Richard J. Maynes

Presidency of the Seventy (January 20, 2012 – September 30, 2017)
First Quorum of the Seventy (March 31, 2001 – October 3, 2020)
Second Quorum of the Seventy (April 5, 1997 – March 31, 2001)

General Conference Addresses

• October 2017 General Conference
  • Earning the Trust of the Lord and Your Family
    • “One thing is for certain: earning the Lord’s trust is a blessing that comes through great effort on our part. Trust is a blessing based on obedience to God’s laws. Earning the Lord’s trust comes as a result of being true to the covenants we have made in the waters of baptism and in the holy temple. When we keep our promises to the Lord, His trust in us grows.”
    • “Integrity or the lack of integrity is a fundamental element of one’s character. Men who have “integrity of heart” are men to be trusted—because trust is built on integrity.”
    • “For us to earn God’s trust, we will need to accomplish these three divinely appointed responsibilities to our families in the Lord’s way. As further stated in the family proclamation, the Lord’s way is to fulfill these responsibilities together with our wives “as equal partners.” To me, this means we do not move forward with any significant decision regarding these three responsibilities without total unity with our wives.”
• October 2015 General Conference
  • The Joy of Living a Christ-Centered Life
    • “Centering our lives in Jesus Christ and His gospel will bring stability and happiness to our lives.”
    • “If our lives are centered in Jesus Christ, He can successfully mold us into who we need to be in order to return to His and Heavenly Father’s presence in the celestial kingdom. The joy we experience in this life will be in direct proportion to how well our lives are centered on the teachings, example, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”
    • “Despite their hardships, they were able to live after the manner of happiness because they were centered in Christ and His gospel.”
• October 2013 General Conference
  • The Strength to Endure
    • “Many of the challenges we face in life can be solved and overcome; however, others may be difficult to understand and impossible to overcome and will be with us until we pass on to the next life. As we temporarily endure the challenges we can solve and as we continue to endure the challenges we cannot solve, it is important to remember that the spiritual strength we develop will help us successfully endure all the challenges we face in life.”
    • “Endurance is an important principle found within the doctrine of Jesus Christ. It is important because the quality of our eternal future is proportional to our ability to endure in righteousness.”
    • “When our testimonies are strong and we are truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, our choices will be inspired by the Holy Ghost, they will be Christ-centered, and they will support our desire to endure in righteousness. If our testimonies are weak and our conversion superficial, the risk is much greater that we will be enticed by the false traditions of the world to make poor choices.”
• April 2011 General Conference
  • Establishing a Christ-Centered Home
    • “Recognizing that we have a heavenly family helps us understand the eternal nature of our earthly families.”
    • “Understanding the eternal nature of the family is a critical element in understanding Heavenly Father’s plan for His children. The adversary, on the other hand, wants to do everything in his power to destroy Heavenly Father’s plan. In his attempt to defeat God’s plan, he is leading an unprecedented attack on the institution of the family. Some of the more powerful weapons he uses in his attack are selfishness, greed, and pornography.”
    • “Our eternal happiness is not one of Satan’s objectives. He knows that an essential key to making men and women miserable like himself is to deprive them of family relationships which have eternal potential. Because Satan understands that true happiness in this life and in the eternities is found in the form of family, he does everything in his power to destroy it.”
    • “When parents preside over the family in love and righteousness and teach their children the gospel of Jesus Christ by word and through example, and when children love and support their parents by learning and practicing the principles their parents teach, the result will be the establishment of a Christ-centered home.”
• October 2004 General Conference
  • Keeping Our Covenants
    • “From ancient days to modern days, true disciples of Jesus Christ have understood the importance of making and keeping covenants with the Lord.”
    • “As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have also taken upon ourselves sacred obligations. We have done this in the waters of baptism and in the temples of the Lord. We call these obligations covenants. Covenants are promises we make to the Lord. They are extremely sacred in nature. The most important thing we can do in this life is to keep the promises or covenants we have made with the Lord. When we keep our promises to the Lord, He allows us to progress spiritually.”
    • “Brothers and sisters, we are all looking forward to the day when we can return home to our Heavenly Father. In order to qualify for exaltation in the celestial kingdom, we must gain the trust of the Lord here on earth. We gain the trust of the Lord through earning it, and that is accomplished through our actual performance in living His gospel and keeping our covenants. In other words, we earn the trust of the Lord by doing His will.”
• October 1997 General Conference
  • A Celestial Connection to Your Teenage Years
    • “One of the great purposes of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to teach us of our eternal potentials. The purpose of the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ is to help us reach that potential.”
    • “Young friends, it is very difficult to cram for a mission, and it is equally difficult to cram for a temple marriage. Don’t take the risk. Be wise. Prepare yourselves daily. Study the scriptures. Communicate with your Heavenly Father in prayer. Attend seminary. Keep yourselves clean and prepared. Understand that what happens on Friday night will ultimately impact your celestial future.”

Articles in Church Publications

Other Publications and Resources