Welcome to Kevin Romberg's Capstone Practicum.


I've listed the quotes as Blog Posts and the Statements and Phase 3 are listed as pages.

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Thank you.

Temple

1.     “As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world.” President Thomas S. Monson April-2015 “Blessings of the Temple” link

2.     “I think there is no place in the world where I feel closer to the Lord than in one of His holy temples.”- President Thomas S. Monson, “The Holy Temple,” Ensign, Feb. 1995

3.     The way you feel in the temple is a pattern for how you want to feel in your life. By Elder Neil L. Andersen, Spiritual Whirlwinds, general Conference APRIL 2014

4.    "Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life.” Elder Scott Oct 2012, The Joy of Redeeming the Dead

5.     “In the temple, all are dressed in spotless white. “The symbolic purity of white likewise reminds us that God is to have a pure people.- Russell M. Nelson, Ensign October 2010

6.     "If you will go to the temple and remember that the teaching is symbolic, you will never go in the proper spirit without coming away with your vision extended, feeling a little more exalted, with your knowledge increased as to things that are spiritual. The teaching plan is superb. It is inspired. The Lord Himself, the Master Teacher, taught His disciples constantly in parables—a verbal way to represent symbolically things that might otherwise be difficult to understand".(Elder Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple, Ensign, Feb. 1995

7.     “My young friends who are in your teenage years, always have the temple in your sights. Do nothing which will keep you from entering its doors and partaking of the sacred and eternal blessings there.”-President Thomas S. Monson, “The Holy Temple—a Beacon to the World,” Ensign, May 2011

8.     “ I know your lives are busy. I know that you have much to do. But I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed, life will be better for you.”- Gordon B. Hinckley, fireside, Lima, Peru, 9 Nov. 1996

9.     “Until you have received the sacred [temple] ordinances of the gospel, you have not received all of the wonderful blessings which this Church has to offer. The great and crowning blessings of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are those blessings which come to us in the house of the Lord” President Gordon B. Hinckley, meeting, Worcester,Massachusetts, October 1998

10.   "Temple. One other word is equal in importance to a Latter-day Saint. Home. Put the words holy temple and home together, and you have described the house of the Lord!"- Boyd K Packer, The Temple, the Priesthood, APRIL 1993

Finances

1.     “Brethren, compliance with the law of tithing opens the windows of heaven, bringing material and spiritual blessings through sacrifice and obedience. It is truly the first step towards personal and family financial preparedness.” Franklin D. Richards April 1979 “Personal and Family Financial Preparedness” link

2.     “Wisely we have been counseled to avoid debt as we would avoid the plague.” L. Tom Perry- October 1995 ““If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” link

3.     “Interest never sleeps nor sickens nor dies. … Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you” J. Reuben Clark-Conference Report, Apr. 1938, p. 103. “

4.     “The instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of the counsel and prepare for the future.”  L. Tom Perry- October 1995 ““If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” link

5.     “We must want more than anything else to change our lives so that we can break the cycle of debt and our uncontrolled wants.” Robert D. Hales – April 2009 General Conference “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually” link

6.     “From my earliest recollections, from the days of Brigham Young until now, I have listened to men standing in the pulpit … urging the people not to run into debt; and I believe that the great majority of all our troubles today is caused through the failure to carry out that counsel.” Heber J. Grant –April Conference Report, Oct. 1921, 3

7.     “Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement. Some of us feel embarrassed, ashamed, less worthwhile if our family does not have everything the neighbors have. As a result, we go into debt to buy things we can’t afford—and things we do not really need. Whenever we do this, we become poor temporally and spiritually. We give away some of our precious, priceless agency and put ourselves in self-imposed servitude. Money we could have used to care for ourselves and others must now be used to pay our debts. What remains is often only enough to meet our most basic physical needs. Living at the subsistence level, we become depressed, our self-worth is affected, and our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and the Lord are weakened. We do not have the time, energy, or interest to seek spiritual things.” Robert D. Hales – April 2009 General Conference “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually” link

8.     “Remember, a good attitude produces good results, a fair attitude fair results, a poor attitude poor results.” Russell M Ballard – April 1981 “Providing for Our Needs” link

9.     “When we learn to expect more success than failure in life, we soon will develop an attitude of success.” Russell M Ballard – April 1981 “Providing for Our Needs” link

10.  “Obeying the law of tithing is an essential element of faith and family unity. Because Satan uses greed and the pursuit of possessions to sweep families off the celestial highway,” Anthony D. Perkins October 2012 General Conference “Beware Concerning Yourselves” link
 

Idleness

1.     “How we live our religion is far more important than what we may say about our religion.” Robert D. Hales - April 2015 General Conference “Preserving Agency, Protecting Religious Freedom” link

2.     “Though we all have weaknesses, we can overcome them. Indeed it is by the grace of God that, if we humble ourselves and have faith, weak things can become strong.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf- April 2015 “The Gift of Grace” link

3.     “Hard work is a blessing of God. It involves going after it with all your heart, might, mind and strength. That alone is the difference between the average and the excellent.”- F. David Stanley, The Principle of Work, Priesthood session April 1993

