January 31, 2002

Idaho church leader speaks
on importance of families

REXBURG, Idaho -- Elder C. Scott Grow, president of the Idaho Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, spoke on the importance of the family during Tuesday’s devotional at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

Elder Grow began his address with a reminder that the words of prophets are the same as the words of the Lord.

"Prophets don’t teach things that are popular," he said. "But I promise you that as you exercise faith in their words by following their counsel, there will come a day when you will know that what they have spoken was for your protection and blessing. With the passage of time, and with patience, you will know that they have literally spoken the word of God."

Using this as a base for his talk, Elder Grow moved into the heart of his speech.

"Now, understanding the Lord’s counsel and the blessings promised when we follow the teachings of the prophets, I want to address five specific teachings regarding marriage and the family that have been taught repeatedly by prophets of our day," he said. "Like most teachings from prophets, these teachings are not popular with the world."

He said, "The first is the counsel that we should not postpone marriage; second, that we should not postpone having children, nor should we limit the number of our children; third, the encouragement that mothers not seek employment outside the home; fourth, giving spiritual leadership in your home and family, and fifth, staying true and faithful to your covenants."

At the end of his address, Elder Grow bore his testimony and said, "I pray that you and I, with our families, will live worthy of that divine intervention in our behalf by the Son of God himself."

Elder Grow was named a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy April 5, 1997. He has served in other area presidencies, as stake president and as president of the Uruguay Montevideo Mission from 1988 to 1991. He is the president and founder of Grow, Rasmussen & Co., a CPA firm in Boise.

Devotionals are broadcast live Tuesdays at 2 p.m. on KBYI 100.5 FM. They are then rebroadcast Tuesday evenings at 9 p.m. Next week’s devotional speaker will be Susan K. Bednar, wife of the president of BYU-Idaho.