Tag Archives: General Conference

Preparing Yourself for General Conference

Posted in Divinity by

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Here’s the thing about General Conference that’s key:  The talks can answer your prayers and give you specific, personal direction for whatever you’re dealing with in your life.  When you open your mind and heart to the possibility of finding those answers, they are there.  Totally there.  This is where my deep love of General Conference comes from– some of my most specific, immediate answers to prayers and heart-musings have come through living prophets speaking straight to me right through my TV screen.  Those answers have come in the form of reassurances, gentle chastenings, practical ideas, reminders, and simple expressions of love.  The Holy Ghost helps me feel what the message is for me.

Here are a few disjointed thoughts and suggestions that might help you get more out of your conference experience.

  1. Pray.  A lot.  Just ramp it up a little this week.  Any time you find yourself worrying or wondering or stressing about anything in your life– no matter how small– make it a matter of prayer.  Even a quick turn-your-thoughts-upward prayer will do.  Lay that concern out for Heavenly Father and ask Him to help you find some kind of answer or direction as you listen to conference.
  2. Write those questions down.  This can help you keep them in your prayers and thoughts.  It can be a list or a collection of scrap paper.  One year I wrote individual questions on post-it notes and stuck them in my scriptures.  You might even want to keep those written questions right on your lap as you listen to the conference talks.  Keep looking at them and keep listening for related content.  Continue reading →

Preparing children for General Conference (+ packet links)

Posted in Diapers by

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It’s no surprise to anyone who has visited this blog before that I love General Conference.  I know many of you do, too.  To any readers who might not be familiar with General Conference or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, go here or here to learn more about both.  Today I wanted to share a few ideas of how we can help our children appreciate and look forward to General Conference.

  1. Start now to express your excitement for conference.  Today, on two different occasions in the car, I said, “Only 5 more days until General Conference.  I’m so excited!”  Use the opportunity to bear brief testimony of living prophets and how their messages have made a difference in your life.
  2. As you say family and meal prayers, remind your children to pray for the prophet and apostles as they prepare for their conference talks.  We can ask Heavenly Father to help them be inspired as they speak and to help us be inspired as we listen. Continue reading →

Announcements. (Good stuff.)

Posted in About Blogs by

Some exciting business, folks. Three exciting items of business.  I know, this place is just a party.

First of all, there’s still time to enter the contest for the free, autographed copy of Melanie’s book, Not My Type.  All you have to do is send anyone a thank-you note, and you’re in the drawing.  Go to this post to enter.  The drawing for the winner will be Wednesday night and I’ll pick up the book at the release party on Thursday.

Second, there are only TEN MORE DAYS until General Conference.  It’s no secret how I feel about conference.  (It’s my second favorite holiday after Christmas. Truly.)  Anyway, I’ll be teaming up with Lesa from Notes about Music to create some kind of General Conference meme that you can all participate in on your own blogs.  It will be a questionnaire about your experience with both the “music and the spoken word” that is conference. You’ll have it ahead of time so you can watch for answers during conference. Then we’ll have a big link-up thing where we can read all about everyone’s favorite moments and lessons.  So, basically, just get ready for that– it’s coming soon.  And as a personal side note, I can’t emphasize enough how much more you’ll get out of conference if you start now to think about questions you’d like answers to and pray about them in anticipation of hearing the Lord’s servants speak.  You’ll be amazed how many personalized answers you will receive.  Need something to get you in the mood?  Watch this video.  It’s fantastic.  And amen to its message.

Finally, I’m thinking it’s time for another Girls’ Night Out.  Mostly because I saw this and wanted some girlfriends to go with me.

LITTLE WOMEN: The Musical SCERA Showhouse II Friday, 10/7/11 7:30PM MDT

So it’s at the Scera theater in Orem, and I thought we could all meet there for the show, then go across the street (kind of) to The Chocolate, eat desserts and visit the night away.  Tickets would be just under $15 (a little cheaper if you have student I.D.). What do you think?  I’d love to have you come whether you’re a longtime blog friend or a quiet blog stalker.  It’s a great way to take a break, make new friendships, and well, you know, eat chocolate.  If it sounds fun to you and you’re available on 10/7, let me know in the comments, and I’ll send you more details.  Feel free to invite a wing[woman], daughter, girlfriend, whatever.  P.S. This invitation is null and void if you are a strange, predatory creep.  Just to be clear.  (Insert passive-aggressive smile here.)

GCBC Week 2: “An Ensign to the Nations” by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Posted in General Conference Book Club by

Well, here we go folks.  Let’s get this book club rolling!  I thought it would be timely to start off with Elder Holland’s testimony about general conference itself and the Lord’s hand in its messages.

