First of all, I wish every person I knew would tune in to General Conference for those trying to follow Christ and His teachings. You will find healing, security and power against the plagues besetting the world today at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has surpassed over 5 million deaths worldwide. 700,000 in the U.S. alone.
Half of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performed in both Sunday sessions. The reduced number of singers was designed to create a physical distancing. Every participant was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and had been recently tested. The other half of the choir performed during the Sunday morning session.
The good news is that the coronavirus pandemic of this magnitude and all natural disasters and plagues can be met with a global response of faith. What a blessing to learn more about the Lord’s teachings by those men and women who we hold in such high esteem and so dear to our hearts as we have spent time with them over the years. Here are some of our notes from the 191st General Conference.
“One of the plagues of our day is that too few people know where to turn for truth,” “I can assure you that what you will hear today and tomorrow constitutes pure truth.” President Nelson. He declared that the church’s general authorities and officers would focus on messages about Jesus Christ, his mercy and his redeeming power, and urge believers to fully embrace and comprehend God’s profound, perfect love for them, and to put prophetic counsel ahead of the world’s norms.
“There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge of our Savior is more personally vital and relevant to every human soul,” President Nelson said, adding an invitation to listen to the conference for “pure truth, the pure doctrine of Christ and pure revelation.” “The pure doctrine of Christ is powerful,” he said. “It changes the life of everyone who understands it and seeks to implement it in his or her life.”
Completely understanding and knowing the unfailing love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for all of God’s children and loving God and one’s neighbor helps with the plagues of mental illness, division, confusion, complexity and distractions, other leaders said. Membership and activity in the Church of Jesus Christ adds to personal spirituality, blessing both individual lives and nations, providing opportunities for growth and service, said, Elder Oaks. “Personal disappointments should never keep us from the doctrine of Christ, who taught us to serve, not to be served,” he said, adding that “in service we find heaven-sent opportunities to rise above the individualism of our age.”
Faith can be an action as simple as asking a question like the prophet Joseph Smith, the answer to which was revelation that changed the world, said President Eyring. He said he experiences personal revelation, which he said is available to everyone, by feeling an internal quiet and submission to God’s will, he said. “To believe,” said Elder Ballard, “is to love and follow our Savior and keep the commandments, even in the midst of trials and strife.”
Strife was on the minds of many speakers, who shared heart-rending, personal stories of lost loved ones, mental illness, divorce and more. They connected those stories to God’s love and what Elder Rasband said distinguishes the Church of Jesus Christ — a living prophet who calms fears and lifts sights.
“That is staggering when you think about it,” Elder Rasband said, “but it is critical to realize that his clear direction will shield us all from the deceit, craftiness and secular ways gaining momentum in the world today,” Elder Rasband repeated the Biblical story of Naaman, who at first did not wanted to adhere to the prophet’s direction to wash seven times in the River Jordan to be healed of leprosy. “The account of Naaman reminds us of the risks of picking and choosing the parts of prophetic counsel that fit our thinking, expectations or today’s norms,” he said. “Our prophet continually points us to our own River Jordan’s to be healed.”
Elder Holland told church members they have a divine responsibility to follow Christ and his prophet with wholehearted, unreserved devotion, to be “all in.”
He said the first great commandment in the universe is to love God completely, “but the first great truth in the universe is that God loves us exactly that way — wholeheartedly, without reservation or compromise, with all of his heart, might, mind and strength.” A world beset by “divisions and subdivisions, sets and subsets ... with more than enough hostility to go around,” Elder Holland said, distracts from and diminishes that love. Alternately, allowing deity’s love for oneself to dwell in one’s heart is the key to contented, happy living, he added. The two great commandments were a repeated theme expressed by Elder Holland and other speakers throughout the sessions.
“Our Heavenly Father loves us profoundly and perfectly,” said Elder Christofferson “Jesus Christ shares with the Father this same perfect love.” Each person is beloved by our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, sister Cordon said. “The Savior’s love for us is unfailing — even when we fail,” she said. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”
Our dear friend, Ulisses Soares said, “It is meaningful to observe that Jesus’ compassionate acts were not occasional and mandated manifestations,” “... but everyday expressions of the reality of his pure love for God and his children and his abiding desire to help them.” Following Christ’s example increases a person’s ability to see the virtues in others and decreases judgment of others, making life sweeter, more tender and happier, he said.
The sacred covenants and ordinances entered into by Latter-day Saints, like baptism, the endowment and temple sealing, bind them to Jesus Christ and provide security and personal power, Elder Bednar said. “We are bound securely to and with the Savior as we faithfully remember and do our best to live in accordance with the obligations we have accepted. And that bond with him is the source of spiritual strength in every season of our lives,” he said.
