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I walked into the front room as kids were assembling and watching "Music and the Spoken Word" and was barraged with the question: "Aren't we having cinnamon rolls this time?"
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- Got to find my old missionary tag. Pretty sure it's in the cedar chest at the foot of my bed.
- Pray for areas where our influence is limited. Doors will be opened.
- Invite others to come and see--remember yesterday: It's in the DOING that you build on the sure foundation.
- He will open doors - ask Him.
- By the mouth of His disciples--where was it that I read yesterday that by attempting to follow Christ, we can call ourselves His disciples. I had wondered about this, kind of along the lines of my "athlete" post.
- All that will hear, may hear. It's all a matter of individual agency.
- Helaman 5 - build on the Rock of our Redeemer. We MUST build.
- "Parental benign neglect" - dimming of child's internal light. Lessening of connection between children and parents. Electronically disconnect. Every day, at some point, turn everything off.
- Yay, Jay Hess!
- 25 words - what would I say? Hmm....I feel a blog post coming on.
"Guide Us, O, Thou Great Jehovah" - this title alone is worthy of pondering. How much do I allow Him to guide me?
- My marriage is a treasure.
- Strive to be obedient and good. The Commandments aren't a buffet that we can pick and choose from. I must obey them ALL exactly.
- Strengthening faith strengthens marriage.
- Christ is where the foundation for happy marriages are built.
- Honest self-examination and take immediate action to fix things.
- Meekness - I think of this as being the first to apologize, etc.
- Watch and learn - find those who have happy marriages and follow suit.
- Correct principles and PATTERNS of BEHAVIOR - this is key.
- Focus first on the home and shared responsibilities. Cooperation not negotiation.
- Time together is when you put forth best efforts.
- Both participate in putting kids to bed.
- Read with kids every night.
- Work side by side to do work in most important work.
- Make financial decisions together -- full disclosure.
- Fiercely loyal. Transparent. Respectful.
- Turn off technology when he's around.
- Live together in love. Serve. Keep covenants.
- Marriage needs to be my first priority.
- Blessed according to the promises of the Lord.
- Our marriage is a gift from God to us; the quality of our marriage is our gift to Him.
- The gospel brings renewed hope and faith -- it renews moment by moment as you apply yourself to it.
- Secularism is becoming the norm--I do what I want when I want because I want. Wants are endless; there is no end to them. Watch out for selfishness.
- Where God is in command there is law--eternal law--which has penalties and blessings. Nothing is left to question.
- Observe God's law. Liberty is attached to the degree that we obey.
- Sabbath observance, adultery and covetousness are those taken lightly.There are penalties for breaking these. We are creating our own rules to substitute God's.
- Families are deteriorating as a result.
- We break these commandments and refuse to repent and return, and our society deteriorates.
- Our homes are what our homes will be throughout eternity - this home is the practice ground for eternity.
- The sacred act of procreation (SEX) is only to be between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully married--Hmm...funny. That's GOD'S LAW. Sad how we've forgotten that little fact, even worse that we fight that fact. That's a fight that may be won temporarily by individuals, but in the long run, it will be lost TERRIBLY.
- God's promised blessings DO NOT CHANGE. He is an unchanging being. We are all subject to those blessings the same as we are all subject to the cursings as well. It's all up to how we choose.
- My VERY FAVORITE scripture: D&C 130:20-21
- Acknowledge ALL of God's commandments.
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My companion and I had lunch with Elder L. Tom Perry when we were in the MTC. I also ran into him in the mall at Salt Lake City once. What a sweet, wonderful man! Because I know him to be sweet and loving and kind, when he speaks with as much power as he did today, it really stands out. LOVED his words. No mincing of words there.
Oh, "Come, Come Ye Saints" for the closing hymn. The Mormon Tabernacle choir does it with conviction unlike most of the wards I've ever been in who do it as a funeral song. YAY! I'm looking forward to hearing it today.
