194th Annual General Conference

[Kenngo1969]

194^th Annual General Conference

Of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Saturday Morning Session

 

President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Twelve

• Was President Holland banned from speaking at General Conference?

• Is he positioned over a trap door?

• Pat is “the greatest woman [he] has ever known”

• She gave a talk once called “Fulfilling the Measure of Your Creation”

• He took a journey out of the hospital “to the edge of eternity”

• He received an admonition to return to his ministry with more focus, faith, etc.

• “Thou shalt bear record of my name … unto the ends of the earth” … “Arise, take up your cross, and follow Me”

• President Holland grateful for the prayers of members of the Church of Jesus Christ in his behalf – “Like the importuning widow”

• “Thanks are the highest form of thought” “Happiness is gratitude doubled by wonder” –G.K. Chesterton

• “It is for reasons known only to God why He answers prayers the way He does, but He does answer them” “The prayers of a righteous people availeth much”

• We should pray for our enemies, and for those who despitefully use us

• Christ, too, wanted to “seek [the Father’s] face, believe His word, and trust His grace”

• Christ stood to pray, He knelt to pray, and, once, He fell on His face to pray

• Christ, who did all things well, felt to pray “more earnestly”

• We must prepare earnestly for Christ’s coming: We don’t want to hear, “Ye never knew Me”

• “We really can ascend to Mount Zion”

• We can “come boldly to the throne of Grace”

• If we are faithful, eventually, we will behold a world too wonderful to understand

Sorry about the way RTF "pinches" my second lines.  Everything I've tried to do to solve that inserts bullets where they ought not go!

Edited April 6, 2024 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

Sister J. Anette Dennis of the Relief Society General Presidency

• She read stories to her children

• Jesus taught through stories and symbols, a Prodigal Son, a Lost Sheep, etc.

• Parables reveal deeper meaning to those prepared to understand it

• Jesus Christ Himself is the symbol of the Father’s Love

• Our lives can become symbols of the covenant

• Each of us is a beloved son or daughter of God: Covenanting deepens our relationship with Him

• Hesed is covenantal love

• Our covenantal relationship draws us to Him, and Him to us

• Covenanting enables God to pour out blessings upon us associated with the covenants

• Baptism enables us to enter into a covenant relationship with God: Symbolically, we die and are born anew

• “For as many of you who have been baptized unto Christ have put on Christ”

• The Sacrament offers us the gift of the Atonement

• The Sacrament covenant enables us to “put on Christ”

• Everything we do in the Temple points to the Savior and our covenants with Him

• Wearing of garments of the Holy Priesthood is both a sacred obligation and a sacred privilege

• An animal sacrifice was made so that Adam and Even could have the garments they wore

• “Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the Armor of Light”

• Wearing of the garment is a symbol to God and Christ

• The marks in the Savior’s hands, feet, and side remained even after the resurrection

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Alexander Dushku of the Seventy

• The Restoration of the Gospel began with an explosion of light and truth

• Joseph needed clarity and peace, light and knowledge

• Joseph needed to exert all of his powers to call upon God to deliver him from the enemy which held him bound

• “Joseph, this is My Beloved Son, Hear Him!”

• We need freedom from spiritual confusion and from worldly darkness

• The Heavens are open; we, too, can receive light and knowledge from on High

• We need not worry because we haven’t had a “Pillar of Light” experience

• Me: “By small and simple things are great things brought to pass”

• God doesn’t send us a pillar of light, but one ray, and then another, and then another

• Elder Bednar: “We are living in revelation”

• Have we felt peace? Have we experienced a still, small voice? Have you borne a testimony that you hoped was true? Amid depression or anxiety, have you looked back at prior experiences where the Lord has spoken peace to your soul?

• No one in his family had served a mission: He didn’t know if he could do it; He recalled praying, and then … he “knew”; he “just knew”

• As we recognize, remember, and gather these rays of light into One, our testimony grows: “Here a ray, and there a ray”; “Together, they can become a light that the darkness cannot overcome”

• “He that receiveth light and continueth in God receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter u

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Twelve

• Our journeys to and in the Temple forms a sacred, holy bond with God and Christ

• This bond can help us increase our love for Jesus Christ

• We are empowered to overcome heartache and challenges

• “Cast not away, therefore, your confidence”

• Nephi exemplified covenant confidence beautifully by, for example, getting the Brass Plates

• Despite challenges, he remained confident that the Lord would help him face his challenges and accomplish what the Lord expected of Him

• We can be “armed with righteousness, and with the power of God in great glory”

• Confidence in God’s promises made in His House enables us to serve faithfully despite our varying circumstances.

