Tag: general conference

Without the Book of Mormon – Who am I?
The following is the text that I used in a talk that I gave in our church services. If you are unfamiliar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the things that make us unique is that we don’t have a paid preacher to give the sermon each week. Our sermons are given by members of the congregation who are assigned by our local leaders – who are also unpaid members of the congregation. While it can be stressful when you’re the one who is giving the talk (what we call these assigned sermons), it is also a really great way to get fresh perspectives on gospel principles each week.

In this post I talk a lot about some of the unique teachings and practices of our church compared to other Christian denominations. If you want to learn more I always welcome questions, or I can help connect you with local missionaries, or great resources that can help you understand more about our beliefs.

I also want to make sure that I say up front that I hold faithful followers of other religions in the highest regard. While this post focuses on some of the unique things that I love about the gospel that I cherish, it is not meant in any way to put down anyone else’s beliefs. I believe that all faithful people, regardless of religious tradition, are given inspiration and light from God and that all are beloved children of Heavenly Parents. I don’t think I’ve said anything in here that those who believe differently would find antagonistic, but if I’m wrong and any of this feels attacking to your own beliefs, please know that was not my intention and I apologize if that is the case. This message was written in the context of being shared with those who share my beliefs, but it might feel different to those who don’t.

A few years back I considered converting to Catholicism when I discovered that my Catholic friends can decide to go to mass at 7pm on Saturday nights and then they can sleep in on Sunday mornings. I am not a morning person and that option was really appealing! My Catholic friends are some of the most Christlike people I know and I’ve drawn closer to my Savior through my association with them, so I would still have a good faith community and I could sleep in on Sundays – it was sounding like a pretty good plan!

Unfortunately, I really like having the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine & Covenants, and living prophets, and temples, and continuing revelation, and eternal families, and the Plan of Salvation, and degrees of glory, and eternal progression, and a Heavenly Mother, and ordinances for the dead, and Relief Society, and the priesthood in my home, and ministering, and callings, and missionaries, and self-reliance, and General Conference, and Come Follow Me, and the word of Wisdom, and patriarchal blessings, and personal revelation, and physical resurrection, and our understanding of the Godhead.

So… I decided against Catholic conversion. But, if you want to know whether or not I have a testimony of the church just remember this – it’s the first day of daylight saving time, my 1 year old is a lousy sleeper, we have 9am church… and I’m here. That should tell you pretty much all you need to know about my testimony of the gospel.

When I was asked to speak I was given a couple of scriptures to speak on. However the bishopric also offered me an out that I could speak on whatever was in my heart right now. I tried at first to stick with the scriptures that had been given me, but there was a challenge that had been something that I wanted to write out, and the further I got into writing my talk… the less my talk had to do with the scriptures given. So I finally let the bishopric know that my actual topic was going to be President Nelson’s talk from October 2017 General Conference.

I had thought his talk was given recently recently, so I was surprised to find that it was almost 8 years ago, back when President Nelson was still Elder Nelson. He issued a challenge that had struck me and I had pondered on it over the years, but never taken the time to write out my ponderings.

As I wrote my talk I looked up the quote that I remembered, pasted it in, but I didn’t actually re-listen to the talk 🤦‍♀️ This morning, after I’d finished printing out my talk I finally listened to it while curling my hair and found so much in it that I wished I had incorporated into what I was going to share! I had spent all week trying to cut bulk out of my talk because I was worried that I would go over, and it was really too late to change things so I was just mad at my own lack of preparation.

However, when I got to church the returning missionary who was speaking with me mentioned that she didn’t have a lot to share. Aw man! I’d just spent all this time cutting parts of my talk out and now I was going to be short instead of long!

Luckily I was able to pull President Nelson’s talk up and add in some of the things that had impressed me while listening to his previous address. I think it was a little tender mercy because if I hadn’t cut down what I’d originally written I wouldn’t have had time to share President Nelson’s words directly – it’s interesting how the Lord works with us.

President Nelson shared this in his talk –

My brothers and sisters, how precious is the Book of Mormon to you? If you were offered diamonds or rubies or the Book of Mormon, which would you choose? Honestly, which is of greater worth to you?

Remember in the Sunday morning session of the April 2017 general conference, President Thomas S. Monson pleaded with “each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day.” Many have responded to our prophet’s plea. […]

Something powerful happens when a child of God seeks to know more about Him and His Beloved Son. Nowhere are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon. Since President Monson’s challenge six months ago, I have tried to follow his counsel. Among other things, I’ve made lists of what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, what it refutes, what it fulfills, what it clarifies, and what it reveals. Looking at the Book of Mormon through these lenses has been an insightful and inspiring exercise! I recommend it to each of you.

I was impressed when I heard this talk to hear that Elder Nelson took the time to take the prophets challenge at the time. Somehow I had always thought of those challenges as being for regular members of the church. The apostles were in their own league and beyond having to do what the rest of us do, right? That really strengthened my testimony of how important it is for us to follow the direction of the prophet – even the apostles take it seriously.

President Nelson posed these questions –

“First, what would your life be like without the Book of Mormon? Second, what would you not know? And third, what would you not have?”
I tried to take his challenge. But I found it difficult to imagine my life without the Book of Mormon in it. I was raised in the church. Every single ancestor on my dad’s side of the family was baptized into the church during their own life time as far back as the church was restored, and my mom was raised in the gospel too. I was even raised near Palmyra, New York until I was 10, so church history was part of my childhood. Growing up, our family was always at church activities, my parents served in leadership roles, and the gospel shaped my life.

I attended BYU, where I met Eric, and as most of you already know we got engaged within 9 days of our first date. We married in the temple and now almost 18 years later we have 5 beautiful kids that we’re busy trying to also raise in the gospel. So far, I think I’ve had a pretty good life, and every single good thing in my life – I can tie back to the gospel.

I don’t say that with the intention to brag. Actually, somewhat the opposite. Because my life has been so entrenched in the gospel I can’t even fathom who I would be without it. When President Nelson asked about what my life would be like without the Book of Mormon I couldn’t even come up with a reasonable answer. Without the Book of Mormon does my Australian mom come to Utah – where my dad’s family only lived because of the restoration of the church – so that they find each other, get married and decide to have me? Who am I without the Book of Mormon?

This has caused me to stop at times and question – do I believe the gospel because it’s the only thing I know, or is it actually something that I know to be true for myself? Had I been raised in a different family would I have been just as firmly convinced of Catholicism, or Judaism, or Islam, or even Atheism? How much of what I believe is just because of my surroundings rather than my own personal search for objective truth?

I have a bit of what I’ve heard termed ‘holy envy’ for converts to the church. Not that I would trade my upbringing or the privilege that it has been to have that light in my life all along. I just wish I could better appreciate and value the truth and light that I have been given.

However, even without that experience, I can identify the good things in my life that have come as a result of the Book of Mormon. While I was being a little bit flippant in my list of reasons to not swap 9am church for 7pm mass – I’m also 100% serious.

There were over 20 things on that list that I identified as being unique teachings, programs or practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – and I wouldn’t trade anything to have to give up a single one of them. They might not all be directly from the Book of Mormon, but the restoration of the church was spurred by the Book of Mormon so I’m counting them all as byproducts.

As I tried to define what the restored gospel has given me, I grouped those truths into five categories that have shaped my life and testimony. I want to talk to you a little bit about the things that I would not know or have without the Book of Mormon. (as a side note, if you go to President Nelson’s original talk he includes his own list that he shared outside of his talk that I think would be a great study topic)

The first is Continuing Revelation – The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, living prophets, General Conference. I can’t understand a context of a loving God who would give direction to some children at one place and time, but not care about others. The restored gospel teaches us that the heavens are open and have been open to people regardless of where they live or when they live. God spoke to the peoples in the Americas, He speaks today, and He has spoken to many people throughout time.

God loves all people everywhere, everywhen. That to me is exactly what a loving God should look like.

Second – Organization and Authority entrusted to regular people. Relief Society, the priesthood, church callings , missionaries, ministering, self-reliance, patriarchal blessings, and personal revelation. The restored gospel uniquely empowers ordinary people to serve in extraordinary ways. Even my own 2 young sons have been given the priesthood to serve in our community. Where else do 14 & 16 year olds get that kind of authority?

From Relief Society presidencies to young missionaries, each of us has a role to play in God’s work. You don’t need a fancy degree or special training – God needs YOU and me. We are all called upon to serve God in our regular lives – you don’t have to live in a convent and give up everything to qualify. We’re taught in D&C 4:3 that “if ye have desires to serve God, then ye are called to the work.”

As Elder Holland pointed out, “imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with.” and I’m so grateful that He is willing to work with us.

Third – A knowledge of who we are, why we’re here, where we’re going. The Plan of Salvation, degrees of glory, and eternal progression. I can’t even understand how people get through life without this knowledge. These truths give life so much purpose and hope. Knowing that our loving Heavenly Parents desire the greatest possible happiness for us—even to progress eternally—fills me with hope and purpose.

Fourth – The rites of the gospel being offered to all. Temples, eternal families, ordinances for the dead, a physical resurrection. In many Christian traditions, the importance of baptism and sacraments is widely accepted, but what about those who never had the chance?

Would a just and loving God deny salvation simply because of when or where someone was born? The restored gospel is finally able to bridge the gap between the necessity of baptism and the impossibility of all to receive it in this life.

The reality of temple ordinances reassures me that God is truly no respecter of persons—every soul has an equal opportunity for exaltation.

Fifth – A better understanding of the Godhead. Their physical reality, their origin and the fact that we have a Heavenly Mother.

We don’t talk a lot about our Heavenly Mother, in large part because as a church we don’t really know a lot about Her beyond the fact that She exists and that we as women were created in Her image and can grow up to be like Her. I will be honest, this frequently causes me a lot of frustration to not know more about Her. BUT…. I have a Heavenly Mother. And because of the restored gospel, I know that. Of course I want to know more, but I know I have a Heavenly Mother. There’s a version of deity that looks like me, and I have someone who I can look up to and become like. I don’t know that I can properly express what that truth means to me in my life.

Testimony

I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon in my life. I may not know what my life would be like without it, but I do know that my life is immeasurably better with it.

I want to bear my testimony that I know that the Book of Mormon and the gospel truths that we have gained as a result of it are true. I’m so grateful for the organization of our church and that I can be a part of it. If you don’t have a testimony of the Book of Mormon I would encourage you to take President Nelson’s challenge as well. Consider the light and truth that is in your life because of its teachings.

I don’t just believe this because it’s the way I was raised—I believe the gospel because I’ve seen the power of the Book of Mormon in my life. I’ve tested it, and it has strengthened me. As the Savior taught in Matthew 7:16, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” The fruits of the Book of Mormon WILL bless your life. I testify that the Book of Mormon is true.

I know that we have Heavenly Parents who know and love each of you. If you don’t know that for yourself, ask Them, I know they are waiting and desperate to show you how much they care about you. I’m so grateful for our Savior and that through Him we can live and grow through eternity. I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
9 March 2025
FREE General Conference Lesson Planner Tool

I love General Conference, they are two of my favorite weekends of the entire year. I’ve posted in the past some FHE lessons to help prepare kids for conference and posted my thoughts on conference many times. For awhile I tried running a General Conference book club, but it never took off like I’d hoped. I love that we now have the opportunity to basically have a book club type discussion in Relief Society every other week for these wonderful words from our prophet and leaders!

For the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as the Relief Society Secretary in our ward. Part of my responsibilities has included helping to coordinate lesson schedules for both the Relief Society and Elder’s Quorum. Our process started with a very basic spreadsheet, but through the years, it’s grown into something much more organized and collaborative. After spending so much time perfecting our system I’m excited to share it with you! Hopefully this General Conference lesson schedule spreadsheet can help you simplify the process of creating a lesson schedule for your ward too! (The spreadsheet is currently pre-populated with the talks from October 2024 conference)

The Why Behind the Spreadsheet

Our goal with creating this schedule is simple: we want to foster meaningful discussions in both the Relief Society and Elder’s Quorum by focusing on talks from General Conference. By coordinating our lessons, we give families the chance to talk about the same messages during the week—making it a shared experience between spouses, family members, and even friends. We also aim to ensure that our lesson topics reflect the needs of the ward while balancing seasonal themes (like gratitude near Thanksgiving or talks on the Resurrection around Easter).

The Spreadsheet in Action

The process actually begins before General Conference even happens. About a week before, we prepare a version of the spreadsheet that has no talks listed—just the basic structure. Both the Relief Society and Elder’s Quorum presidencies share this sheet to ensure collaboration. It would be easy to include the bishopric as well, but in our ward, that hasn’t been part of the process historically.

During Conference weekend, one member of the presidency keeps the spreadsheet open and fills in the talks as they happen. We usually rely on KSL’s news blog to get the titles quickly—usually within 30 minutes of the talks being given. Once all the talks are in, the real magic begins.

Each presidency member marks the talks they feel would be most valuable for discussion by simply placing an “X” in their assigned column. It’s a straightforward way for everyone to voice their opinions on which talks resonate most with the needs of the ward. We also start a discussion on our Relief Society’s GroupMe about the conference so that we can get feedback from the sisters in our ward in real time about what is resonating with them.

Creating the Lesson Schedule

After everyone has had time to vote, the presidencies meet together to plan the schedule. We start by listing out all the Sundays that need to be scheduled on the right-hand column of the spreadsheet. This usually starts with the fourth Sunday of the month following General Conference and going through to the second Sunday of the month after the next General Conference, and includes every second and fourth Sunday in between. We are sure to take note of any Sundays where lessons won’t be held due to Stake Conference, holidays like Christmas, or other special events.

From there, we typically look at how the talks ranked based on the votes. The spreadsheet includes a formula that automatically takes all of the talks that received any votes and puts them on the schedule page in ranked order. This makes it SO much easier to sort through and find which talks that we all liked. The highest-ranked talks often go straight onto the schedule, though we leave room for discussion if someone feels strongly about a particular talk that didn’t get as many votes. Sometimes a talk might have been a favorite of everyone’s but it might not really be a good discussion talk, so we try to take those things into consideration.

