Christianity and the U.S. Constitution

It was the Christian principles of human worth and dignity that made possible the formation of the United States Constitution over 200 years ago, and only those principles in the hearts of a majority of our diverse population can sustain that constitution today. . . .

Religious values and political realities are so interlinked in the origin and perpetuation of this nation that we cannot lose the influence of Christianity in the public square without seriously jeopardizing our freedoms. I maintain that this is a political fact, well qualified for argument in the public square by religious people whose freedom to believe and act must always be protected by what is properly called our “First Freedom,” the free exercise of religion.

- Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Speech given at BYU-Idaho on October 13, 2009

Act in All Diligence

"I close now with this counsel to the Lord’s priesthood servants. Ponder deeply and diligently in the scriptures and in the words of living prophets. Persist in prayer for the Holy Ghost to reveal to you the nature of God the Father and His Beloved Son. Plead that the Spirit will show you what the Lord wants you to do. Plan to do it. Promise Him to obey. Act with determination until you have done what He asked. And then pray to give thanks for the opportunity to serve and to know what you might do next."



Elder Henry B. Eyring
"Act in All Diligence"

"Remember Him"

 "Whenever we remember Him, it becomes easier to resist the temptation to want a rest from our priesthood labors. We must have remembered Him today, and so we are here to learn our duties, determined to do what we are covenanted to do, in all diligence. And because of His example we will endure to the end of the tasks He gives us in this life and be committed to do the will of His Father forever, as He was and is."

Elder Henry B. Eyring
"Act in All Diligence"

Doers of the Word

"As gospel learners, we should be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). Our hearts are opened to the influence of the Holy Ghost as we properly exercise agency and act in accordance with correct principles..."

Elder David A. Bednar
"Watching with All Perseverance"

The Fruits of Obedience

"Obedience to the Lord’s commandments provides us confidence in our chosen path, qualifies us for His guidance and direction as we pursue our efforts, and offers us the potential to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and return to our Father’s presence."


Elder Bruce A. Carlson
"When the Lord Commands"

Obey, No Questions Asked.

"At times we may rationalize that the Lord will understand our disobedience because our special circumstances make adherence to His laws difficult, embarrassing, or even painful. However, faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord’s guidance, assistance, and peace."


Elder Bruce A. Carlson
"When the Lord Commands"

Safety in Obedience

"At the time of his appointment as President of the Church, Harold B. Lee said: 'The safety of the Church lies in the members keeping the commandments. … As they keep the commandments, blessings will come.'1"

As quoted by Elder Bruce A. Carlson
"When the Lord Commands"

Give your burdens to the Lord

"Each of us comes to know his cross quite well. We know its configurations; we know its weight. We feel its rough edges. It would be so much easier for us to carry it if we could develop the faith which would permit us to cast our cares upon our Father in heaven, because he cares for us, as Peter reminds us. It would be so much easier to carry if we could do as Paul suggests and rid ourselves of the weights that we need not carry. We may think these are a part of carrying the cross when, in fact, they are a function of our own stupidity or our own sin. We can rid ourselves of these so that we may take up the cross and move swiftly and deliberately on to our journey."

Neal A. Maxwell
"Taking up the Cross"

Personal Influence

"Weak individuals make great dominoes!"

Neal A. Maxwell
"Taking up the Cross"

Be Honest with Yourself

"Those individuals who are free enough to acknowledge the first feelings of faith are true to themselves--and are surely those who the truth makes free."

Neal A. Maxwell
"Taking up the Cross"

Stress Remedy

"Correct conduct under stress is more likely when one has correct expectations about life.

To err by having naive expectations concerning the purposes of life is to err everlastingly. Life is neither a pleasure palace through whose narrow portals we pass briefly, laughingly, and heedlessly before extinction, nor is life a cruel predicament in an immense and sad wasteland. It is the middle (but briefest) estate of the three estates in man's carefully constructed continuum of experience."


Neal A. Maxwell
"Taking up the Cross"

Women in the Church

"I wish to observe that the role of women in the Church has never been more important than it is now, because never has the Church been so directly important and influentia to so many as it is now. While the Church will always be priesthood-led and preisthood-centered, we must not make the mistake of drawing wrong conclusions from that reality. I hope the young women of the Church will do all they can to develop their God-given talents and to stretch themselves intellectually and spiritually during their youth and young adult years, for the learning process is scaffolding for the soul."

Neal A. Maxwell
"Taking up the Cross"

Fork in the Road

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The Road Not Taken 

by Robert Frost 

Poem found here. 

Really Live

I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.

I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.


-Marjorie Pay Hinckley
Quote found here

Befriend Your Mother-in-law

When we had special activities at church, I rode my bike to Harriet’s house and rang the doorbell. Harriet’s mother usually answered. In fact, she opened the kitchen window of their apartment on the fourth floor and asked what I wanted. I would ask if Harriet would like a ride to church on my bicycle. Harriet’s mother would say, “No, she will be coming later, but I will be happy to ride with you to church.” This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but how could I decline?

And so we rode to church. I must admit I had a very impressive road bike. Harriet’s mother sat on the top tube bar just in front of me, and I tried to be the most elegant bicycle driver over roads of rough cobblestone.
Time passed. While beautiful Harriet was seeing many other young men, it seemed that I could not make any headway with her.

Was I disappointed? Yes.

Was I defeated? Absolutely not!

Actually, looking back I recognize that it doesn’t hurt at all to be on good terms with the mother of the girl of your dreams.

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Your Happily Ever After." Ensign. May 2010, pp 124-127.

"Your Happily Ever After"

Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all---eternal life---and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”

But such a blessing does not come without a price. It is not given simply because you desire it. It comes only through understanding who you are and what you must become in order to be worthy of such a gift.

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Your Happily Ever After." Ensign. May 2010, pp 124-127.

From the Thorns

My dear young sisters, you need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges come growth and strength.

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.


-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Your Happily Ever After.” Ensign. May 2010, pp 124-127.

Discovery

Probably my favorite "Facebook quote":

"Discovery is a very exhausting procedure . . . you are so deep-down tired when you finish." ~Margaret Barker*

*Again, quote reposted here, just as it was found on Facebook; I cannot guarantee accuracy in wording or attribution. Just consider that the norm for Facebook quotes.

As Seen on Facebook

Every once in awhile I actually read the quotes people put on Facebook. Since this site is meant to include happy and encouraging sayings, I thought that selecting a few of the quotes others find motivating and have posted on Facebook would be a good place to start.

These quotes stood out to me because they talk about having a conqueror's spirit. Apparently we all need a little psyching up once in awhile.

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"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." ~Helen Keller

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." ~Teddy Roosevelt

To change your life:
start immediately;
do it flamboyantly;
no exceptions.
-William James

"If you avoid difficult things, great things will avoid you." -- George Brimhall

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
– Alfred D'Souza

"Life is worth the scary parts." -- Mr. Dungbeetle

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." -- Booker T. Washington

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The quotes have been reposted here, just as they were found on Facebook; I cannot guarantee accuracy in wording or attribution. 

The Cup

Truth will pop out at you from expected and unexpected places. It can uplift you, derail you, comfort you, strike you. It will change you. Sometimes the most arid sky will eek out a single drop. Other times the ocean is so deep you cannot hope to touch each wave.

I am not an ocean; but I hold my small cup to the sky and pray for rain. That which falls is yours to share.