Well, we have some new scriptures to study.
Really. Remember general conference? (Wasn’t it so great???) The talks are all available for study now. You can find them here. President Howard W. Hunter said this about general conference:
“Much inspired counsel by prophets, seers, revelators, and other General Authorities of the Church is given during general conference. Our modern-day prophets have encouraged us to make the reading of the conference editions of our Church magazines an important and regular part of our personal study. Thus, general conference becomes, in a sense, a supplement to or an extension of the Doctrine and Covenants. In addition to the conference issues of the Church magazines, the First Presidency writes monthly articles that contain inspired counsel for our welfare” (The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1997], 212; emphasis added).
Oh, and President Joseph Fielding Smith said this:
When one of the brethren stands before a congregation of the people today, and the inspiration of the Lord is upon him, he speaks that which the Lord would have him speak. It is just as much scripture as anything you will find written in any of these records, and yet we call these the standard works of the Church. We depend, of course, upon the guidance of the brethren who are entitled to inspiration.
Elder Richard G. Scott has talked a lot about the importance of memorizing scriptures. Here’s one of my recent favorites:
If you young people would review a verse of scripture as often as some of you send text messages, you could soon have hundreds of passages of scripture memorized. Those passages would prove to be a powerful source of inspiration and guidance by the Holy Ghost in times of need.
So in light of all this new scripture a.k.a. general conference and “let’s memorize more scriptures” business, I put together some scripture mastery of simple and powerful statements that we’re going to try and study in my family over the next six months. Did you ever notice before that there are always just about the exact number of talks from the four general sessions of general conference that if you study one talk a week, you’ll finish up right in time for the next general conference? I love that. So here are some quotes from each talk. I chose one to memorize with my kids each week. (Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I think the effort is worthy.)
| Elder Robert D. Hales | If you will listen [to general conference,] you will feel the Spirit well up within you. The Lord will tell you what He wants you to do with your life. |
| Elder Ulisses Soares | Meekness is vital for us to become more Christlike… Being meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness |
| Sister Carole M. Stephens | We all need each other. Sons of God need daughters of God, and daughters of God need sons of God. |
| Elder Edward Dube | In the sight of the Lord, it is not so much what we have done or where we have been but much more where we are willing to go. |
| Elder David A. Bednar | Spiritual and temporal blessings come into our lives as we live the law of tithing. |
| President Dieter F. Uchtdorf | Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the …gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| President Boyd K. Packer | The scriptures hold the keys to spiritual protection. They contain the doctrine and laws and ordinances that will bring each child of God to a testimony of Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer. |
| Elder D. Todd Christofferson | It is your relationship with God, your Heavenly Father, who is the source of your moral power, that you must always put first in your life. |
| Elder S. Gifford Nielsen | We each must develop and carry out our own personal game plan to serve with enthusiasm alongside the full-time missionaries. |
| Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela | Let us reach out to others with faith and with love. |
| Elder Timothy J. Dyches | As we repent and become converted to the Lord, we become whole, and our guilt is swept away. |
| Elder Jeffrey R. Holland | Never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. |
| Elder M. Russell Ballard | It is impossible for us to fail when we do our best when we are on the Lord’s errand. |
| President Henry B. Eyring | The miracle of becoming one requires the help of heaven, and it takes time. |
| Elder Dallin H. Oaks | We must not set our hearts so much on the things of the world and aspire to the honors of men that we stop trying to achieve our eternal destiny. |
| Sister Bonnie Oscarson | True conversion occurs as you continue to act upon the doctrines you know are true and keep the commandments, day after day, month after month. |
| Elder Richard J. Maynes | We need to study and learn the fundamental principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then we must do our very best to live them. |
| Elder Richard G. Scott | Remember, repentance is not punishment. It is the hope-filled path to a more glorious future. |
| President Thomas S. Monson | We learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass. |
| Elder Quentin L. Cook | We must always remember that we do not save ourselves. We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice of the Savior. |
| Elder Neil L. Andersen | The priesthood is the power and authority of God given for the salvation and blessing of all—men, women, and children. |
| Brother David M. McConkie | Our first and foremost responsibility is to live so that we can have the Holy Ghost as our guide and companion. |
| Elder Kevin S. Hamilton | As we continually hold fast to the rod by keeping our covenants, we will be strengthened to resist the temptations and perils of the world. |
| Elder Adrian Ochoa | If you ever come across anything that causes you to question your testimony of the gospel, I plead with you to look up. … Let us cherish and strengthen our testimonies every day. |
| Elder Terence Vinson | The Lord wants us to develop the faith that will help us rely upon Him in solving our problems and trust Him. |
| Elder Russell M. Nelson | True change—permanent change—can come only through the healing, cleansing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. |
Here is a link to download the document if you want to print it out or tweak it: General Conference Scripture Mastery Oct13
I focused on quotes with principles that I thought were meaningful and age-appropriate for my children.
And here is a .pdf you can print out with each quote on one page that you can hang up by your dinner table or in your kids’ rooms or wherever: Quotes from conference We like to practice repeating ours at morning and dinner prayers.
So if you’re like me, and are already feeling a little bit of general conference withdrawal, this is one way to keep the messages alive in your heart and home until the next conference rolls around. Enjoy.
Diapers and Divinity 