Ken Live Blogs Conference

[Kenngo1969]

President Russell M. Nelson

• The Salt Lake Temple has stood for more than a century, but, still, it must stand for much longer than that
• The foundation of any building must be strong enough to withstand earthquakes, violent weather, and so forth
• We must strengthen our personal spiritual foundation
• These are the latter days.  If we are to withstand their perils, we must have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of Jesus Christ.
• The temple lies at the center of fortifying our faith because the Savior is the center of the temple
• Oh, how we will need God's power in the days ahead
• If we are prepared, we shall not fear
• Despite today's unprecedented challenges, those who have learned to draw upon Christ's power need not succumb to the fear so prevalent in the world today
• Everything we believe and every promise God has made to His Covenant people comes together in the Temple
• We can make the same covenants with the Lord that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob made, and we can receive the same blessings
• "When I think upon this subject, I want the tongues of seven thunders to wake up the people." -Brigham Young, speaking of Temple ordinances
• The Restoration is a process, not an event; it will continue until the Lord comes again
• The ultimate objective of the gathering of Israel is to bring temple blessings to the faithful
• As we think of how to achieve that objective more effectively, continuing revelation is necessary
• God is the one who wishes you to understand what it is that you are making covenants to do
• God wants you to have spiritual insight and awakenings that you have never have before
• Those who cannot attend the Temple should rehearse in their minds regularly the covenants they have made
• The temple will become a place of safety, help, and revelation
• Amid spiritual upheaval, the safest course is for us to live our covenants; if we are true to those covenants, we will be strengthened by God's power

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Sunday Afternoon Session

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

• Have you ever felt like you are running away from home?
• Whether we are coming home or going home, God is coming to meet us
• The Church should be a place where all can feel at home, whether longtime members or those coming for the first time
• Do we see ourselves in the Church?  Do we feel we fit in the Church?
• "God is a God of truth"
• "Truth is a knowledge of things as they were, as they are, and as they are to come"
• The covenant path is an invitation to feel God's love and to extend that love to others
• Family welcomed others during storm when the family had power and others did not
• "What can I learn from this experience?"
• Priesthood brother opened the door and embraced his brother
• "You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust." -Russell M. Nelson
• His perfect knowledge of past, present, and future make His Covenants and promises sure
• "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
• Trust God; become as a child, meek, humble, submissive, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
• When our hearts are most broken, we are most open to the guidance of the Holy Ghost
• "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Bishop L. Todd Budge

• "What does the Presiding Bishopric do, anyway?"
• He discussed the humanitarian efforts of the Church of Jesus Christ
• Humanitarian Donations of 2020 were highest ever, and are trending even higher this year
• 82 million displaced people in the world
• Church operates Refugee Welcome Centers throughout the world
• Sacrifice is directly connected to the Two Great Commandments of Loving God and Loving One's Neighbor
• Sacrifice: "To make something or someone Holy"
• The Lord wants us to become Holy, to be possessed of charity, and to come to know Him
• Our sacrifice: "A broken heart and a contrite spirit"
• "Holiness to the Lord, The House of the Lord"
• Sacrifice is not "giving up," it is "giving to" the Lord and to others
• Sacrifice is the deepest expression of our Love for God
• Sacrifice is not "giving [something] up," it is "consecrating it to" the Lord 
• Interior designer who helped the well-to-do design their homes worked on behalf of the less-fortunate
• "Give, said the little stream as it hurried down the hill": Like the little stream, we are small, but with God's help and with the help of others, we can give meaningfully to those in need
• Sacrifice sanctifies

