Reader comments
Seek to improve yourselves, Elder Hales tells BYU audience

Chris Plummer | 5:08 p.m. Aug. 19, 2008

Seek to improve yourself... but if you are a woman... only seek to improve your mothering abilities. NICE.

Tired of Droning On and On | 12:50 a.m. Aug. 20, 2008

I improve myself by doing productive things and not listening to long laborious speeches.

Time to get back to work!

Brad Gunnell | 9:13 a.m. Aug. 20, 2008

I for one love listening to these inspired leaders. They give me a desire to go out and improve myself and serve others. We can all learn from each other and women can improve by more than just being a mother. Everyone takes different things from the talk I guess.
May we all be more positive and learn from each other.

Comments continue below

Lance | 2:31 p.m. Aug. 20, 2008

"Seek to improve yourselves" -- Wow! How insightful! That is just pure revelation! Nobody has every thought of that before! Nobody has ever taught that before! Nobody has ever tried that before!

These LDS Apostles are so far ahead of the game it is absolutely inspiring!

--NOT!

maybe | 2:40 p.m. Aug. 20, 2008

that means finding a place to live while in school

sheri | 9:06 a.m. Aug. 21, 2008

I am a recent convert to the LDS church. It always amazed me how so many, like Lance, spend so much time 'beating down' another church. If he knows "so much" about seeking to improve himself and that message is so boring and NOT insightful, maybe he could add to it for us who might want to know more about the subject. The Bible doesn't say just once to love your neighbor, it says it over and over. I think it's because we need to hear it. If you aren't interested in listening to long laborious speeches, then, don't...What's the big deal?

Brook Bentley | 9:05 a.m. Aug. 21, 2008

I would have liked to hear his talk. His comments related here about motherhood (and for that matter, fatherhood as well) are spot on...we mature best in the service of others, especially our family.

Kevin | 10:15 a.m. Aug. 21, 2008

Lance has a point although he stumbled into it backwards.

Elder Hales would probably love to move beyond the seemingly simple stuff but chances are he CAN'T (or has to repeatedly come back) because of morons like me and Lance who are either too stupid to 'get it' or too stubborn.

Of course, from the tone of Lance's comment, he does get it and already resides in a far, far better place, probably alone with his insipid comments.

Hey Lance. | 11:52 a.m. Aug. 21, 2008

I have nevery thought of that before.

Ralph | 4:56 p.m. Aug. 21, 2008

Lance. I encourage you to spend some time serving in your community. As you do so, you will see that many people who struggle with difficult life issues do so because they have lost focus. Many spend hours in pursuit of entertainment or in no pursuit at all - perhaps lost in media with no direction in doing so.

Elder Hales is in a position to communicate to many people and to give them guidance that will help them and will enable them to more effectively help others who need assistance. Here is what will happen as a result of what he has said: 1) some number of people who heard what he said or read about it will re-evaluate their position in regard to life-long learning, 2) some number realized as they heard what he said that helping a friend or associate to refocus in this direction will be a significant help to them, 3) some number now have another source and perhaps a different approach to share the message.

The more that you serve and genuinely try to work with people around you the more you see it, and the more likely to welcome the message.

Lance | 3:17 p.m. Aug. 23, 2008

Ralph,

Don't patronize me. The Church leaders have had very little of interest to say for at least a decade or so. Their talks are reheated leftovers from primary manuals. Listening to them is a waste of time. But because everyone in the Church is so eager to show how righteous they are, they continue to say how wonderful the talks are (how beautiful the emperor's new clothes are). Hogwash. Someone innocent and truthful such as myself needs to point out the truth: the emperor has no clothes! The talks are trivial, dull, pointless, and mundane.

Sheri | 11:43 p.m. Aug. 23, 2008

Again Lance, if that's how you feel, then don't listen to them. It seems to be making you defensive and upset with the world. Find something you do enjoy and go there. Life is too short to hammer people for their beliefs. If this type of rebuttal makes you happy then keep coming back.

Janice | 11:59 p.m. Aug. 23, 2008

I've read or hears many talks about learning, love, service and other topics repeatedly through the years. But I learn something new from them for the same reason that I learn something new from the scriptures, even though I've read all of the Standard Works several times - I approach them with new experiences and perspective. Whether a speaker is a General Authority or a member of my own ward addressing a topic, that person has a different perpsective from mine, and I can learn from them. Years ago I had the privilege of serving as Primary Pianist and I learned a great deal from the simple talks given by the precious children in our ward.

