Note: These are the instant, post-conference, mildly-filtered things that ran through my brain and heart as I watched this session of General Conference. If you are looking for deep, spiritual analysis, this is not the place. Drive on.
• I just woke up from a 20″ nap. I hope I’m functional.
• I also had the thought that the last session was the “Epcot Session.” I didn’t count how many countries were represented, but there were a lot!
• Well, I saw the choir’s blouses and I am wide awake now!
Elder Rasband conducting tonight.
Elder Garrit W. Gong. Started with Dad Jokes, then moved into a talk about holiness.
“To become holy, the Lord invites us to walk with him.””To walk with the Lord, we must become holy, because he is holy. To help us become holy, he invites us to walk with him.”
• Side note: I recently outwitted A.I. on the family messaging thread:
Back to the talk:
“Religious believers are, on average, happier, healthier and greater life satisfaction.”
Spoke to the blessings received by full-time missionaries.
Gave several examples of holiness to the Lord: Senior missionaries, young missionaries, temple attendance, family relationships. “Holiness to the Lord is small and simple things of everyday life and of choosing to follow the Gospel of Christ.”
“Holiness to the Lord says ‘yes’ to the sacred and reverent, ‘yes’ to our becoming our freest, happiest, most authentic best selves as we follow Him in faith.”
“Holiness to the Lord makes daily living sacred. It draws us closer and happier to the Lord and each other and prepares us to live with God our Father, a Man of Holiness, Jesus Christ, and our loved ones.”
“You may wonder if your Heavenly Father loves you. The answer is yes!”
Sister Kristin M Yee. 2nd Counselor General RS Presidency.
Told a story about ruining a painting of the Savior that she was working on. Called her mom, then painted through the night. The painting looked better than before.
“I will forever be grateful to my Savior that I can change and be cleansed.”
“Repenting allows us to feel God’s love, and to know and love Him in ways we would never otherwise know.”
“The redeeming power of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest promised blessings of our covenants.”
“I testify that you are not beneath the Master’s reach.”
Quotes C.S. Lewis as Aslan, “Oh, Humankind. How cleverly you defend yourself from all that can do you good.”
Another reference to laying aside our weapons of war: “Pride, selfishness, fear hate, offense, complacency, unrighteous judgment, jealousies – anything that keeps us from loving God with all our hearts.”
“The Lord can give us the help and power we need to both recognize and overcome our weaknesses, including the spiritual parasite of pride.” “The spiritual parasite of pride.”
“Like my painting, the Lord is not done with us when we make a mistake, nor does He flee when we falter.”
(She killed it! Great metaphor, great talk. Great painting. Wonderful!)
• My favorite version of “The Iron Rod” was when the TabCats sang it with a section of Holz’s Jupiter from The Planets suite. Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BOGpKr_ETM
• The children singing this afternoon looked so pure, and the missionary choir doesn’t look much different. Sound good, too.
Elder Kyle S. McKay. “My knowledge and testimony of the Savior,” as informed by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
“What we now call ‘The First Vision’ marked the beginning of the restoration of all things in this last dispensation. But for Joseph, the experience was also personal and preparatory.”
“It is the nature of God to give to those who lack wisdom.”
Joseph asked for direction and forgiveness. “Joseph’s life of regular repentance gives me confidence to ‘come boldly unto the throne of grace, that I may obtain mercy.’”
Book of Mormon, Priesthood and other truths: “Vital truths were given clarity and completeness as Joseph repeatedly inquired of the Lord for direction.”
“I testify that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God, a witness and servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was ‘blessed to open the last dispensation,’ and we are blessed that he did.”
“With joy and thanksgiving, I raise my voice in praise to the man who communed with Jehovah. And above all, praise to Jehovah who communed with that man.” (Nice!)
Elder Jorge M Alvarado.
Talked about his weaknesses and inadequacy with his new calling in the Seventy. Quoted Nephi writing of his fallibility, and Joseph Smith’s similar feelings.
Told a wonderful story, which I don’t want to paraphrase- you should watch it – the delivery makes it.
“As we come unto Jesus Christ, our path of sincere repentance will eventually lead us to the Savior’s holy temple.”
“My friends, repentance is joy!”
Think of how our posterity will be blessed as we embrace the Lord’s gift of repentance.”
“I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is the Master Healer of our souls.”
(Loved his joyous enthusiasm – he started speaking before he got to the microphone!)
Elder David A. Bednar: Spoke about President Benson’s focus on the Book of Mormon and pride.
“We should constantly ask ourselves why did Mormon choose to include this story in the Book of Mormon.” (Benson)
“The Book of Mormon is a book about our future and the times in which we do now and will yet live.”
Relevant lessons for today from the book of Helaman:
- Nephites were rejecting prophets and being disobedient while Lamanites went the better direction. It all happened in a short period of time. (He said “and thus we see” a zillion times. Yea, baby!)
Pride entered in: “Ancient voices from the dust plead with us today to learn this everlasting lesson: prosperity, possessions, and ease constitute a potent mixture that can lead even the righteous to drink the spiritual poison of pride.”
“We always must be on guard against a pride-induced and exaggerated sense of self-importance, a misguided evaluation of our own self-sufficiency, and seeking self instead of serving others.”
“As we pridefully focus upon ourselves, we also are afflicted with spiritual blindness and miss much, most, or perhaps all that is occurring within and around us. We cannot look to and focus upon Jesus Christ as the ‘mark’ if we only see ourselves.”
— Thank heavens for the pause button! —
Such spiritual blindness can turn us away from the Lord’s path and onto destructive detours.
2) “The increasing righteousness of the Lamanites provide a stark contrast.”
Mormon saw our day and understood the challenges of our day.
“Apostasy can occur at two basic levels—institutional and individual. At the institutional level, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will not be lost through apostasy or taken from the earth.”
“The standard of truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work rom progressing…”(Joseph Smith)
“At the individual level, each of us must ‘beware of pride, lest we become as the Nephites of old.’”
“May I suggest that if you or I believe we are sufficiently strong and stalwart to avoid the arrogance of pride, then perhaps we already are suffering from this deadly spiritual disease.”
“Simply stated, if you or I do not believe we could be afflicted with and by pride, then we are vulnerable and in spiritual danger.”
“I testify that as we walk in the meekness of the Lord’s spirit, we will avoid and overcome pride and have peace in Him.”
• Elder Bednar: Yowza! I hope people were watching. That was an amazing talk. (I’m sure glad that I am super-duper humble so I don’t need to worry about pride.)
• It was a good day. A long day. My fingers are tired. Have a lovely evening and I’ll see you tomorrow, same Bat time, same Bat channel.
I’m right with you: I myself used to have a problem with humility.
“(I’m sure glad that I am super-duper humble so I don’t need to worry about pride.)
Thank you for sharing your excellent notes. Reading what caught your attention has become one of my personal General Conference traditions. 🙂