General Conference Sunday Afternoon Session 2015

D. Todd Christofferson

"Idiot-cyncracies"

What is the purpose of a church? To carry out the Lord's purpose to help us progress. To crate a community of saints to sustain each other. The Church is true because it takes us where we want to go.
It is deliberately full of people who can help us in our journey.
Also to pool our efforts and resources to accomplish what we can't do alone. i.e. aliviate poverty, do missionary work, build temples

Devin G. Durrant
"Ponderize. Shakespeare made up words, so can I."

Ponderize a scripture each week 80% pondering 20% memorize. Ponderizing sounds like making a select scripture a mantra. A phrase or saying used to draw your focus and be a topic of meditation. It's also blowing up all over the internet.

Von Keetch
"Everybody's gone Surfing"

Standards and rules have a good reason for being there. The 'barriers' are there to protect us and guide us in how to grow "“God wants us to have joy, He wants us to have peace. He wants us to succeed." The rules are there to help us out.

Sister Carole M Stephens
"Bribe Toddlers"

God's laws are a manifestation of His love for us. See above. God doesn't give us these rules because he likes to take away our freedom. These rules and commandments increase our freedom.

Haynie
"Sometimes boys dig holes"

Sometimes we get messy and need to be cleaned off. The atonement allows for that.

Kim B. Clark
*Bias from current BYU-I Student towards former BYU-I president ahead*

See things as they really are. Though the Holy Ghost we can see more clearly. See others clearly as they really are. Namaste means 'the divine in me recognizes the divine in you'. 

General Conferance Sunday Morning 2015

Sunday Morning Session thoughts. Heeeeerrrrrreeeeeeee we go!

President Monson

"Let your light so shine"

Be an example. Live you life in to the best of your abilities. This doesn't mean to be perfect just to follow Christ.
"Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other." You cannot serve two masters. Usually we understand that to mean that you cannot serve God and Greed, but it has many other applications. You cannot seek happiness and misery. Faith is light and doubt is darkness. in order for one to exist, the other must be removed.
Stand out, be different, receive light.

Rasband
"Love, Love, Love l-l-love, makes the world go 'round"

"The Lord has said ‘love one another as I have loved you’. I am confident there is no mistake you could make…that would cause him to stop loving you."  Christ's love is unattached love. It is not dependent on our actions. It's like the Sunshine. Though we can hide from it we cannot ever extinguish it. It contiunes reaching for us intently and purposfully.

"We are to reach out to our fellowman in love to invite, persuade, serve, and to rescue. … Jesus Christ looked past people’s rank, ethnicity and circumstances in order to teach them profound truth." Our love for others should relfect the unattached love of Christ. Love without stings attached.

Stevenson

"Anchor"

"Anchor yourselves in the gospel of Jesus Christ" Once again, we need some sort of grounding or center which we can use to find balance in life. Balance will facilitate our happiness.

Dale G. Renlund
"What's up, doc?"

Avoid emotional distance. We are here to feel. Feelings are meant to be felt, don't suppress or ignore them. they are part of you as much as you hands and feet (apologies to any readers without those). Love others and be filled with the pure love of Christ. "We cannot mourn with those that mourn or comfort those that stand in need of comfort unless we see them through Heavenly Father’s eyes."

Russle M. Nelson
"All the Mormon Ladies, All the Mormon Ladies"

The women of the church are needed to help build up the church. Men and women are different in many important and necessary ways. Women are necessary to the church

Gregory A. Schwitzer
"Play us a song Piano man"

True disciples don't make excuses for the gospel. They testify and stand by it. It is often not convenient or comfortable to stand up for Christ.
"One man or woman who is willing to testify when the world is going in the opposite direction can make a difference."

Claudio R. M. Costa
"There's always that one that makes getting a clever quote and picture difficult."

"The sacrament is a time for our Heavenly Father to teach us about the Atonement of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and for us to receive revelation about it." Meditate on the sacrament prayer. It is not repeated each week just for kicks and giggles. It is something we need to think about each week. Meditate during sacrament. Be mindful during the Sabbath.

Henry B. Eyering
"Just DO IT!"

Having the spirit to be with us always lets us recognize truth. Act on promptings. “When you demonstrate your willingness to obey, the Spirit will send you more impressions of what God would have you do.”

General Conference Priesthood Session

Preisthood Session on a Mobile Device, baby. Because if I don't I'll sleep all through it.


Neil L. Andersen 😀
Faith is a real thing that is always in action either increasing or decreasing. Which it does is a choice. Faith is no accident. Again, "Know what leads you forward and what leads you back."
Father is action. Not intellectual.
Read the Book of Mormon to increase faith. Righteous actions increase faith and give it solid grounding.
Also again, we are meant to act, not be acted upon.


Randel K. Bennett 😺
1. Do what we did as children. Move towards our ( heavenly) parents.
2. God makes sure that we get out what we put in. The Sabbath is the Lord's gift to us.
3. Don't give up or be lazy. Faithful action leads to divine assistance. You were created that you might have joy.


Dieter F. Uchtdorf 🔥
Stay true to your faith. Even if you get 'flamed', it probably won't be as bad as Daniel in Babylon. Remain faithful and in your time of need God will protect you. All faith has to start somewhere. Since faith is a principal of action, it requires consistent action to work. Don't be a 'Sunday Christian'. Daily practice the gospel. We believe in God based on what we know rather that what we doubt.
Cynicism and doubting is not cool or fun. Anyone can choose to believe. They just need to be patient and work for it.
Just because you choose not to see the light doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Scepticism is easy. Faith is worthwhile.
Be not afraid only believe.


