Past General Conference Quotes.

I know these should probably go on the Daily Quote wall. Eventually I will add them there, but I am putting them here for us to discuss them. I got them all from an article in Salt Lake Tribune. I really liked the article. It’s a very StayLDS positioned piece. You can read it herehttp://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58443166-78/church-president-lds-conference.html.csp?page=1” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58443166-78/church-president-lds-conference.html.csp?page=1

The key quotes that jumped at me were these:

“[Our status as Latter-day Saints] does not put us in a position of superiority. Rather, it should humble us,” he said. “It places upon us an unforgiving responsibility to reach out with concern for all others in the Spirit of the Master, who taught, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Matt. 19:19). We must cast out self-righteousness and rise above petty self-interest. .…

“It is not enough to simply be known as a member of this church. A solemn obligation rests upon us. Let us face it and work at it. We must live as true followers of the Christ, with charity toward all, returning good for evil, teaching by example the ways of the Lord, and accomplishing the vast service he has outlined for us.” President Gordon B. Hinckley April 2004

This one was big for me, its by Julie Beck, and she and I didn’t always see eye to eye, but I am finding over time some real gems in her words and work.

“Every day, Relief Society sisters around the world experience the entire range of mortal challenges and experiences. Women and their families today live face to face with unrealized expectations; mental, physical and spiritual illness; accidents; and death,” Beck said. “Some sisters suffer loneliness and disappointment because they do not have families of their own, and others suffer from the consequences of poor choices made by family members. Some have experienced war or hunger or natural disasters, and others are learning about the strain of addictions, unemployment or insufficient education and training. All of these difficulties have the potential to bleach the bones of faith and exhaust the strength of individuals and families. One of the Lord’s purposes in organizing the sisters into a discipleship was to provide relief that would lift them above ‘all that hinders the joy and progress of woman.’ In every ward and branch, there is a Relief Society with sisters who can seek and receive revelation and counsel with priesthood leaders to strengthen each other and work on solutions that are applicable in their own homes and communities.

Of course one from my favorite GA – Chieko Okazaki

“The doctrines of the gospel are indispensable. They are essential, but the packaging is optional,” she said. “Let me share a simple example to show the difference between the doctrines of the church and the cultural packaging. Here is a bottle of Utah peaches, prepared by a Utah homemaker to feed her family during a snowy season. Hawaiian homemakers don’t bottle fruit. They pick enough fruit for a few days and store it in baskets like this for their families. This basket contains a mango, bananas, a pineapple and a papaya. I bought these fruits in a supermarket in Salt Lake City, but they might have been picked by a Polynesian homemaker to feed her family in a climate where fruit ripens all year round.

“The basket and the bottle are different containers, but the content is the same: fruit for a family. Is the bottle right and the basket wrong? No, they are both right. They are containers appropriate to the culture and the needs of the people. And they are both appropriate for the content they carry, which is the fruit.

“Now, what is the fruit? Paul tells us: ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness [and] temperance.’ “

And the quote I consider to be the best in the article is from Elder Enzio Busche.

Elder Busche urges us to constant prayer and he promises that “in the depth of such a prayer, we may finally be led to that lonesome place where we suddenly see ourselves naked in all soberness. Gone are all the little lies of self-defense. We see ourselves in our vanities and false hopes for carnal security. We are shocked to see our many deficiencies, our lack of gratitude for the smallest things. We are now at that sacred place that seemingly only a few have courage to enter, because this is that horrible place of unquenchable pain in fire and burning. This is that place where true repentance is born. This is that place where the conversion and the rebirth of the soul are happening.”

The final great quote in the article is from the hottest GA alive – Elder Uchtdorf and is a favorite for many of us.

“Sometimes we assume it is because they have been offended, or lazy or sinful. Actually, it is not that simple. In fact, there is not just one reason that applies to the variety of situations. Some of our dear members struggle for years with the question of whether they should separate themselves from the church. In this church that honors personal agency so strongly, that was restored by a young man that had questions and sought answers, we respect those who honestly search for truth.”

“Some struggle with unanswered questions about things that have been done or said in the past,” he said. “We openly acknowledge that in nearly 200 years of church history — along with an uninterrupted line of inspired, honorable and divine events — there have been some things said and done that could cause people to question. …

“And to be perfectly frank, there have been times when members or leaders in the church have simply made mistakes. There may have been things said or done that were not in harmony with our values, principles or doctrine. I suppose the church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and his doctrine is pure. But he works through us — his imperfect children — and imperfect people make mistakes.”

Do any of these resonate with you? Or any other part of the article?