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the Seventy

• He spoke of the side effects he has had and the emotional struggle he has had with cancer
• Suffering has been, is now, or will someday be part of everyone's life
• Unfulfilled dreams are part and parcel of the mortal experience
• Hope is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• Four Principles of Hope
  • Suffering does not mean that God is displeased with your life ("Master, who did sin ...")
    • "I have refined thee.  I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction"
    • "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes"
  • God is intimately acquainted with your suffering
    • "O God, where art thou, and where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?"  "My Son, peace be unto thy soul ..."
    • "Heavenly Father, please help me.  I am so sick" - He felt God's pure love, and that was, and is, enough
  • Christ offers his enabling power to help you endure your suffering well
    • Hoping to get through suffering on our own is a difficult way to live
    • We must bind ourselves to the Savior through ordinances and covenants; Forbidden to pray aloud, Alma's people kept their covenants the best they could
    • Look Unto Me in Every Thought, Doubt Not, Fear Not
    • "Strength comes from spiritual reassurances of an Eternal Family"
  • Choose to find Joy every day - "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the direction of our lives." -President Russell M. Nelson

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Michael Dunn of the Seventy

• British cycling was the laughingstock of the cycling world
• "Aggregation of marginal gains" strategy
• If you broke down everything required to ride a bike and improved each of those areas just 1%, still, you would improve
• We could use the same strategy for improvement in our lives
• "Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement"
• "Aggregation of marginal gains" is "Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little ..."
• "Nothing is more crucial to our progression than daily repentance." -Russell M. Nelson
• Even if wholesale changes are needed, begin on a small scale
• The process is not always achieved in a linear fashion ("1% forward, 2% back ...")
• Does "Aggregation of Incremental Gains" really work?  "The proof is in the pedaling"

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Sean Douglas of the Seventy 

• In 2017, he and his family experienced Hurricane Harvey personally
• Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ can protect us from spiritual hurricane
• "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." -Russell M. Nelson
• "If you want to be happy, keep the commandments." -Russell M. Nelson
• Choosing to doubt gives power to the Adversary and leaves us weak and vulnerable
• We must focus on Christ
• "Faith in Jesus Christ is ... the conduit to divine power." -Russell M. Nelson
• Example of his granddaughter, who is always happy even though she has a detached esophagus
• "I know that Jesus will take my hand." -Ruby
• "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."
• We are graven on the palms of His hands

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Carlos C. Revillo of the Seventy

• Growth of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Philipines is a miracle
• "Great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea"
• Described the blessing that Gordon B. Hinckley left on the Phillipines
• When he joined the Church, there was only one mission in the Philipines, and no stakes
• "I desire that ye should consider the blessed and happy state of those who keep the commandments of God"
• Couple who sacrificed to be able to be sealed in the Temple are like the merchant who sold all he had to purchase Pearl of Great Price
• The Lord cares for those who demonstrate their faith in Him
• Repentance is "doing and being a little better each day." -Russell M. Nelson
• Repentance is like soap, a cleaning agent that cleanses us and fits us to dwell with God (Anti Nephi Lehite example)
• Baptism allows us to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and to enter into a covenant with the Lord
• Keeping the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel allows us to receive the power of Godliness

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Alvin E. Meredith III of the Seventy

• "If you only look at what is directly in front of you, you will never drive straight"
• Focusing on the things that are most important, especially those that are down the road, will enable us to have success
• Look down the road; keep your focus on those things that really matter
• "Be of good cheer.  It is I.  Be not afraid."  Peter: "Lord, if it be Thou, bid that I come to thee on the water."  Christ: "Come."   When he kept his eyes on the Savior, he succeeded.  When he took his eyes off of the Savior, he failed.
  • Focus on Jesus Christ - What is the purpose of this life?  To have joy, and to prepare ourselves to return to Heavenly Father
    • There is no discipleship without discipline
    • Focusing on Christ can simplify our decisions and help us prioritize how we use our time and resource
  • Beware of Distractions - Peter succeeded as long as he focused on Christ
    • The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing
    • Distractions do not have to be bad to be evil
  • We can be rescued: "Lord, save me!"
    • The Savior is always watching
    • Rescue always comes to the faithful
  •  

