This General Conference weekend, I'm trying something different. (I got the idea from a post by someone else, if I remember who it was, I will give credit.) I'll be live blogging a bit (mostly on Sunday), but my main focus this conference will be to find one thing to focus on for the next six months. Looking for an action item that will give me the most spiritual return on investment, so to speak. I'd love to hear if anyone else finds a spiritual focus.
I'm also hopeful that our general leaders will include Mother in Heaven where possible. There are so many opportunities, if they are only taken.
Saturday Morning Session
Neil L. Andersen
Emily Belle Freeman
Of course, I cannot resist this speaker. I love her. One of my daughters introduced me to her about four years ago at a meetup at Deseret Book. The focus of that meetup was authors who had written about women and the priesthood. After that, I followed her on her Inklings channel. She's a sincere, intelligent, inquisitive, faithful woman. Such an example.
[Just before she began speaking, I got a phone call, so missed at least a bit of it. She's now mid-talk and the connection is on and off and keeps skipping, but I'll do my best.]
She's speaking of Emma. Speaks of her understanding of how the priesthood will work “in and through her.”
Live up to your privileges. Learn how priesthood ordinances and power will work in and through you. Study the priesthood ordinances and the promises we make.
It's not only who officiates in the ordinances that matters.
The garment is a reminder of the gift of God's power.
Right now—and for the past decade or so—we seem to be in a priesthood transition of sorts. To be honest, I don't think we (and I include leaders in this) understand the priesthood. The rather sudden influx of vague differentiation between priesthood power, keys, authority, ordination, etc. seems a work in progress without clarity.
What is a priestess? This is, I think, the endlessly unanswered question that is central to the truth. I hope we find it soon.
Karl D. Hirst
Love of God: what things would you participate in, what music would you listen to, what would your focus be to closest to God.
I'm not sure that's what he said, but it is where my mind went as he was speaking. I'll have to read it later.
I disagree in part. “Self-condemnation” isn't necessarily wrong/bad. We must be able to censure ourselves when we do wrong or participate in evil. It is true our sins do not put us beyond the love of God. Still, we can recognize God loves us and that we need to correct course.
In addition, in studying psychology, I'm coming to believe that the idea of “processing” our feelings may be more harmful than helpful overall.
Dale G. Renlund
David P. Homer
Gergorio E. Casillas
Dallin H. Oaks
Saturday Afternoon Session
D. Todd Christofferson
José A. Teixeira
Juan Pablo Villar
The presentation of God only helping in his time is kind of problematic to me.
Patrick Kearon
Welcome to the church of joy.
Sacrament Meeting should be joyful.
God can help us bear burdens with strength and even good cheer.
David L. Buckner
D. Marin Goury
Aroldo B. Cavalcante
Ulisses Soares
Saturday Evening Session
Gerrit W. Gong
Kristin M. Yee
Will this be one of the few conferences that includes more than two women speaking in general sessions?
Kyle S. McKay
Jorge M. Alvarado
David A. Bednar
Pride. Anyone else remember Ezra Taft Benson's epic talk on pride? I still have a photocopy in my very old scriptures.
(Anyone else having problem streaming BYUtv today?)
Sunday Morning Session
Jeffery R. Holland
Can Jesus come, please? Put enemies of Christ on kitchen duty.
Dumbing down of doctrine, including the love of God.
- Love the Lord thy God
- Love they neighbor as thyself
Christ defined charity with these qualifiers:
- If ye love me, keep my commandments
- Love one another as Christ has loved us
Redemption comes from Christ, full of both grace and truth, concurrently.
Christ exhibited obedience to every word from God's mouth, aligned his will/behavior to God.
Love the connection made here. Sam & I took off on a full conversation about the love/obedience connection.
Today's demand for authenticity is not charity.
The church is the vehicle for the exaltation of souls.
They've reduced His righteousness to mere prudishness, His justice to mere anger, His mercy to mere permissiveness. We must not be guilty of such simplistic versions that conveniently ignore teachings we find uncomfortable.
Tracy Y. Browning
3rd woman! (OK, kind of a cheat, since we have an extra general session to add in, but I'll take it.) Also, leopard print glasses, for the win!
Journey to get answers to our spiritual journeys. Asking questions is a natural/normal part of the process.
The plan is for us to progress in spite of our limitations of our humanity.
Asking questions is not a sign of weakness, but essential for growth.
Deep desire, sincere heart, real intent, faith in Christ.
Seek out and recognize patterns. Study holy scripture.
Space between questions and understanding is a sacred space of spiritual conditioning. Keep covenants through this process.
We do not possess any personal knowledge outside of God.
Brooke P. Hales
L. Todd Budge
Sabbath: rest from other cares to pay devotion to the Lord.
Temple: focus more
Gary E. Stevenson
Bradley R. Wilcox
Why do we have to live so differently from others?
We are joint heirs with Christ.
Your birthright does not mean you are better than others, it means you must help others be better.
You are chosen to serve.
Don't let the world change you, when you were born to change the world.
Henry B. Eyring
Satan does desire us to be miserable.
Take upon the name of Christ.
Sunday Afternoon Session
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
We cannot wait to act until we understand everything. If we do, we limit our potential good and deny the full power of faith.
Faith is strong when it has deep roots in personal experience, personal commitment to Jesus Christ, independent of what our traditions are or what others may say or do. Our testimony will be tested and tried. Faith is not faith if never tested. Faith is not strong it never opposed. So don't despair if you have trials of faith or unanswered questions.
Takashi Wada
Pray, speak from your heart.
Ronald A. Rasband
Quentin L. Cook
The scriptures can help us withstand efforts to undermine our faith.
Rubén V. Alliaud
[Port wine stain peeps, represent!]
If we made decisions, always reflecting on being children of Heavenly Parents, how would our decisions be different?
I. Raymond Egbo
Christ is joy; Christ is hope. Trust Jesus with your child.
Russell M. Nelson
I remember when President Benson was absent for so long. The narrative was that he was in ill health. I assum it was cognitive decline. President Nelson is in remarkable mental health for his age.
My favorite temple announcements were the two that were not so reverently accepted. Sometimes, you just cannot keep it quiet. Hallelujah!
17 more temples
- Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico
- Santa Ana, El Salvador
- Medellín, Colombia
- Santiago, Dominican Republic
- Puerto Montt, Chile
- Dublin, Ireland
- Milan, Italy
- Abuja, Nigeria
- Kampala, Uganda
- Maputo, Mozambique
- Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Queen Creek, Arizona
- El Paso, Texas
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Summit, New Jersey
- Price, Utah
My mom was born and raised in Price. I think she is pleased. Shout up to you, momma!
Urge to spend time each week to understand the atonement. Currently, I'm reading The Infinite Atonement. Recommended by my daughter. I recommend to you, as well!
Until April!
I appreciate Oaks trying to improve the political discourse in the church and beyond. I was puzzled by his belief that he could declare certain commandments “permanent” in the face of ongoing revelation— pretty ballsy when it’s not canonized and we believe in ongoing revelation.
As to the pride talk, according to a Benson family member, Benson‘s daughter-in-law (who is still living) was the actual author of the pride talk as Benson was too far gone to write his own talks by that point. Purportedly she wrote the talk because she had been studying the topic of pride as she noticed how prideful many members of the Benson family were. And the talk was heavily influenced by CS Lewis’s discourses on pride.