Saturday morning session recap #generalconference https://t.co/AwF5nMKqq7 pic.twitter.com/CenkeREzXq
β James Valentine (@ValentineJames) April 2, 2022
Saturday Morning Session
Opening Hymn: Come We That Love the Lord – Hymn 119
Conducting: President Dallin H Oaks
Hymn: Awake And Arise – Hymn 8
Invocation: Elder Jose L. Alonso of the Seventy
Hymn: Love is Spoken Here – Childrenβs Songbook pg. 190
Talk: President Russell M NelsonΒ – 17th president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- May this conference be a spiritual rejuvenationΒ Β
- Prophets have foreseen this day when there would be wars and rumors of wars, and when the whole earth would be in commotion. – Matthew 24Β
- As followers of Jesus Christ, we plead with leaders of nations to find peaceful resolutions to their differences.
- We call upon people everywhere to pray for those in need, to do what they can to help the distressed and to seek the Lordβs help in ending any major conflicts.
- Condemnation of violence – it goes against everything the Savior taught
- The gospel of Jesus Christ has never been more needed.Β
- Contention violates everything the Savior stood for and taught.
- I love the Lord Jesus Christ and testify that His gospel is the only enduring solution for peaceΒ
- Β Reaffirms every able and worthy young man should serve a mission.Β Β
- You have been held in reserve for this time to gather Israel.Β
- Brothers and sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ has never been needed more than it is today.Β
- The gospel is a gospel of peace
- Β All Young Men should serve a mission.Β
- This is a priesthood duty.Β
- Sisters are encouraged to serve
- Their service is a valuable addition.Β
- May you seek and receive personal revelation
- Β Each of us has a role to play in the gathering of Israel
- General Conference is a time of understanding, reflection, and renewal
Talk: Elder M. Russell Ballard – Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Missionary Service Blessed My Life Forever
- Elder Ballard suffers from macular degeneration and is blind in his left eye.Β He is grateful for other types of vision.Β
- Β Hindsight vision: How my full time missionary service blessed his life and shaped his lifeβs destiny
- Mission service helped me toΒ
- Better husband and father
- Helped with Business
- Prepared for a lifetime of service in the church.Β
- Serving missions help us to get to know the Lord better
- You will grow spiritual as you serve others.
- Β Commit to yourselves and to Heavenly Father that you will serve a mission and that from this time forward you will strive to keep your hearts, hands and minds clean and worthy
- You will learn how to hear the promptings of the holy ghost.Β
- You will show Him that He can trust you.Β
- Calls on all who desire to serve a mission to begin preparing now.Β
- Talk with parents and leaders.Β Β
- Talk with your friends and encourage them to serve.
- Parents need to talk with their kids about serving a mission.
- If you held off serving a mission due to the pandemic, now is the time.
- Pandemic missionaries have been valuable in their service.Β T
- They have used technology to serve.
- Β Keep up the good habits after your mission.Β Β
- Continue to read, pray, and study.
- Β Missionary service will bless your lives forever.Β
- Β
Talk: Sister Reyna I. Aburto – 2nd Counselor General Relief Society Presidency
We Are The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- She was baptized at age 26, had a 3 year old son, and had recently separated from her 1st husband.
- The Church is more than the buildings and the ecclesiastical structure; the Church is us, the members
- We are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Christ at the head and the Prophet as His mouthpiece
- We are all one family in Christ
- sometimes we are givers
- sometimes we are receivers
- Even our smallest efforts are making a significant difference in Godβs Kingdom.
- Fast offerings are given from members who make a sacrifice.
- The Church is the scaffolding with which we build eternal families
- Sisters who serve in primary and young women are some of the most active sisters in the Relief Society.
- Let us have the faith of a child.Β Β Β
- Even our small efforts are making a difference.Β
- Let us realize how privileged we are to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- We are all afflicted in some manner.Β Β
- We need each other.Β Β
- We can bring each other to the healing power of the Savior.
