Technology has completely transformed how we connect with the world, but the power of the divine message remains constant. The way we listen to general conference changes, but the message doesn’t. Watch the video “Tuned In: ‘Whether by mine own voice…’” below:

From the crackle of vintage 1920s radios and the first black-and-white broadcasts to the high-definition tablets in our kitchens today, this video takes you on a journey through the history of general conference. While the screens and speakers have changed, the invitation to “Come unto Me” and find rest in Jesus Christ has never wavered.

This video offers a nostalgic look at families gathering around the radio and TV. It shows the evolution of broadcasting technology within the Church. It is a powerful reminder of the consistency of the prophetic word in modern times.

Watch general conference and find inspiration for your own life.

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The First Presidency has released the following video Easter message:

In times of peace or turmoil, there is always hope in Jesus Christ. This we approach Easter, consider God’s love and what it means for each of us.

We invite you to bring friends, family, and neighbors to your one-hour Palm Sunday service in your meetinghouse on March 29. You could then invite them the following week (April 4–5), to watch general conference to celebrate Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

See the full text of the video in the article “Feel God’s Love This Easter Season: A Palm Sunday and General Conference Invitation.”

This Easter, we invite you to discover the greater love of Jesus Christ—a love that led Him to serve, sacrifice, and rise again. His resurrection gives us hope, healing, and the promise of eternal life. Join us in celebrating His love through study, service, and sharing His message.

More here

The post An Easter Message from FAIR appeared first on FAIR.

In this video, four missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sing a powerful rendition of “I Know He Lives.”

Watch other videos on Called to Share and on LDS365.

On February 29, 2024, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent the following letter to Church Leaders:

Easter Observance
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
 
As we approach Easter Sunday, we gratefully celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
In the spirit of this sacred season, we invite everyone to reflect on the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ—including His anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, His suffering on the cross, and His glorious Resurrection. We desire that all people everywhere feel more of His love and earnestly follow His example of humility, obedience, and compassion.
 
To allow additional time on Easter Sunday for worship with family and friends, we have asked all wards and branches to meet only for sacrament meeting. This special Easter sacrament meeting could be an opportunity to invite friends to worship with us.
 
May you be blessed with peace, hope, and light as you seek to follow and find ways to honor the Savior of the World this Easter season and always.
 
Sincerely yours,
The First Presidency

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following Christmas message:

The Christmas season is often associated with gifts. The most desirable gifts are those offered to us by our loving Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. These gifts are made possible because Jehovah condescended to come to earth as the baby Jesus. He was born of an immortal Father and a mortal mother. He was born in Bethlehem under the humblest of circumstances. His was the holy birth foreseen by prophets since the days of Adam. Jesus Christ is God’s transcendent gift — the gift of the Father to all of His children (see John 3:16). That birth we joyfully celebrate each Christmas season.
 
The Savior’s infinite and perfect love moved Him to atone for all of God’s children. That gift — the Atonement of Jesus Christ — allows all of His other gifts to be ours.
 
We testify that God lives! Jesus is the Christ — the Messiah. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His Church, which He directs.

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following Christmas message on Friday, November 26, 2021:

When we sing “Silent Night,” we know the life of that Babe of Bethlehem did not begin there, nor did it end on Calvary. In a premortal realm, Jesus was foreordained by His Father to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all humankind. He was foreordained to atone for us. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5). He came to make immortality a reality and eternal life a possibility for all who would ever live (see 1 Corinthians 15:20–22; 3 Nephi 27:13–14).
 
At this sacred Christmas season, we testify that our loving Heavenly Father “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The First Presidency will hold its annual Christmas devotional broadcast on Sunday, December 5, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. The program will include Christmas messages from Church leaders as well as music performed by The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.

The following message from the First Presidency was posted on the Church’s Newsroom:

At this Easter season, we gratefully commemorate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We joyfully proclaim and solemnly testify that because of Jesus Christ, we will all live again.
 
Central to God’s eternal plan is the mission of His Son, Jesus Christ. He came to redeem God’s children. Through the Savior’s Atonement, resurrection and immortality became a reality for all and eternal life became a possibility for all who would qualify. Jesus declared:
 
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25–26).
 
​Thanks be to God for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and for His gift of resurrection!

 
See The First Presidency’s 2021 Easter Message on the Church’s Newsroom.

And for good reason—most teens today seem quite absorbed in media as about 95% own or have access to a smartphone and 45% are online almost constantly using social media. YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat are the most frequently used social media platforms among teens as they watch, post, snap, and connect with their friends. As teens’ media use is ever on the rise, parents may understandably worry about their teens’ media choices. 

Parents may stress about their teens’ constant exposure to the variety of media messages that are present in the digital world. Media sends a plethora of messages to teens about what to spend money on, what to look like, and what is important in a “perfect” life. With ease, teens could delve into endless rabbit holes of harmful or inappropriate media content or constantly compare themselves to the lives of others. So, it’s easy enough to feel anxious about what your teen might come across on social media.  