Another thing we consider is seasonal themes. For example, if there’s a talk on gratitude, we might aim to schedule it near Thanksgiving. We also try to link talks that share similar themes. If we find talks that complement each other well then we might assign two talks to a particular week to maximize conference coverage and create cohesive lessons.

Sometimes there are talks that feel more appropriate for Relief Society or Elder’s Quorum individually. In those cases, we’ll schedule separate lessons, but we still try to coordinate so that most lessons are aligned.

Once we’re happy with the schedule, we send it off to the bishop for approval. After he gives the green light, we input the schedule into Tools so that everyone in the ward has access. (If you don’t know how to input your schedule into Tools I’d recommend checking out this YouTube video that has a great walkthrough)

Ready to Try It?

If this process sounds like something that could help your ward or organization, you can copy our template Google sheet and customize it for your own use. It’s been such a helpful tool for us, and I hope it will make your lesson planning just a little bit easier and helps your presidency organize lessons in a way that fosters unity and meaningful discussion in your ward. If you have any questions or thoughts, I’d love to hear them in the comments! 😊

15 October 2024
“In the Path of Their Duty”
I was asked to give a Relief Society lesson on Elder Bednar’s talk “In the Path of Their Duty” from October 2023 General Conference. Ok, that might not be entirely accurate… I was asked to give a lesson on a different talk and I coerced our Relief Society President into swapping teaching month’s with me so that I could teach this talk. It was my absolute favorite talk from this last conference, and will probably be one of my all time favorite talks so I’ve been looking forward to sharing this with the sisters in our ward for months. So long as I had put all the preparation into my lesson notes and making fun graphics with ChatGPT I figured I ought to share it here as well. I would love to hear your thoughts too! I’ll leave my discussion questions along the way and I’d love for you to leave a comment letting me know what you thought too!

About the time that this talk was given my mom, sister and I were discussing a relatively famous member of the church was in the news for living a life that was incongruous with the way they had presented themselves. It’s not important who it was but we will just say that it was someone who everyone thought was SO great and doing amazing charitable things… only it came out that actually… they weren’t. As we discussed this we noted that this wasn’t the only person we had seen who had gone through this pattern of fame gained for virtuous and righteous actions then seeming to go off the deep end. Somewhat reminiscent of what we learn in D&C 121:39 –

“We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.”

My sister made the comment that she just wanted to get a C average in life. She didn’t want to do anything flashy she just wanted to get through this life with a passing grade. Which reminded me of the mantra that I would sometimes have in college at the end of the semester. I’m sure no one else said this because you were all much better students than I was but I would sometimes remind myself that “C’s get degrees!” Meaning that sometimes it is time to stop striving for perfection and let good enough be good enough. I could keep working and trying for extra credit and try to eke out an A+, but if I spent all the time to get an A+ in my Physical Science class and failed my American Heritage final that wasn’t really the best outcome. When applied to how we serve in the kingdom however I’ve modified that slightly to…

C’s get degrees… of glory! I think a lot of times we can get caught up in trying to find the BIG things to do that are in keeping with the gospel. Planning the big service project, serving missions, spending all of our time at the temple etc. But the reality is that’s not always what the Lord has called us to do. Most of the time the service that we give is much smaller and less noticeable, but no less valuable in the Kingdom. I felt like this was sort of the main message of the talk was that we don’t have to do anything that’s so visible and grand. The service we give in our homes and at church are what the Lord asks us to do and if we’re doing that – that’s enough! The Lord doesn’t expect us to be always going above and beyond, He just asks us to do the things that we’ve been asked to do. In 1 Samuel 15:22 we’re taught, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” We’re even taught in Jacob 4:14 that the Jews fell because they were “looking beyond the mark”.

I’m by no means advocating that we don’t try to magnify our callings or do the best that we can. However, I think it is important for us to learn that the best that we are called to do doesn’t mean above and beyond, it just means fulfilling our responsibilities well. Elder Bednar included this quote from President Hunter –

It can be frustrating to not see yourself in a lot of the stories that you hear in the scriptures or in conference, but the truth is that most of the most important stories are the ones that are never told. I would love to hear your thoughts on how can we find joy and fulfillment in fulfilling our responsibilities, even when they seem mundane or unnoticed by others?

When I read this I was reminded of a quote from a blog post that I read years ago. The sister who wrote the article had requested to work as a temple worker but was rejected because she had young children at home back when they had a policy that women with children at home couldn’t be temple workers. The blog seems to have been discontinued but I was able to find the full article on Archive.org and I would definitely recommend the article to anyone who is struggling with feeling like they might not be used to their full potential. Here’s an excerpt of some of the parts that struck me most –

“The fact was, the Lord didn’t want me, not to do anything eternally important, anyway. […] The Lord felt that all I was useful for was to wipe noses and bottoms and endlessly feed people. I could do so much more than that, but he didn’t want it – not from me.

[… In the years since] I’ve come to appreciate with a soulful assurance that God cares most about the details surrounding his children, and that what truly heals, what truly makes a difference, is profoundly personal. It’s a bitter pill to swallow that wiping noses and bottoms and endlessly feeding people is what he really wants from us, if we would rather do something else. Something more romantic, something more visible, something with a tangible feel of obvious service seems infinitely more appealing. But the fact is, to the person with a runny nose or a messy bum or a hungry stomach, nobody else matters.

In his own life [Jesus] repeatedly taught that the most important service was between individuals, and that if we would lead we must learn to minister as a servant: to those with metaphorical runny noses and messy bums. I’ve taught that principle for nearly three decades, but I still need to be reminded occasionally that it’s better to save one person than to impress a multitude.

[…] For a Father who loves his children, the most meaningful gift he could give them is someone who will descend below all to serve them. If that is the work to which you are called, whether it includes runny noses or quiet corners of the kingdom, whether it is in Paris or Nepal or a small house in a subdivision, know that your call perfectly illustrates just how much God needs you. […] The real power is personal, and all of us are equal to that opportunity.“
“Does God Need Me”, by Bonnie Atkinson from RealIntent.org via Archive.org

As a mom this story just hits me in the gut every time. I often feel like the skills I have are not being used to their full potential at home. Moreover, the skills that are really needed to be a successful homemaker are NOT even the ones that I have. I’m no great chef, my cleaning abilities are atrocious, and I’m certainly no hand at decorating. But this thought hit me so strongly – even if the service I’m giving isn’t glamorous, even if I can’t do it Pinterest perfect it’s also not something anyone else can truly do for my family. The line “to the person with a runny nose or a messy bum or a hungry stomach, nobody else matters” hits me so strong every time. Yes, there might be other things I could be doing that are bigger in the world, but I mean the most to my family who I spend my time caring for.

When I was pregnant with my 4th I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes – which may not be major but I have serious issues with needles and so personally it was devastating. I didn’t know what I could eat and I had 3 kids at home that weren’t going to go for any modified diet. My ministering sister took the time to research what foods I could eat without messing up my blood sugar and made me some soups that I could heat up just for me while I fed the kids chicken nuggets or whatever they wanted to eat. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me at the time, just to know that I had something I could eat without having to guess if it would hurt my baby or not. Just to know that someone had seen me and cared about what I was going through. It wasn’t newsworthy, but to me it was everything. I hope as we go about serving in less noticeable ways we remember just how much the small things we do can mean to those we serve.