- God has sought to gather His children front her beginning of time in order to bring about the immortality of man – Moses 1:39
Talk: Elder David A. Bednar – Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- Let us all press on
- βHeed notβ to the evil influences and mocking voices of todayβs worldWe will heed not what the wicked may say but the Lord alone we will obey
- Entering into sacred covenants binds us and yokes us to the Savior
- Those in the great and spacious building will mock us and try to dissuade us from pursuing the fruit of the tree of life if we heed what they say (pay attention to it)
- When one is steadfast in coming unto Christ βand are yoked with Him,β he or she βreceives the cleansing, healing and strengthening blessings of His infinite and eternal Atonement.βT
- The doctrine of Christ written βwith the Spirit of the living God β¦ in fleshy tables of [our hearts]β increases our capacity to βheed notβ the many distractions, taunts and diversions in our fallen world.Β
- For example, faith focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ fortifies us with spiritual strength.Β
- Faith in the Redeemer is a principle of action and of power
- The ability to resist the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary is promised to those individuals who βhold fast toβ rather than merely βcling toβ the word of God
- Valiant Latter-day Saints are able to βheed notβ worldly influences by meaningful scripture study, fervent prayer, participating in the sacrament and ministering to others.
- Inviting the Holy power of the Ghose in our lives helps us to heed not worldly influences
- Scripture study
- Fervent PrayerΒ
- Weekly sacramentΒ
- If we do right we will not fear for our Lord is always near
- Gospel covenants and ordinances operate in our lives much like a compass.
- Covenants point us to our Lord Jesus Christ.Β Β
- Β Like a compass
- Covenants point us to our Lord Jesus Christ.Β Β
- Common pattern among those who heed not what the wicked say:Β
- A deep testimony of the plan of salvation.
- Personal testimony of the salvation of Jesus Christ
- Connections to the Savior that are individual, personal and specific.Β Β
- Β Β One of the names of Christ is “The Word” – John 1:1
- Β Holding fast to the rod, rather than clinging to, will help us be resistant to temptation
- 1) Remember and honoring our connection to the savior
- 2) Using the scriptures to hold on to the truth
- If we abide in Christ, He will abide in and walk with us.Β
- Although our humble desire is for the Saviorβs teachings to be honored by all, the words of the Lord through his prophets are often contrary to the thinking and trends of the world.
- Itβs always been so
Hymn: Let Us All Press On – Hymn 243
Talk: Elder Neil L Andersen – Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Following Jesus: Being a Peacemaker
- No one is immune from the polarizing voices, including the Savior.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. – Matthew 5:9
- Every person on earth is an offspring of God
- How does a peacemaker calm and cool the fiery darWe ts?
- Β We remain confident and share our beliefs with conviction
- We donβt eradicate evil with more evil.
- By the shield of our faith in Jesus Christ, we become peacemakers, quenching, meaning to calm, cool or extinguish, all the fiery darts of the adversary
- Peacemakers are not passive.Β Β
- They are persuasive in the Savior’s way.
- Β Opposition should not surprise us.Β Β Β
- We rejoice in the blessing of agency.Β
- Technology enables individual opinions to spread quickly regardless of their truthfulness, fairness or kindness.
- Β The Savior taught in the Sermon on the Mount how to survive βin a contemptuous world.β
- We choose the path of peacemakers.Β
- We are not elected or selected from applications, we are called.
- We genuinely love and care for our neighbors whether they believe like we do.Β
- “Cannot boundary lines exist without drawing battlelines?” – Russell M. Nelson
- There are times when a peacemaker when we resist the desire to respond.Β
- Jesus taught us to withdraw from circles of anger.
- We too can move away from contention without isolating ourselves from others.
- Jesus was troubled in His Spirit about one who prepared to betray Him
- John 13. The Saviorβs perfect example of a peacemaker.Β
- Washed feet of the Disciples
- Was troubled by Judasβs betrayal
- He spoke of Love
- A new commandment I give unto youβ¦ Love one another. Β – John 13:35
- May we love Him, and love one another.Β
- May we be peacemakers, that we may be called the βchildren of Godβ
Talk: Elder Eduardo Gaverret – First Quorum of the Seventy
I Have Nothing More to Give You
- Β We had no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
- This βmighty change of heartβ brings us a feeling of freedom, trust and peace
- Β How do we obtain that mighty change of heart?
