- Excerpts from recent addresses by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD

The great doctrine of baptism for the dead was pronounced as a revelation to the Prophet Joseph. When Jesus was upon the earth, He declared that man should be born of the water and of the Spirit and unless he was so born he could not enter into the kingdom of God. Did He exempt anyone? In His conversation with Nicodemus, did He leave anybody out in that requirement that we should be born of the water and of the Spirit? No! But only in this Church, my brothers and sisters, is there the fulfillment of those words of Paul. How is it going to happen? It can happen only through vicarious work for the dead. - From Hamilton, Ontario, member meeting, Aug. 8, 1998

DEVOTION

I see . . . faith and . . . devotion among the Latter-day Saints wherever we go. Men and women who try to do the right thing as they understand it. Men and women who love the Lord. Men and women who can bear testimony of His reality and of the reality of His Son, the Redeemer. Men and women who know that Joseph Smith had a vision in which he saw God the Eternal Father and the risen Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Men and women who have taken upon themselves in the solemn covenant the name of the Lord and who try to live up to that covenant. Men and women who pay their tithes and offerings that the work might be moved forward across the world. Men and women who live the Word of Wisdom. Men and women who go to the temple and do their own work and also ordinances in behalf of the dead. You are great people, my brothers and sisters, you are great people who get on your knees and pray, and that is a very significant thing. The Lord bless you. - From Hamilton, Ontario, member meeting, Aug. 8, 1998

FAMILY

We place very strong emphasis on the family. We feel there is no substitute for a family consisting of father and mother and children; children growing up in a home where there is a loving father and a loving mother to teach them and lead them on their way. We strongly emphasize the sanctity of the family. We have a program under which we spend one evening a week in what we call a family home evening, wherein parents teach their children. We believe great good comes from that. No nation is stronger than its families. If you want to improve the nation, you improve the family. The family is the basic unit of society, and we so regard it. - From media interview, Praia, Cape Verde Islands, Feb. 21, 1998

HUMILITY

People ask me what my favorite scripture is. I say, "Well, I have several of them." One of them is this: "Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers." (D&C 112: 10) There is no room for arrogance in our lives. There is no room for conceit in our lives. There is no room for egotism in our lives. We must be humble before the Lord. He has so declared, and if we will do it, He will hear our prayers and answer them with a blessing upon our heads. - From Winnipeg, Manitoba, member meeting, Aug. 4, 1998

INSPIRATION

Keep yourselves open to the inspiration of the Lord. Listen to the whisperings of the Spirit. I remember when Brother [Harold B.] Lee set me apart as a stake president. He said, "Listen for the whisperings of the Spirit in the stillness of the night." Now, I believe in that. I have seen in my experience and I think I can testify that the Lord has spoken quietly. I didn't hear any words, but in the middle of the night ideas have come into my head which, I think, have been prophetic in their nature. - From Friday Night Devotional, Missionary Training Center, June 26, 1998

MEMBER RETENTION

I would like to make a plea . . . that each of us . . . see that every convert to the Church who is baptized into this work will have a friend to whom he can turn for answers to his questions; that every bishop and branch president will see that every convert has a responsibility on which he can grow; and that unitedly, we will nurture these people with the good word of the Lord until they are strong enough to walk by themselves. I don't hesitate to promise you that if you will do that, you will have a gladness in your heart that can come from no other source. There is no experience to compare with the experience of bringing people to a knowledge of the truths of the gospel. - From Montreal, Quebec, member meeting, Aug. 6, 1998

PRAYER

There is a power greater than you who can help you. You never need be ashamed of praying. Get on your knees as the day starts. Get on your knees as the day closes and offer prayer unto the Lord and ask Him to bless you in dealing with your problems, to bless you in your schooling, bless you in all you do, and remember before Him those who are less fortunate than you, others who are in trouble and need and desire His blessings. Be prayerful! There is something wonderful, there is something noble, there is something upstanding and good about an individual who prays. Don't forget to pray. - From Winnipeg, Manitoba, member meeting, Aug. 4,1998

TESTIMONY

An argument never won a convert. I'm convinced of that. It takes a humble testimony, when all is said and done, to win a convert to this Church. - From dedication of Joseph Smith Sr. family log cabin, near Palmyra, N.Y., March 27, 1998

TITHING

The Lord has said to those who pay their tithes and offerings, He will open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings that there shall not be room enough to receive them. What a wonderful thing it is, really, when all is said and done, to be living honestly with the Lord in our payment of tithes and offerings. You wouldn't cheat one another. You shouldn't cheat the Lord. It does not work. I didn't make the promise concerning it. He made it and it is my testimony to you that He keeps His promise. - From Sudbury, Ontario, member meeting, Aug. 5, 1998