessings that are given to me for serving. I do it because I have watched a valiant man and his precious wife dedicate their lives to the Lord. I do it because I have gained my own testimony of the importance of temple work. I do it because the Lord wants me to.

I am not an ordained minister, nor do have any authority to exhort or command. I do know from personal experience however that going to the temple whether you understand it or not blesses lives. Spiritual knowledge is gained, peace is given, strength and courage are restored. A love of God and of family is obtained and secured in one's heart with faithful and consistent service in the Temple's of God the Eternal Father and the Savior Jesus Christ.  If I could I would plead and beg you all to just go. Do not wait until you are old and have nothing else to do. Do not wait until all your questions are answered. Go now, you need it now, your families need it now, your children and future children need it now. Please go to the Temple.

I chose the talk this week because it went t into really good detail of why we go to the temple. I hope you will enjoy it and that you will gain a testimony for yourself by attending the temple regularly.

All my hope and love,

Temple Marriage: What can we learn from it?

 Douglas Brinley

No Text this week


Listen to Audio HERE
View Video HERE

Week 3: Cast Not Therefore Away Your Confidence

Do you every feel under-qualified for the task(s) at hand?  I have felt very much at way in recent months and as I have searched the scriptures, I have found that others feel that way too.  Does it mean that I shouldn't keep going?  That I should throw in the towel? That I should strive to accomplish a less-worthy task?  No - it simply means that I should look upward and TRUST in FAITH that a God who loves me and trusts me will surely send His ministering angels both spiritual and temporal to help me accomplish the tasks he knows that I can! 

You too must press on in faith, trusting that has His daughter or son He truly has give you power to succeed!

Blessings -

Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence

Jeffery R. Holland

MP3 Link

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Mar 2000, 7
From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on 2 March 1999.

Beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now.
There is a lesson in the Prophet Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision which virtually every Latter-day Saint has had occasion to experience, or one day soon will. It is the plain and very sobering truth that before great moments, certainly before great spiritual moments, there can come adversity, opposition, and darkness. Life has some of those moments for us, and occasionally they come just as we are approaching an important decision or a significant step in our lives.
In that marvelous account which we read too seldom, Joseph said he had scarcely begun his prayer when he felt a power of astonishing influence come over him. “Thick darkness,” as he described it, gathered around him and seemed bent on his utter destruction. But he exerted all his powers to call upon God to deliver him out of the power of this enemy, and as he did so a pillar of light brighter than the noonday sun descended gradually until it rested upon him. At the very moment of the light’s appearance, he found himself delivered from the destructive power which had held him bound. What then followed is the greatest epiphany since the events surrounding the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ in the meridian of time. The Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith, and the dispensation of the fulness of times had begun. 1
Most of us do not need any more reminders than we have already had that there is one who personifies “opposition in all things,” that “an angel of God” fell “from heaven” and in so doing became “miserable forever.” What a chilling destiny! Because this is Lucifer’s fate, “he sought also the misery of all mankind,” Lehi teaches us. 2

 
Read complete talk HERE

Week 2: Seven Days to a Better Marriage

As part of the New Year it is customary to make goals and plan for the future. When I came across this talk I thought it was a perfect fit because it is something I think we all desire, ways to better our most important relationships, plus it was something that could be done FAST!!! I must admit I listened to this a few weeks ago and have found such strength and hope from the stories and in sight Brother Barlow shares. I hope you too will enjoy his lighthearted, speedy remedy to improving the sacred relationship of marriage.

Because there is not a transcript of this talk I have made up a worksheet showing the key principles and an action challenge for each one. I hope you will take the time either with your spouse on your own to complete the actions. I know that anyone who takes the challenge will see a better marriage and self in seven days or less.

May we all be blessed to take care of this most important aspect of our earthly and eternal lives.

All my love,

Seven Days to a Better Marriage

Brent Barlow

MP3 Link

Printable Worksheet With Action Challenges.

Week 46: Be Still and Know God

This week I was late on posting but I believe it was for the best. Yesterday I was feeling very tormented about some things that are not within my control. Some things that have more to do with someone elses' agency than me fixing myself or the situation. Being in the spot of no control is a huge challenge for me.



While I was feeling the terrible weight of my concerns. I took a moment to pray and to listen. What came to my mind was these words, "Be Still and Know That I am God". I then felt prompted to listen to my favorite hymn " Be Still, My Soul", Hymn Number 124. These too messages brought me so much peace as I realized that God is my Heavenly Father and that his Son, my Savior will both lift me and lighten the burdens I am required to carry in his service.



I found this beautiful talk given at BYU and can testify that the things she suggests to do can bring peace to our souls.



May you hall have a blessed week.