- Cultivate a desire to change through prayer and fasting
- Β Lord I give you everything
- It is not enough for our hearts to change, we must maintain that change in order to grow closer to God.
- As we participate in the conference this weekend, let the words of our prophets, which will come from the Lord, enter our hearts to experience a mighty change.
- Experience a βmighty change of heartβ by doing five things
- studying the scriptures
- strengthening oneβs faith in Jesus Christ
- Β Praying
- Β Fasting
- Β covenanting to βsurrendering our hearts to Himβ
- How to maintain that mighty change?
- Partake of the sacrament
- Participate in temple work
- Love for neighbors
- Missionary Work
- This mighty change of heart brings us a feeling of freedom, trust and peace.
- This change of heart is not an event
- It takes faith, repentance and constant spiritual work to happen.Β
- It begins when we desire to submit our will to the Lord
- It materializes when we enter into and keep covenants with Him
- This change of heart is not an event
- That change is then strengthened and enforced
- That change has a positive effect on us and on others around us.
- Β
Talk: Elder Larry S. Kacher – First Quorum of the Seventy
- Β In tragedy, we can become more faithful while walking on the covenant path.
- Faith in Jesus Christ can guide one through the complexities and challenges of life.Β
- These potential stumbling blocks can become stepping stones while climbing the βladder of faith.Β
- It is called a ladder because it suggests that faith is not static.
- It can go up or down according to the choices we make.β
- Part of life is to make stumbling blocks become stepping stones
- When moving toward true faith in Jesus Christ, βobedience is no longer an irritant, but becomes a quest.β
- Each person decides how high to climb the ladder of faith.Β
- We can choose to make the choices needed to increase our faith in the Savior.
- Even when our faith is weak, the Lordβs hand will always be stretched out
- Faith without works is dead – James 2
- Obedience in faith of the Savior qualifies us to have His spirit to always be with us.
- As faith increases we see a subtle shift. What do I want? β What does God want?Β
- Indeed, we will find that there is simplicity on the other side of lifeβs complexities as we remain steadfast in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.
- Unbelief blocks our ability to see miracles, Faith unlocks the blessings of heaven.
- How high we climb on the ladder of faith is our decision.Β
- βI will go and doβ vs. βHow is it possible?β
- As our faith in the Savior increases, we observe a subtle shift that includes a divine understanding of our relationship with God β a steady movement away from βWhat do I want?β to βWhat does God want?
- Reorganized Stake. Modern day ‘Jonah & the whale’ story.Β You can’t hide from the Lord.Β
- If oneβs current path is in conflict with faith in the Savior, return to Him.
- Your exaltation and that of your posterity depend on it.
Β
Hymn: On this Day of Joy and Gladness – Hymn 64
Talk: President Henry B. Eyring – Second Counselor of the First Presidency
- Β We live in increasingly perilous times.
- Goal to stand steady in these storms with a peaceful heart
- Know that there are Prophets and Apostles called of God.
- Rock of our redeemer, who is Christ the Son of God, you must build your foundation.
- Hel 5:12 Build on the rock of Christ
- Now is the time to build on that foundation.
- We are free to choose between right and wrong, we cannot avoid the consequences of our choices.
- Sorrows will come to those that do not heed His warnings.Β
- We want all to not shrink, but to look up at Him, and hear Him say, βWell done, thou good and faithful servant.β
- King Benjamin knew that people had to have their natures changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That change is βwe must become as a child β a little child.β
- We must have our natures changed to build on that sure foundation.Β
- Each of us, wherever we are, knows that we live in increasingly perilous times.Β
- My prayer is that I might help you stand steady in the storms we face, with a peaceful heart.
- It will become more difficult, not easier, to honor the covenants we must make and keep to live the gospel of Jesus Christ
- Changing natures happens as people make and renew covenants with God.
- That brings the power of Christβs Atonement to allow that transformation in our hearts.β
- That change and experiences increase a personβs capacity to love and obey.Β
- Faith in Jesus Christ leads to repentance.Β
- These changes can help qualify for gifts from the Holy Ghost, including comfort and guidance.
