New Talk Posted on LDS Talks!!

The Civil War: Fulfillment of Joseph Smith’s Prophecy

On September 1823 Moroni, an ancient Book of Mormon prophet, appeared to young Joseph Smith and gave him many instructions relative to events to come. Joseph quotes Moroni who said, “that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people" (Joseph Smith History 1:30, 33). Partial fulfillment of Moroni’s words is clearly seen by Anti-Mormons who seek to somehow defraud Joseph Smith as a Prophet of God. Likewise, there are some who ignorantly disregard or equivocally discredit history in a failed attempt to disprove the revelation Joseph received on December 25, 1832. History is replete with explicit evidence of the fulfillment of this great prophecy. I will navigate the reader back through time, stopping just prior to December 25, 1832, and from there begin a detailed analysis of the prophecy with its fulfillment in the events that led up to and directly stemmed from the Civil War. From this analysis the reader can walk away with a witness of the literal fulfillment of this prophecy and look forward to the fulfillment of subsequent history majestically scribed, by the Lord himself. Click to Continue Reading

Charity is the pure love of Christ

Kiera and I spoke in church a few Sundays ago and I finally posted my talk onto my LDS Talks Blog. I just love speaking with my wife it is just a blast.

New talk posted on LDS Talks

One of the nonmembers on our team, Ken West, went to church with us and it was awesome. First of all I got up and bore my testimony in sacrament and of course cred like a baby. Then, in Gospel Principles class we had a good lesson on Faith in Christ. Ken made a comment that I thought could get very confrontational, he said that nothing we can do will increase our faith, it is simply that you have faith in Christ and he will give unto us. One of the recently baptized members asked how to increase your faith when it gets low, and so we were talking about reading scriptures and I said that if we want an increase in faith we must sacrifice more for that. Anyway, Ken used Hebrew 11 to make his point, and so I turned to Hebrews 11 and prayed that the Lord would lead me to a verse that would prove that faith is increased through action, and sure enough the Lord answered my prayer. Hebrew 11:8-9 says:

8 By faith ^aAbraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an ^binheritance, ^cobeyed; and he went out, not ^dknowing whither he went.

9 By faith he ^asojourned in the ^bland of ^cpromise, as in a strange country, dwelling in ^dtabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

So, I told him that Abraham had great faith and as he obeyed his faith was increased and Ken's eyes began to be opened. Between Alma 34 and the lesson we were studying he began to break down walls of incorrect traditions and thinking that he had. It was so amazing the Spirit began to fill his soul and he was excited. Several times he said with excitement, I need to read this book of Alma. One of the missionaries were asked to give the closing prayer and he just kept saying I need to get me this book of Alma and read it, and finally the missionary just cut him off an prayed, it was funny. We got him a Book of Mormon and we talked for a few minutes before going into Priesthood. I told him that just like the Bible is a history of Judah, the Book of Mormon is a history of Joseph, I told him about a prophecy of Joseph who was sold into Egypt that a remnant of his seed would be persevered and I told him that what he was holding in his hands is the history of that remnant of Joseph. He asked me where in the Bible he could find that prophecy and I told him that I would find out for him. That is what inspired my talk. I went back to the hotel and wrote out a talk about that. I also spent the first few minutes of Priesthood to find many of the verses that I wanted to use to show him.

So if you get a few minutes jump over and read my talk. If you have other scriptures and/or quotes that pertain to this topic please make comments on my LDS Talks website so that I can make a complete compilation of ideas on this subject. This way anyone can use this in helping their nonmember friends to understand the reality of the Book of Mormon.

Thanks and enjoy!

Read the talk just click here!

