Live blogging General Conference, March 28, April 4-5 2015

Image source: Gary Finlinson. Used by permission.

As with last conference, my blog will try to capture some of my thoughts as I listen to conference messages, rather than reporting on what was said. I encourage you to watch the messages yourself, or read the text versions which are distributed a day or so after each broadcast. You can find excellent summaries of each talk by visiting Conference at a Glance.

General Women's Session, March 28th 2015

Yes, that's right. The General Women's Session. A tiny change of wording, from "meeting" to "session" marks this twice-yearly gathering of LDS women as an integral part of General Conference. Not a nice extra. Of course it always was, but words matter; recognition matters. Such small changes happen all the time in the church without fanfare; you have to be paying attention. And remember that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."

Cheryl A. Esplin
The contrast set up in this talk bewteen "seemingly smart men" who ridicule the gospel, and the humble faithful, who find truth through revelation, is a common one, and it bothers me every time I hear it. Even though I believe in revelation as a source of truth, I am also a scholar. This dichotomy doesn't dominate discourse about knowledge within the church--we also often hear about the commandment to seek wisdom and knowledge on all subjects out of the best books--so why does it still bother me?

Carole M Stephens
I appreciate Sister Stevens' nuanced approach to empathy. It is a good reminder that even where our personal experience is limited, we can exercise compassion and humility in expanding our sphere of influence, and it occurs to me that a sphere of influence means not just that we are able to influence others, but that we open ourselves to more abundant positive influence from others.

Bonnie L. Oscarson
It being the 20th anniversary of the Family Proclamation, the theme of this session is clearly "defend the family" and there is a lot of emphasis on the type of defense: valiant, bold, upstanding. As traditional as LDS views on the family are in many respects, I appreciate Sister Oscarson's reminder that the church has always championed women's education, and encouraged women to be leaders in both domestic and public spheres. I believe that continuing to champion traditional roles such as wife and mother, husband and father, does not mean having "regressive" attitudes about gender roles, but rather a more expansive view of what women and men can do and be, and how society can strengthen families by supporting women and men in their family roles.

Henry B Eyring
Desires to help, to serve, to have compassion come from the Holy Spirit, and from our faithfully answering the call of discipleship to "bear one another's burdens". What strikes me most is how important it is to listen, and to understand, in order best to serve those we love. I think sometimes in our zeal to ease others' burdens, we skip that essential step. But how can we bear one another's burdens if we don't really know what they are? Another important point: we lighten others' burdens best by strengthening them, rather than merely trying to take their burdens away. Christlike compassion is key, for "charity is the pure love of Christ."

Saturday Morning Session, April 4th 2015

My live stream of conference is experiencing some technical difficulties; it keeps freezing. If you're following live, please forgive me; I'm now several minutes behind the live feed.

Henry B. Eyring
Fasting is one of the most beautiful religious principles and practices I know, and one that is practiced in different ways by many religions. Fasting is not only a practice of self-abnegation, whether of food or other things. It is self-abnegation coupled with a special gift of charity--that is, a gift above what ought to be a disciple's everyday charity. It's not about adding to a disciple's burdens, but a way God has given His faithful to bear one another's burdens. It is a source of spiritual strength and tangible goodness in my life, and I testify with President Eyring that its blessings extend around the world. Those of us who live in relatively prosperous circumstances perhaps do not fully realize the profound gift that the law of the fast is.

Boyd K. Packer
As much as I am moved by the image of covenant marriage and family relations he describes, perhaps a greater message for me lies in President Packer's actions. His health has been frail for many years, and continues to decline. Yet every six months he sits (because he can no longer stand) and shares a message and a testimony with the church and the world, though the physical struggle this entails is visibly increasing. I have asthma, and I know what it feels like to struggle to gather enough breath to speak. Yet here is a man who, while he has breath, however faint, uses it to proclaim the gospel.

