Brightening My Light

Part 1 of my talk from August 21. Read Part 2  and Part 3 . I was asked to speak on my favorite conference talk. My favorite was Elder Holland's , but it didn't feel like the right one. Every day I read a different talk, and each one was wonderful. I couldn't choose! It wasn't until Friday that it all came together. I picked two that went together perfectly. In fact, they were given one right after the other in conference. The first one I'd like to share is "To the Rescue: We Can Do It" by Elder Mervyn B. Arnold . He began, The Savior clearly understood His mission to rescue our Heavenly Father’s children, for He declared: “The Son of man is come to save that which was lost. … “ [For] it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” . . . Let me share four principles that will help in our rescue efforts. Principle 1: We Must Not Delay Going to the Rescue Elder Arnold shared a sad st...

I recently read the parable of the Prodigal Son ( Luke 15:11-32 ) during my scripture study, and it reminded me of this talk from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland , in which he discusses the older brother. The Mormon Message video below shares excerpts from it. This talk by Elder Brent H. Nielson  from last April discusses the point of view of the waiting father. Both of these general conference talks remind us there is more to the story than just the wayward son and his return. Parables are often multifaceted, and the more we study all their facets, the better we understand the deeper meanings and applications. Discussion: How does studying the perspectives of the faithful brother and the father help us better understand the parable and its application in our lives?

In case you missed conference, here are some of the most popular quotes from the 184th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: For more quotes, visit the Facebook pages The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and LDS General Conference . Sharing Time: What were your favorite quotes from General Conference?

The Liahona [Adapted from my sacrament talk given June 15, 2014. Read the first part here .] Being able to make connections between the scriptures and our own lives takes practice; that is why we should have effective personal scripture study. Reading the scriptures is good for surface-level understanding and knowledge, but internalizing the message and gaining a testimony of the doctrine and principles require searching, pondering, and praying. Even if we have trouble finding a specific answer in the words of the scriptures, engaging in daily scripture study invites the Spirit to give and opens our hearts to receive personal revelation.  Such deeper study takes time and effort, but it is not impossible to achieve. Start by finding a consistent time when you can focus and be uninterrupted. You may have to be creative. Don’t worry about how much you read; quality is more important than quantity. Take advantage of cross references, institute manuals, and other study guid...

lds.org A few years ago, I wrote a post on how to prepare for general conference . Now that I have two kids, and after seeing great ideas online, I think it's time to share how to prepare your kids for general conference too! 1. Explain what general conference is. Tell your kids the week before that instead of going to church the next Sunday, you will be staying home and watching the prophet and other church leaders speak to us about the gospel starting Saturday morning. Show them pictures of the First Presidency and other church leaders in the Friend or conference issue of the Ensign . 2. Put together activities for the kids. Thanks to blogs and Pinterest, there is a plethora of activities for your children to do during conference, and most require little preparation. Here is a link-up to some great ideas . There are also activities on the Church website . Be sure to match the activity to your children's ages and likes and any goals you have in mind (ex: listening ...

I always love conference! I love how undeniably strong the Spirit is and how my testimony and dedication are renewed. The key is keeping all those feelings after conference is over. I am grateful that I can read and watch the talks again and again to help me with that endeavor. There is no excuse to let the spirit of conference diminish over the next six months. Congratulations to us for reaching 15 million members! But compared to the world population, we still have so much work to do, which several leaders reminded us. It is amazing that we have over 80,000 full-time missionaries now to help us! There is no excuse for us not to excel in missionary work. I thought the family choir in the Saturday afternoon session was neat. I have never seen that done before. My husband saw one of his fellow missionaries in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and I recognized the elderly Brazilian woman shown in one of the talks as an old friend's grandma, one of the sweetest, happiest women I know...

From the talk "Was It Worth It?" by Elder David F. Evans in April 2012 General Conference.  Dave Orchard grew up in Salt Lake City, where most of his friends were members of the Church. They were a great influence on him. In addition, Church leaders in his neighborhood constantly invited him to activities. His friends did the same. Even though he didn’t join the Church at that time, his growing-up years were blessed by the influence of good LDS friends and Church-sponsored activities. After he entered college, he moved away from his home, and most of his friends left on missions. He missed their influence in his life. One of Dave’s high school friends was still home. This friend was meeting every week with his bishop in an effort to put his life in order and be able to serve as a missionary. He and Dave became roommates, and as would be both natural and normal, they talked about why he wasn’t then serving as a missionary and why he was meeting...

Highlights from the 183rd Semiannual General Conference in April 2013: *I was in awe how dramatic the increase in missionaries was due to the age decrease announced last conference. When the bar was raised several years ago, the numbers slightly dropped and remained stagnant all these years. But now we went up 10,000 in less than six months (since those numbers were from the 2012 report, there are probably a few thousand more by now)! *In accordance with the above, President Monson asked us all to donate to the General Mission Fund. And Elder Nelson noted that many schools will grant students an 18–30-month deferral to serve a mission. *Two new temples were announced: Cedar City, Utah, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. *There is a new Young Women Presidency : Sister Bonnie Lee Green Oscarson as president; Sister Carol Louise Foley McConkie, first counselor; and Sister Evelyn Neill Foote Marriott, second counselor. *For all of you parents who have little hope for your mischievo...

