LDS General Conference Discussion Thread

[cseitter]

I watched President Packer's talk from LDS.org and I found it a little hard to follow. His talk had a few anecdotes so I found it hard to get the message from watching it, other than children are an important part of the family. Now reading it was quite different. In the April Ensign there is an article about getting the most out of the April Conference (pgs 8 and 9) and I followed their suggestions. It was tremendously beneficial.

 

Creating an outline of his talk helped me to get past the anecodotes to note and reflect on his real intended message (in my opinion) which is that it is our responsiblility as parents to show our devotion to our families.

 

His first point was that it takes a man and a women to create children but children need a Mother and a Father and this should be done within a marriage. I found this to be especially touching as my first husband was not a part of my oldest's life after our divorce but my current DH has adopted him and is his Father. So you can create children but it is a completely different calling to be a Mother and a Father and we need to make the most of it. "It is the challenge of mortality to be a worthy and responsible parent"

 

Second principle, That we are not perfect as people or as parents and that applying the Atonement to our lives will help us to overcome any mistakes we make along the way. He points out that the Atonement can help bad experiences and the pain connected to them can be erased with the Atonement. As a parent, I make mistakes daily if not what seems like every minute. I try not to beat myself up over them but I know that my Heavenly Father sees the effort I put into my family, right or wrong, and will judge me accordingly. My favorite quote from the entire talk is " It is not easy, but life was never meant to be either easy or fair. Repentence and the lasting hope that forgiveness brings will ALWAYS be worth the effort."

 

He talks about couples that have children and couples that do not. I thought it was wonderful that he spoke of families that were unable to have children will be held to the standard that they yearned for children but were unable to have one when others are able and choose not to. "Righteous yearning and longing will be fulfilled"

 

We need to remember that our Family comes first in all things and that it is our responsibility and our joy to raise our children to be righteous young men and young women and to keep that in the forefront of our minds.

 

The Great Discovery "We learn far more from our children about what really matters than we ever did our parents" This struck home with me. I think of all the lecturing I do with my kids and repeating myself or yelling about whatever. Do I ever stop to LISTEN to them? To understand where THEY are coming from and worried about?

 

As I reflected on the teachings of this talk I decided to flip back to the April Ensign to the Getting the Most out of Conference article to see what else I could do to get the most from this talk. I thought about what I could do for my children to show my devotion to them. Interestingly enough, I turned the page in the magazine and the very next article is "Taking Time to Talk and Listen" by Rosemary M. Wixom Primary General President (pgs 10-13). Basically, this is what I was looking for or what I needed to do. Shut up and Listen. Now, of course, that is not what she said exactly but it is what I need to do. It struck me as well that she quotes President Faust from 29 years ago saying that "One of the main problems in families today is that we spend less and less time together" that was 29 YEARS ago.

 

Turn off the tv and talk. Play with your children, listen to them, and make them feel and know that they are your world. Let them know that Your family is worthy of your devotion. :)

[Xuzi]

The Great Discovery "We learn far more from our children about what really matters than we ever did our parents" This struck home with me. I think of all the lecturing I do with my kids and repeating myself or yelling about whatever. Do I ever stop to LISTEN to them? To understand where THEY are coming from and worried about?

 

As I reflected on the teachings of this talk I decided to flip back to the April Ensign to the Getting the Most out of Conference article to see what else I could do to get the most from this talk. I thought about what I could do for my children to show my devotion to them. Interestingly enough, I turned the page in the magazine and the very next article is "Taking Time to Talk and Listen" by Rosemary M. Wixom Primary General President (pgs 10-13). Basically, this is what I was looking for or what I needed to do. Shut up and Listen. Now, of course, that is not what she said exactly but it is what I need to do. It struck me as well that she quotes President Faust from 29 years ago saying that "One of the main problems in families today is that we spend less and less time together" that was 29 YEARS ago.

 

Turn off the tv and talk. Play with your children, listen to them, and make them feel and know that they are your world. Let them know that Your family is worthy of your devotion. :)

 

Wow, thank you for sharing all of that! I agree that message of Pres. Packer's talk was a bit hard to grasp at first, but wow! I know he can sometimes be a rather polarizing Apostle, but so often his messages just hit home in very powerful ways. I always look forward to Pres. Packer's talks.

