General Conference Oct. 2011

For a 16 minute overview of what my Church believes just check out this really well put together video.
These men are all inspired, and anyone (Mormon or not) can learn something useful and uplifting from listening to their messages. The truths taught during our General Conferences are applicable to everyone . . . not just the members of my church.




Or to read and watch some of my favorites either click on the names or read the highlights here:

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "The Lord uses a scale very different from the world’s to weigh the worth of a soul."

This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation—worlds without end—within our grasp. And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it.

The Lord doesn’t care at all if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls. He knows where we are, no matter how humble our circumstances. He will use—in His own way and for His holy purposes—those who incline their hearts to Him.

God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior’s example and spend the days of their lives doing good.

Robert D. Hales

The purpose of our life on earth is to grow, develop, and be strengthened through our own experiences.

 Tests and trials are given to all of us.

These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His Son. He already knows, and we have the opportunity to learn, that no matter how difficult our circumstances, “all these things shall [be for our] experience, and … [our] good.”¹³

Waiting upon the Lord gives us a priceless opportunity to discover that there are many who wait upon us. Our children wait upon us to show patience, love, and understanding toward them. Our parents wait upon us to show gratitude and compassion. Our brothers and sisters wait upon us to be tolerant, merciful, and forgiving. Our spouses wait upon us to love them as the Savior has loved each one of us.

As we endure physical suffering, we are increasingly aware of how many wait upon each of us. To all the Marys and Marthas, to all of the good Samaritans who minister to the sick, succor the weak, and care for the mentally and physically infirm, I feel the gratitude of a loving Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. In your daily Christlike ministry, you are waiting upon the Lord and doing your Heavenly Father’s will. His assurance to you is clear: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”³⁵ He knows your sacrifices and your sorrows. He hears your prayers. His peace and rest will be yours as you continue to wait upon Him in faith.

On this Sabbath morning, I express gratitude that “in my Gethsemane”⁴³ and yours, we are not alone. He that watches over us “shall neither slumber nor sleep.”⁴⁴ His angels here and beyond the veil are “round about [us], to bear [us] up.”⁴⁵ I bear my special witness that our Savior’s promise is true, for He says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles

President Thomas S. Monson

Although the world has changed, the laws of God remain constant. They have not changed; they will not change. The Ten Commandments are just that—commandments. They are not suggestions. They are every bit as requisite today as they were when God gave them to the children of Israel. If we but listen, we hear the echo of God’s voice

Our code of conduct is definitive; it is not negotiable. It is found not only in the Ten Commandments but also in the Sermon on the Mount, given to us by the Savior when He walked upon the earth. It is found throughout His teachings. It is found in the words of modern revelation.

It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God. The storms will still beat at our doors from time to time, for they are an inescapable part of our existence in mortality. We, however, will be far better equipped to deal with them, to learn from them, and to overcome them if we have the gospel at our core and the love of the Savior in our hearts. The prophet Isaiah declared, “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.”⁵

As the winds of change swirl around us and the moral fiber of society continues to disintegrate before our very eyes, may we remember the Lord’s precious promise to those who trust in Him: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”⁹

Quentin L. Cook

Among the most frequently asked questions of Church leaders are, Why does a just God allow bad things to happen, especially to good people? Why are those who are righteous and in the Lord’s service not immune from such tragedies?

While we do not know all the answers, we do know important principles that allow us to face tragedies with faith and confidence that there is a bright future planned for each of us. Some of the most important principles are:

First, we have a Father in Heaven, who knows and loves us personally and understands our suffering perfectly.

Second, His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and Redeemer, whose Atonement not only provides for salvation and exaltation but also will compensate for all the unfairness of life.

Third, the Father’s plan of happiness for His children includes not only a premortal and mortal life but also an eternal life as well, including a great and glorious reunion with those we have lost. All wrongs will be righted, and we will see with perfect clarity and faultless perspective and understanding.

From the limited perspective of those who do not have knowledge, understanding, or faith in the Father’s plan—who look at the world only through the lens of mortality with its wars, violence, disease, and evil—this life can seem depressing, chaotic, unfair, and meaningless. Church leaders have compared this perspective with someone walking into the middle of a three-act play.³ Those without knowledge of the Father’s plan do not understand what happened in the first act, or the premortal existence, and the purposes established there; nor do they understand the clarification and resolution that come in the third act, which is the glorious fulfillment of the Father’s plan.
There are many kinds of challenges. Some give us necessary experiences. Adverse results in this mortal life are not evidence of lack of faith or of an imperfection in our Father in Heaven’s overall plan. The refiner’s fire is real, and qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace of affliction perfect and purify us and prepare us to meet God.