All my love,

Be Still and Know God

Erin Maughan

BYU Devotional

August 2009

MP3 Link

Video Link

Be Stil, My Soul -Hymn #124

Week 43: Come What May and Love It

I love the advice Elder Joseph B. Worthlin's mother gave to him when dealing with adversity, "Come what may, and love it!" If you've read or received the Talk of the Week for some time you may have realized that I am constantly seeking to improve my home life, my family, and myself. It's a common thread that flows through each of my monthly postings. Often when faced with adversity, or when I am discouraged I tend to be disheartened, saddened, and I fail to remember that we are here to be tried and tested. We ARE here to grow and learn. Elder Worthlin says, "If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth." We need to remember to make the best of any situation thrown at us, come what may.....and LOVE IT.










MP3 Link of entire talk

To read the full message as given click here

Week 19: Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast

Hello Sisters!

I so much enjoyed Conference. Did any of the rest of you feel Spiritually Transfused by it? I find when I get a little worried about things, I just need to listen to one of the Hymns sung for Conference or reread or listen to a talk, and I am immediately feeling more full of faith. It is a miracle to me the power of a living Prophet and Apostles to lift and inspire us. I thank Heavenly Father every day for them. I cannot imagine what life would be like without them.

I recently enjoyed this wonderful talk by Elder Holland that has really impacted and encouraged me. Here is a favorite part:

"Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—that is the first principle of the gospel. We must go forward. God expects you to have enough faith, determination, and trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. He expects you not simply to face the future; He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it, rejoice in it, and delight in your opportunities.God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe."

His talk focus's on celebrating and enjoying all that is ours to joy in as we live in the fullness of times. I appreciated his encouragement to become true Latter-day Saints, worthy of greeting our Savior. I am grateful for his insights and inspiration and hope you feel lifted and inspired by it too.

Much love,

Noni

P.S. I have discovered something that I think is new to lds.org, a complete menu of the music from Conference. We can listen or load one song or all. I thought the music was as inspiring as the messages. Here is the link for your enjoyment:

Conference Music

P.P.S. I discovered one other little treasure. At the end of Elder Christofferson's talk are some wonderful, teaching footnotes. I am going to check all talks for these now as they were great insights!

MP3 Link

Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

CES Fireside for Young Adults
September 12, 2004
Brigham Young University

Thank you for coming, even if you did know who the speaker would be. It’s a thrill for me to be with you tonight. Where did you all come from? (Don’t answer that! We don’t have time.) And although I can’t see all of you, I am very conscious of the wonderful, much larger satellite audience gathered in so many other locations around the world—some 80,000 or so of you. We welcome all of you, and I thank you for your attendance and your invitation to me to speak.

I want to excuse Sister Holland tonight. She would have dearly loved being with us, but she is in Houston, Texas, tonight, helping with a brand-new granddaughter born to our daughter and son-in-law there. If those of you gathered in Houston turn around slowly and look near the back of the room, you may see a cute little grandmother hiding on the back row pretending to be an institute student. Now I know full well how young she looks, brethren, but please, she is already taken. I appreciate her support there just as much as if she were here at my side tonight. I bring you her love, and only such duty as grandmothers have at such times would keep her from being here with us. “Hermana Holland, te amo.”

As many of you know, Sister Holland and I have just returned from a two-year assignment in Chile, where, like so many of you tonight are doing, we sat with young adults and institute students in stake centers half a world away, receiving these broadcasts far from Church headquarters. We too felt the Spirit of the Lord and the love of our leaders. We especially felt the fellowship of thousands around the world, like you, who were the same age, shared the same faith, and wanted the same things for a full and happy future.

I come tonight very mindful of my young friends in Chile but equally mindful of all our other friends around the world—in England and France, in Korea and Japan, in Australia and Nigeria and the Ukraine, to say nothing of the legions of you gathered throughout North America. Bienvenidos to all of you, whatever language you speak, and please know that I love you. There is such strength in our numbers. I pray for the Spirit and blessings of the Lord to be upon all of us and earnestly desire that what I say will be of some value to each of you.

Terror

I want to speak to you tonight in the context of ongoing anxiety in the world and some of the challenges we face at home and abroad. Of course there have always been challenges in every age and dispensation, but yesterday—September 11—was the third anniversary of a violent and near-unimaginable event that rocked the whole world. Indeed, the aftermath of that act has dramatically and perhaps permanently affected many of the ways in which the world now lives. Perhaps with such an anniversary yesterday, the fears and concerns of our modern times are still in your hearts today.

In any case, certainly our neighbors—the citizens of the nations to which we are beaming this broadcast tonight—have, since September 11, 2001, been dangling off balance, have been made more fearful, and have been alarmed by international events and the almost wholesale new use of the word terror. Not many years ago that word was reserved almost entirely for B-grade movie advertisements and Stephen King novels. Now, sadly, it is daily fare in our newspapers and so common in conversation that even young children, including the schoolchildren in Russia, are conscious that the world in which we live can be brutally, criminally affected by people called “terrorists.” And there are other disasters of other kinds, natural and otherwise, documented in the news that remind us that life can be fragile, that life can present fateful turns of events.

