Compilation of Readings

General Conference and other talks read for REL 333: Teachings of Living Prophets

The thought occurred to me this week that I should make a compilation of all of the readings I have done to complete my REL 333 Capstone Practicum Project. Why? Because this is what learning is – utilizing resources to gain new insights, understanding, or change of perspective. That is just the start of it, of course. For this class, the resources are talks delivered at General Conference twice a year and other places such as graduations, devotionals, and fireside.

In some way, a compilation of these readings shows how much time and effort has gone into learning from the living prophet and apostles of the Church. This was more than just a casual reading of a few random quotes, it was extensive reading.

This list is NOT all-inclusive of the talks read while completing this course as there are still 3 weeks left in the Spring 2024 semester. However, it is a good overview of the breadth of study this course involves through week 11 of the semester.


The First Presidency

President Russell M. Nelson

  • “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Think Celestial!” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Peacemakers Needed” April 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Overcome the World and Find Rest” October 2022 (General Conference)
  • “Choices for Eternity” May 2022 (Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults with President Nelson)
  • “Now is the Time” April 2022 (General Conference)
  • “The Power of Spiritual Momentum” April 2022 (General Conference)
  • “Make Time for the Lord” October 2021 (General Conference)
  • “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation” October 2021 (General Conference)
  • “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation” October 2021 (General Conference)
  • “Let God Prevail” October 2020 (General Conference)
  • “Embrace the Future with Faith” October 2020 (General Conference)
  • “Hear Him” April 2020 (General Conference)
  • “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives” April 2018 (General Conference)
  • “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives” April 2017 (General Conference)
  • “Joy and Spiritual Survival” October 2016 (General Conference)
  • “A Plea to My Sisters” October 2015 (General Conference)
  • “Will You Choose to Increase in Learning?” September 2014 (Church Educational System Devotional)
  • “Where is Wisdom?” October 1992 (General Conference)

President Dallin H. Oaks

  • “Covenants and Responsibilities” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Kingdoms of Glory” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Stand Fast with Love in Proclaiming Truth” May 2023 (Ensign College Devotional)
  • “Two Great Commandments” October 2019 (General Conference)
  • “Small and Simple Things” April 2018 (General Conference)
  • “Learning and Latter-day Saints” April 2009 (Ensign)
  • “Good, Better, Best” October 2007 (General Conference)
  • “Focus and Priorities” April 2001 (General Conference)

President Henry B. Eyring

  • “All Will Be Well Because of Temple Covenants” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Our Constant Companion” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Legacy of Encouragement” October 2022 (General Conference)
  • “Steady in the Storms” April 2022 (General Conference)
  • “My Peace I Leave with You” April 2017 (General Conference)
  • “The Comforter” April 2015 (General Conference)
  • “A Living Testimony” April 2011 (General Conference)
  • “Elder David A. Bednar: Going Forward in the Strength of the Lord” March 2005 (Ensign)
  • “Education for Real Life” October 2002 (Ensign)
  • “A Child of God” October 1997 (BYU Devotional)

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

  • “Motions of a Hidden Fire” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Lifted Up upon the Cross” October 2022 (General Conference)
  • “A Perfect Brightness of Hope” April 2020 (General Conference)
  • “President Henry B. Eyring: Towering Intellect, Childlike Humility” September 2018 (Ensign)
  • “Be Ye Therefore Perfect–Eventually” October 2017 (General Conference)
  • “The Laborers in the Vineyard” April 2012 (General Conference)
  • “Elder Quentin L. Cook: A Willing Heart and Mind” April 2008 (Ensign)
  • “Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: On to New Horizons” March 2005 (Ensign)

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

  • “A Higher Joy” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “The Prodigal and the Road That Leads Home” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Our Heartfelt All” April 2022 (General Conference)
  • “Fourth Floor, Last Door” October 2016 (General Conference)
  • “It Works Wonderfully!” October 2015 (General Conference)
  • “Of Regrets and Resolutions” October 2012 (General Conference)
  • “Your Potential, Your Privilege” April 2011 (General Conference)
  • “A Matter of a Few Degrees” April 2008 (General Conference)

Elder David A. Bednar

  • “Be Still, and Know That I Am God” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises” October 2017 (General Conference)
  • “A Christlike Character” (October 2017 Liahona)
  • “If Ye Had Known Me” October 2016 (General Conference)
  • “Converted Unto the Lord” October 2012 (General Conference)