Linda K. Burton
Recently I read the blog of a woman who had, as her daily scripture study, been reading all the General Conference talks given by women since 1971. Among the powerful insights she shared was a rhetorical one. She noted that over the years, women conference speakers had explicitly addressed the women of the church. Sister Ostler supposed that this contributed to the perception that when a woman stood at the conference pulpit, it was a good time to take a quick break. Though like Sister Burton today, our women leaders of the church have long addressed the general body of the church and sometimes even men directly, the perception persists for many that women's messages at conference are not as worthy of our attention. Sister Burton's counsel about righteous relationships between husbands and wives, men and women, is certainly of great importance to all of us.

Dallin H. Oaks
Last week, I taught the Parable of the Sower as part of our assigned Sunday School curriculum. As I prepared that lesson, what was impressed most upon my mind was that in the parable, we are neither the sower nor the seed, but the soil--and the power of the parable for us depends upon our reflecting on the condition of our hearts, and the knowledge that we have the power to cultivate or neglect our spiritual soil. Elder Oaks' message is a direct invitation to so reflect, and a call to repentance.

L. Whitney Clayton
"We actively choose to believe, just as we actively choose to keep other commandments." Yes, belief is a choice, but not a free one. That is, we are expected not merely to choose to believe for belief's sake alone. We are expected to study the grounds for belief, to "overcome our doubts" as Brother Clayton says. And belief entails both consequences in the form of covenants we make and keep, and blessings as we live according to our beliefs.

L. Tom Perry
I appreciate Elder Perry's emphasis on strengthening marriages and families, and stressing the ideal of family permanence, rather than only focusing on traditional family structure. As marriage and family ties are among the most precious and sacred gifts available to us in this life, we who take up the cause of defending family as the bedrock of a healthy society have much work to attend to within our own houses. More than talking about what families ought to be, we need to foster environments where families can grow, thrive, and endure. I believe that such a focus on our own families will do more to strengthen the role of family in society than will judging others' families--or their lack of families. Elder Perry's talk is not shy in denouncing "alternative lifestyles," yet my mind keeps returning to Matthew 7:3-5. I think most Latter-day Saints do not only believe but strive to live the principles of eternal families--but we still have much work to do toward building up our own families and the families within our communities. There are other threats and challenges to families besides those posed by counter-cultural perceptions of family structures.

Saturday Afternoon Session

The lds.org live feed continues to stall, so I've switched to BYUtv. Seems OK so far, but apparently I missed something in the sustaining of church officers. Oh hey! There's former BYU-Idaho President Kim B. Clark! I suspected he was going to be called as a Seventy.

Thanks to Twitter I now know that somebody voiced their opposition to sustaining the First Presidency. That's the first time in my memory that an opposing vote has been made (but not by any means the first time it's happened). It was respectfully acknowledged by President Uchtdorf.

David A. Bednar
I'll admit, I was distracted from a large part of Elder Bednar's talk by thinking and reading about the sustaining of church officers. But my roommate declared, "that talk was awesome!" so I'll definitely have to go back and watch it again.

D. Todd Christofferson
Yes, marriage is not just about the love shared by a couple, but is a heavenly gift that entails responsibilities to God, children, and society. Marriage between a man and a woman, with the attendant bearing and nurturing of human souls, holds a unique place within LDS theology. Our position on the family is ultimately founded on this doctrine, and not on social science. "No one is predestined to receive less than all that the Father has for His children."

Wilford W. Anderson
The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the revelations and doctrines of the gospel are the music by which we dance. What a beautiful extended metaphor! Yep, our dance is a peculiar dance. Let's not sit on the folding chairs around the edge of the cultural hall. The melodies of the gospel are love unfeigned, longsuffering, patience, and kindness. And it is up to us to practice harmony in our homes and congregations.

Dale G. Renlund
"Saints are sinners who keep on trying." Conversion is a sweet change, and one that is always available to us. "No failure ever need be final." We need space and time for personal growth. And as this is true for me, it is also true for my neighbors, perhaps especially for those who offend or injure me. There is room in the church for everyone who is trying to become more like Christ. If we don't try, we're just Latter-day Sinners. If we stop trying, we're Latter-day Quitters. And if we don't allow others to keep on trying, we're just Latter-day Hypocrites.

