President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985)

[Tuly]

I have quoted President Kimball often. So I started a thread on just his speeches. This talk was given at a General Women's Conference September 15, 1979 - The Role of Righteous Women - .
Since President Kimball was hospitalized at the time of the conference, his message was read by his wife, Camilla E. Kimball.

http://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/11/the-r ... n?lang=eng

Remember, in the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to. You are accountable for those things which long ago were expected of you just as are those we sustain as prophets and apostles!

Even though the eternal roles of men and women differ, as we indicated to you a year ago, this leaves much to be done by way of parallel personal development—for both men and women. In this connection, I stress again the deep need each woman has to study the scriptures. We want our homes to be blessed with sister scriptorians—whether you are single or married, young or old, widowed or living in a family.

Finally, my dear sisters, may I suggest to you something that has not been said before or at least in quite this way. Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.

Among the real heroines in the world who will come into the Church are women who are more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish. These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility. Remember, it is as wrong to do things just to be seen of women as it is to do things to be seen of men. Great women and men are always more anxious to serve than to have dominion.

Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and the spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.

[Tuly]

Here is another talk by President Kimball - There is Purpose in Life -

http://www.lds.org/new-era/1974/09/ther ... se-in-life

Heber C. Kimball made this prophecy in the early days of the church- “The spirit of extravagance and speculation will take possession of the saints.”-
Covetousness and selfishness – the results will be financial bondage.

“If we are not careful, we can be injured by the frostbite of frustration; we can be frozen in place by the chill of unmet expectations. This is what happens if we focus too much on ourselves. To avoid this we must—just as we would with arctic coldness—keep moving, keep serving, go forward with faith, and keep reaching out, so that our own immobility does not become our chief danger.”

God does nothing by chance but always by design as a loving father. You know his purpose. We have purpose also in our lives.

Surely such a loving Father in heaven, who gave commandments to prevent human misery, will not forget the needs of each of his children.

[Tuly]

The Second Century of Brigham Young University - great talk on education and dedication of the Carillon Tower and Bells by President Kimball

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=401

Your double heritage and dual concerns with the secular and the spiritual require you to be “bilingual.” As scholars you must speak with authority and excellence to your professional colleagues in the language of scholarship, and you must also be literate in the language of spiritual things. We must be more bilingual, in that sense, to fulfill our promise in the second century of BYU.

BYU, in its second century, must become the last remaining bastion of resistance to the invading ideologies that seek control of curriculum as well as classroom. We do not resist such ideas because we fear them, but because they are false. BYU, in its second century, must continue to resist false fashions in education, staying with those basic principles that have proved right and have guided good men and women and good universities over the centuries. This concept is not new, but in the second hundred years we must do it even better.

Brigham Young undoubtedly meant both teaching and learning when he said:

Learn everything that the children of men know, and be prepared for the most refined society upon the face of the earth, then improve on this until we are prepared and permitted to enter the society of the blessed—the holy angels that dwell in the presence of God. [JD 16:77]

We must be certain that the lessons are not only taught but are also absorbed and learned. We remember the [statement that Karl G. Maeser made to President John Taylor] “that no infidels will go from my school” (in John Taylor, JD 20:48 [4�August 1878]).

Whatever you do, be choice in your selection of teachers. We do not want infidels to mould the minds of our children. They are a precious charge bestowed upon us by the Lord, and we cannot be too careful in rearing and training them. I would rather have my children taught the simple rudiments of a common education by men of God, and have them under their influence, than have them taught in the most abstruse sciences by men who have not the fear of God in their hearts. . . . We need to pay more attention to educational matters, and do all we can to procure the services of competent teachers. Some people say, we cannot afford to pay them. You cannot afford not to pay them; you cannot afford not to employ them. We want our children to grow up intelligent, and to walk abreast with the peoples of any nation. God expects us to do it; and therefore I call attention to this matter. I have heard intelligent practical men say, it is quite as cheap to keep a good horse as a poor one, or to raise good stock as inferior animals. And is it not quite as cheap to raise good intelligent children as to rear children in ignorance. [JD 24:168–69 (19 May 1883)]

By dealing with basic issues and basic problems, we can be effective educationally. Otherwise, we will simply join the multitude who have so often lost their way in dark, sunless forests even while working hard. It was Thoreau who said, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root” (Walden [1854], I, “Economy”). We should deal statistically and spiritually with root problems, root issues, and root causes in BYU’s second century. We seek to do so, not in arrogance or pride, but in the spirit of service. We must do so with a sense of trembling and urgency because what Edmund Burke said is true: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” (letter to William Smith, 9 January 1795).

