Image: the interior of the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City. From mapletonnews.com
Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A historic landmark observed by President Thomas S. Monson: church membership has reached 15 million. Wow! And the number of full-time missionaries has nearly doubled. He reminds us of the Lord's command to "feed my sheep." President Monson is the Lord's appointed spokesman to the church and to the world today, and here's the first piece of counsel he offers this conference: "Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord's vineyard, to bring souls unto him...and he will assist us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill his word."
Tabernacle Choir: "Israel, Israel, God is Calling." MoTab, you give me chills. I love you.
Robert D. Hales, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Brother Hales describes the process of preparing to speak at conference. He promises that if we listen prayerfully to conference, we can receive inspiration about what the Lord wants for our lives at this time. It isn't always in what is said, but sometimes in what we hear and feel from the Holy Spirit as we show our willingness to receive the word of God. "We gather to hear the words of the Lord. And we return to our homes to live them." We should study these messages, and share and teach them with our families. God will speak to you.
Ulisses Soares, Presidency of the Seventy
"Christlike attributes are gifts from God." The Spirit of meekness enables us to perceive our weaknesses and in the process of time, by taking up our cross daily, become strengthened in Christ. We improve day by day, through our own efforts and through the grace of Christ. We cultivate meekness by controlling our tempers and subduing our pride. We can avoid "detours and sadness" in our lives by being humble and walking hand-in-hand with the Lord. He tells an extraordinary story of a Brother Matlango, of Johannesburg, who because of the laws of his country was not allowed to attend church or be baptized. This faithful brother was eager to learn more of the gospel anyway and asked the Bishop of his area if they could leave a window of the meetinghouse open so that he and his friends and family could attend church through the window. Eventually the law changed and later, a ward was organized in his own neighborhood.
Carole M. Stevens, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency
Every man and woman who is baptized and confirmed a member of the Church receives the Holy Ghost and is entitled to receive revelation for themselves. Priesthood has been restored so that families can be sealed eternally--an ordinance that can be received only by a man and a woman together. All of us need the blessings and power that come through temple ordinances. We ought to exercise faith and cultivate reverence for God's power and priesthood authority (that priesthood authority is God's authority was emphasized repeatedly). Heavenly Father is generous with his power--all men and women have access to that power and to the blessings of the ministering of angels and communion with God. We ought to fulfill our individual roles and responsibilities according to the Lord's plan, so that all may be blessed through our ministrations. "Do we receive the gifts given to us with gratitude, grace, and dignity?"
OK, I got behind because you can pause when you are streaming Conference. And I really, really don't like the hymn "There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today". So I'm going to fast-forward and catch up to the live stream! ...it's kind of perfect.
Edward Dube, of the Seventy
We receive callings to serve in the church joyfully, accept releases willingly, and when new callings come, we recognize that no calling overshadows another, that all are important to the building of the kingdom, and we are "not weary in well-doing". "Faith is always pointing toward the future." The early pioneers who set off into the wilderness toward the west did not know exactly where they were going or what the future held, but they knew they were led by the Lord's servants. We cannot see with our eyes at the present time what the Lord has in store for us, but we can have faith in his goodness and mercy. Teamwork and coordination is more important than mere size and strength.
One of the things I love about conference is seeing and hearing the voices of an increasingly international church leadership. Elder Dube is from Zimbabwe! He was sustained a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy just last April. And according to lds.org, he's 50 years old. He doesn't look a day over 30.
Elder Bednar! Holla! BYU-Idaho solidarity!
David A. Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Two important lessons about the law of tithing. (Oh look, a list! haha, Elder Bendar, I love you man, but you are SO predictable!) The first lesson is about blessings that come to individuals and families as they obey the law of tithing. The second lesson is about the importance of tithing to the growth of the church. When we live the law of tithing we often receive significant but subtle blessings that are not what we expect but bless our lives in extraordinary ways. Among such blessings are the gift of gratitude, enhanced discernment, greater personal determination, greater capacity to act and change our own circumstances, increased spiritual and temporal capacity to do more with less, a keener ability to prioritize and simplify, and an enhanced ability to take care of what we already have. We receive "greater capacity to change our own circumstances rather than expecting circumstances to be changed for us." (And there go his itemizing fingers! It just wouldn't be a Bednar talk without them.) Assurance, peace, faith and hope; stamina, perspective, and resolve may be precisely what we need to persevere, though we might wish instead for deliverance.
Lesson 2: "The simplicity of the Lord's way." The Lord's law of finance for the church is defined in D&C 119 and 120. It's simple: all members give one tenth of their increase, and this fund is disbursed by a council under the direction of the Lord, and at present these funds are used to fund welfare services, meetinghouses, teaching materials, educational institutions, etc. 2 basic and fixed principles: the church lives within its means and does not spend more than it receives, and a portion is always set aside for contingencies and emergencies. These are the same principles that are repeatedly taught to all members regarding their personal finances.
Dang, I'm 5 minutes behind the live stream again. But the pause button is making live blogging easier. Yay technology!
Tabernacle Choir, "Keep the Commandments." But wait! They're singing a new, second verse! Oooooh!
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency
We do not require anything of our members, but the Lord asks that we consecrate all. The lay clergy of our church receive no pay, but the people give of their time freely. Every six months, we watch 10 hours of talks! And every Sunday, we attend 3 hours of church services! This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the service and sacrifice that members willingly make. "Why would anyone want to join such a church?" The LDS Church is one of the fastest growing in the world. There are many reasons, but here are just a few: First, the church was restored in our day by Jesus Christ himself possesses the authority to act in His name, and is led by continuing revelation from God. Another reason is because of the many great opportunities available for doing good. Baptism is the starting point in our walk of discipleship. We find joy, healing, comfort, and forgiveness here. One might also ask, if the gospel is so wonderful, why would anyone leave? Some might suppose that it is because of being offended, or because of laziness, rebelliousness, or sin. The reality is not that simple. Many leave after years of struggle in their conscience with honest questions. We grieve when they leave, but we honor their privilege to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, just as we claim the same privilege.
"When the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn't make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction... And to be perfectly frank, there have been times when members or leaders in the church have simply made mistakes. There may have been things said or done that were not in harmony with our values, principles, or doctrine. I suppose the church would only be perfect if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and his doctrine is pure, but he works through us."Despite the imperfections of His servants, God will not allow his church to stray from the course that He has set for it. There are few members of the church who have not wrestled at some point with serious doubts and questions. "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." Do not allow your doubts to keep you from enjoying the blessings that come from exercising faith. If you feel you don't belong, you might be surprised to discover that you fit better than you think We need and are strengthened by the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives of our worldwide membership. All fall short of perfection. Do not allow personal sin, or the perceived hypocrisy of others, to keep you from receiving the atonement of Jesus Christ. "Come, join with us...there is room for you here.... Come, join with us, for here you will find what is precious beyond price...the words of eternal life, the promise of blessed redemption, and the pathway to peace and happiness."
Tabernacle Choir: "Come Ye Thankful People, Come"
That's it for the morning session. I'll be back in two hours to live-blog the afternoon session. You can watch it with me by clicking on the link below!
October 2013 LDS General Conference Live Stream
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment