What I learned at LDS General Conference Today, Sunday Afternoon Session: Note: If you see ** it indicates a statement that has been repeated numerous times. I know I often find myself in need of strength faithened. M. Russell Ballard 1. There are hazards ahead. We are going over the rules. Pay attention and follow through. 1. ***Stay in the boat*** 2. Always wear a life jacket 3. Always hold on with both hands. The Lord in his goodness has provided a boat, essential supplies/tools like life jackets, and instructors like prophets and apostles. Stay in the boat – If you leave the church, you will be drowned. In storms or calm weather remember to stay in the boat. We are in the old ship Zion. God is at the helm. All is right. The Lord is here. He dictates and directs. If you have confidence in God he will guide us right. How do we stay in the boat: experience a continuing conversion. Increase our faith in Jesus Christ. Apostles and prophets help us arrive at our final destination. 2. When the Quorum of the 12 and First Presidency speak with unity it is the voice of the Lord. **Weather by my own voice of the voice of my servant it is the same. ** 3. Church leaders are men and women of experience and not out of touch. They visit leaders of nations and the humblest of families. 4. Always wear a life jacket – The teachings of the prophets and apostles and the scriptures act like a spiritual life jacket and help us hold on with both hands. We can become men and women of sound understanding, but it is only accomplished by searching the scriptures diligently. 5. Hold on with both hands - Focus on studying and living the doctrine of Christ. We need to be like the son’s of Mosiah and give ourselves to much prayer and fasting. Stay focused on the simple things and avoid becoming distracted. 6. The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the prophets of Jesus Christ. That he died and rose up on the third day and ascended to heaven. All other things are appendages to this. You must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ and a perfect brightness of hope…. Don’t focus on the appendages. Don’t be **distracted** from the simple and clear message of the gospel. Richard G. Scott Adam and Eve….ZzzzzzzzzzZzzzzzZzzzzzzz No seriously, I was having technical difficulties. My internet kept going out. It was really frustrating. 1. The fall allows us to experience happiness and sadness. We are able to know peace because we have experienced turmoil. This is all part of Heavenly Fathers plan. 2. Each of us is intimately aware of our own struggles, temptations and sadness. We are here to be stretched and face the evils of the advisory. And at times we feel more aware of the negative things than the positive. Despite the negative, we must take time to actively exercise our faith. This exercise invites the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives. **We have tools to come unto Christ. When the tools become habits they provide the easiest way to find peace.** They are: - prayer: choose to converse with your Father in Heaven often. Make time every day to share thoughts and feelings and all your concerns. As you righteously exercise your faith you will feel buoyant peace. **Safeguard your children** by arming them with the power of family prayer. Children are bombarded protect them by fortifying them with family prayer. It should be a non-negotiable priority in your daily life -Study the word of God: God most often communicates back to us through his written words. To know his voice, study scriptures and ponder them. If you want your children to recognize the spirit you must study the scriptures with them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work etc. You may need to reorganize your time to allow for scripture study, if so DO IT. As you dedicate time every day to study God’s word, peace will prevail in your life. It won’t come from the outside world, it comes from within your home, your family, your won heart, as a gift of the spirit. It will radiate out to you to influence others around you. **Challenges are an important part of mortality** You will develop strong faith in the face of God. - Weekly FHE: It shouldn’t be an afterthought of a busy day. Family should be together at home for the evening. Nothing should become more important than that time you spend together at home with your family. The structure is not as important as the time invested. The gospel should be taught and be meaningful for each member. It’s a time to bear testimony, to strengthen family bonds and develop family traditions and to have a good time together. FHE adds protection to our homes. **Earn your own testimony of these habits.** - Go to the temple: Use your recommend often. Schedule a regular time to be in the temple and don’t let anything prevent you from being there. Listen to the words of the ordinances, ponder and pray about them and seek to understand their meaning. Seek Him there. Remember, many more blessings come from providing your own family names in the temple. 3. Our Savior is the prince of peace. Peace comes from His eternal sacrifice. When we do these things we are actively responding to his invitation to come unto Him. The more we do this, the more anxious Satan becomes to harm us, but the less he will be able to do so. 4. Challenges help us become more like our Father in Heaven. As we actively come unto Him we can endure every temptation and every challenge we face. Carlos A. Godoy 1. We all experience questions in our lives. How can we avoid the small errors of calculation? 