October 2022 Saturday Evening Thoughts
(Image by Lauren Brown @lbro.creative)
Here are some brief thoughts I had as I watched Saturday Evening's Session of General Conference. These aren't meant to be deep doctrinal musings - just some simple thoughts to any who enjoyed Conference as much as I did.
That children’s choir isn't shirking on the degree of difficulty on those opening songs.
Bishop Causse did an awesome job prioritizing earth stewardship, but placed at the pinnacle a care for fellow stewards in need instead of placing earth over people. Bottom line - both should be cared for. In my opinion, “Creator” is still one of the coolest titles of both God and Jesus Christ. And becoming a co-creator with God involves being our brother's keeper.
Lots of solid one-liners from Michelle Craig…“Trials do not mean that the plan is failing. They are part of the plan.” “Living in convenience does not bring power”. “God is more concerned with our progress than with our comfort.” “He doesn't see our lacking as failure.” Oh, and "Dear Emily...We've moved." was pretty classic too!
Speaking of great one-liners - Hello Elder Pearson! I have always been fascinated with the word “willing” in scripture, so I appreciated his talk. Willingness is a HUGE part of the gospel. “We should not expect the principle of willingness to trend positively with social media influencers or TikTok enthusiasts. The precepts of men rarely align with divine truth.” We cannot take vacation days in being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is more than just a superficial effort. Faith in Jesus Christ is a choice. "Discipleship is not cheap, because the companionship of the Holy Ghost is priceless." BOOM! (The sound of a mic dropping).
Elder Denelson Silva seems like such a pleasant man with a great conversion story. "The privilege of representing the Savior Jesus Christ and His Church cannot be ignored." Don't postpone missionary service. The time will pass in the mission field the same at home... but the opportunities are incomparable! I’ll bet he was a great mission president!
As evil increases in the world, our spiritual survival and the survival of those we love, we must take action to nurture our roots in Christ. We must be rooted, grounded, in the love of our Savior in our determination to follow him. As a side note, I love that Elder Andersen pulled out notes that he took from a previous talk during this conference. Sure, it probably throws the translators a curve ball, but I love how these men and women listen to and sustain each other. I appreciate that relevance from real live examples of faith. Hold that water glass high, my friends!
Note: I think this quote was read by 3 different speakers today! Might be important 😬
"In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost"
-President Russell M. Nelson
Great session! See you all tomorrow after my amazing breakfast!