A story Elder Cornish shared in General Conference October 2011. When I was a young resident physician at Boston Children’s Hospital, I worked long hours and traveled between the hospital and our home in Watertown, Massachusetts, mostly by bicycle since my wife and young family needed our car. One evening I was riding home after a long period in the hospital, feeling tired and hungry and at least a bit discouraged. I knew I needed to give my wife and four small children not only my time and energy when I got home but also a cheery attitude. I was, frankly, finding it hard to just keep pedaling. My route would take me past a fried chicken shop, and I felt like I would be a lot less hungry and tired if I could pause for a piece of chicken on my way home. I knew they were running a sale on thighs or drumsticks for 29 cents each, but when I checked my wallet, all I had was one nickel. As I rode along, I told the Lord my situation and asked if, in His mercy, He could let me find a q...

Today we had a regional stake conference, in which Elder Holland spoke. He ended his talk with what lowering the missionary ages really means and how missionary work affects all of us: 1. The change had nothing to do with convenience for young adults and everything to do with the large labor before us. The world needs more missionaries! 2. Time spent at the MTC has been cut down a third. The real MTC is the home, and preparation must start earlier. (I feel strongly about this, as I wrote in my post " This Is My Sacred Duty .") 3. Just as we want our children to have successful missions wherever they go, so do the parents of the missionaries sent to our area. We need to help them. 4. Tracting is no longer a reality today. We have to be the finders. Missionaries are simply the teachers. Discussion: What can we do to make missionaries successful, both ones we send out and ones we receive?

I got to watch the General Relief Society Meeting Saturday night, something I have not had the privilige of doing the last couple years. I was excited to meet the new presidency, and they are wonderful! They are so loving and sweet, so meek and mild, and very tenderhearted. I enjoyed and learned from each of their talks. Linda K. Burton, President, talked about cheerfully keeping our covenants. She also shared an excellent analogy on self-worth another woman shared with her: a $20 bill, though it may be torn, dirty, worn out, wrinkled, and used, is still worth $20. Carole M. Stephens, First Counselor, talked about being wide awake to our duties. She shared an experience she had on a pioneer trek she did with the youth. On a part of the journey called the women's pull, the women had to push the handcarts up a hill without the men's help. A young woman who had already pushed her cart up came back down and helped Sister Stephens and her companion with their car...

lds.org Two years ago I wrote a post about our attitude toward mission calls . Yesterday, I read this passage from Elder W. Christopher Waddell's General Conference talk, " The Opportunity of a Lifetime ," in October 2011. We have a Father in Heaven, who knows us—our strengths and weaknesses, our abilities and potential. He knows which mission president and companions and which members and investigators we need in order to become the missionary, the husband and father, and the priesthood holder we are capable of becoming. Prophets, seers, and revelators assign missionaries under the direction and influence of the Holy Ghost. Inspired mission presidents direct transfers every six weeks and quickly learn that the Lord knows exactly where He wants each missionary to serve.   A few years ago, Elder Javier Misiego, from Madrid, Spain, was serving a full-time mission in Arizona. At that time, his mission call to the United States appeared somewhat unusual, as most y...

I loved the whole talk, so I posted the video for you to watch. Read Elder Christofferson's talk from April 2011 General Conference here. Sharing Time: What stuck out to you in this talk?

I have always loved the parable of the laborers in the vineyard , which I shared in a previous post . But when Elder Holland spoke in General Conference about that parable , his deeper interpretation really struck me, particularly when he said: Then this piercing question to anyone then or now who needs to hear it: “ Why should you be jealous because I choose to be kind? ” Brothers and sisters, there are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt—and certainly not to feel envious—when good fortune comes to another person? We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other to see who is the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful or even the most blessed. The race we are really in is the race against sin, and surely envy is one of the most universal of those. Furthermore, envy is a mistake that ...

My favorite moments from the 182nd Annual General Conference: Favorite Quotes " 'You can't be right by doing wrong; you can't be wrong by doing right.' " ~Elder Soares quoting President Monson " 'Don't judge me because I sin differently than you.' " ~President Uchtdorf (from a bumper sticker he saw) "If a printing shop explodes, will it produce a dictionary?" ~Elder Nelson Favorite Talks Sister Esplin on teaching children. She gave very touching real-life examples. Elder Holland on the parable of the laborers in the vineyard ( Matthew 20:1-16 ). This parable has great meaning to me ( read my post on it here ), so I appreciated how enlightening and in depth his talk was. Elder Wilson on proper priesthood usage. I especially liked his opening story about driving with his wife. Favorite Musical Number "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the Sunday morning session. T...