 

And now I'm thinking DH and I need to read that article! We both could do better at truly listening to our kids.

 

I've been feeling strongly lately that I need to really get to know who my children are, if I want to teach and guide them properly. It's been seeing my son's nail biting habit, and realizing the futility of trying to "cure" him of it, that's made me want to "dig deeper" to see what other traits and quirks my kids have, so that I don't end up wasting time and energy trying to "cure" things that are just a part of their personality, possibly damaging my relationship with them in the process. That's not to say that there aren't some personality traits that *ought* to be curbed, but seeing it and addressing it as being an outward sign of their inner person, rather than as willful disobedience, might help me keep a firmer grasp on my patience, and help me be more effective in "training" them in the way they ought to go. I hope. :tongue_smilie:

[meggie]

I watched President Packer's talk from LDS.org and I found it a little hard to follow. His talk had a few anecdotes so I found it hard to get the message from watching it, other than children are an important part of the family. Now reading it was quite different. In the April Ensign there is an article about getting the most out of the April Conference (pgs 8 and 9) and I followed their suggestions. It was tremendously beneficial.

 

Creating an outline of his talk helped me to get past the anecodotes to note and reflect on his real intended message (in my opinion) which is that it is our responsiblility as parents to show our devotion to our families.

 

His first point was that it takes a man and a women to create children but children need a Mother and a Father and this should be done within a marriage. I found this to be especially touching as my first husband was not a part of my oldest's life after our divorce but my current DH has adopted him and is his Father. So you can create children but it is a completely different calling to be a Mother and a Father and we need to make the most of it. "It is the challenge of mortality to be a worthy and responsible parent"

 

Second principle, That we are not perfect as people or as parents and that applying the Atonement to our lives will help us to overcome any mistakes we make along the way. He points out that the Atonement can help bad experiences and the pain connected to them can be erased with the Atonement. As a parent, I make mistakes daily if not what seems like every minute. I try not to beat myself up over them but I know that my Heavenly Father sees the effort I put into my family, right or wrong, and will judge me accordingly. My favorite quote from the entire talk is " It is not easy, but life was never meant to be either easy or fair. Repentence and the lasting hope that forgiveness brings will ALWAYS be worth the effort."

 

He talks about couples that have children and couples that do not. I thought it was wonderful that he spoke of families that were unable to have children will be held to the standard that they yearned for children but were unable to have one when others are able and choose not to. "Righteous yearning and longing will be fulfilled"

 

We need to remember that our Family comes first in all things and that it is our responsibility and our joy to raise our children to be righteous young men and young women and to keep that in the forefront of our minds.

 

The Great Discovery "We learn far more from our children about what really matters than we ever did our parents" This struck home with me. I think of all the lecturing I do with my kids and repeating myself or yelling about whatever. Do I ever stop to LISTEN to them? To understand where THEY are coming from and worried about?

 

As I reflected on the teachings of this talk I decided to flip back to the April Ensign to the Getting the Most out of Conference article to see what else I could do to get the most from this talk. I thought about what I could do for my children to show my devotion to them. Interestingly enough, I turned the page in the magazine and the very next article is "Taking Time to Talk and Listen" by Rosemary M. Wixom Primary General President (pgs 10-13). Basically, this is what I was looking for or what I needed to do. Shut up and Listen. Now, of course, that is not what she said exactly but it is what I need to do. It struck me as well that she quotes President Faust from 29 years ago saying that "One of the main problems in families today is that we spend less and less time together" that was 29 YEARS ago.

 

Turn off the tv and talk. Play with your children, listen to them, and make them feel and know that they are your world. Let them know that Your family is worthy of your devotion. :)

 

 

Thank you, what an excellent post. I'm going to go find that Ensign article and try this with the other talks.

 

And I don't have time to reply to everyone, but I did want to say "Thank you" to everyone who gave me some great advice. I downloaded all the sessions and put them on my mp3 player. I'll get to listen while washing dishes.