• “My disciples shall stand in Holy places, and not be moved”

• We must center our lives on the Savior

• “Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God”

• Bishop: Oldest class in Primary is a Temple Preparation class

• We should prepare, perpetually, to enter the Temple

• “Home centered, Church supported, and Temple bound”

• We can have “covenant confidence through Jesus Christ”

• “The Temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith”

• When we attend the Temple, we take the Temple with us into our homes and into our lives

• As we change our preparation to attend the Temple, we will transform our experience inside the Temple and our lives outside the Temple

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Jack N. Gerard of the Seventy

• “If thou be wiling, let this cup pass from me”

• “Suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, to bleed from every pore, and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink”

• Christ was true to God, to each of us, and to His Divine Identity

• He lived a life of integrity, and so must we

• Because we love God, we are true to Him at all times

• “Do what is right, let the consequence follow”

• Elder Uchtdorf reorganizing a stake, asked him if there was anything that, if it came to the attention of the public, would bring discredit upon him or upon the Church

• Is there consistency between his words and his deeds?

• Integrity is being true to God

• Daniel was true to God, even in the lion’s den: In the morning, he was playing with the nice kitties!

• The King came to know God through Daniel’s integrity: Others come to know God through ours

• “In the world, ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world”

• Trust the doctrines of Christ more than the philosophies of men

• We must not walk after the image and likeness of our own god, who is in the image of the world

• Integrity is not perfection, but it is striving, every day, foremost, to be true to God, and, in so doing, to be true to others

• Ethical rules may not be rooted in absolute truth

• The Church must become the face of the true and living God at all times and in all places

• We must avoid actions that serve our own self interest or demonstrate favoritism for one over another

• A life of integrity requires us to be true to our Divine Identity

• Korihor: “I always knew that there was a God”

• Joseph: “I knew it, I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it”

• Hyrum Smith: “I, the Lord, love him for the integrity of his heart”

• We must be true to God, to ourselves, and to each other

 

[Kenngo1969]

 

President Henry B. Eyring

• “I love you, and I know that the Lord loves you”

• He and his wife attended the Idaho Falls Temple, leaving their four children in the care of a courageous babysitter

• The Teton Dam collapsed while they were in the Temple, flooding Rexburg, where he presided over Ricks College

• 2/3 of 9,000 residence suddenly were homeless

• He and his wife knelt in prayer in a motel room

• “Hal, how can you sleep at a time like this?”; “Kathy, whatever the outcome, because of our Temple covenants, all will be well”

• “As we attend the Temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality, a feeling of peace. We will grasp the true meaning of the Savior’s words when he said, ‘Peace I leave with you; My Peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your hearth be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’”

• President Eyring felt he had been in the Temple before, but was told that he was having a memory of the premortal life

• “The safest place to be, spiritually, is living your Temple covenants. Everyone who makes Temple covenants and keeps them has increased access to the power of Christ.” –Russell M. Nelson

• Under President Nelson’s leadership, Heavenly Father will continue to accelerate Temple building throughout the world

• Frequent Temple worship can create a pattern of devotion to the Lord. You can invite your Temple covenants to strengthen, fortify, and purify you.

• Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in his efforts to help us; and we will never exhaust His patience with us

• “He shall plant in the hearts children the promises made to their fathers, and their hearts will turn to the fathers”

• “Hal and Kathy, live so that when the call comes, you can walk away easily.” –Spencer W. Kimball

• “There is nothing more important than honoring the covenants you make in the Temple”

• “No matter the outcome, all will be well because of Temple covenants”

[Calm]

I am starting the day out of points…

I am impressed, Ken, thanks!

[Kenngo1969]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

I am starting the day out of points…

I am impressed, Ken, thanks!

You betcha!

[juliann]

Thank you, this is well done!

[Kenngo1969]

2 hours ago, juliann said:

Thank you, this is well done!

Welcome!  Glad to be of [some] use!

