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(1/6/97)
Parents who really want to receive assistance must return to the basics — the
fundamentals of the gospel. Among all that could be said, here are four specific
suggestions that, if applied, can make a positive difference: First, do not be
afraid to set clear moral standards and guidelines. Be sure to say no when it is
needed....
Second, teach your children to work and to take responsibility....
Third, create an environment in your family in which spiritual experiences can
occur. For example: Remember family prayer every day. With schedules as they
are, you may need to have more than one prayer. Sending children out of your
home without the spiritual protection of prayer is like sending them out into a
blizzard without sufficient clothing....
Fourth, follow the counsel of the prophets. Listen to their messages at this
conference and re-read their counsel to us from prior occasions. If your
personal and family practices do not conform to the counsel received, then, for
your own family's sake, make some changes. — Joe J. Christensen, "Rearing
Children in a Polluted Environment," Ensign, November 1993
(3/7/04)
"We are commanded to 'feast upon the words of Christ' and not just nibble (2 Ne. 32:3). Remember President
Spencer W. Kimball's statement: 'I find that when I get casual in my
relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening
and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in
the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns' (Teachings of
Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], p. 135). How many times did
President Ezra Taft Benson urge us to read from the Book of Mormon daily? There
is no other book that provides us with so much opportunity to 'feast on the
words of Christ.' It really is another testament of Jesus Christ. Within its
pages are 3,925 references to the Savior. On average, every 1.7 verses make
reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is referred to by 101 different titles:
Lord, Savior, Redeemer, the Only Begotten Son, the Good Shepherd, and so on. If
you were to start on January 1st reading just two pages a day, by the time you
came to September 22nd, you would have read the entire book. Are you reading
from the scriptures every day? If not, now, this very day, is a good time to
repent." - Joe J. Christensen, "Ten
Ideas to Increase Your Spirituality," Ensign, Mar. 1999, p. 58
(11/5/04)
"I testify that Jesus is the Christ. The tomb was empty on that third day,
and 'as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive' (1
Cor. 15:22). Thus with gratitude for the sealing power within the restored
gospel of Jesus Christ, we can confidently say with the poet, 'I shall but love
thee better after death' (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 'How Do I Love
Thee?')." - Joe J. Christensen, "Marriage
and the Great Plan of Happiness," Ensign, May 1995, p.44
(11/23/04)
"In a recent conference, Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “As we test the moral
environment, we find the pollution index is spiraling upward” (Ensign,
May 1992, p. 66). The Apostle Paul foresaw “that in the last days perilous
times shall come” (2 Tim. 3:1).
And speaking of the last days, the prophet Moroni declared, “Yea, it shall
come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth”
(Morm. 8:31)." - Joe
J. Christensen, "Rearing
Children in a Polluted Environment,” Ensign, November 1993, p. 11
(12/7/04)
"Some of the most remarkable personal
revelations have been directly related to individual study of the scriptures.
For example, the vision of the degrees of glory recorded in Doctrine and
Covenants 76 came to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon after the
Prophet had been studying the translation of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of
John. (D&C 76:headnote, D&C
76:15-24.) Joseph Smith's First Vision came after he had reflected on James
1:5 'again and again.' (JS-H
1:11-17.) And President Joseph F. Smith's vision of the redemption of the
dead came as he pondered over questions related to 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 4:6 [1
Pet. 3:18-20; 1 Pet. 4:6].
(D&C 138:1-11.)" -
Joe J. Christensen, "Toward
Greater Spirituality: Ten Important Steps," Ensign, June 1983, p. 8
(5/21/05)
"At times it is better to leave some things unsaid.
As a newlywed, Sister Lola Walters read in a magazine that in order to
strengthen a marriage, a couple should have regular, candid sharing sessions in
which they would list any mannerisms they found to be annoying. She wrote:
"'We were to name five things we found annoying, and I started off.... I told
him that I didn't like the way he ate grapefruit. He peeled it and ate it like
an orange! Nobody else I knew ate grapefruit like that. Could a girl be expected
to spend a lifetime, and even eternity, watching her husband eat grapefruit like
an orange?...
"'After I finished [with my five], it was his turn to tell the things he
disliked about me.... [He] said, 'Well, to tell the truth, I can't think of
anything I don't like about you, Honey.'
"'Gasp.
"'I quickly turned my back, because I didn't know how to explain the tears that
had filled my eyes and were running down my face.'
"Sister Walters concluded: 'Whenever I hear of married couples being
incompatible, I always wonder if they are suffering from what I now call the
Grapefruit Syndrome' (Ensign, Apr. 1993, p. 13).
"Yes, at times, it is better to leave some things unsaid." - Joe J. Christensen,
"Marriage
and the Great Plan of Happiness," Ensign, May 1995, 65
(6/9/05)
"The more our hearts and minds are turned to assisting others
less fortunate than we, the more we will avoid the spiritually cankering effects
that result from greed, selfishness, and overindulgence. Our resources are a
stewardship, not our possessions. I am confident that we will literally be
called upon to make an accounting before God concerning how we have used them to
bless lives and build the kingdom." - Joe J. Christensen, "Greed,
Selfishness, and Overindulgence," Ensign, May 1999, 11
(11/8/05)
"We live in a world of entertainment in full color with a
lot of fast action, a world in which many children grow up thinking that if it
isn't fun, it is boring and not worthwhile. Even in family activities, we need
to strike a balance between play and work. Some of my most memorable experiences
while growing up centered around family activities: learning how to shingle a
roof, build a fence, or working in the garden. Rather than being all work and no
play, for many of our children it is almost all play and very little work." -
Joe J. Christensen, "Greed,
Selfishness, and Overindulgence," Ensign (CR), May 1999, p.9