“An Ensign to the Nations” by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

As our conference comes to a close, I ask you to reflect in the days ahead not only on the messages you have heard but also on the unique phenomenon that general conference itself is—what we as Latter-day Saints believe such conferences to be and what we invite the world to hear and observe about them. We testify to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people that God not only lives but also that He speaks, that for our time and in our day the counsel you have heard is, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, “the will of the Lord, … the word of the Lord, … the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.”

All of the talks from general conference are now available to watch, listen to, or read at this link. The Church also puts out a fantastic highlights video that is a montage of main points from the talks of the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles. So, until the Ensign conference edition arrives in the mail, we can still get a jump on studying these great talks.

To any of you who are new to the General Conference book club, we welcome you and love your insights, comments, and participation.  Here’s a link to help newcomers understand how it all “works.”  We look forward to a fine discussion in the comment thread below.

Thanks to those of you who participated in the General Conference Trivia Contest, and congratulations to the winner, “An Ordinary Mom.” Here are all the questions, reposted with the correct answers.  I tried to link the answers to the talks that they came from.

  1. Name two of the three new temples that were announced. Fort Collins, CO; Winnipeg, Canada; Meridian Idaho
  2. Elder Cook told a story about a young woman who misplaced her purse at an activity.  Name one of the items that her leaders found in her purse. For the strength of Youth pamphlet, notebook of scriptures, recipe, breath mints, soap, lotion, and a brush.
  3. Who was Elder Holland referring to when he said “Bedlamites”? children
  4. Whose grandson blew kisses at the TV when he watched general conference?  Russell M. Nelson
  5. What did the prospector teach the young gold-digger that he was missing while he was looking for gold nuggets?  the small flecks of gold
  6. This conference marked the 75th anniversary of what? Welfare program
  7. What did the church donate in Japan to help people search for loved ones despite the difficult-to-travel roadways? Scooters
  8. Finish this phrase from a quoted poem (in general words is fine/main idea).  “When sheep go wrong, it won’t take long  . . . __________.” It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.
  9. Name Elder Richard G. Scott’s belated wife. Jeanene
  10. President Eyring announced an upcoming, church-wide day of what? Humanitarian service
  11. Fill in the blank:  Desires –> Priorities –> __________ –> Actions Choices
  12. What was Pres. Uctdorf afraid people might be texting during his talk? that he hasn’t made a reference to aviation yet
  13. What specific item did Elder Pratt’s Mexican ancestor receive from a wealthy traveler just one week after paying his own tithing? a bag of 100 pesos in silver
  14. Finish this quote by St. Francis de Asissi:  “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use ____.” Words
  15. What hymn did Elder Bednar take as a “hint” about his own talk? Have I done any good in the world today
  16. Only one of the twelve apostles did not speak during general conference.  Who was it?  (And does anyone know why?)  Robert D. Hales, I saw him there on Saturday with a leg brace or something, but I’m still not sure why he didn’t speak.
  17. What powerful hymn did the tabernacle choir sing right after President Monson’s talk about temples? The Spirit of God
  18. Elder Grow spoke about a family member who had just passed away after turning around his/her life.  Who was it? His younger brother
  19. Elder Maynes quoted his grandson’s primary talk where he said, “My family is like a ____ (what?).” Rope
  20. Elder Bednar compared revelation to which two sources of light? Light switch and the sunrise

Matching.  Topic —> Speaker
21.  Accept and Seek Correction   B.  Elder D. Todd Christofferson
22. The Church has an obligation to help poor and needy   D. Bishop H. David Burton
23.  Keep Sabbath Day Holy    E. Elder L. Tom Perry
24.  Forgive and Let Offenses Go    C.  President Boyd K. Packer
25.  Combat Fears by Strengthening Faith   A.  Elder Russell M. Nelson

General Conference Book Club Week 1: Favorites and Goals

Posted in General Conference Book Club by

We’ve had another two-day feast, haven’t we?  Next week, we’ll begin the regular study of one talk a week to keep these lessons fresh in our minds.  If this is your first time to visit the General Conference Book Club, click here to learn how it works.  Welcome! For this week, I just wanted to reflect on the take-away messages from this conference.  Chime in about all or any of these questions in the comments below:

1.  What were some of your favorite moments or messages or talks from this conference?

2.  Repetition is an important element of general conference.  From your point of view, what seemed to be the themes or repeated messages of this conference?

3.  What are some action items you walked away with?  What goals were planted in your mind and heart?

 

“In the day’s ahead, reflect on the unique phenomenon that General Conference is. … If we speak by the Spirit, and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will speak … just to you.  … God will have his voice heard.”  — Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, today.

Stay tuned because tomorrow I will put up a post with a General Conference trivia contest.  The winners will be put in a drawing to win some kind of mysterious, wonderful prize (in other words, I have no idea yet, but I’ll figure it out by then).  Plus, I think you deserve to qualify for a prize just for listening to conference.  In the meantime, bask in the glorious messages of the past two days and figure out the best way you can to make it last.