The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
Refer your friends to join The LDS Daily WOOL (Words Of Our Leaders)
(3/31/98)
"We counsel you to accept callings
in the Church and to serve faithfully in the positions to
which you are called. Serve one another. Magnify your
callings. As you do so, you will be the means of blessing
others and you will increase in spirituality."—Teachings
of Ezra Taft Benson, p.454
(4/1/98)
"Some regard themselves as merely
'resting' in between Church callings. But we are never in
between as to this soaring call from Jesus: 'What manner
of men (and women) ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you,
even as I am' (3 Nephi 27:27; see also Matthew 5:48; 3
Nephi 12:48). It is never safe to rest regarding that
calling! In fact, being 'valiant' in one's testimony of
Jesus includes striving to become more like Him in mind,
heart, and attributes (D&C 76:79). Becoming this
manner of men and women is the ultimate expression of
orthodoxy!"—Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Settle
This In Your Hearts", General Conference,
October 1992
(4/2/98)
"Some callings and assignments in
the Church may seem insignificant and unimportant at the
time, but with each willingly fulfilled assignment, love
of the Lord will grow. We learn to love God as we serve
and know Him."—Elder Marvin J. Ashton, We
Serve That Which We Love, General Conference,
April 1981
(4/3/98)
"It is glorious to be a member. It
is glorious to have any office or calling in the Church,
no matter how relatively humble the title may sound. I am
impressed constantly with the fact that, regardless of
our calling, we are all encouraged, we are all dedicated,
and we are all working in the service of the
Master."—Henry D. Moyle, Conference
Report, October 1961, p.43
(4/4/98)
"Why is it that some young folks
are almost overly conscientious in their school work,
even to neglecting their Church responsibilities, when
the spiritual should have priority in the study time of
every person if preference must be given? However, there
is time for fulfilling every need."—The
Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.559
(11/13/04)
"Then the apostle Paul told us that the
Lord had placed in His church apostles and prophets, pastors and
teachers, and evangelists for the work of the ministry (that is the
great missionary program), for the edifying of the body of Christ
(that's the teaching in our auxiliaries and home teaching and priesthood
teaching and so forth), for the perfecting of the saints (that comes
through the service that they render), 'till we all come in the unity of
the faith.' (See Eph.
4:11-13.)" - LeGrand Richards, "The
Things of God and Man," Ensign, November 1977, p. 23
(2/11/05)
"We may be sure that if there are many children or invalids or aged in a
home, it is almost a certainty that such homes need help. O ye saints, do not
pine if you have not presidency or teaching positions. Be anxiously engaged in a
good cause, and do many things of your own free will. You may come nearer your
heaven by the unobtrusive help you render those standing in need of comfort,
succor, and attention. You won't feel important to the organization, but the
angels will be smiling as they record the hours of church service given to those
whom the Lord loves and to whom he personally directed his own effort-the poor,
the downtrodden, the needy, the ill, the discouraged.
"We are all church workers; those with specific assignments and those with
none are required by revelation to go to the house of prayer weekly to offer up
their oblations. We then renew our pledges to remember him who is our Savior and
to keep his commandments, the second one of which is to remember to love our
neighbors as we love ourselves. Having entered into this covenant, it is our
responsibility to seek diligently to show this love through our deeds." -
S. Dilworth Young, "By
Love, Serve One Another," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 67
(9/1/05)
"One who seeks to please his Heavenly Father will
serve the needs of our Father's kingdom. This Church is a part of His divine
plan. It is the kingdom of God in the earth. Its work is important. Its work is
necessary to the accomplishment of the eternal purposes of our Father. If each
of us is to please our Father in Heaven, we must be responsive to the needs of
His kingdom. We must be willing to work wherever we are called to work and to
develop our talents so that our work will be more effective in reaching out to
those who are not members of the Church or those who are inactive in the Church.
We must be diligent in carrying forward the great work of salvation for the dead
and in every other way giving of our strength and talent and substance to move
forward and strengthen the Church. This may involve some sacrifice, yes, but
with every sacrifice comes a blessing." - Gordon B. Hinckley, "To
Please Our Heavenly Father," Ensign, May 1985, 50–51
11/28/05
"This church does not belong to its President. Its
head is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name each of us has taken upon ourselves.
We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in
His work and His glory, 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of
man' (Moses 1:39). Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of
responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. No calling in this church is
small or of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the
lives of others. To each of us in our respective responsibilities the Lord has
said: 'Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto
you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the
feeble knees' (D&C 81:5)." - Gordon B. Hinckley, "This
Is the Work of the Master," Ensign (CR), May 1995, p.69
1/7/06
"The only principle upon which position should be sought and held by the
servants of God is that they might thereby be more useful—that the field of
their usefulness might be enlarged. No man should seek to hold a position to
gratify a vain ambition to excel. And whatever the position that may be assigned
him, he should therewith be content. If an Elder's happiness be affected by the
prominence or obscurity of his station, it is an evidence that he is dependent
upon something beside the Spirit of God for happiness; if he be appointed to
labor in a humble position by those who have the authority and he strives to
fill that appointment honorably, he will be happy—his happiness will be perfect;
his joy will be full; should his station be ever so exalted, he could be no more
than this...." - George Q. Cannon, "Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of
President George Q. Cannon," selected, arranged, and edited by Jerreld L.
