My spirit was filled this previous weekend for the 179th General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All of the speakers had excellent insights on what everyone can do to improve their spiritual well-being and the well-being of others. I'd like to mention a few things I learned from conference that have stuck with me.

Elder Bednar spoke of love, consistency, and testimony within home and family. He was pretty blunt about how love should be expressed, and he spoke a little on hypocrisy concerning love. For example, a family member getting up in church and saying how much they love their family, and yet not expressing that love within the home. It's important to express love to others not only through word, but through simple gestures like a hug and through good deeds. Consistency and a strong testimony within the family can strengthen that love.

Elder Holland gave a straight-forward testimony of the Book of Mormon and it's truthfulness, and I agree with every word he said. Why would two men willingly go to jail and die for a book of fiction??? When someone sacrifices themself, it's for something that they know to be true. If they know it's not true, they would simply turn away and give up. That is not what Joseph and Hyrum Smith did, because they knew the Book of Mormon to be a true spiritual and historical record of a people who lived by faith before succumbing to wickedness and destroying themselves. It is a record of Christ's coming to the Americas to show that He loves the whole world.

I know this to be true, for I cannot deny the whisperings in my heart. Let the whole world hate those who claim belief in God, including myself, I don't care. Let the whole world drown in a growing society of disregard to values and morality and religion, if that is its choice. Because I know what's true, and nothing can take that away from me.

I say all of this in the beautiful name of my Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.