- Being βlike a childβ means to emulate the Savior, who prayed for strength to do His Fatherβs will and atone for the sins of all of His Fatherβs children.
- I have learned from many experiences that the Holy Ghost speaks most often in a quiet voice, heard most easily when oneβs heart is meek and submissive, like that of a child.
- King Benjamin, who understood as well as any mortal what it meant to be a man of strength and courage, makes it clear that to be like a child is not to be childish.Β
- It is to be like the Savior.
- Mosiah 3:19 Put off the natural man. Β Becometh as a child
- We obey and gain power to resist temptation and we gain the holy ghost.Β
- Our natures change to become as a little child, obedient to God and more loving
- Faith will lead you to repentance and daily covenant keeping.
- You will reach out to others to join you on the rock of your foundation.
- When the storms in life come, you can be steady because you are standing on the rock of your faith in Jesus Christ
- Our natures must be changed to become as a child to gain the strength we must have to stand steady and at peace in times of peril
- He knows perfectly the storm we are going through.
- Accept His help
- The Savior knows the storms and the places of safety on the way home to Him and to our Heavenly Father
- Faith in Jesus Christ always leads to greater hope and to feelings of charity toward others, which is the true love of Christ
- The Savior knows the way.Β Β Β
- He is the way.
- Β
Hymn: Rejoice! The Lord Is King – Hymn 66
Benediction: Sister Camille N. Johnson – 14th Primary General President
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192nd Annual General Conference * April 2 – 3, 2022
Saturday AM * Saturday PM * Womenβs Session * Sunday AM * Sunday PM
Saturday Afternoon Session of #generalconference recap pic.twitter.com/N6k2tyX272
β James Valentine (@ValentineJames) April 2, 2022
Saturday Afternoon SessionΒ
Hymn: (Hymn) – Hymn (#)
Conducting: President Henry B. Eyring – 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency
Music: BYU Idaho Choir
Hymn: Now Let Us Rejoice – Hymn 3
Invocation: Bishop W. Christopher Waddell – 1st Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
- Blessed with things that are said, and not said, but felt.
Hymn: (Hymn) – Hymn (#)
The Sustaining of the Church Officers: by President Dallin H. Oaks – 1st Counselor in the First PresidencyΒ
- Released
-
- Mark D. Eddy
- Jonathan S. Schmitt
- Relief Society (Effective August 1)
- Jean B. Bingham – President
- Sharon Eubank – 1st Counselor
- Reyna Aburto – Second Counselor
- Primary General Presidency (Effective August 1)
- Camille Johnson – President
- Susan Porter – 1st Counselor
- Amy Wright – 2nd Counselor
-
- Called
- Β General Authority Seventies
- Mark D. Eddy
- James W. McConkie III
- Isaac K. Morrison
- Ryan K. Olson
- Jonathan S. Schmitt
- Denelson Silva
- Relief Society Presidency (Effective August 1)
- Camille Johnson – President
- Jeannie Dennis – 1st Counselor
- Kristin Yee – 2nd Counselor
- Β Primary General Presidency (Effective August 1)
- Susan Porter – President
- Amy Wright – 1st Counselor
- Tracy Browning – 2nd Counselor
- Β 45 new Area Seventies from 23 countries. (The announcement and sustaining were done at the Thursday, March 31, leadership session and published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)Β
- Β General Authority Seventies
Church Auditing Department Report, (2021): Jarrod B. Larson, Managing Director
- D&C 120Β
- Funds were administered appropriately.Β Β
Statistical Report, (2021):
2021 | 2020 | |
Church Units | ||
Stakes | 3,498 | 3,463 |
Missions | 407 | 405 |
Districts | 520 | 537 |
Wards and Branches | 31,315 | 31,136 |
Church Membership | ||
Total Membership | 16,805,400 | 16,663,663 |
New Children of record | 89,069 | 65,440 |
Converts baptized | 168,283 | 125,930 |
Missionaries | ||
Full-time | 54,539 | 51,819 |
Church-service | 36,639 | 30,527 |
Temples | ||
Temples Dedicated | 2 | 1
Durban South Africa |
Temples Rededicated | 0 | 0 |
Temples in operation | 170 | 168 |
Hymn: Iβll Go Where You Want Me to Go – Hymn 270
Talk: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland – Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- Talk directed at young people (President Nelsonβs age or younger)
- The young are the faces of our future
- Nearly two years of pandemic brought a halt to almost everything β except brutality, violence and other long-standing social, cultural and economic challenges.
