FAMILY
1.
"We are correctly known as a family-centered church. Our theology begins with heavenly parents, and our highest aspiration is to attain the fullness of eternal exaltation. We know this is possible only in a family relationship."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks- General Conference October 2013 "No Other Gods" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/no-other-gods?lang=eng
2.
"A home is much more than a house built of lumber, brick, or stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. We are responsible for the homes we build. We must build wisely, for eternity is not a short voyage. There will be calm and wind, sunlight and shadows, joy and sorrow. But if we really try, our home can be a bit of heaven here on earth."
President Thomas S. Monson- Ensign June 2006 "Heavenly Homes, Forever Families" https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/06/heavenly-homes-forever-families?lang=eng
3.
“Deep inside each of us is a need to have a place of refuge where peace and serenity prevail, a place where we can reset, regroup, and reenergize to prepare for future pressures. The ideal place for that peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece.”
Elder Richard G. Scott, General Conference April 2013 “For Peace at Home” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/for-peace-at-home?lang=eng
4.
"The Church has established two special times for families to be together. The first is centered around the proper observance of the Sabbath day. This is the time we are to attend our regular meetings together, study the life and teachings of the Savior and of the prophets... The second time is Monday night. We are to teach our children in a well-organized, regular family home evening. No other activities should involve our family members on Monday night. This designated time is to be with our families."
Elder L. Tom Perry, General Conference April 2003 “The Importance of the Family” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2003/04/the-importance-of-the-family?lang=eng&query=family
5.
"In the routine of life, we often take our families—our parents and children and siblings—for granted. But in times of danger and need and change, there is no question that what we care about most is our families! It will be even more so when we leave this life and enter into the spirit world. Surely the first people we will seek to find there will be father, mother, spouse, children, and siblings... I believe the mission statement for mortality might be “to build an eternal family.” Here on this earth we strive to become part of extended families with the ability to create and form our own part of those families. That is one of the reasons our Heavenly Father sent us here. Not everyone will find a companion and have a family in mortality, but everyone, regardless of individual circumstances, is a precious member of God’s family."
Elder M. Russel Ballard, General Conference October 2005 “What Matters Most is What Lasts Longest” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/what-matters-most-is-what-lasts-longest?lang=eng&query=family
6.
"The doctrine of the family begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them. The Apostle Paul taught that God is the father of our spirits. From the proclamation we read, “In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life.” ...the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. From the earliest beginnings, God established the family and made it eternal."
Elder Robert D. Hales, General Conference October 1996 “The Eternal Family” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/the-eternal-family?lang=eng&query=family
7.
"In our theology and in our practice, the family and the Church have a mutually reinforcing relationship. The family is dependent upon the Church for doctrine, ordinances, and priesthood keys. The Church provides the teachings, authority, and ordinances necessary to perpetuate family relationships to the eternities. We have programs and activities in both the family and the Church. Each is so interrelated that service to one is service to the other. When children see their parents faithfully perform Church callings, it strengthens their family relationships. When families are strong, the Church is strong. The two run in parallel. Each is important and necessary, and each must be conducted with careful concern for the other."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference October 2005 “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/priesthood-authority-in-the-family-and-the-church?lang=eng&query=family
8.
“Now keep in mind this; that when the full measure of Elijah’s mission is understood, that the hearts of the children will be turned to the fathers, and the fathers to the children. It applies just as much on this side of the veil as it does on the other side of the veil. If we neglect our families here in having family home night and we fail in our responsibility here, how would it look if we lost some of those through our own neglect? Heaven would not be heaven until we have done everything we can to save those whom the Lord has sent through our lineage”
Elder L. Tom Perry, General Conference April 1994 “Therefore I Was Taught” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/04/therefore-i-was-taught?lang=eng&query=family+home+evening
9.
The proclamation to the world on the family, which was issued by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995, was then and is now a clarion call to protect and strengthen families and a stern warning in a world where declining values and misplaced priorities threaten to destroy society by undermining its basic unit. The proclamation is a prophetic document, not only because it was issued by prophets but because it was ahead of its time. It warns against many of the very things that have threatened and undermined families during the last decade and calls for the priority and the emphasis families need if they are to survive in an environment that seems ever more toxic to traditional marriage and to parent-child relationships... Today I call upon members of the Church and on committed parents, grandparents, and extended family members everywhere to hold fast to this great proclamation, to make it a banner not unlike General Moroni’s “title of liberty,” and to commit ourselves to live by its precepts. As we are all part of a family, the proclamation applies to everyone.
Elder M. Russel Ballard, General Conference October 2005 “What Matters Most is What Lasts Longest” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/what-matters-most-is-what-lasts-longest?lang=eng&query=family
Here is a link to "The Family- A Proclamation to the World": https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation
10.
"The theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family. Our relationship to God and the purpose of earth life are explained in terms of the family. We are the spirit children of heavenly parents. The gospel plan is implemented through earthly families, and our highest aspiration is to perpetuate those family relationships throughout eternity. The ultimate mission of our Savior’s Church is to help us achieve exaltation in the celestial kingdom, and that can only be accomplished in a family relationship."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference October 2005 “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/priesthood-authority-in-the-family-and-the-church?lang=eng&query=family
"We are correctly known as a family-centered church. Our theology begins with heavenly parents, and our highest aspiration is to attain the fullness of eternal exaltation. We know this is possible only in a family relationship."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks- General Conference October 2013 "No Other Gods" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/no-other-gods?lang=eng
2.