The Last Days

Against that backdrop, I know that many of you have wondered in your hearts what all of this means regarding the end of the world and your life in it. Many have asked, “Is this the hour of the Second Coming of the Savior and all that is prophesied surrounding that event?” Indeed, sometime not long after 9-11, I had a missionary ask me in all honesty and full of faith, “Elder Holland, are these the last days?” I saw the earnestness in his face and some of the fear in his eyes, and I wanted to be reassuring. I thought perhaps an arm around him and some humor could relieve his anxiety a little. Giving him a hug, I said, “Elder, I may not be the brightest person alive, but even I know the name of the Church.” We then talked about being Latter-day Saints. I said, “Yes, Elder, we are in the last days, but there is really nothing new about that. The promised Second Coming of the Savior began with the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1820. So we already have about 184 years of experience seeing the Second Coming and the last days unfold. We can be certain that we are in the last days—years and years of them,” I said, and gave him a friendly shake of the hand and sent him on his way.

He smiled, seemed more reassured to put all this in some context, and went on his way. I assume he has long since finished a successful mission and is now happily at home getting on with his life, perhaps even sitting in this audience somewhere looking for a wife! (He’d better be.)

I hasten to say that I do know what this young man was really asking. What he really meant was, “Will I finish my mission? Is there any point in getting an education? Can I hope for a marriage? Do I have a future? Is there any happiness ahead for me?” And I say to all of you what I said three years ago to him: “Yes, certainly—to all those questions.”

As far as the actual timing of the final, publicly witnessed Second Coming itself and its earthshaking events, I do not know when that will happen. Furthermore, President Gordon B. Hinckley has said that he doesn’t know when it will happen, and that is because no one knows when it will happen. The Savior said that even the angels in heaven would not know (see Matthew 24:36).

We should watch for the signs and read the meaning of the seasons, we should live as faithfully as we possibly can, and we should share the gospel with everyone so that blessings and protections will be available to all. But we cannot and must not be paralyzed just because that event and the events surrounding it are out there ahead of us somewhere. We cannot stop living life. Indeed, we should live life more fully than we have ever lived it before. After all, this is the dispensation of the fulness of times.

I say this because in recent times—post 9-11 times, I suppose—I have heard very fearful and even dismal opinions coming from some in your age-group regarding the questions that missionary had in mind. I have heard some of you say that you wonder whether there is any purpose in going on a mission or getting an education or planning for a career if the world we live in is going to be so uncertain. I have even heard sweethearts say, “We don’t know whether we should get married in such uncertain times.”

Worst of all, I have heard reports of some newlyweds questioning whether they should bring children into a terror-filled world on the brink of latter-day cataclysms. May I tell you that, in a way, those kinds of attitudes worry me more than Al-Qaeda worries me.

I have just two things to say to any of you who are troubled about the future. I say it lovingly and from my heart.

First, we must never, in any age or circumstance, let fear and the father of fear (Satan himself) divert us from our faith and faithful living. There have always been questions about the future. Every young person or every young couple in every era has had to walk by faith into what has always been some uncertainty—starting with Adam and Eve in those first tremulous steps out of the Garden of Eden. But that is all right. This is the plan. It will be okay. Just be faithful. God is in charge. He knows your name and He knows your need.

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—that is the first principle of the gospel. We must go forward, as it says in K. Newell Dayley’s hymn commemorating our pioneers of the past, “with faith in ev’ry footstep.”¹ But like those pioneers, you do have to keep taking them—one step and then another and then the next. That is how tasks are accomplished, that is how goals are achieved, and that is how frontiers are conquered. In more divine language, that is how worlds are created and it is how your world will be created.

God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.

God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.

Drawing upon my vast background of children’s bedtime stories, I say you can pick your poultry. You can either be like Chicken Little and run about shouting “The sky is falling; the sky is falling” or you can be like the Little Red Hen and forge ahead with the productive tasks of living, regardless of who does or doesn’t help you or who does or doesn’t believe just the way you believe.

So much for farmyard stories! How about two scriptures, both directed at those who live in perilous times?

The first is from section 101 of the Doctrine and Covenants. If you recall, this revelation came as the Saints who were gathered in Missouri were suffering great persecution—were at the very height of their persecution. Mobs had driven them from their homes. Hostility, even hatred, followed them from county to county as they sought refuge. These frightened Saints lost land, livestock, clothing, furniture, crops, and a host of personal possessions. Threats of death were heard every day. I suppose, at its worst, this was the most difficult and dangerous time—may I say “terror-filled”—that the Church had ever known. Later on names like Haun’s Mill and Liberty Jail would take their place in our vocabulary forever.