Our wonderful former Bishop Stevenson shared powerful stories of simple, plain and precious application of simple gospel principles. “We are blessed as we exercise care not to allow complexity, so common in the world, to enter into the way we receive and practice the gospel,” he said. He spoke of “divinely appointed responsibilities.” “These responsibilities are simple, inspirational, motivating and doable,” he said. “Here they are:”
1 Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ
2 Caring for those in need
3 Inviting all to receive the Gospel
4 Uniting families for eternity
Several leaders spoke of self -worth and the need not to judge others.
“God’s message is that worthiness is not flawlessness. Worthiness is being honest and trying,” said Brother Wilcox and a professor in BYU’s Department of Ancient Scripture. “Ours is not a religion of rationalization nor a religion of perfectionism, but a religion of redemption through Jesus Christ,”
Elder Christofferson said. “By his Atonement, our sins are nailed to his cross and we are forgiven and purified. “Among the personal stories of struggle was one about Elder Villanueva. He lost his brother, sister and brother-in-law to COVID-19 and other causes early this year. “The Savior has perfect compassion for us,” he said. He talked about how disciples of Christ should react to afflictions by sharing an example of how Christ reacted to the death of his dear friend, John the Baptist. Christ first sought solitude, but when a multitude found him, he healed their sick and directed his disciples to feed them.
Another Seventy from Germany shared his family’s long struggle with their son’s severe panic attacks, anxiety and depression that forced him to return home early from a mission. The young man and his family fought for his life against his mental illness. His son survived, but it took a lot of time, therapy and medical and spiritual care, and he said Latter-day Saints must educate themselves about mental illness and help their children focus on growth rather than shortcomings. Education can lead to understanding, acceptance, compassion and love. “Educating ourselves about mental illness prepares us to help ourselves and others who might be struggling,” he said. “Open and honest discussions with others will help this important topic to receive the attention it deserves. After all, information precedes revelation.” He and his wife relied on nurturing and ministering from family, friends and other church members during their son’s crisis.
“We need to constantly watch over each other,” he said, “We must love one another and be less judgmental — especially when our expectations are not immediately met. We should help our children and youth feel the love of Jesus Christ in their lives, even when they struggle to personally feel love for themselves.”
The second great commandment, love thy neighbor, also received specific focus.
The church participated in 1,500 COVID-19 relief projects over the past 18 months, and responded to 933 natural disasters as well as refugee needs in 108 countries, said Sister Eubank “The Church of Jesus Christ is under divine mandate to care for the poor. It is one of the pillars of the work of salvation and exaltation,” she said, adding that “The First Presidency has charged us to increase our humanitarian outreach in a significant way.” The church membership allows one to be a part of global humanitarian relief.
President Eyring told church members that exercising faith in Christ — and following the prophet — will increase faith across the world. He closed the final Saturday session of conference and his address provided an apt summary of the day’s testimonies of faith, God’s love, and the pure truth spoken of by President Nelson. “The more we have the doctrine of Christ in our lives and hearts, the more we feel greater love and sympathy for those who have never had the blessing of faith in Jesus Christ or are struggling to maintain it,” he said.
One apostle reminded the conference that President Nelson promised three years ago that one way to increase faith and spiritual power is to give rigorous attention to the correct name of the church and its focus on Christ. “The influence of the restored Church of Jesus Christ will not only be upon those who are members of the church,” Elder Andersen said. “Because of the heavenly manifestations in our day, because of the sacred scripture restored to the earth and the powerful gift of the Holy Ghost, we will be a shining light on the hill as the somber shades of disbelief in Jesus Christ darken the world. Although many may allow the world to cloud their faith in the Redeemer, we will ‘not be moved out of (our) place. ’The church has renamed more than 1,000 church products and websites to remove “Mormon” and “LDS” and focus on the Church of Jesus Christ. Elder Andersen predicted those changes will bear fruit. “Christians, who are not among our membership, will welcome our role and our sure witness of Christ,” he said. “Even those Christians who have viewed us with skepticism, will embrace us as friends. In these coming days, we will be called by the name of Jesus Christ.”
Other senior church leaders shared messages about unity, order and straight paths.
Church members can access personal peace and restoration in daily life, two apostles said. That is increasingly difficult, said Elder Cook “In my lifetime, I have never seen a greater lack of civility. We are bombarded with angry contentious language and provocative, devastating actions that destroy peace and tranquility.” Those conditions only make seeking peace more vital, he said.
“Universal peace was not part of the Savior’s initial mortal ministry. Universal peace does not exist today. However, personal peace can be achieved despite the anger, contention, and division that blights and corrupts our world today. It has never been more important to seek personal peace.”
