Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
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President Russell M. Nelson: “Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!
“My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.
“When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival).
“Nephi is making this record long after his arrival in the land of promise. His writings are more like his personal memoirs than a daily journal. Apparently, Nephi began writing on the large plates of Nephi not long after arriving in the Americas (1 Ne 19:1-5). However, he did not begin to record on the small plates of Nephi until 30 years after their departure from Jerusalem (2 Ne 5:28-33). This is significant because his record is colored by the wisdom and perspective of his age; unnecessary details of daily affairs are not included. Nonetheless, Nephi is able to describe the spiritual experiences and revelations with remarkable detail.” (https://www.gospeldoctrine.com/book-mormon/1-nephi/1-nephi-1)
Elder David A. Bednar: “The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. …
“… The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence…
“…Faithfulness and obedience enable us to receive these important gifts and, frequently, the Lord’s timing helps us to recognize them.
“We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies” (“The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2005, 99–100).
Craig C. Christensen: “After listening to his father speak of his many spiritual experiences, Nephi wanted to know what his father knew. This was more than simple curiosity—it was something he hungered and thirsted after. Even though he was “exceedingly young,” he had “great desires to know of the mysteries of God” [1 Nephi 2:16]. He yearned to “see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost” [1 Nephi 10:17].
… Because of his believing heart and his diligent efforts, Nephi was blessed with a marvelous experience. He received a witness of the forthcoming birth, life, and Crucifixion of the Savior Jesus Christ; he saw the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the gospel in the last days—all as a result of his sincere desire to know for himself.
“These personal experiences with the Lord prepared Nephi for the adversity and challenges he would soon face. They enabled him to stand strong even when others in his family were struggling. He could do this because he had learned for himself and he knew for himself. He had been blessed with his own testimony.” (“I Know These Things of Myself,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 50–51)
Elder M. Russell Ballard: “Vision makes all the difference in the world. Why was Nephi's reaction to his father's willingness to follow the Lord's direction and lead his family into the wilderness so different from that of his elder brothers, Laman and Lemuel? Could it be because Nephi went to the Lord privately and asked for his own witness or vision of the Lord's directive to his father? (1 Nephi 2:16). Nephi sought his own vision, and the result was that his heart was softened. He had a clearer view of where his family was headed, and he was able to commit to follow the Lord. As Solomon explained, “Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18).” (Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family, p. 23).
President Henry B. Eyring: “But the test a loving God has set before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered Him and the commandments He gave us. And to endure well is to keep those commandments whatever the opposition, whatever the temptation, and whatever the tumult around us….
“We need strength beyond ourselves to keep the commandments in whatever circumstance life brings to us. For some it may be poverty, but for others it may be prosperity. It may be the ravages of age or the exuberance of youth. The combination of trials and their duration are as varied as are the children of our Heavenly Father. No two are alike.
“But what is being tested is the same, at all times in our lives and for every person: will we do whatsoever the Lord our God will command us?” (Ensign, May 2004, p. 16-17).
President Harold B. Lee: “The most important of all the commandments of God is that one that you are having the most difficulty keeping today. … Put that aright and then you start on the next one that is most difficult for you to keep. That’s the way to sanctify yourself by keeping the commandments of God.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 30)
Sister Carole M. Stephens: “As we allow our Father to teach us, we will begin to see that His laws are a manifestation of His love for us and obedience to His laws is an expression of our love for Him.” (“If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 119)
President Russell M. Nelson: “We can pray to our Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction, be warned about dangers and distractions, and be enabled to accomplish things we simply could not do on our own. If we will truly receive the Holy Ghost and learn to discern and understand His promptings, we will be guided in matters large and small.” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 94)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “In my study of the scriptures I have noted that most revelation to the children of God comes when they are on the move, not when they are sitting back in their habitations waiting for the Lord to tell them the first step to take. …
“So we do all we can. Then we wait upon the Lord for His revelation.” (“In His Own Time, in His Own Way,” Ensign, Aug. 2013, 22–24)
Elder Ronald A. Rasband: “My experience has been that the Spirit most often communicates as a feeling. You feel it in words that are familiar to you, that make sense to you, that prompt you. …
“… We must be confident in our first promptings. Sometimes we rationalize; we wonder if we are feeling a spiritual impression or if it is just our own thoughts. When we begin to second-guess, even third-guess, our feelings—and we all have—we are dismissing the Spirit; we are questioning divine counsel. …
“First promptings are pure inspiration from heaven. When they confirm or testify to us, we need to recognize them for what they are and never let them slip past.” (“Let the Holy Spirit Guide,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 94–96)
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: “When I say “study,’ I mean something more than reading. It is a good thing sometimes to read a book of scripture within a set period of time to get an overall sense of its message, but for conversion, you should care more about the amount of time you spend in the scriptures than about the amount you read in that time. I see you sometimes reading a few verses, stopping to ponder them, carefully reading the verses again, and as you think about what they mean, praying for understanding, asking questions in your mind, waiting for spiritual impressions, and writing down the impressions and insights that come so you can remember and learn more.
“Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters or verses in a half hour, but you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God, and He will be speaking to you. Remember Alma’s description of what it feels like: “It beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me’ (Alma 32:28.)” (“When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 11-12).
Elder H. Ross Workman: “Murmuring consists of three steps, each leading to the next in a descending path to disobedience.” First, people begin to question. They question “first in their own minds,” and then they plant questions “in the minds of others.” Second, those who murmur begin to “rationalize and excuse themselves from doing what they [have] been instructed to do. … Thus, they [make] an excuse for disobedience.” Their excuses lead to the third step: “Slothfulness in following the commandment of the Master. …
“I invite you to focus on the commandment from living prophets that bothers you the most. Do you question whether the commandment is applicable to you? Do you find ready excuses why you cannot now comply with the commandment? Do you feel frustrated or irritated with those who remind you of the commandment? Are you slothful in keeping it? Beware of the deception of the adversary. Beware of murmuring” (“Beware of Murmuring,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 85–86).
“I have discovered one thing that most [happy families] have in common: they have a way of forgiving and forgetting the imperfections of others and of looking for the good.
“Those in unhappy families, on the other hand, often find fault, hold grudges, and can’t seem to let go of past offenses. …
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “… As we accept [our Savior’s] ways and overcome our pride by softening our hearts, we can bring reconciliation and forgiveness into our families and our personal lives. God will help us to be more forgiving, … to be first to apologize even if something wasn’t our fault, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more” (“One Key to a Happy Family,” Ensign, Oct. 2012, 5, 6).
President Howard W. Hunter: “How are we supposed to act when we are offended, misunderstood, unfairly or unkindly treated, or sinned against? What are we supposed to do if we are hurt by those we love, or passed over for promotion, or are falsely accused, or have our motives unfairly assailed? Do we fight back?…Do we revert to an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, or as Tevye says in Fiddler on the Roof, do we come to the realization that this finally leaves us blind and toothless?…We can all be a little more forgiving” (Ensign, Nov. 1992, 18).
Effectively Using Videos in the Home
As you use videos and video clips in the home, it is important to consider ahead of time what you hope your family will learn from the videos. Showing a video might be good, but it will be better if you plan out how you will help your family learn and how you will know whether they have done so. As you prepare to teach in the home, remember that “…the single most important way in which we can help increase faith in the rising generation is to more fully place Jesus Christ at the center of our teaching and learning by helping our [family] come to know Him, to learn from Him, and to consciously strive to become like Him.” (Chad Webb, We Talk of Christ, “We Rejoice in Christ,” Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Annual Training Broadcast, June 12, 2018)
In planning to use videos, consider the following:
Before:
During:
After:
“My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.
“When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival).