Yet in that frightening time the Lord said to His people:

“Let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God.

“Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered.

“They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion—

“And all these things that the prophets might be fulfilled” (D&C 101:16–19).

So, my young friends, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion. And remember the most fundamental definition of Zion we have ever been given: those who are “pure in heart” (D&C 97:21). If you will keep your hearts pure, you and your children and your grandchildren shall sing songs of everlasting joy as you build up Zion—and you shall not be moved out of your place.

The other verse I refer to is from the Savior, spoken to His disciples as He faced His Crucifixion and as they faced fear, disarray, and persecution. Talk about troubled times! In His last collective counsel to them in mortality, and knowing full well what lay ahead for Him and for them, He said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

So, in a world of tribulation—and there will always be plenty of it—let’s remember our faith. Let’s recall the other promises and prophecies that have been given, all the reassuring ones, and let’s live life more fully, with more boldness and courage than at any other time in our history.

Christ has overcome the world and made straight a path for us in the wilderness. He has said to us in our day: “Gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome” (D&C 38:9). So let’s gird up. Let’s get some gusto into singing those songs of everlasting joy.

Triumph

That leads directly to the other related point I want to make regarding the day in which you and I live. In times of anxiety we tend to focus pretty much (like my young missionary friend did) on the “Latter-day” part of that title.

But tonight I issue a call to each of you to concentrate on the “Saint” portion of that phrase. That is the element in our Church title that should be demanding our attention. Think of the blessings we enjoy. Think of the remarkable age in which we live. Think of the economic and educational, scientific and spiritual blessings we have that no other era or people in the history of the world have ever had, and then consider the responsibility we have to live worthily in our moment in time.

This Great Dispensation

We are making our appearance on the stage of mortality in the greatest dispensation of the gospel ever given to mankind, and we need to make the most of it.

Here is a favorite quote of mine from the Prophet Joseph Smith: “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; . . . we are the favored people that God has [chosen] to bring about the Latter-day glory.”²

Note this similar affirmation from Wilford Woodruff in1894. Perhaps I do not need to remind you of the staggering challenges President Woodruff faced. Those years here in the West were, I suppose, every bit as fearful in their own way as were the ones I described in Missouri: prophets in seclusion, apostles in prison, fear (in President Woodruff’s words) “that the whole nation” was turning against our people, preparing to “make war upon” the Church.³

Nevertheless, President Woodruff said in the midst of such troubles: “The Almighty is with this people. We shall have all the revelations that we will need, if we will do our duty and obey the commandments of God. . . . While I . . . live I want to do my duty. I want the Latter-day Saints to do their duty. . . . Their responsibility is great and mighty. The eyes of God and all the holy prophets are watching us. This is the great dispensation that has been spoken of ever since the world began. We are gathered together . . . by the power and commandment of God. We are doing the work of God. . . . Let us fill our mission.”⁴

Lastly, let me share this from President Hinckley, our modern prophet, who currently guides us through the challenging times of our present hour. Citing just last April conference that very theme struck by President Woodruff, he said to all of us:

“We of this generation are the end harvest of all that has gone before. It is not enough to simply be known as a member of this Church. A solemn obligation rests upon us. Let us face it and work at it.

“We must live as true followers of the Christ, with charity toward all, returning good for evil, teaching by example the ways of the Lord, and accomplishing the vast service He has outlined for us.

“May we live worthy of the glorious endowment of light and understanding and eternal truth which has come to us through all the perils of the past. Somehow, among all who have walked the earth, we have been brought forth in this unique and remarkable season. Be grateful, and above all be faithful.”⁵

It is interesting to me that in those three quotations, over a representative period of time, our prophets have focused not on the terror of the times in which they lived and not on the ominous elements of the latter days, in which we are all living, but they felt to speak of the opportunity and blessing, and above all the responsibility, to seize the privileges afforded us in this, the greatest of all dispensations. I love the line from the Prophet Joseph Smith saying that earlier prophets, priests, and kings “have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and . . . have sung and written and prophesied of this our day.” What were they so joyful about? I can assure you they weren’t concentrating on terror and tragedy. Brother Woodruff’s words were: “The eyes of God and all the holy prophets are watching us. This is the great dispensation that has been spoken of ever since the world began.”⁶ Let me repeat President Hinckley’s words: “Through all the perils of the past, [s]omehow, among all who have walked the earth, we have been brought forth in this unique and remarkable season. Be grateful, and above all be faithful.”

I don’t know how all of that makes you feel, but suddenly any undue anxiety about the times in which we live dissipates for me, and I am humbled and spiritually thrilled, motivated at the opportunity we have been given. God is watching over His world, His Church, His leaders, and He is certainly watching over you. Let’s just make sure we are the “pure in heart” and that we are faithful. How blessed you will be. How fortunate your children and grandchildren will be.