- The Spirit bears record and the record is true. If the Spirit bears record, then it IS true.
- He has charted our course. Obedience is our guide.
- If you've started a fire blazing, run for help.
- Obedience is the first law of heaven -- highest priority.
- Obey and receive the blessings attached to that act of obedience.
- Christ set this example for us. Why wouldn't I want ALL of the blessings that Christ received. We talk about being "joint heirs" with Christ, and I always thought that was a future, after this life thing, that is a fallacy. I can be a joint heir now and receive the same blessings He did to the degree that I learn to obey God to the degree that He did.
- This is why He implores us to follow Him. He invites us. Do we RSVP and bring our gifts of obedience?
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....And "Come, Come Ye Saints"..... Here we go. Starts out slow and plodding but determined. "Your hearts will swell--All is well. All is well." - as we go forward and follow, in our hearts will swell this feeling that all is well no matter what our circumstances. I know this feeling! "Our God will NEVER us forsake." And soon we'll have this tale to tell. All is well. All is well." When we obey, we have stories of faith that can be shared. These increase our feelings of well being. Song's picking up as faith increases. Strengthened. Listen to that last verse! YES! That's how it's to be done! Strongest yet! Determined. No matter what happens, we are willing. "With the just we shall dwell." "To see the saints their rest obtain" All is well. All is well. We trust the Great Creator of heaven and earth. He will be our guide no matter what our lot. All will be well because all is well when we are with Him.
Dang, I'm crying here. So strong. Thank you, Choir, for singing this, one of the greatest hymns ever written, in the way I believe Brother Clayton intended it to be sung. I seriously can't stop crying--so touched by this.
Even things in the benediction stuck in my heart --"Make the changes necessary to draw closer to [Him]." That's what this is all about. That's what I love about Conference. I learn how to improve my life and get it more in accordance with how God would want me to be, so I can do all that I was sent here to earth to do.
And a couple of notes from the events going on in my house, among my family during the session...
It is very clear that the talks I need to listen to the most have the most interruptions and distractions. There was one talk given during this session that I NEEDED to hear (you know, one of those "given just for me" kinds of talks), and it was then that suddenly everyone needed to talk to me. Ugh!
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One child, looking for something to mark a Conference bingo page, found one of those crayons that is encased in a plastic tube and you roll it up. He rolled it all the way to the top until it was taken beyond the point of saving, and it was broken. "Why must we push everything to its limit until it's broken?" We're at that point in his development in which it seems that he breaks everything he touches. It got me to thinking about how we are when we try to live life on our own--without God's help. Without His instructions, daily, we can only progress so far until our efforts are broken. How long will I choose to twist my life on my own until I decide that enough's enough, and in order to do it the right way, I need to ask He who knows how to do it better? It is only then that I can be assured that it won't break.
Lots of emphasis on obedience in this session. Heaven knows I can work on that in SO many ways.
Harsh circumstances seem to challenge your very faith. (Just a note from the material in between Conference sessions).
As I've been writing this, I hear my kids downstairs getting water glasses ready for lunch. #2 came upstairs to report that he'd started the oven preheating the oven. I didn't even ask them to do these things. This was the gripe I woke up with and vented to the Warden just this morning. I guess General Conference betters ALL of us.
3 comments:
Thanks for sharing your notes and thoughts on conference. You took some good detailed ones. I take notes too but not as good I am afraid. I can't wait to read these messages. I think I will read them sooner off the internet instead of the CR Ensign. However, I do go through the Ensign and actually read and study them. I actually finished the last conference Friday night.
Loved your thoughts and blessings to you.
Who said the parental benign neglect part? Can't remember...
Sister Wixom, the General Primary President said that. I got her gist, but it seemed like an incomplete idea. I didn't quite get her whole point there. Maybe it was that the definition of "parental benign neglect" wasn't clear. It almost sounded like you should give your children your complete and utterly undivided attention at all times. I wish she would have completed that idea. I was very interested in just what that is and how to not do it.
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