- It is understandable if the idealism of the youth is waning a bit. Many are desperately searching for something better.
- βBegin your search for happiness by embracing the bounty we have already received from the giver of every good gift.Β
- At precisely the moment many in the world are asking deep questions of the soul, [Latter-day Saints] ought to be answering with the βgood newsβ of the gospel of Jesus Chris
- We should be singing the song of redeeming love
- You are His most precious possession, His child, to whom He has given prophets and promises, spiritual gifts and revelation, miracles and messages, and angels on both sides of the veil
- At the moment many are asking deep question of the soul, we should be sharing the good newsΒ
- This generation has more impact to do good than any other generationΒ
- We can never run away from who we are⦠Children of the Living God who loves us, who is always ready to forgive us, and will never, ever forsake us
- They have it right in Primary: Jesus really does want you for a sunbeam.
- Please, Stay for the whole feast.
- Even though you are not sure about the broccoli.Β
- Example of Jairus who wanted healing for his daughter β βFear Not, Believe Onlyβ (Mark 5)
- Before receiving the Holy Ghost, you had the light of Christ implanted in your soul.Β
- The light was given to protect and teach you.Β
- Life is the most precious of all gifts
- Watch for signs of depression or despair, and all forms of self-harm.Β
- To any of our youth out there who are struggling, whatever your concerns or difficulties, death by suicide is manifestly not the answer
- it will not relieve the pain your are suffering or think you are causing.
- Talk to someone, seek help.Β
- Do not destroy a life that Christ gave his life to preserve.
- We will help you bear your struggles.Β
- You are loved and valued and needed.Β Β
- Do not deny us the chance to have you.Β
- You are stronger than you think.
- Β Help is available, from others and especially from God.Β
- You are loved and valued and needed.Β
- We need you.Β
- Fear not, and believe only
- Run to the aid of those dealing with depression, despair or any form of self-harm.
Talk: Elder Patrick Kearon – Presidency of the Seventy
Β He Is Risen With Healing in His Wings: We Can Be More Than Conquerors
-
- Keep goodness in the face of brutalityΒ
- We can survive, weβve already been rescued and saved.Β
- Jesus has overcome the abuses of this world to give you power to not only survive, but one day, through Him, to overcome and even conquer.
- We weep with you and are here to help you overcome through Jesus Christ
- When you are the victimβ¦. You are not less loved, God has not seen you as someone to be despised.
- It may seem impossible, but healing can come through Christ.Β
- His atonement has power to right all wrongs.Β
- You are not defined by these terrible things that have been done to you.Β
- You are, in glorious truth, defined by your eternally existing identity as a son or daughter of God.
- The abuse was not, is not, and never will be your fault, no matter what the abuser or anyone else may have said to the contrary.
- You are not less worthy or less valuable or less loved as a human being, or as a daughter or son of God, because of what someone else has done to you
- There is no place for any type of abuse in any country of culture.Β
- Though it may seem impossible, feel impossible, healing can come through the miracle of the redemptive might of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
- Those who seek to abuse are lame
- Abusers who confess, forsake sin, and do all within their power to make recompense can find forgiveness.Β
- Β God does not now, nor has He ever, seen you as someone to be despised.Β
- Whatever has happened to you, He is NOT ashamed of you or disappointed in you.Β
- He loves you in a way you have yet to discover.
- And you will discover it as you trust in His promises
- Whatever has happened to you, He is NOT ashamed of you or disappointed in you.Β
- (Healing comes through the Atonement.Β
-
- All who have been wounded or are victims of lifeβs injustices can find hope and rest in Christ.
