I have been thinking a lot on the dangers facing families today. It seems as if the attack on the family is increasing in ferocity, increasing our urgency to do more to save them. I recently re-read the talk Elder Gene R. Cook sent me titled, "The Eternal Nature of The Family." He gave the talk to Institute and Seminary Teachers in the Salt Lake Valley East and West Areas on June 12, 2001. I think I have mentioned the talk on here before, but it is still the most powerful talk I have read on the family.

A few excerpts:

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What is it that we really desire? What is the bottom line of all of this? I think the following words were given by revelation and I would teach them all over the Church: “Successive generations of faithful families sealed in the House of the Lord.” That is the outcome. We are not only after your family being sealed, but successive generations of your faithful family sealed in the House of the Lord. What beautiful words. What inspired doctrine.

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The question was asked, “Why is the home so influential?” One of the Twelve answered this question in an inspired way, suggesting four things that make the home a unique environment for teaching.

1. Parents are the only ones who can really fit the armor of faith individually to each of their children. It is a unique fit, isn’t it? You can generally talk about the armor, but you cannot specifically fit it to the child the way a dad and a mom can fit it.

2. No one can love like those from home. As much as you love the young people, it is not anywhere near how much Dad and Mom love them. If they can experience that love for marriage through their dad loving their mom and their mom loving their dad—if they can see their affection, their absolute delight in being married—they will desire to have what their parents have.

3. No one can see a temple marriage in action anywhere better than in the home. No one can set that example for your children better than you and your wife, brethren and sisters.

4. Home is a unique place to teach. There are magical moments that occur there. Young people are not taught when you are ready to teach, are they? It is when they are ready. In a class, you can sit them all in a line and give them the “what for,” but whether they listen or not is another matter. A good dad takes that walk around the block with a young son who stops to say, “Dad, that time we were fixing the bike together and you stopped and bore your testimony to me....” That is a magical moment. A mother is with a daughter, preparing a cake for dinner, when the daughter takes a moment to say, “Mom, I really love you.” Those are magical moments never to be forgotten. Those are the moments that are unique to home and not to be found anywhere else.

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What a marvelous blessing a loving family is.