In addition to the media messages and content teens consume, parents may stress or feel guilty about the amount of time their teens spend on media. While yes, media time does matter, many parents are unaware that other research suggests it matters less than parents think. One implication of that research is that instead of exclusively focusing on amounts of media, we should also be helping our teens use media in productive and healthy ways. (To go deeper on what exactly we mean by this, check out this thought experiment from our Washington Examiner article, where we compared the hypothetical choices of two teens, Olivia and Emma).  

Media Purposes and Guidelines 

Instead of stressing about media time and being crippled by inner voices telling you that your kid is on their phone too much—what can you do? Specifically, how can you help your teens thrive in their media world instead of constantly fighting about screen time? 

Perhaps it’s time to focus more on the finer grain distinctions of how we use media, rather than just how much. For instance, teens can use media either actively or passively, which actually matters a lot.  It also matters whether teens are being purposeful and mindful of emotions, being smart about sleep, limiting social comparisons, and using social media less as a show and more to connect with others.  

Bottom line:  The combination of these seemingly small distinctions can mean the difference in whether media use strengthens relationships or distracts from in-person connection. Research has shown better outcomes, including better mental health and less loneliness, when teens use media in active ways (such as by commenting on social media posts instead of endlessly scrolling). Given this, we recommend that parents help their teens make active media choices by modeling active media use and discussing good media habits.

By encouraging open conversation, parents may also assist teens in recognizing what media influences they see, what media concerns they have, or what is important to them on media. In these open conversations, with parents talking less and listening more, teens are more likely to be honest when discussing media. Elder M. Russell Ballard, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has said, “Parents need to give children choices and should be prepared to appropriately adjust some rules, thus preparing children for real-world situations. To do this, parents must listen—really listen—to what their children are saying.” As parents and teens openly discuss media content, parents can help their teens create a “moral mindset” to use media for good. 

Parents need not struggle alone in helping their teens make wise media choices, because there are supportive communities available all around us. Within our own faith community, for instance, the guide, For the Strength of Youth, teaches teens, “The information and entertainment provided through these media can increase your ability to learn, communicate, and become a force for good in the world. However, some information and entertainment can lead you away from righteous living. Choose wisely when using media because whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you. Select only media that uplifts you.” Rather than “going at it alone,” families benefit from having external standards like this they can point towards when feeling other kinds of pressure.  Overall, religion, in particular, has been shown to be a protective factor for negative media use for teens—so, remember to use all your resources. 

The Calling of Parenthood

Research has also confirmed the importance of religion and spirituality in aiding positive parenting efforts generally. Parents should really not have to feel alone when they remember the support they have from others in their parenting efforts, including God, church congregations, and religious resources.

Religious beliefs may also act as helpful resources for parents when they face challenging situations. The more parents rely on the influence of and aid from God, the more they feel like their parenting efforts are divinely sanctified. When parents believe in the sanctification of parenthood, they may experience less parenting stress and feel more satisfied in their role as a parent. Along with God, other people can act as a positive resource to parents. Church members can help parents not feel alone in parenting as they support one another in the difficulties of parenthood.

So, while parents may become stressed and feel overly guilty about a variety of things they do (or don’t do) in their parenting efforts, we hope that instead of feeling down and overwhelmed, they will remember the divine and sacred purposes of parenthood. 

Elder Ballard reminds parents to “be of good cheer. God did not place you on earth to fail, and your efforts as parents will not be counted as failure unless you give up.” Instead of giving up on the challenge of navigating teens’ media choices, we hope some of these suggestions may be helpful.   

If you are still feeling guilty over screen time after reading this, here are two final thoughts. First, be compassionate with yourself. Parenting is ridiculously hard! And helping your child manage media is also really hard. Here’s a secret—I am an actual parenting and media expert and it’s still hard. So, be compassionate with yourself when things feel difficult—because they are for all of us! This doesn’t come easy to any of us and you are doing better than you think you are. 

Second, be compassionate with your child. It is also hard to be a teen right now and suddenly have access to a cell phone. Our teens are going to make mistakes as they figure out how to be a human being in this media-saturated world. Most of them are going to figure this media thing out —but it takes some time and patience along the way.  Remember—you’ve got this and we are all in this together. 

The post A Message to Parents Overwhelmed about Screen Time appeared first on Public Square Magazine.

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The Primary General Presidency has published a special video message about the importance of Primary and of children learning the gospel in the home.

Sister Joy D. Jones posted the following message on her Facebook page, along with the video that appears below:

“Dear children, parents, and Primary leaders, we miss being with our friends and teachers and talking about Jesus together. Please watch this important message, and consider how you can help the children in your life to have meaningful Primary experiences, no matter where or how they meet. Parents and teachers, we love you, and thank you for the tireless work you do for the children in your lives!