Category Archives: General Conference Book Club

GCBC Week 25: “The Privilege of Prayer” by Elder J. Devn Cornish

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Next to LAST talk.  Conference is coming.

You will remember this talk if I give you two hints:  fried chicken and a quarter.  See?  It was a great story that helped us learn that Heavenly Father cares about everything that we care about– even things that might seem insignificant.  I love Elder Cornish’s testimony and stories about prayer.

The Privilege of Prayer by Elder J. Devn Cornish

” When we truly believe that God rules His kingdom and that He has all power and all glory, we are recognizing that He really is in charge, that He loves us with a perfect love, and that He wants us to be happy. I have found that one of the secrets to a joyful life is to recognize that doing things the Lord’s way will make me happier than doing things my way.”

What are some of your favorite insights from this talk?  Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.

To anyone who is checking out GCBC for the first time, the goal is to read one General Conference talk a week and discuss it together as an on-line “book club.” If you want to learn more, go here, and then join the discussion right here each week.

General Conference is coming. Are you ready??

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We have living prophets and apostles.  LIVING prophets and apostles!  It’s amazing.

I love general conference deep, and I think my children are catching on.  A while back, Natalie asked me if I knew what her favorite holiday was.  I guessed Christmas, and she said. “Nope. General Conference.”  I think she’s given it a little more thought since then and decided it’s actually in second place, but still.  Happy heart pinch moment.

Next round:  Saturday March 31st and Sunday April 1st.  I don’t have anything new and exciting to say about getting ready for general conference because I’m just happy with my same old routines. It’s all become tradition, both physical and spiritual traditions, and I look forward to it like an oasis in a busy world.

So I’ll just remind you to start thinking of questions you have for the Lord about your life, your family, your goals, your needs, your potential… and pray about those questions.  Watch conference with your questions in your hand and a pencil ready to receive revelation.  I promise it works.

Here’s a post with other suggestions to prepare yourself for conference.

And here’s another with suggestions of how to prepare your children.

There are always a plethora of current resources for activities and children’s general conference packets over at Sugardoodle.

I always love to review the last conference before I watch the next one.  It makes it easy to recognize patterns and repetition– both tools that God uses to tell us, “Pay attention to this!”  Here’s the highlight video from October 2011 conference:

See? Doesn’t that just make you excited?

Also, the tradition of General Conference Book Club will continue after this next conference, but there will be a big change.  It will still have all the integrity of studying the conference talks, but there will be a new guest hostess.  I’ll post more about that as we get closer.

Feel free to share any of your own traditions and preparation strategies in the comments below.  Your idea may feel like a perfect fit to someone else’s circumstances.

GCBC Week 24: “Choose Eternal Life” by Elder Randall K. Bennett

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Elder Bennett tells a wonderful story about choosing to swim despite warning signs on the beach.  He relates this experiences to the choices we must all make, and in whom we place our trust.

Choose Eternal Life by Elder Randall K. Bennett

“In reality we have only two eternal choices, each with eternal consequences: choose to follow the Savior of the world and thus choose eternal life with our Heavenly Father or choose to follow the world and thus choose to separate ourselves from Heavenly Father eternally. We cannot successfully choose both the safety of righteousness and the dangers of worldliness.”

What stood out to you as you studied this talk?  Share your thoughts and insights in the comments below.  (Only TWO more talks left!)

To anyone who is checking out GCBC for the first time, the goal is to read one General Conference talk a week and discuss it together as an on-line “book club.” If you want to learn more, go here, and join the discussion here each week.

GCBC Week 23: “Missionaries Are a Treasure of the Church” by Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita

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I love missionary work.  I served as a missionary in Argentina about 15 years ago (ack!) and I still think of my mission on most days.  It was such a wonderful time of personal development, growing in my testimony and my personal relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and learning to love so many people.  Some of the missionaries I served with were the stalwart faithful kind that Elder Yamashita describes in this talk, and I still hold them in the highest respect. I saw how Heavenly Father can take young, inexperienced men and women and make them powerful tools in His work if they are faithful and obedient to the calling they have been given.

Missionaries Are a Treasure of the Church by Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita

“Your attitudes and the love that you show toward others are very significant messages. Even though I didn’t immediately grasp all the doctrines that the missionaries taught me, I felt of their great love, and their many acts of kindness taught me important lessons. Your message is a message of love, a message of hope, and a message of faith. Your attitude and your actions invite the Spirit, and the Spirit enables us to understand the things that are important. What I want to convey to you is that through your love, you are imparting the love of God. You are a treasure of this Church. I am so very thankful to all of you for your sacrifice and your dedication.”

What points stood out to you as you studied this talk?  What did you learn about what we can do to prepare our children for missionary service?  Share your thoughts and insights in the comments below.

To anyone who is checking out GCBC for the first time, the goal is to read one General Conference talk a week and discuss it together as an on-line “book club.” If you want to learn more, go here, and join the discussion here each week.

GCBC Week 22: “Teaching after the Manner of the Spirit” by Brother Matthew O. Richardson

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I got to substitute teach the 5-year-olds in Primary today.  It was great.  I love to teach. I love to bear testimony.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I’m grateful for the Holy Ghost that makes the message more powerful than the teacher or the delivery.

The Spirit has been an important part of teaching experiences I’ve had with my children, too.  Last week, during all the carpool hours, I had great opportunities to discuss some important principles with my kids.  I could feel the Holy Ghost helping me and helping them.  It gave me the confidence to testify about things I know are true.

Teaching after the Manner of the Spirit by Brother Matthew O. Richardson, 2nd counselor General Sunday School Presidency

“While we are all teachers, we must fully realize that it is the Holy Ghost who is the real teacher and witness of all truth. Those who do not fully understand this either try to take over for the Holy Ghost and do everything themselves, politely invite the Spirit to be with them but only in a supporting role, or believe they are turning all their teaching over to the Spirit when, in truth, they are actually just “winging it.” All parents, leaders, and teachers have the responsibility to teach “by the Spirit.”2 They should not teach “in front of the Spirit” or “behind the Spirit” but “by the Spirit” so the Spirit can teach the truth unrestrained.”

What points stood out to you as you studied this talk?  Share your thoughts and insights in the comments below.

FOUR talks left.  Can you believe it??

To anyone who is checking out GCBC for the first time, the goal is to read one General Conference talk a week and discuss it together as an on-line “book club.” If you want to learn more, go here, and join the discussion here each week.