He suggested five “works of righteousness” to help members find peace among disputation and contention:
• First, love God, live his commandments and forgive everyone.
• Second, seek the fruits of the spirit.
• Third, exercise agency to choose righteousness
• Fourth, build Zion in our hearts and homes.
• Fifth, follow the current admonitions of the prophet, President Nelson.
Human beings tend to wander, a fact proved in a study that showed people without landmarks walk in circles, said Elder Uchtdorf. “Unlike the wandering test subjects, we have reliable, visible landmarks that we can use to evaluate our course,” he said. He noted that the restoration of the gospel and church is an ongoing process, and the same applies to individual lives. He prescribed what he called an ongoing daily infusion of heavenly light — regular prayer, pondering scriptures and self-introspection. “Think of it as your personal, daily restoration,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “... We all drift from time to time, but we can get back on course. We can navigate our way through the darkness and trials of this life and find our way back to our loving Heavenly Father if we seek and accept the spiritual landmarks he has provided ... and strive for daily restoration.”
Latter-day Saints have not been immune to divisions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has served as a spiritual stress test for the church and its members, said Elder Renlund.
“The results are likewise mixed,” he said. “... In some instances, the spiritual stress test has shown tendencies toward contention and divisiveness. This suggests that we have work to do to change our hearts and to become unified as the Savior’s true disciples. This is not a new challenge but it is a critical one.”
Elder Renlund said contention in the church is harmful in two ways. It can be harmful to the Lord’s latter-day work, and it can be harmful to the individual.
“First, contention weakens our collective witness to the world of Jesus Christ and the redemption that comes through His ‘merits, ... mercy and grace,’ ... and everyone knows that we are not his disciples when we do not show love one to another.”
“Second, contention is spiritually unhealthy for us as individuals. We are robbed of peace, joy, and rest and our ability to feel the Spirit is compromised.”
Those who are quick to take offense or respond to a difference of opinion by becoming angry or judgmental fail the spiritual stress test, he said.
“If we are not one, we are not his. My invitation is to be valiant in putting our love of God and discipleship of the Savior above all other considerations. Let us uphold the covenant inherent in our discipleship — the covenant to be one.”
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve added his voice to those calls for unity.
God “invites us to make our congregations, quorums, classes and activities open, authentic, safe — home for each other,” he said. “With kindness, understanding and mutual respect, we each humbly seek the Lord and pray and welcome his restored gospel blessings for all.”
He spoke to listeners whose trust has been broken — with themselves, others or God. He said the disappointment and disillusionment when trust is broken is. “So is the need for discernment to know when faith and courage are merited to trust again in human relations,” he said.
He promised that God is always coming to meet them.
“In him we can find faith and courage, wisdom and discernment, to trust again,” Elder Gong said. “Likewise, he asks us to keep the light on for each other, to be more forgiving and less judgmental of ourselves and each other, so his church can be a place where we feel at home, whether we are coming for the first time or returning.”
Sister Johnson invited listeners to allow Jesus Christ to author their stories instead of writing comfortable narratives for themselves.
“Why do we want the Savior to be the author and finisher of our stories? Because he knows our potential perfectly, he will take us to places we never imagined ourselves. ... He will stretch us and refine us to be more like him.”
Bishop Budge, said humanitarian donations to the church not only increased in 2020 despite the pandemic but rose to the highest level in history.
That allowed the church to engage in 1,500 COVID-19 relief projects in 150+ countries.
The Salt Lake Temple weighs 187 million pounds and President Nelson showed photos of the foundation that carries that weight as an example of how we need to also strengthen our own spiritual foundation during unprecedented times.
“We are sparing no effort to give this venerable temple, which had become increasingly vulnerable, a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the Millennium,” President Nelson said. “In like manner, it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures — perhaps measures we have never taken before — to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations.”
The message was a continuation of calls President Nelson has made repeatedly to members against current and coming challenges to spirituality and faith. “Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures,” he said Sunday. He invited listeners to center our lives on Jesus Christ and temple ordinances and covenants, encouraging them to attend the temple more often. He said there will be no safer place during an earthquake in Salt Lake than inside the temple when the renovation work is done. “Likewise, whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants,” which bind Latter-day Saints securely to Christ, he said.
President Nelson closed the conference by announcing 13 new temples including one more in Santiago Chile. “Nothing invites the Spirit more than fixing your focus on Jesus Christ,” he said.
Don’t you just love the General Conference! Hope each week you take one talk at a time and ponder in more depth what was said.
Con amor,
Vero and Daniel
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