Our talks went very well

Our big day to speak in church finally came. Our church is at 9:00 am and so our day started at 6:30 am. Luckily, we bathed the girls yesterday in anticipation of today. We got dressed and out the door 30 minutes early. We got in the chapel 2nd and while the lights were still out. Kiera took Kembri to feed her and Alexa decided to go with her. I tried to study my talk while I waited, but that was not realized because Ashlyn was crazy and wanted to run all over. Also, one of the Elders started putting up chairs in the back and so I joined him. I felt that I needed to practice but felt that servicing was more important and felt that the Lord would provide if I helped. Anyway. sacrament started and come to find out we had two youth speakers and a musical number by the primary, Which should mean that I will only have about 10 Minutes, but that ended up not to be the case, Kiera gave her talk that was about 7 minutes and I was left with a full 20 minutes.

It was amazing because Sunday the 9th, I could not sleep and felt that I needed to write down my thoughts on the Birth of the Savior, without any research, just my thoughts. So I headed upstairs and ended up writing my entire talk. All I had to do was insert the scripture references and make minor changes but it was all done. The interesting thing is that when I timed what I had put together it was 16 minutes. I had figured, especially when Kiera only had about 7 minutes, that I would just cut some out. Well, the Lord knew that I would need all of that because I was left to fill 20 minutes.

I was semi-nervous for this talk because the more I practiced at home the more I got concerned. I can't express how amazing it was because from the moment I stood to speak the words just came out. I was able to bear testimony and I felt that the Spirit was there in abundance. I realized even more that I am nothing and it was all the Lord. I need to always remember that when I am on the Lords earned, I can rely on the Lord after all I can do and he will provide in the capacity that fits His will. I need to step aside and let the Lord do His work.

So here are our talks:

Craig- What the Birth of the Savior Means to Me

Kiera- The Birth of the Savior

New talk just posted

I have just posted a talk to my LDS Talks Blog.

Exaltation made possible through the gift of bodies

Also, Kiera posted a while back a talk that she gave in Sacrament meeting, so go and look at hers also.

My Testimony of the Book of Mormon

LDS Talks: Hope in Christ

I sent out an email letting everyone on the email list know that I had finished a talk titled: Hope in Christ but forgot to post about it here. So please jump over to my LDS Talks Blog by clicking here and if anyone has thoughts about it just make a comment. If you would like to be added to the email list send me an email cconover2@gmail.com.

Home Teaching Thoughts

After I was called as Home Teaching Supervisor I fasted and prayed about my calling. The Lord has opened my understanding to the importance of Home Teaching. I was overwhelmed with the understanding that Home Teaching is a call from Heaven and we will be held accountable for our neglect of not magnifying this great call. Late one night I could not sleep and felt to turn to the scriptures and was taken straight to D&C 45: 6 which reads, "Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts." Let us not harden our hearts but rather open our hearts to be taught by the Spirit.

The Lord is involved in aligning home teaching families with Home Teachers. These questions should be on your mind often:

1. For what purpose have I been aligned with this family?

2. How can I make a difference is this families life?

I was in the Temple about a week ago and had been praying for understanding and guidance in my new calling. While I was in the Celestial room I felt impressed to open the scriptures and turned to 4 Nephi. I thought to myself, Oh no, I will not find what I need here, but I kept reading. I started at verse 1 and when I got to verse three it hit me that this was specifically for Home Teachers.

"And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift (4 Nephi 1"3)."

Although we do not as of yet practice the law of consecration, we have a responsibility to our families to strive to help make them become "free, and partakers of the heavenly gift". If you look at the cross-reference for "gift" it is described as the Gifts of God. The scriptures are full of the gifts of the Spirit and our charge to obtain these gifts. The use of these gifts of the spirit are described in 3 Nephi 8:1

"... for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity."

So how do we as Home Teachers help our families to obtain these great gifts that will bless our Home Teaching Families lives and well as our own.

First and foremost we are counseled to have the Spirit with us when we teach and so we MUST live in such a way that we will have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. If we will live this way I promise that the power of God will rest upon you as you teach and befriend your families and that the Spirit will flow into the hearts of your families as you teach.

After we have the Spirit ourselves, our focus must be on our families. President Gordon B Hinckley has taught, "the most important thing we can do for those whom we lead is to cultivate in their hearts a living, vital, vibrant testimony and knowledge of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world (Teachings of Gordon B Hinckley, p. 648)." Faith on Jesus Christ is how we will help our Home Teaching Families to become free and partakers of the heavenly gift.

