I have so much running through my head and heart since General Conference. And I have lots I want to write, but it is easier to do that with the transcripts.
But there is one thing that I wanted to capture for now. I loved what Elder Christofferson said about how he had received revelation, spirit to spirit -- he learned and felt things that words could not express. Moments like that are what cement my convictions of the truthfulness of the gospel. And they make life so sublime; they bring me so much joy.
I also think that simple, almost passing comments like his are sometimes the greatest gems of Conference. The older I get, the more I want to find those gems that I am convinced we get more than perhaps we realize.
Ah, I love General Conference!
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7 comments:
Me to.
I'm becoming an Uchdorf fan (hope I spelled that right).
I love listening to Elder Uchtdorf (and his "Faith of Our Father(s)" was masterful), but I am learning how incredible Elder Wirthlin is. I hate to admit this, but I never really connected with him - but his last two talks have been nothing short of astounding.
I know it's not a minor comment, but my favorite quote from the entire conference was the following:
" Some are lost because they are different. They feel as though they don’t belong. Perhaps because they are different, they find themselves slipping away from the flock. They may look, act, think, and speak differently than those around them and that sometimes causes them to assume they don’t fit in. They conclude that they are not needed.
Tied to this misconception is the erroneous belief that all members of the Church should look, talk, and be alike. The Lord did not people the earth with a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to value the piccolos of the world. Every instrument is precious and adds to the complex beauty of the symphony. All of Heavenly Father’s children are different in some degree, yet each has his own beautiful sound that adds depth and richness to the whole."
Stunning. Simply stunning.
I notice recurring themes. Elder Scott has long taught that you learn more from what you feel than what you hear or read and that you should never be in a position that you cannot write down the inspiration or lesson learned from your "feelings" as they can escape so easily.
Maybe it's the whole "when the student is ready the teacher will appear" thing!
I love how different talks jump out at you as if they were written especially for you.
I can't wait for the transcripts.
I enjoy your enthusiasm.
I also have to share your feelings on his expression regarding the Spirit. It is amazing, isn't it? I have even seen light inside as the truth has come flooding in. My spirit comes to life at truth. It is all such wonderful stuff.
People ask me how I know that Joseph Smith wasn't just some fraud? How many ways I could answer that. And the most you can do is just hope somewhere it gets through. But to most it just sounds weird.
Fortunately many are still accepting and the church is growing.
Thanks for your comments, everyone!
Eric, Elder Uchtdorf is fantastic. I love his presence, his enthusiasm, (his accent :) ), his testimony and conviction.
Papa D, that talk of Elder Wirthlin's was a gem. It was a balm in Gilead, and spoke to my soul in a big way...last week was a weary week in many ways, so I appreciated it all the more.
Juli, you have hit on something that I have wanted to write about forever -- that different leaders often have different themes that run through their talks over years of time. I love finding those threads and listening for them. I also see those threads through each Conference as well, and across conferences (like family, priorities, etc.) And, as you noted, I find that once something hits me, I will often go back and find that they have been saying things like that for a while, but now I was finally ready to hear it!
SilverRain, there were a couple of talks like that. One hit so close to home that I sobbed through the whole thing...but that will probably be too much for me to write about....
Doug, the Spirit IS SO AMAZING. One of the things that Elder Christofferson's talk helped me realize, too, is that in the end, if all we do is focus on words, we won't be able to really understand what the Lord would have us understand. Of course, we start with a study of words, but the Spirit is KEY.
And now the transcripts are available. Elder Oaks' talk ties into this post beautifully. I am listening to it right now. I loved this:
While there are some “evidences” for gospel truths (for example, see Psalm 19:1; Helaman 8:24), scientific methods will not yield spiritual knowledge. This is what Jesus taught in response to Simon Peter’s testimony that He was the Christ: “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). The Apostle Paul explained this. In a letter to the Corinthian Saints, he said, “The things of God knoweth no man, but [by] the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11; see also John 14:17).
In contrast, we know the things of man by the ways of man, but “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
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