Saturday Morning Session

 

These sessions of General Conference will be a wonderful distraction from me watching the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which hit my area of SW Florida. (Thank goodness I had not been there as I am in the Washington DC area!)

 

Opening Hymn: In Hymns of Praise
Conducting: President Henry B. Eyring – Second Counselor (First Presidency)

Hymn: Guide Us O Great Jehovah

Invocation: Elder David P. Homer – Seventy

Talk: President Dallin H. Oaks – First Counselor (First Presidency)

Helping the Poor and Distressed

Themes: Humanitarian efforts

Stories: Mr. Gabriel: Tree Schools

Scripture References: Mosiah 2:17; Article of Faith 11; John 1:9; 

• Total expenditures of humanitarian donations for the year: $906 million donated to countries around the world.
• Members volunteer many hours, not including the ministering amongst each other.
• Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause
• “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are in the service of your God.” 
• One way of serving is a generous Fast Offering
• The church partners with other organizations to provide necessities to others.  
• We believe all are one.
  •  We are children of one God.
  • We are here to serve all humanity.
• Recognize the good done by others, and make time to do so ourselves.
• The Lord inspires many individuals to do good. 
• You don’t need to wait for others to organize or direct you in order to find ways to help those in need around you.
• God inspires many organizations and individuals to do much good.
• All examples of humanitarian efforts seek to follow the example of the people in the Book of Mormon.
• Our efforts to serve the poor and distressed.
  • Let’s be more appreciative and supportive of the efforts of others as well. 
•  Jesus Christ is “the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9)
  • By this, all the children of God are enlightened to serve Him and one another to the best of their knowledge and ability. 

Hymn: Have I Done Any Good in the World

Talk: Elder Dieter F Utchdorf – Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Youth

Themes:

Stories:

Scripture References: John 14:6; 

• To the youth:  what would the Savior ask you if He was here with you?
• The Savior wouldn’t make excuses for your sins.  
  • He would ask you to repent, to leave your sins behind you.
• He would want you to see yourself the way He sees you. 
• You are a son and a daughter of the Almighty God. 
  • One day he wants you to have all that he has.
• With the Savior’s help, what you can accomplish is limitless
• At the heart of God’s plan, for your happiness, is your power to choose. 
• We don’t see things as clearly as we would like to, the apostle Paul compared it to looking through a glass darkly.
• When you know who you are, you can see clearly and find the truth. 
• The world twists the truth. 
  • Good becomes bad and bad becomes truth.
•  New Resource.   Revised… updated and refreshed.  For the Strength of Youth. 
  • To better cope with the challenges of our day
  • For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices
• A Guide for making choices.   
• It points you to Jesus.
• It doesn’t make decisions for you. 
• For the Strength of Youth focuses on the foundations of your choices
• Teach them correct principles and they govern themselves… Joseph Smith
• Jesus Christ is the best guide for making choices
• We need rules.   
• But our focus should be on the Savior.   
• Understand the whys and hows and then focus on the Savior.  
• For The Strength of Youth does not make decisions for you. 
  • It focuses on values and principles instead of every specific behavior
• FSY focuses on foundational principles we can do to increase faith and build testimony. 
  • It is NOT a checklist
• You need to know the whys and the hows and then consider the consequences of your choices.
• Jesus has high standards for His followers. 
• Don’t focus on rules, focus on The Savior. 
  • Use correct doctrine and put your faith in Christ. 
  • What do you need to remove from your life to let God prevail?
•  When you have important choices to make, Jesus Christ and His restored gospel are the best choice. 
  • When you have questions, Jesus Christ and His restored gospel are the best answer. 
  • When you feel weak, Jesus Christ is your strength

Talk: Tracy Y. Browning – Second Counselor of the General Primary Presidency

Seeing More of Jesus Christ in Our Lives

Themes:

Stories:

Scripture References:

•  Like the need for glasses, we need guidance in our daily lives. 
• We have been blessed with inspired tools.
• Fix your focus on the Savior.   
• As covenant children of God, we have been uniquely blessed with a rich supply of divinely appointed tools to improve our spiritual vision
• Law of Moses: Purpose to ready the people to look forward to the coming of Christ. 
  • Israelites lost their focus on Christ and adopted other practices which distracted from the purpose of the law.  
• The Savior can also be our compass and our pilot as we steer through both the calm and the turbulent waters of life.
• When we fix our site on Christ we see him as the only source of forgiveness and redemption.   
• Jesus Christ is both the purpose of our focus and the intent of our destination. 
  • To help us to remain fixed and heading in the right direction, the Savior invites us to see our lives through Him, in order to see more of Him in our lives

 

• When we bring our offering to the Savior, we are being invited to see more of Jesus Christ in our lives, as we humbly submit our will to Him in recognition and understanding of His perfect submission to the will of the Father
•  

Talk: Elder Dale Renlund – Quorum of the Twelve

A Framework for Personal Revelation

Themes:

Stories: Martin Harris and the lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon

Scripture References: Jacob 4:10;

• • Pilots fly within a framework. 

