General Authority Gems: We Are Not Made for Endings

“In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.

“Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.

“The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.” (from Grateful in Any Circumstance)

~ President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Counselor in the 1st Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

General Authority Gems: Promises

"Those who do not marry or those who cannot have children are not excluded from the eternal blessings they seek but which, for now, remain beyond their reach. We do not always know how or when blessings will present themselves, but the promise of eternal increase will not be denied any faithful individual who makes and keeps sacred covenants.

"Your secret yearnings and tearful pleadings will touch the heart of both the Father and the Son. You will be given a personal assurance from Them that your life will be full and that no blessing that is essential will be lost to you.

"As a servant of the Lord, acting in the office to which I have been ordained, I give those in such circumstances a promise that there will be nothing essential to your salvation and exaltation that shall not in due time rest upon you. Arms now empty will be filled, and hearts now hurting from broken dreams and yearning will be healed."

~ Elder Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

From The Witness

Words of a Prophet

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe we are led by modern day prophets. (Click here to read more about prophets, both ancient and modern.)
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He called prophets to speak for him from the beginning of mortal time: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and many, many more. We believe that God continues to call prophets to lead us today.

Prophets don't always speak earth-shattering new doctrines to the world. Sometimes their counsel is simple and forthright, but sometimes in this day and age, simple, forthright reminders are what the world needs the most.

President Spencer W. Kimball served as the 12th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973-1985. Here is some counsel I ran across recently that I think would bless the world if each of us remembered this every day.

"We must remember that those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve. It will do us little good to speak of the general brotherhood of mankind if we cannot regard those who are all around us as our brothers and sisters." (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball (1982), 483)

Scriptures & General Authority Gems

From the Bible:

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

From the Book of Mormon:

“And [Christ] shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12).

“Thus, the Savior has suffered not just for our sins and iniquities—but also for our physical pains and anguish, our weaknesses and shortcomings, our fears and frustrations, our disappointments and discouragement, our regrets and remorse, our despair and desperation, the injustices and inequities we experience, and the emotional distresses that beset us.

“There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, “No one knows what it is like. No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power.” (Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease)

~ Elder David A. Bednar, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Happy Easter ~ Because of Him

Come to General Conference

Twice a year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a great General Conference for all
its members in April and October. Speakers are chosen from the General Authorities and General Auxiliary officers of the Church. As those of you know who visit My LDS Corner, I often share General Authority Gems with you, many of which come from past General Conference sessions.

You don't have to be a member of the LDS Church to "attend conference." Technology now allows people from all over the world to watch General Conference from the comfort of their own homes, often in their own languages.

Elder Robert D. Hales, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has said: "I bear my special witness that the Lord Jesus Christ lives and stands at the head of this Church. This is His general conference. I promise you in His name that if you pray with a sincere desire to hear your Heavenly Father's voice in the messages of this conference, you will discover that He has spoken to you to help you, to strengthen you, and to lead you home into His presence."

Come join us this year! April 5 and 6, 2014, 10 AM and 2 PM Mountain Standard Time. Visit the link below to find out all the viewing options that are available to you.

Watch April 2014 General Conference

Tips for helping someone who's depressed

I just came across this wonderful article and wanted to share it, because I know I'm not the only out there who has been depressed and/or known people who are. Even when I'm "less depressed," I can be guilty of saying the wrong thing to those who are in deeper than I may be at one time or another. I can't share the whole article because it's copyrighted, but I'll share one tip and then give you the link where you can read the rest.

In a service oriented church like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this is a too-easy piece of advice to fall back on when trying to help someone who is depressed. Yes, the advice is true, but here is how it is best handled.

7. Don’t say: You need to serve someone.

Instead, try: I’m having trouble in my calculus course, and I know you’re good at math. Can you help me with a few problems?

This is along the same lines as “you should take a walk,” but I felt it deserved its own special category because of its frequency. Helping others can do a world of good for YDLO (Your Depressed Loved One), but it can be hard for them to perceive that, making it difficult to find the motivation to serve. Expressing confidence in their ability and presenting them with an immediate and simple way to serve is a great way to reach in and pull them out of their depressed thought patterns.

From Nine Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Depressed Loved One (AndWhat to Say Instead) Check out the article. Please!