Richard G. Scott

**Note: This section of my blog is about apostles who have since left us. I post their last three talks given in general conference and write about the patterns and themes that stream through these talks. This gives us the direction this apostle would wish for us to focus on. We can remember the words of those apostles and the tools they have given to us. We can honor their life by changing some small aspect of our life. 

If you watch all three talks (usually around 15 minutes each), read the summary I write, and then meditate and write something you wish to change in your life, this process will take about an hour. Imagine this as an hour lesson of the last words this apostle wishes to leave with you. 

Richard G. Scott
November 7, 1928- September 22, 2015
Born in Pocatello, ID
Died in Salt Lake City, UT at the age of 86

Married to Jeanene Watkins, who died in 1995
Children: 7

Education: BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering
Jobs: Nuclear Engineering

Church Service:
Mission to Uruguay 1950-1953 (Spanish Language)
Mission President in Argentina 1965-1968
Quorum of the 70: 1977-1988
Ordained to the Quorum of the 12 Apostles October 6, 1988 by Ezra Taft Benson following the death of Marion G. Romney

Here are his last three general conference talks:

October 2013:

April 2014:

October 2014: 

The October 2013 talk focuses on the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies and the consequences of their covenant to lay down, bury, and never again take up their weapons of war. These consequences included having to watch their young sons go off to war in their place. He says:

It is a fundamental truth that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be cleansed. We can become virtuous and pure. However, sometimes our poor choices leave us with long-term consequences. One of the vital steps to complete repentance is to bear the short- and long-term consequences of our past sins. Their past choices had exposed these Ammonite fathers to a carnal appetite that could again become a point of vulnerability that Satan would attempt to exploit.

He goes on to explain that mercifully the Lord sees weaknesses differently than rebellion. For anyone wishing to repent of sins, develop a stronger moral character, and live a higher level of life, the Savior's atonement is available. He says that the savior has given us tools to make the necessary fortifications in our life much like these fathers built spiritual fortifications to not return to past sins. The tools include:

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  Make covenants and receive ordinances for yourself. Then steadily and consistently work to provide ordinances in the temple for your own ancestors.
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  Share the gospel with nonmember or less-activefamily members or friends. Sharing these truths can bring a renewed enthusiasm into your life.
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  Serve faithfully in all Church callings, especially home teaching and visiting teaching assignments. Don’t be just a 15-minutes-a-month home or visiting teacher. Rather, reach out to each individual member of the family. Get to know them personally. Be a real friend. Through acts of kindness, show them how very much you care for each of them.
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  Most important, serve the members of your own family. Make the spiritual development of your spouse and children a very high priority. Be attentive to the things you can do to help each one. Give freely of your time and attention.

In essence, as you fill your time with service, Satan's temptations lose power in your life.



In the April 2014 talk, he speaks of the roles that his Grandma Whittle and his wife Jeanene played in helping him make important decisions in his life such as choosing to become baptized and choosing to serve a full time mission. He then addresses some of the characteristics we must develop if we wish to become the type of person that can positively influence others. For instance, he knew of and could feel their love from the beginning.

Remember, loving them is the powerful foundation for influencing those you want to help. The influence of my Grandmother Whittle and my wife, Jeanene, would have been negligible had I not first known that they loved me and wanted me to have the best in life.

Along with love, you must also trust them. Finally, we must understand intrinsically the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He testifies:

There is no doctrine more fundamental to our work than the Atonement of Jesus Christ. At every appropriate opportunity, testify of the Savior and of the power of His Atoning sacrifice. Use scriptures that teach of Him and why He is the perfect pattern for everyone in life.⁴ You will need to study diligently. Do not become so absorbed with trivial things that you miss learning the doctrine and teachings of the Lord. With a solid, personal doctrinal foundation, you will be a powerful source for sharing vital truths with others who desperately need them.

Finally, in the October 2014 general conference talk, he speaks of the large need since the fall of Adam and Eve to exercise faith to invite the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives. The last gift he gave to us at general conference is the gift of four powerful tools to use in our lives.

1. Prayer: Choose to converse with your Father in Heaven often. Make time every day to share your thoughts and feelings with Him. Tell Him everything that concerns you. He is interested in the most important as well as the most mundane facets of your life. Share with Him your full range of feelings and experiences.
2. Scripture study: I add my voice with this promise: as you dedicate time every day, personally and with your family, to the study of God’s word, peace will prevail in your life. That peace won’t come from the outside world. It will come from within your home, from within your family, from within your own heart. It will be a gift of the Spirit. It will radiate out from you to influence others in the world around you. You will be doing something very significant to add to the cumulative peace in the world
3. Family Home Evening: The structure of your evening is not as important as the time invested. The gospel should be taught both formally and informally. Make it a meaningful experience for each member of the family. Family home evening is a precious time to bear testimony in a safe environment; to learn teaching, planning, and organizational skills; to strengthen family bonds; to develop family traditions; to talk to each other; and more important, to have a marvelous time together!
4. Temple Attendance: While you are in the temple, listen to the words of the ordinances, ponder them, pray about them, and seek to understand their meaning. The temple is one of the best places to come to understand the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Seek Him there. Remember that many more blessings come from providing your own family names in the temple.

What I understand from his last three conference talks and the direction he hopes the world would take is that to be filled with peace and happiness, we must first use the Atonement of Jesus Christ to fortify us from temptations which so easily befall us. We can use the tools of prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and temple attendance to build and exercise faith. As we work to strengthen ourselves, we will develop the courage, love, and trust to then turn outward and in the service and aid of those around us. He concludes with this last powerful sentence for the world:

I testify that as we actively come unto Him, we can endure every temptation, every heartache, every challenge we face, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.