- Jesus specializes in the seemingly impossible.Β
- He came here to make the impossible possible, the irredeemable redeemable, to heal the unhealable, to right the unrightable and to promise the unpromisable
- You are a survivor and can heal.Β
- You can overcome and conquerΒ
Talk: Marcos A. Aidukaitis – Quorum of the 70
Lift Up Your Heart and Rejoice
- Serving a full-time mission may seem difficult to us.Β
- Perhaps it requires that we give up important things for a moment.Β
- The Lord certainly knows this and He will always be by our side
- Any time you do anything that helps anyone at any time on any side of the veil, you are gathering israel.
- The Lordβs invitation to βLift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is comeβ (Doctrine and Covenants 31:3) can serve as inspiration to all Latter-day Saints, not just in the mission of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil but particularly in full-time missionary service.
- Full Time Missionary
- Teaching Missionary
- Service Missionary
- Everyone will have their own set of challenges, including romantic relationshipsΒ
- βSeveral of my friends shared the same interests in a special young womanβ
- There is a difference between being blessed and richly blessed.
- The Lord Jesus Christ was my great inspiration not to be afraid of the future as I strove to serve Him with all my heart
- God is a God of miracles
- We were born at this time for a divine purpose
- It is worth the effort to trust in God and his promisesΒ
- While facing challenges at times in full-time service, the Lord can help and guide. β
- He understands what a difficult mission is.Β
- With His help, we can do hard things.Β
- He will be by our side, and He will bless us greatly as we humbly serve Him.β
- Rich blessings afforded those who serve Him, and missions help preparation for adult life, possible marriage and parenthood, Church service, and professional and community life.
- Β
Hymn: I Feel My Savior’s Love – Childrenβs Songbook pg.Β 74
Talk:Elder Gerrit W. Gong – Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- We each have a story.Β
- As we discover our story, we connect, we belong, we become
- Each of our stories is a journey still in progress, as we discover, create and become with possibilities beyond imagination.
- Whether or not we know them, we are each born of a mother and father.
- And each mother and father is born of a mother and father.Β
- By birth or adoptive lineage, we’re ultimately all connected in the family of God or in the human family.
- 70-100B have lived on the earth, and thereβs only one Gerrit Walter Gong
- 1820 was an inflection point in history β many after that have records of family ancestors
- We each have more family with whom to connect
- Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org) has 103B (?) searchable names
- The question βWhere are you from?β asks us to also connect to our eternal lineage.Β
- When we die, we donβt cease to exist.Β
- Our ancestors deserve to be remembered through stories, photos, etc
- Societies benefit when generations connect in meaningful ways
- Families bring joys and sorrows
- Still very much alive, our ancestors deserve to be remembered
- God wants our families to be happy and forever.
- Forever is too long if we make each other unhappy.Β
- Happy is too short if cherished relationships stop with this life
- Ties with ancestors increase family closeness, gratitude, miracles.
- Such ties can bring help from the other side of the veil
- Let good things begin with you.Β Β Β
- Donβt pass on the negative.Β
- Help unite families eternally
- Connecting with our ancestors can change lives.Β
- From their trials and accomplishments, we gain faith and strength.Β
- From their love and sacrifices, we learn to forgive and move forward.Β
- How can we connect?
- First, see yourself in both generational directions β child, grandchild, great-grandchild, then parent, aunt or uncle, grandparent, great-grandparent.Β
- In each time and role, notice who is with you.
- Gather their photos and stories; make memories real.
- βSecond, let the adventure of family history be intentional and spontaneous.β
- Third, visit https://www.familysearch.org β discover, connect and belong.
- Fourth, help unite families eternally.
- First, see yourself in both generational directions β child, grandchild, great-grandchild, then parent, aunt or uncle, grandparent, great-grandparent.Β
- We each have a story.Β
- Come discover yours
- Come find your voice, your song, your harmony in Him.Β
- This is the very purpose for which God created the heavens and the earth and saw that they were good
- Learn and acknowledge with gratitude and honesty your family heritage.Β
- Celebrate and become the positive and where needed humbly do everything possible not to pass on the negative.Β
- Let good things begin with you
- In all our generations, Jesus Christ heals the brokenhearted, delivers the captives, sets at liberty them that are bruised.
