Even as we speak, we are waging an 'all hands on deck' war with COVID-19, a solemn reminder that a virus 1,000 times smaller than a grain of sand can bring entire populations and global economies to their knees."

​…mortal misunderstandings can make mischief in a marriage. In fact, each marriage starts with two built-in handicaps. It involves two imperfect people. Happiness can come to them only through their earnest effort. Just as harmony comes from an orchestra only when its members make a concerted effort, so harmony in marriage also requires a concerted effort (para 22).

​…strong marriage and family relationships do not happen just because we are members of the Church. They require constant, intentional work. The doctrine of eternal families must inspire us to dedicate our best efforts to saving and enriching our marriages and families" (para 7).

​If we look for imperfections in our spouse or irritations in our marriage, we will certainly find them, because everyone has some. On the other hand, if we look for the good, we will surely find it, because everyone has many good qualities too" (para 25).

​Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion's joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion" (para 14).

​Faith is the foundation of every virtue that strengthens marriage. Strengthening faith strengthens marriage. Faith grows as we keep the commandments, and so do the harmony and joy in marriage. Thus, keeping the commandments is fundamental to establishing strong eternal marriages" (para 5).

​…happy marriages rely on the gift of repentance. It is an essential element in every good marital relationship" (para 6).

​To access information from heaven, one must first have a firm faith and a deep desire. One needs to 'ask with a sincere heart [and] real intent, having faith in [Jesus] Christ.' 'Real intent' means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given."

​Joseph's questions [in the Sacred Grove] focused not just on what he needed to know but also on what was to be done! His prayer was not simply, 'Which church is right?' His question was, 'Which church should I join?' Joseph went to the grove to ask in faith, and he was determined to act."

​Today we live in a world in which people don't ask of God--they seem to want to ask of Google. Even when it comes to questions of faith, there are many who trust the Internet to provide accurate, fair, and balanced answers to their questions more than they trust the ultimate source of truth, our Heavenly Father. …In our search for gospel truth, we not only need to find reliable sources but we also need to give the Lord equal time in our daily pursuits. We need to study the scriptures and the words of the Lord's servants. We need to be living right before God--we need to be doing His will. And we can never overstate the importance of taking our spiritual concerns directly to God and trusting His inspiration and guidance" (pg 5).

​I believe that our Heavenly Father teaches us to pray because the very act of praying will improve us. We worship our Father in Heaven as all-knowing and all-powerful. Surely, as our Creator, He knows our cares, or worries, our joys, our struggles without our informing Him. The reason our Heavenly Father asks us to pray cannot be that we are able to tell Him something He does not already know. Rather, the reason He asks us to pray is that the process of learning to communicate effectively with Him will shape and change our lives as much as we are changed by learning to communicate as children" (para 20).

​…in times of great personal hurt or need, more may be required than mere asking. The Lord said, 'You have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.' Blessings sought through prayer sometimes require work, effort, and diligence on our part" (para 10).

Prayer is essential to developing faith. When the Lord comes again, will He find a people who know how to pray in faith and who are prepared to receive salvation? ...We are children of a loving Heavenly Father, and we may enjoy personal communion with Him when we pray 'with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ' and then act in accordance with the answers we receive by the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
In faith we pray, we listen, and we obey, that we might learn to become one with the Father and the Son" (para 5).

​Jesus healed many from physical diseases, but He did not withhold healing from those who sought to be 'made whole' from other ailments. …Surely these healings included those whose sicknesses were emotional, mental, or spiritual. He healed them all" (para 8).

​The Savior teaches that we will have tribulation in the world, but we should 'be of good cheer' because He has 'overcome the world'. His Atonement reaches and is powerful enough not only to pay the price for sin but also to heal every mortal affliction" (para 12).

​There can and will be plenty of difficulties in life. …Considering the incomprehensible cost of the Crucifixion and Atonement, I promise you He is not going to turn His back on us now. When He says to the poor in spirit, 'Come unto me,' He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up. He knows it because He has walked it. He knows the way because He is the way" (para 15).

​To help us from being overcome by the devil's designs of despair, discouragement, depression, and despondency, the Lord has provided at least a dozen ways which, if followed, will lift our spirits and send us on our way rejoicing. First, repentance…Second, prayer. Prayer in the hour of need is a great boon…This is also a key to use in keeping depression from destroying us. Third, service. To lose yourself in righteous service to others can lift your sights and get your mind off personal problems, or at least put them in proper focus…Fourth, work….Fifth, health…Sixth, reading…Seventh, blessing. In a particularly stressful time…one can seek for a blessing under the hands of the priesthood. …Eighth, fasting. …Ninth, friends. …Tenth, music. …Eleventh, endurance. …There are times when you simply have to righteously hang on and outlast the devil until his depressive spirit leaves you. …And twelfth, goals (paras 5-23).

