Tuesday, November 13, 2012

April, 2012 Conference Report


April, 2012 Conference Report
 For the full six months after receiving the conference issues, I read and study the talks.  I look up every reference.  Why?  you ask.  These quotes from April, 2012 suggest reasons why:  
“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:
John 13-35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye havealove one to another
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.
D& C: 18:10  Remember the aworth of bsouls is great in the sight of God;
 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.
 28 And they shall also ateach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.

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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