For my friends of other faiths, this weekend was the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every 6 months, the first weekends of April and October, the general leadership of the church holds a 12 hour conference held in 6 (roughly) 2 hour sessions. That sounds like A.LOT.OF.CHURCH I know, but it is so highly anticipated and such a blessed opportunity! We hear from the living prophet and the members of the quorum of the 12 apostles as well as from other general leaders of the church. Even the kids feel the special spirit of hearing from prophets! That and they get to play conference BINGO and earn treats while they listen. I always come away from the conference feeling so filled having been taught continually of the doctrine of the Savior Jesus Christ. The church leaders prepare their talks according to the inspiration of the Spirit and I always feel that numerous talks seem to have been prepared specifically to address some of my most pressing concerns. It is such a spiritually invigorating weekend and I look forward to re-reading and listening to all of the messages again and again until April conference.
Some general themes that I gathered from the messages are the following:
*"Don't look beyond the mark." That is, don't make having faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ more complicated than it needs to be. Focus more on the basics of Faith, Repentance, Scripture Study, Sincere Prayer, Giving Service and Showing Kindness, among other principles.
*Share the good news of the Gospel with others not out of duty or obligation but out of love and sincere desire to enrich my and their faith in the Savior.
*The Atonement of Christ is real. It is meant for everyone no matter their past, their present or their future. Repentance and forgiveness allow us to harness the power of the Atonement and elevate our faith and righteousness. Repentance should be a daily sacrament and will truly transform us from the inside out.
*The world is a tumultuous place with opposition in all things. It seems that so many of God's children on the Earth are polarized and pitted against one another. With so many loud voices shouting for and against every issue it is so easy and common to find one's self experiencing a "Crisis of Faith." Many of the speakers this weekend addressed specific ways to help avoid or heal a crisis of faith and build a strong testimony once again.
President Nelson taught us how to have JOY through struggles.
Elder Meurs showed us how to use elevating music to prepare ourselves to partake of the Sacrament.
Elder Ballard asked the poignant question to those faltering in faith "Where will you go?" if not in the fold of the Good Shepherd.
Elder Bednar, always a favorite for me!, caused me to ask myself the question "Do I merely know about the Savior or am I actively engaged in developing a personal relationship with Him?"
Elder Cook talked about giving service through callings and growing in faith that way.
Elder Rasband encouraged us to look back to experiences in our own past that were faith building. I could go on! We all experience waxing and waning of faith at times. I hope those experiencing a crisis of faith now will seek the healing of the savior and not choose to walk away from Him.
*In preparation for general conference I have been praying for instruction on a few specific ways to improve my mothering. Oh were my questions answered and then some! I am so filled and feel so loved by a Father in Heaven who knows and loves me. Elder Robbins talked about Christ-like parenting by teaching through love and by the Spirit. He said "The way you see a child reflects in the way you treat him. The way he is treated is what he will become." I am excited to elevate my vision of what my children can become and treat them accordingly. Elder Nattress shared a personal lesson his mother taught him when he was a child. She read the scriptures to aloud to him every day regardless of whether he was listening. She never gave up because she would not lose her sons!
I absolutely LOVE general conference! Audio, Video and Written recordings of the entire conference, including the beautiful music, can be found at www.lds.org
This evening Mitchell and the kids played Ticket to Ride! It was all of their first time and they loved it! Reid really caught on to the strategy and how to play and won!
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