Note: This was a fabulous session. If you missed it, watch it, and then read it when it gets posted. There is definitely too much meat to rely on my sloppy notes, or even watching it one time.
• Started the morning with a wicked headache. You know, the ice pick, Night Gallery earwig kind of headache. But I will press on, because I am of hardy pioneer stock. (Whatever that means.)
• You should see my hair.
• Haiti, Bangkok, & Ivory Coast temples? Crazy! Talk about bringing light to where it is most needed.
• President Monson is so sweet. I’m so happy to sustain him. He looked better and stronger than last night, but last night his face was 10 feet tall.
• Rosemarie Wixom: Primary General President, convict. (At first I thought referee, but the stripes run the wrong direction.) Here is her bio.
• “The path to be followed may not always be clear at once – pray for light.” (Singing…put one foot in front of the other…)
• Interesting that Elder Perry talked about the Pope yesterday, and Sister Wixom spoke about Mother Teresa.
• Elder Jose Teixiera is Portuguese – to learn more about him, go here.
• Gave a good warning about how an online life can take us away from people that are in our homes, and to make sure we use online life productively.
• Three habits for healthy online life. (I need to listen)
1) Visit Church sites regularly.
2) Subscribe to the Church’s social networks.
3) Make time to set aside your electronics and read the scriptures, or have a conversation.
4) He didn’t specifically mention that you should all read my blog, but it was probably just an oversight.
• 2nd charge this conference to put away electronics during Sacrament meeting.
• I’ll probably get booted out of the Church for saying this, but I wish there weren’t so many songs in General Conference. I can listen to music anytime, but I can rarely hear the prophets speak new stuff.
• Elder Caussé: “There is always something new to learn, or feel.” AMEN!
• Elder Nielson: Great topic – How to respond when a family member loses his or her way. Such a delicate thing to address. Addressing it with personal family experience with is sister is especially tender and courageous. I can’t even express how much I loved this talk. I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes. I imagine that all of us have someone that we love in the same situation. This talk gives hope.
• Perhaps the best talk of this Conference so far. (Sorry Elder Oaks)
• Poor Elder Holland has to follow Elder Nielson. I hope he’s OK. (He ended up doing just fine.)
• People laugh at the stupidest times.
• Dramatic story of the rock-climbing brothers worked as a riveting intro to discuss the Savior. Then took a wild turn into a discussion of Adam and Eve. “There’s no way to celebrate Christmas nor Easter without understanding there was an actual Adam and Eve who fell from an actual Eden.“
• Elder Holland, well known for his powerful testimonies, just gave a most powerful testimony of the Savior. Preach, Brother, preach.
• President Uchtdorf is finishing up today. One of my favorite things about Priesthood Conference last night was when Elder Soares was speaking, he started coughing. From the corner of the screen you could catch a quick glimpse of President Uctdorf’s hair as he snuck over and handed Elder Soares a glass of water.
• I’m digging President Uchtdorf’s polka-dot salmon tie.
• I am glad he is speaking as to the “Grace of God.” I think it is widely misunderstood, and needs to be taught more. – (Ha! He just stated that it is often misunderstood.) (This list is probably not very accurate – read the real talk.)
1) Grace unlocks the gates of heaven. We are all unworthy to return to God’s presence. We cannot earn our way in. Mercy appeases Justice.
2) Grace opens the windows of heaven.
3) Grace empowers us. My son just leaned over and told me he had never heard the parable of the two debtors. Oops.
4) Grace refines us.
5) Grace is a gift of God
• Glad President Uchtdorf reemphasized that we do not earn our way to heaven, which, oddly, is one of the favorite accusations against our doctrine.
• “Obedience to God comes from a natural result of love for God and will miraculously merge our works with God’s.”
• Too much meat in the talk to do it justice here. I recommend you read it
• 3rd shot at cellphones in Sacrament meeting.
That was a terrific session. One more meeting to go, and I still haven’t been quoted yet. Maybe this afternoon…
Footnote: Here’s an example of why I don’t bother with Twitter during Conference:
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One of the benefits of getting older and living in “interesting times” and places is that you get to meet people and see what they become. I have had the privilege (in my own mind) of having served under the tutelage of two members of the 70, who at one time were my Stake Presidents. One was fairly recently where I was an active participant in stake affairs, and one where I delivered his newspaper every morning, and occasionally watched his dog when he was on vacation….and later my EC and I had him sign our recommends to be sealed in the temple.