As part of his talk Elder Bednar spoke about some of the unsung heroes in our past. He quoted from a talk that President J Reuben Clark gave at the centennial celebration of the pioneers arriving in Salt Lake. He noted that while we know and often honor those who led the pioneers out west we generally don’t even know the names of those who were in the last wagons of the expedition. These men and women made the same journey, although with the added discomfort of having the dust of the previous wagons in the air as they walked along. Plus, although it’s not mentioned in Elder Bednar’s talk, I would imagine that most of those who were in the last wagons were at the end of the train because they had other difficulties that made the travel extra difficult – an injury, young children, missing father etc. These people likely not only had a journey that was AS difficult, but likely even more so.

I appreciated President Clark taking the time to remember those who history might not have remembered. I would love for you to consider who has impacted your life – either in your history or personally – by their example of faithful living through difficult trials without the recognition of the world?

When I heard that it reminded me of a story that my dad told. I made him write it out for me so that I could share it more or less in his words, although I re-wrote it slightly to be in the third person so that it felt authentic to me as I read it to the class. I’m formatting it as a quote, even if it’s not his words exactly (although it almost is) –

In 1997 the Church celebrated the sesquicentennial (150 year anniversary) of the first pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley. As part of the celebration members had the opportunity to research and document any direct ancestors that had arrived in Utah before the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10th 1869. Those who wanted could complete a “Faith in Every Footstep” form listing all their names and the evidence that they had ‘walked’ to the Salt Lake Valley to receive some sort of certificate.

One day in High Priest group meeting the guy giving the lesson mentioned this initiative and stated that he had ’22’ such ancestors (the number might have been more or less than 22, but the exact number isn’t necessarily relevant. We’re going to pretend that it was 22 for the rest of the story). He then stated that he was fairly certain that no one else in the group had more.

You may not know this but Andersons are competitive, and all of our competitiveness we get from our dad. Since he was about 40 years younger than this guy he figured that he had at least one generation on the teacher so about twice as many potential ancestors who could fit the bill.

The next Sunday the teacher asked if anyone had taken his challenge and done their own research. My dad raised my hand and told the teacher that he had ’24’ and had stopped looking once he had more than the previously proclaimed ’22’. He then threw out a caveat that actually his 4th great-grandfather, David Reeder, had died on October 1, 1856 on the plains of Wyoming somewhere west of Fort Laramie as part of the Willie Handcart Company. The brother very boldly stated “Well then, he doesn’t count.”

My dad was taken aback and said ‘What do you mean that he doesn’t count?’ David, a widower, had left his home in England with his three living children, one of which, Eliza was married and had three children of her own. When he left his home he was 4846 miles away from the Salt Lake. He ‘walked’ 4496 of those miles and my dad was definitely going to count him. In any event, that still left him with 23 ancestors which was one more than the teacher had! Which in my dad’s opinion was the most important part of the exercise 😉

Because of David Reeder’s sacrifice his daughter Eliza was able to bring her 2 year old daughter Sarah to Utah. Sarah’s son Henry was the father of my great grandmother Bonnie who I remember well – she passed away a little over a week after I had Sam. His willingness to not only cross the plains but sacrifice his life allowed me to be brought up in a family that had the gospel. He might not “count” as having made it to the Salt Lake Valley, but in my book, he counts twice. I am eternally grateful for David Reeder’s trek across the plains regardless of what anyone else thinks.

The title of Elder Bednar’s talk came from Samuel the Lamanite while talking about the righteous among his people.

I find it interesting that Samuel didn’t mention the big things that the righteous were doing – it wasn’t big projects or grand gestures, but simply the things that they were doing “in the path of their duty”. The every day things that kept their community running. What does it mean to you to be “in the path of [your] duty?”

Elder Bednar went on to discuss examples of what that might look like today. I really wanted to pull out quotes from that section of his talk, but it was nearly 10 minutes of his talk that he spent praising the often overlooked ways that many serve in the church. If you haven’t listened to the talk yet I would strongly encourage you to take the time to listen to all of the ways Elder Bednar honored the often unsung heroes of the church. I went through and with ChatGPT’s help made a condensed list of the ways that he mentioned that we can be serviceable “in the path of [our] duty”
- Offering comfort and support to those in need
- Supporting family members in their callings
- Repenting and returning to the covenant path
- Waiting on the Lord for blessings and answers
- Helping others receive the gospel in their own language
- Multiplying and replenishing the earth, despite challenges or unfulfilled desires.
- Teaching in nursery & primary
- Caring for aged parents.
- Comforting and protecting your children.
- Setting up and taking down chairs, and performing other tasks to support meetings and activities.
- Inviting others to come and see, come and help, and come and stay in the Church.
- Fasting, praying, listening, learning, caring, consoling, teaching, and testifying by the power of the Holy Ghost.
- Enduring trials and challenges for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I’m sure everyone can find yourself somewhere on that list, and probably in different places on that list in different stages of life. I loved what Elder Bednar had to say about all of these different types of service.

I appreciated Elder Bednar’s words. Especially where he said that those who are serving in less visible roles inspire him to be a better disciple. He’s an apostle of the Lord, and he has lots of visibility into the BIG things that the church is doing. Humanitarian efforts, building temples, aiding refugees, scholarly efforts, large scale devotionals, the legion of full time missionaries currently serving. If he wanted to talk about the big things that are being accomplished by church members he could certainly have done it. Instead he spoke about nursery leaders, parents, and people repenting and doing their best in their own small ways.

If Elder Bednar can show that kind of appreciation to regular church members in their regular callings I would love for you to think -What are some ways we can show appreciation for those who serve in less visible roles in the Church? What are some ways we can support and sustain those who serve in different callings in the Church?

At the leadership session of our most recent stake conference one of the brothers who spoke shared some thoughts about the parable of the Vineyard as found in Matthew 20:1-16 and how we might apply it to how we serve in the church. Brief recap if you don’t remember that parable, the owner of a vineyard hires people to work for him at several different times during the day and pays them all the same amount for their service at the end of the day. The speaker mentioned those who came in the later part of the day and posited that perhaps they were called later because they couldn’t have withstood the heat of the day. He talked about the Prado principle which is that generally 80% of the work in an organization is done by 20% of the people (and annoyingly 80% of the work on a project takes 20% of the time and the other 80% is spent on a mere 20% of the work). Often in the church this holds true as well and you will see that about 20% of the membership of the church is doing 80% of the work.

Sometimes if you are part of that 20% you may be tempted to say, “hey! I’m holding up my part, why can’t other people pitch in and serve like I’m doing?” This speaker said that we should consider that others might not have the ability to serve in the same way we do. Maybe they have physical limitations that we don’t know about, or their capacity might be limited in other ways. Maybe they simply haven’t had the experiences of being blessed by service and haven’t received a testimony of how important the work can be. Perhaps they haven’t had the same opportunities to serve and don’t understand how they might be blessed for their service. Rather than begrudging others we should be grateful that we have the abilities to serve. We should be grateful that even those who cannot serve through the heat of the day receive the full reward. Sometimes we might be the person who can’t make it through the heat of the day and how grateful we are then that the Lord does not begrudge us our lack of abilities. Every person is facing different challenges and it isn’t helpful to compare one person’s abilities to another person’s.