We must do more than ask the Lord for excellence. Perspiration must precede inspiration; there must be effort before there is excellence. We must do more than pray for these outcomes at BYU, though we must surely pray. We must take thought. We must make effort. We must be patient. We must be professional. We must be spiritual.

Dedication of the Carillon Tower and Bells

Our Father in heaven, we are grateful for this, the gift of thy people, the alumni, the faculty, the staff, and the friends of Brigham Young University, for this collection of fifty-two bells in this carillon tower on the campus of this, thy great University.

We are grateful for the faithfulness and craftsmanship of those who constructed the bells, those who have transported them, and those who have placed them into the tower.

Father, we are grateful for the diversity of the bells in their size, versatility, and music-giving tones, for the clavier and the clappers and the magnetic tape and the keyboard, and we ask thee, O Father, to protect this tower, these bells, and all pertaining to them, and we pray that the carillonneur will have the preciseness and the ability to create beautiful music from the bells in this tower.

Father, we thank thee for this institution and what it has meant in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and their posterity, for the truths they have learned here, for the characters that have been built, for the families that have been strengthened here. Let thy spirit continue to be with the president of this institution and his associates, the faculty, the students, alumni, staff, and friends of this University, and their successors that thy Spirit may always abide here and that stalwarts may emerge from this institution to bring glory to thee and blessings to the people of this world.

Just as these bells will lift the hearts of the hearers when they hear the hymns and anthems played to thy glory, let the morality of the graduates of this University provide the music of hope for the inhabitants of this planet. We ask that all those everywhere who open their ears to hear the sounds of good music will also be more inclined to open their ears to hear the good tidings brought to us by thy Son.

Now, dear Father, let these bells ring sweet music unto thee. Let the everlasting hills take up the sound; let the mountains shout for joy and the valleys cry aloud, and let the seas and dry lands tell the wonders of the Eternal King.

Let the rivers and the brooks flow down with gladness; let the sun, the moon, and the stars sing together and let the whole creation sing the glory of our Redeemer forevermore.

Now, our Father, we dedicate this carillon tower, the bells, the mechanical effects and equipment, and all pertaining to this compound and ask thee that thou wouldst bless it and protect it against all destructive elements. Bless it that it may give us sweet music and that because of it we may love and serve thee even more.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

[Tuly]

I would love the complete talk of President Kimball's - Circles of Exaltation

Elder Spencer W. Kimball said:

“When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be ‘remember.’ Because all of [us] have made covenants … our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day—to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that [we] ‘… may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us].’… ‘Remember’ is the word” (Circles of Exaltation [address to religious educators, Brigham Young University, 28 June 1968],

[Steve]

It comes from Charge to Religious Educators, 2nd edition. The only place I could find it was at the Harold B. Lee Library. I placed a hold on the book and it should be available for pickup in the next day or two. Then I'll scan the address. This had better be good! hehe

[Tuly]

Thank you Steve. I do hope it will be worth it.

[Steve]

Ok, they surprised me by actually delivering the book to my office! I scanned the talk and uploaded it to my web host:

LINK (PDF)

I still need to read it as well—in fact, I think I'll be reading the whole book, as it's directed toward religious educators, and that's my primary charge.

[Tuly]

Steve thank you so very much. Frankly I would read that whole book too. I loved this quote from that address.

This boy finally said, "Is it true that the Brethren are
all divided?" (That's the only question I will touch
upon today because of limited time.)
I said, "Yes, they are. Some of them are Democrats
and some are Republicans. Some of them drive a
Lincoln and some drive a Rambler. Some of them like
red ties and some like blue ties.
"But I want to tell you, my boy, that when the
Brethren approach anything that is important-that
is vital-they are one. They all would die for the
cause. They all know with absolute certainty that God
lives. They all know that Jesus is the real Christ and
that he is the Savior of the world and that he lives and
reveals his program to the world. They all know-and
all of the Brethren are unified in this-that revelation
is a reality today.
The Brethren all know that David 0. McKay is a
prophet and that he succeeded several other real
prophets whose declared and official word is equal to
that of Joseph Smith or Moses or Abraham. The law
of the Lord does not have to be included in the·
Doctrine and Covenants if the prophet has stated it
officially."

[Tuly]

This talk was given September 1978 -The following address was delivered at the special women’s fireside held September 16, originating from the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Latter-day Saint women twelve and older gathered in more than 1,400 congregations around the world to listen to President Spencer W. Kimball . Great talk - Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/ ... s?lang=eng




[quote]Each of you should be grateful to be a woman! Self-pity is always a sad thing to see and especially when there is no justification for it. To be a righteous woman is a glorious thing in any age. To be a righteous woman during the winding up scenes on this earth, before the second coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling. The righteous woman’s strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times. She has been placed here to help to enrich, to protect, and to guard the home—which is society’s basic and most noble institution. Other institutions in society may falter and even fail, but the righteous woman can help to save the home, which may be the last and only sanctuary some mortals know in the midst of storm and strife.