[cseitter]

I've been feeling strongly lately that I need to really get to know who my children are, if I want to teach and guide them properly. It's been seeing my son's nail biting habit, and realizing the futility of trying to "cure" him of it, that's made me want to "dig deeper" to see what other traits and quirks my kids have, so that I don't end up wasting time and energy trying to "cure" things that are just a part of their personality, possibly damaging my relationship with them in the process. That's not to say that there aren't some personality traits that *ought* to be curbed, but seeing it and addressing it as being an outward sign of their inner person, rather than as willful disobedience, might help me keep a firmer grasp on my patience, and help me be more effective in "training" them in the way they ought to go. I hope. :tongue_smilie:

 

That is what the article talks about. That you miss so much by trying to teach, lecture and drill into your kids about what they should instead of just listening to them and learning about who they are. I thought it was a fabulous article and went perfectly with President Packers talk.

 

I am studying a talk a week and trying to apply the principles in my life. :) I really want to stick to this so I am going to post my thoughts once a week on the talk I am studying. I hope no one minds keeping this thread alive for a while and reading my thoughts on the subjects. :001_smile:

[Forget-Me-Not]

I watched President Packer's talk from LDS.org and I found it a little hard to follow. His talk had a few anecdotes so I found it hard to get the message from watching it, other than children are an important part of the family. Now reading it was quite different. In the April Ensign there is an article about getting the most out of the April Conference (pgs 8 and 9) and I followed their suggestions. It was tremendously beneficial.

 

Creating an outline of his talk helped me to get past the anecodotes to note and reflect on his real intended message (in my opinion) which is that it is our responsiblility as parents to show our devotion to our families.

 

His first point was that it takes a man and a women to create children but children need a Mother and a Father and this should be done within a marriage. I found this to be especially touching as my first husband was not a part of my oldest's life after our divorce but my current DH has adopted him and is his Father. So you can create children but it is a completely different calling to be a Mother and a Father and we need to make the most of it. "It is the challenge of mortality to be a worthy and responsible parent"

 

Second principle, That we are not perfect as people or as parents and that applying the Atonement to our lives will help us to overcome any mistakes we make along the way. He points out that the Atonement can help bad experiences and the pain connected to them can be erased with the Atonement. As a parent, I make mistakes daily if not what seems like every minute. I try not to beat myself up over them but I know that my Heavenly Father sees the effort I put into my family, right or wrong, and will judge me accordingly. My favorite quote from the entire talk is " It is not easy, but life was never meant to be either easy or fair. Repentence and the lasting hope that forgiveness brings will ALWAYS be worth the effort."

 

He talks about couples that have children and couples that do not. I thought it was wonderful that he spoke of families that were unable to have children will be held to the standard that they yearned for children but were unable to have one when others are able and choose not to. "Righteous yearning and longing will be fulfilled"

 

We need to remember that our Family comes first in all things and that it is our responsibility and our joy to raise our children to be righteous young men and young women and to keep that in the forefront of our minds.

 

The Great Discovery "We learn far more from our children about what really matters than we ever did our parents" This struck home with me. I think of all the lecturing I do with my kids and repeating myself or yelling about whatever. Do I ever stop to LISTEN to them? To understand where THEY are coming from and worried about?

 

As I reflected on the teachings of this talk I decided to flip back to the April Ensign to the Getting the Most out of Conference article to see what else I could do to get the most from this talk. I thought about what I could do for my children to show my devotion to them. Interestingly enough, I turned the page in the magazine and the very next article is "Taking Time to Talk and Listen" by Rosemary M. Wixom Primary General President (pgs 10-13). Basically, this is what I was looking for or what I needed to do. Shut up and Listen. Now, of course, that is not what she said exactly but it is what I need to do. It struck me as well that she quotes President Faust from 29 years ago saying that "One of the main problems in families today is that we spend less and less time together" that was 29 YEARS ago.

 

Turn off the tv and talk. Play with your children, listen to them, and make them feel and know that they are your world. Let them know that Your family is worthy of your devotion. :)

 

I just re-listened to that one on Saturday and got more out of it too. Like you, I had trouble picking out the heart of the talk with all the anecdotes (though those stories make my heart ache).

[Xuzi]

I am studying a talk a week and trying to apply the principles in my life. :) I really want to stick to this so I am going to post my thoughts once a week on the talk I am studying. I hope no one minds keeping this thread alive for a while and reading my thoughts on the subjects. :001_smile:

 

Not at all! I look forward to your posts! :)

[mamatohaleybug]

I'm loving this thread. I'm not replying much because I'm usually reading from my phone and typing is a PITB on it. But I'm reading, so keep writing! :tongue_smilie:

 

I was incredibly moved my Elder Holland's talk. I've thought about it every day since. It really spoke to me in a powerful way. :001_wub:

[cougarmom4]

I haven't read very much on this thread, and only seem to have snippets of time so I haven't commented...