I would love for you to consider – When have you felt grateful for the opportunity to serve or felt grateful for someone else being able to serve where you could not?

Probably the part of the talk that most spoke to me while Elder Bednar was talking about the ways that people serve “in the path of their duty” was where he spoke about the work that parents do.

Having children is not for the faint of heart and it can be frightening to consider raising them in this world. I currently have 5 children and it takes so much of my time and energy to facilitate their growth and development. I was so touched to have my experiences of wrestling kids in sacrament meetings (which definitely happens weekly) recognized. Something Dr. Shon Hopkin mentioned in the Follow Him podcast last week really struck me as well –

I loved how he categorized having children as an act of faith and a way to show the Lord that we trust Him even as He trusts us with the care of His children. I also loved the idea that every new baby born is a sign that God is with us. I thought that was a beautiful way to honor those new babies. It may be more tender to me currently as I have my own small baby in the home (although he’s getting big much faster than I authorized him to!) but as the world often considers the addition of more children as an act of insanity it is encouraging to have it honored instead as an act of faith. I would love for us to consider how can we have faith to have families despite the difficulties of the world around us? How can we support the families around us to grow in faith?

I want to share my testimony that the greatest works that we can do in this life are often those that are most likely to be overlooked. But that nothing that we do is overlooked by the Lord. You matter. All that you are doing in your calling, for your family, in your personal relationship with the Lord – it matters. I hope that we will all find ways to recognize all of the different ways that those around us are living the gospel “in the path of their duty” and that we will strive to find the ways that we can best serve, even when it’s not glamorous. I know that our Heavenly Parents love us and I’m so grateful that because of Jesus Christ all of our small and seemingly insignificant works can help us to live with Them again.
10 March 2024
If Not a Mormon, Then What?

In October General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson spoke to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about the name of our church. He asked us to use the proper name of the church when referring to ourselves as members as well as other entities associated with the church. There was a lot of surprise and backlash from this request, especially as it included re-branding several existing entities such as Mormon.org and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir which had very established branding.

Personally, I was happy to hear the re-emphasis on the proper name of the church. I remembered President Hinckley giving a similar charge back in 1990. Even though I was only 5 years old at the time that call had stuck with me. I went back and looked up President Hinckley’s talk. I found this portion especially interesting –

Six months ago in our conference Elder Russell M. Nelson delivered an excellent address on the correct name of the Church. He quoted the words of the Lord Himself:
“Thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” (D&C 115:4.)

I was interested that it was Elder Nelson who had originally inspired President Hinckley to give us that charge. Now that same Elder Nelson has the role of President of the church and he’s back saying, “Ok guys, I’ve said this before almost 30 years ago but let’s do this again. Maybe a little louder for those of you in the back?” Far from being something new, this is something he has been saying for literally decades.

All through my school years I was dogmatic about using the proper name of the church. The prophet had asked us to be careful about how we referred to ourselves and it was something that my family took very seriously. In fact all through my growing up years to call ourselves “Mormons” was akin to swearing in our household. All the way through college I don’t think I once called myself a Mormon without having first used the proper name of the church. I remember introducing myself to friends at school and stating my religion as “I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” and then if I got a look of confusion I might follow up with “Some people call us Mormons but we don’t really like to be called that.” Believe me, if you’ve had that whispered conversation in French class in the few minutes before the bell rings, while trying not to trip over the many words in the name of our church – it sticks with you 😛

So in 2010 I was a little dismayed to hear that the church was starting a new campaign introducing the website Mormon.org. I was confused that after all these years of really trying to eschew the nickname of Mormons that we were suddenly changing paths. I imagined President Hinckley rolling in his grave at the introduction of this new website.

At the same time, as a web professional I understood the value of taking ownership of the name and search term. Hopefully rather than someone running a google search for Mormons and finding sketchy websites run by detractors from our faith – they could come to our site and see for themselves what we believe. That to me made sense from an SEO standpoint. Ideally we would want people to call us by our proper name but you have to play the hand you’re dealt not the hand you want. There was a lot more “brand recognition” if you will for Mormon – and can you blame people? One word is a lot easier to remember than the whole string that titles our church. We still weren’t calling ourselves Mormons, just using the term as a way to help people find out more about us. That seemed justifiable to me.

If I was dismayed with the introduction of Mormon.org I felt almost betrayed a year later in 2011 with the introduction of the I’m a Mormon campaign. Again, I understood the motives of wanting to take ownership of the term. I liked that the people who worked with the church were saying “Look, there’s nothing bad about being associated with the church, let’s not allow others to take this term and use it as derogatory. It isn’t a derogatory thing to be associated with the church so let’s take this and be proud of it.” I really do think the motivations were pure and good and I think a lot of good came from that campaign. Despite my confusion at the change in course, I am proud of my faith. So I filled out a profile on Mormon.org, stuck an “I’m a Mormon” badge on my blog and proclaimed myself as a “Mormon” on my social media profiles. If this was what our church leaders had approved then I was all in.

After that I dropped the crusade of using the proper name of the church. I had done my part to use the proper name for so long, but if it wasn’t going to be taken seriously even at church headquarters then there didn’t seem to be a point in me taking it seriously either. To be honest, the word Mormon is a lot easier to use. From a brand perspective it’s easy to fit “I’m a Mormon” in a 160 character Twitter profile. To write “I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” takes 63 characters as opposed to 12 – leaving more room to make other statements about why someone would want to follow me. In conversation it’s easier to talk about our community as “Mormons” rather than “members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. In a recent conversation a fellow member used the term Mormons about a dozen times and I didn’t stop her because I recognized the impracticality of adding over 100 words to what she was saying.

Then of course President Nelson reiterated his previous statements about the name of the church. I believe strongly that it was important that the name we took upon ourselves was Christ’s name – not Mormon’s name. I’ve been told in the past that I was not a Christian because Mormons are not Christians. Which bothered me deeply. It’s much more difficult to tell someone who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that they are not a Christian than it is to think that “Mormons” are probably a weird cult that believes in totally out there things.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

However, I still struggled with the return to the doctrine. For 20 years I had personally worked very hard to not use the term Mormon and always use the full name of the church – and after all that even the people at church headquarters had given up. I know what a mouthful the name of the church is and how regardless of my willingness to say all of that I knew others – especially those who don’t share my faith – would not be so willing. I feared that this would be destined not to stick just as it hadn’t before.

As I pondered on this I composed in my head an open letter to President Nelson to express all that I’ve posted above and to ask him to inquire of the Lord for an approved nickname for church members. I totally agreed that we needed to eschew the use of the nickname Mormon to describe our people and that it was of utmost importance that the name we use was the name that we took upon ourselves at baptism – Jesus Christ. I knew that the correct term was that we are Christians, but that term is so broad and encompasses many different sects of Christianity – Methodists, Catholics, Baptists, Evangelicals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, 7th Day Adventists, Anglicans, Amish – it wasn’t a term we could claim that would show our differences. We share our belief in Christ with all of these, but each sect has important differences that distinguish us from one another. I wanted to find a short name that could explain who I was that still kept the focus on Christ.

