Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson
One thing I was surprised about was no new announcement for temples. I hope that there will be more announced at the next conference. We love the temple!
Conference was indeed wonderful. It's hard to choose, but here's what stuck out to me personally. In no particular order:
Donald L. Hallstrom
Converted to His Gospel through His Church
Converted to His Gospel through His Church
He talked Saturday morning. And it really stood out to me. Not only did he share some really cool numbers (LDS meeting houses - 18,000; temples - 136; andfull time missionaries - over 56,000), but he got me thinking about if I am active in the gospel as well as the church.
From his talk:
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
Now is the time to show.
We ask it fearlessly:
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
(“Who’s on the Lord’s Side?” Hymns, no. 260)
With those words being sung by nearly 2,000 people but seeming to be a question posed just to me, I wanted to stand and say, “I am!”
Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. Therein lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church and less active in the gospel. The things of the gospel are usually less visible and more difficult to measure, but they are of greater eternal importance. For example, how much faith do we really have? How repentant are we? How meaningful are the ordinances in our lives? How focused are we on our covenants? I repeat: we need the gospel and the Church.
He goes on to give 3 suggestions of how we can be active in the church and gospel.
1) Deepen our understanding of Diety
2) Focus on ordinances and covenants
3) Unite the gospel with the church
Jeffrey R. Holland
The Laborers in the Vineyard
He begins by sharing the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
Then this piercing question to anyone then or now who needs to hear it: “Why should you be jealous because I choose to be kind?”
Brothers and sisters, there are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt—and certainly not to feel envious—when good fortune comes to another person? We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other to see who is the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful or even the most blessed. The race we are really in is the race against sin, and surely envy is one of the most universal of those.
He talked about the parable being about God's goodness, His grace and mercy. In closing, he said:
So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time. Please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you right now, this very moment, that you should accept the atoning gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the fellowship of His labor. Don’t delay. It’s getting late.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
The Merciful Obtain Mercy
The Merciful Obtain Mercy
His message was about judging others. He did such a great job.
When it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt.
This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following:
Stop it!
It’s that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children.
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