Whit's Favorite Talks

Covenants: Our Bond with the Divine

2009-05-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

Victor L. Ludlow gave this talk at BYU Education Week: August 18, 2008.

Click HERE to listen. (right-click to save)

Only By Pride Cometh Contention

2009-05-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

Mary E. Edmunds gave this talk at BYU Women's Conference: April 28, 2000.

I really love this lady.

Click HERE to listen. (right-click to save)

Remember Lot's Wife

2009-05-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

This talk was given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in a BYU Devotional: January 13, 2009. Amazing - as are all of his talks.

Click HERE to listen. (right-click to save)
Click HERE to read.

Quote:

"If something is buried in the past, leave it buried. Don't keep going back with your little sand pail and beach shovel to dig it up, wave it around, and then throw it at someone saying, "Hey! Do you remember this?" Splat! Well, guess what? That is probably going to result in some ugly morsel being dug up out of your landfill with the reply, "Yeah, I remember it. Do you remember this?" Splat. And everyone comes out of that exchange dirty and muddy and unhappy and hurt, when what our Father in Heaven pleads for is cleanliness and kindness and happiness and healing."

-Whit

Happiness, Your Heritage

2009-05-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

I love, love, love this talk by President Uchtdorf.

Click HERE to listen. (right-click to save)
Click HERE to read.

Quote:

"You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.

Nearly a century and a half ago, President Brigham Young spoke to the Saints of his day. “There is a great work for the Saints to do,” he said. “Progress, and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth, and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations. In the mean time continually seek to adorn your minds with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ.”

The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."

-Whit

Strengthen Thy Stakes: Standing Strong and Immovable in Faith

2009-02-17T18:43:00.003-07:00

A wonderful talk from last year's Women's Conference from Sister Beck. Amazing woman. Amazing talk.

Click HERE to listen. (right-click to save)

"This is My Beloved Son"

2009-02-11T20:20:00.004-07:00

There was a wonderful article in this month's Ensign, entitled Hearing and Heeding the Message from the Grove (Elder F. Burton Howard ). It was originally a talk given at BYU Women's Conference. So, I give you - the extended version:

Click HERE to listen.
Click HERE to read.

-Whit

Faith, an Anchor For the Soul

2008-11-21T11:17:00.001-07:00

Brother Brad Wilcox and his daughter, Wendy, gave this talk at BYU Women's Conference, 2007. I love, love, love this talk.

Click HERE to listen.

Sorry, no html or pdf file.

-Whit

Preparation for the Second Coming

2008-11-19T16:15:00.001-07:00

Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave this address in conference, April 3, 2004.

Click HERE to listen. (right-click to save)
Click HERE to read.

-Whit

The Savior in Gethsemane

2008-11-19T16:02:00.002-07:00

Andrew Skinner gave this beautiful talk at BYU Education Week, August 2001.

Click HERE to listen. (right-click to save)

Enjoy!

-Whit

Meeting the Challenges of Today

2008-11-05T08:42:00.004-07:00

Neal A. Maxwell gave this amazing speech at BYU 30 years ago.

Click HERE to listen.

Click HERE to read.

I especially love this quote:
It may well be, as our time comes to "suffer shame for his name" (Acts 5:41), that some of this special stress will grow out of that portion of discipleship which involves citizenship. Remember that, as Nephi and Jacob said, we must learn to endure "the crosses of the world" (2 Nephi 9:18) and yet to despise "the shame of [it]" (Jacob 1:8). To go on clinging to the iron rod in spite of the mockery and scorn that flow at us from the multitudes in that great and spacious building seen by Father Lehi, which is the "pride of the world," is to disregard the shame of the world (1 Nephi 8:26–27, 33; 11:35–36). Parenthetically, why--really why--do the disbelievers who line that spacious building watch so intently what the believers are doing? Surely there must be other things for the scorners to do--unless, deep within their seeming disinterest, there is interest.

If the challenge of the secular church becomes very real, let us, as in all other human relationships, be principled but pleasant. Let us be perceptive without being pompous. Let us have integrity and not write checks with our tongues which our conduct cannot cash.

Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even these, however, must leave a record so that the choices before the people are clear and let others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, that others will step forward, having been rallied to righteousness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds--a majority which was, till then, unconscious of itself.

Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves "summer is nigh" (Matthew 24:32). Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat.

-Whit

Zion in the Midst of Babylon

2008-10-17T12:08:00.004-06:00

Elder David R. Stone gave this amazing talk a couple of years ago. I have re-read it numerous times and LOVE the message that it contains about keeping ourselves "unspotted from the world."

Click HERE to listen.

Click HERE to read.

My favorite part:

My involvement with the building of the Manhattan temple gave me the opportunity to be in the temple quite often prior to the dedication. It was wonderful to sit in the celestial room and be there in perfect silence, without a single sound to be heard coming from the busy New York streets outside. How was it possible that the temple could be so reverently silent when the hustle and bustle of the metropolis was just a few yards away?

The answer was in the construction of the temple. The temple was built within the walls of an existing building, and the inner walls of the temple were connected to the outer walls at only a very few junction points. That is how the temple (Zion) limited the effects of Babylon, or the world outside.

There may be a lesson here for us. We can create the real Zion among us by limiting the extent to which Babylon will influence our lives.

-Whit

A Reservoir of Living Water

2008-10-15T10:50:00.003-06:00

Yes, it is another talk by Elder Bednar. My cousin calls me a Bednar-ite. But, I don't believe there should any manner of -ites among us (see 4 Nephi 1:17). :)

This was from a CES fireside last February. It's a GREAT talk on scripture study.

Click HERE to listen.

Click HERE to read.

-Whit

It's Been a Whole Year!

2008-10-11T07:42:00.002-06:00

I don't know if anybody is even still listening, but I FINALLY got the Blogger thing fixed. Well, actually I started over from scratch. Here is one of my favorite new talks! From Women's Conference this year....

Awake, Arise, and Come unto Christ, by Sister Sheri Dew.

Click here to listen.

-Whit

Quick to Observe

2007-09-24T07:38:00.000-06:00

So, I'm having trouble seeing if my talks are posting. I don't even know if that makes sense. The last few edits have not shown up on my end. I'm going to post another one and I guess we'll just see how it goes. Anyhow, here's another great Elder Bednar address. It is from a BYU devotional May, 2005.

Click HERE to listen (right-click to download) Enjoy!

-Whit

Christ-Centered Healing...

2007-09-14T07:37:00.001-06:00

...from Depression and Low Self-Worth

This talk, given by Carrie Wrigley at BYU Education Week in 2005, is a keeper. It has helped me substantially.

To listen, click HERE.

-Whit

To Learn and to Teach More Effectively

2007-09-05T07:35:00.001-06:00

This talk, by Elder Richard G. Scott, is from this year's BYU Education Week. It is a WONDERFUL talk - not only about learning and teaching - but of living in the Spirit. I love it!

Click HERE to listen.
Click HERE to read.

"Throughout the remainder of my life, I will seek to learn by what I hear,
see, and feel. I will write down the important things I learn and I will do
them."

-Whit

Let Us Run With Patience...

2007-08-28T07:34:00.000-06:00

the Race That is Set Before Us... Well, what better way to start BYU football season than with a talk by Steve Young and Truman Madsen. What?? Steve Young and Truman Madsen gave a talk together? They did and it's WONDERFUL!!! I hope you enjoy it!

Click HERE to listen.

Don't forget you can subscribe now through iTunes or any other method you prefer. :)

-Whit

Be Ye Therefore Perfect

2007-08-23T07:33:00.000-06:00

Another great Women's Conference address. This one is by Sister Sydney S. Reynolds. If you are a Primary person - you might recognize Sister Reynold's name as one that appears on numerous Sharing Time helps in the Friend! She served with Sister Menlove and Sister Clegg in the Primary General Presidency.

Click HERE to listen.
Click HERE to read.

-Whit

The Lord Doesn't Grade on a Curve

2007-08-18T07:31:00.001-06:00

I really enjoyed listening to President Rex E. Lee. I am grateful for the time he was spared his cancer to serve as President of BYU before passing away in 1996. Tonight, for some reason I was thinking of a couple of my favorite talks by Sister Lee. I hope you enjoy them!