2. If you continue to live as you are living now, will the blessings in your patriarchal blessing be fulfilled? What changes are necessary? 3. How can we ensure that we are making the best decision? Consider the options with the end in mind. Consider the consequences to those we love. Understanding who we are, why we are here, and what is expected of us in this life. 4. What does the lord expect from each one of us? 5. **We need to be prepared for the challenges that will come.** 6. Are we prepared to leave our comfort zones to attain a better place? 7. We are not here to just waste our time grow old and die. We need to achieve our potential. 8. We need to share this vision with the people we love. Because Laman and Lemuel did not share their father’s vision they murmured. Contrastingly Nephi asked of the Lord so that he could **receive his own witness.** With this knowledge he was able to withstand the journey. When we choose a path we must ensure our family will endure with us. Allen F Packer 1. **Don’t become distracted.** Frequent small corrections are less disruptive than large corrections. 2. Qualifying for exaltation is like entering another country. We must each obtain our spiritual passport. The Plan of Salvation contains everything needed to qualify for exaltation. The church helps but cannot do it for us. **Qualifying for exaltation is a lifetime quest. ** 3. God sets the requirements for exaltation and God calls the teachers. 4. Our success is measured on how we live the gospel at home. It should be a family activity rather than a church activity. 5. Family history also includes the present and future, as we share history through our descendants. 6. Family history and temple work should be a part of our personal worship. 7. We now have the doctrine, the temples AND the technology. We are only limited by the members who do not take the time. Most obstacles have been removed. However, it is individual’s hesitation to do the work that remains. A little time on a consistent basis will yield the blessings of happiness. 8. Change is part of the great plan of happiness. This work needs to be done. There are tangible blessings that go with this work. Hugo E Martinez 1. Serving is a blessing. 2. He who serves in something is good for something. He who serves in nothing, is good for nothing. 3. The Savior focuses on the individual and the family. He recognizes the great worth of each of Heavenly Father’s children. The worth of souls is great in the eyes of God. 4. The love of Jesus Christ must be our guide if we are to become aware of those in need around us. And that is how our personal ministry begins. Identifying needs and attending to them. First observe, then serve. 5. **Recognizing the voice of the Lord when He calls**. 6. Our service is not limited to the living. We must also remember to serve the dead. And keep a journal so that we can turn the hearts of the children to the hearts of their father’s. Larry S. Kacher 1. **The decisions we make in life greatly affect our eternal life.** 2. There are many currents in this life. There are powerful forces much like the unseen currents of the ocean. These are very real. Currents of good are available too. 3. Where would you turn for answers? Many are determined to pull you away from good things, rip currents. They spread doubt. When doubts come, you can set them aside for a time while you grow in the gospel and being patient and waiting for the Lord to answer them in His own time. 4. Much of what was revealed in the D&C was the result of asking sincere questions. There is always room for sincere inquiry. 5. There is a divine source that you can turn to for truth. We must never think that our choices affect only us. 6. Are my decisions firmly planted in the rich soil of the gospel of Jesus Christ? David A. Bednar This one is for Non-members Why are Latter Day Saints so eager to share their teachings? Latter Day Saints take the responsibility seriously to teach all people in all nations about Jesus Christ. The doctrine, principles, priesthood authority and covenants are found here. When we invite you to church we are not trying to sell you something. We are not seeking to increase the size of the church. We are also not asking you to believe as we do. We are inviting you to ponder and pray if the things that you hear are true. Our invitations to you are not an attempt to diminish religious traditions. Bring all that is good with you and come and see if the restored gospel of Jesus Christ enlarges and enriches what you already know to be true. Our eagerness to share this message is not from a sense of duty, but a reflection of how important these beliefs are to us. When we receive counsel that helps us face challenges or heal wounds it is natural for us to want to share. The greatest manifestation of Gods Love for his children is the atoning sacrifice of the lord Jesus Christ. Thus as we turn to Christ we also turn outward in love an service. We have felt the anguish associated with sin and uncertainty, but we have also felt the healing that has come from living the gospel, the atonement of Jesus Christ that heals. We have experienced the soothing balm of Jesus Christ. Absolute Truth exists. In a future day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. As members of his church we witness that he lives and that his church has been restored in the fullness. Our desire to share comes from the blessings we have experienced through the atonement of Jesus Christ. We invite you to come and see. #ShareGoodness #LDSConf
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 22:17:11 +0000