• I do not think I had heard Uchtdorf give an airplane reference in his talk. Is this the obligatory airplane reference of the conference?

• Likewise, we receive personal revelation within a framework.
• Ask and it shall be given unto you
• We need to understand the framework that the Holy Ghost offers revelation.
• When we operate within the framework, the Holy Ghost can unleash astonishing insight, direction and comfort
  • Outside that framework, we can be deceived, crash and burn. 
• Part of the framework: We receive revelation only within our purview.  
• Doctrine and revelation for the Church are the Prophet’s runway
• Only the prophet receives revelation for the church. 
• The promise of personal revelation, through the Holy Ghost, is awe inspiring 
  • Must be be done through righteous principles
    • Seek the scriptures daily
    • Ask & seek to do what is right
    • Only through our purview 
• When we ask for revelation for something that is already clearly defined, we open ourselves to deception. 
• Personal revelation will be in harmony with God’s commandments. 
• Recognize what God has already revealed to you personally
• If God has already revealed something to you, why would that revelation change?
• Story of Martin Harris asking to share the translation. 
  • The Lord allowed Joseph to use his agency to make a mistake. 
• Personal revelation will not contradict commandments from the prophets.  
  • This is one of the powerful things about having a living prophet.  
  • It helps us discern the difference between what God is saying and what we wish He were saying
• Like airplane pilots, people need to understand the framework within which the Holy Ghost functions to provide personal revelation.
  •  Four elements to this framework are:

1. The scriptures. 
   1. Feasting on the words of Christ in the scriptures stimulates personal revelation.
   2.  The scriptures also teach how to receive personal revelation. 
2. Purview not prerogative.
   1. We receive personal revelation only within our purview, and not within the prerogative of others.
3. Harmony with commandments.
   1. Personal revelation will be in harmony with the commandments of God and covenants made with Him. 
   2. When we ask for revelation about something God has already given clear direction, we open ourselves up to misinterpreting our feelings and hearing what we want to hear.
4. Trust and openness.
   1. Recognize what God has already revealed personally, while being open to receive further personal revelation “line upon line and precept upon precept.”

• I invite you to have the confidence to claim personal revelation for yourself, understanding what God has revealed, consistent with the scriptures and commandments He has given through His appointed prophets, and within your own purview and agency
• “When we operate within the framework, the Holy Ghost can unleash astonishing insight, direction and comfort

 

Hymn: Rejoice the Lord is King- Hymn (#)

Talk: Elder Rafael E. Pino – Quorum of the Seventy

Let Doing Good Be Our Normal

Themes: 

Stories: Cultural traditions, i.e. chili on coconut in Mexico, sugar on avocados in Brazil.

Scripture References: Mosiah 5:15; 

• What is normal for some is odd for others.
• Let Christ be your new normal.
  • Let our normal keep us on the covenant path.
• Are they part of our normality
  • 1) Personal Scripture Study
  • 2) Personal and family prayer
  • 3) Attend Sacrament meeting weekly
  • 4) Participate frequently in temple work. 
• How do we feel when we hear these four things? 
  • Are they part of our normal lives? 
  • There are many other traditions that could be part of the normality we have adopted, thus letting God prevail in our lives
• I love these words because we know that the things that become normal in our lives are those that we repeat again and again. 
  • If we are steadfast and immovable in doing good, our customs will be in accordance with the principles of the gospel and they will help us stay on the covenant path
• The things that become normal in our lives are the things we repeat again and again. 
• Live each day more prepared to meet your maker. 
• Obstacles in our traditions to the covenant path need to be rejected
• Followers of Christ should focus on Mosiah’s Book of Mormon counsel to be “steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works”
• Edifying customs and traditions are fundamental to our efforts to stay on the covenant path, and those that are an obstacle, we ought to reject.
• It does not matter whether we are poor or rich, educated or uneducated, old or young, sick or healthy. 
  • He invites us to let the ‘normal’ things in our lives be those which help keep us on the covenant path.
• If we are steadfast and immovable in doing good, our customs will be in accordance with the principles of the gospel, and they will help us stay on the covenant path.
•  We are eternal beings, living temporary experiences
•  

Talk: Hugo Montoya – General Authority Seventy

The Eternal Principle of Love

Themes:

Stories: Clearing Snow

Scripture References:

• •  Always be willing to help/serve
  •  Trust in the Father.   
    • He always keeps his promises. 
  •  Adversity in our lives can cause doubt about the fulfillment of the promises that have been made to us. 
    • Please trust in our Father. 
    • He always keeps His promises and we can learn what He wants to teach us.
  •  Bless your children, whether they are 5 or 50.
    • Be with them. 
    • Although providing is a responsibility established by divine design, we must not forget to share joyful time with our children.
  •  It’s most important to be there for family members, under any condition or circumstance, just as Heavenly Father is for us.

