Note: These are the instant, 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. Please check back later for that, after I have had some time to process.
• I am probably the last person in the world to realize this, but, at the risk of looking foolish, I’ll explain: I was watching the organists playing the opening hymn and marveling at all the buttons – or “stops” as they are called. Then I wondered what would happen if they pulled out all the stops…. Then it dawned on me that is where the expression “Pulling out all the stops” comes from. So I looked it up:
On second thought, I should have saved this for a blog post, but there it is.
• Uh-oh. Another brief comment from the Prophet coming up…
• Elder Gerrit W. Gong. (One of the two new Apostles) Gets two laughs in his opening paragraph, Nice!
“Covenants and the Atonement enable and ennoble.”
“This day I humbly pledge all the energies of my soul”
It was short, but he sure communicated to me that he is a kind, humble and dedicated man.
• Elder Ulisses Soares. (The other new Apostle.) “Brothers and sisters, I want to testify to you today that President Russell M. Nelson is the prophet of God on earth. I have never seen anyone more kind and loving that he is.”
• President Nelson is back: They have been seeking “a better way to minister to the spiritual and temporal needs of our members. We have made the decision to retire home teaching and visiting teaching.”
New efforts: Ministering.
• Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “What a prophet!”
New changes on ministering.lds.org
We need to get past the mechanical routine to the heartfelt.
The primary purpose in this ministering is to watch over the people “and nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness.” (Mosiah 23:18)
“The only report that will be made is the number of interviews leaders had with the ministering companionships in the ward that quarter.”
“We have a heaven-sent opportunity as an entire church to demonstrate pure religion, undefiled before God, to bear one another’s burdens that they may be light and to comfort those that stand in need of comfort”
“However, a new name, new flexibility, fewer reports will not make one ounce of difference in our service unless we see this as an invitation to care for one another in a bold, new holier way.”
Here is a link to a summary of the talk.
• President Jean Bingham (General RS President) Talked about the myriad ways communication and service can happen between members and those ministering to them.
“Rather than leaders just handing out slips of paper, it looks like counseling about the individuals and families in person as assignments are given to ministering brothers and sisters.” (Sad that HT and VT was so far off track that we understand what she was referring to.)
“Sometimes we think we have to do something grand and heroic to count as serving our neighbors. Yet simple acts of service can have profound effects on others as well as on ourselves.” (Follows lockstep with President Oaks talk from this morning about small and sole things.)
“Working together under the direction of the bishop, elders quorum and Relief Society presidencies can be inspired as they seek the best ways to watch over and care for each individual and family.”
Young women will now serve with RS sisters in ministering efforts. “This opportunity to participate in building the kingdom of God will be a tremendous benefit to young women, helping them better prepare to fulfill their roles as leaders in the church and the community and as contributing partners in their families.”
“I gladly bear my personal witness that these revelatory changes are inspired of God, and that as we embrace them with willing hearts, we will become better prepared to meet His son, Jesus Christ, at His coming.”
• I am eager to embrace this change and have a willing heart, but the question I ask myself is: How will be we able to live this new, higher law when many of us failed so miserably living the lesser “Mosaic-style” law? That is going to take some soul-searching.
(The answer might also be that no Priesthood holders want to get schooled by the Beehives.)
• With the changes this weekend, it looks that the Ward leadership is consolidated into 3: Bishop, EQP and RS. They will direct the ministering efforts of all the men, women, young and old, in each unit.
• President Elder Dieter Uchtdorf: (Weird)
What happened on the first Easter morning makes it the most important day isn history. “To find the most important day in history, we must go back to the that evening almost 2,000 years ago in the Garden of Gethsemane.”
- We all die. We all get resurrected.
- We have all sinned.
- Christ made it so we can achieve Celestial light and glory.
“When you are despairing, deserted, doubting, damaged, or defeated, behold the Man. He will comfort you.”
“His refining light saturates our souls. His grace uplifts us. Our burdens are lightened, our peace deepened. When we truly behold the Man we have the promise of a blessed future that inspires and upholds us through the bends and bumps in life’s journey.”
POWERQUOTE: “The most important day in your life and mine is the day when we learn to ‘Behold the Man.'”
• Gérald Jean Caussé, Presiding Bishop. Interesting story about the process of getting the political approval for the Paris temple to be built.
“The Church is all about people. It is all about you, the Lord’s disciples—those who love and follow Him and who have taken His name upon them by covenant.”
Great question “Are we active in the gospel, or are we merely busy in the Church?”
I like this quote ties in to the new ministering program: “I promise you that as you strive to be on the Lord’s agenda, nothing will become more important than finding those people you can help and bless.” (Perhaps that answers my previous question.)
• Elder Quentin Cook spoke about the Kirtland Temple. (So glad we made it a point to take the family there.)
Priesthood keys were restored on Easter Sunday at the Kirkland Temple
- Moses – Gathering of Israel
- Elias – Abrahamic covenant
- Elijah – Sealing power for temple work
The Church is still focused on those three things.
- “Today almost 70,000 missionaries are spread across the earth preaching His gospel to gather His elect.”
- “In this conference, significant guidance has been presented to assist in perfecting the saints and preparing them for the kingdom of God.”
- “Family history work, heaven-blessed by technology, has dramatically increased in the past few years.”
Non-consensual mortality is being called out. “Non-consensual immorality is against the laws of God and of society.”
He also took the next step: “Non consensual immorality is against the laws of God and humanity…If we as a society contemplated the consequences of sin there would be more objection to pornography and the objectification of women.”
POWERQUOTE: “In the Lord’s Church the only culture we teach and adhere to is the culture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
— There is a lot going on in this talk – I need to go back and read it soon.