  

Engaged

Yep . . . pretty self explanatory. I realize this is late . . . like two weeks late. But everything is on my blog these days so no apologizes here. But it is official . . . not that you guys don't know this . . . but IT IS!!

Yep . . . you can't get much more official than that I don't think.

But in case you still need proof, I also received two letters from the Church in the mail over the weekend. One contains the details and confirmation of my endowment appointment.

AND THE OTHER . . .

you guessed it! It contains the confirmation and details of our sealing appointment!!

There are some pretty exciting things happening in my life these days!

Obviously, I'm getting MARRIED! Married?!?! Crazy, huh?!

Also, I'm going to Ghana and the UK for about 3 weeks.

Oh, and I got two internship offers for this summer.

Did I mention I'm getting married?!

To this guy!

Don't worry. He doesn't normally look like this . . . nor do I for that matter. We went to theHoli Festival of Colors last weekend. It was a fun time except for the magenta colored boogers/snot I had for the rest of the day. But I suppose sometimes having a good time comes along with strange colored snot. Doesn't it?

Here is a more accurate representation:

Ok, not so much.

I'm just being mean now. So here's an actual good picture for putting up with my nonsense:

Also since we're on the topic of marriage, General Conference was this weekend. Yes this seems unrelated but it isn't.

This was an adorable talk about marriage by Elder Richard G. Scott.

And of course he is always my favorite so make sure to check out Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk.

Reconciling

So I had an assignment this week where I was required to interview a person who has an opinion diametrically opposed to my own. I ended up interviewing someone who has written a short book about an LDS perspective on homosexuality. Come to find out we agreed on many of the aspects--there were just a few main points we did not agree on.

Don't worry this blog is not to discuss my opinion on the subject. I just want to put it out there that it has been something on my mind ever since Elder Packer's talk this General Conference and the subsequent backlash resulting from it. Trying to reconcile what seems fair with what has been commanded is a somewhat difficult thing. But shouldn't it be? When has doing what is right ever really been what was easy? There are always grey areas and uncertainties. We wouldn't need faith if these didn't exist.

That being said, all I really wanted to do was point out a few parts of a press release issued by the LDS Church that I think pretty much sums up exactly what I feel:

· We join our voice with others in unreserved condemnation of acts of cruelty or attempts to belittle or mock any group or individual that is different – whether those differences arise from race, religion, mental challenges, social status, sexual orientation or for any other reason. Such actions simply have no place in our society.

Our parents, young adults, teens and children should therefore, of all people, be especially sensitive to the vulnerable in society and be willing to speak out against bullying or intimidation whenever it occurs.

Each Latter-day Saint family and individual should carefully consider whether their attitudes and actions toward others properly reflect Jesus Christ’s second great commandment - to love one another.

As a church, our doctrinal position is clear: any sexual activity outside of marriage is wrong, and we define marriage as between a man and a woman. However, that should never, ever be used as justification for unkindness. Jesus Christ, whom we follow, was clear in His condemnation of sexual immorality, but never cruel. His interest was always to lift the individual, never to tear down.

There is no question that this is difficult, but Church leaders and members are available to help lift, support and encourage fellow members who wish to follow Church doctrine. Their struggle is our struggle.

General Conference 180

I love general conference. It is just a spiritually filled, faith reaffirming kind of weekend. Not to mention the french toast and the whole calories don't count thing.

Once again thanks to my connected former roommate and current friend, I was able to attend Sunday afternoon session. There is something exciting and moving about sitting with 20,000+ people listing to the counsel of our church leaders. And singing with that many people is rather incredible too.

I know because I took copious notes of nearly every single one of the wonderful talks.

There is always an overriding theme to Conference, and this year's theme (for me anyways) was agency. There was a strong message of our individual worth, accountability, personal progression, and access to forgiveness (which is a privilege we should take full advantage of). We are all free to act and make our own choices. This is a powerful responsibility that comes with obligations because, as we were counseled, we do not have the power to choose our consequences.

I enjoyed the story about the cow in the wheat field. The fences were placed for it's protection yet it went through the fence anyway and died as a result from consuming too much wheat. "You stupid cow" the speaker said. Our Heavenly Father loves us and always, always wants what is best for us. Sometimes in our short-sightedness we fail to see why there are proverbial fences placed around us that seem to restrict our freedoms and easily forget that God always has our best interests at heart. It is a wise person indeed who truly understands how obedience does in fact lead to freedom. Freedom from addictions, freedom from despair and the terrible consequences of wrong choices. The reward of obedience is peace and joy (of course in life trouble will come but you'll have the strength and faith to make it through). And let's be honest, who doesn't want peace and joy?

That seems a much better reward than any temporary happiness I can think of.