- Β
Talk: Elder AdriΓ‘n Ochoa – First Quorum of the Seventy
- When we struggle β for any reason β that does not mean the plan isnβt working. That is when we need the plan the most
- Never will the plan of happiness become more real to you than when you are helping others to live it
- Coming unto Christ means more than just thinking about Him or talking about Him or even loving Him. It means following Him
- When life does not unfold as expected, it might seem that Heavenly Fatherβs plan is not working, and some may begin to look elsewhere for peace and happiness
- Three principles for people who think the plan of happiness isnβt working in their lives (drawn from the story of Peter and Christ walking on water)
- Faith in the SaviorΒ
- Joining the church, reading the scriptures, etc are all acts of faith
- If you look back on your life, I believe you will see that you have exercised faith many times
- In times of trouble turn to Christ right away.Β Β Β
- Just like Peter βLord Save meβ
- Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you to greater things.Β
- Peter accepted the Saviorβs rebuke humbly and continued to seek greater faith in Jesus Christ.
- ββLet us humbly put ourselves in a position where Jesus Christ can lift us, lead us and make the most of our abilities.
- Faith in the SaviorΒ
- Do not procrastinate the day of your repentanceΒ
- Nothing is more liberating to our personal progression than a daily focus on repentance
- Doing and being a little better each day.Β
- When we struggle,for any reason, that doesnβt mean the plan isnβt working. That is when we need the plan the most.Β
- Scriptures arenβt just to give us a testimony, theyβre also meant to help us keep commandmentsΒ
Talk: Elder Kevin S. Hamilton – First Quorum of the Seventy
Then Will I Make Weak Things Become Strong
- Humility, coupled with faith in Jesus Christ, will allow us to access the enabling power of His grace and the fullness of blessings available because of His Atonement
- Leopards donβt change their spotsβ¦ But people can.Β
- When Jesus asks you and me to repent, He is inviting us to change
- The scriptural word for change is repentance
- One of Satanβs greatest lies is that men and women cannot change and should not change.Β
- However, in order to be authentic to βour real, true selves, as sons and daughters of God with a divine nature and destinyβ¦ then we will all need to change.β.
- No unclean thing can dwell in His presence.Β
- Eth 12:27 Β Weak things can become strong unto us.Β
- His grace is sufficient
- 27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and 3) my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they 1) humble themselves before me, and have 2) faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
- As sons and daughters of a loving Father in Heaven, we have the power within us to change
- The Lord operates through conditions, or βif-thenβ statements.Β
- He has taught that βas we first change our fallen natures, our weakness, then we will be able to change our behaviors.β
- Humility and faith in Jesus Christ are requisites to accessing the enabling power of His grace, which makes it possible to overcome all obstacles, all challenges and all weaknesses.
- We get weakness (singular), which is mortality. If we come to Christ he will make weak things (plural) strong.Β
- How do we change according to Godβs pattern
- Humble ourselves.
- Natural man is an enemy to God Mosiah 3:19
- Humble to follow prophet, keep covenants, to want to change and yield hearts to God
- Faith in ChristΒ
- Weak things become strong, and his grace will enable us to change.Β
- if(humble + faith) then weak = strong
- Humble ourselves.
- The Savior worked out His infinite and eternal Atonement so that we could in fact repent, change and become better.
- The Savior worked out His infinite and eternal Atonement so that we could in fact repent, change and become better.
- We can actually be born again.Β
- We can overcome habits, addictions and even the disposition to do evil.
- Becoming like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ happens through change or repentance.Β
- We become new, clean, different and we simply continue to work at it every day.Β
- Sometimes it may feel like two steps forward and one step back, but we continue to humbly move forward in faith
- Alma 34: yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
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Talk: Elder Quentin Cook βΒ Quorum of the Twelve
- Events that were foundational to his decision to serve a missionΒ
- Very few were allowed to serve because of the Korean conflict, only 1 person per wardΒ
- Brother Joe was considering a mission but his father wanted him to attend medical school
- True conversion is the constant acceptance of the will of God.
