Another General Conference has come and gone, and this one was as good as ever. I just wanted to share a few brief thoughts on the talks that touched me the most.
The entire conference was just great. I loved all of the speakers. I’ll just tackle each session and mention some things that stood out to me. The Spirit speaks to all of us according to our own circumstances, so hopefully we all have different things to share that reached us.
Straight out of the gate, Elder Hales gave an INCREDIBLE talk about self-reliance. I loved it. I found myself laughing inwardly as he described wanting to buy things for his wife when they didn’t have the money. Or when he thought he was buying something for her and his motives weren’t quite as simple. Elder Hales is a good man, certainly. It was just interesting to listen to him talk about some of the problems that many of us men have faced in similar situations. It was a wonderful talk and one that all of us would do well to listen to.
President Eyring’s talk on adversity was awesome! We do all face challenges, most certainly, but relying on the Lord is what gets us through such trials. We must work and do all that we can, but the Lord never leaves us alone if we seek His help. I’m a big fan of President Eyring, as he often cries when he speaks at conference. J
In the Saturday afternoon session I really enjoyed Elder Scott’s talk about temple worship. We are definitely a community with a temple in our “backyard” and we need to go. This is an area I need to focus on more. The temple brings us great power, and not only by making and keeping covenants. Whenever we return to do more work we receive a great boost, and I know that going to the temple often can help with many of life’s problems. Let’s all go there more.
I loved the talks in the Priesthood session. President Uchtdorf’s talk about not being distracted and not letting excuses or weaknesses prevent us from reaching our potential was just excellent. I think many of us could do even greater things than we now do if we didn’t weigh ourselves down or get distracted from what is most important. Let’s stay focused and do what is right! President Eyring’s talk about taking care of each other was great too.
Sunday morning’s session brought more good talks. I enjoyed Elder Snow’s story about his little granddaughter and her “need” to get on with her life. Very cute and his talk had a great point. Change is inevitable, and we can either improve ourselves and accept such change or we can be constantly frustrated as things that were slip away from us. Elder Holland’s talk about the atonement was very moving. It’s easy to see that he KNOWS the Savior, not just about Him. Elder Holland’s talks about the Atonement have always been good, and this one was no exception.
I really enjoyed Elder Oaks’ talk in the Sunday afternoon session. If we would serve constantly, unselfishly, I think our own troubles and many of the world’s troubles would be lessened. Everyone needs help, and helping others makes our own trials easier to bear. This world is rather selfish, and it takes an active decision to help others to fight the pride that the world offers. Elder Perry’s talk about missionary work was a good reminder that we ALL need to be working to bring other’s to Christ. It may not be easy, but it is part of our sacred responsibility and also a great privilege to help others receive the gospel.
Well, those are a few of my thoughts. I think it’s very important to listen to and read the talks again after Conference is over, because it slips away very quickly. The talks I have listened to on my iPod in the past week since conference are much easier to remember than those that I haven’t. So remember to study the words of the prophets and you’ll be greatly blessed.
Mike