Think about it. No earlier people down through the gospel ages—including our own parents, in many cases—have had anywhere near the blessings that you and I have been given.

Think of the help we have been given to take the light of the gospel to a darkened world. We have approximately 55,000 missionaries—obviously far more than in any other age in the history of the world since time began. And that number is repeated every two years by those going out to replace their predecessors! But we need even more. We have an LDS presence in some 170 countries. We publish our scriptures in more than 100 languages.

Over 6,000 years or so ago there was one temple in the old world (it was rebuilt two or three times, but it was always the same temple on the same mountain: Mount Moriah in Jerusalem) and two or three temples in Book of Mormon history, but now we live in a time when temples are multiplying so rapidly we can hardly keep up. As of a few minutes ago we had 119 active temples with more, I am sure, to be announced and put under construction.

Add the miracle of the computer, which helps us document our family histories and systematically perform saving ordinances for the redemption of our dead. Add modern transportation, which allows the First Presidency, the Twelve, and other General Authorities to circle the globe and personally bear witness of the Lord to all of the Saints in all of the lands. Add that where we cannot go we can now “send,” as the scriptures say, with satellite broadcasts like the one we are using tonight (see D&C 84:62).

Add all the elements of education, science, technology, communication, transportation, medicine, nutrition, and revelation that surround us, and we begin to realize what the angel Moroni meant when he said repeatedly to the boy prophet Joseph Smith, quoting the Old Testament prophet Joel, that in the last days God would pour out His spirit upon “all flesh” and that the whole world, all humankind, would be blessed by the light coming in all fields of endeavor as part of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Joel 2:28; italics added; see also Joseph Smith—History 1:41).

We consider all these blessings that we have in our dispensation, and we pause to say to our Father in Heaven, “How great Thou art”⁷ and “How good Thou art.”

In fact, I have a theory about those earlier dispensations and the leaders, families, and people who lived then, of those whom the Prophet Joseph, President Woodruff, and President Hinckley spoke. I have thought often about them and the destructive circumstances that confronted them. They faced terribly difficult times and, for the most part, did not succeed in their dispensations. Apostasy and darkness eventually came to every earlier age in human history. Indeed, the whole point of the Restoration of the gospel in these latter days is that it had not been able to survive in earlier times and therefore had to be pursued in one last, triumphant age.

We know the challenges Abraham’s posterity faced (and still do). We know of Moses’s problems with an Israelite people who left Egypt but couldn’t quite get Egypt to leave them. Isaiah was the prophet who saw the loss of the 10 Israelite tribes to the north. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were all prophets of captivity. Peter, James, John, and Paul, the great figures of the New Testament, all saw apostasy creeping into their world almost before the Savior had departed and certainly while they themselves were still living. Think of the prophets of the Book of Mormon, living in a dispensation ending with such painful communication between Mormon and Moroni about the plight they faced and the nations they loved dissolving into corruption, terror, and chaos.

In short, apostasy and destruction of one kind or another was the ultimate fate of every general dispensation we have ever had down through time. But here’s my theory. My theory is that those great men and women, the leaders in those ages past, were able to keep going, to keep testifying, to keep trying to do their best, not because they knew that they would succeed but because they knew that you would. I believe they took courage and hope not so much from their own circumstances as from yours—a magnificent congregation of young adults like you tonight gathered by the hundreds of thousands around the world in a determined effort to see the gospel prevail and triumph.

Moroni said once, speaking to those of us who would receive his record in the last days:

“Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.

“Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing” (Mormon 8:34–35).

One way or another, I think virtually all of the prophets and early apostles had their visionary moments of our time—a view that gave them courage in their own less-successful eras. Those early brethren knew an amazing amount about us. Prophets such as Moses, Nephi, and the brother of Jared saw the latter days in tremendously detailed vision. Some of what they saw wasn’t pleasing, but surely all those earlier generations took heart from knowing that there would finally be one dispensation that would not fail.

Ours, not theirs, was the day that gave them “heavenly and joyful anticipations” and caused them to sing and prophesy of victory. Ours is the day, collectively speaking, toward which the prophets have been looking from the beginning of time, and those earlier brethren are over there still cheering us on! In a very real way, their chance to consider themselves fully successful depends on our faithfulness and our victory. I love the idea of going into the battle of the last days representing Alma and Abinadi and what they pled for and representing Peter and Paul and the sacrifices they made. If you can’t get excited about that kind of assignment in the drama of history, you can’t get excited!

A Wedding Feast

Let me add another element to this view of the dispensation that I think follows automatically. Because ours is the last and greatest of all dispensations, because all things will eventually culminate and be fulfilled in our era, there is, therefore, one particular, very specific responsibility that falls to those of us in the Church now that did not rest quite the same way on the shoulders of Church members in any earlier time. Unlike the Church in the days of Abraham or Moses, Isaiah or Ezekiel, or even in the New Testament days of James and John, we have a responsibility to prepare the Church of the Lamb of God to receive the Lamb of God—in person, in triumphant glory, in His millennial role as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. No other dispensation ever had that duty.