- βDamnationβ in the KJV was a mistranslationΒ
- But there are still consequences of sin, maybe not hellfire and damnation.Β
- True conversion is brought about by the conscious acceptance and commitment to follow the will of God
- Repentance is needed to enter Celestial kingdomΒ
- What are obligations of conversionΒ
- The Book of Mormon is internally consistent, beautifully written, and contains the answers to lifeβs great questions.Β
- It is another testament of Jesus Christ
- The Savior graciously invites us to be His voice and His hands.Β
- The love of the Savior will be our guiding light.
- The standard of truth: βThe standard of truth has been erected; No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done.β
- The Lord has asked each one of us to share His gospel.Β
- We help others experience a mighty change of heart.Β
- Our personal conversion includes the responsibility to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world
- Β The Lord asks each one of us to share His gospel in word and deed.Β
- Our personal conversion includes the responsibility to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world
- A personal conversion includes the responsibility to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.Β
- Conversion comes by understanding and accepting the will of God.
- A testimony will be strengthened with the knowledge that Joseph Smith was an instrument in the Lordβs hands.Β
- The Doctrine and Covenants provides the keys, ordinances and covenants necessary for salvation.Β
- But many are kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.
- Many today believe there should be no consequence for sin.Β
- Revealed doctrine establishes that personal repentance is necessary to partake of the Saviorβs Atonement and inherit the celestial kingdom.Β
- The Lord instructed the fullness of the gospel to be preached into the ends of the world.Β
- This should be a βlaserlike focusβ to everyone who has been blessed with a conversion to the will of God.
- This includes all Latter-day Saints, especially full-time missionaries.
- For the Saviorβs mandate to share the gospel to become a part of someone, they need to become converted to the will of God, love their neighbors and invite all to come and see.Β
- The blessings of sharing the gospel include bringing others to Christ, increasing oneβs conversion to the will of God and letting God prevail.
Hymn: (Hymn) – Hymn (#) Thy Spirit Lord, Has Stirred Our Souls
Benediction: Jan E. Newman – 2nd Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency
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* Guidelines *
192nd Annual General Conference * April 2 – 3, 2022
Saturday AM * Saturday PM * Womenβs Session * Sunday AM * Sunday PM
THOUGHTS:
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- Β Iβm glad there were a couple jokes this session; these have been heavy talks)
- (Yes indeed!)
- (Aidukaitis will be lighter. Heβs a funny guy. Came to our last stake conf. Big laugh!)
- (I do not think I had heard him before, but am interested in his words!)
- Did any one else notice that they didnβt release the primary and relief society advisory councils? Theyβve done this every time they changed a presidency in the past.Β
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TO-DOs:
- Β
- Β
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Link to CHURCH NEWS summaries
Saturday morning session
- President Russell M. Nelson: βPreaching the Gospel of Peaceβ
- President M. Russell Ballard: βMissionary Service Blessed My Life Foreverβ
- Sister Reyna I. Aburto: βWe Are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsβ
- Elder David A. Bednar: βBut We Heeded Them Notβ
- Elder Neil L. Andersen: βFollowing Jesus: Being a Peacemakerβ
- Elder Eduardo Gavarret: βA Mighty Change of Heart. βI Have Nothing More To Give Youββ
- Elder Larry S. Kacher: βLadder of Faithβ
- President Henry B. Eyring: βSteady in the Stormsβ
- President Nelson opens general conference, decrying contention and asking every worthy, able young man to serve a mission
- Saturday morning session: See photos and read summaries of April 2022 general conference
Saturday afternoon session
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: βFear Not: Believe Only!β
- Meet the 6 new General Authority Seventies sustained at April 2022 general conference
- New Relief Society, Primary general presidencies sustained Saturday afternoon
- Elder Patrick Kearon: βHe Is Risen With Healing in His Wings: We Can Be More Than Conquerorsβ
- Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis: βLift Up Your Heart and Rejoiceβ
- Elder Gerrit W. Gong: βWe Each Have a Storyβ
- Elder AdriΓ‘n Ochoa: βIs the Plan Working?β
- Elder Kevin S. Hamilton: βThen Will I Make Weak Things Become Strongβ
- Elder Quentin L. Cook: βConversion to the Will of Godβ
- Saturday afternoon session: See photos and talk summaries for the April 2022 general conference