An elbow to the ribs. A squeeze of the hand. A gentle tap on the knee. A harder elbow to the ribs. My EC has lots of ways to communicate with me, many of them through subtle nudges. Usually she employs them to get me to stop doing or saying whatever I am doing or saying. Sometimes, however, it she is giving me a gentle nudge to action.
It is her rightful place to nudge me as the official person on the planet who knows me better than anyone else does. We have been married for 31 years. Not only does she know what I do, she usually knows what I’m thinking.
The only people who know me better than she does are Deity – and they aren’t afraid to give me the spiritual elbow to the ribs, either. Elder Rasband refers to it as a “gentle nudge.” “The Spirit speaks words that we feel. These feelings are gentle, a nudge to act, to do something, to say something, to respond in a certain way.” (link)
I feel those nudges sometimes. Sometimes they are gentle. Sometimes they are as subtle as my wife’s elbow to the ribs. Especially during General Conference.
As you may know, I post a brief summary of my Conference notes immediately after each session. I do this for several reasons.
- It keeps me intently focused on what is being said.
- I retain notes to help me remember stuff.
- To share my thoughts with others.
- To provide a cheat sheet so my readers can know enough to fake like they actually saw the session. (Nah, you guys would never do that…right?)
I’ve written before about my note-taking process. I try to do a good job not only capturing what was being said, but what was being said to me. (Which is something we have been counseled to do, repeatedly.)
The unspoken promptings of the Holy Ghost. Each is important.” Elder Jay E. Jensen, The Power of Diligent Learning.
“For you to obtain the maximum benefit from our time together, I suggest that you carefully write down any impressions that come to you. They are personalized messages from the Lord, sent through the Holy Ghost for your guidance.” Elder Richard G. Scott, To Have Peace and Happiness.
As a result, I have a stack of notebooks spanning decades that contain my notes from various meetings and Conference sessions. The problem is that those notebooks rest comfortably in a drawer where they are rarely exposed to light or to my eyes.
I have decided that I am going to make a slight adjustment to my Conference ritual. Yes, I will still post my summaries, but I am also creating something new:
The Nudge List.
As I do every Conference, in addition to my Cliff Notes, I will record two types of things:
- Things spoken by my leaders that have direct application to me. Things I am counseled to do, or not to do, etc.
- Unspoken nudges from the Holy Ghost. Things I should do, things I shouldn’t do, warnings, affirmations, inspirations, etc.
Historically, I have recorded a sort of Nudge List within the flow of my notes. The problem is that the notebook eventually gets put away, and by time the next Conference rolls around, I have forgotten what the nudges were. Problem.
This year I am going to keep the Nudge List separate, and then, wait for it….
…put it on my phone!
Yes, I am going to put my Nudge List on my phone so I will remember to look at it. Then, over the next six months, I will be more likely to remember, and act, on those special promptings. Maybe by then I will have crossed some of those spiritual calls to action off the list.
I invite you to join me in this experiment. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Enjoy Conference. Let the heavens open for you, personally, and soak in the deluge.
Great idea!!
You’re on! 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 –
Missed your notes from the first session. 😉
I was hoping you would take care of that.
Nice post, thank you for sharing!
I love how Conference for you also means you share all of this – your notes, observations and thoughts, its like you have an assignment in school (school being life) that is due after each session and you always turn in your work on time. I appreciate your dedication to your online flock of readers….
I also had a thought after reading this, those nudges that come from on high at least for me have taught me that the Lord does indeed have a sense of humor, loving humor not cruel…I’ve wondered if others have noticed that as well? I have no doubt, too many things have happened in my life to lead me to this conclusion, and its a happy conclusion…
Just felt like sharing that for some reason…have a beautiful day!
Thank you. I agree – God does have a sense of humor.
Great idea. Now to remember it until Saturday…
I’m in. I’ve made a conference packet to take notes on, I listen or reread them all several times in six month and I have a, “Because I KNOW – I WIll. . . ” section, but I LOVE putting it on my phone! Thanks. Happy Conference weekend!
I love this idea! I would like to try this too. Thank you so much for the *brilliant* idea! Your fourth point is … funny!
#4 ?
Things get buried on my phone just like in paper stacks. Are you going to make it into wallpaper or a lock screen image?
That is a good idea, but my nudges are usually personal enough that I don’t want them readily visible to others. Maybe I’ll set a weekly reminder for Sunday.
For me it’s out of sight out of mind, so I’ll type my nudge list and put it on the bulletin board by my desk so I’ll see it every day. Thanks for the quotes; I’ll give a little notebook to my VT ladies before Saturday.
Great idea. (unless the items are just too personal for prying eyes.)
Thanks for the great idea. I am going to do it!
Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the invite 🙂
Great idea!
I’ve found I don’t like reading other people’s notes or thoughts on conference, at least not for a few weeks. I like to rely on the spirit to point out the important things that I need to be paying attention to. What I hear may not be what My Sweet Husband hears even though we are sitting side by side. I love how personalized conference is because of the Spirit’s influence and nudging.