I have a background in marketing so I decided to also take the challenge on myself. I figured it was wise to take a leaf out of the Brother of Jared’s book and present a possible solution, not just a problem 😉 I found it interesting to note that of the different denominations of Christianity, the only one whose nickname involved a direct reference to Christ is the Jehovah’s Witnesses. As I thought through it the best name I could come up with as an alternative for Mormon was Christian Restorationist or perhaps Latter-day Christian. The thing that sets us most apart from other Christians is our belief in the restoration of the priesthood keys, prophets, apostles and all of the things that were practiced in Christ’s church when he led it personally on the earth.

Peter gives Paul the priesthood by the laying on of hands. Image courtesy of ChurchOfJesusChrist.org

This is of course what is supposed to be conveyed in the name of our church – Latter-day Saints is supposed to refer to the fact that we are practicing the same religion as the early saints. We are little s saints meaning followers of Christ who have been sanctified through baptism – not big S Saints like those revered as being holy in the catholic church. Latter days refers to the fact that we are just doing this in a more modern time – a latter day from the original church. Unfortunately that gets a little lost on modern ears and saints has been co-opted so much by the Catholic church that to say that you’re a Latter-day Saint sounds presumptuous – as though we believe we are perfect on a level with their revered Saints. Although it should, the name no longer conveys necessary ties to Christ’s name without the rest of the church’s name.

My degree is in linguistics and I understand that languages change through time and meanings of words are not static. You have to express yourself in terms that are understood by the people receiving your communication. Linguistic success is achieved by conveying meaning, not by using the word you like. I was pretty pleased with this moniker of Christian Restorationist with the only problem being that there are other faiths (Jehovah’s Witnesses, 7th Day Adventists etc) that would also fall under that category, but I felt like it at least got closer to the mark. There would be the issue of adoption outside the church, but it was at least a name that was short enough that I thought it had a chance. But I continued to mull over options and mentally compose that letter.

A view of the Draper Utah Temple in the evening. Image courtesy of ChurchOfJesusChrist.org

That has been rolling around in my brain for several months. Then, a couple weeks back I was sitting in the temple and pondering on names. I was reminded of a post that a friend made on Facebook. She had been reading the Book of Mormon and had gotten to 4 Nephi and read about how after Christ’s visit to the Americas there were 200 years of incredible peace and prosperity among the people. She was bugged that we have over 500 pages of the Book of Mormon that discuss all of their wars and disputes, but only 24 verses that tell us about this time of amazing peace an prosperity. She pointed out that what she really wanted to be reading was all about how they did the peace and prosperity! Twenty-four measly verses wasn’t enough to teach us all that we needed to know about how to achieve that! Her words stuck with me and I agreed with her wholeheartedly. I decided to go back and re-read those 24 verses to see what I could glean out of them. Here were some of the verses that I read –

15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.
16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.
17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.
4 Nephi 1:15-17

Christ in the Land Bountiful, by Simon Dewey. Image courtesy of ChurchOfJesusChrist.org

It struck me that a major portion of what helped the people gain this amazing peace and prosperity was this idea that there was not “any manner of -ites”. They were able to have peace in the land because they allowed what united them – their faith in Christ – to be stronger than what divided them. I went on to read that not only was that what caused their peace, but it was a departure from that which led to their downfall. If you read on you see that the people divide into many different churches with each one focusing on one doctrine or another and ignoring those that didn’t suit them. From there they go from having 200 years of peace and prosperity to (spoiler alert) completely destroying the church and their civilization in the most gruesome ways within the next 200 years.

I pondered on this idea of “ites”. The thought came to me that isn’t this exactly what we do in modern times? Rather than uniting ourselves as followers of Christ under the name Christians, we divide ourselves into our many different denominations. We decide that our differences are more important than our similarities. I had been thinking that the Lord had called us to be a “peculiar people” as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that we needed a name that reflected that. However when I went to look up that scripture I discovered that it wasn’t a calling given to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it came from the book of Peter in the New Testament. We are peculiar for being Christians, and the name Christian IS what sets us apart.

Image courtesy of ChurchOfJesusChrist.org

After reading all of this I no longer feel inclined to find a better nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Certainly I would gladly accept one to be able to distinguish ourselves culturally with linguistic efficiency. However, we have taken upon us the name of Christ – we are Christians. That’s enough. If that means that we are lumped in with all of the other denominations of Christianity – well isn’t that wonderful? I don’t believe Christ wants us dividing ourselves, he wants us united in living our faith as best as we can. Yes, your faith might be practiced differently than mine, but that can be as true between members of the same denomination as it is between denominations. If you believe in Christ and are working out your salvation with Him, then I want to stand with you. Whether you wear a cross or a CTR ring. Whether you listen to the pope or the prophet. Whether your baptism was performed with sprinkling or with immersion. I don’t care. We are followers of Christ and that’s the only name we need to take on ourselves.

So who am I? I am a Christian.

I believe in prophets and apostles, both ancient and modern.

I believe in the power of God given to us through the priesthood.

I believe in the scriptures as the word of God given to us to guide us.

I believe in temple ordinances and the power to bind families together forever.

The Resurrected Christ, by Wilson J. Ong Image Courtesy of ChurchOfJesusChrist.org

But above all else – I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe in His atonement to cleanse us from our sins. I believe in His resurrection and that through Him we can all live again. I believe that He is the way, the truth and the light and that all who come unto him can find peace and everlasting life.

I’m a Christian, and I am proud to share that name with anyone else who wants to it take upon themselves.

9 August 2019
Personal Highlights of General Conference October 2015

I just wanted to post about some of my favorite things from General Conference this last weekend. I love Conference weekend, there’s not much that’s better than getting to snuggle up on the couch and listen to the prophet and apostles and church leaders. I always come away reinvigorated, recommitted and excited to live the gospel. I usually spend conference with my laptop on and tweeting the quotes that touch me at the time. I feel like I process the talks differently as I’m searching for those little 140 character nuggets and it’s good to type them out and read them because it adds another sensory method. But I wanted to write down some of the thoughts that I’d had that couldn’t fit in that 140 character limit. So, here they are –

I especially loved the Saturday morning session. I felt like the whole session focused on self-awareness and improvement. I loved the talk by Elder Lawrence, “What lack I yet?”. I thought it was a good reminder that regardless of who we are or how far we’ve come there are more things that we can be doing to improve ourselves. The thought I tweeted during his talk was, “Are you brave enough to ask ‘What lack I yet?’.” I think it’s a profound question and one that we should be asking often. The Lord is aware of our shortcomings and is willing and anxious to help us overcome them. I usually feel like I’m pretty aware of my shortcomings and have plenty to work on without needing the Lord to take me down a notch. But perhaps it’s still better to ask the Lord so that He can direct me to the most important shortcoming for me to work on, or ways I should be tackling those shortcomings. I also really liked Elder Cook’s talk about being “Shipshape and Bristol fashion”. That analogy really stuck with me, that we might often think that we’ve got things under control, but we need to be ready to still be under control even when the conditions are less than ideal. I thought that went with, what I felt was, the whole theme of that session.