[Kenngo1969]

Saturday Afternoon Session

 

Elder David A. Bednar

• Elder Bednar led an open house media tour through a temple and into the Celestial Room: Journalist – “I have never experienced anything like that in my life. I did not know that such silence was possible.”

• We must tune out the commotion of our external environment to feel the Still, Small Voice

• We must set aside the business, distractions, and detours in our lives to “Be Still, and Know That I Am God”

• This remarkable blessing is available to all members of the Church of Jesus Christ who are striving to become covenant Saints

• Amid the tumult of Kirtland: “Let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion … Be Still and Know that I Am God”

• “Be Still” is a reminder to focus upon the Savior unfailingly as the anchor to the soul

• True Faith is focused always on the Savior: “For he hath answered the ends of the law. And He claimeth all those who have faith in Him”

• Christ is our Mediator, our Advocate, and Our Rock

• “It is upon the Rock of Our Redeemer, Who is Christ, that ye must build your foundation … a Sure Foundation, a foundation upon which, if men build, they cannot fall”

• The Savior is not the Foundation, but He is the Rock upon which we are invited to build Our Foundation

• The Foundation of Our Lives must be Connected to the Rock of Christ if we are to remain sure and steadfast

• Receive, Renew, Remember, and Review Covenants

• “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world …” –Ether 12:4

• Become more grounded, rooted, established, and settled as we are founded increasingly upon the Savior

• Spend Sacred Time in Holy Places

  • Sabbath

  • “Come Follow Me” at Home and in Sunday School

  • Every Sunday, if we will, we can “Be Still, and Know That Christ is God”

  • Homes and Chapels are to be Sacred Places

  • Temple is another Holy Place: If we will, there, we can be still, and know that God is Our Father and Christ is Our Savior

  • Our homes should be the ultimate combination of sacred time and holy place where we can Be Still

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Massimo Di Feo of the Seventy

• Gospel does not remove challenges and problems, but it does provide strength to face them

• He needs injections directly into his eye every four weeks

• Even with problems with his physical vision, may his spiritual vision improve?

• Is Christ the mere “son of Joseph,” or is he the “Son of David”? The Blind Man had spiritual sight to recognize Christ as the “Son of David”

• We keep a clear spiritual vision when we focus on Jesus Christ and stay true to what we know

• Many voices try to lure us away from Christ and to silence us, but that is why we must declare our testimonies louder and stronger: We are His Voice – If we don’t testify of Him, who will?

• “I am done with a life of misery. With Christ, I can start a new life of happiness”

• We keep a clear spiritual vision when we leave the natural man aside, repent, and become new creatures in Christ

• We can rise above anything through the atonement

• We must come to Jesus

• We keep a clear spiritual vision when we hear the Lord’s voice and allow Him to guide us

• Clear spiritual vision allows us to focus on Christ

• May we remove the beggar’s coat that we might still wear and rise to a better life through Jesus Christ

 

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Brent H. Nielsen of the Seventy

• Witness and testimony are words often used in courtrooms, but they are used in relation to a witness of the Gospel, as well

• Many eyewitnesses in the Scriptures testified as to what they have seen and heard

• “We cannot but speak of the things which we have seen and heard”

• “And after this manner do they bear record …”

• There has never been a better time to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ than today

• He had to identify all 15 then operating Temples to graduate from Seminary

• He discussed the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ in areas where he served

• “My view of the Savior’s worldwide church expanded exponentially”

• “The truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, ’til it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear …”

• “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations …”

• “Come, and gather Israel.” –Russell M. Nelson

• “I beheld the power of the Lamb of God … and [the Saints] were armed with righteousness, and with the power of God in great glory” –Nephi

• “I would desire that ye would consider on the blessed and happy state of those who keep the commandments of God”

• “Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and blessed are your ears, for they hear”

 

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Jose L. Alonzo of the Seventy

• There are moments where our souls yearn for refuge

• Where may we find peace

• In Christ, we find the answers we seek

• It is through his Infinite Atonement that we are offered the blessings we seek

• This gift is available to all who reach out in faith

• “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest … for My yoke is easy and my burden is light”

• I might be able to understand Elder Alonzo a little easier if he were speaking Spanish—but I give him ultimate credit for having the courage to deliver remarks in front of millions in his non-native tongue! ;-D

• “All shall be supported in their trials and their troubles and their afflictions, shall be lifted up at the last day”

