My Gospel Study in February 2009

Among other things, my personal gospel study in February included the following:

Chapter 26: Elijah and the Restoration of the Sealing Keys
Chapter 27: Beware the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy

Lesson 6: “I Will Tell You in Your Mind and in Your Heart, by the Holy Ghost”
Lesson 7: “The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel”
Lesson 8: The Restoration of the Priesthood
Lesson 9: “The Only True and Living Church”

General Conference Addresses October 2008

Elder L. Tom Perry: Let Him Do It with Simplicity
"One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: “The best is yet to be”"

"Newspapers are filled with reports of the current housing crisis. We have been encouraged at almost every general conference of the Church I can remember not to live beyond our means. Our income should determine the kind of housing we can afford, not the neighbor’s big home across the street."

"One of the better ways to simplify our lives is to follow the counsel we have so often received to live within our income, stay out of debt, and save for a rainy day. We should practice and increase our habits of thrift, industry, economy, and frugality. Members of a well-managed family do not pay interest; they earn it."

Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge: The Way
"Jesus Christ is the Way. He is Light and Life, Bread and Water, the Beginning and the End, the Resurrection and the Life, the Savior of the world, the Truth, and the Way.

There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. He is the Way. Every other way, any other way, whatever other way, is foolishness."

Bishop Keith B. McMullin: God Loves and Helps All of His Children
"The Church welfare plan is God-inspired. Its tenets are fundamental to the salvation of man. It is an ensign for service, a witness to the world that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored. It is heaven’s help in practical ways. President Thomas S. Monson has said: “Welfare principles … do not change. They will not change. They are revealed truths.”

Another essential way to receive God’s help is through prayer. We are commanded to pray to God, our Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. The admonition is, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened.” Heavenly Father answers all sincere prayers."

Elder Russell M. Nelson: Celestial Marriage
"That proclamation on the family helps us realize that celestial marriage brings greater possibilities for happiness than does any other relationship. The earth was created and this Church was restored so that families could be formed, sealed, and exalted eternally."

"Harmony in marriage comes only when one esteems the welfare of his or her spouse among the highest of priorities. When that really happens, a celestial marriage becomes a reality, bringing great joy in this life and in the life to come."

Elder Quentin L. Cook: "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time"
"When our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, was asked on his birthday this past August what would be the ideal gift that members worldwide could give him, he said without a moment’s hesitation, “Find someone who is having a hard time, … and do something for them.”

Julie B. Beck: Fulfilling the Purpose of Relief Society
"The First Presidency has counseled, “However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform.” Children being born now are growing up in an increasingly sinful world. Our homes are to be their refuge from the daily encounters they have with evil."

Barbara Thompson: Now Let Us Rejoice
"Sisters, now more than ever, we need women to step up and be strong. We need women who declare the truth with strength, faith, and boldness. We need women to set an example of righteousness. We need women to be “anxiously engaged in a good cause.” We need to live so that our lives bear witness that we love our Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ and that we will do what They have asked us to do. We need to rescue “all that is finest down deep inside of [us]” so that as daughters of God we can do our part to build the kingdom of God. We will have help to do this. As Joseph declared, “If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Happiness, Your Heritage
"If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next."

"When we reach out to bless the lives of others, our lives are blessed as well. Service and sacrifice open the windows of heaven, allowing choice blessings to descend upon us. Surely our beloved Heavenly Father smiles upon those who care for the least of His children."

Ensign, February 2009

The Friend, February 2009