Elder Quentin L. Cook

  • “Be One with Christ” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Be Peaceable Followers of Christ” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Elder Dale G. Renlund: An Obedient Servant” July 2016 (Ensign)
  • “Choose Wisely” October 2014 (General Conference)
  • “We Follow Jesus Christ” April 2010 (General Conference)
  • “Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Prepared to Serve the Lord” August 2008 (Ensign)

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

  • “The Testimony of Jesus” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “The Sealing Power” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “The Doctrine of Belonging” October 2022 (General Conference)
  • “Our Relationship with God” April 2022 (General Conference)
  • “The First Commandment First” March 2022 (BYU Devotional)
  • “Elder Gerrit W. Gong: Love the Lord and Trust Him” October 2018 (Ensign)
  • “Recognizing God’s Hand in Our Daily Blessings” January 2012 (Ensign)
  • “As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten” April 2011 (General Conference)
  • “Elder Neil L. Andersen: Man of Faith” August 2009 (Ensign)

Elder Neil A. Andersen

  • “Temples, Houses of the Lord Dotting the Earth” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “My Mind Caught Hold upon This Thought of Jesus Christ” April 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Drawing Closer to the Savior” October 2022 (General Conference)

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

  • “Words Matter” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “How Great Will Be Your Joy” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Recommended to the Lord” October 2020 (General Conference)

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

  • “Bridging the Two Great Commandments” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Nourishing and Bearing Your Testimony” October 2022 (General Conference)
  • “Love, Share, Invite” April 2022 (General Conference)
  • “How Does the Holy Ghost Help You?” April 2017 (General Conference)
  • “Your Four Minutes” April 2014 (General Conference)

Elder Dale G. Renlund

  • “The Powerful, Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Jesus Christ Is the Treasure” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny” April 2022 (General Conference)
  • “Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying” April 2015 (General Conference)

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

  • “All Things for Our Good” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Love Is Spoken Here” October 2023 (General Conference)
  • “We Each Have a Story” April 2022 (General Conference)
  • “Things Expedient to Understand” October 2020 (BYU-Idaho Devotional)

Elder Ulisses Soares

  • “Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ” April 2024 (General Conference)
  • “Brothers and Sisters in Christ” October 2023 (General Conference)

Elder Patrick Kearon

  • “He Is Risen with Healing in His Wings: We Can Be More Than Conquerors” April 2022 (General Conference)

Other Living Speakers/Authors

Elder Craig C. Christensen

  • “I Know These Things of Myself” October 2014 (General Conference)

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom

  • “Do It Now” October 2007 (General Conference)

Bradley R. Wilcox

  • “Worthiness Is Not Flawlessness” October 2021 (General Conference)

Elder Clark G. Gilbert

  • “A Prophet in the Land: Current Prophetic Emphases to Young Adults” January 2023 (S&I Annual Broadcast 2023)

Don L. Searle

  • “Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles” December 1994 (Ensign)

Other Speakers/Authors

Please note: The focus of this course was living prophets and apostles. The following are no longer living, but their words still resonate in the hearts of the people of the Church. They are no less important, but not the focus of the course material.

In this case, these were articles written about living apostles, thus relevant.

Elder M. Russell Ballard

  • “Elder Ronald A. Rasband: Gifted Leader, Devoted Father” April 2016 (Ensign)

Elder Robert D. Hales

  • “Elder Gary E. Stevenson: An Understanding Heart” June 2016 (Ensign)

To find out more…

Reflection on Readings

The average person will look at this list and think, “No wonder you never had time to do anything outside of school.” The reality is, this is accurate. I have to confess that I did plow through some of these to get as much done as possible when I had time ahead of my APD 290 CAD Pattern Making projects. I am grateful that followed the inspiration to do this. The next couple of weeks will be very time-packed with the sewing project.

Have any of these impacted my life deeply and profoundly? That I cannot fully answer. Were there quotes that stood out? Yes. Are they life-altering? Not necessarily. What they do bring is a different perspective.

One of my “unwritten goals” (aka dream) is to read through the General Conference talks from my birth year to the present. This is a “one-day” thing when I have more disposable time. This is something that will take an extensive amount of time to complete. I did not think I would get a good start in this course. I am grateful for the reminder of this. I have a renewed desire to complete this task sometime in the future.

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