My Top Ten

Today in BOM365 we read Mosiah 8.  In this chapter, the King argues that seer is greater than a prophet.  Ammon explains that a seer is a revelator and a prophet and that there is no gift greater that a man can have.  He justifies his argument by explaining that a seer can warn of things which are to come and help understand what is to be learned from the things of the past.  Seers can help us better understand "Secret" things and bring to light those things that are "hidden".  He even states that there are some things that can ONLY be known through a seer.  The question for today was posed: "Thinking of past and present Prophets, what counsel has sunk DEEP into your heart and has been of great benefit to your life?"

I immediately thought of some talks that have sustained me, provided direction, and greatly influenced the path that I placed my feet.  It was fun to ponder what my ten all time favorite talks were that have profoundly influenced my life.  Some day I may do my top 100 because I seriously think there are 100 talks that have helped me so much.  I look to the words of prophets from General Conference regularly and listen to them when I walk and exercise.  At times, they have made all the difference.

10.  Judge Not and Judging by Dallin H. Oaks.
I love that he used to be a state supreme court judge.  I love that he helps us clearly understand righteous judgement from unrighteous judgment (which most judgment is in this category).

9.  Parents in Zion by Boyd K. Packer
This was exactly the counsel I needed when I was a mother of lots of young children and my hubby was serving a great deal in the church.  It provided all the answers when we searched for balance and it helped influence decisions with time.

8.  Continue in Patience by Deiter F. Uchtdorf
Oh man this was a big one for me when we were going through some financial challenges after Brent's illness.  I wanted so badly for things to improve on MY time table and it just seemed like things weren't happening fast enough those first few years.  President Uchtdorf was constantly reminding me that I needed to be patient and have faith in the Lord's timing.  I can see so much wisdom in that counsel now and I look back and think of all the things I learned from that time in our marriage that I might not have been able to learn any other way.

7.  The Ministry of Angels by Jeffrey R. Holland
I don't want to go into too much detail about why I love this one but I will testify that I know that the principles of which he speaks are absolutely true.  I can not deny it and I never will.  I have ministering angels in my life and I know that they are as real as anything else I know to be true.  So grateful for those experiences.

6.  The Tender Mercies of the Lord by David A. Bednar
For 5 years and 10 months life pretty much felt like it sucked.  I'm not going to sugar coat it.  Brent was sick.  Our income was drastically affected.  We were very unsure of our future.  I worried every day that he might not make it home.  I worried that he would develop an addiction to the pain killers that were perscribed for him.  HE was miserable.  I was miserable because there was so little I could do.  The ONLY thing that got me through was when I read this talk and started looking for the tender mercies.  Lo and behold they were there!  Sometimes we had to sit in bed each night and talk to each other about them just to stay positive.  Thank you Elder Bednar for this counsel!

5.  Why Do We Serve by Dallin H. Oaks
Believe it or not there are a spectrum of reasons why we serve others, some of them are not so great.  This talk helped me do a little soul searching to make sure my heart was in the right place.  It has been a beacon for me ever since.

4.  Good, Better, Best by Dallin H. Oaks
Elder Oaks says it best (he usually does), "We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families."

3.  And Nothing Shall Offend Them by David A. Bednar
If I am being completely  honest this talk was a complete game changer for me.  Prophets teach us what we NEED to hear, not necessarily what we WANT to hear.  This was something I needed to hear at the time that he gave this talk and I have gone back to it time and time again.  Being offended is a CHOICE,  I'm happy to say that I am pretty hard to offend these days and LOVE the feeling of giving people the benefit of the doubt.

2.  An High Priest of Good Things To Come by Jeffrey R. Holland
Oh how these word spoke peace to my soul!  I wish I had a buck for every time I have read this or watched the mormon message about it.  I would be a rich gal.  One of my favorite parts: "Even if you cannot always see that silver lining on your clouds, God can, for He is the very source of the light you seek. He does love you, and He knows your fears. He hears your prayers. He is your Heavenly Father, and surely He matches with His own the tears His children shed."  Here is the mormon message.  There is so much power in the final few seconds that are always hope filled for me.  I listen to Elder Holland speak words of comfort and I know it is going to be okay.
(drumroll please....)

1.  Beware of Pride by Ezra Taft Benson
There isn't a problem out there that isn't rooted in pride and that can't be overcome with a greater helping of humility.  Sometimes speakers talk about problems but don't really offer alot of counsel about how to fix it.  One of the things that I love so much about this talk is that he offers 8 suggestions about how we can choose to be more humble.  Tangible things that we can all apply.

This was fun!  Makes me want to go back and re read some of them.
Have a great week!

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