Julie's Favorite Talks

I love the list that Kristen compiled and wanted to record some of my all-time favorite go-to talks.  The talks I love are kind of like the songs that I Shazam.  With Shazam, I seem to tag the same songs over and over again and with my favorite talks, I seem to print the same ones over and over again because I love them and want to be reminded of their messages. 

1.  "There Are Many Gifts"
by Marvin J. Ashton, October 1979
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/there-are-many-gifts?lang=eng

I learned about this talk when I was a young woman studying about spiritual gifts and have kept this quote in my scriptures in D&C 46 ever since:

Let us review some of these less-conspicuous gifts: the gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost.

I love this because everyone has special gifts that are given to them.  Just like talents, our gifts aren't always highly visible, but we all have real gifts with a responsibility to use and share them.

2.   "The Joy of Womanhood"
by Margaret Nadauld, October 2000 Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-joy-of-womanhood?lang=eng

I have loved this since I heard it. The talk focuses on how important we as women are.  A few years after this, I was at girls camp in a pop-up trailer with Holli and we were writing some secret notes to our young women.  I noticed that Holli wrote this memorable quote in each of the girls' notes and I thought it was the absolute perfect thing that all young women should know and recognize about themselves. 

Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.

3.  Larry King Live with President Gordon B. Hinckley
Aired on Larry King Live, September 8, 1998
http://www.lds-mormon.com/lkl_00.shtml

Now this one isn't a talk, but it was a big deal to have the prophet of the church - at the time President Hinckley - be on a national platform talking about our church.   I think President Hinckley did so much good getting our message out into the media more and better than ever.  I listened and watched with intent and the following quote is also in my scriptures:


Larry King had just asked what is it about the church that draws so many people to it.  President Hinckley responded, "I think it -- many -- several things do. One, we stand for something. We stand solid and strong for something. We don't equivocate. We don't just fuss around over this and that. People are looking for something in this world of shifting values, of anchors that are slipping, many people are looking for something that they can hold on to, an anchor to which they can attach their lives. That's one thing.  Two: we expect things of our people. We expect them to do things. We expect them to measure up to certain standards. It isn't always easy to be a member of this church. It's demanding. But it's wonderfully fruitful and has a tremendous affect upon people."  Isn't that great!

4.  "O Remember, Remember" and "Remembrance and Gratitude"
President Henry B. Eyring, October 2007 and October 1989 Conference
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/o-remember-remember?lang=eng and http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/10/remembrance-and-gratitude?lang=eng

I am big on gratitude and I love the focus on remembering in both of these talks.  President Eyring talks vividly about the importance of seeking for God's hand in our lives and then recording and remembering it for those times when we may forget.  This summer as we traveled to Nauvoo, a message struck me about how every generation has to learn for themselves that the Church is true.  And, to that end, as we are all able to receive our own revelations and to look for blessings in our lives, I love this quote:

. . . "ask yourself, “How did God bless me today?” If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes, you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God’s hand in your life.You can choose to remember the greatest gift of all. Next week, you can go to a meeting where the sacrament is administered. You will hear the words, “Always remember him.” You can pledge to do that, and the Holy Ghost will help you." 

5.  "Ye Must Be Born Again"
by Elder David A. Bednar, April 2007 Conference
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/ye-must-be-born-again?lang=eng

I love a visual aid!  And, this talk really spoke to me with a visual image of conversion through the "Parable of the Pickle".  Elder Bednar describes the careful process of cleaning and preparing cucumbers, immersing and saturating them in the pickling liquid, and then purifying and sealing the jars and likening it to the gospel.  I have used this visual many times about the importance of being fully committed to the gospel and through that process we will be converted and changed just like a cucumber is changed into a pickle.

 And after we come out of the waters of baptism, our souls need to be continuously immersed in and saturated with the truth and the light of the Savior’s gospel. Sporadic and shallow dipping in the doctrine of Christ and partial participation in His restored Church cannot produce the spiritual transformation that enables us to walk in a newness of life. Rather, fidelity to covenants, constancy of commitment, and offering our whole soul unto God are required if we are to receive the blessings of eternity.

These are just a few of my favorites.  Thanks, Kristen, for sparking my memory and reminding me of their messages.   I'm grateful for General Conference and the chance we have to hear our church leaders.