In his October 2025 General Conference address, “Jesus Christ and Your New Beginning,” Elder Patrick Kearon testified of a foundational gospel truth: through Jesus Christ, new beginnings are always possible. He speaks directly to those who feel worn down by repeated failure, long absence, or discouragement, and who quietly wonder whether they have moved beyond the reach of real change. [Read more…] about Jesus Christ and Your New Beginning
Apologetics
Forsake Not Your Own Mercy
In his October 2025 General Conference address, “Forsake Not Your Own Mercy,” Elder Matthew S. Holland taught a compassionate and clarifying truth about God’s mercy and our tendency to withdraw from it. Drawing on the story of Jonah, he showed how feelings of fear, shame, or inadequacy can lead individuals to distance themselves from God—not because mercy has been withdrawn, but because they mistakenly believe they no longer qualify for it.
Elder Holland firmly corrects this misunderstanding. Divine help is not reserved for those who have already fixed themselves. God’s mercy is active, immediate, and available precisely because we are imperfect. [Read more…] about Forsake Not Your Own Mercy
The Lord Looketh on the Heart
In his October 2025 General Conference address, “The Lord Looketh on the Heart,” Elder Sergio R. Barcellos taught that God’s measure of discipleship is fundamentally different from the world’s. While people often evaluate faithfulness by outward appearance, performance, or visible success, the Lord looks first at the heart—our desires, intentions, and willingness to turn toward Him.
Elder Barcellos emphasized that this inward focus does not diminish obedience or covenant living. Rather, it places them in their proper order. True discipleship begins with the heart. When the heart is turned to Christ, outward obedience follows naturally and meaningfully.
This invites a careful reconsideration of how discipleship is sometimes measured.
All God needs to accomplish His purposes and to help us become who He wants us to become is for each of us to turn our hearts fully to Him.
Prophets of God
In her October 2025 General Conference message, Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus taught that recognizing and trusting living prophets is essential for navigating “the many voices” of our day. Just like the woman of Shunem who discerned that Elisha was “a holy man of God,” we too can receive a personal witness of God’s chosen servants.
But a thoughtful question arises in our time: Why should modern believers place their trust in a living prophet? [Read more…] about Prophets of God
Know Who You Really Are
In his October 2025 General Conference address, Elder Brik V. Eyre taught that our lives “will fundamentally change if we better understand who we really are.” He testified that we are not accidents of creation or mere products of circumstance—we are beloved sons and daughters of God, endowed with divine potential and accountability.
Some faith traditions see humanity primarily as creations of God—beautiful, but passive. Elder Eyre reminds us that the restored gospel restores a higher truth: we are children of God, heirs with Christ. That single shift in identity changes everything—from how we face trials to how we use our agency. [Read more…] about Know Who You Really Are
Recognizing the Worth of Every Soul
In his October 2025 General Conference address, Elder Peter M. Johnson taught that the greatest preparation for Christ’s return is to make our discipleship our highest priority. We do this by ministering “to the one” with compassion, kindness, patience, and love without judgment.
But who is the one? Sometimes it’s the stranger who feels invisible, like the Samaritan woman at the well. Sometimes it’s a family member carrying private wounds. And sometimes the one is us, in moments when we feel marginalized, unseen, or judged. [Read more…] about Recognizing the Worth of Every Soul
When the Gospel “Doesn’t Work”
In his October 2025 General Conference address, Proved and Strengthened in Christ, President Henry B. Eyring taught that times of trial and discouragement are not signs of God’s abandonment but evidence of His love. The Lord “proves” His children, not by granting ease or worldly success, but by refining them into disciples who can bear the weight of eternal life. [Read more…] about When the Gospel “Doesn’t Work”
The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ
President Dallin H. Oaks reminded the Church in October 2025 that the gospel of Jesus Christ is, at its heart, a family plan. Beginning in the premortal council, this plan unfolds in our mortal homes, and is fulfilled in eternal families through temple covenants. He taught that the family is not just a cultural value but the very structure of God’s eternal design for His children.
This vision stands in sharp contrast to the world we live in, where marriage rates decline and childbearing is often delayed or dismissed. Some scoff that the Church’s emphasis on family is restrictive or outdated. President Oaks countered with a clear witness: the family is not peripheral to the plan of salvation—it is the plan. [Read more…] about The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ
President Nelson’s Legacy: Gathering Israel through Christ
As prophet from 2018–2025, President Russell M. Nelson spoke again and again of the great work of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil. He taught that revelation, temples, repentance, and discipleship all converge in one grand purpose: binding God’s children to Jesus Christ through sacred covenants.
In truth, President Nelson testified that gathering Israel is the most important work on earth today, because it is how we prepare individuals and families to meet the Savior with joy. The increased number of temples built, the changes in how youth serve in the temple and the church and the focus on ‘gathering’ all lead to this end. [Read more…] about President Nelson’s Legacy: Gathering Israel through Christ
Participate to Prepare for Christ’s Return
Participate to Prepare for Christ’s Return
Elder Steven D. Shumway, “Participate to Prepare for Christ’s Return”
In his April 2025 General Conference address, Elder Steven D. Shumway taught that callings and participation in God’s work are sacred opportunities to prepare ourselves and others to meet the Savior. As he explained, “When we say yes to serving, we are saying yes to Jesus Christ. And when we say yes to Christ, we are saying yes to the most abundant life possible.”
But some struggle with callings. “Why does the Church keep piling on assignments? Aren’t callings just burdens?” Elder Shumway’s message provides an answer: service in God’s kingdom isn’t busywork—it is consecrated discipleship that transforms us into the kind of people who can meet the Savior with joy. [Read more…] about Participate to Prepare for Christ’s Return
