Instant Conference Thoughts – Saturday Afternoon

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.

•• Okay, so maybe I did take a nap between sessions rather than be productive. I figure staying awake during the session is more important than being productive.

•• I’m not hearing dissenting votes vocalized anymore. I wonder why. Pres. Oaks did invite those with opposing votes to talk to their local leaders.

•• Some awesome names for sustaining. Chickaboomboom?

•• This: Elder Peter Johnson was just sustained as a General Authority Seventy – the first African-American general authority in the history of the Church.

•• They should play a funeral dirge as the newly called people take their seats on the rostrum.

•• It would be easier for the Church auditor to stay in his seat and just give two big “Thumbs Up.”

•• I Stand All Amazed with a soloist. You don’t hear that very often. Meh.

• Elder M. Russell Ballard. Talked about how long he has been at this. (I remember when he was called as an Apostle.)

“The lord has inspired His prophet and the Apostles to implement a number of wonderful adjustments. However, I worry that the spiritual purposes of these adjustments might become lost in the excitement about the changes themselves.”

Encouraged us to keep things simple, and make sure we use our Sabbath as we should with the new programs. “Sabbath day observance should bring a smile to our faces.”

“The most joy comes from the simple things in life. Keep it simple. It’s in the simplicity that you will find the peace, love,a and happiness I’m talking about.”

Pres. Ballard has been trying to make Testimony Meetings better as long as I can remember. I love him for it. Lose the stories, stick to testifying.

• Elder Mathias Held.

Right off the bat I thought his accent sounded like Spanish/German. Turns out he is from Columbia, but lived a lot of his life in Germany.

Spent some time telling his family’s conversion story. “In a very systematic manner we started looking at the truths of the church with our very rational minds.”

“In addition to our rational minds, another dimension to gaining knowledge can give us guidance and understanding. It is the still and soft voice of His Holy Spirit.”

Interesting idea: Having two eyes – two sources of input – gives us 3D – depth to our vision. Same as using two sources to seek spiritual depth and truth – our minds and the Spirit.

• Elder Neil L. Anderson spoke about “Truth.”

“We have more information on our cell phones than which is contained in a brick-and-mortar library. We live with opinion and information overload.

“Truth shows us the way to eternal life,and it comes only through our Savior, Jesus Christ.There is no other way.”

There are always counterfeits to the truth to throw us off. (Quoted some anti-Christs like Korihor.)

Showed a groovy 3-D eye picture.

Moved on to the eternal truths, and the warnings, contained in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. (I hope this leads to the canonization of the family proclamation)

“If we pick and choose what we accept in the Proclamation, we cloud our eternal view, putting too much importance on our experience here and now.”

Second talk encouraging us to not be like the world.

“There are so many, young and old, who are loyal to the gospel of Jesus Christ even though their own current experience does not fit neatly inside the Family Proclamation.”

“Some will say, “You don’t understand my situation.” I may not, but I testify there is One who does understand. There is One who knows your burdens because of His sacrifice made in the garden and on the cross.”

Powerful stuff – great talk. It will inevitably bother a lot of people.

• Elder Takashi Wada. Sushi. Yum. (No, that’s not me stereotyping – he brought it up.) Intro to “Feasting.”

“When we feast, we will also likely find that the amount or kind of food we have may not matter, if our hearts are filled with gratitude.”

“Feasting upon the scriptures is not just reading them — it should bring us real joy and build our relationship with the Savior.”

“When we struggle with our own identity and lack of self-esteem, the pleasing word of God in the scriptures will help us know who we really are and give us strength beyond our own.”

His mom got baptized three years ago – 35 years after Elder Wada did.

• Elder David B. Homer. Listening to the RIGHT voice. “At critical moments in our lives, we I’ll hear multiple voices. Our job is to listen to the right one”

Crowdsourcing, Alexa, Siri – this brother is current.

“What is popular is not always what is best. Halting between two opinions brings no direction. Convenience rarely leads to things that matter. Fixation on a single voice or issue can impair our ability to see.”

“If we are not careful, the wrong voices can draw us away from the gospel center to places where faith is difficult to sustain, and we find little more than emptiness, bitterness, and dissatisfaction.”

Now the song “Popular” from Wicked is bouncing around my brain.

“The Spirit speaks to different people in different ways, and He may speak to the same person in different ways at different times. As a result, learning the many ways He speaks to us is a lifelong quest.”

Suggested we don’t get caught in the “Cynical Fringe.” Love it.

This was one of those excellent talks that I need to go back and read again, because it seems almost every line is quotable.

•• I shouldn’t do this, but here you go: Singing: “Voices calling me from everywhere “Run over here! Run over there!” “We’ve got things to blow your mind!” So I go…And what do I find? Nothing!”

•• Two talks in a row about finding real truth in a world of relativism. Not surprising that Korihor was referenced in both.

• Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Christ, the Sacrificial Lamb.

Spoke to the history of sacrifice in O.T. times, and Christ’s teaching of the sacrament, and his atonement.

Even though we are more home-centered gospel instruction, we still need to show up for sacrament meeting and participate in the ordinance of the sacrament as the “sacred acknowledged focal point of our weekly worship experience.”

“This hour ordained of the Lord is the most sacred hour of our week.”

“Sunday best” has lost meaning. We need to restore it.

Be on time to Church. “And there will inevitably be those who’s ox is in the proverbial mire… But if the ox is in the mire every Sunday, we strongly recommend selling the ox or filling the mire”

Be more reverent at Sacrament meeting. (Yea!)

“One way to always remember Him would be to join the Great Physician in His never-ending task of lifting the load from those who are burdened and relieving the pain of those who are distraught.”

“So look in any direction, and you will find someone whose pain is seeming too heavy to bear and whose heartache seems never, apparently, to end.”

•• Confession: When Elder Holland started talking about sacrificial lambs, I began to tune out – heard it a million times. But.. as he went on, I realized what a remarkable, powerful testimony of the sabbath and the sacrament was being shared. You’ll think that by now I would trust Elder Holland to bring it every time.

•• The closing hymn, “Jesus Lover of My Soul” was beautiful and touching. I imagine that those ids who sang it will remember the experience the rest of their lives.

•• Have a lovely break..for two hours.