To me, Pres. Nielsen is uniquely qualified to give his talk. Not only due to his sister, but because he dealt with and gave the same advice to many others over the last 30 years. I remember one young man who was the poster child of “Peter Priesthood” growing up. He even sang a beautiful solo at his elder brother’s mission farewell. Then in a quick turn of events, before the young Elder left the MTC, he was called into Pres. Durrant’s office and told that his brother had not only quit going to church, but had asked to have his name removed from the church records. For many years it could even be said that the young man became anti-Mormon. To the distraught mother and family, Pres. Nielsen advised….Just love him. Such simple and profound advice.
A temple in Bangkok, Thailand….where there are already hundreds of Wat’s, which are much different than a Phra’wihaan. There were 2 missionaries sent to Siam in 1852, and they only baptized the Captain of the ship they traveled on….and then Pres. Hinckley dedicated the land only a few years after my birth. THEN, I had the privilege of spending two years of my life teaching the people there. It has only been a few years since they got their very first stake!!!! And I thought that was awesome.
It has been a few days, and the announcement has had time to sink in, but even as I am writing this, my eyes are watering as I think of the people I have known there who wanted to attend the temple and never got the chance due to the cost and distance. At least during my time in country, the people that accepted the gospel were, for the most part, the humblest. I lived the cliché of teaching in a 3 walled hut by candle light, because the father couldn’t afford to take the time off during daylight hours.
I won’t be surprised if the first temple president is a man who has never stood on his own feet unassisted, and supported a large family by doing other people’s laundry…..and truly humbled a proud American missionary when he asked him to baptize his daughter, because he physically could not do it himself.
Dude!! Music is scripture!!! Nothing brings or increases the Spirit like music. You had me til that comment. And we can hear our leaders often- every month in the Ensign, CES fireside, BYU devotional…. it’s All good!
Maybe it’s because I don’t care for choir music so much. I would probably enjoy it more if they brought on some soloists, instruments, or groups. The organ is tiresome.
I agree with less music…unless they were to get some soul! THAT would be awesome to listen to and definitely keep everyone awake. I’ve been able to fight off the sleepies so many times till the choir stands and drags out nice slow song and then I’m a gonner. :/
I sensed there was more music but perhaps it is because this was Easter Sunday and many wards present mostly music just as at Christmas. I love Easter themed hymns because they are also great sacrament hymns.
So glad they mentioned electronics in Sacrament meeting. It drives me nuts when I see people playing games during sacrament meeting.
I liked her outfit.
I was thinking more along the lines of beetlejuice instead of referee. 😉
I lovery the Spirit that music can bring, but I agree with you. We get music every week. Out here “in the mission field” we don’t get to hear personally from General Authorities as often.
Nice insights
The music has a practical use in that it allows for some flexibility with respect to time to meet broadcast requirements
Elder Nielson’s talk brought my husband and I such a feeling of peace and hope.
Many years ago they announced choir would sing before Pres. Hinckley gave final address. NO I thought, I want to hear the prophet. Choir sang, oh My Father. It was a soul filling emotion filled “sermon”. My heart melts just remembering.
Also, I think sometimes the music prepares our heart for upcoming spoken words.
Love your blog and thoughts. Thanks for sharing.
Really? “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads” D&C 25:12. Can’t have too many prayers or blessings.
According to your logic we should dispense with the talks and have more music.
This conference – Hecky poo, this SESSION – is gonna take me more than six months to chew and digest. We are past the milk only stage.
I wish you had “like” buttons I could click after each comment you make. Such a GREAT conference session! They all have been!! I’m so sad when it’s all over. 😉 But I HIGHLY recommend spending the $8 to get the set of Conference CDs to listen to for the next 6 months until next Conference. It’s amazing what a difference it makes!!!!! Thanks for all you do! LOVE your blog!!!
I don’t Tweet anyway, but I would think it would be especially distracting during a time needed to focus to feel the Spirit. I often take notes…but am not trying to fit it into 140 characters. Perhaps one gets better at that with practice?
Lots of meat in this, and each of the other sessions. I LOVE General Conference. This conference was the first time I watched the Priesthood session online, and I loved it!
Just another hour and a half until the final BIG drink of spiritual, living water!
Just a note- Sister Wixom is not new. She has been serving since 2010. Her counselors were released because one will be serving a mission with her husband, so 2nd counselor became 1st counselor and a new counselor was called yesterday.
Love to read your notes. I always get a laugh as well as an insight. Thanks.
Yup. Thanks.
Sister Wixom isn’t new – she just had a new counselor sustained and her previous 2nd counselor moved to first counselor. Have loved conference so far and look forward to the concluding session.
So far in all the conferences about reaching out to family members the common denominator seems to be love them no matter what. Just as the Savior, our Elder Brother, loves us no matter what