President Hinckley has taught ways to strengthen our families. Here is what he said:
“A generation or two ago, family prayer in the homes of Christian people throughout the world was as much a part of the day’s activity as was eating. As that practice has diminished, the moral decay discussed by the Apostle Paul has ensued.
“I feel satisfied that there is no adequate substitute for the morning and evening practice of kneeling together — father, mother, and children. This, more than soft carpets, more than lovely draperies, more than cleverly balanced color schemes, is the thing that will make for better and more beautiful homes.
“The inclination to be unholy, as Paul described it, to be unthankful, is erased as together family members thank the Lord for life and peace and all they have. And as they thank the Lord for one another, there is developed within the family a new appreciation, a new respect, a new affection one for another.
“I know of no better way to inculcate love for country than for parents to pray before their children for the land in which they live, invoking the blessings of the Almighty upon it that it may be preserved in liberty and in peace. I know of no better way to build within the hearts of our children a much-needed respect for authority than remembering in the daily supplications of the family the leaders of our respective countries who carry the burdens of government.
“I know of nothing that will so much help to ease family tensions, that in a subtle way will bring about the respect for parents which leads to obedience, that will affect the spirit of repentance which will largely erase the blight of broken homes, than will praying together”
Talk Source: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=98c0be…
Read the lyrics to I am a Child of God:
I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.
I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words
Before it grows to late.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.
I am a child of God.
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will
I’ll live with him once more.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.
I am a child of God.
His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine
If I can but endure.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.
Talk Source: http://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/i-am-a-child-of-god?…
Repentance is turning from doing wrong to doing right. The Savior wants you to turn away from wrong and turn to Him. (See 3 Ne. 30:1 – 2.) He gave His life to pay for your sins so that if you repent, you can be forgiven and be clean again.
When you disobey the commandments or hurt others, the Holy Ghost cannot be with you and you may feel sad, guilty, lonely, or afraid. To change these feelings, you need to turn from doing wrong to doing right. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will help you change. This changing is called repentance.
Repentance begins inside of you — in your thoughts and in your heart. When you know you have done something wrong, think about it until a feeling of sorrow comes into your heart. Do not excuse yourself or blame someone else. Tell Heavenly Father what you have done and how you feel. Tell Him how much you love Him, and ask for His help. If you have hurt someone or something, try to make it better. Promise Heavenly Father that you will try, with all your heart, to do what is right from now on.
Repentance begins on the inside, but usually it shows on the outside as well. When you promise Heavenly Father that you will do what is right, you keep your promise by changing the way you act. You treat others with more love and kindness. You keep the commandments. These actions will help you feel good about yourself and others.
You will need to repent many times throughout your life. As you turn away from wrong and try to do what is right, you will grow closer and closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that if you repent, He will bless you and remember your wrongs no more. (See Hel. 13:11; D&C 58:42.)
Talk Source: https://www.lds.org/friend/1997/04/sharing-time-repentance-turning-from-…
Jonathan lived with his parents on a large ranch. He had a pony of his own, and he often helped his father care for the ranch horses. One day Jonathan fell from his pony and injured his back. After examining him, the doctor told Jonathan and his parents that Jonathan would be all right but that he would have to stay in bed for many weeks.
Jonathan had been baptized a member of the Church just two months before the accident. He had made a covenant, or promise, with Heavenly Father that he would obey the commandments. Taking the sacrament had helped to remind Jonathan of his covenant. He had listened carefully to the sacrament prayers and sat reverently as the sacrament was being passed. Each time, Jonathan listened for the words that told of his covenants — to always remember Jesus and to keep his commandments. Jonathan knew that when he said “amen” and took the sacrament, it meant that he would try his best to keep his covenants with Heavenly Father.
Now that Jonathan had to stay in bed, he could not go to church and he could not partake of the sacrament. Jonathan missed those quiet, reverent moments when the sacrament was being blessed and passed. He knew how important it was to be reminded often of the covenants he had made. He wanted to have Heavenly Father’s Spirit with him. Jonathan decided to ask the bishop if the sacrament could be brought to his home on Sunday.
The bishop was pleased to know that Jonathan did not want to miss the sacrament and that he wanted to be reminded of the covenants he had made with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He arranged for two priesthood bearers to visit Jonathan at the ranch on Sundays and prepare the sacrament for him.
Talk Source: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=55f60f…
Elder LeGrand Richards made this statement: “I would rather have my children and my children’s children enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost than any other companionship in this world because if they will heed the promptings of that Spirit, he will lead them into all truth and see them safely back into the presence of their Father in heaven” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1966, 112; or Improvement Era, June 1966, 540).
Because the guidance of the Holy Ghost is so important, we should do all we can to be worthy of His companionship.
There are many things we can do to keep the Holy Ghost with us. One way is to partake of the sacrament worthily. Each time we partake of the sacrament, we promise that we will obey the Lord’s commandments. If we keep our promise, the Lord has promised us that we can “always have his Spirit” with us. (See D&C 20:77.)
Another way to keep the Holy Ghost with us is to keep our bodies morally clean. The Apostle Paul taught that our bodies are like temples and that we must not defile them (see 1 Corinthians 3:16 – 17). The Holy Ghost cannot dwell in unclean temples; it is important, therefore, that we keep our bodies clean and pure in thought, speech, dress, and action, avoiding even the appearance of evil….
