Brightening My Light

I recently read the parable of the Prodigal Son ( Luke 15:11-32 ) during my scripture study, and it reminded me of this talk from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland , in which he discusses the older brother. The Mormon Message video below shares excerpts from it. This talk by Elder Brent H. Nielson  from last April discusses the point of view of the waiting father. Both of these general conference talks remind us there is more to the story than just the wayward son and his return. Parables are often multifaceted, and the more we study all their facets, the better we understand the deeper meanings and applications. Discussion: How does studying the perspectives of the faithful brother and the father help us better understand the parable and its application in our lives?

ldsclipart.com The talk I gave today to introduce the Primary program. I didn't even have an outline for this one! I pondered over the topic yesterday and felt inspired as I spoke aloud to myself. I relied on the Spirit today to help me remember what I needed to say. I couldn't remember it all as I wrote this though, but this is it for the most part. The purposes of Primary are to: teach children who Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are teach children to love Them and to feel Their love help children develop feelings of self-worth and understand they are children of God give children positive church experiences teach children the gospel of Jesus Christ and how to follow His example help children become familiar with the scriptures prepare the boys for priesthood responsibilities and the girls for Young Women Each year we're given a theme, along with monthly themes and weekly lessons that build upon the yearly theme. This year, the theme was "I Know My ...

Part 4 of the talk I gave at stake conference on Saturday, October 17. As with my previous talk, I used an outline, so this isn't word for word. We receive an abundance of blessings when we have the Spirit always with us. Elder Kim B. Clark promised: I know that if we will do these things, the Holy Ghost will come! . . . We increasingly will see all of our brothers and sisters the way God sees them . . . . We will hear the Savior’s voice in the scriptures, in the whisperings of the Spirit, and in the words of the living prophets. . . . We will see and understand ourselves and the world around us the way the Savior does. We will come to have what the Apostle Paul called “the mind of Christ.” I bear you my witness that through the companionship of the Holy Ghost, the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ will cut through the confusion, the pain, and the darkness. Whether it comes in a remarkable burst or in a gentle flow, that glorious spiritual power will infuse healing ...