"In order for the messages of general conference to change our lives, we need to be willing to follow the counsel we hear. The Lord explained in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith 'that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know...how to act upon the points of my law and commandment.' But knowing 'how to act' isn't enough. The Lord in the next verse said, 'Ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me.' This is willingness to take action on what we have learned opens the doors for marvelous blessings."
~Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Seventy

"Decide now to make General Conference a priority in your life. Decide to listen carefully and follow the teachings that are given. Listen to or read the talks more than once to better understand and follow the counsel. By doing these things, the gates of hell will not prevail against you, the powers of darkness will be dispersed from before you, and the heavens will shake for your good."
~Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Seventy

"Wherever we may be, our Heavenly Father can hear and answer the prayer offered in faith."
~President Thomas S. Monson

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?
"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
"He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
~Psalms 24:3-5

"I Have a Question"

"When a person follows this divine formula, the results are certain: He will gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. God cannot and does not lie, and his promises made through his prophets are sure.
"Therefore, any person who claims to have followed the various requirements but says he has not gained a testimony should check to see which step he has not followed faithfully or completely:
"1. He should read and ponder the Book of Mormon--all of it.
"2. He should remember the methods God has used in working with the peoples of both the Book of Mormon and the Bible--and ponder these things in his heart.
"3. He should put himself in a frame of mind where he would be willing to accept (receive) all of 'these things'--the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the way God works with men.
"4. 'With a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ,' he should ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Jesus Christ 'if these things are not true.'
"5. He should be able to recognize the promptings and feelings which will be evidences to him of the truth of 'these things' (including the Book of Mormon) as they are made manifest unto him 'by the power of the Holy Ghost.'"
~Daniel Ludlow
("I Have a Question," Ensign, March 1986, pp.50-51)

A Virtuous Woman

Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
She seeketh wool; and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, praiseth her.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Proverbs 31: 10-13, 20, 22-28, 30-31

"We must begin by becoming one within ourselves. We are dual beings of flesh and spirit, and we sometimes feel out of harmony or in conflict...As we endeavor day by day and week by week to follow the path of Christ, our spirit asserts it's pre-eminence, the battle within subsides, and temptations cease to trouble. There is greater and greater harmony between the spiritual and the physical until our physical bodies are transformed...to 'instruments of righteousness unto God.'."
~Elder D. Todd Christofferson

A Woman's Heart

(Tyler Castleton/Staci Peters)

Morning comes and finds her on her knees
The Spirit speaks and she is listening
She offers everything her soul can give
To make a difference through the life she lives

Her faith holds her family close
She understands what matters most
And her gentle touch is where love starts
That's the way of a woman's heart

She's a keeper of the vision
She's a beacon in the night
A teacher and defender of the truth
And everything she touches bears the traces of her light
She's faithful to
What God Himself would do

She's a friend to the lonely and the lost
Every day another bridge to cross
Her hands of mercy know the healer's art
That's the way of a woman's heart

Evening comes and finds her on her knees
She softly speaks and He is listening
With sweet assurance that she's done her part
She weeps
In His peace
And that's the way of a woman's heart

(Copy write 2001 Diamond Aire Music, Paulisia Music Publishing [ASCAP])

"Receiving our own endowment in a temple and returning frequently to perform sacred ordinances for our kindred dead increases our faith, strengthens our hope, and deepends our charity. We receive our own endowment with faith and hope that we will understand the Lord's plan for His children, will recognize the divine potential within each of us as children of our Heavenly Father, and will be faithful to the end in keeping the covenants we make. Performing temple ordinances for the dead is a manifestation of charity, offering essential blessings to those who have preceded us, blessings that were not available to them during their mortal lives. We have the privilege of doing for them what they are unable to do for themselves."
~Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (from "Cultivating Divine Attributes," Liahona, January 1999)

Random quotes

"Stop saying you have regrets in life. Just look at everything as a living and learning experience because you can change what you lived and learned."
~Jonlyn B.

"Look at each day as a chance to invest life into life. A chance to share your experience and deposit it into someone else's conscience. Each day is a chance to work miracles in the lives of others."
~Jim Rohn

"You can choose whichever one you desire: Negative way-Nothing I do matters; we're all going to die in the end. Positive way-In life, everything matters; savor every second."
~Delany Perry

"So many people say, 'One cigarette, one cup of tea or coffee, one puff of marijuana won't hurt you, and one drink of alcohol surely cannot hurt anybody. I want to emphasize that if you never take the first you will never take the second. You will never become an alcoholic or an addict."
~N. Eldon Tanner, in Conference Report, April 1975, p.114; or Ensign, May 1975, p. 77)

The Blessings of Paying Your Tithing

"As a young man recently returned from his mission, he found the girl he wanted to marry. They were happy, but very poor.

"Then came a particularly difficult time when their food and money ran out. It was a Saturday, and the cupboard was literally bare. Rene felt distraught that his young wife was hungry. He decided he had no other choice than to use their tithing money and go purchase food.

"As he was leaving the house, his wife stopped him and asked him where he was going. He told her he was going to buy food. She asked him where he got the money. He told her that it was the tithing money. She said, "That is the Lord's money--you will not use that to buy food." Her faith was stronger than his. He put the money back, and they went to bed hungry that night.

"the next morning they had no breakfast, and they went to church fasting. Rene gave the tithing money to the bishop, but he was too proud to tell the bishop that they were in need.

"After the meetings he and his wife left the chapel and started to walk home. They hadn't gone very far when a new member called to them from his house. This man was a fisherman and told them he had more fish than he could use. He wrapped five little fish in a newspaper for them, and they thanked him. As they continued to walk home, they were stopped by another member who gave them tortillas; then someone else stopped them and gave them rice; another member saw them and gave them beans.

"When they arrived home, they had enough food for two weeks. They were even more surprised when they unwrapped the package of fish and found two very large fish and not the five smaller ones they thought they had seen. They cut the fish in portions and stored it in their neighbor's freezer.

"They have repeatedly testified that never since then have they gone hungry."

~Gordon B. Hinckley, "In the Arms of His Love," Ensign, November 2006)

"Be smart. Do not be so shortsighted as to indulge in the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. It simply is not smart to do so. It is stupid, if you will pardon that harsh word, to use cocaine, marijuana, or any of the other drugs that rob you of control of your mind. After every drug-induced 'high,' there is a reactionary 'low.' Why spend money on that which can only harm you? Why become enslaved to a habit that can only hinder and short-circuit your future?"
~President Gordon B. Hinckley, in Conference Report, October 1981, p.57; or Ensign, November 1981, pp.40-41)