Conference Talk

Suicide can be preventable, and learning what to watch for can save lives.

Download 52 weeks of FHE lessons plus receive weekly lesson plans, activities and reminders on our new facebook Weekly FHE facebook page.

This lesson could be a book, or many of them, and they have been written. There are so many messages, such profound insights, and numerous events of incomparable importance taking place in these chapters. I do not intend to make a comprehensive examination of these passages. I will shine a light on some insights that might otherwise be missed, suggest some applications that are worth some pondering, and share some stories that may help in understanding and believing. The rest is up to you.

“It was not easy to raise Ronnie Rasband, let me tell you. I was busy and high-spirited. In other words, I know I was a handful.”

After teaching his son Corianton concerning the journey of spirits—righteous and wicked—into the spirit world, Alma continued: "And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow" (Alma 40:12; italics added). We thus see that paradise is the abode of the righteous in the world of spirits, a "state of happiness," a place hereafter where the spirits of the faithful "expand in wisdom, where they have respite from all their troubles, and where care and sorrow do not annoy." 12

Take a step back in history and read the accounts of courageous men and women who contributed to the unfolding of the restoration of the gospel. Be inspired by the testimonies of living prophets and countless men and women who trusted in God and labored faithfully amidst trial and heartache.

Latter-day Saint women have always been able to hold their own. The doctrine and practices of the Church regarding women give us confidence born of the Spirit and teach us how to lead, teach, testify, rally others to a worthy cause, and express ourselves. And it has always been so. . . .

This article was originally published by LDS Living in August 2018 and is being shared again in recognition of the anniversary of the day Joseph Smith received the gold plates.

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught an important principle when he explained that “all revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ, who is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. In all of the scriptures, where God is mentioned and where he has appeared, it was Jehovah who talked with Abraham, with Noah, Enoch, Moses and all the prophets. He is the God of Israel, the Holy One of Israel. . . . The Father has never dealt directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appeared except to introduce and bear record of the Son.”1 Elsewhere President Smith pointed out that “after Adam’s transgression he was shut out of the presence of the Father who has remained hidden from his children to this day, with a few exceptions wherein righteous men have been privileged with the glorious privilege of seeing him. . . . Since the fall all revelation and commandments from the Father have come through Jesus Christ.”2