One of the important messages that emerges from the history of great women in all ages is that they cared more for the future of their families than for their own comfort. Such good women had a grasp of what matters in life. When called upon to do so, they could fashion a lovely city in the midst of a swamp or make the desert blossom as a rose.[/quote]

[quote]May you realize that in you is the control of your life and what you are going to be, what you are going to do. Remember that your choices may control to some extent others whose lives will be a part of your life. Remember also that if you succeed, it isn’t because of luck. Success comes from faith and work and prayer and from constant righteous effort. It is a question of agency—of what you choose to do with gifts of God—everything upon the earth, wherein there is life. This reverence for agency and life make us greatly concerned about the world in which we live today. It is a world beset with evil, with frustrations, with ugliness. It makes us realize that we must make a strong stand for the right or we may not stand at all.[/quote]

[Tuly]

Happy New Year's Eve all!! - This poem by President Kimball is wonderful - it was printed in President Draney's funeral service program. This is great link to a lot of his poems.

https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/B ... /5567/5216

When I Look Back - to Camilla

When I look back across our mingled years,
I know it is not just the joys we shared
That made our lives one pattern, but the tears
We shed together. and the rough, wild seas we fared.
Through all the disappointments we have faced,
Through this world's faults and failures, we have come
To heights of understanding that are based
More on the sorrows than the joys of home.
Young love is beautiful to contemplate
But old love is the finished tapestry
Stretched out from oaken floors to heaven's gate.
We wove on earth for all eternity
With threads made stronger by the steady beat
Of hearts that suffered but knew no defeat.

[Tuly]

I have always felt uncomfortable with missionaries that fall in love with some one in the mission field during their mission. This is an important talk by President Kimball. He was Elder Kimball when he gave this talk - Lock Your Heart - Latin America Mission Tour 1968. The complete talk is in the link. His advice still applies today and obviously applies to sister missionaries.

http://missionaryhelper.com/talks/lockheart.html

So we just don't fall in love unless we are fooling around. We never fall in a crater unless we are somewhere near the edge of it. I have been up to Vesuvius and on a number of craters and volcanoes and I know you just don't ever fall in a crater, unless you are on the edge of it. And so you just keep your hearts locked! I said lock them in Salt Lake when you leave the Mission Home and don't give a thought to it. But if you go around say, "Well, she is kind of a pretty girl! She surely is a sweet little thing! She's a nice girl! I'd like to talk to her- I'd just like to visit with her!" Well, you are in for trouble and that trouble can bring you a lifetime of trouble and a lifetime of regrets if you continue on with it.

So, can I impress that again? LOCK YOUR HEARTS and leave the key at home! Wherever you live, leave the key home with your folks. And your heart - it's only that part of it that deals with people generally that you open up. We just can't tolerate it, can we? We can't individually; we can't totally. Someone said, "Well, is there any harm to marry a Mexican girl if you are working in Mexico! "No, that isn't any crime, but it proves that some missionary has had his heart open! He has unlocked it! Is it wrong to marry a German girl when you have been on a German mission? Why no, there is no crime in that, if you met her some other way. But when you meet her in the mission field and you have opened your heart, I tell you it isn't right, and you have shortchanged your mission! Just keep your hearts locked. Your whole thought should be missionary work. How can I make it more plain and more important than that? I'd like to because there is no reason whatever for any missionary to ever become involved, not even in a decent way, with any girl in the mission field. It isn't the place! You guaranteed, you promised! You went through the Temple! You remember what you did in the Temple? Remember you promised you'd do all the things the brethren request of you, to live the commandments. That's one of the commandments when you go into the mission field: "Thou shalt not flirt! Thou shalt not associate with young women in the mission field - or anyone else for that matter - on any other basis than the proselyting basis." You promised, and you would not want to break a promise you made before the Lord in the Holy Temple of the Lord. And when you wrote, the letter of acceptance to President McKay that was implied in it. You knew of course - every missionary knows - that he isn't going out to court, that he isn't going out to find a wife! He's got plenty of opportunity when he gets home, and the mission field isn't the place.

Sometimes we find a young man who has not been popular at home; he has been very, very backward at home and he hasn't had many dates. So when he gets out into the mission field and somebody flatters him a little- some girl shows a lot of interest in him - why he's flattered. He thinks all at once, "Well, that's whom I should marry!" Well, I say this once more by repetition and for emphasis, you LOCK YOUR HEARTS and if you haven't done so, do it now and send the key back! You will not permit any impression, no romantic thought or impression in your mind. For two years you have given yourself to the Lord, totally, to teach the Gospel to the world. When you have done this perfectly for two years and then you go home, you are infinitely more attractive, more able, more dignified, more mature to make those important decisions for your life in the matter of personages to enjoy eternity with you.

