Elder David B. Haight once told this story:
James Peter Fugal was an honest man! He herded sheep much of his life in the rolling hills of Idaho—both his own sheep and sheep for others.
On one bitterly cold winter night, he was herding sheep for another man when a blizzard set in. The sheep bunched together, […]
Statistics was a difficult class for me. I didn’t know how important it would be for me later on when I started doing research, so I didn’t feel like I needed to give the course work much attention or dedication.
So naturally I felt uncomfortable when my professor began class one day exhorting us to consider […]
My dear friends, today is a wonderful day to be alive. This is an amazing season in the history of the world. And we are here—here at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I feel blessed, and I hope you feel blessed to be here.
Over the past thirty years of my life, I have served, […]
Any listening to a talk or any reading of a book starts with an introduction. As you may be familiar with the Book of Mormon and particularly the first verse, may I personalize its introduction in this way: I, Charles Didier, was born in Belgium—and, paraphrasing Nephi—of goodly parents. Alas, the similitude stops there; I […]
My wife’s father, Leslie James Anderson, grew up in the small town of Manti, Utah, about 80 miles south of here. In 1919, when Les was 14 years old, Sanpete County built a road up Manti Canyon using what was then a common method of detonating black blasting powder to remove difficult rocks and sharp […]
On this beautiful September day, the first day of the new school year, we welcome back 21,000 students from summer vacation and almost 6,000 new freshmen and transfer students. It is wonderful to see your bright countenances and the gospel light that enervates your souls. I am reminded of the Israelites’ experience when Moses returned […]
No one with any degree of spiritual sensitivity can stand at this place in the presence of such a concentration of devoted, righteous students, faculty, staff, and Church leaders and not feel overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation. I am deeply moved in contemplation of what will occur in ensuing years from the experiences you will […]
This is an inspiring sight—even a thrill—to look over this vast congregation. President Bateman and I welcome all of you to the 1997 fall semester at Brigham Young University. We hope all of you are happy to be here. We also hope that you appreciate the privilege it is to be at BYU. We are […]
Brothers and sisters, colleagues and friends, it is always a pleasure to meet together in the BYU Annual University Conference. Each summer at BYU has been for me—and I hope for you as well—a season for both reflection and refreshment. Not that it is entirely free time, because it is not. Life, with its many attendant […]
Once again it is my happy privilege to welcome you to our annual university conference and to wish each of you an enthusiastic Happy New Year! While that statement would seem strange to those outside the academic tradition, for us this is the beginning of another new year in the university calendar. I’m excited for […]