“Nephi is making this record long after his arrival in the land of promise. His writings are more like his personal memoirs than a daily journal. Apparently, Nephi began writing on the large plates of Nephi not long after arriving in the Americas (1 Ne 19:1-5). However, he did not begin to record on the small plates of Nephi until 30 years after their departure from Jerusalem (2 Ne 5:28-33). This is significant because his record is colored by the wisdom and perspective of his age; unnecessary details of daily affairs are not included. Nonetheless, Nephi is able to describe the spiritual experiences and revelations with remarkable detail.” (https://www.gospeldoctrine.com/book-mormon/1-nephi/1-nephi-1)
Elder David A. Bednar: “The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. …
“… The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence…
“…Faithfulness and obedience enable us to receive these important gifts and, frequently, the Lord’s timing helps us to recognize them.
“We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies” (“The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2005, 99–100).
Craig C. Christensen: “After listening to his father speak of his many spiritual experiences, Nephi wanted to know what his father knew. This was more than simple curiosity—it was something he hungered and thirsted after. Even though he was “exceedingly young,” he had “great desires to know of the mysteries of God” [1 Nephi 2:16]. He yearned to “see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost” [1 Nephi 10:17].
… Because of his believing heart and his diligent efforts, Nephi was blessed with a marvelous experience. He received a witness of the forthcoming birth, life, and Crucifixion of the Savior Jesus Christ; he saw the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the gospel in the last days—all as a result of his sincere desire to know for himself.
“These personal experiences with the Lord prepared Nephi for the adversity and challenges he would soon face. They enabled him to stand strong even when others in his family were struggling. He could do this because he had learned for himself and he knew for himself. He had been blessed with his own testimony.” (“I Know These Things of Myself,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 50–51)
Elder M. Russell Ballard: “Vision makes all the difference in the world. Why was Nephi's reaction to his father's willingness to follow the Lord's direction and lead his family into the wilderness so different from that of his elder brothers, Laman and Lemuel? Could it be because Nephi went to the Lord privately and asked for his own witness or vision of the Lord's directive to his father? (1 Nephi 2:16). Nephi sought his own vision, and the result was that his heart was softened. He had a clearer view of where his family was headed, and he was able to commit to follow the Lord. As Solomon explained, “Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18).” (Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family, p. 23).
President Henry B. Eyring: “But the test a loving God has set before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered Him and the commandments He gave us. And to endure well is to keep those commandments whatever the opposition, whatever the temptation, and whatever the tumult around us….
“We need strength beyond ourselves to keep the commandments in whatever circumstance life brings to us. For some it may be poverty, but for others it may be prosperity. It may be the ravages of age or the exuberance of youth. The combination of trials and their duration are as varied as are the children of our Heavenly Father. No two are alike.
“But what is being tested is the same, at all times in our lives and for every person: will we do whatsoever the Lord our God will command us?” (Ensign, May 2004, p. 16-17).
President Harold B. Lee: “The most important of all the commandments of God is that one that you are having the most difficulty keeping today. … Put that aright and then you start on the next one that is most difficult for you to keep. That’s the way to sanctify yourself by keeping the commandments of God.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 30)
Sister Carole M. Stephens: “As we allow our Father to teach us, we will begin to see that His laws are a manifestation of His love for us and obedience to His laws is an expression of our love for Him.” (“If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 119)
President Russell M. Nelson: “We can pray to our Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction, be warned about dangers and distractions, and be enabled to accomplish things we simply could not do on our own. If we will truly receive the Holy Ghost and learn to discern and understand His promptings, we will be guided in matters large and small.” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 94)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “In my study of the scriptures I have noted that most revelation to the children of God comes when they are on the move, not when they are sitting back in their habitations waiting for the Lord to tell them the first step to take. …
“So we do all we can. Then we wait upon the Lord for His revelation.” (“In His Own Time, in His Own Way,” Ensign, Aug. 2013, 22–24)
Elder Ronald A. Rasband: “My experience has been that the Spirit most often communicates as a feeling. You feel it in words that are familiar to you, that make sense to you, that prompt you. …
“… We must be confident in our first promptings. Sometimes we rationalize; we wonder if we are feeling a spiritual impression or if it is just our own thoughts. When we begin to second-guess, even third-guess, our feelings—and we all have—we are dismissing the Spirit; we are questioning divine counsel. …
“First promptings are pure inspiration from heaven. When they confirm or testify to us, we need to recognize them for what they are and never let them slip past.” (“Let the Holy Spirit Guide,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 94–96)
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: “When I say “study,’ I mean something more than reading. It is a good thing sometimes to read a book of scripture within a set period of time to get an overall sense of its message, but for conversion, you should care more about the amount of time you spend in the scriptures than about the amount you read in that time. I see you sometimes reading a few verses, stopping to ponder them, carefully reading the verses again, and as you think about what they mean, praying for understanding, asking questions in your mind, waiting for spiritual impressions, and writing down the impressions and insights that come so you can remember and learn more.
“Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters or verses in a half hour, but you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God, and He will be speaking to you. Remember Alma’s description of what it feels like: “It beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me’ (Alma 32:28.)” (“When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 11-12).
Elder H. Ross Workman: “Murmuring consists of three steps, each leading to the next in a descending path to disobedience.” First, people begin to question. They question “first in their own minds,” and then they plant questions “in the minds of others.” Second, those who murmur begin to “rationalize and excuse themselves from doing what they [have] been instructed to do. … Thus, they [make] an excuse for disobedience.” Their excuses lead to the third step: “Slothfulness in following the commandment of the Master. …
“I invite you to focus on the commandment from living prophets that bothers you the most. Do you question whether the commandment is applicable to you? Do you find ready excuses why you cannot now comply with the commandment? Do you feel frustrated or irritated with those who remind you of the commandment? Are you slothful in keeping it? Beware of the deception of the adversary. Beware of murmuring” (“Beware of Murmuring,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 85–86).
“I have discovered one thing that most [happy families] have in common: they have a way of forgiving and forgetting the imperfections of others and of looking for the good.
“Those in unhappy families, on the other hand, often find fault, hold grudges, and can’t seem to let go of past offenses. …
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “… As we accept [our Savior’s] ways and overcome our pride by softening our hearts, we can bring reconciliation and forgiveness into our families and our personal lives. God will help us to be more forgiving, … to be first to apologize even if something wasn’t our fault, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more” (“One Key to a Happy Family,” Ensign, Oct. 2012, 5, 6).
President Howard W. Hunter: “How are we supposed to act when we are offended, misunderstood, unfairly or unkindly treated, or sinned against? What are we supposed to do if we are hurt by those we love, or passed over for promotion, or are falsely accused, or have our motives unfairly assailed? Do we fight back?…Do we revert to an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, or as Tevye says in Fiddler on the Roof, do we come to the realization that this finally leaves us blind and toothless?…We can all be a little more forgiving” (Ensign, Nov. 1992, 18).
Effectively Using Videos in the Home
As you use videos and video clips in the home, it is important to consider ahead of time what you hope your family will learn from the videos. Showing a video might be good, but it will be better if you plan out how you will help your family learn and how you will know whether they have done so. As you prepare to teach in the home, remember that “…the single most important way in which we can help increase faith in the rising generation is to more fully place Jesus Christ at the center of our teaching and learning by helping our [family] come to know Him, to learn from Him, and to consciously strive to become like Him.” (Chad Webb, We Talk of Christ, “We Rejoice in Christ,” Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Annual Training Broadcast, June 12, 2018)
In planning to use videos, consider the following:
Before:
- Provide questions (prompts) that focus your family on what you believe is important in the video. Consider why you are having them watch the video, and what you hope they will learn from watching it.
- Use a simple “Look for…” question before you show the video to focus your family on what is important in the video.
- Tell your family to be ready to share what they learned after the video. (This expectation often encourages our youth to better focus)
During:
- As you watch the video as a family don’t be afraid to stop the video to point out something important if you think it will be useful to your family.
- Watch the video with your family and be an example.
After:
- Follow up after the video by getting answers from your family on the questions (or look for) that you asked them.
- Ask your family to identify the doctrines or truths taught in the video.
- After identifying the principles taught in the video, ask how we could apply (these principles) into our lives?
- Ask how does what is taught in this video clip strengthen our faith in Christ? What have we just learned that teaches us about the roles, character, and attributes of Christ?
- How did the video line up with the scripture account and/or how you had pictured what happened in your mind?