But I wanted to tell you guys about a blog I have run into that goes over a conference talk each week. Diapersandivinity.com. Some of you might enjoy checking it out. The goal is to study one conference talk a week before the next conference and then discuss it together. (granted, I realize you may prefer discussing things here with other wtm mamas...)

 

I will keep listening in! I do love hearing other sister's perspectives and insights.

[MamaSheep]

I've definitely learned a lot from being my children's parent. Ds especially. Since most "standard" parenting techniques just never really worked with him, I had to learn to listen carefully (which was interesting since he has a communication disorder despite his ginormous vocabulary) and observe closely, make deductions and try things until I found some approaches that actually do work. And I've learned a lot about a lot of other things as well, in the process. It has been quite an education.

 

But even more, it's interesting to me how having children puts things in perspective. Things that seemed so vitally important before, now seem kind of silly and superficial, whereas there are other things that didn't seem like much, but seeing through a parent's eyes now look breathtakingly miraculous. Some of them we have to work a bit harder for due to circumstances, and I look at other parents around me and I sometimes just want to shake them and shout "CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU HAVE?" Which would be rude, of course, and wouldn't make a stitch of difference, because not having had my experiences, those parents simply don't have the perspective to 'see' it. It makes me wonder what astounding miracles are happening right under my nose, but I lack the "eyes" to see it.

 

And I'm loving this thread too (except I feel like I'm talking too much, but can't seem to stop...:blush:). I will be sad to see it go, so I'm more than happy to keep it going. :)

 

Several years ago my dh bought me some cordless headphones as a gift, and I now keep them hooked up to my computer so I can listen to stuff while I do housework. I love them. I listen to conference talks, TED talks, audio books, podcasts, all kinds of things. If you're looking for more LDS-related iPod-able goodies, speeches.byu.edu has some good listening as well. :)

[DianeW88]

I'm loving this thread. I'm not replying much because I'm usually reading from my phone and typing is a PITB on it. But I'm reading, so keep writing! :tongue_smilie:

 

I was incredibly moved my Elder Holland's talk. I've thought about it every day since. It really spoke to me in a powerful way. :001_wub:

 

Me, too! I've found myself thinking about that parable in an entirely different way than I ever have before, and I love that! Honestly, seeing the lesson on envy in it had never occurred to me, and I find myself reflecting on it quite a bit.

 

Plus, I just love Elder Holland. He was my university president in my BYU days, and he never failed to greet as many students as he could by name and took the time to chat and find out how we were doing. Seriously, the man was ALWAYS walking around campus or hanging out in the Wilkinson Center.

 

My favorite memory of him was when I was walking from the library to the Harris Fine Arts Center. He was passing by with a small group of people, and as our paths crossed on the sidewalk, he called out, "Hi, Diane, how are you today?"

 

I looked up to respond and saw that he was standing there with Jimmy Stewart. Yes, THAT Jimmy Stewart!! I don't know what I said, but Elder Holland said, "Mr. Stewart has just finished donating his personal memorabilia and film collection to our library. Be sure to take a look at it when you get a chance." Um, yeah, as soon as I'm done gawking at my favorite actor, I'll get right on that." :w00t: Jimmy Stewart, I'm sure, thought I was a complete imbecile...but that was one of my best days at BYU. Jimmy Stewart said hello to me and shook my hand!

 

Jeffrey Holland was my HERO from that point on. :D

[MamaSheep]

Me, too! I've found myself thinking about that parable in an entirely different way than I ever have before, and I love that! Honestly, seeing the lesson on envy in it had never occurred to me, and I find myself reflecting on it quite a bit.

 

Plus, I just love Elder Holland. He was my university president in my BYU days, and he never failed to greet as many students as he could by name and took the time to chat and find out how we were doing. Seriously, the man was ALWAYS walking around campus or hanging out in the Wilkinson Center.

 

My favorite memory of him was when I was walking from the library to the Harris Fine Arts Center. He was passing by with a small group of people, and as our paths crossed on the sidewalk, he called out, "Hi, Diane, how are you today?"