I am so glad that Elder Hales told about Elder Burton's contribution to the use of computers in Family History Research and Temple Work. I've been greatly blessed by Familysearch and the PAF. I had information for about 300 ancestors before our ward got a Family History library abotu a decade ago. Now I have information on over 6000 ancestors, thanks in large measure to Familysearch.org.

Lance | 9:00 a.m. Aug. 24, 2008

Sheri,

I will keep coming back, not because I am "upset at the world" (where do you get that from?) but because I want my loved ones in the Church to wake up and smell the coffee. They are paying a horrible price for so-called "salvation" and all they get are these silly talks from leaders whose lives are taken care of by extorting a lot of money from members of the Church! If you don't like my criticisms, then YOU are welcome to go elsewhere. I am here to stay.

HRU | 10:44 a.m. Aug. 24, 2008

Lance if you are willing to stay here there is a wonderful reason,you are waiting for something that can touch your life....you said you are innocent and truthful.....and I can say the same when it comes to my feelings about the Gospel,my experiences in my life have been with trials and hardships,I am where I am a happy mother and grand mother because I listen to the words of our Prophets and leaders, it is my choice and my testimony that the more I listen to the same subjects with humility and love, the more Love and humility I feel for the people who don't understand
what freedom means....I respect your feelings,I feel grateful for the time that people takes to teach us who are thirsty for the Word,My price for the truth is FREE all I had to do is to have my answers, when I read or listen to the Word through the Holy Ghost nobody else...and the blessings for keeping my covenants are far more than any amount of money in the world...if you really love us as you said give us the freedom to be Happy where we are....thanks for loving us..our love to you

Sheri | 4:58 p.m. Aug. 24, 2008

Honestly, what is the "horrible price" your relatives are paying? My life was similar to yours before I joined the LDS Church. I was bitter with my mother and my two grandmothers and my sister because I thought they had lost their minds when they joined. My mother quit smoking her 2 packs a day, my grandmother quit swearing and started acting like a lady, my sister and I started getting along and I learned to have faith in prayers when I prayed eventually to know if it was true. In our case, I don't think it was a horrible price. It has brought us together and given us a peace we never had. Maybe your experience has been different, but I can tell you from personal experience that I know that the church can bring happiness if you are ready, but if you aren't it can bring a lot of frustration. It took me 3 years of bitterness to finally humble myself to consider whether the Book of Mormon was true. I do know that many people scorned the prophets of old, and they preached simple truths. Be careful Lance. What if you're wrong? Were they?

Lance | 5:17 p.m. Aug. 24, 2008

HRU,

How is it that the "Holy Ghost" says so many different things to different people? Seems like the "Holy Ghost" is no different than Santa Claus: he gives you what you most want. People surrounded by LDS family and friends, who want so badly for the Church to be true, are told it IS true by the "Holy Ghost". But people who want Catholicism to be true receive their answer from the Holy Ghost, too. And then there are all those former Mormons who received their answer from the "Holy Ghost" telling them Mormons worship the wrong Jesus and are a cult.

Hmmmm.

And as for your "Holy Ghost" being "free", try not paying your Tithing and see what happens! According to LDS mythology, you will "lose the Spirit", and according to LDS policy, you will lose your "good standing" in the Church, including the loss of your Temple recommend.

Doesn't sound free to me!

HRU | 6:02 p.m. Aug. 26, 2008

Lance,I was Catholic until I was 27,I was going to be a nun...I wanted to be a missionary,but I needed to find the answer to so many questions before I took a serious step in my life, I lost my mother when I was 11 and I was told I will never see her again....I wanted the answer to my prayers..and when I met the missionaries read the scriptures,Fast and Pray...I had the most wonderful feeling..me..a nobody....it has been 35 years,and I had that feeling many many times..I am building my house upon the rock,the seed was planted in good soil...I was very humble..still I am, but to build and let the seed grow I have to keep my covenants and obey the commandments,Tithing..you bet...all I have is My Father's,that 10% is His,I am not paying to the Church...because of it I can say I am helping in many charities around the world,I am Free, really free to do it...and loving it..when the Shepherd calls His sheep,I will recognize His voice,and I am doing in my little humble way everything I can to share this treasure and to help others to have this joy..You Will!I know

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