“Words of the Prophet,” New Era, Nov. 2009, 2–3
Words of the Prophet
Welcome to Conference
“Those who will address us have sought heaven’s help and direction as they have prepared their messages. They have been impressed concerning that which they will share with us.”
Controlling Anger
“To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry. I testify that such is possible.”
“We’ve all felt anger. It can come when things don’t turn out the way we want. It might be a reaction to something which is said to us. We may experience it when people don’t behave the way we want them to behave. Perhaps it comes when we have to wait for something longer than we expected. We might feel angry when others can’t see things from our perspective. There seem to be countless possible reasons for anger. …
“The Apostle Paul asks, in Ephesians, chapter four, verse twenty-six of the Joseph Smith Translation, ‘Can ye be angry and not sin? Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.’ I ask, Is it possible to feel the Spirit of our Heavenly Father when we are angry? I know of no instance where such would be the case.”
Serving Others
“A few years ago I read an article written by Jack McConnell. … He recounted that during his childhood, every day as the family sat around the dinner table his father would ask each one in turn, ‘And what did you do for someone today?’ The children were determined to do a good turn every day so they could report to their father that they had helped someone. Dr. McConnell calls this exercise his father’s most valuable legacy, for that expectation and those words inspired him and his siblings to help others throughout their lives. As they grew and matured, their motivation for providing service changed to an inner desire to help others.”
“Just over a year ago I was interviewed by the Church News prior to my birthday. At the conclusion of the interview, the reporter asked what I would consider the ideal gift that members worldwide could give to me. I replied, ‘Find someone who is having a hard time, or is ill, or lonely, and do something for him or her.’
“I was overwhelmed when this year for my birthday I received hundreds of cards and letters from members of the Church around the world telling me how they had fulfilled that birthday wish. The acts of service ranged from assembling humanitarian kits to doing yard work. …
“My birthday cards and notes came also from teenagers in Young Men and Young Women classes who made blankets for hospitals, served in food pantries, were baptized for the dead, and performed numerous other acts of service.”
Guidance in Today’s World
“We remind you that the messages we have heard during this conference will be printed in the November issues of the Ensign and Liahona magazines. As you read and study them, you will be additionally taught and inspired.”
“I am reminded of the words of the Lord found in the Book of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Said He: ‘Ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come’ (Ether 2:25). My brothers and sisters, He has prepared us. If we heed His words and if we live by the commandments, we will survive this time of permissiveness and wickedness which can be compared with the waves and the winds and the floods which can destroy. He is ever mindful of us. He loves us and will bless us as we do what is right.”
“How grateful we are that the heavens are indeed open, that the restored Church of Jesus Christ is upon the earth today, and that the Church is founded upon the rock of revelation. We are a blessed people, with apostles and prophets upon the earth today. We will never be led astray.”
President Thomas S. Monson (center), President Henry B. Eyring (left), and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (right) talk before a session of general conference.