12,000+ uchtdorf: come, join with us
12,000+ holland: like a broken vessel
4000+ christofferson: the moral force of women
3500+ monson: i will not fail thee ...
2200+ uchtdorf: you can do it now (priesthood)
1500+ bednar: the windows of heaven
1200+ oaks: no other gods
1300+ packer: the key to spiritual protection
804 nelson: decisions for eternity
626 hales: general conference: strengthening ...
599 eyring: bind up their wounds (priesthood)
534 eyring: to my grandchildren
452 ballard: put your trust in the lord
391 scott: personal strength through the atonement ...
297 cook: lamentations of jeremiah ...
295 monson: welcome to conference
241 monson: true shepherds (priesthood)
170 anderson: power in the priesthood
138 perry: the doctrines and principles ...
51 monson: til we meet again
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
"Like" Stats on Apostles' Talks April 2013
14,000+ holland: lord, i believe
4900+ uchtdorf: the hope of god's light
3500+ scott: for peace at home
2700+ uchtdorf: four titles
2100+ bednar: we believe in being chaste
2100+ monson: obedience brings blessings
1800+ packer: these things i know
1200+ perry: obedience to law is liberty
1000+ eyring: come unto me
971 ballard: this is my work and glory
944 hales: stand strong in holy places (priesthood)
867 oaks: followers of christ
733 christofferson: redemption
503 nelson: catch the wave
476 anderson: it's a miracle
444 eyring: we are one (priesthood)
381 monson: come, all ye sons of god (priesthood)
357 monson: welcome to conference
249 monson: until we meet again
13 cook: personal peace ...
4900+ uchtdorf: the hope of god's light
3500+ scott: for peace at home
2700+ uchtdorf: four titles
2100+ bednar: we believe in being chaste
2100+ monson: obedience brings blessings
1800+ packer: these things i know
1200+ perry: obedience to law is liberty
1000+ eyring: come unto me
971 ballard: this is my work and glory
944 hales: stand strong in holy places (priesthood)
867 oaks: followers of christ
733 christofferson: redemption
503 nelson: catch the wave
476 anderson: it's a miracle
444 eyring: we are one (priesthood)
381 monson: come, all ye sons of god (priesthood)
357 monson: welcome to conference
249 monson: until we meet again
13 cook: personal peace ...
getting farther from the fount
our true spiritual north is jesus christ. he is the fount of our salvation. he leads us. he is our example. he is our life. he is our hope. he is our exemplar. he is our teacher. he is our savior.
and so when i see people trying to live his teachings and follow his example without acknowledging him, i can't help but feel sorrow for them. they do not know what they really seek.
although these people have good intentions and no doubt people will see the benefits of what they are trying to do, they do not have a foundation in christ and subsequently they will fall.
happify is an app that will help you be happy, but it does not teach you from whence those ideas came.
atheist mega-churchs - people who don't believe in a god, or who don't feel comfortable acknowledging him are adamant about claiming their non-belief, yet still feel they are missing something. hence they are now congregating to "live better, help often and wonder more."
again, i fail to see how these initiatives can stand on no foundation. i believe they will help, but i'm not too sure they will last.
and so when i see people trying to live his teachings and follow his example without acknowledging him, i can't help but feel sorrow for them. they do not know what they really seek.
although these people have good intentions and no doubt people will see the benefits of what they are trying to do, they do not have a foundation in christ and subsequently they will fall.
happify is an app that will help you be happy, but it does not teach you from whence those ideas came.
atheist mega-churchs - people who don't believe in a god, or who don't feel comfortable acknowledging him are adamant about claiming their non-belief, yet still feel they are missing something. hence they are now congregating to "live better, help often and wonder more."
again, i fail to see how these initiatives can stand on no foundation. i believe they will help, but i'm not too sure they will last.
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
nfl player walks way from $1M
i clicked on the link and began reading. this particular passage speaks volumes:
Moffitt, 27, made about $1.5 million before taxes in his 2 1/2 seasons in the NFL.
"I've saved enough. It's not like I'm sitting here and I'm a millionaire," he said. "That's what I kind of realized. I'm sitting here and I got to this point and I was like, what is the number that you need? How much do you really need? What do you want in life? And I decided that I don't really need to be a millionaire.
"I just want to be happy. And I find that people that have the least in life are sometimes the happiest. And I don't have the least in life. I have enough in life. And I won't sacrifice my health for that."
i italicized the parts that really stood out to me. notice the words: enough, need, want, happy.
source link
Sunday, November 03, 2013
temporal and spiritual self-reliance
the blessing of self-reliance is greater freedom. it's freedom from debt and servitude. self-reliance brings blessings of contentment and peace. as we have greater freedom, we are able to care for ourselves, our family and others.
elder hales, in his april 2009 general conference talk, talked about becoming provident providers. he addressed his talk to "all whose freedom to choose has been diminished by the effects of ill-advised choices of the past" as well as those who have made choices "that have led to excessive debt and addictions to food, drugs, pornography, and other patterns of thought and action that diminish one's sense of self-worth."
some of the principals he taught were:
- Exodus 20:17 - "thou shalt not covet." wanting what others want is coveting. coveting leads to poor choices. many people go into debt to "keep up with the jones." coveting leads to mindless choices where we follow the latest and greatest fad. coveting leaves us poor financially and spiritually.
