Dallin Oaks: Unselfish Service

Elder Oaks helps us understand the importance of service, of living for more than just ourselves.

"A selfish person is more interested in pleasing man—especially himself—than in pleasing God. He looks only to his own needs and desires. He walks “in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world” (D&C 1:16). Such a person becomes disconnected from the covenant promises of God (see D&C 1:15) and from the mortal friendship and assistance we all need in these tumultuous times. In contrast, if we love and serve one another as the Savior taught, we remain connected to our covenants and to our associates."

Read the whole talk here.

Jeffry Holland: None Were With Him

OK, missed a week while I was in San Francisco. Here's an early start, nine days to read a seminal message on Jesus Christ and what his suffering means for us.

"But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that He never flees nor fails us."

Read the whole talk.

Uchtdorf: We Are Doing A Great Work...

Read, and comment if you wish...

This week is Dieter Uchtdorf's talk, "We are doing a great work, and cannot come down".

"Pause for a moment and check where your own heart and thoughts are. Are you focused on the things that matter most? How you spend your quiet time may provide a valuable clue. Where do your thoughts go when the pressure of deadlines is gone? Are your thoughts and heart focused on those short-lived fleeting things that matter only in the moment, or on things that matter most?"

Read the whole talk.

Making the conference talks our own

I'd like to try something different, using this blog site. Once a week, we'll post an intro and link to one of the most recent conference talks. Please read the talk, and then come back here and comment--just anything that stood out to you, or maybe a response to other comments. My hope it that this can become an engaging exchange of thoughts, encouraging us to revisit the conference messages.

Keep it as simple as you need, commenting only as much as you want and can. The first talk is "Be of Good Cheer", by President Monson. Click on the link to get to the full talk, press the Back button to get back here.

Oh yes, let's take turns choosing the next talk--let us know in the comments or in email your suggestion for the next talk.

Love,

Dad/Mark

"It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future—or even fearful of what might come—if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. Today, however, I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, 'God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.'"

Read the rest of the talk.