To keep the Holy Ghost with us, we must live in harmony with those around us. Speaking to the Nephites, Christ said that the spirit of contention comes from the devil (see 3 Nephi 11:29). The Holy Ghost cannot dwell where disunity and disharmony exist. For this reason, arguing with our wife or quarreling with a brother or sister will drive the Holy Ghost away from us and from our homes.
If I make good choices, I make it possible for the Holy Ghost to help me choose the right.
Talk Source: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=1f00ff3ff4c20110…
Baptism is the first ordinance of the gospel. It puts you on the path that leads to eternal life. By being baptized, you show that you believe in Jesus Christ and have faith in Him. When you are baptized you make a covenant to take upon you the name of Jesus Christ, to always remember Him, and to obey His commandments.
You must be baptized before you can be confirmed a member of the Church and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. You also must be baptized before you can enter the celestial kingdom and live again with Heavenly Father and Jesus.
Heavenly Father promises that when you are baptized and confirmed, the Holy Ghost will be with you as long as you live worthy of His promptings. The Holy Ghost testifies of Jesus Christ and bears witness when you are taught the truth. The Holy Ghost can help guide you and your family in following Jesus Christ and making good choices.
Talk Source: https://www.lds.org/friend/2009/05/i-will-make-and-keep-my-baptismal-cov…
The note was written on blue paper with zigzags drawn around the corners, so even though Jeremy handed it to her, Melanie knew the note was from Rachel. Melanie glanced around. Reading time was over, and her classmates were putting away their books.
Melanie knew how the note would start: “Dear Best Friend.” She smiled to herself. She and Rachel had been friends since second grade. “We’re still best friends, even though we’re very different,” Melanie thought as she unfolded the note.
Dear Best Friend,
Do you smoke?
— Rachel
Melanie was surprised. “Rachel and I are together all the time,” she thought. “Doesn’t she know I don’t smoke?”
She wrote on the bottom of the paper:
No. I think it’s gross. Why do you want to know?
— Melanie
Melanie handed the note back to Jeremy. Soon he passed it back again. Melanie read:
I snuck a pack of cigarettes from my aunt’s house. Do you want to try some with me after school?
— Rachel
Melanie stared at the note. Then she wrote:
Rachel! Why do you want to smoke? It’s bad for you! I know you like to try new things, but I don’t want to see you get hurt.
— Melanie
Rachel wrote back:
A few cigarettes aren’t going to hurt me. I might not even finish the whole pack.
— Rachel
Melanie felt like she was going to cry. She wrote:
You’re my friend, and I love you. Don’t smoke.
— Melanie
Melanie watched Rachel as she read the note. Now Rachel looked like she was going to cry. She held onto the note for a long time. Then she wrote back. When Melanie got the note, she read:
Thanks. I love you too. I won’t smoke the cigarettes.
Melanie was grateful she had chosen to be an example. She felt relieved that Rachel had made the right choice.
Talk Source: http://www.lds.org/friend/2012/06/for-older-kids/a-true-friend?lang=eng&…
Dallin H Oaks said:
No prophet of the Lord in modern times has preached the law of tithing more fervently than Heber J. Grant. As an Apostle and later as President of the Church, he frequently called upon the Saints to pay an honest tithe and made firm promises to those who would do so.
In a general conference in 1912, Elder Heber J. Grant declared:
“I bear witness — and I know that the witness I bear is true — that the men and the women who have been absolutely honest with God, who have paid their tithing, … God has given them wisdom whereby they have been able to utilize the remaining nine-tenths, and it has been of greater value to them, and they have accomplished more with it than they would if they had not been honest with the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1912, p. 30).
In 1929, President Heber J. Grant said:
“I appeal to the Latter-day Saints to be honest with the Lord and I promise them that peace, prosperity and financial success will attend those who are honest with our Heavenly Father. … When we set our hearts upon the things of this world and fail to be strictly honest with the Lord we do not grow in the light and power and strength of the gospel as we otherwise would do” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1929, pp. 4 – 5).
During the Great Depression, President Grant continued to remind the Saints that the payment of tithing would open the windows of heaven for blessings needed by the faithful. In that stressful period, some of our bishops observed that members who paid their tithing were able to support their families more effectively than those who did not. The tithe payers tended to keep their employment, enjoy good health, and be free from the most devastating effects of economic and spiritual depression (see Church News, 9 Dec. 1961, p. 16). Countless tithe-paying Latter-day Saints can testify to similar blessings today.
I am grateful to President Grant and other prophets for teaching the principle of tithing to my parents and to them for teaching it to me.
Talk Source: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/04/tithing?lang=eng
God has called prophets to lead His Church in our day, just as He did anciently. The current prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Thomas S. Monson. He is assisted by two counselors — Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uctdorf. Together, they make up the First Presidency of the Church (much like Peter, James, and John after Christ’s death). These men work together to follow the direction of Jesus Christ to lead the church.
Talk Source: http://mormon.org/faq/present-day-prophet
What does having divine authority really mean? The authority to act in the name of God is called the priesthood. Some mistakenly think it gives one the power to tell other people what to do. What it actually means is that a person can act in God’s name in behalf of His church — like when we give someone power of attorney so they can act in their behalf.
Prior to the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith received priesthood authority at the hands of John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John who received that same “power and authority” from Jesus Christ Himself ( Luke 9:1 ). These men appeared as angels and bestowed the priesthood upon Joseph Smith. The prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, is the authorized successor to Joseph Smith. He and the Church’s other Apostles trace their priesthood authority back to Jesus Christ in an unbroken chain of ordinations.
Talk Source: http://mormon.org/restoration