 

I looked up to respond and saw that he was standing there with Jimmy Stewart. Yes, THAT Jimmy Stewart!! I don't know what I said, but Elder Holland said, "Mr. Stewart has just finished donating his personal memorabilia and film collection to our library. Be sure to take a look at it when you get a chance." Um, yeah, as soon as I'm done gawking at my favorite actor, I'll get right on that." :w00t: Jimmy Stewart, I'm sure, thought I was a complete imbecile...but that was one of my best days at BYU. Jimmy Stewart said hello to me and shook my hand!

 

Jeffrey Holland was my HERO from that point on. :D

 

AWESOME!!!

 

Almost, you make me wish I'd gone to BYU. ;)

[Xuzi]

Me, too! I've found myself thinking about that parable in an entirely different way than I ever have before, and I love that! Honestly, seeing the lesson on envy in it had never occurred to me, and I find myself reflecting on it quite a bit.

 

Plus, I just love Elder Holland. He was my university president in my BYU days, and he never failed to greet as many students as he could by name and took the time to chat and find out how we were doing. Seriously, the man was ALWAYS walking around campus or hanging out in the Wilkinson Center.

 

My favorite memory of him was when I was walking from the library to the Harris Fine Arts Center. He was passing by with a small group of people, and as our paths crossed on the sidewalk, he called out, "Hi, Diane, how are you today?"

 

I looked up to respond and saw that he was standing there with Jimmy Stewart. Yes, THAT Jimmy Stewart!! I don't know what I said, but Elder Holland said, "Mr. Stewart has just finished donating his personal memorabilia and film collection to our library. Be sure to take a look at it when you get a chance." Um, yeah, as soon as I'm done gawking at my favorite actor, I'll get right on that." :w00t: Jimmy Stewart, I'm sure, thought I was a complete imbecile...but that was one of my best days at BYU. Jimmy Stewart said hello to me and shook my hand!

 

Jeffrey Holland was my HERO from that point on. :D

 

Not General Conference (or even church!) related, but my grandmother once had Clark Gable show up on her door step in middle-of-nowhere Utah! He was in the state filming a movie and had heard that my great-grandfather had an antique gun that he was wanting to add to his collection, so he knocked on their door and my 15 year old grandmother answered it and about fainted. :lol: (but they didn't sell him the gun.)

[MamaSheep]

Not General Conference (or even church!) related, but my grandmother once had Clark Gable show up on her door step in middle-of-nowhere Utah! He was in the state filming a movie and had heard that my great-grandfather had an antique gun that he was wanting to add to his collection, so he knocked on their door and my 15 year old grandmother answered it and about fainted. :lol: (but they didn't sell him the gun.)

 

Oooh! My MIL would be SO jealous!

[Live2Ride]

I just downloaded them onto my ipod to listen to one at a time. I'm enjoying reading all of your thoughts and I just want to add a big :iagree: to many of them, lol...but then feel like I'm not really discussing them. So now I'm off to do some listening while I work in the barn and yard. I'll be back to return and report :D

[DianeW88]

AWESOME!!!

 

Almost, you make me wish I'd gone to BYU. ;)

 

I will bring you to the dark side eventually, Amy!! :lol:

[DianeW88]

Not General Conference (or even church!) related, but my grandmother once had Clark Gable show up on her door step in middle-of-nowhere Utah! He was in the state filming a movie and had heard that my great-grandfather had an antique gun that he was wanting to add to his collection, so he knocked on their door and my 15 year old grandmother answered it and about fainted. :lol: (but they didn't sell him the gun.)

 

Now THAT would have been fun!! If I were your grandma, I would have plagued him with questions about filming "Gone With the Wind". Assuming this happened after 1939, of course. :D

[Xuzi]

Now THAT would have been fun!! If I were your grandma, I would have plagued him with questions about filming "Gone With the Wind". Assuming this happened after 1939, of course. :D

 

No, sadly, pre-1939. I want to say 1934-5? (My grandma was born in 1919)

[MamaSheep]

I didn't have time to listen to any talks today (spent most of my afternoon doing a parent interview for a study on anxiety in autistic kids...whew!) but I thought of you guys because we were just talking about Elder Packer, and my parents' email from the MTC says he was a surprise speaker there this past week and they enjoyed meeting him. Apparently he suggested that the older missionaries could "lengthen their shuffle". Among other things. :)

[Xuzi]

I didn't have time to listen to any talks today (spent most of my afternoon doing a parent interview for a study on anxiety in autistic kids...whew!) but I thought of you guys because we were just talking about Elder Packer, and my parents' email from the MTC says he was a surprise speaker there this past week and they enjoyed meeting him. Apparently he suggested that the older missionaries could "lengthen their shuffle". Among other things. :)

 

:lol:

[garddwr]

Me, too! I've found myself thinking about that parable in an entirely different way than I ever have before, and I love that! Honestly, seeing the lesson on envy in it had never occurred to me, and I find myself reflecting on it quite a bit.

