Relearning from General Conference in 10/05

On the plane ride across the country as we headed home I reread most of the November 2006 Conference Ensign. I had found this brand new copy at the DI several weeks before. It appealed to me because it had no marks in and it was free for me to rediscover with new perspective. There were so many wonderful quotes I just wanted to share some random ones. I will most likely do a blog post or two on some specific ones that proved revelatory. For now though I share some thoughts to get your inspirational juices flowing.

"{The Latin root of disciple means pupil}…what is required of us is not to die for the Church but to live for it…Our true claim as disciples comes when we can say with certainty that His ways have become our ways." Faust page 20

"Return with new eyes and new ears to the scriptures…That time is now. This world needs the scriptures today." Hales 24

"{Laman and Lemuel} didn't accept anyone's authority to correct them. They didn't value spiritual things. They easily resorted to violence, and they were good at playing the victim...It is a wonderful aspiration for a boy to become a man-strong and capable; someone who can build and create things, run things; someone who makes a difference in the world…" Christofferson 46

"In our uncertain physical environment, we need to increase our spiritual nutrients-nutrients that come from the knowledge and fullness of the gospel and the powers of the holy priesthood…Spiritual nutrients, which keep us spiritually healthy, can lose their potency and strength if we do not live worthy of the divine guidance we need…Much of the spiritual pollution that comes into our lives comes through the Internet, computer games, television shows and movies that are highly suggestive of or graphically portray humanity's baser attributes. Because we live in such an environment, we need to increase our spiritual strength." Faust 53

"We are on the Lord's errand, and therefore we are entitled to the Lord's help…Brethren it is in doing-not just dreaming-that lives are blessed." Monson 56

"There is not a man or boy in this vast congregation tonight who cannot improve his life…Eliminate the sources of pornographic material in {your} lives." Hinckley 59

"{The Pioneers} faith is our inheritance. Their faith is a reminder to us of the price they paid for the comforts we enjoy…In the ongoing work of this great cause, increased faith is what we most need. Without it, the work will stagnate. With it, no one can stop its progress." Hinckley 82

"We are to teach our children the moral standard…Those brethren on Ensign Peak knew that they were to live ordinary lives and keep the image of Christ engraven in their countenances…Some suppose that our high standards will repel growth. It is just the opposite. High standards are a magnet…Not only are we to maintain the highest of standards, but each of us is to be a stand, a defense, a refuge." Packer 85

"To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else…Thomas B. Marsh allowed himself to be acted upon…As described by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, the Church is not 'a well-provisioned rest home for the already perfected'…One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others." Bednar 89

"I have thought about Jim Drinkwater many times and wondered how he came to be one that the Lord could trust…Do we really want to be instruments in God's hands? If so, our desire will permeate our prayers and be the focus of our fasts." Clarke 97

"In this day of moral relativism we must be prepared to take a stand and say, 'This is right, and this is wrong.' We cannot follow the crowd!...Do not flirt with evil. Stay out of the devil's territory. Do not give Satan any home-field advantage." Gibbons 102

"This reminds us that when those mists of darkness enveloped the travelers in Lehi's vision of the tree of life, it enveloped all of the participants." Holland 104

"We must not allow pride or vanity, selfishness or personal agendas to displace our reaching out to others in love." Parkin 108