The first is "The Lord Doesn't Grade on a Curve."

Click HERE to listen.
Click HERE to read.

The second is "Knowing When to Persevere And When to Change Direction." This talk really touched my heart. Unfortunately, it is not available in audio format.

Click HERE to read.

It isn't very long and I am not going to quote anything. The entire devotional is worth the time.

-Whit

PS I have been putting the talks on an rss feed so I will have links for you to subscribe soon! If you are an iTunes subscriber - just search for "Whit's favorite LDS talks" (title) or "whit larson" (author) and you can subscribe now. I only have 8 or so talks on so far, but I'll keep adding!!!!

Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence

2007-08-13T07:29:00.000-06:00

This address by Elder Holland was first brought to my attention by my Mom. It has helped me SO much. Just yesterday it came up again as I was substitute teaching RS. So, thanks Mom!

Click here to listen (right-click to download).
Click here to read.

"If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don't give up when the pressure mounts. You can find an apartment. You can win over your mother-in-law. You can sell your harmonica and therein fund one more meal. It's been done before. Don't give in. Certainly don't give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. He wants everyone to be miserable like unto himself. Face your doubts. Master your fears. "Cast not away therefore your confidence." Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you."

-Whit

Goodbye, President Faust...

2007-08-10T07:23:00.002-06:00

"One of the greatest blessings of life and eternity is to be counted as one of the devoted disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ."

"For most of us, however, what is required is not to die for the Church but to live for it. For many, living a Christlike life every day may be even more difficult than laying down one's life."

Here are a couple of talks by President Faust. He passed away this morning. I will miss him. Wasn't he wonderful - weeping in our last conference? How grateful I am for living Prophets.

Read his message from this month's Ensign!

Listen to his beautiful talk on forgiveness from this past conference.

Or read it.

Click here to listen to his talk on Discipleship.

Click here to read it.

-Whit

For Such a Time as This

2007-08-06T07:18:00.000-06:00

I heard this amazing talk at Women's Conference.

Click HERE to listen - right-click to download.
Click HERE to read.

Let me know what you think!

-Whit

O Be Wise

2007-07-31T18:43:00.000-06:00

Another favorite conference talk. This one is by Elder M. Russell Ballard. The scriptural reference is my husband's favorite scripture: O be wise; what can I say more? (Jacob 6:12) This is one of my favorite leadership talks. We are all teachers and leaders and this talk is wonderful for each of us. Here is a quote from the talk that I especially love:

Occasionally we find some who become so energetic in their Church service that their lives become unbalanced. They start believing that the programs they administer are more important than the people they serve. They complicate their service with needless frills and embellishments that occupy too much time, cost too much money, and sap too much energy. They refuse to delegate or to allow others to grow in their respective responsibilities.

As a result of their focusing too much time and energy on their Church service, eternal family relationships can deteriorate. Employment performance can suffer. This is not healthy, spiritually or otherwise. While there may be times when our Church callings require more intense effort and unusual focus, we need to strive to keep things in proper balance. We should never allow our service to replace the attention needed by other important priorities in our lives. Remember King Benjamin's counsel: "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength" (Mosiah 4:27).

To listen, click HERE.

To read, click HERE.

-Whit

Experiences Worth Remembering

2007-07-24T18:42:00.000-06:00

Well, in honor of Pioneer Day... I just LOVE this talk by President Hinckley given in a BYU devotional last year. There really are things worth remembering. So, today let's all stop and remember. Give thanks for those who came before us - sealing their testimonies with their blood. Whether you have ancestors who crossed the plains, or whether you are a convert to the church - these men and women and children did hard things in the name of their God, who is our God. They helped the Savior roll the gospel forth and I thank them!

To listen, click HERE.

To read, click HERE.

Happy 24th, everyone!

-Whit

Chosen... To Witness For His Name

2007-07-23T18:41:00.000-06:00

Janet Scharman - WC 2001

Click HERE to listen.
Click HERE to read.

I LOVE this talk. I heard it at WC in 2001 and I have used the story of the chicks in more than leadership training, talk, lesson, etc. Enjoy!!

-Whit