Standing Strong and Immovable

There are several talks and speeches which refer to "Standing Strong and Immovable", President Hinckley's 2004 Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting talk.

I have a hard copy of this meeting, given to me by our ward leadership at the time, but I cannot find a link to it online.  If anyone has one, feel free to share it. 

I hate abbreviating this address, but I don't feel comfortable typing in the entire text, given I can't link it back to LDS.org.  I do, however, want to share some of what President Hinckley said: 

"The traditional family is under heavy attack.  I do not know that things were worse in the times of Sodom and Gommorah.  At that season, Abraham bargained with the Lord to save these cities for the sake of the righteous.  Notwithstanding his pleas, things were so bad that Jehovah decreed their destruction.  They and their wicked inhabitants were annihilated.  We see similar conditions today.  They prvail all across the world.  I think our Father must weep as He looks down upon His wayward sons and daughters.

In the  Church we are working very hard to stem to the tide of this evil.  But it is an uphill battle, and we sometimes wonder whether we are making any headway... 

We must not give up.  We ust not becmoe discouraged.  We must never surrender to the forces of evil.  We can and must maintain the standards for which this Church has stood since it was organized.  There is a better way than the way of the world...

We call upon the women of the Church to stand together for righetousness  They must begin in their own homes.  The can teach it in their classes.  They can voice it in their communities.  They nust be the teachers and gaurdians of their daughters...I see this as the one brigh shining hope in a world that is marching toward self destruction...

We frequently speck of the strength of the priesthood, and properly so.  But we must never lose sight of the strength of the women.  It is the mothers who se thte tone of the home.  It is mothers who most directly affec the lives of their children.  It is mothers who teach infants to pray, who read to them choice and beautiful literature from the scriptures and other sources.  It is mothers who nurture them and bring them up in the ways of the Lord.  Their influence is paramount...

I have been quoted as saying, "Do the best you can."  But I want to emphasize that is be the very best.  We are too prone to be satisfied with mediocre performance.  We are capable of doing much better...

...we must get on our knees and plead with the Lord for help and strength and direction.  We must then stand on our feet and move forward.

I am absolutely confident that heaven will smile upon us.  The Lord will hear and answer our prayers if we will commit ourselves, giving our very best to this work." [end quote]

I was once criticized for sharing the prophetic comparison of our current state of the world affairs to that of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Of course, it wasn't my comparison but that of the prophets.  Here in this talk is a perfect example of not only President Hinckley's prophetic vision but also his encouragement and incredible faith in the people of the Church to be found in obedience to the Lord.

Talks that have referenced this "Standing Strong and Immovable" address include:

• What Latter-day Women Do Best
• Mothers Who Know
• Remembering the Lord's Love
• How to Live Well Amid Increasing Evil

P.S.  Updated with *THANKS* to Holly for finding a link to the talk for me!  Yea! :)  Here's the link.