Home Teaching is all about the families of whom we visit. Home Teaching is almost like Friendship with an added stewardship. We are to show absolute love for our Home Teaching Families and be prayerful and listen to the Spirit so that we can have a spiritual impact as well. I was also impressed to talk about Ammon and his love for those Lamenites that he served who became the people of Ammon or the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. Ammon told King Lamoni, “Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die (Alma 17:23).” He ended up converting all of the people of King Lamoni and then he met King Lamoni’s father and had the opportunity to kill him but did not because he met Ammon’s conditions. “And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly (Alma 20:25).” We learn from this account that the love of just one man can have such a powerful effect upon the hearts of so many thousands. Ammon not only loved those whom he served but he also brought the light of the Gospel into their lives which transformed them into a people of God.

It is our challenge and duty to love those whom we serve with Ammon-like love which is Christ-like love and then to bring the light of the Gospel into their lives. We must make a difference in their lives. In this last Priesthood Session, Elder Stanley G. Ellis said, "But the Spirit taught me this truth-the Lord expects a difference! I knew in that moment that each of us will one day stand before God and give an accounting of our priesthood service and stewardships. Did we make a difference? (General Conference October 2006)”

I will close with this question, "Will you make a difference in the lives of your Home Teaching Families?"

Awake and Arise

Trying to identify a topic is always fun and amazing how they come about. On this occasion I had some quotes and a scripture that I wanted to use in this months talk, but had not narrowed down the topic. As I was walking to my computer to sit down and type up a talk, I just knew that my topic was to be Awake and Arise, which falls in line with the scripture I had in mind but also allows for greater depth. In this talk hopefully the Spirit will take to your very soul the message and that it will cause action within us all. Moroni could no longer sit still and watch his freedoms taken from him and he took action and required all men, women, and children to come forth and take action as well (Alma 46: 12-13, 19, 21, 23). We no longer can sit still while righteousness is taken from us, we too must take action and warn others to take action as well. Awake and arise should take on new meaning in your lives by the conclusion of my talk.

The simplicity of the word, awake, causes many to miss or overlook the purpose and use of the word. We see from scriptures how simplicity can be the downfall of many.

1 Nephi 17: 41

41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simplexes of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.

Here we sadly learn that "the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished." I think that is important to note that those that perished, understood the meaning of the word "look" but failed to understand the action needed to be saved. The concept of awake and arise is equally simple, and yet we hardly give it a second thought. As I look at it one must either be asleep or awake, there is no middle ground. I believe that is why this term is used over 60 times in the scriptures. It is a descriptive word that is not open to interpretation, there is only one possible interpretation and that is one is either asleep or awake. The Savior spoke in parables, but why?

Matthew 13:34-35

34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Mark 4:10-11

10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

The Savoir spoke in parable to keep all those that had not the spirit to hear, asleep, and those that had the spirit to hear he, awoke or unstopped their ears and they were given understanding.

The key is not the meaning of the word "awake" but instead the action or act "to awake." This key will either be "asleep" to you still or the spirit will unstop your ears and you will begin to act or strive to learn how to act which is what contains the power to save.

I was having a difficult day a while back and was sitting at a river behind where I currently work. I was praying and felt prompted to open my scriptures. I opened my scriptures to the same chapter I had read the night before and my eyes caught hold of a scripture that meant very little to me the night before. I was given understanding to unlock its meaning. This scripture is found in D&C.

D&C 133: 10

10 Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.

Here we see those words "awake and arise." There a few components here that are important to point out.

1. "Yea, let the cry go forth among all people" The cry has gone forth through the Book of Mormon, but we are also commanded to do the crying or warning. Just in the D&C the Lord uses the word warn 20 times and many of them are a command for us. We must give heed.

D&C 63: 37, 57-58

37 …lift a warning voice unto the inhabitants of the earth; and declare both by word and by flight

57 …those who desire in their hearts, in meekness, to warn sinners to repentance, let them be ordained unto this power.

