We were so excited for general conference and for the chance to listen to the guidance from our Heavenly Father. Here a few pictures from our conference weekend and a few thoughts on a couple of talks that really stood out.
We did all of our usual conference bags. Instead of cups this time, the kids had there own little container and could eat a candy every time they heard one of the words. It was really cool because on Friday night Lydia was making her very own conference book. It had activities, coloring pages and she even included note pages. During a President Nelson's talk she sat next to Shantel and I and took notes in her notebook about his talk.
It was also really good, because even though we had to make sure to be helping and caring for the kids, I felt like we were blessed just to have conference on. I was
Between sessions on Saturday we put up our Christmas lights.
Sunday morning we built a tent to watch conference.
In between Sunday sessions we visited the Saratoga Springs temple to check on the progress. They are almost done with the exterior.
I am grateful to have a prophet, apostles and sister leaders to lead and guide the church and send us messages from our Heavenly Parents. Here are a few things that stood out to me.
From Sister Eubank - She was asked by the prophet to report about the Humanitarian efforts of the church. She shared so many moving and touching things of the way the humanitarian efforts are blessing people throughout the world. We have been really striving to set aside more of our budget to fast offerings, charity and CARE fund (money to help other people). However, this made me want to continue to increase what we give to those and also give to the Humanitarian efforts specifically. It was such a beautiful message and I hope that we can be the answer to people's prayers in many different ways as we open our hearts to give and listen to the Holy Ghost.
Speaking of the Church’s humanitarian efforts, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once remarked: “Prayers are answered … most of the time … by God using other people. Well, I pray that He’ll use us. I pray that we’ll be the answer to people’s prayers.”
Brothers and sisters, through your ministry, donations, time, and love, you have been the answer to so many prayers. And yet there is so much more to do. As baptized members of the Church, we are under covenant to care for those in need. Our individual efforts don’t necessarily require money or faraway locations; they do require the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a willing heart to say to the Lord, “Here am I; send me.”
From Elder Holland - He had a talk that I titled as I was listening, "All in - Wholehearted Devotion." He discussed that we can't take halfway measures if we want to follow the Savior, we have to be completely in regardless of the sacrifices which we will have to make. I love though that he also emphasized that our habits, flaws and history don't have to be impediments to us because our Heavenly Father is always there to offer forgiveness and the opportunity to change.
All who speak in this general conference will all be saying, one way or another, what Christ said to this rich young man: “Come unto your Savior. Come completely and wholeheartedly. Take up your cross, however heavy it may be, and follow Him.” They will say this knowing that in the kingdom of God, there can be no halfway measures, no starting and stopping, no turning back. To those who requested permission to bury a deceased parent or to at least say goodbye to other family members, Jesus’s reply was demanding and unequivocal. “Leave that to others,” He said. “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” When difficult things are asked of us, even things contrary to the longings of our heart, remember that the loyalty we pledge to the cause of Christ is to be the supreme devotion of our lives. Although Isaiah reassures us it is available “without money and without price”—and it is—we must be prepared, using T. S. Eliot’s line, to have it cost “not less than everything.”
Of course, we all have some habits or flaws or personal history that could keep us from complete spiritual immersion in this work. But God is our Father and is exceptionally good at forgiving and forgetting sins we have forsaken, perhaps because we give Him so much practice in doing so. In any case, there is divine help for every one of us at any hour we feel to make a change in our behavior. God gave Saul “another heart.”
From Elder Uchtdorf - He had a great talk about daily spiritual restoration and the importance of this in our lives - which I think leads perfectly into the talk from President Nelson I reference below. In order to stay on the course and not get of track - we need that daily light of the gospel, otherwise, we can stray off course and not even know it, or thing we are still on course though we have strayed far away. I love that he indicates that spiritual changes, both positive and negative a gradual. It is vital that I take steps each day to grow spiritual to avoid veering off course.
Most of the changes in our spiritual lives—both positive and negative—happen gradually, a step at a time. Like the participants in the Max Planck study, we may not realize when we veer off course. We may even have high confidence that we are walking a straight line. But the fact is that without the help of landmarks to guide us, we inevitably deviate off course and end up in places we never thought we would be.
This time of introspection is an opportunity for recalibration. It is a garden of reflection where we can walk with the Lord and be instructed, edified, and purified by the written and Spirit-revealed word of our Heavenly Father. It is a sacred time when we remember our solemn covenants to follow the gentle Christ, when we assess our progress and align ourselves with the spiritual landmarks God has provided for His children.
Think of it as your personal, daily restoration. On our journey as pilgrims on the path of glory, we know how easy it is to fall away. But just as minor deviations can draw us out of the Savior’s Way, so too can small and simple acts of realignment assuredly lead us back. When darkness creeps into our lives, as it often does, our daily restoration opens our hearts to heavenly light, which illuminates our souls, chasing away shadows, fears, and doubts.
From President Nelson - He had a marvelous talk where he showed a video from underneath the Salt Lake Temple during the construction. He noted how over time the foundation of the temple has been made more vulnerable through erosion of the temple foundation. I could feel him speaking as the prophet and truly felt the voice of warning when he said that in order to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, we must have a firm spiritual foundation. I felt him call on me to take all measures to fortify the foundation of me and my family.
“The foundation of any building, particularly one as large as this one, must be strong and resilient enough to withstand earthquakes, corrosion, high winds, and the inevitable settling that affects all buildings. The complex task of strengthening now underway will reinforce this sacred temple with the foundation that can and will stand the test of time.”
We are sparing no effort to give this venerable temple, which had become increasingly vulnerable, a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the Millennium. In like manner, it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures—perhaps measures we have never taken before—to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures.
My dear brothers and sisters, these are the latter days. If you and I are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
So I ask each of you, how firm is your foundation? And what reinforcements to your testimony and understanding of the gospel are needed?
No comments:
Post a Comment