[Tuly]

Great talk - The False Gods We Worship - by President Spencer W. Kimball

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/06/the- ... p?lang=eng

It is my firm belief that when we read these scriptures and try to “liken them unto [our]selves,” as Nephi suggested (1 Ne. 19:24), we will see many parallels between the ancient worship of graven images and behavioral patterns in our very own experience.

The Lord has blessed us as a people with a prosperity unequaled in times past. The resources that have been placed in our power are good, and necessary to our work here on the earth. But I am afraid that many of us have been surfeited with flocks and herds and acres and barns and wealth and have begun to worship them as false gods, and they have power over us. Do we have more of these good things than our faith can stand? Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life. Forgotten is the fact that our assignment is to use these many resources in our families and quorums to build up the kingdom of God—to further the missionary effort and the genealogical and temple work; to raise our children up as fruitful servants unto the Lord; to bless others in every way, that they may also be fruitful. Instead, we expend these blessings on our own desires, and as Moroni said, “Ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not.” (Morm. 8:39.)

As the Lord himself said in our day, “They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.” (D&C 1:16; italics added.)

[Tuly]

This talk is from April 1977 General Conference - The Lord Expects His Saints to Follow the Commandments
History does repeat itself and we still need to be obedient to all of His commandments.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1977/05/the- ... s?lang=eng

Early this year when drouth conditions seemed to be developing in the West, the cold and hardships in the East, with varying weather situations all over the world, we felt to ask the members of the Church to join in fasting and prayer, asking the Lord for moisture where it was so vital and for a cessation of the difficult conditions elsewhere.

Perhaps we may have been unworthy in asking for these greatest blessings, but we do not wish to frantically approach the matter but merely call it to the attention of our Lord and then spend our energy to put our lives in harmony.

One prophet said:

“When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:

“Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.” (1 Kgs. 8:35–36.)

The Lord uses the weather sometimes to discipline his people for the violation of his laws. He said to the children of Israel:

“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

“Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

“And your threshing shall reach into the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

“And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: … neither shall the sword go through your land.” (Lev. 26:3–6.)

[Tuly]

This is another treasure talk by President Kimball - thanks to Elder Larry S. Kacher for directing me to this talk from his talk -
Trifle Not With Sacred Things -
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/ ... s?lang=eng

President Kimball's talk is - Ocean Currents and Family Influences - Ensigns November 1974
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1974/11/ocea ... 1?lang=eng

I have sometimes seen children of good families rebel, resist, stray, sin, and even actually fight God. In this they bring sorrow to their parents, who have done their best to set in movement a current and to teach and live as examples. But I have repeatedly seen many of these same children, after years of wandering, mellow, realize what they have been missing, repent, and make great contribution to the spiritual life of their community. The reason I believe this can take place is that, despite all the adverse winds to which these people have been subjected, they have been influenced still more, and much more than they realized, by the current of life in the homes in which they were reared. When, in later years, they feel a longing to recreate in their own families the same atmosphere they enjoyed as children, they are likely to turn to the faith that gave meaning to their parents’ lives.

There is no guarantee, of course, that righteous parents will succeed always in holding their children, and certainly they may lose them if they do not do all in their power. The children have their free agency.

But if we as parents fail to influence our families and set them on the “strait and narrow way,” then certainly the waves, the winds of temptation and evil will carry the posterity away from the path.

Some years ago when we visited overseas, where the children are exposed in the public school to a constant barrage of propaganda against religion, I asked leaders of the Church how they were able to hold their children to the Church and keep them in the faith. They said, “We scrupulously train our children in our homes, so they know truth from error, and that when they go to school, the godless philosophies to which they are exposed simply run off without penetrating. Our children love and trust us and remain true to the faith.” God bless such selfless, faithful parents.

You must all know how important it is to me that you all communicate often with us your parents and also with your siblings. I loved President Kimball's strong suggestion in this following paragraph. Mind you this was written 40 years ago - with all the new media around we are still not communicating often enough with each other. We are not that busy to try much harder. Our families will be stronger as our families influence improve in communication.

Analysts of our modern time point out that in a fast-changing world, people suffer a kind of shock from losing a sense of continuity. The very mobility of our society means that our children are often moved from place to place and lose close contact with the extended family of grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and longtime neighbors. It is important for us also to cultivate in our own family a sense that we belong together eternally, that whatever changes outside our home, there are fundamental aspects of our relationship which will never change. We ought to encourage our children to know their relatives. We need to talk of them, make effort to correspond with them, visit them, join family organizations, etc.