​Mental, physical, or sexual abuse can cause serious, enduring consequences unless healed by the Lord. They may include fear, depression, guilt, self-hatred, and a deepening lack of trust in others that becomes a barrier to healing. …the Lord has provided a way for you to overcome the destructive consequences of abuse. That relief can begin with the counsel of parents, priesthood leaders, and, when needed, the help of competent professionals. Yet you need not experience a lifetime of counseling. Complete healing will come through your faith in Jesus Christ and His power and capacity, through His Atonement, to heal the scars of that which is unjust and undeserved" (para 24)

​As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have made a covenant with God that we 'are willing to bear one another's burdens' and 'to mourn with those that mourn.' This may include becoming informed about emotional illnesses, finding resources that can help address these struggles, and ultimately bringing ourselves and others to Christ, who is the Master Healer. Even if we do no know how to relate to what others are going through, validating that their pain is real can be an important first step in finding understanding and healing" (para 10).

​As our new friends [recent converts] experience a multitude of new sights and sounds, we must point past the hustle and bustle and concentrate them on the meaning of it all, on the beating heart of the eternal gospel--the love of Heavenly Parents, the atoning gift of a divine Son, the comforting guidance of the Holy Ghost, the latter-day restoration of all these truths and so much more" (para 12).

​We are part of a divine plan designed by Heavenly Parents who love us."

​"Our understanding of the nature and purpose of God the Eternal Father explains our destiny and our relationship in his eternal family. Our theology begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them" (para 24).

​It was Eliza R. Snow who wrote the words: 'Truth is reason; truth eternal/Tells me I've a mother there.' (Hymns, 1985, no. 292.) It has been said that the Prophet Joseph Smith made no correction to what Sister Snow had written. Therefore, we have a Mother in Heaven. Therefore, [some assume] that we may appropriately pray to her. Logic and reason would certainly suggest that if we have a Father in Heaven, we have a Mother in Heaven. That doctrine rests well with me. However, in light of the instruction we have received from the Lord Himself, I regard it as inappropriate for anyone in the Church to pray to our Mother in Heaven…The fact that we do not pray to our Mother in Heaven in no way belittles or denigrates her." (paras 48-51, 62).

​…when we sing that doctrinal hymn and anthem of affection, 'O My Father,' we get a sense of the ultimate in maternal modesty, of the restrained, queenly elegance of our Heavenly Mother, and knowing how profoundly our mortal mothers have shaped us here, do we suppose her influence on us as individuals to be less if we live so as to return there?" (para 34).

​When we return to our real home, it will be with the 'mutual approbation' of those who reign in the 'royal courts on high.' There we will find beauty such as mortal 'eye hath not seen'; we will hear sounds surpassing music which mortal 'ear hath not heard.' Could such a regal homecoming be possible without the anticipatory arrangements of a Heavenly Mother? (para 22).

​It doesn’t take from our worship of the Eternal Father, to adore our Eternal Mother, any more than it diminishes the love we bear our earthly fathers, to include our earthly mothers in our affections. . . . We honor woman when we acknowledge Godhood in her eternal prototype."

No matter to what heights God has attained or may attain, he does not stand alone; for side by side with him, in all her glory, a glory like unto his, stands a companion, the Mother of his children. For as we have a Father in heaven, so also we have a Mother there, a glorified, exalted, ennobled Mother. That is a startling doctrine, I recognize, to some folk, and yet we ought to be governed by reason in giving consideration to this doctrine which is a revelation from God."

​I suppose most of us fail to fully appreciate what others do for us until they are gone. I knew Barbara was always busy, but I did not fully understand the constant family, Church, and community demands upon her time. There were daily consecrated efforts repeated thousands of times through the years that kept our family functioning. And through it all, no one in our family ever heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word" (para 4).

​My purpose today is to teach what I know of how we can qualify for that feeling [of unity] more often and invite it to last longer in our families. As you know from experience, that is not easy to do. Contention, pride, and sin have to be kept at bay. The pure love of Christ must come into the hearts of those in our family" (para 4).

​We must remember that in the beginning, the Church was the family, and even today as separate institutions, the family and the Church serve and strengthen one another" (para 15).

​Many of the social restraints which in the past have helped to reinforce and to shore up the family are dissolving and disappearing. The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us. …There are those who would define the family in such a nontraditional way that they would define it out of existence. …We of all people…should not be taken in by the specious arguments that the family unit is somehow tied to a particular phase of development a moral society is going through. …We know the family to be eternal."