4.     "No member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has canned peas, topped beets, hauled hay or shoveled coal in such a cause ever forgets or regrets the experience of helping provide for those in need. Devoted men and women help to operate this vast and inspired (welfare) program. In reality, the plan would never succeed on effort alone, for this program operates through faith after the way of the Lord." The Way of The Lord, Thomas S. Monson, October 1977 General Conference

5.     “Fathers of Zion, teach our youth the value of honest, hard work. There is no substitute, no other alternative. Be careful that you don’t train up couch potatoes. With all the advantages each of us desires to place before our children, be sure that undergirding all is the absolute of honest, hard work. Young men, learn it and do it. Let it become a part of you.” The Principle of Work, F. David Stanley, April 1993 General Conference

6.     “Hard-earned achievement brings a sense of self-worth. Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires.” Reflections on a Consecrated Life, D. Todd Christofferson, October 2010 General Conference

7.     “If you are poor, work. If you are rich, work. If you are burdened with seemingly unfair responsibilities, work.  If you are happy, continue to work; idleness gives room for doubts and fears. If sorrow overwhelms you, and loved ones seem not true, work. If disappointments come, work.  If faith falters and reason fails, just work. When dreams are shattered and hopes seem dead—work. Work as if your life were in peril; it really is.  No matter what ails you, work. Work faithfully, and work with faith. Work is the greatest material remedy available. Work will cure both mental and physical afflictions.”  Worthy of Proper Recommendation, N. Eldon Tanner, April 1978 General Conference

8.     “From the very beginning, the Lord commanded Adam to till the earth and have dominion over the beasts of the field, to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow. I have always been interested in how often the scriptures have admonished us to cease to be idle and to be productive in all of our labors. … Teaching children the joy of honest labor is one of the greatest of all gifts you can bestow upon them.” The Joy of Honest Labor, L. Tom Perry, October 1986 General Conference

9.     “Work together as a family, even if it may be faster and easier to do the job ourselves. Talk with our sons and daughters as we work together.” Strengthening Families: Our Sacred Duty, Robert D. Hales, April 1999 General Conference

10.     My mother started a laundry service and worked countless hours doing menial labor. She enlisted my sister and me in her business. With my bike I became the pickup and delivery service. It felt good to be able to help the family in a small way, and though I did not know it at the time, the physical labor turned out to be a blessing to my health as well.” Two Principles for Any Economy, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October  2009 General Conference

Entitlement

1.“He who lives only unto himself withers and dies, while he who forgets himself in the service of others grows and blossoms in this life and in eternity.” Gordon B. Hinckley “Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley”- January 1997, p588

2.    “Entitlement is generally selfish. It demands much, and it gives little or nothing. Its very concept causes us to seek to elevate ourselves above those around us. This separates us from the divine, evenhanded standard of reward that when anyone obtains any blessing from God, it is by obedience to the law on which that blessing is predicated.” Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Unselfish Service, April 2009

3.    “We live in a time when sacrifice is definitely out of fashion, when the outside forces that taught our ancestors the need for unselfish cooperative service have diminished....The values of the world wrongly teach that “it’s all about me.” That corrupting attitude produces no change and no growth. It is contrary to eternal progress toward the destiny God has identified in His great plan for His children. The plan of the gospel of Jesus Christ lifts us above our selfish desires and teaches us that this life is all about what we can become. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Unselfish Service, April 2009

4.     “A few of our wonderful youth and young adults in the Church are unstretched. They have almost a free pass. Perks are provided, including cars complete with fuel and insurance—all paid for by parents who sometimes listen in vain for a few courteous and appreciative words. What is thus taken for granted … tends to underwrite selfishness and a sense of entitlement.” Neil A. Maxwell, BYU devotional, 12 Jan. 1999

5.     When things turn bad, there is a tendency to blame others or even God. Sometimes a sense of entitlement arises, and individuals or groups try to shift responsibility for their welfare to other people or to governments. In spiritual matters some suppose that men and women need not strive for personal righteousness—because God loves and saves us “just as we are.”-Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Free Forever, to Act for Themselves, October 2014

6.     His parable of the vineyard workers, Jesus noted of disciples how those who worked from the first hour, having “borne the burden and heat of the day,” murmured because they received the same wages as those who worked only the last hour. We beggars are so concerned with our entitlements.- Neal A. Maxwell, Murmur Not, General Conference, October 1989

7.     “We surrender to the ‘pleasures of this life’ when we are addicted, which impairs God’s precious gift of agency; when we are beguiled by trivial distractions, which draws away from things of eternal importance; and when we have an entitlement mentality, which impairs the personal growth necessary to qualify us for our eternal destiny,”- Dallin H. Oaks, The Parable of the Sower, April 2015 Church News.

