General Conference Retrospective
I decided to do something a little different this time. Instead of looking over my notes, I am going to just list what struck me from memory. (If you want to do the same, jot down what you can before you read further).
I also am going to record my impressions.
Hopefully Elder Ballard will not frown if I say that I am thankful for the conference, my personal experience was the best I have had in years, and thankful for you. For me this was like the conferences of old, the most spiritual its been for me since President Nelson’s legendary talk about the 8 keys to revelatoin.
From memory, dum-ta-dum:
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- Brother Cook’s story about Elder Packer calling him to give talks 7 times in a weekend.
- Sister Cordon’s story about her dad telling her he had ALS and also never to miss an opportunity to testify of Christ. It struck me because of the excluded middle–I keep speculating how they got from the first part to the last part.
- Elder Uchtdorf’s talk was a nice shot in the arm for fathers and mothers.
- President Nelson’s laugh out loud moment about how we had someone we thought needed his talk, and ‘they probably do.’
- The stories about Danny who got on meth, and the prior story about starting a business and his daughter leaving a note tacked to his phone.
- The talk on poise, because I didn’t like it but also I kept thinking about it, both likely because its the sort of talk I would give.
- The story about B. H. Roberts. That made a deep impression on me.
- Sister Johnson’s talk did me a world of good. Peace and victory. We shall overcome. The Spirit made himself felt with great power during her talk.
- The story about talking to the fresh-from-Asia professional on the plane and working through how to explain Christ from ground zero.
There’s so much more and I keep fighting the temptation to dip into my notes to write about it, but that is all I can remember without peeking.
So, with no further ado,
Impressions:
These are mine, not yours, don’t feel odd if you didn’t get anything at all similar.
Also, some of them are clearly related to the preaching and some not at all. I’m going to note where the impression came. It might be fun and even useful to see how oddly inspiration can strike.
- I need to do more and more regular home teaching in my ministering. I need my father to do priesthood interviews with me and I need to do them for my daughter at college. (Elder Gong).
- Find a good receiver system and spend a conference weekend in a beautiful natural setting. (Music and the Spoken Word).
- Do some more work on a song I wrote whose refrain is ‘One in Christ our Lord. We need more B.H. Roberts’. (Elder Christofferson).
- How to make a certain communication I’m writing calm and peaceable. (Elder Soares).
- Read my patriarchal blessing. (Brother Yamashita).
- The western tradition is that there are two independent and overlapping authorities–church and state. The truth is that there are three–church, state, and the family. (Elder Anderson).
- It is possible to be direct, clear, and unwavering, and condemn evil as evil, without going for the personal attacks. Lack of wrath doesn’t mean you are moderating your views or downplaying your witness. (President Nelson).
- Talk to my children about why Christ had to atone. (Brother ?)
Lastly, from a talk from a Saturday afternoon talk from a brother whose name I didn’t get, I felt impressed to mark Holy Week with a digital fast until Easter. There will still be posts but I won’t be reading or commenting. I fully expect in my absence that the comments will see a great cultural renaissance, a flowering of arts and letters, an outpouring of gold.
See you Easter morning!
Annie
April 2, 2023
I loved the story from Vern Stanfil? about God perfecting his family’s imperfect grain harvest (leaving lots of grain on the ground) by sending swans?ducks?geese? over and onto their fields to eat all the loose grain, on their migrations south. I also loved his delivery, like a friendly long-time neighbor who was shooting the breeze with you at the feed store in town.
E.C.
April 2, 2023
I believe that it was Brother Ahmad Corbitt. I remember particularly because my smart-aleck niece immediately started in with, “Mom, Dad, why did Christ have to -” as my oldest brother said hastily, “Later! I’ll tell you later!”
I do believe he will. 😀
I noticed several themes: making and keeping covenants as a way to overcome the world and find Christ’s peace and joy, and a focus on unity with our fellow-saints and a map on how to achieve that.
A few things that stuck out to me, not necessarily in the talks:
Elder Stevenson’s talk about celebrating Easter, as I have been trying to figure out my own way to centralize Christ in my Easter celebrations (I mostly failed with Lent this year, despite best intentions), especially his admonition to read 3 Nephi 11, as I had already planned to really study that section of 3 Nephi this week.
Sister Cordon (don’t know if she said it or I heard it from the Spirit, but) – create a muscle memory of discipleship.
For one talk, a distinct impression that the brother’s words were not directed to me in my current calling, but were for me as a disciple.
One of the benedictions: “Please cause the forces of darkness to disperse before us and please cause the heavens to shake for our good.” To which I said a fervent ‘amen’.
Brother Christensen: Joy and comfort are not the same thing. (Which I have felt before, but not been able to articulate so exactly.)
Brother Stanfill: God can perfect our imperfect harvest – with a beautiful word picture of migrating birds coming to feast on leftover grain in his parent’s field.
Randomly, as President Nelson read out the newest temple announcements, my oldest brother’s basement erupted with glee as both my youngest brother and his wife heard the names of the places they served their missions. Both, in the same General Conference. This was immediately followed by an international phone call from a very excited Filipina nanay (grandma?) who wanted corroboration that she’d heard correctly.
Now I’ll be eagerly awaiting the text of the conference so I can really dig deep into the talks that stood out to me the most.
Rozy
April 3, 2023
This was a spiritual conference for me too. I heard three themes in the talks: 1) Repent! 2) Minister! 3) Be one!
SS 1st C Bro. Camargo – The Savior solves problems.
Elder Juan A. Uceda – The Good, the Beautiful, the Magnificent Shepherd, Jesus Christ
Elder Bejamin de Hoyos – Temple and Family History
Elder D. Todd Christofferson – Becoming United. The only way to do that is to become like Christ, His heart, His mind.
So many messages that were just for me!
The temple announcements were exciting. I texted a friend who had served in Indonesia in the 70’s and she was still crying happy tears of joy!
I appreciated Elder Ballard’s comments about testimony – Testify often of what you know and believe, not just what you’re thankful for.
Elder Rasband – Fill your bucket with the oil of hearing and acting on the doctrine of Christ.
Elder W. Mark Bassett – From the story of the raising of Lazarus, there are things we can and must do, then Jesus can do what he only can do.
Elder Bednar’s discussion of the having the tree of Christ growing in us.
Pres. Nelson – Come unto the Savior and He can heal you.
Plus all the the other wonderful inspiring talks. I look forward to the next six months of personal study.
G.
April 11, 2023
Annie, I’ve know so many people like Bro. Stanfil. It makes me feel at home.
E.C., yes, Corbitt! That prayer you mentioned was the one I recalled too.
Rozy, ministering for sure. The Bassett talk is one I have circled to come back to, there is a phrase that really struck me when he said it but I forgot to write it down