Mormon Musings

"What I am suggesting and asking is that we turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good in the land and times in which we live, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism. Let our faith replace our fears." —Gordon B. Hinckley, " Chapter 3: Cultivating an Attitude of Happiness and a Spirit of Optimism ",  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley , 2016

Many individuals preoccupied by the cares of the world are not necessarily in  transgression.  But they certainly are in  diversion  and thus waste “the days of [their] probation” ( 2 Ne. 9:27 ). Yet some proudly live “without God in the world” ( Alma 41:11 ), with gates and doors locked from the inside! Mark it down, brothers and sisters, people too caught up in themselves will inevitably let other people down! Let us adopt the attitude recommended by President Brigham Young: “Say to the fields, … flocks, … herds, … gold, … silver, … goods, … chattels, … tenements, … possessions, and to all the world, stand aside; get away from my thoughts, for I am going up to worship the Lord” ( Deseret News,  5 Jan. 1854, 2). There are so many ways to say to the world, “stand aside.” Periodically, husbands and wives can reason together, taking inventory. Minor corrections may be needed, and besides, such conversations can be more precious than we know. Alas, so many c...

“Our entire case as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rests on the validity of this glorious First Vision.  It was the parting of the curtain to open this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.  Nothing on which we base our doctrine, nothing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration.  I submit that if Joseph Smith talked with God the  Father and His Beloved Son, then all else of which he spoke is true.  This is the hinge on which turns the gate that leads to the path of salvation and eternal life.” President Gordon B. Hinckley -”What Are People Asking About Us?”  Ensign,  Nov. 1998, 70

I sense in a measure the meaning of His Atonement. I cannot comprehend it all. It is so vast in its reach and yet so intimate in its effect that it defies comprehension. President Gordon B. Hinckley 

“How sweet is the assurance, how comforting is the peace that come from the knowledge that if we marry right and live right, our relationship will continue, notwithstanding the certainty of death and the passage of time. Men may write love songs and sing them. They may yearn and hope and dream. But all of this will be only a romantic longing unless there is an exercise of authority that transcends the powers of time and death.” Gordon B. Hinckley 

“If we could follow the slogan that says,"Turn off the TV and open a good book" we would do something of substance for a future generation.”   Gordon B. Hinckley

“The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”   Gordon B. Hinckley

I recall sitting in the Salt Lake Tabernacle when I was 14 or 15—up in the balcony right behind the clock—and hearing President Heber J. Grant tell of his experience in reading the Book of Mormon when he was a boy. He spoke of Nephi and of the great influence Nephi had upon his life. And then, with a voice ringing with a conviction that I shall never forget, he quoted those great words of Nephi: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” ( 1 Ne. 3:7 ). There came into my young heart on that occasion a resolution to try to do what the Lord has commanded. What marvelous things happen when men and women walk with faith in obedience to that which is required of them! I recall reading the story of Commander William Robert Anderson, the naval officer who took the submarine   Nautilus   ...

"I urge our people everywhere, with all of the persuasiveness of which I am capable, to live worthy to hold a temple recommend, to secure one and regard it as a precious asset, and to make a greater effort to go to the House of the Lord and partake of the spirit and the blessings to be had therein." —Gordon B. Hinckley