As per usual, Elder Holland gave one of my very favorite talks. Listen to it please!

It was a little more mellow than usual but insightful and uplifting nonetheless.

Basically, remember to always be thankful and do your best to serve others in any way possible (even if it is in a seemingly insignificant way) and you'll get the gist of it.

In the words of Elder Holland, "No one of you is insignificant."

Calorie Counting

I was once told by a friend that calories don't count on conference weekend.

The same friend also informed me that calories don't count at Easter.

So it only stands to reason that on a weekend (like this past one) when it is both Easter and Conference that calories actually count negatively.

Yes, that's right -- negative calories!

Which is why I enjoyed this on Saturday morning:

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown:

• 1 cup half-and-half (I used milk instead)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challahbread (I used potato bread)
• 4 tablespoons butter (for the pan -- I only used one)

Oh and I added some cinnamon and nutmeg! I was a little skeptical about the honey part but I found the recipe on food network so who am I to question it. And definitely stick it in the oven after you take it out of the pan until you're ready to eat it.

Yum!

I must say I do feel skinnier after this weekend.

Of course, this calories don't count nonsense may have been just to make us both feel better about the copious amounts of iced sugar cookies we were eating at the time. Hmm.

Easter

Easter is a wonderful holiday that I think gets a little short changed.

Let's just be honest here . . .

Christmas wouldn't really matter if there hadn't been an Easter approximately 33 years later.

Let that soak in for a minute.

It's true right?

Sure, Jesus' birth with Christmas. But His atonement, death and subsequent resurrection! That's what we celebrate! That's what should make us dance around filled with joy even when it seems like life kind of sucks at the moment. That was the point of His life. He was resurrected so that one day we can be too.

That's what Easter's all about Charlie Brown!

At first I was a little disappointed that general conference was on Easter weekend, but that was stupid of me because there is never a bad time for conference.

As always, the talks were uplifting, inspired and applicable. Everyone listening with the correct spirit heard exactly what they needed to hear, I am sure of it. Plus general conference always equals yummy breakfast (particularly french toast in my case) and pretty much an entire weekend in my PJs!



Isn't it wonderful to know that at one point before our life here on earth we knew and understood what the point of all of this is? Simply because we are here on our earth we can be sure that at one point we knew our purpose, we sided with God and chose to come here. Our Heavenly Father explained His whole plan and the purpose of our lives. He told us it wouldn't be easy. There will be pain, suffering, unfairness, despair, heartache and death. However, we knew that our eternal reward for passing this test of life would far outweigh the price we were asked to pay for it. We shouted for joy for the chance to live the life we are now living!

We knew that we would sin and it would be impossible for us to return to heaven without the help of our loving brother Jesus Christ. But we also knew that He was willing to do what was necessary to make our salvation possible as well as His own.

Here's President Monson's talk. He explains things much more eloquently that I can.

Death comes to all BUT . . .










And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21:4

For the rest of conference go here. I highly recommend listening to it!

He is risen!

Conference and Cooking

"The mist of darkness descends on all the travelers. . . .The successful travelers resist all distractions."

Can I just say how amazing Elder Holland's talk was today? If you missed it or are curious about the importance of the Book of Mormon to my religion please, please listen to this. I really like how he just said it like it is and made no apologies for it. It was the closest thing to a rousing sermon I have ever heard in general conference, and I loved it. It was one of the most vehement defenses of the Book of Mormon I have ever heard. It was definitely the highlight of the session. I loved the story he told about Hyrum and Joseph and the page that Hyrum had marked in the Book of Mormon, and he actually had the original book with him. I had also never heard the story about the brothers sharing their testimonies shortly before they were martyred. I like what he says about incorrect explanations for the origins of the Book of Mormon.

"None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is no other answer than the one Joseph gave as its young, unlearned translator."

and

"No wicked man could write this, and no good man would unless it were true."

I often times have trouble keeping my eyes open (which is different than sleeping) when watching conference from the comforts of my couch in PJs with a blanket. I felt absolutely no desire to close my eyes during his talk; it was rousing to say the least.

I also really appreciated President Monson's simple and powerful message to go out and serve.

All of the conference messages can be accessed through www.lds.org

On another completely unrelated note:

I made tartlets today. I was a little worried about the chocolate ganache because I used fat free half and half instead of heavy cream. For awhile I was unsure about whether it would ever set up, but it finally did. They look pretty delicious! (However, I must admit that the ones I made with Jessica this summer looked even better.)

Chocoate Ganache Tartlets

Lemon Curd Tartlets

(with pre-made Phyllo tartlet shells)

**Random thought:

Why are all the laundry mats south of campus closed on Sundays when the on-campus Wyview laundry mat is open? Hummmmm?!