Henry B. Eyering 👓
When you do your part the Lord adds His power to your efforts. All priesthood holders need reassurance in their callings. Know the importance of your calling.


President Monson 🙌
Keep the commandments. They aren't there just to make your life hard. They are there to allow us to receive blessing from being obedient and lead us to happiness.
The devil seeks to destroy us. Be strong and alert to anything that would threaten your eternal goals. The commandments were God given and cannot be changed. The effects of obeying or disobeying them also cannon be changed.
If you have stumbled and fallen, repentance is possible. It can be a slow and painful process but it is worth it.
Live worthy to carry the priesthood.



Whew! Made it! Now to waste time on reddit go home and sleep. 😪

General Conference Saturday Afternoon Oct 2015

Second sesh.
Let's do this.

Hales
"Hey Dieter, let's switch talks"

Remember that we live in the real world. Look out for debt. Apply gospel principles practically. Have a plan and be in control. We are meant to act rather than be acted upon. "You’re a pilot, and you’re in charge."

"If you want more than what you now have, reach up, not across." Though we are meant to help each other, true help can only come from above.

Holland
"Mama! OoooOOOooohh!"

The Divinity and importance of Mothers. It seems to be given to the entire church (rather than just to the women) to combat the worldly view of mothers as essentially the same as men with minor differences in plumbing. Motherhood is a creative act and is close to Godhood.

Bradly Foster
"Preaching to the (children's) choir"

So, he said he was speaking to the children but he seems to be speaking to their parents. “Our children learn when they’re ready to learn, not when we're ready to teach them.” Children are smarter than we tend to think they are.

Hugo Montoya
"Smile, smile, smile"

"Please smile, your smile will help others." We're in this life together, we can believe that we should share each other's burdens but what about sharing each other's joys?
Meditate on the great and wonderful love of the Redeemer. Meditate on the sacrament weekly. It's a structured opportunity to meditate for a set time and with a set purpose

Vern Stanfill

"I want to ride my bicycle"

We can't avoid all the darkness of the world but we can move towards the light of the Gospel and trust in the light of others.

James B. Martino
"I can't think of a clever quote so have a dog meme"

God does not answer prayers merely to satiate curiosity. You get out what you put in. This is the law of the harvest. The sons of Mosiah had similar experience to Laman and Lemuel but those good ol' Mosiah boys invested more into their faith and as a result, got more out of it. "Work without faith is dead."

Dallin H. Oaks
"We're all going to die and that's okay."

"The Savior experienced the pains, sicknesses, and infirmities of His people." Christ knows our pains because he bore them. Sometimes infirmities are removed other times we are strengthened to withstand them. "Sometimes [Christ] succors, or helps, by giving us the strength to endure our infirmities."

General Conference Saturday Morning Oct 2015

For what it's worth here's some of my thoughts and impressions on the talks in the first session of Conference. You should know, though, I worked the night shift last night so I'm running on maybe four hours of sleep. 

Uchtdorft

"Simplify."

The path to happiness is to simplify. This goes with the idea of being unattached or un-shenpa'd. While there a lot of good things in the Church and in the world that can benefit one's spirituality and place you on the path to happiness remember that they are only sign posts, to the destination, not the destination itself.

Ballard

"On the Good Ship Lollipop Zion"

I liked how he referred to the church as a vessel, a ship, a vehicle. I often hear people say that the church is not true because they espoused doctrine X or theory Y. This, in my opinion comes from a misunderstanding of what the phrase "The Church is true" means. I take the word 'true' here to be used in the same way that one could say that a compass and map are true. They are true because they will get you where you want to go. A map does not need to have every rock and funny looking tree marked nor does it need to be exactly to scale, provided that it will get you where you want to go. As long as it does that, all else is unimportant.

Richard J. Maynes

"Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns"

We must have something to ground ourselves on, a Center. "Once you find your center/ you are sure to win"
Our core, the center of our lives, must be Jesus Christ and His gospel. To do this is to live after the manner of happiness.

Neill F. Marriott

"I'm from the deep south"

"When we are yeilded and still our minds can be directed to where we need to change." That may not be an exact quote but it is important to know what leads you forward and what leads you back ”Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.” – Buddha
When we offer our broken heart to Christ He ACCEPTS our offering.
Your resentment diminishes your progress and damages your ability to have healthy relationships.

Larry R. Lawrence

"Forgive me Father for I have sped"

The Holy Ghost eternally challenges us to be better and strive higher.
"What is keeping me from progressing? In other words, “what lack I yet?”" Once again "Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom."

Francisco J. Viñas

"I can't think of a clever quote."

To re-quote and misquote Buddha again, "Repentance leads to happiness, Lack of repentance leads to lack of happiness."
"Repentance is a process, and not something that happens in one particular moment."
"Having the companionship of the Spirit will make us better people. It will whisper peace and joy to our souls."
"The pleasing word of God … brings comfort and hope."

Know where happiness come from and go there.

Quentin L Cook

"#spirituallyswole"

"We must determine to be temple worthy regardless of what befalls us." Do not let your worthiness be worthiness with stings attached
Self control is like a muscle. If you work out you get ripped Bro. Like,  Nephi ripped....Bro.