In the language of the scriptures, we are the ones designated in all of history who must prepare the bride for the advent of the Bridegroom and be worthy of an invitation to the wedding feast (see Matthew 25:1–12; 22:2–14; D&C 88:92, 96). Collectively speaking—whether it is in our lifetime or our children’s or our grandchildren’s or whenever—we nevertheless have the responsibility as a Church and as individual members of that Church to be worthy to have Christ come to us, to be worthy to have Him greet us, and to have Him accept and receive and embrace us. The lives we present to Him in that sacred hour must be worthy of Him!

We Must Be Acceptable to Him

So, setting aside fear of the future or concerns about the dimensions of a backyard bomb shelter, I am filled with awe, with an overwhelming sense of duty to prepare my life (and to the extent that I can, to help prepare the lives of the members of the Church) for that long-prophesied day, for that transfer of authority, for the time when we will make a presentation of the Church to Him whose Church it is.

I do know this: When Christ comes, the members of His Church must look and act like members of His Church are supposed to look and act if we are to be acceptable to Him. We must be doing His work and we must be living His teachings. He must recognize us quickly and easily as truly being His disciples. As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. once advised, our faith must not be difficult to detect.⁸

Yes, if in that great, final hour we say we are believers, then we had surely better be demonstrating it. The Shepherd knows His sheep, and we must be known in that great day as His followers in deed as well as in word.

Surely that is why President Hinckley said: “It is not enough [for us, you and me, now, in our time] to simply be known as a member of this Church. . . . We must live as true followers of . . . Christ.”⁹

Yes, my beloved young friends, these are the latter days, and you and I are to be the best Latter-day Saints we can. Put an emphasis on the last word there, please.

When will all of this finish? When shall Christ appear publicly, triumphantly, and the Millennium begin? I have already told you that I don’t know. What I do know is that the initial moments of that event began 184 years ago. I do know that as a result of that First Vision and what has followed it, we live in a time of unprecedented blessings—blessings given to us for the purpose of living faithfully and purely so when the Bridegroom finally and triumphantly arrives, He can personally, justifiably bid us to the wedding feast.

Is there a happy future for you and your posterity in these latter days? Absolutely! Most assuredly you have a beautiful future. All wedding feasts are happy occasions. Will there be difficult times when those ominous latter-day warnings and prophecies are fulfilled? Of course there will. There always have been. Be prepared. Will those who have built upon the great rock of Christ withstand such winds, such hail, and the mighty shafts in the whirlwind? You know that they will. You have it on good word. You have it on His word! That “rock upon which ye are built . . . is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men [and women] build they cannot fall” (see Helaman 5:12).

My beloved young brothers and sisters, I leave you my love and my testimony that God not only lives, He loves us. He loves you. Everything He does is for our good and our protection. There is evil and sorrow in the world, but there is no evil or harm in Him. He is our Father—a perfect father—and He will shelter us from the storm.

I testify not only that Jesus is the Christ, the Holy and Only Begotten Son of God, but that He lives, that He loves us, that on the strength and merit of His atoning sacrifice, we too will live eternally. He conquered death and hell for us, and He conquered fear in the same way.

This is the Church and kingdom of God on earth. Joseph Smith was a prophet and Gordon B. Hinckley is a prophet. Truth has been restored. You and I are fortunate enough to have been born when all of this knowledge and all of this safety are available to us.

I leave an apostolic blessing on each one of you individually within the sound of my voice that you will live with confidence, optimism, faith, and devotion. I bless you that you will be serious about life’s challenges but not frightened or discouraged. I bless you to feel the joy of the Saints in the latter days—never crippling anxiety or destructive despair. Indeed, the only concern I would have us entertain is a very personal one: How can we live more fully, more faithfully, so that all the blessings of this great dispensation can be showered upon each one of us and upon those whose lives we touch?

“Fear not, little flock. . . . Look [to Christ] in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” “Ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath . . . prepared for you. . . . Be of good cheer. . . . The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (D&C 6:34, 36; 78:17–18).

I leave you my blessing, my love, and an apostolic witness of the truthfulness of these things in the protective name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes

1. “Faith in Every Footstep,” Ensign, Jan. 1997, 15.

2. History of the Church, 4:609–10.

3. Wilford Woodruff’s diary, Dec. 31, 1889, cited in James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints, 2nd ed., rev. and enl. (1992), 420.

4. In James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. (1965–75), 3:258; see also Gordon B. Hinckley, in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 84–85; or Ensign, May 2004, 83.

