General Conference Weekend

I LOVE General Conference. So much.

Feast on the Word

This General Conference was one of the best yet. Never before have I heard the quantity of talks address exactly what I have been pondering. Usually a few will really speak to me, but this time it was almost every single one!

For the better part of this year Kyle and I have talked a lot about how we know that the church is true and why we follow it. These are very crucial topics in anyone's life that need to be revisited often.

There are a million questions that could lead to a million doubts regarding the church. So which ones are worth worrying about? What has the potential to shake our faith and how can we remain strong?

Well, the very first talk of conference was by President Uchtdorf and when speaking about why we should follow Christ he said that,

1. Your life will be better and

2. God will use you to make the lives of others better.

The gospel is the pathway that leads us back home to our loving Heavenly Father and it requires effort.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5  (Which was also quoted by Elder Ellis.) This same warning came up talk after talk!

Don't let something insignificant blind our eyes and bring darkness to our lives. -Stevenson

Don't look beyond the mark. Don't be deceived. Both Elders Bednar and Ballard talked about that.

Reacting and responding was another topic brought up many times.

 We control how we RESPOND to changes in our lives. Don't blame God, turn to Him. -Waddell

How do we REACT to challenges? Trust Him. -Ellis

Truths we've gained must be ACTED upon. -Parrella

ACT upon the word of God to fortify ourselves spiritually. The purpose of faith is not to have a sure answer to every question. Hold fast to what you already know. -Ardern

Knowing it's true is not enough. It needs to influence our decisions every day. -Nelson

Hearing the voice of the Lord will require us to change. Our test is how we will RESPOND to conference. -Anderson

I was reminded that knowing the truth can be hard because it requires us to act, it requires our best effort, BUT "the reward is worth the effort." -Owen

The reward is exaltation, eternal families, healing, burdens being made lighter, power, perspective, knowledge, understanding, strength, joy, miracles, light and the list goes on!

Counsel we received about how to stay on the path leading home came from what we choose to focus on. 

 Focus on others. -Pinigree

Focus on what the Lord expects of us. -Christofferson

Focus on the Savior. -Bingham

Focus on spiritual miracles, we all have access to them. -Hallstrom

Focus on Christ. -Zwick

There were so many wonderful questions asked to help us change and be better too! There is so much I have taken away from conference to ponder.

Why should I follow Christ?

Am I willing to let God use me for His purposes?

Who needs me today?

What brings me joy?

How precious is the Book of Mormon to me?

What would me life be like without it?

What would I not know?

What would I not have?

Do I have faith NOT to be healed?

Where do I place my faith?

What do we do in our homes with His sacred time and space?

 How do I respond when events out of my control alter my plans?

Will I do ALL things the Lord has commanded?

Do I trust Him?

Do I trust that His commandments are for my good?

How to I react to challenges?

Do I have the faith to trust Him?

I know that the church is led my imperfect people that do imperfect things. But it's not their church that I am following.

I live the gospel because this is Christ's church and He is perfect.

I simply want to follow Him.

Having faith is a choice that we have to make over and over, but when I do I know that my life is better. My life is happier living the gospel and even more than that I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that He lives.

THAT makes all the difference for me.

 Also, General Conference weekend is always a good excuse for some good food so we tried some steak kabobs and might have possibly used our grill for the last time this year.