Elder Dallin H. Oaks

“There is no greater evidence of the infinite power and perfection of God’s love than is declared by the Apostle John: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son’ (John 3:16). Another Apostle wrote that God ‘spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all’ (Romans 8:32). Think how it must have grieved our Heavenly Father to send His Son to endure incomprehensible suffering for our sins. That is the greatest evidence of His love for each of us!”

I always look forward to hearing Elder Oaks' talks because of the way they are composed. He has worked as a lawyer and as a high court judge so the way he expresses himself is very unique. I always enjoy his logical arguments--which are always backed up by his faith. One example of this comes from his talk Good, Better, Best.

"We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives...We have to fore go some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families."

This video is another great example of Elder Oak's general conference talks. I am so grateful that he (along with the other apostles) stands up for truth, whether or not it may be popular.

Desire: April 2011
Love and Law: November 2009
Good, Better, Best: October 2007

Elder Russell M. Nelson

"Jesus suffered deeply because He loves us deeply! He wants us to repent and be converted so that He can fully heal us.
"When sore trials come upon us, it's time to deepen our faith in God, to work hard, and to serve others. Then He will heal our broken hearts. He will bestow upon us personal peace and comfort. Those great gifts will not be destroyed, even by death."
Elder Russell M. Nelson

I always thought Elder Nelson was cool when I was a kid because he is a heart surgeon. Now I love the way that his profession influences the way he talks about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I really love the video below where he talks about how our hearts can be strengthened through faith in the Savior.

Be Thou an Example of the Believers: October 2010
Generations Linked in Love: April 2010
Jesus Christ—the Master Healer: October 2005

Elder L. Tom Perry

"The gospel is so very simple when we understand it properly. It is always right, it is always good, it is always uplifting. Obedience to gospel principles brings forth joy and happiness. Disobedience has a day of reckoning and will only bring forth heartache, misery, strife, and unhappiness."
Elder L. Tom Perry

As a child I always loved Elder Perry because he was such a big man, but he wasn't intimidating. I imagined him as a sort of "gentle giant." I know that I've felt that way because he has spent his life trying to become more like our Savior and that light has shown whenever I've seen him.

Elder Perry always does a wonderful job of helping others see the simplicity of the gospel. Some of my favorite General Conference talks by him are found below. I have also included a link to a video of Elder Perry bearing a portion of his testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ: April 2008

Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear: October 2011

Joy—for Us and Others—Comes by Following the Savior: Special Witnesses of Christ

To learn more about Elder L. Tom Perry click here.

President Boyd K. Packer

“I went before [God] and said, ‘I’m not neutral, and you can do with me what you want. If you need my vote, it’s there. I don’t care what you do with me and you don’t have to take anything from me because I give it to you—everything, all I own, all I am.’ ”

I love President* Packer because of his boldness. He will always stand up and say what he knows is right. I am grateful for his attitude and his clear love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as illustrated by the quote above.



This video shows parts of a talk entitled Spiritual Crocodiles given by President Packer in the October 1976 General Conference. I remember seeing this video as a teenager in Seminary (religious education for 14-18 year old Latter-day Saints) and it has remained one of my favorites ever since. President Packer has always given special attention to helping youth come closer to Christ. I am so grateful for his guidance and direction in my life.

Here are a couple of more recent talks that President Packer has given that I love as well.

The Test: October 2008

Cleansing the Inner Vessel: October 2010

*(Boyd K. Packer is the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and so he is the President of that quorum.) 

Countdown to Conference

For as long as I can remember the weekends of the first Sundays in April and October have been a special occasion in my home. My family would gather around the television and watch Apostles and Prophets of the Lord speak to the world.

When I was particularly young my Mom would give me crayons and paper and I would draw pictures of these leaders as they spoke. As I got older I would pay close attention so I would be able to talk with my family about what we learned. Now I take notes that I can refer back to along with the scriptures whenever I feel I need guidance or direction.

As I was looking at lds.org today I noticed that they have listed under Upcoming Events the dates for the April 2012 General Conference and I felt a leap in my chest. I love having the opportunity to hear from the living Prophet and Apostles of our Savior Jesus Christ, and I am so excited because my next chance is only 7 weeks away!

To help the time pass more quickly over the next 7 weeks I'm going to do a post about each of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency. I hope that as you join me you too will feel the excitement and anticipation as we prepare to hear what they have to teach us as special witnesses of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Hot & Cold

Did you ever play the game as a kid where you hid something and then somebody would have to look for it and you could only give them clues as to how close they were to finding it by saying "you're getting hotter" if they were moving close to it or "you're getting colder" if they were moving away from it?

I remember playing that game a lot in school, with my friends, and even at home with my family. What I never realized is the connection this game has to real life.

I actually never thought about it until my Dad mentioned it to me in an e-mail on Monday. He applied the game to real life when he was my age and has been doing it ever since.

He told me that when things would get really hard for him he knew it was because he was close to doing something good. He referenced the scriptures that talk about the fiery darts of the adversary (Ephesians 6:16 & 1 Nephi 15:24.) He said that it's like the Hot and Cold game because whenever he gets close to doing something really good that's when the devil starts shooting fiery darts at him and so it gets "hot".

I know that this can apply to all of us, for every good thing we try to do there is going to be opposition that gets in our way, but with the help of the Savior we will be able to overcome that opposition, and then enjoy the blessings that come from keeping the commandments of God.