Michael T. Ringwood
Success is not measured by position or authority, but by the effects our service has on living souls, including our own. Whether or not we have an official calling, we can continually seek for ways to meet the needs of those within our congregations and spheres of influence.

Quentin L. Cook
I dozed off, but the beginning and end of this talk were promising. I especially appreciated the message to be respectful of those whose traditions and cultures seem to cause concern or conflict with some aspects of the church. And the message that, contrary to rumor, people are not increasingly leaving the church, and in many measures, members are stronger and more active than in the past.

So, here's a bit of a post-script, because there has been a lot of emphasis on strengthening families so far this conference, and a lot of folks both within and outside the church have this idea that the Mormon concept of an ideal family involves ultra-conservative gender roles and stuff, and I see something much more rich and complex and beautiful, as illustrated in this Mormon TV ad that I completely love.

Sunday Morning Session, April 5th, 2015

There is no sound more beautiful than the sound of "Alleluia!" sung on Easter morning. He is Risen!

My blogging may be slightly slow or sparse for the first few talks because I promised my roommates Easter Waffles, and they're still cooking!

Thomas S. Monson

God does answer prayers. My experience has rarely been as dramatic as the one shared by President Monson about the young missionary, but I have consistently received answers--often clear, sometimes involving more effort to discern. 

Rosemary M. Wixom

What an important talk! If you are confident in your testimony, be willing to respect others' doubts, and if you doubt, be willing to respect others' confidence. Trust the light and reason you have--help will always come when you need it, and it will be enough. Jesus Christ will never turn you away.

Update: I love what this blogger wrote about President Wixom's talk. I hope you'll read the whole thing, but I'll share one quote in particular:

To love and empathize with another we need to do our best to hear and represent their voice authentically, and we don’t need to say just the perfect thing in response.

Jose A. Teixeira
The joy of abiding in Christ can continue despite great tribulation. And "abide" denotes continual contact. Through the internet and social media, we have both the ability to disconnect from others even when we are physically present, and the ability to have more continual contact with the gospel and with those we love. Let's choose to use these tools to draw closer to each other, to the body of Christ which is the church, not forgetting to draw closer to Christ through frequent prayer and scripture study.

Gerald Causse
It is easy to take for granted the marvelous things that are close around us. The feeling of marvel can be a source of energy and joy. Yet we are prone to slip back into complacency, to lose our sense of wonder. Faith cannot be anchored in wonder--it must be anchored in the plain and simple truths of the gospel. So anchored, if we pay attention, we will find our sense of wonder at all that God has done for us constantly renewed.

Brent H. Nielson
This is the second talk of this session that focuses on how we ought to respond to those who deviate from the gospel path. We cannot compel them to stay or to return, but we ought to continually show our love, and be willing to greet them with open arms in our homes and congregations. This feels especially poignant in light of recent, public dissension by church members, which has too often been met by short-tempered invitations to "love it or leave it," or as I saw more than one Tweet express yesterday, "sustain the Brethren or find another church." Such expressions are not in harmony with the example of the Savior. I believe that if we will abide in love and patiently wait, the light of Christ will guide those we love to our eternal home, and if their path takes a few detours, those who return will have learned things that can strengthen all of us.

Jeffrey R. Holland
I was far too enthralled by Elder Holland's marvelous sermon on the Fall and the Atonement to write anything. I cannot add anything to it. Watch it, read it, again and again.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Grace unlocks the gate of heaven and opens the windows of heaven to pour out God's blessings upon us. No amount of good works can earn our way into heaven, but the mercy of Christ is a free gift, which not only opens the way but blesses those who seek the Lord with the strength to complete the journey back to God. Salvation cannot be purchased by sinners at any price. We serve God, not to earn anything but to show our love and gratitude to Him who redeemed us with his blood, and because His love working in us inspires us to do and to share goodness. God does not wait until after we have expended every effort, but commences with us immediately when we turn to Him, and abides with us as long as we endure.