• “It is upon the rock of Christ, that ye must build your foundation”

• The Miracle of the Five Loaves and the Two Fishes—5,000 men fed, along with women and children

• We should focus less on our difficulties and more on God as The Solution

• We must place Christ at the core of our thoughts and deeds, and, in so doing, we align ourselves with His Outlook and Higher Vision

• Alma, the Younger remembered his father’s teachings about the Atonement, whereupon he felt an overwhelming sense of joy and peace

• Christ offered the Samaritan woman “A well of water springing up into Everlasting Life”

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

• “This fickle world sometimes feels fortunate yet, too often, unfortunate”

• “All things work together for the good of them that love God”

• God “brings about all that is for our Good”

• Jesus Christ intimately understands all of our pain, sorrow, sickness, and affliction

• In God’s infinite plan of happiness, all things can work together for our good

• When we choose ourselves, we choose, also, our own inadequacies, weaknesses, etc.

• We must put off the Natural Man and become a saint through the Atonement

• “These things shall give thee experience, and shall be for our good”

• “Trials we never would choose can work together for our good and for the good of others in ways we never imagined”

• God does not give trials to punish or to judge: He does not give serpents to those who ask for fish, or stones to those who ask for bread

• People need us to acknowledge pain, frustration and anger in order to move past them

• “The Lord giveth, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord”

• Stake of man with Stage 4 cancer was reorganized: He asked his wife why he would even bother going to the interview. “Because you’re going to be called as Stake President.”

• Rebecca had a clear impression to go buy gas for her car, met a woman who needed an oxygen machine, and she gave her her recently-departed mother’s oxygen machine

• Woman who witnessed serious boating accident overcame her fear of water to be baptized

• “All things can work together for [our] good”

• “Be still my soul … all now mysterious shall be bright at last”

• “Though hard to you this journey may appear, grace shall be as your day”

• “The Book of Mormon is evidence we can hold in our hand that Jesus is the Christ”

• What, in the Book of Mormon, happened there and then, can bless us here and now

• Come more often to the Lord in His Holy House

• “I will serve in my own Temple clothes, and, when the time comes, I will be buried in them”; and she was.

• Seek Lord’s eternal purpose, his eternal plan

[Kenngo1969]

Brother Michael T. Nelson, Sunday School General Presidency

• Ammonites trusted Helaman

• “To effectively serve others, we must see them through Heavenly Father’s eyes.” –Elder Dale G. Renlund

• “Father, behold, our God is with us, and He will not suffer that we should fall.”

• Like Helaman, bishops today can lead the youth, who are like the Ammonites

• Helaman always remained fixed to advance the purposes of his leaders; likewise, Bishops today do the same for their youth

• Helaman persuaded Ammonites to keep their covenant never to fight; he knew that more power could come from their keeping their covenants than from their fighting with the Nephite armies

• “Their mothers taught them that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them”

• Needed guidance for parents, leaders, found in Gospel Library, Gospel Living App, For The Strength of Youth

• We grow as we follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost

• In the lives of the youth, it is relationships that have the greatest impact on their choices

• “What will matter most is what they learn from you about who they really are and who they can become …” –Henry B. Eyring

• Is following Christ a part of who we are, or is it simply something we do?

• Bishops who focus on youth can have a positive impact on multiple generations

 

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Twelve

• “I have felt deeply about the Atonement of the Savior since I was quite young”

• His grandfather counseled him to avoid any sense of entitlement because of his ancestors, and to focus on the Savior’s Atonement, instead

• The Savior is the keeper of the gate. –2 Nephi 9:41

• No one can return to God without the Savior’s Atonement

• “Love one another.” “That they may be One, as thou art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be One in Us.”