• Very wise words for me, esp. Considering what is happening with the Hurricane Ian relief efforts

• • Our Heavenly Father’s love for each of His children is real; He is there for each one. I don’t know how He does it, but He does 
  •  The adversity of life can cause doubt about the fulfillment of the Lord’s promises, but we can trust in our Father. 
    • He always keeps his promises and we can learn what He wants to teach us.
  • We love God because of what He means to us — we depend on Him for our welfare and His protection, despite our mistakes. 
    • He “provides a Savior so we can be redeemed and return to the presence of God.”
  • It is not enough to avoid being a stumbling block for others; it is not enough to notice the needy on the road and pass by. Let us take advantage of every opportunity to help our neighbor, even if it is the first and only time we meet him in this life.

 

Hymn: Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy

Talk: Elder Ronald A. Rasband – Quorum of the Twelve

This Day

Themes:

Stories: Pres Nelson and African king

Scripture References: Doctrine and Covenants 123:12; 1 Nephi 13:37

•  General Conference is a time we can learn instructions for our day.
• Become a Book of Mormon missionary. 
• President Nelson is doing his part, but he can not do this alone. 
• Individuals do not need to meet with kings and rulers to give someone this book. 
  • I invite you ‘this day’ to give a Book of Mormon to your friends and family, associates at work, your soccer coach or the produce man.
• When you hand them a Book of Mormon, you are opening their minds and hearts to the word of God. 
• You don’t need to carry a paper copy with you. Easy to share from the Gospel Library app. (I just tried this and there is a share link under the three dots at the top right of the screen)
• What would it take for you to share the Book of Mormon with your friends? 
  • What would you have to sacrifice? Fear? Nervousness? Anxiety? Procrastination? 
  • “The need is so great. We need to act now!” 
•  Church members must follow the living Prophet’s lead in flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon
•  In the Book of Mormon the phrase “this day” is used to call attention to counsel, promises and teachings.
• Pressing upon me “this day” is the importance of renewing our commitment to the Book of Mormon.
• I promise you will be participating in ‘the greatest work on earth … the gathering of Israel’ as you are inspired to reach out to those who have been ‘kept from the truth because they know not where to find it’. They need your testimony and witness of how this book has changed your life and drawn you closer to God, His peace and His ‘tidings of great joy’.
•   

 

Talk: President Russell M. Nelson – Prophet

What is True?

Themes: 

Stories: 

Scripture References: 

• • With the dedication of each new temple, additional godly power comes into the world to strengthen us and counteracts the intensifying efforts of the adversary.

• Abuse is a grievous sin. 

• Any abuse of women, children or anyone is an abomination to the Lord.  
• Abuse constitutes the actions of the adversary
• Perpetrators of abuse must answer to the law and to God 
• I urge each of us to be alert to anyone who might be in danger of being abused and to act promptly to protect them
  • The Savior will not tolerate abuse, and as His disciples, neither will we.
• The adversary strives to blur the line between what is true and not true. 
• The Book of Mormon has the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console and cheer ourselves.
• God is the source of all truth. 
• We embrace all truth from Him. 
• The adversary has other disturbing tactics. 
  • Among them are his efforts to blur the line between what is true and what is not true
• God is the source of all truth. 
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embraces all truth that God conveys to His children, whether learned in a scientific laboratory or received by direct revelation from Him.
• Today and tomorrow you will continue to hear truth… 
  • make notes of thoughts that catch your attention and those that come into your mind and stay in your heart. 
  • Prayerfully ask the Lord to confirm that what you have heard is true. 
• Please make notes of thoughts that catch your attention and those that come into your mind and stay in your heart. Prayerfully ask the Lord to confirm that what you have heard is true.

 

Hymn: All Creatures of Our God and King

Benediction: Elder Taylor G. Godoy – Seventy

THOUGHTS:

•  Theme for this first session: Spiritual and Temporal Service
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TO-DOs:

•  Prayerfully consider how we can help in humanitarian aid to others who are in need. 

•  Read the new For The Strength of Youth

 Become a Book of Mormon Missionary.  Flood the earth with the power of this great book.