Sunday Afternoon Session

We're in the home stretch of conference, and I'm physically and mentally fatigued. I've reached the stage of conference where I have to stand up to stay alert. Fortunately, I have an adjustable keyboard stand.

Robert D. Hales
Religious liberty and respect go hand in hand. And we are responsible to safeguard these sacred freedoms and rights. Ultimately, how we live our religion matters more than what we say about our religion. Amen to that!

Kevin W. Pearson
All of us are susceptible to doubt and deception. "Hang in there" is not a principle of the gospel. Enduring to the end means something more. It is a firm commitment to stay the course we entered into when we made sacred covenants. This talk is painting a pretty bleak picture of the internet and social media: "searching #spaciousbuilding will not lead you to a knowledge of the truth." But it is true that we generally find what we seek, and we cannot afford to stop seeking gospel light. So, here's a confession: I've developed the habit of checking social media in the morning before I open my scriptures. I believe there's great good to be had through social media as well as great potential for harm. But I think my priorities, as attested by my behavior, are mixed up.

Rafael E. Pino
Whoever's in charge of the sound system this conference has really reduced the volume of the non-English conference speaker. It makes it a bit easier to hear the English translator, but I miss being able to catch fragments of other languages.

Perspective really does make a difference. If we're too far away or too close, we are likely to miss important details, and even to mis-perceive what we are seeing altogether. Love and gratitude are great perspective-correcters, in my experience. And an eternal perspective can help us weather the everyday and the acute pains and anxieties of our mortal lives.

Hahaha! Dieter F Uchtdorf suddenly started conducting in German: Oops! I forgot to speak English!

Neil L Andersen
God is mindful of every people. The marvelous work of the gospel is moving forward. One way we can see the hand of God moving the work is in the continued building of temples throughout the world, enabling more saints to obtain temple covenants, and perform saving ordinances for their ancestors. As important as growth in church membership is, so is growth in the spiritual lives of church members, for the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.

Jorge F. Zeballos
Once we become covenant members of the church of Jesus Christ, our responsibility becomes nothing less than to keep that covenant and obtain exaltation. "How...could we be content with anything short of exaltation if we know that exaltation is possible?” Because I have developed a relationship of trust with the Lord, and because I have made covenants to follow Him, I can continue along the gospel path, fulfill the duties and receive the blessings of discipleship, even in the face of doubts. I can patiently persevere as I wait for further light and knowledge.

Joseph W. Sitati
This is an interesting reading of God's commandment to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." Rather than taking it as rhetorical threefold amplification of a single commandment to bear children, Brother Sitati takes it as a commandment in three parts. First, to bring forth fruits of the spirit. Second, to bear and nurture children. Third, in the commandment to subdue/replenish the earth, he focuses on wise stewardship of the earth's resources. As a single, childless member, I appreciate this interpretation of Genesis 1:28, because I am able to more clearly see my role in fulfilling it, not in an anticipated future way, but here and now.

Russell M. Nelson
Is the Sabbath really a delight? For me it can be, but it isn't always. It is sometimes a struggle to continue to choose not to engage in school work on Sunday, but I've learned that I need to rest from one kind of mental work and focus on another; when I do so, I can return to my school work on Monday with renewed energy. I love to take Sunday naps, and it's the one day I don't ever feel guilty for dozing off instead of doing more work. Church attendance sometimes feels like a chore, but when I am sufficiently attending to my personal worship, then I am more able to enjoy the sacrament and appreciate the fellowship of my ward members, even if some of the talks or lessons are sometimes less edifying and more pro forma than they ought to be. One delight of my Sabbaths is the stream of family emails that trickle into my inbox over the course of the evening. Being miles away from any immediate family, I rejoice in this family bonding activity. Another delight comes when I answer the invitation to deeper study of the scriptures offered through my calling as a Sunday School teacher.

That's it, brothers and sisters. A closing song and prayer, and then it's farewell from the conference center for another six months. I kind of miss having closing remarks from President Monson, but I appreciate his age and need to conserve his strength. I was glad for his message this morning. God be with you till we meet again!