Certain Women – Linda K. Burton

Sister Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President taught of examples of great and noble women throughout history. She noted the phrase “certain women” numerous times in the scriptures and reminded that the term “certain” means “convinced”, “positive”, “confident”, “firm”, “definite”, “assured”, and “dependable”

She highlighted a number of groups of certain women through time:
Certain Women in the Savior’s day – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Martha and many others named and unnamed.
Certain Women at the time of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – and shared the experience of Drusilla Hendricks
Certain Women today – many women she met while visiting various parts of Asia. She also shared a touching account of Terry and Jenny, two certain women of today.

Sister Burton taught:
“May we remember the many certain women who refused to abandon our precious Savior during the excruciating experience He suffered on the cross and yet hours later were privileged to be among the certain witnesses of His glorious Resurrection. Let us be found staying close to Him in prayer and scripture study. Let us draw ourselves near to Him by preparing for and partaking of the sacred emblems of His atoning sacrifice weekly during the ordinance of the sacrament and as we keep covenants by serving others in their times of need. Perhaps then we might be part of the certain women, disciples of Jesus Christ, who will celebrate His glorious return when He comes again.”

For the full text: Certain Women – Linda K. Burton

Who are the “certain women” who have touched your life and emulated the attributes of a true disciple of the Savior? We would love to hear your thoughts below.

The Beauty of Holiness – Carol F. McConkie

Sister Carol F. McConkie – First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency has outlined what Heavenly Father requires of us as we strive to emulate him. God has instructed his children to: “Sanctify yourselves that ye shall be holy; for I am holy…” (Leviticus 11:44) Therefore in order for us to dwell with Him, we need to work towards “becoming holy”. So what is Holiness?

Holiness is in the striving and the struggle to keep the commandments and to honor the covenants we have made with God.
Holiness is making the choices that will keep the Holy Ghost as our guide. (See Doctrine and Covenants 45:57)
Holiness is setting aside our natural tendencies and becoming “a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.” (Mosiah 3:19)

Whilst this quest for holiness may seem almost impossible, “our hope for holiness is centered in Christ, in His mercy and His grace”

For the full text: The Beauty of Holiness – Carol F. McConkie

What blessings have you received in your individual quest to become holy? How has keeping covenants blessed your life? How has the Holy Ghost guided you? We would love to hear of your experiences.

Trust in the Lord and Lean Not – Bonnie H. Cordon

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Sister Bonnie H. Cordon – Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency has shared three ways to increase our knowledge and trust in the Savior. These principles can help us to be centered on and focused on our Savior Jesus Christ, rather than leaning to our own understanding.
1 – Come to know the Lord and trust Him as we follow the counsel found in 2 Nephi 32:3 “…feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”
2 – Come to know the Lord and trust Him through prayer. Moroni 7:48 counsels us to “Pray unto the Father will all the energy of heart.”
3 – Come to know the Lord and trust Him as we serve others.
“We are on earth to demonstrate the same trust in Him that allowed us to stand with Jesus Christ when He declared, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27)

For the full text: Trust in the Lord and Lean Not – Bonnie H. Cordon

How have you been blessed as you strive to trust in the Lord and “lean not”? Please share your experiences below.

Why is life full of problems?

Question Mark
Recently in a class we were asked to ponder the question : “Why does Heavenly Father allow us to face problems and challenges?” The Book of Mormon contains the account of Nephi being commanded by the Lord to build a ship in order to travel to the promised land. (1 Nephi 17:51, 18:2-3). We determined that Nephi had never built a ship before and had to rely TOTALLY on the Lord to help solve this problem. He prayed and asked for guidance continually, and followed that up by acting with FAITH based on the specific things the Lord taught him which enabled him to build the ship.
God gives us problems and challenges to stretch us, help us learn, and improve our time while we are in this life. In our modern world we think we have all the answers or can simply “Google” something and it will tell us all we need to know. I am learning that to find worthwhile answers to inspired questions, or to help us solve the most challenging problems, we should ALWAYS turn to God and have the faith to act on what He teaches us. This is not always easy to do, but we have been promised that as we do this we will be blessed beyond measure.
If you would like to learn how to find the answers to specific problems, the first step is learning to ask God in faith.

Here are some of the answers to inspired questions recently asked by a group of teenagers.

Face to Face with Henry B. Eyring and Jeffrey R. Holland – March 4 2017

Finding Answers to Life’s Questions

Life is full of many questions. Today, with the wonders of modern technology, the answers can be found in an instant. There are however, many times in life where we face deep and difficult circumstances, and the answers to our questions do not come straight away. When you watch, listen to, or read the messages of General Conference, it creates an opportunity to receive personal revelation through the power of the Holy Ghost as you hear and ponder these inspired messages. #LDSConf