"A home is much more than a house built of lumber, brick, or stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. We are responsible for the homes we build. We must build wisely, for eternity is not a short voyage. There will be calm and wind, sunlight and shadows, joy and sorrow. But if we really try, our home can be a bit of heaven here on earth."
President Thomas S. Monson- Ensign June 2006 "Heavenly Homes, Forever Families" https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/06/heavenly-homes-forever-families?lang=eng
3.
“Deep inside each of us is a need to have a place of refuge where peace and serenity prevail, a place where we can reset, regroup, and reenergize to prepare for future pressures. The ideal place for that peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece.”
Elder Richard G. Scott, General Conference April 2013 “For Peace at Home” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/for-peace-at-home?lang=eng
4.
"The Church has established two special times for families to be together. The first is centered around the proper observance of the Sabbath day. This is the time we are to attend our regular meetings together, study the life and teachings of the Savior and of the prophets... The second time is Monday night. We are to teach our children in a well-organized, regular family home evening. No other activities should involve our family members on Monday night. This designated time is to be with our families."
Elder L. Tom Perry, General Conference April 2003 “The Importance of the Family” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2003/04/the-importance-of-the-family?lang=eng&query=family
5.
"In the routine of life, we often take our families—our parents and children and siblings—for granted. But in times of danger and need and change, there is no question that what we care about most is our families! It will be even more so when we leave this life and enter into the spirit world. Surely the first people we will seek to find there will be father, mother, spouse, children, and siblings... I believe the mission statement for mortality might be “to build an eternal family.” Here on this earth we strive to become part of extended families with the ability to create and form our own part of those families. That is one of the reasons our Heavenly Father sent us here. Not everyone will find a companion and have a family in mortality, but everyone, regardless of individual circumstances, is a precious member of God’s family."
Elder M. Russel Ballard, General Conference October 2005 “What Matters Most is What Lasts Longest” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/what-matters-most-is-what-lasts-longest?lang=eng&query=family
6.
"The doctrine of the family begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them. The Apostle Paul taught that God is the father of our spirits. From the proclamation we read, “In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life.” ...the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. From the earliest beginnings, God established the family and made it eternal."
Elder Robert D. Hales, General Conference October 1996 “The Eternal Family” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/the-eternal-family?lang=eng&query=family
7.
"In our theology and in our practice, the family and the Church have a mutually reinforcing relationship. The family is dependent upon the Church for doctrine, ordinances, and priesthood keys. The Church provides the teachings, authority, and ordinances necessary to perpetuate family relationships to the eternities. We have programs and activities in both the family and the Church. Each is so interrelated that service to one is service to the other. When children see their parents faithfully perform Church callings, it strengthens their family relationships. When families are strong, the Church is strong. The two run in parallel. Each is important and necessary, and each must be conducted with careful concern for the other."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference October 2005 “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/priesthood-authority-in-the-family-and-the-church?lang=eng&query=family
8.
“Now keep in mind this; that when the full measure of Elijah’s mission is understood, that the hearts of the children will be turned to the fathers, and the fathers to the children. It applies just as much on this side of the veil as it does on the other side of the veil. If we neglect our families here in having family home night and we fail in our responsibility here, how would it look if we lost some of those through our own neglect? Heaven would not be heaven until we have done everything we can to save those whom the Lord has sent through our lineage”
Elder L. Tom Perry, General Conference April 1994 “Therefore I Was Taught” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/04/therefore-i-was-taught?lang=eng&query=family+home+evening
9.
The proclamation to the world on the family, which was issued by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995, was then and is now a clarion call to protect and strengthen families and a stern warning in a world where declining values and misplaced priorities threaten to destroy society by undermining its basic unit. The proclamation is a prophetic document, not only because it was issued by prophets but because it was ahead of its time. It warns against many of the very things that have threatened and undermined families during the last decade and calls for the priority and the emphasis families need if they are to survive in an environment that seems ever more toxic to traditional marriage and to parent-child relationships... Today I call upon members of the Church and on committed parents, grandparents, and extended family members everywhere to hold fast to this great proclamation, to make it a banner not unlike General Moroni’s “title of liberty,” and to commit ourselves to live by its precepts. As we are all part of a family, the proclamation applies to everyone.
Elder M. Russel Ballard, General Conference October 2005 “What Matters Most is What Lasts Longest” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/what-matters-most-is-what-lasts-longest?lang=eng&query=family
Here is a link to "The Family- A Proclamation to the World": https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation
10.
"The theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family. Our relationship to God and the purpose of earth life are explained in terms of the family. We are the spirit children of heavenly parents. The gospel plan is implemented through earthly families, and our highest aspiration is to perpetuate those family relationships throughout eternity. The ultimate mission of our Savior’s Church is to help us achieve exaltation in the celestial kingdom, and that can only be accomplished in a family relationship."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference October 2005 “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/priesthood-authority-in-the-family-and-the-church?lang=eng&query=family
MY THOUGHTS
Even though I already had a testimony of family, I was impressed by the strength of the declarations made in these talks and by the blessings that can only come as part of a family. I was especially struck by they call Elder Ballard gave to make the Family Proclamation a banner like Moroni's "title of liberty" and to commit to live by it's precepts. This call inspired my wife and I to pull down the proclamation we have hanging on our wall and really study it and look for ways to work together as a family to live it. My wife and I want to teach our children about the importance of the family and to create a Christ-centered home where our family can be strengthened. I have a testimony that Heavenly Father intended for us to be a part of an eternal family and I am so grateful for the blessing that, through the temple, my family will be forever.
0 comments:
Post a Comment