I was mostly looking at my computer screen while President Monson was talking (listening to the talk of course, just taking notes) and I didn’t notice at first when he started to slump. My first hint that something was going on was my mom saying something like, “oh man, President Monson looks like he’s going to fall over.” I of course then looked up and watched in horror as he slowly sunk lower and lower on the podium. Everyone of course was concerned but I thought there was a really powerful object lesson there. I was impressed with how quickly at the end of his talk there were people at his side to help him back to his seat. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the people who were helping him were his bodyguard, and President Uchtdorf. It really has touched me to read the accounts of President Uchtdorf sitting at the edge of his seat and swooping in as quickly as possible to help President Monson. To me it shows just what his attitude is towards our prophet. Surely he would have known that there are ushers, bodyguards and other able bodied people who would rush to our prophet’s aid. But I think it speaks to the close personal connection between those men that President Uchtdorf wouldn’t just sit back and let someone else take care of it, but that he was right there. I think it’s a reminder that these men aren’t just some executives who are detached from each other and will let others do the work, but that they’re servants to the Lord, and are willing to serve one another too. I also thought it was a great example of what it means to be a counselor – whether in the First presidency or the Beehive presidency it shows that you do whatever you can to support your president and be there for them. I was really touched by that whole vignette that played out.

I latched on to the Ponderize concept that Elder Durrant introduced. Judging from my Facebook newsfeed I’m not alone. I think that was an easy one for many people to latch onto because it’s something that is a simple, measurable goal. The basic concept was to pick a scripture each week and ponder on it and try to memorize it during the week. For me, it ties into something I was told in my patriarchal blessing about memorizing important scriptures and studying them – this gave me a really solid way to do that. It might not have been the most important takeaway, but it’s one that I can easily say “yes I’m doing this” and I think we all like that feeling of accomplishment from being able to check a box 🙂 I will admit though that I cringed a lot at his made up word on behalf of the translators that were trying to put this into another language and thinking “what on earth do I do with this word!?!?” Especially as he went on to use that word 12 times, and turned it into a noun (ponderizer) and used the past tense (ponderized). Seriously, there was probably a way to convey the concept without throwing the translators under the bus. But that’s what you think about when you’ve worked as a technician and have a degree in Linguistics 😛 Eric and I are working on this challenge together. We decided to start our list by using the scripture masteries that have been added to the seminary curriculum since we graduated 12 years ago. This week our scripture is 2 Nephi 25:23,26. I found a great poster from The Mormon Home and have put copies of the scripture in our shower, on our mirror, above Eric’s desk and on the bulletin board in our kitchen. I really need to make it the wallpaper on my phone though or something like that though too.

As a mother I of course bawled through Elder Holland’s talk, “Behold Thy Mother”. I feel like nothing has made me feel closer to the Savior than being a mother. To think of the Savior loving me like I love my children – except perfectly, unlike my love for my children – is so overwhelming I can’t begin to describe it. Especially knowing that Christ knows perfectly all of my faults and weaknesses, and *still* loves me as He does is beyond my comprehension. It of course also made me think of my own mother and other mothers I’ve seen in their struggles with their children. The whole talk was just such a beautiful tribute to the power of the Atonement and motherhood – it was beautiful. I can’t say what he said any better, or really add to it in any way. If you haven’t read/listened/watched that talk yet – you should do that right now. I always look forward to Elder Holland’s talks, but I always start thinking that I’ve gotten myself too pumped up – that I need to simmer down, it can’t *always* be as good as I’ve built up his talks in my mind. But, I was wrong – I can’t seem to get myself so pumped up for Elder Holland’s talks that the actual talk is a let down. There’s something about the way he speaks that’s so direct, and simple yet expounds things that are so complex with such feeling – every time I feel like I leave with a well overflowing with revelation. I love that each of the apostles has their own style of speaking and different ways of making their points, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Elder Holland’s talks weren’t generally favorites.

When the new apostles were called I will admit that I’d been hoping to add some ethnic diversity to the quorum. Obviously I knew whoever was called was who was supposed to be called, but it would be nice if the leadership of our global church reflected a little more the diversity of that church. However as I’ve watched these men in just the few short days, I can say that I know that their calling is of God. As I’ve read about their backgrounds I can see that even though they look like 3 old white men from Utah, there is a diversity in their backgrounds and experiences which the Lord needed at this time. I think there’s also something good about them being of a similar culture to the men they’ll be serving with as I think it will make it easier for them to communicate the needs that they observe in their different capacities without having to fight cultural barriers. Obviously the spirit can break through all those things so I don’t think that’s a necessary thing, I just can see that it is probably easier to serve in that capacity if your English is already excellent etc. Hopefully that doesn’t sound racist, I do still hope to see more and more of the church leadership coming from diverse backgrounds in the future, but I am also seeing how these men were the ones needed right now. In particular I was interested to see that Elder Renlund’s wife was a working mom. I think that there are a lot of moms within the church who work outside the home and I can understand how they might feel alienated. I think that having an apostle whose wife chose a professional career will help those women to feel more represented and understood.

From the Women’s Session I loved President Uchtdorf’s talk “A Summer with Great Aunt Rose”. I think one of the great things about it was that he really just told us a parable and left it to us to pull the message out for ourselves. I think it was a story that we could all picture so clearly. I liked the honesty of Great Aunt Rose in telling about the depression and the hard times, I think it showed that anyone could choose their attitude towards life regardless of their personal circumstances. I liked the quote, “God didn’t design us to be sad. He created us to have joy!” I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the negative parts of life, but remembering that the Lord wants us to be happy helps me to think on the positive side of life.

Ok, one last thing. I really liked Sister Stephens’ talk and the story she told about the car seat battle she’d had with her granddaughter. Oh how I can relate to trying to reason with strong willed children! When she told of her granddaughter’s response of “Grandma, you want me to wear my seat belt because you love me!” I started to cry immediately. I understand exactly that. I remember the first time I realized that the commandments were given to us not just as some arbitrary test to prove our love to God, but that they were a manifestation of God’s love for us! Just like I tell my kids to wear seat belts because I love them and don’t want them to get hurt – the Lord gives us commandments because he loves us and wants us to be safe from the dangers of bad choices we might make. Just like the barriers in Elder Keetch’s talk kept the surfers from being eaten by sharks, the commandments are there to help us be happy and enjoy life – not to ruin it.

Alright, I’ve gone on long enough. Those were a few of my favorite moments from General Conference. I’m excited to study the talks more in depth over the coming months. What were your favorite parts of General Conference?

7 October 2015
Prophets and General Conference FHE

So, after I finally finished last week’s lesson for this week… I decided I wanted to do something else for FHE tonight 😛 General Conference is coming up this weekend and I wanted to talk to my sons about that to get them prepared. So I started on it this morning and came up with what I wanted to tell them and some visual aids to go along with it. It’s not as awesome as I would like, but for having decided that I wanted to do this earlier this morning and working with toddlers underfoot – it’s pretty darn ok 🙂 You can see a copy of the visual aids I created above. The clip art I used is from a few different sources so it doesn’t match perfectly, but it was good enough for my purposes. Maybe some day I’ll get everything in it that I want. I’m also planning on using a picture of the quorum of the twelve apostles and the first presidency with this lesson if I can get my husband to pick them up on his way home. Hope someone else’s family enjoys this too!