Edited October 4, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Twelve

• We have work to do to bring ourselves in harmony with the will of the Lord
• "The name of the Church is not negotiable."
• Why now, after so many years of emphasizing "Mormon"?
  • "The restoration is a process, not an event." -Russell M. Nelson
  • "All things must come to pass in their time."
• "This church will fill North and South America.  It will fill the world." -Joseph Smith
• Conference will be read in 97 languages in more than 200 countries
• Church of Jesus Christ will influence not only members
• "We will not be moved out of our place."
• "Mormon is a prophet, and I am proud to be associated with him, but he did not suffer and die on the cross for me."
• ChurchofJesusChrist.org and ChurchofJesusChrist.com unavailable when Pres. Nelson emphasized full name of the Church of Jesus Christ, but became available shortly afterward
• Student and teacher: Teacher: "You are a Mormon."  Student: "No, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."  Later, teacher converted

[Kenngo1969]

I lost my notes for President Nelson!   My computer decided to go on the fritz right as I got ready to post them, but I figured, No biggie, they should be in the editor, when and if my computer lets me go back there, right?  But, alas, they're not here!  I'm sorry.

I didn't get all of the Temples in my notes, anyway, even if they hadn't been "eaten."  

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Elder Carlos C. Revillo of the Seventy

• Growth of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Philipines is a miracle
• "Great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea"
• Described the blessing that Gordon B. Hinckley left on the Phillipines
• When he joined the Church, there was only one mission in the Philipines, and no stakes
• "I desire that ye should consider the blessed and happy state of those who keep the commandments of God"
• Couple who sacrificed to be able to be sealed in the Temple are like the merchant who sold all he had to purchase Pearl of Great Price
• The Lord cares for those who demonstrate their faith in Him
• Repentance is "doing and being a little better each day." -Russell M. Nelson
• Repentance is like soap, a cleaning agent that cleanses us and fits us to dwell with God (Anti Nephi Lehite example)
• Baptism allows us to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and to enter into a covenant with the Lord
• Keeping the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel allows us to receive the power of Godliness

A wonderful talk by a great man.  And now another temple will be built in the Philippines.

This whole Conference has seemed so international, and appropriately so.

[Kenngo1969]

My @Okrahomer, but you have been a busy boy!    Thanks for all the love!

[Kenngo1969]

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2021/9/29/22701125/watch-lds-general-conference-october-2021-talk-summaries-photos

[Raingirl]

Thank you for all your hard work! I really appreciate your efforts, especially as I am terrible at taking notes! 

[Kenngo1969]

3 hours ago, Raingirl said:

Thank you for all your hard work! I really appreciate your efforts, especially as I am terrible at taking notes! 

Hey, I hate to break it to you, but I'm selfish ... I did this for me!   I was simply going to do my usual thing of taking notes; I'm not exactly sure why the idea of "live blogging Conference" popped into my head (though I know some folks over at Times and Seasons used to do it), but at the last minute, I said, "Hey, why not open a thread and do this on MD&DB?" 

One word of caution: What the speaker said isn't necessarily what I heard; in some cases, the idea might not have come from the speaker himself or herself, but may have popped into my head from ... elsewhere.  (???  ???)  (Certainly, I hope not, but one never knows! )  Whatever the case, although I hope you read the messages from official sources, I hope you find something here that's useful. 

[Okrahomer]

On 10/3/2021 at 8:02 PM, Kenngo1969 said:

My @Okrahomer, but you have been a busy boy!    Thanks for all the love!

Lol!  No worries.  I appreciate your summaries!

[ERMD]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:01 PM, Kenngo1969 said:

Absolutely!  Good to see you!    I hope we get that privilege hereabouts more often.

Life has been really…busy.  I appreciate your kindness and will try to drop in more frequently from time to time.

 

[Kenngo1969]

23 hours ago, ERMD said:

Life has been really…busy.  I appreciate your kindness and will try to drop in more frequently from time to time.

 

@ERMD You're kidding!     You mean you have better things to do than to hang out on this Board?!  I'm shocked ...  ... shocked, I tell you!   At any rate, I hope all is well with you and yours.

Edited October 31, 2021 by Kenngo1969