April, 2012 Conference Report
“We meet each six months to
strengthen one another, to extend encouragement, to provide comfort, to build
faith. We are here to learn. Some of you may be seeking answers to questions
and challenges you are experiencing in your life. Some are struggling with disappointments or
losses. Each can be enlightened and
uplifted and comforted as the Spirit of the Lord is felt.
Should there be changes that need to be made in your life, may you find
the incentive and the courage to do so as you listen to the inspired words
which will be spoken.” These are
President Monson’s words as he opened the conference. They
expressed the need we have for General Conference in our lives. President Eyering reminded us that the Holy
Ghost will help us as we listen to and study the conference talks:
“The Holy Ghost has confirmed
truth in this conference and will again as you seek it, as you listen, and as
you later study the messages of the Lord’s authorized servants who are here.”President
Eyering
President Uchtdorf told us
exactly how to apply the teachings we hear at general conference and closed
with a powerful promise if we will do so:
“ I invite you to consider the words spoken by the servants of God this
weekend. Then get on your knees. Ask God, our Heavenly Father, to enlighten
your mind and touch your heart. Plead
with God for guidance in your daily lives, in your Church responsibilities, and
in your specific challenges at this time.
Follow the promptings of the Spirit.
Do not delay. If you do all this,
I promise that the Lord will not leave you to walk alone.”
Elder Christofferson taught that what the apostles say at
conference is scripture and should be studied and heeded as such, especially
the words of the President of the church.
He quoted J. Reuben Clark: “We
should bear in mind that some of the General Authorities have had assigned to
them a special calling: they possess a special gift: they are sustained as
prophets, seers and revelators, which gives them a special spiritual endowment
in connection with their teaching of the people. They have the right, the power, and authority
to declare the mind and will of God to his people, subject to the overall power
and authority of the President of the Church.
Others of the General Authorities are not given this special spiritual endowment
and authority covering their teaching:
They have a resulting limitation, and resulting limitation upon their
power and authority in teaching applies to every other officer and member of
the Church, for none of them is spiritually endowed as a prophet, see, and revelator. Furthermore, as just indicated, the President
of the Church has a further and special spiritual endowment in this respect,
for he is the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator for the whole Church.”
Theme
I thought that last conference’s
theme (October, 2011) was “War against evil.”
This conference, I thought the
underlying theme was to give hope to single parents, or part-member
families. Five of the speakers
mentioned they were from single parent , part-member families, or families with a less active father ; three of
them apostles:
President Boyd K. Packer, Elder
David S. Baxter was raised by a single mother, Elder David A. Bednar raised in
a part member home, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder O. Vincent Haleck of the
70, Father not a member.
A great thought from this conference I want to
remember: A Christian minister asked
President Gordon B. Hinckley why the temple didn’t contain any representation
of the cross, the most common symbol of the Christian faith. President Hinckley replied that the symbols
of OUR Christian faith are the lives of our people.
Favorites:
Loved Elder Holland’s talk on “The Laborers in the Vineyard” about rejoicing in one another’s good
fortune, and not being jealous. “Envy is
a mistake that keeps on giving.”
Loved Elder Richard G. Scott’s talk on "How to Obtain
Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life." In it, he teaches us how to learn for the
scriptures and receive and recognize revelation. My fondest desire is to have the spirit with
me always. This a great resource on the “how
to” of making that happen.
President Uchtdorf’s “Stop it” talk. “When it comes to hating, gossiping,
ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply
the following: Stop it!” “ Remember, heaven is filled with those that have this
in common: They are forgiven. And they forgave.”
In most conferences, there is at least one powerful talk on
parenting. Elder Larry Y. Wilson of the
Seventy gave an amazing guide to parenting.
It reflects my personal parenting philosophy and I encourage ALL parents
to read and study it. (I have a feeling
that my next conference report will have many such references, as it seems that
October’s conference had a theme of family.)
Sister Beck and the general Relief Society presidency were
released in this conference. It seems
Sister Beck’s theme in her tenure was “Relief society, relief society, relief
society.” I wonder if this quote from
President Kimball was her inspiration, “There is a power in this organization
that has not yet been fully exercised to strengthen the homes of Zion and build
the Kingdom of God- nor will it until both the sisters and the priesthood catch
the vision of Relief Society.”
I do have to admit, it was refreshing to attend this year’s
Relief Society general meeting and have the theme and message be a little more
Christ –centered.
Tally of Resources quoted or referenced:
New Testament: Most with 138 (usually the Book of Mormon has
the most. This is due, in large part, to
Elder Anderson who quoted the New Testament 27 times)
Book of Mormon: 133
Apostles: 119
D & C: 100
Old Testament: 36
Literature: 23
Hymns: 14
Elder Russell M. Nelson had the most references with
59. At age 89, he continues to amaze me
with his powerful addresses that are so scripture-based. The footnotes are a whole additional sermon
and always take me awhile to study!
Scriptures referred
to most often:
2 Nephi 2:11 For it must needs be, that there is an aopposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in
the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness,
neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must
needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs
remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption,
happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
68: 25-28 25 And again, inasmuch as aparents have children in Zion, or in any
of her bstakes which are organized, that cteach them not to understand the ddoctrine of repentance, faith in Christ
the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the
laying on of the hands, when eeight years old, the fsin be upon the heads of the parents.
26 For this shall be a law unto the ainhabitants of Zion, or in any of her
stakes which are organized.
27 And their children shall be abaptized for the bremission of their sins when ceight years old, and receive the laying
on of the hands.
88: 118 And as all have not afaith, seek ye diligently and bteach one
another words of cwisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best dbookswords of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and
also by faith.
115:5 Verily I
say unto you all: aArise and shine forth, that thy blightmay be a cstandard for the dnations;
121:37 That
they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to acover our bsins, or to gratify our cpride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or ddominion or
compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of
unrighteousness, behold, the heavens ewithdraw themselves;
the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the
priesthood or the authority of that man.
Moses 1:39 (continues to be the most-often quoted/
referenced scripture at general conference)
For behold, this is my awork and my bglory—to bring to pass
the cimmortality and deternal elife of man.
Conclusion:
I think a good conclusion is this quote from Elder Neil L.
Andersen:
Elder Neil Andersen: “As
we have listened during the past two days, praying for spiritual guidance, and
as we study and pray about these messages in the days ahead, the Lord blesses
us with customized direction through the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Studying the conference talks is a blessing in my life.
For other conference reviews click here.
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