8.      Being provident providers, we must keep that most basic commandment, “Thou shalt not covet”. Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement. Some of us feel embarrassed, ashamed, less worthwhile if our family does not have everything the neighbors have. As a result, we go into debt to buy things we can’t afford—and things we do not really need. – Robert D. Hales, BECOMING PROVIDENT PROVIDERS TEMPORALLY AND SPIRITUALLY, April 2009

9.     “Forget yourself and go to work.”- Gordon B. Hinckley, New Era, May 1995 SWEET IS THE WORK: GORDON B. HINCKLEY, 15TH PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH

10.     We torture our souls when we focus on getting rather than giving. - James E. Faust Whats’s in it for me?, General Conference, October 2002

Pornography

1.     “Patrons of pornography also lose the companionship of the Spirit. Pornography produces fantasies that destroy spirituality.” Dallin H. Oaks –April 2005 General Conference “Pornography” link

2.     “Pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse than filthy or polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of unwholesome food. With a few fatal exceptions, bad food will only make you sick but do no permanent harm. In contrast, a person who feasts upon filthy stories or pornographic or erotic pictures and literature records them in this marvelous retrieval system we call a brain. The brain won’t vomit back filth. Once recorded, it will always remain subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind and drawing you away from the wholesome things in life.” Dallin H. Oaks –April 2005 General Conference “Pornography” link

3.     “Pornography impairs one’s ability to enjoy a normal emotional, romantic, and spiritual relationship with a person of the opposite sex. It erodes the moral barriers that stand against inappropriate, abnormal, or illegal behavior.” Dallin H. Oaks –April 2005 General Conference “Pornography” link

4.     “Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography to limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit. The onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages.”- Richard G. Scott-October 2009 General Conference, “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance”

5.     “Participation in pornography in any of its lurid forms is a manifestation of unbridled selfishness.” Richard G. Scott-October 2009 General Conference, “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance”

6.     “Immoral thoughts, words, and deeds always are immoral, even in cyberspace… We are all accountable to God, and ultimately we will be judged of Him according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts.”~ David A. Bednar, Things as They Really Are, CES Fireside, May 3, 2009 BYU-Idaho

7.     “Stay completely away from pornography. Do not allow yourself to view it, ever. It has proven to be an addiction which is more than difficult to overcome.” Thomas S. Monson, Priesthood Power, Conference April 2011

8.     “Like thieves in the night, unwelcome thought can and do seek entrance to our minds. But we don’t have to throw open the door, serve them tea and crumpets, and tell them where the silverware is kept! Throw the rascals out! Replace lewd thoughts with hopeful messages an joyful memories; picture the faces of those who love you and would be shattered if you let them down.”~ Jeffery R. Holland, Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul, Conference April 2009


9.     “Be Cautious. These same technologies can allow evil influences to cross the threshold of your homes. These dangerous traps are only a mouse click away. Pornography, violence, intolerance, and ungodliness destroy families, marriages, and individual lives. These dangers are distributed through many media, including magazines, books, television, movies, and music, as well as the Internet.”Deiter F. Utchdorf, A Matter of a Few Degrees, April 2008


10.  (Pornography) is utterly without redeeming social value. We urge our families to protect their children in every way possible. We live in a permissive world, but we must make certain we do not become a part of that permissive world, that degenerate world.Spencer W. Kimball, God Will Not Be Mocked, Conference October 1974

Agency

1.     “Eternity is at stake, and our wise use of agency and our actions are essential that we might have eternal life.” Robert D. Hales – October 2010 General Conference “Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life” link

2.     “Warn them that they will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery."~ Russell M. Neilson, Face the Future With Faith, Conference April 2011

3.     “Choosing to do what the Lord has defined as right will, in the long run, always lead to the best outcomes”.- ~Richard G. Scott - Ensign, Nov. 1998, 69

4.     “You have agency, and you are free to choose. But there is actually no free agency. Agency has its price. You have to pay the consequences of your choices.”~ Dieter F. Utchdorf, On the Wings of Eagles, BYU Devotional, July 2006

5.     “Do we have a guide to help us choose the right and avoid dangerous detours? I have tried to pattern my life after the Master. Whenever I have a difficult decision to make, I have looked at that picture and asked myself, “What would He do?” Then I try to do it. We can never go wrong when we choose to follow the Savior.”- Thomas S. Monson, Choose You This Day, Conference October 2004

6.     “Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness through Christlike service.”- D. Todd Christofferson, Moral Discipline, Conference October 2009

7.     “Our agency, given us through the plan of our Father, is the great alternative to Satan’s plan of force. With this sublime gift, we can grow, improve, progress, and seek perfection. Without agency, none of us could grow and develop by learning from our mistakes and errors and those of others…. I do not really think the devil can make us do anything. Certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us that we do not give him.”~James E. Faust, The Forces That Will Save Us, First Presidency Message, January 2007

8.     Men will be held accountable for the things which they have and not for the things they have not. … All the light and intelligence communicated to them from their beneficent creator, whether it is much or little, by the same they in justice will be judged, and … they are required to yield obedience and improve upon that and that only which is given, for man is not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.~ Joseph Smith, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 405

9.     "...we develop control by teaching freedom."
President Boyd K. Packer, Agency and Control, April 1983 General Conference

10.  "Victory in the War in Heaven was a victory for man's agency."Elder L. Tom Perry, Obedience to Law is Liberty, October 2013 General Conference