Show Making your ‘way back1 Nurture hearts minds to to God isn’t impossible prepare for testimony those For who strayed from the straight and narrow the way back is not as hard as it may seem was the message brought by Richard G Scott Council of the Twelve Apostles at the Sunday afternoon session of conference Satan Scott said Scott “wants you to think is is it that impossible That not true The Savior gave his life so that you can completely overcome the challenges you face" Freedom from sin he said will come through sincere faith true repentance willing obedience and the giving of self It might be difficult to begin Scott said but he advised immersing oneself in the scriptures and to lean on the Savior’s teachings Things won’t unravel at once but knot by knot decision by decision "Recognize that you will go through two transition periods The first is the most difficult You are caging the tiger that has controlled your life It will shake the bars growl threaten and cause you some disturbance” Scott said But that will pass The second transition is not as intense and can be described as being on "battle alert" so that you can fend off any enemy attack That will also pass and a feeling of peace with increased control comes and you will be free years before Some birth of the Helaman Savior counseled his sons Nephi and Lehi by saying “And now my sons remember remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer who is Christ the Son of God that ye must build your foundation that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you it shall have no power over you to drag you down ” (Helaman 5:12) That scripture set the tone for the theme “Preparing the Heart” which was the basis for H Burke Peterson’s talk at the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference of the First Quorum of the Seventy Peterson said some may have lost sight of the divine responsibility to nurture each other in the process of gaining a testimony "It is a fact that at times we can force coerce or intimidate individuals into obedience There are even times when we are somewhat successful in manipulating the human mind We do not however have the capacity to force matters of the A member heart There are ways of preparing the heart for a testimony he said First look for the good in each person second create an atmosphere where judging is held in reserve until anger has subsided until all sides of an issue have been explored third remember that listening is a part of showing love and fourth love is spoken in prayer Let the children hear their parents pray for them in specific Boasting a sin of pride that should be avoided Christian life demands Marvin decision and dedication J Ashton members of the church to refrain from boasting that it was better to let “the world see our good works rather than hear us dwell on our own accomplishments or point out impressive achieve- ments” A member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles Ashton said at the Sunday morning session of General Conference that everyone should avoid the damaging effects that can come when boasting about increased numbers or growth and reminded that boasting is to glorify one self Consideration for the feelings of others should always be important to LDS members It’s OK to be happy about the good things that have happened "the accomplishments of family members but others who are not so fortunate may have ” feelings of guilt or inadequacy So it is important to frequently express gratitude to the Lord for these blessings but not too vocally to the world he said Boasting isn’t good whether done innocently or otherwise It can create an impression of more interest in self than in others Ashton said boasting is a sin born of pride a sin that creates a frame of mind which keeps men from turning to the Lord and accepting his saving grace Rescuing less active is a challenge of service Be a "Latter-da- y to those members of the Church who have fallen by the wayside and are no longer active suggested Elder Merlin R Lybbert of the Second Quorum of the Seventy “Our prophet has repeatedly reminded us that rescuing the less active is one of our greatest challenges of service” he said at the Sunday afternoon session Lybbert noted that these people are often neglected because they are not physically sick or injured even though they may be “wounded or sick in spirit” 6 Church News Standard-Examin- er Recalling the parable in which Jesus contrasted the response of two respected religionists with that of a despised citizen of Samaria he compared it with the modern-dahome teacher or elder’s quorum president and the brother or sister “Perhaps we do not despise them but we certainly ignore them or otherwise disregard them” he said He noted that church members “can bind their spiritual wounds by rendering needed service pouring in the soothing oil of friendship and supplying the soulhealing balm of genuine brotherly or sisy less-acti- terly love” Some investment of time and money may be needed he said “Such healing care should not be given out of duty but rendered out of a full heart” Christian A mands decision and life de- dedication” was the message of Elder Hans B Ringger of the First Quorum of the Seventy “It is a dedication that free of fanaticism but full of understanding and love It is a dedication that embraces all mankind and yet keeps an eye single to the Lord And it is a dedication that brings joy but is seldom free of hard- ships disappointments and discomfort” Admittedly said Ringger speaking at the Saturday afternoon session of conference such a course is not an easy burden to assume nor one to be questioned “I ways believe that if we want to be a true Christian our lives must be founded on true principles and our actions must reflect that But I do not believe that we can pick and choose which principles are the most convenient ones” Choosing the Christian path involves a decision to love and care for others he said without regard for money and time “The needy” he said “are all around us Too often however we are blind to those needs or fear those people whose company makes us feel uncomfortable” Often he added such giving does not require one to travel far “Within our own communities there are people of all ages who are homeless terminally ill and lonely We cannot hope for a better world for more perfect governments and societies if we are not willing to do our share” Temple recommend offers great gifts holds big responsibilities Speaking at the evening Priesthood session of General Conference last week Gordon B Hinckley a counselor in the LDS First Presidency said a temple Each temple has on its face the statement “Holiness to the Lord” and Hinckley added the injunction “Keep his house holy” Every man holding the Melchizedek Priesthood has an obligation to see that the temple is kept sacred and free of any defilement recommend repreThose receiving a temple recommend sents a credit with the were reminded that the temple is sacred Lord “making availand it’s ordinances are not to be disable to me many of cussed outside the temple his greatest gifts” Most important Hinckley said was a recommend-holder- s for that should have a Eligibility temple recommend he said is not based certain knowledge that God lives and that on financial worth It is based on personJesus Christ is the “living son of the lival worthiness and must be reissued each ing God and that this is their sacred and divine work” year April 7 1990 |