Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley B. the Gordon Presidents of Church: of Teachings Teachings of Presidents of the Church Gordon B. Hinckley TEACHINGS OF PRESIDENTS OF THE CHURCH GORDON B. HINCKLEY Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah Books in the Teachings of Presidents of the Church Series Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (item number 36481) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young (35554) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor (35969) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff (36315) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow (36787) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith (35744) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant (35970) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith (36786) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay (36492) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith (36907) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee (35892) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (36500) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson (08860) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter (08861) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley (08862) To obtain copies of these books, go to a Church distribution cen- ter or visit store.lds. org. The books are also available in digital for- mats at LDS.org and on the Gospel Library mobile application. Your comments and suggestions about this book would be ap- preciated. Please submit them to: Curriculum Development 50 East North Temple Street Salt Lake City, UT 84150-0024 USA Email: pth -development@ ldschurch. org Please give your name, address, ward, and stake. Be sure to in- clude the title of the book. Then offer your comments and sugges- tions about the book’s strengths and areas of potential improvement. © 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America English approval: 3/11 Contents Introduction .........................................v Historical Summary ..................................ix The Life and Ministry of Gordon B. Hinckley ................1 1 The Restoration of the Gospel—The Dawning of a Brighter Day ....................................43 2 An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World ..........55 3 Cultivating an Attitude of Happiness and a Spirit of Optimism ....................................69 4 The Pioneer Heritage of Faith and Sacrifice. 81 5 Daughters of God ................................95 6 How Mighty a Thing Is Prayer ......................107 7 The Whisperings of the Spirit ......................117 8 We Look to Christ ...............................127 9 The Precious Gift of Testimony .....................141 10 Nurturing the Eternal Partnership of Marriage ..........153 11 Home—The Basis of a Righteous Life ................165 12 Obedience: Simply Live the Gospel. .177 13 Peace and Contentment through Temporal Self-Reliance ..189 14 Losing Ourselves in the Service of Others .............201 15 The Holy Priesthood .............................213 16 The Power of the Book of Mormon. .225 17 Continue in the Great Process of Learning. 235 18 Virtue—A Cornerstone on Which to Build Our Lives .....249 19 Priesthood Leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ .....259 20 Fellowship with Those Who Are Not of Our Faith .......273 21 The Latter-Day Miracle of Missionary Work ............283 22 Reaching Out with Love to New Converts and Less-Active Members .............................295 23 The Blessings of the Holy Temple ...................309 24 The Atonement of Jesus Christ: Vast in Its Reach, Intimate in Its Effect. .321 25 Move Forward with Faith ..........................333 List of Visuals ......................................343 Index ............................................345 Introduction The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have established the Teachings of Presidents of the Church series to help you draw closer to your Heavenly Father and deepen your understanding of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. As the Church adds volumes to this series, you will build a collection of gospel reference books for your home. These books are designed to be used for personal study and as resources for teaching. They can also help you prepare family home evening lessons, prepare other lessons or talks, and answer questions about Church doctrine. This book features the teachings of President Gordon B. Hinckley, who served as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995, to January 27, 2008. Personal Study As you study the teachings of President Gordon B. Hinckley, prayerfully seek the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The questions at the end of each chapter will help you ponder, understand, and apply President Hinckley’s teachings. The following ideas may also be helpful: • Write thoughts and feelings that come to you from the Holy Ghost as you study. • Underline passages you want to remember. Consider memorizing these passages or noting them in your scriptures next to related verses. • Read a chapter or passage more than once so you can understand it more deeply. • Ask yourself questions such as “How do President Hinckley’s teachings increase my understanding of gospel principles?” or v INTRODUCTION “What does the Lord want me to learn from these teachings? What does He want me to do?” • Ask yourself how the teachings in this book can help you with personal challenges and concerns. • Share what you learn with family members and friends. Teaching from This Book The following guidelines will help you teach from this book, whether at home or at church. Prepare to Teach Seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost as you prepare to teach. Study the chapter to become confident in your understanding of President Hinckley’s teachings, and prayerfully select the teachings that you feel will be most helpful. You may want to encourage those you teach to study the chap- ter themselves and to give special attention to the “Suggestions for Study and Teaching” section at the end of the chapter. Encourage Discussion about President Hinckley’s Teachings As you teach from this book, invite others to share their thoughts, ask questions, testify, and teach one another. When they actively participate, they will be more prepared to learn and to receive per- sonal revelation. Allow good discussions to continue rather than trying to cover all the teachings. Guide the discussions to help participants read President Hinckley’s teachings and discover ways to apply those teachings in their lives. The questions at the end of each chapter are a valuable resource for encouraging discussion. You may also develop your own ques- tions specifically for those you are teaching. Some other ideas for encouraging discussion are provided below: • Ask participants to share what they have learned from their per- sonal study of the chapter. vi INTRODUCTION • Assign selected questions at the end of the chapter to individu- als or small groups. Ask participants to look for teachings in the chapter that relate to the questions. Then invite them to share their thoughts and insights. • Read together some of President Hinckley’s teachings in the chapter. Ask participants to share examples from the scriptures and from their own experiences that relate to those teachings. • Ask participants to choose one section and read it silently. Invite them to gather in groups of two or three people who chose the same section and discuss what they learned. Encourage Application and Sharing President Hinckley’s teachings will be most meaningful when individuals apply them in their lives and share them with others. You may want to use one or more of the following ideas: • Ask participants how they can apply President Hinckley’s teach- ings in their responsibilities at home, in the Church, and in other settings. • Invite participants to share experiences they have had as they have followed President Hinckley’s counsel. • Encourage participants to share some of President Hinckley’s teachings with family members and friends. Conclude the Discussion Briefly summarize the lesson or ask one or two others to do so. Testify of the teachings you have discussed, and encourage partici- pants to apply what they have learned. You may also want to invite others to share their testimonies. Information about Source Materials The teachings in this book are direct quotations from President Gordon B. Hinckley’s sermons, writings, and interviews. Quota- tions from published sources have retained the punctuation, spell- ing, capitalization, and paragraphing of the original sources unless editorial or typographic changes have been necessary to improve readability. Because the quotations maintain fidelity to published vii INTRODUCTION sources, you may notice minor stylistic inconsistencies in the text. For example, pronouns referring to Deity are lowercased in some quotations and capitalized in others. President Hinckley often used the terms men, man, and man- kind to refer to all people, both male and female. He also frequently used the pronouns he, his, and him to refer to both genders. These language conventions were common in his era. viii Historical Summary The following chronology provides a brief overview of major events in the life of President Gordon B. Hinckley. June 23, 1910 Born to Bryant S. Hinckley and Ada Bitner Hinckley in Salt Lake City, Utah. 1922 Attends a stake priesthood meeting with his father and gains a testimony of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith. 1932 Graduates from the University of Utah, having studied English, journalism, and ancient languages. 1933 to 1935 Serves as a full-time missionary in the European Mission, spending the entire time in England. 1935 to 1943 Works as executive secretary of the Church’s Radio, Publicity, and Mission Literature Committee. 1937 Called to the Sunday School general board. April 29, 1937 Marries Marjorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple. 1943 to 1945 Works as an assistant superintendent for the Denver and Rio Grande Rail- road in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Colorado.