58 For this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words…

D&C 88: 81 Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.

D&C 38: 41 And let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness.

D&C 112: 5 Contend thou, therefore, morning by morning; and day after day let thy warning voice go forth; and when the night cometh let not the inhabitants of the earth slumber, because of thy speech.

D&C 124: 106 And in all his journeyings let him lift up his voice as with the sound of a trump, and warn the inhabitants of the earth to flee the wrath to come.

2. "Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom." I believe that this is the stage that we are in and it was confirmed to me that this was the case. We are no longer allowed to sleep and we must awake the rest of the world. I was given some insight pertaining to this stage. This stage combined with stage 4 and includes going forth to meet the Bridegroom. In my mind it was likened to getting ready for church or a wedding both similar dress and similar requirements.

At night we set our alarm to go off an hour and a half before we need to be leaving to get to church on time or slightly early. When we hear our alarm, what do you think we do several times? That is correct we hit the snooze button. This can be very dangerous and many times leads us to being late. When we finally get up, we make a mad rush bathing kids and ourselves, finding clean clothes, tights, jewelry, and shoes. It is more than just getting ourselves and girls ready, we also have to find coloring books, toys, and snacks to keep the kids stay quite during Sacrament meeting. Then comes the drive which is always fun and hectic. So that is the typical routine for Sunday morning at the Conover house.

The thought then came to me if it takes that kind of time to prepare my small family of 5, how much time is needed to prepare a ward, community, nation, and the world. Now be careful not to judge. What was given to me was not necessarily time related but rather a greater understanding of circumstances. The Prophets have already told us many times that we are at the doors. There is an urgency to prepare rapidly ourselves, families, and to take this warning to our neighbors and to the world.

3. "Behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." There is no doubt that he will come, it is inevitable. We must choose whether to have oil in our lamps or not.

4. "Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord." Once we can view the correct circumstances then we can act appropriately if we choose. Preparation is a choice. Here in lies the truth of the saying I have heard Thomas S Monson quote, "When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past." For example, if we were still asleep and kept hitting the snooze button, can we miss the wedding all together, the answer is yes. Can we take too long in the shower and just drag our feet and miss the wedding, yes. One thing to remember is that there is no late, those that are late will miss the wedding as well. We learn this from the parable of the ten virgins, five of who were late and were locked out of the wedding.

Matthew 25:10-12

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

We all know why the five virgins were late, and that was because they ran out of oil for their lamps. The oil is simply the preparation that we make. As we think of preparation, lets look at some of the times that the Lord through the Holy Scriptures tells us to awake ourselves and then to prepare.

D&C 117:2-3

2 Let them awake, and arise, and come forth, and not tarry, for I, the Lord, command it.

3 Therefore, if they tarry it shall not be well with them.

There is a powerful statement by Henry b Eyring, who said, "The danger lies in delay or drift, (Always, CES Fireside 1/3/1999).

2 Ne. 1: 13, 23

13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.

23 Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.

Rom. 13: 11

11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

1 Cor. 15: 34

34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

Eph. 5: 14

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee alight.

2 Ne. 4: 28

28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

2 Ne. 9: 47

47 But behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? Would I harrow up your souls if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you according to the plainness of the truth if ye were freed from sin?

Jacob 3: 11

11 O my brethren, hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of hell that ye may not become angels to the devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death.

Mosiah 2: 40

40 O, all ye old men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words, for I have spoken plainly unto you that ye might understand, I pray that ye should awake to a remembrance of the awful situation of those that have fallen into transgression.

Alma 32: 27

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

Ether 8: 24

24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

In closing I would like to extend a challenge to more fully awake to your own personal standing with God and take action today. Let us no longer hit the snooze button, but let us awake and arise and be about our father's business (Luke 2:49). Let us prepare ourselves and families and get to work preparing to go forth and meet the Bridegroom. I have a testimony of this great work and know we possess inside our souls greatness and all we need to do is tap into that greatness. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.