Prophets & General Conference Lesson Outline

Prophets Visuals – Reversed for Flannel Board

Prophet Visuals

Update: For my own family I made this lesson into a PowerPoint Presentation (because that’s just how I roll). Anyways, if anyone else would like to use that I’ve included it here – Prophets & General Conference Slideshow. I like this format personally because it has all the text of the lesson on the screen so you can pretty much just read from the screen, and have the visuals display as you go. It also makes the prophets matching game a little more interactive.

Image Credits:

Noah and Ark from The Friend, November 2011

Nephi, Brass Plates, Moses, 10 Commandments, Samuel the Lamanite, star and manger from Chocolate on My Cranium

Daniel & Lions from Sugardoodle

President Monson speaking at Conference from LDSColoringBook.com (General Conference Coloring Book)

Joseph Smith’s First Vision from LDSColoringBook.com (Church History Coloring Book)

1 October 2012
Thoughts from General Conference

I can’t believe that another General Conference has once again come and gone. The weekend went by far too quickly, particularly since I spent most of it sick and with a sick baby. I’m still fighting through the symptoms (although I think they’re allergy related now) and my baby still has a lot of congestion and is really cranky so it’s taken awhile for me to write up some of my thoughts from the weekend. What a blessing to be able to listen to the prophet of God and be with my family.

I think my favorite talk was Elder Holland’s talk about the parable of the vineyard. The talk immediately caught my attention because that parable had randomly been on my mind earlier in the week. I hadn’t been reading about it or studying it but for some reason it had come to my mind during the week. I’m glad that it did catch my attention because it was something I really needed to hear. Elder Holland paraphrased one of the scriptures by saying “Why should you be jealous if I choose to be kind?” It was a good reminder to me to not judge those who haven’t been fully faithful to the gospel. It doesn’t harm me at all, my blessings from living the gospel are so much greater than their perceived happiness from failing to do so. Why should I begrudge them the Lord’s mercies to regain later in life what they could have had all along? It doesn’t diminish from me at all. I always love Elder Holland’s talks, he has a way of speaking that is straightforward and deep at the same time. I always come away with something profound from his talks.

I was also very moved by Sister Julie Beck’s talk. In the Saturday afternoon session Sister Beck was released as the General Relief Society President (meaning she was in charge of the organization of the women of the church on a worldwide level, but will now be stepping down to allow someone else to fulfill that post). When she was released I turned to Eric and said, “I bet she’ll cry through her whole talk this weekend.” I was wrong. Her eyes remained dry through her talk, and I sobbed. It wasn’t so much the talk itself that touched me but reflecting on the leadership this wonderful woman has given to the church. I so admire her boldness in defending women and their roles in creating families and homes. She has helped me to gain a true vision of the power of women and the unique, divine abilities that we’ve been given. It is not a popular time to be declaring that women should be protectors of the home and doing what they can to fulfill that role, and I am so grateful for Sister Beck’s leadership in standing up and defending that order. My testimony was strengthened that the Lord sends the leaders we need in our time. I think Sister Beck was uniquely qualified to fill this role at this time and will miss having her at the helm of our Relief Society. That said, I know that Sister Linda K. Burton, who was called as the new general president of the Relief Society, is going to be marvelous and that she will bring something to the table that we need now. I hope I can grow up to be like these wonderful women.

Another talk that really touched me was Elder David F. Evans’ talk. I had been thinking just that morning that I wished I could be a better missionary. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and want to share it with the world! However, I live in Utah, a state where the majority of citizens are already members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a stay-at-home mom I’ve found that most of the people I know are other stay-at-home moms. Since my children aren’t of school age yet the other moms I know are the women I meet at church. So my day-to-day contact with those who don’t share my faith is extremely limited. But Elder Evans reminded me that it’s important that our missionary experiences be current. Also that just living the gospel daily is a way of sharing the gospel. I also thought of a particular friend who I felt might need some lifting up. As I was thinking of this friend Elder Evans said that when we receive promptings of people who needed a message of the gospel that we should “act without delay”. So, I stopped listening to his talk and quickly composed an email to this friend 🙂

There was another moment that really moved me. President Uchtdorf spoke on Sunday morning and as he began his talk he related that he had received a letter from a mother who told of her children who had a very strained relationship. This mother asked President Uchtdorf to talk about how they could fix their relationship during General Conference saying that she knew their relationship would be healed if he were to do so. So, President Uchtdorf did just that saying that he prayed for these siblings to be reconciled as their mom had faith they would be. I was so touched that with all the things that are going on in the world President Uchtdorf took the time to listen to the concerns of this individual mother and to pray for her children and address them in General Conference. The talk itself was wonderful as well, but the example he set of taking time for the one was more impressive to me than any of the words he said afterwards.

There were many other amazing talks, but those were my particular experiences with conference that I wanted to record and share. I’m excited to get to go back and study these talks for the next 6 months and continue to be uplifted and inspired by them.

4 April 2012
Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice

This weekend is one of my favorite holidays – General Conference. For those of you who aren’t members of my faith let me give you a little bit of background on what this is. We believe that our religion is a restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ during his ministry. That church fell into apostasy (as prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3). As the apostles died out there were none worthy to replace them and so the authority to speak and act in the name of God was taken from the earth. In 1830 our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to a young boy named Joseph Smith Jr. and restored that authority to the earth. He reorganized the church under the direction of Jesus Christ to reflect the organization that existed in Christ’s original church. In particular we believe that God speaks to prophets and apostles today just as he did in ancient times. Twice a year, in April and October, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathers its members together for a two day conference. During this conference we are given the opportunity to listen to those who are called to be prophets and apostles today. The conference itself takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah however it is broadcast via satellite, cable, internet, radio and a host of other technologies to its over 14 million members worldwide.

I call it a holiday because during these weekends we stay home as a family to watch the conference proceedings. Generally we make fun food, stay in our pajamas and just sit around watching the TV all day. When I was younger I mostly looked forward to staying in my pajamas and not going to church on Sunday, but now I most look forward to hearing the words of God given directly for the people today. God loves the people on earth today as much as in ancient times and it only makes sense that He would give us guidance and direction as He did to those in ancient times. I’ve already started to plan some of the fun foods I want to make this weekend and put them on a Pinterest board. I’m going to try my hand at making a Blooming Onion, which I think is what I’m most looking forward to making 🙂 If that turns out good I have a feeling it’s going to be a frequent addition to our menu! Eric’s family had a tradition of each child getting to pick out 1lb of bulk candy that they got to eat during the weekend, so we’ll probably let Sam go get some candy too to continue that tradition 🙂 Eric has also borrowed an extra TV and set it up in our bedroom so we can just all snuggle in bed while we watch together. I’m excited to get to spend this weekend at home with my family enjoying some together time and listening to the words of the prophet.

If you want to hear a prophet speak today, or if you’ve ever wondered what we Mormons really believe I invite you to join us. The banner at the top of this post will direct you to a site that will give you more information. The sessions will be at 10am and 2pm MDT on Saturday and Sunday. Usually our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, gives his keynote address (for lack of a better term) as the last address on Sunday morning, starting around 11:30am. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir usually does all of the music for that session so it’s worth tuning in for that as well 🙂 Next week I hope to post some of my thoughts from this conference as well, so stay tuned!

27 March 2012