Helaman's Army

Teaching in the home is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread and he is attacking, attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society, even the family. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility. While other institutions, such as church and school, can assist parents to “train up a child in the way he [or she] should go” (Proverbs 22:6), ultimately this responsibility rests with parents. According to the great plan of happiness, it is parents who are entrusted with the care and development of our Heavenly Father’s children. Our families are an integral part of His work and glory—“to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). L. Tom Perry, Mothers Teaching Children in the Home, 2010 Annual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2010/04/mothers-teaching-children-in-the-home?id=p13&lang=eng#p13

It's an important goal to take time to feel the influence of The Spirit of God every single day. We should give ourselves a moment of peace. We deserve it and we need it. "The Spirit cannot be restrained from attending a gathering of holy people. If you hope to feel the Spirit, be with people with whom the Spirit can easily dwell. The Savior said it this way: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Gary E. Stephenson, Promptings of the Spirit, 2023 Semiannual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/25stevenson?lang=eng

We are now entering a period of incredible ironies. Let us cite but one of these ironies which is yet in its subtle stages: we shall see in our time a maximum if indirect effort made to establish irreligion as the state religion. It is actually a new form of paganism that uses the carefully preserved and cultivated freedoms of Western civilization to shrink freedom even as it rejects the value essence of our rich Judeo-Christian heritage. Neal A. Maxwell, Meeting the Challenges of Today, BYU Speeches, October 10, 1978

THAT'S AMAZING! Vaughn J. Featherstone, A Man After God’s Own Heart, BYU Speeches, 9-12-1995

"I believe in God’s great justice, that for those who are consigned into homes where he knows they will be violated, somehow he will reach down and judge them as if that had never happened. That would only be just. It would only be merciful. And those who have perpetrated great frauds and great deceit and abuse on others may get out of this life without ever having confessed. People may believe that they didn’t do it, and so the perpetrator may escape punishment. We all think that is not fair—the innocent suffer and the guilty do not. No. Justice is “according to the supreme goodness of God,” and by and by, all those who have been guilty will pay the cost. We will either repent or suffer; there isn’t any way around that. I am so grateful for justice." Vaughn J. Featherstone, A Man After God’s Own Heart, BYU Speeches, 9-12-1995 https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/vaughn-j-featherstone/man-gods-heart/

"One of our most sacred responsibilities is to help our children come to know deeply and specifically that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, their personal Savior and Redeemer, who stands at the head of His Church! We cannot allow our covenant voice to become muted or silent when it comes to Him." Jan E. Newman, Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation, LDS General Conference, October 2023. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/23newman?id=p19&lang=eng#p19

"We are too diverse and at times too discordant to be able to come together as one on any other basis or under any other name. Only in Jesus Christ can we truly become one. Becoming one in Christ happens one by one—we each begin with ourselves. We are dual beings of flesh and spirit and are sometimes at war within ourselves. As Paul expressed: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man; “But I see another law in [the] members [of my body], warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:22-23) D. Todd Christofferson, LDS General Conference, One in Christ, April 2003

"The Savior’s healing and redeeming power applies to accidental mistakes, poor decisions, challenges, and trials of every kind—as well as to our sins. As I turned to Him, my feelings of guilt and remorse were gradually replaced with peace and rest." Peter F. Meurs, He Could Heal Me!, LDS General Conference, April 2023

This is the original video dramatization of the events that led Joseph Smith to pray in the Sacred Grove, where he received the First Vision. In the spring of 1820, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith as he prayed in a grove of trees near his home in western New York. This event is known as the First Vision. In the early 1800s in the United States there was great excitement about religion. Joseph’s family members had joined different churches, but Joseph was unsure which one he should join. When Joseph was 14 years old, he was inspired by James 1:5, which promises, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Joseph determined to pray to know which church he should join and to ask for forgiveness of his sins. When Joseph knelt to offer up the desires of his heart, a dark power overcame him. It bound his tongue as thick darkness gathered around him. Joseph exerted all his power to call upon God. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/first-vision?lang=eng

"The trouble with us today, there are too many of us who put question marks instead of periods after what the Lord says. I want you to think about that. We shouldn’t be concerned about why he said something, or whether or not it can be made so. Just trust the Lord. We don’t try to find the answers or explanations. We shouldn’t try to spend time explaining what the Lord didn’t see fit to explain. We spend useless time. If you would teach our people to put periods and not question marks after what the Lord has declared, we would say, “It is enough for me to know that is what the Lord said.”" Harold B. Lee, Admonitions for the Priesthood of God, LDS General Conference, October 1972 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1972/10/admonitions-for-the-priesthood-of-god?lang=eng

"President Calvin Coolidge pinpointed the problem some years ago with these words: “We do not need more material development, we need more spiritual development. We do not need more intellectual power, we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge, we need more character. We do not need more government, we need more culture. We do not need more law, we need more religion. We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen. It is on that side of life that it is desirable to put the emphasis at the present time. If that side is strengthened, the other side will take care of itself. It is that side which is the foundation of all else. If the foundation be firm, the superstructure will stand.” (Prophets, Principles and National Survival, p. 35.)" Ezra Taft Benson quoting Calvin Coolidge, Watchman, Warn the Wicked, LDS General Conference, April 1973 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1973/04/watchman-warn-the-wicked?id=p35-p36&lang=eng#p35

