The past two days I was truly spiritually fed. My family and I watched four 2-hour sessions
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ General Conference. It was
wonderful. The spirit was strong, and from the experience I have grown and have
specific, loving instruction on how to better myself and help those around me.
In an effort to help you see how priceless hearing the words
of the Lord’s servants is, I would like to highlight some of my favorite talks
from the conference.
Saturday
Morning Session - April 5, 2014
1. Jeffrey R. Holland
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: He is always such a powerful speaker,
and this time was no different. He spoke of how there will be times in our
lives when we are persecuted for our beliefs. He said it is worth it to be courageous
and hold true. We will find safety and strength if we are righteous and have Christ-like
love, which is the greatest need we have on this planet. My favorite part of
his talk was when he boldly, and poignantly testified of priesthood keys and
ordinances. He said he was more sure of their existence on the earth than he
was sure he was standing before us, and that we were watching him speak. See below
for a sample of his talk:
2. Ronald Rasbund of
the Presidency of the 70: He spoke of how sustaining our leaders is a
privilege, and comes with a responsibility to share their burdens, and to be disciples of Christ. We are the Lord’s hands on the earth, and we must lift and
serve others. We can get help to make divine decisions and love what God loves
as we help others.
3. Linda S. Reeves ,
Second Counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency: She was
incredibly bold and powerful as she spoke of the dangers of pornography as one
of the worst problems facing families today. However, she offered wonderful
guidance. She said not to be shocked and angry, or reject someone with a
pornography problem. Through Christ, one struggling with this type of addiction
can be made clean again and have his/her sorrows taken away. She also gave
suggestions on how to prevent the desire to view pornography in our homes.
She said to do daily scripture study, pray and do weekly family home evening,
as well as talk of Christ and rejoice in Christ often. She testified that coupled
with prayer, the Book of Mormon can strengthen family relationships.
4. Henry B. Eyring,
First Counselor in the First Presidency: He spoke of his great grandfather, Heinrich, and his conversion to the gospel, as well as the example Heinrich set for him, though
he never met him. The thing President Eyring said that meant the most to me was to let the
Lord be the leader of your family and things will work out.
Saturday Afternoon
Session - April 5, 2014
1. Russell M. Nelson
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: The theme of his talk was to let our
faith show. All truth comes from God, and we should not set aside any of it.
Living our religions day by day, wherever we are, will bring divine guidance.
God’s laws must ever be our standard, and we should look first to God and the
scriptures for guidance. You can’t rise to the full stature of your integrity, or become all your true self can be, if you segment your life into compartments.
“Even if everyone is doing it, wrong is never right.”
2. Richard G. Scott
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: My favorite points from his talk are
that we should serve the Lord first. He also said to sincerely love those we
went to help so they can then gain confidence of God’s love. That really struck
me – that through our love, others can feel God’s love.
3. W. Craig Zwick of
the 70: He spoke about communication with others, and how we should never
let corrupt or abrasive words come out of our mouths. We should try to see other people’s perspectives. We should always be kind and civil, even when we disagree
with someone. Also, being right is not that important. What is important is
listening, having empathy and seeing through another’s eyes.
4. Quentin L. Cook of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Elder Cook’s talk focused on hastening
temple work and family history work. I loved hearing his enthusiasm as he said
that there were only 12 temples 50 years ago, and now there are 142. Eighty
five percent of our church membership lives within 200 miles of a temple. With
the advances in technology, family history centers are now in our homes. The
church is growing, and it is growing because it is true.
Sunday
Morning Session - April 6, 2014
1. Dieter F.
Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: If I tried to tell you
my favorite parts of this talk, I would quote the entire thing. I have never
heard a more powerful talk on gratitude in my life. One quote is “Gratitude is
a catalyst to all Christlike attributes.” Please watch this talk! It will change
your life.
2. Jean A. Stevens,
First Counselor in the General Primary Presidency: She told a story that
really strengthened my testimony. She said that one day she was driving and she
saw a boy walking on the side of the road. She felt an impression to stop and
help him, but then didn’t. She received a stronger prompting, and then went back and
asked him if he needed help. He said he had been praying for someone to help
him. She later told his perspective of the story in his own words, and he
indicated that he had tried to walk home a long distance and just couldn’t. He
prayed for someone to help him, and minutes later, Sister Stevens pulled up to
him. She testified that God is aware of our situations and wants to
bless us. He has a plan for us and wants to see us home again. God accomplishes His miracles one prayer at a time, one person at a time.
3. David A. Bednar of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
His talk used a metaphor of a truck in the snow that needed a load to give
it enough traction to get unstuck and head safely home. The load represents our
trials, our obligations, our sorrows. He said that happiness is not the absence
of a load. He talked about how Christ will help us pull our load and be with us
to the end as long as we make and keep sacred covenant with Him. Christ
experienced all we will ever experience before us, so He has perfect empathy.
There is always someone who knows what we are going through. This talk is
definitely worth watching.
4. Thomas S. Monson,
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Our dear prophet reminded us that the
greatest commandment is to love God, and the second to love one another. He
said that we can’t fully love God without loving others, and we can’t fully
love others without loving God. He counseled that as we recognize that we are
all spirit children of God, and thus brothers and sisters, loving others gets
easier. We will never regret being too kind. Love should be at the heart of
family life. Blame keeps wounds open; only forgiveness heals. This man is a
prophet of God. Please listen to his words.
Sunday Afternoon
Session - April 6, 2014
1. Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles:
I have one quote I want to share that touched me deeply: “I
know the Lord. I am His witness.” I believe him.
2. L. Tom Perry of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: I loved his talk. It was a profound
reminder of the importance of following the Spirit, submitting our will to God’s,
and keeping the commandments. I strongly recommend watching his talk.
In the meantime, below are two of my favorite quotes from
his talk:
3. Lawrence Corbridge
of the 70: Other than President Uchtdorf’s talk, this was my favorite. He
spoke with great love for the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph, as a 14-year-old boy,
was searching for truth. He wanted to know which church to join. I love how
Elder Corbridge said, “In his haste to know, he was not hasty.” I felt the
Spirit very strongly as he gave a long, yet not complete list, of the many
truths we now know because of revelation given to Joseph Smith. Please, please,
please watch this talk. If you have a desire to know more about my faith and
about prophets of God, namely Joseph Smith, I promise you will be touched.
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