Newquist, p.181
10/8/06
"The Lord in His infinite wisdom has
designed His Church to operate with a lay ministry. ... almost always there is
sincere effort to provide meaningful gospel service.
"Occasionally we find some who become so energetic in their Church service that
their lives become unbalanced. They start believing that the programs they
administer are more important than the people they serve. ...
"As a result of their focusing too much time and energy on their Church service,
eternal family relationships can deteriorate. Employment performance can suffer.
This is not healthy, spiritually or otherwise. While there may be times when our
Church callings require more intense effort and unusual focus, we need to strive
to keep things in proper balance. We should never allow our service to replace
the attention needed by other important priorities in our lives. Remember King
Benjamin's counsel: 'And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order;
for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength' (Mosiah
4:27)." - M. Russell Ballard, "O
Be Wise," Ensign, November 2006
10/9/06
"First, focus on people and principles—not on programs. One of the most
important things we do through the gospel of Jesus Christ is to build people.
Properly serving others requires effort to understand them as individuals ... so
that the correct help and support can be provided. ... The primary purpose of
Church leadership meetings should be to discuss how to minister to people....
"Our goal should always be to use the programs of the Church as a means to lift,
encourage, assist, teach, love, and perfect people. 'Remember the worth of souls
is great in the sight of God' (D&C
18:10). Programs are tools. Their management and staffing must not take
priority over the needs of the people they are designed to bless and to serve."
- M. Russell Ballard, "O
Be Wise," Ensign, November 2006
10/10/06
"Second, be innovative. As we work to magnify our callings, we should seek the inspiration of the Spirit to solve problems in ways that will best help the people we serve. We have handbooks of instruction, and their guidelines should be followed. But within that framework are substantial opportunities to think, to be creative, and to make use of individual talents. The instruction to magnify our callings is not a command to embellish and complicate them. To innovate does not necessarily mean to expand; very often it means to simplify.
"Being innovative also means that we do not have to be told everything we should do. The Lord said, 'It is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant' (D&C 58:26). We trust you, brothers and sisters, to use inspiration. We trust that you will do so within the framework of Church policies and principles. We trust that you will be wise in counseling together to help build faith and testimony in the lives of those whom you serve." - M. Russell Ballard, "O Be Wise," Ensign, November 2006
10/11/06
"Third, divide the work and
delegate responsibility. There is a difference between being responsible for
getting the work done and doing the work yourself. For example, gone should be
the days when the elders quorum president feels he needs to personally finish
the home teaching visits that others have missed. Home teaching is about love of
people and service to and watch care over our Heavenly Father's children.
"Assignments should be made, responsibilities should be delegated, and members
should be allowed to fulfill their stewardship as best they can. Counsel,
advise, persuade, motivate—but don't do the work for them. Allow others to
progress and grow, even if it means sometimes getting less-than-perfect results
on the reports." - M. Russell Ballard, "O
Be Wise," Ensign, November 2006
10/12/06
"Fifth, we need to thoughtfully
allocate our resources of time, income, and energy. I would like to let you in
on a little secret. Some of you have already learned it. If you haven't, it's
time you knew. No matter what your family needs are or your responsibilities in
the Church, there is no such thing as 'done.' There will always be more we can
do. There is always another family matter that needs attention, another lesson
to prepare, another interview to conduct, another meeting to attend. We just
need to be wise in protecting our health and in following the counsel that
President Hinckley has given often to just do the best that we can.
"The key, it seems to me, is to know and understand your own capabilities and
limitations and then to pace yourself, allocating and prioritizing your time,
your attention, and your resources to wisely help others, including your family,
in their quest for eternal life." - M. Russell Ballard, "O
Be Wise," Ensign, November 2006
10/13/06
"Sixth, a word to you leaders about
extending responsibilities to members and especially to recent converts.
President Hinckley said that every new member of the Church needs a
responsibility. Whatever responsibility may be extended should not overwhelm
new members but should give them ample opportunity to become comfortable in the
Church by learning its doctrine and by rubbing shoulders with friendly members.
It should anchor them to the restored gospel through increasing their testimony
and giving meaningful service." - M. Russell Ballard, "O
Be Wise," Ensign, November 2006
12/26/07
"My testimony
is that if we dedicate our lives to magnifying our calling in the priesthood
and awake and arise to our opportunities, the work of our Heavenly Father
will grow and prosper until no power can stay it. This is my conviction and
my testimony to you. I pray that our Father in heaven will give us the deep
and abiding appreciation for our membership in the Church and then nudge us
all to serve as we have never served before..."
- Carl W. Buehner, "Conference
Report," October 1958, Afternoon
Meeting, p.120
Refer your friends to join The LDS Daily WOOL (Words Of Our Leaders)