Temple is symbolic of how we are all the same as members of the Church. Temple recommends for both adults and youth are growing.
“As we look at the primary purposes of the Church, they are based on equality before the Lord and following the culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
• President Nelson brings it home:
A new era of ministering. … a “new holier way.”
Seven new temples!
- Salta, Argentina
- Blah-blah-blaroo, India
- Managua, Nicaraugua
- Something-something, Phillipines
- Layton, Utah
- Richmond, Virginia
- RUSSIA.
Hilarious listening to the “Oohs and Ahhs, ” and watching the Prophet toy with the congregation.
• Well, if anyone thought the transition between prophets would be “same-old, same-old,” I guess we all know better now. President Nelson is bringing it, and seems to behaving a great time doing it.
I love the Prophet. I love the Lord for letting us have one.
I love General Conference.
I’m tired of typing.
Have a glorious Easter Sunday.
All my love,
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Thanks for all of your summaries. It will be extremely helpful when we watch the recordings next weekend Down Under.
My husband and I always love reading your thoughts on each session right after…thank you for doing it. I really liked how you said “I love the Prophet. I love the Lord for letting us have one.” Gooooood one. ??
I stand all amazed! and Thank You MMM for sharing your thoughts
Those of us who are familiar with and love the Paris Temple had heard the story before. We also know that France is the land of bureaucracy, where paperwork is often required in triplicate, can take days to acquire because one requiree form cannot be obtained without the form you are requesting, and at the end of all of your efforts you can watch a clerk throw everything in the garbage because it was stapled and not paperclipped. For the mayor and city counsel to have decided to simply decide to do their own research was a miracle. It allowed their hearts to be touched and the Spirit to do His work. And of course, for the wonderful Saints of Paris, who have fasted and prayed for decades for their temple, to let their Christlike light shine brightly. I am glad Bishop Caussé shared the story today for everyone else. When the time is right for a temple, doors are opened and hearts are softened.
I KNEW I would see that quote in your summary! ‘Are we active in the gospel or busy in the church?’. BOOM!!!
What a Conference. The Lord is putting us all to work and we have AMAZING men to direct us. What an exiting time to be living the gospel.
Today we celebrate the greatest and most important event in the history of mankind. It is the Atonement of JESUS CHRIST. HE made the perfect Atonement for mankind. It is the supreme expression of the love that our FATHER in HEAVEN and JEUS have for mankind.
Such an amazing weekend with inspired changes! My husband served in Russia and cried when the temple was announced!
This Conference has been a powerful testament to the Lord hastening his work through his prophets and continuing revelation! I am in awe and am so grateful. I have a lot to work on and am looking forward to getting started. Thank you for what you do with these recaps. I appreciate all the typing it takes to get these ready to post. Thank you!! (You cracked me up with your temple list!) 🙂
I found it interesting that Sister Oscarson talked about how the young women want to serve. I know 4 people were assigned topics for conference (Christofferson and Rasband in the Priesthood session, and Holland and Bingham this afternoon) but I don’t think Sister Oscarson’s was assigned. Very interesting that her topic worked in perfectly with the big news this afternoon! I wrote down lots of notes of impressions from yesterday and today and felt a longing to do more and be more as a Latter-day Saint. This morning I felt a great desire to really magnify my calling and minister and uplift people – little did I know what was about to be announced! After the temples were announced I visited #ldsconf on Twitter (fun place to see the comments) and someone said this is the Lord hastening the work. I am so grateful that my heart was softened and I wanted to do better. When the further announcements were made I realized I had been receiving revelation for myself and already planning to dive in with both feet. What an amazing weekend!
I add ALL of your notes next to my hand-written notes in my Conference notebook. I love your insights and humor. Thank you so much for being so diligent for ALL sessions.
We are truly blessed. I feel the energy emanating from our new dear Prophet. It is exhilarating!
He is getting us ready for the Second Coming and will be pulling us along. I hope we can all run fast enough to keep up.
This new directive feels like a weeding out of those who just want to belong to the church from those who want to truly live the gospel. What a responsibility for us all!
LIKE…Amen…
I missed this session — torn between attending a large family gathering and being there. Usually no contest, but today… I am really grateful for your instant summaries and hungry to watch every minute of it as soon as it is posted online. How I love this prophet, this Church, the gospel. So grateful to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. I loved earlier today when Elder Massimo de Feo said that the first and primary commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart,, might, mind and strength, but the first and enduring central truth is that Heavenly Father loves US with all of HIS heart, might, mind and strength, What a powerful truth to take into our personal hearts and souls.
I also see these changes, and the call of the prophet to step beyond our current spiritual ability to seek, receive and act upon personal revelation, as a call to greater personal responsibility and accountability to Heavenly Father and the Lord. The onus is on each one of us. The choice is truly ours as to whether we will step up or gone on our paths as before.
Your listing of temples looks pretty much like my attempts at writing them down. AMAZING General Conference that gave me much to ponder and go forth with.
Wish there was an amen button after a few of your insights. Schooled by the beehives…. funny. Totally agree about how this will work when people arent doing it now. Things are a changing.
You stole my comment. The HP and Elders will get seriously spanked by the Beehives:)
Thank you.
You are most welcome. You would have made an excellent leper.
Ha Ha!! I’m stealing that one 🙂
I have sat in my comfortable chair for two days and I am exhausted. Excited, exhilarated, spiritually fed and exhausted all at once.
^^^^ THIS!
I don’t think I have had a general conference weekend that was this emotional since they announced that they are building a temple in my mission ( a place we once half-joked that we would feel more successful if we nuked the place and spent 2 years doing temple work).
It is going to take 6 months just to process everything we heard.
Here’s my LIKE button!