5. In Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 85; or Ensign, May 2004, 84.

6. In Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 85; italics added.

7. See “How Great Thou Art,” Hymns, no. 86; italics added.

8. See The Charted Course of the Church in Education, rev. ed. (1994), 7.

9. In Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 85; or Ensign, May 2004, 84.

Week 14: :An Ensign to the Nations, A Light to the World

Dear Friends,

Happy Conference Week!!!  I have looked forward to hearing from the
Lord's representatives for many weeks. I am so grateful that where ever
we are in the world, we may hear and read their messages.  What a
miraculous day we live in.  I was speaking with a friend today about
some of the adversities we are seeing today and she reminded me that the
fact that each of us are here now is a testimony to us of the Father's
confidence in our ability to bear off the Kingdom at this time. That was
a sweet reminder for me.

I found great comfort in hearing President Hinckley's voice and
message.  How I miss him.  I am sure his efforts continue in the cause
we are engaged in. I am grateful for the simplicity and orderliness of a
new Prophet being called and sustained.  How grateful I am for President
Monson and look forward to his words this weekend.  I loved President
Hinckley's reminders and encouragement--ever the optimist. His words to
stand firm and that those around us will look to us for guidance and
peace as the world grows ever darker strengthen my resolve to reach out
in loving ways.  I also found comfort in his final reminders  "They that
be with us are more than they that be with them..Fear not little
flock...Doubt not, Fear not."

I know that as each of us bring our loaf or our fish and dedicate
ourselves to the Work of the Lord, miracles will occur and we will be
able to do all the Lord needs us to do as we prepare for His return.

Much love,

Noni

MP3 Link

An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World

President Gordon B. Hinckley

If we are to [be] an ensign to the nations and a light to the world, we must take on more of the luster of the life of Christ.

My beloved brethren and sisters, I wish to acknowledge my gratitude for your sustaining faith and prayers. The Lord has imposed upon the leadership of this Church a great and serious trust, and you have supported us in that responsibility. We know that you pray for us, and we wish you to know that we pray for you.

Not a day passes that I do not thank the Lord for faithful Latter-day Saints. No day passes that I do not pray that He will bless you wherever you are and whatever your needs.

I wish to remind you that we are all in this together. It is not a matter of the General Authorities on one hand and the membership of the Church on the other. We are all working as one in a great cause. We are all members of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Within your sphere of responsibility you have as serious an obligation as do I within my sphere of responsibility. Each of us should be determined to build the kingdom of God on the earth and to further the work of righteousness.

I think I can honestly say that we have no selfish desires with reference to this work other than that it succeed.

We of the First Presidency are constantly dealing with a great variety of problems. They come before us every day.

At the close of one particularly difficult day, I looked up at a portrait of Brigham Young that hangs on my wall. I asked, "Brother Brigham, what should we do?" I thought I saw him smile a little, and then he seemed to say: "In my day, I had problems enough of my own. Don't ask me what to do. This is your watch. Ask the Lord, whose work this really is." And this, I assure you, is what we do and must always do.

As I reflected on these matters that recent difficult day, I opened my Bible to the first chapter of Joshua and read these words:

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee" (Joshua 1:9).

I said to myself: "There is never reason to despair. This is the work of God. Notwithstanding the efforts of all who oppose it, it will go forward as the God of heaven has designed it should do."

I turned the pages of the Old Testament to the second chapter of Isaiah and read these words:

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

"And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:2–3).

Ever since the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated, we have interpreted that scripture from Isaiah, repeated again in Micah (see Micah 4:1–2), as applying to this sacred house of the Lord. And of this place, since the day of its dedication, an ever-increasing number from across the world have said in effect, "Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He might teach us of His ways, that we might walk in His paths."

I believe and testify that it is the mission of this Church to stand as an ensign to the nations and a light to the world. We have had placed upon us a great, all-encompassing mandate from which we cannot shrink nor turn aside. We accept that mandate and are determined to fulfill it, and with the help of God we shall do it.

There are forces all around us that would deter us from that effort. The world is constantly crowding in on us. From all sides we feel the pressure to soften our stance, to give in here a little and there a little.

We must never lose sight of our objective. We must ever keep before us the goal which the Lord has set for us.

To quote Paul:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:10–12).

We must stand firm. We must hold back the world. If we do so, the Almighty will be our strength and our protector, our guide and our revelator. We shall have the comfort of knowing that we are doing what He would have us do. Others may not agree with us, but I am confident that they will respect us. We will not be left alone. There are many not of our faith but who feel as we do. They will support us. They will sustain us in our efforts.

We cannot be arrogant. We cannot be self-righteous. The very situation in which the Lord has placed us requires that we be humble as the beneficiaries of His direction.

While we cannot agree with others on certain matters, we must never be disagreeable. We must be friendly, soft-spoken, neighborly, and understanding.

Now I emphasize a theme already treated in this conference. To our young people, the glorious youth of this generation, I say, be true. Hold to the faith. Stand firmly for what you know to be right.