"I have been impressed to speak on the subject of tolerance—a virtue much needed in our turbulent world. But in discussing this topic, we must recognize at the outset that there is a difference between tolerance and tolerate. Your gracious tolerance for an individual does not grant him or her license to do wrong, nor does your tolerance obligate you to tolerate his or her misdeed. That distinction is fundamental to an understanding of this vital virtue." Russell M. Nelson, Teach Us Tolerance and Love, LDS General Conference, April 1994 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1994/04/teach-us-tolerance-and-love

Mosiah 3:17 17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. Read by Henry B. Eyring, As a Child, 2006 Annual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2006/04/as-a-child?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/3?id=p17&lang=eng#p17

"Develop spiritual strength in yourself, and there will be felicity in the family. Righteousness proceeds outward from the individual to the group. We will find that if we are converted (through studying, searching, and praying), our immediate desire is to want to help others. True conversion causes us to want to reach out to the living and to the deceased to do what we can to help in each case. If we are truly converted, we will also want to provide for our own in the fullness of what welfare service means. When the Savior said, “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32), he was reminding us not only of an obligation we have, but also of the reality that we really can’t strengthen our brethren much until we are personally converted." Spencer W. Kimball, Boys Need Heroes Close By, LDS General Conference, April 1976

"Joy is knowing that through the atoning sacrifice of Christ we can receive a remission of our sins, even as King Benjamin taught. His people prayed in great humility, having asked for forgiveness of their sins. “The Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ"." Barbara W. Winder, Finding Joy in Life, LDS General Conference, October 1987 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1987/10/finding-joy-in-life?id=p34&lang=eng#p34

"Brethren, your first and foremost duty as a bearer of the priesthood is to love and care for your wife. Become one with her. Be her partner. Make it easy for her to want to be yours. No other interest in life should take priority over building an eternal relationship with her. Nothing on TV, a mobile device, or a computer is more important than her well-being. Take an inventory of how you spend your time and where you devote your energy. That will tell you where your heart is. Pray to have your heart attuned to your wife’s heart. Seek to bring her joy. Seek her counsel, and listen. Her input will improve your output." Russel M. Nelson, We Can Do Better and Be Better, LDS General Conference, April 2019 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/36nelson?lang=eng&id=p18#p18

There's no transcript on this BYU Speech so I'll let Truman speak for himself. Truman G. Madsen, Elijah’s Mission, BYU Speech, June 5, 1977

We all need the grace of Jesus Christ! "Of course, all of us will fall short of our divine potential, and there is some truth in the realization that alone we are not enough. But the good news of the gospel is that with the grace of God, we are enough. With Christ’s help, we can do all things. The scriptures promise that we will “find grace to help in time of need.” The surprising truth is that our weaknesses can be a blessing when they humble us and turn us to Christ. Discontent becomes divine when we humbly approach Jesus Christ with our want, rather than hold back in self-pity." Michelle D. Craig, Divine Discontent, LDS General Conference, October 2018

A thirsty man wandering California's desert finds a water pump in the middle of a ghost town.

Do not misunderstand or devalue how important you are to your Father in Heaven. You are not an accidental by-product of nature, a cosmic orphan, or the result of matter plus time plus chance. Where there is design, there is a designer. Your life has meaning and purpose. Allen T. Phillips, God Knows and Loves You, 2023 Semiannual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/27phillips?id=p9-p10&lang=eng#p9

Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration focuses on some of the events during the life of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, which was both filmed and distributed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

"Mercifully, our errors can soon be swallowed up by resilient repentance, showing the faith to try again—whether in a task or in a relationship. Such resilience is really an affirmation of our true identities! Spirit sons and daughters of God need not be permanently put down when lifted up by Jesus’ Atonement. Christ’s infinite Atonement thus applies to our finite failures!" Neal A. Maxwell, The Tugs and Pulls of the World, LDS General Conference, October 2000

"God is infinitely more interested in our having a place in His kingdom than with our spot on a mortal organizational chart. We may brood over our personal span of control, but He is concerned with our capacity for self-control. Father wants us to come home, bringing our real résumés, ourselves!" Neal A. Maxwell, The Tugs and Pulls of the World, LDS General Conference, October 2000

"Yes, we are free to choose the mortal perks with their short shelf life. However, ahead lies that great moment when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ! Then the galleries and the mortal thrones will be empty. Even the great and spacious building will fall—and resoundingly! Then, too, those who have lived without God in the world will confess that God is God! Meanwhile, His character and attributes should evoke adoration and emulation from us." Neal A. Maxwell, The Tugs and Pulls of the World, LDS General Conference, October 2000

"Isn’t it marvelous, brothers and sisters, that God, who knows everything, still spends time listening to our prayers? Compared to that cosmic fact, what does the world really have to offer us? One round of applause, one fleeting moment of adulation, or an approving glance from a phantom Caesar?" Neal A. Maxwell, The Tugs and Pulls of the World, LDS General Conference, October 2000