​The family is the most effective place to instill lasting values in its members. Where family life is strong and based on principles and practices of the gospel of Jesus Christ, these problems do not as readily appear" (para 8).

​It is imperative that you not neglect your families. Nothing you have is more precious" (p 387).

​I want to talk about building stronger families by building a stronger you--strong in your faith of the Savior. That's where strong families come from--from strong individuals" (para 2).

​Learning to choose the things of the Spirit over the things of the flesh is one of the primary reasons why this earthly experience is part of Heavenly Father's plan. It's also why the plan is built upon the solid, sure foundation of the Atonement of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that our sins, including the errors we make when we yield to the flesh, can be overcome through constant repentance and we can live spiritually focused" (para 24).

​Some will say, 'You don't understand my situation.' I may not, but I testify that there is One who does understand. There is One who knows your burdens because of His sacrifice made in the garden and on the cross. As you seek Him and keep His commandments, I promise you that He will bless you and lift the burdens too heavy to bear alone…He will fill you with the powerful Spirit of the Holy Ghost and shine His heavenly approval upon you" (para 43).

Ordinances and covenants are the building blocks we use to construct our lives upon the foundation of Christ and His Atonement. We are connected securely to and with the Savior as we worthily receive ordinances and enter into covenants, faithfully remember and honor those sacred commitments, and do our best to live in accordance with the obligations we have accepted. And that bond is the source of spiritual strength and stability in all of the seasons of our lives" (para 27).

​…greater holiness is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ cleansing and perfecting us" (para 3).

​[Jesus Christ's] Atonement is infinite--without an end. It was also infinite in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope--it was to be done once for all" (para 17).

​If you are constantly surrounded by a 'mist of darkness,' turn to Heavenly Father. Nothing that you have experienced can change the eternal truth that you are His child and that He loves you. Remember that Christ is your Savior and Redeemer, and God is your Father. They understand. Picture Them close by you, listening and offering support. '[They] will console you in your afflictions.' Do all you can, and trust in the Lord's atoning grace" (para 16).

​…faith in Christ leads to righteous action, which increases our spiritual capacity and power. Understanding that faith is a principle of action and of power inspires us to exercise our moral agency in compliance with gospel truth, invites the redeeming and strengthening powers of the Savior's Atonement into our lives, and enlarges the power within us whereby we are agents unto ourselves."

​The battle over man's God-given agency continues today. Satan and his minions have their lures all around us, hoping that we will falter and take his flies so he can reel us in with counterfeit means" (para 10).

1. Agency, or the power to choose, was ours as spirit children of our Creator before the world was. It is a gift from God, nearly as precious as life itself. Often, however, agency is misunderstood. While we are free to choose, once we have made those choices, we are tied to the consequences of those choices" (para 15-16).

​God rarely infringes on the agency of any of His children by intervening against some for the relief of others. But He does ease the burdens of our afflictions and strengthens us to bear them, as He did for Alma's people in the land of Helam" (para 28).

​Our Heavenly Father's goal in parenting is not to have His children do what is right; it is to have His children choose to do what is right and ultimately become like Him. If He simply wanted us to be obedient, He would use immediate rewards and punishments to influence our behaviors" (para 6).

​Our earnest prayers are answered when they conform to the will of the Lord. Since we cannot perfectly understand His will, we must walk with faith. He is all-knowing, and His decisions are perfect. The fact that our finite capacity does not let us understand all of His dealings with man does not limit Him from blessing us. His will is our best choice in life, whether or not we fully understand it. When we act using our moral agency wisely, the Lord will act according to His will" (para 31).

​May you realize that in you is the control of your life and what you are going to be, what you are going to do. Remember that your choices may control to some extent others whose lives will be a part of your life. Remember also that if you succeed, it isn't because of luck. Success comes from faith and work and prayer and from constant righteous effort. It is a question of agency--of what you choose to do with gifts of God--everything upon the earth, wherein there is life" (para 53).

​A cunning part of [Satan's] strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are victims of an emotion that we cannot control. We hear, "I lost my temper." Losing one's temper is an interesting choice of words… To "lose something" implies "not meaning to," "accidental," "involuntary," "not responsible,"…"He made me mad." This is another phrase we hear, also implying lack of control or agency. This is a myth that must be debunked. No one makes us mad. Others don't make us angry. There is no force involved. Becoming angry is a conscious choice, a decision; therefore, we can make the choice not to become angry. We choose!" (paras 5-6).