You face tremendous temptation. It comes at you in the halls of popular entertainment, on the Internet, in the movies, on television, in cheap literature, and in other ways—subtle, titillating, and difficult to resist. Peer pressure may be almost overpowering. But, my dear young friends, you must not give in. You must be strong. You must take the long look ahead rather than succumbing to the present seductive temptation.

Uncouth-looking entertainers draw big crowds of our youth. They grow rich from high admission prices. Their songs, so many of them, are suggestive in nature.

Pornography is everywhere with its seductive invitation. You must turn away from it. It can enslave you. It can destroy you. Recognize it for what it is—tawdry and sleazy stuff created and distributed by those who grow rich at the expense of those who see it.

The sanctity of sex is utterly destroyed in its salacious portrayal in the media. That which by its nature is inherently beautiful is corrupted in its popular presentation. I was pleased to note that our Church-owned television station here in Salt Lake City refused to carry a network program of a salacious nature. It was also interesting to note that the only other station belonging to this network to cancel the broadcast was one in South Bend, Indiana, the location of the University of Notre Dame. It is comforting to know that there are others who feel as strongly as we feel and are willing to do something about it.

Life is better than that which is so frequently portrayed. Nature is better than that. Love is better than that. This kind of entertainment is only an evil caricature of the good and the beautiful.

You young men and women who are hearing me today, you university students on many campuses realize that one of the great problems on these campuses is binge drinking. It diminishes abilities. It destroys lives. It wastes money and time and constructive effort. What a sorry sight it is to see bright young people damage themselves and ruin their opportunities with excessive drinking.

It was a great tribute to the students of Brigham Young University when the Princeton Review found them to be the most "stone-cold sober" student body in America. Most of you, of course, cannot attend BYU, but wherever you are you can live by the same standards required on the BYU campus.

I recently read in our New Era magazine an article on young Latter-day Saints in Memphis, Tennessee. In some instances, they are the only Latter-day Saints on campus. One of them is quoted as saying, "I may be the only member in my school, but . . . even when I'm physically alone, I'm never spiritually alone" (in Arianne B. Cope, "Smiling in Memphis," New Era, Oct. 2003, 23–24).

Another is quoted: "I know a lot of teens wonder if they really know if the gospel is true. But . . . here you have to know one way or the other because people are asking you about it every day. Every time you answer a question, you share your testimony" (New Era, Oct. 2003, 25).

These young people, scattered through that big city, have learned to stand together, to bolster one another.

God bless you, my dear young friends. You are the best generation we have ever had. You know the gospel better. You are more faithful in your duties. You are stronger to face the temptations which come your way. Live by your standards. Pray for the guidance and protection of the Lord. He will never leave you alone. He will comfort you. He will sustain you. He will bless and magnify you and make your reward sweet and beautiful. And you will discover that your example will attract others who will take courage from your strength.

As it is with the youth, so it is with you adults. If we are to hold up this Church as an ensign to the nations and a light to the world, we must take on more of the luster of the life of Christ individually and in our own personal circumstances. In standing for the right, we must not be fearful of the consequences. We must never be afraid. Said Paul to Timothy:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:7–8).

This Church, I submit, is far more than a social organization where we gather together to enjoy one another's company. It is more than Sunday School and Relief Society and priesthood meeting. It is more than sacrament meeting, more even than temple service. It is the kingdom of God in the earth. It behooves us to act in a manner befitting membership in that kingdom.

You men who hold the priesthood have such a tremendous responsibility. You must avoid the sultry siren voice of the world. You must rise above it. You must stand in the stature of the priesthood of God. You must eschew evil in all of its forms and take on the nature of goodness and decency, letting the light, the divine light, shine through your actions.

There is no way that a home can be a place of refuge and peace if the man who resides there is not an understanding and helpful husband and father. The strength to be gained from our homes will make us better able to face the world, more acceptable to the society in which we move, more valuable to those who employ us—better men.

I know many such men. It is evident that they love their wives and their children. They are proud of them. And the marvelous thing is, they are tremendously successful in their chosen professions. They are magnified and honored and respected.

And to you women. I spoke at length to the women of the Relief Society a week ago. That talk represented my heartfelt views concerning you. You too can take on the luster of Christ. You too can be strong and encouraging and beautiful and helpful.

I remind all of us that we are Latter-day Saints. We have made covenants with our Heavenly Father, sacred and binding. Those covenants, if we keep them, will make us better fathers and mothers, better sons and daughters.

I believe that others will rally around us if we will do so. We can stand for truth and goodness, and we will not stand alone. Moreover, we shall have the unseen forces of heaven to assist us.

I take you back to the Old Testament:

"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

"And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:15–17).

The Lord has said to us:

"Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. . . .

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (D&C 6:34, 36). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.