• Oneness with Christ and with our Heavenly Father can be obtained through the Atonement

• Section 20 was read at the first Church Conference, first revelation approved by common consent

• Doctrine and Covenants 20:17-36 are a summary of essential Church doctrine

• Requirements for baptism are simple

  • All requirements for baptism are spiritual

• “All are alike unto God” We should not focus on differences, nor should we magnify differences into chasms

• “To receive the blessings of the Savior’s atonement we must affirmatively exercise our agency”

• “There is no such thing as free will” – On the contrary, we do have moral agency, which includes free will: Without it, we could not choose to learn, to progress, or to become more like Christ

• We exercised our moral agency to follow Heavenly Father’s plan

• Good, righteous choices lead to happiness and eternal life

• Striving to be the best we can be is a righteous, worthwhile endeavor

• We should follow President Nelson’s counsel to “Think Celestial”

• “An emphasis on putting family choices first is essential”

• We are in control: Our faith in and worship of Jesus Christ is a choice

• “Salvation comes as Christ justifies and sanctifies repentant souls”

• “We should strive to include others in our circle of oneness”

• Differences fade into insignificance as we all embark together upon the covenant path. –Russell M. Nelson

• The essence of truly belonging is to be one in Jesus Christ

[Raingirl]

Thank you for doing this, Ken! I stink at taking notes, so this is very helpful!

[GoCeltics]

6 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

• An animal sacrifice was made so that Adam and Even could have the garments they wore

• Wearing of the garment is a symbol to God and Christ

To which garment are you referring? 

[GoCeltics]

6 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

God doesn’t send us a pillar of light, but one ray, and then another, and then another

Has anyone else besides Joseph Smith received a pillar of light, as mentioned in this song?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2020/04/pillar-of-light?lang=eng#title1

[Kenngo1969]

1 hour ago, GoCeltics said:

To which garment are you referring? 

I am not referring to anything.  These are notes of addresses delivered by others.  You're welcome to read the talk, Sir, when it becomes available.

Edited April 7, 2024 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

56 minutes ago, GoCeltics said:

Has anyone else besides Joseph Smith received a pillar of light, as mentioned in this song?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2020/04/pillar-of-light?lang=eng#title1

I imagine so.  God tends to enlighten each of us in proportion to our ability and willingness to receive light.  See also Doctrine and Covenants 50:24:

Quote

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

 

[Kenngo1969]

1 hour ago, Raingirl said:

Thank you for doing this, Ken! I stink at taking notes, so this is very helpful!

You're welcome.

[Kenngo1969]

Saturday Evening Session

 

Elder Shayne M. Bowen

• Christ gave Priesthood keys to Peter

• When Apostles died, the keys were taken from the Earth

• They have been restored: “The keys of my Kingdom, and the dispensation of my Gospel”

• President Russell M. Nelson holds and is authorized to exercise all Priesthood keys

• Baptism, confirmation, ordination, etc. all take place under those holding Priesthood keys

• He and his companion were arrested while on a mission in Chile: “Father, I am nothing special, but I have been obedient, and I need thy help tonight”

• Patriarchal blessing: “Through thy faithfulness, thou shalt be sealed for time and all eternity”

• “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Nay …”

• God keeps all of his promises, always …

• “Grant, your mother has just passed away”; He lay his hands on his mother’s head and brought her back

• President Nelson has taught us to seek and to expect miracles

• He blessed his daughter to live after a car accident

• “I will go before your face, I will be on your right hand and on your left …”

• The Priesthood After the Holy Order of the Son of God has been restored to the Earth

• Keeping covenants provides power

 

[Kenngo1969]

Elder Steven R. Bangerter of the Seventy

• “Your Heavenly Father has known you for a very long time …” –Pres. Nelson to the Youth of the Church

• “I reaffirm that the Lord has asked every worthy young man to serve a mission …” –President Nelson

• All who are born on Earth first lived with Heavenly Father

• During premortal life, we developed our spiritual identity, making important decisions such as to follow our Heavenly Father’s plan, and, ultimately, to achieve our Divine Destiny as a Child of God

• Premortally, we grew in intelligence and learned to love the truth

• We may participate in the Gathering of Israel, and have been foreordained to do so

• We should seek to understand our foreordination and our true identity: We were blessed with premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose

• He will reveal unto us what we have been foreordained to do as we seek his will\

• “The first thing the Lord would help you understand is your Divine Identity.” –Russell M. Nelson

• His goals in life? I wanted to be taller, and I wanted to go camping more: “Son, protect the private times of your life … When you are the only one around and no one else knows what you are doing … What you do with private time will affect how you confront challenges and how you experience joy …”

• The greatest miracle of that day on the steps of his home is that he learned how to go to God and to receive revelation

• He learned that God knows him, that He hears and answers prayers

• As we protect the private times in our lives, we will experience greater spiritual power

• Sincerely ask, and genuinely desire to know

• Bind self more fully to God in the covenants we make with Him