- i can't afford it - say this often when tempted to go into debt or to commit a sin. if you are tempted to unnecessarily upgrade, then tell yourself i can't afford it. if you are tempted to eat too much food or indulge in pornography, tell yourself i can't afford it.
- alternatively, you can say i don't need it. do we really know the difference between and want and a need? you want a donut, but you don't need it. you want to buy a boat, but you don't need it. you need to buy a boat because the one you use to catch fish to provide for your family is old. i want a steak dinner, but i don't need it. i want to play a game on my phone, but i don't need to. i need to read my scriptures. these are just some simple examples.
- one of my favorite scriptures is 2 nephi 9:51 which reads wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which i have spoken; and come unto the holy one of israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted.
some personal stories i learned early on ...
during the summer, especially on days in the mid-afternoon hours when it was hottest and when i was the most bored, i would go across the street to see what my neighbors were up to. they had lots of entertainment over there. they had a pool, a trampoline, video games and junk food. every once in awhile, i would go over there and they'd let me in. in the cool living room, we would play on the nintendo. they were really good at video games. i'd try to keep up, but would usually lose. after a few hours, my eyes were bugged out and i'd head home. i'd feel dazed and a bit groggy as i went home. when i walked it my home, i felt a bit better. i realized at a young age that playing video games, although fun, it really wasn't satisfying. i would feel a bit more empty for playing them.
i would sometimes ask my parents for a video game system, but there was no way they'd ever buy one for me. instead, once a year, we'd go to the grocery store and rent a game system. i would stay up late friday night and play and play. after playing and sleeping in the next day, i would have that same groggy feeling ... and i wasn't really satisfied.
on the other hand, there were activities i would engage in that would leave me feeling satisfied. my dad made me mow the lawn ... every time i finished mowing the lawn, i would feel a sense of pride and accomplishment and i felt satisfied. one summer, i helped my dad build a fence - upon completing the fence, i felt satisfied. another project we worked on was the back yard deck. we built a deck and then planted roses around it.
even when i played basketball and i played hard, i would feel a sense of accomplishment and i would feel satisfied.
of course, another activity in which i often engaged, was reading the scriptures and even memorizing scriptures. each night, i would get into my bed, open my scriptures and read and memorize. whenever i completed reading the book of mormon, i felt satisfied.
i think the conclusion here is we all need to pause and consider how we spend our time and effort. we ought to observe the time when we are coveting and once we notice we are coveting, we need to choose wisely. remember - i don't need it or i can't afford it. these words ought to come to our minds more often. and once we develop these good habits, we begin to enter the world of self-reliance - both temporal and spiritual.
elder hales, in his april 2009 general conference talk, talked about becoming provident providers. he addressed his talk to "all whose freedom to choose has been diminished by the effects of ill-advised choices of the past" as well as those who have made choices "that have led to excessive debt and addictions to food, drugs, pornography, and other patterns of thought and action that diminish one's sense of self-worth."
some of the principals he taught were:
- Exodus 20:17 - "thou shalt not covet." wanting what others want is coveting. coveting leads to poor choices. many people go into debt to "keep up with the jones." coveting leads to mindless choices where we follow the latest and greatest fad. coveting leaves us poor financially and spiritually.
- i can't afford it - say this often when tempted to go into debt or to commit a sin. if you are tempted to unnecessarily upgrade, then tell yourself i can't afford it. if you are tempted to eat too much food or indulge in pornography, tell yourself i can't afford it.
- alternatively, you can say i don't need it. do we really know the difference between and want and a need? you want a donut, but you don't need it. you want to buy a boat, but you don't need it. you need to buy a boat because the one you use to catch fish to provide for your family is old. i want a steak dinner, but i don't need it. i want to play a game on my phone, but i don't need to. i need to read my scriptures. these are just some simple examples.
- one of my favorite scriptures is 2 nephi 9:51 which reads wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which i have spoken; and come unto the holy one of israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted.
some personal stories i learned early on ...
during the summer, especially on days in the mid-afternoon hours when it was hottest and when i was the most bored, i would go across the street to see what my neighbors were up to. they had lots of entertainment over there. they had a pool, a trampoline, video games and junk food. every once in awhile, i would go over there and they'd let me in. in the cool living room, we would play on the nintendo. they were really good at video games. i'd try to keep up, but would usually lose. after a few hours, my eyes were bugged out and i'd head home. i'd feel dazed and a bit groggy as i went home. when i walked it my home, i felt a bit better. i realized at a young age that playing video games, although fun, it really wasn't satisfying. i would feel a bit more empty for playing them.
i would sometimes ask my parents for a video game system, but there was no way they'd ever buy one for me. instead, once a year, we'd go to the grocery store and rent a game system. i would stay up late friday night and play and play. after playing and sleeping in the next day, i would have that same groggy feeling ... and i wasn't really satisfied.
even when i played basketball and i played hard, i would feel a sense of accomplishment and i would feel satisfied.
of course, another activity in which i often engaged, was reading the scriptures and even memorizing scriptures. each night, i would get into my bed, open my scriptures and read and memorize. whenever i completed reading the book of mormon, i felt satisfied.
i think the conclusion here is we all need to pause and consider how we spend our time and effort. we ought to observe the time when we are coveting and once we notice we are coveting, we need to choose wisely. remember - i don't need it or i can't afford it. these words ought to come to our minds more often. and once we develop these good habits, we begin to enter the world of self-reliance - both temporal and spiritual.