 

Plus, I just love Elder Holland. He was my university president in my BYU days, and he never failed to greet as many students as he could by name and took the time to chat and find out how we were doing. Seriously, the man was ALWAYS walking around campus or hanging out in the Wilkinson Center.

 

My favorite memory of him was when I was walking from the library to the Harris Fine Arts Center. He was passing by with a small group of people, and as our paths crossed on the sidewalk, he called out, "Hi, Diane, how are you today?"

 

I looked up to respond and saw that he was standing there with Jimmy Stewart. Yes, THAT Jimmy Stewart!! I don't know what I said, but Elder Holland said, "Mr. Stewart has just finished donating his personal memorabilia and film collection to our library. Be sure to take a look at it when you get a chance." Um, yeah, as soon as I'm done gawking at my favorite actor, I'll get right on that." :w00t: Jimmy Stewart, I'm sure, thought I was a complete imbecile...but that was one of my best days at BYU. Jimmy Stewart said hello to me and shook my hand!

 

Jeffrey Holland was my HERO from that point on. :D

 

In the vein of famous people showing up at BYU, I well remember the Sunday when Larry King attended our student ward sacrament meeting with his then-fiancee. Don't know why they chose to come to our ward, but I was glad I wasn't speaking that day--speaking makes me nervous anyway, without any famous faces in the audience!

[Julie in Austin]

Here's a total hijack--my 11yo daughter was given Easter candy at church today (like every other kid). She carefully picked through it to make sure that none of it had her allergens. But one piece of candy looked just like a Cadbury mini-egg (safe), and was full of peanut butter. She got sick and it was no fun. Her system goes into full reverse, luckily, so that is unpleasant but much better than anaphylaxis.

 

So we've had a more stressful Easter than we had hoped for. She's feeling better now, though--just tired and ready for bed.

 

It has been several years since she ran into a peanut, so we've been very fortunate. I suppose it had to happen one of these days.

 

This is why I wish people actually followed the "no food in primary" rule.

 

I always laugh when people think Mormon are sheep--look at our compliance with rules like this (or the home teaching stats) and then talk to me about what mindless obediacs we are!

[VeganCupcake]

In the vein of famous people showing up at BYU, I well remember the Sunday when Larry King attended our student ward sacrament meeting with his then-fiancee. Don't know why they chose to come to our ward, but I was glad I wasn't speaking that day--speaking makes me nervous anyway, without any famous faces in the audience!

 

Waaaaaaaaait a second, was that in the FLSR? During the summer? I missed sacrament meeting that day and heard all about it later. :tongue_smilie:

[garddwr]

Waaaaaaaaait a second, was that in the FLSR? During the summer? I missed sacrament meeting that day and heard all about it later. :tongue_smilie:

 

Yep, it was. What house were you in? I spent time in French, Japanese, and German houses...

[dangermom]

This is why I wish people actually followed the "no food in primary" rule.

 

 

Yeah, wouldn't that be nice? Usually it's not too big a problem; she's very careful and people are very good about it. This person was a sub, and she didn't realize that the PB candy was even in the bag. Ironically, she has her own life-threatening allergies! I know these things happen and I'm not blaming her (my kid should have been more careful--candy has always been her weak spot and stealth Easter candy in disguise is hard to identify), but I would be happy if there was actually no food in Primary.

[TexasRachel]

Actually, the new handbook states to follow the direction of your priesthood in regards to food on primary. Not sure why they changed it.

[missmoe]

Actually, the new handbook states to follow the direction of your priesthood in regards to food on primary. Not sure why they changed it.

 

Our ward deals with food in primary by having the bishop hand out treats. The kids who have given talks, scriptures, prayers, or had exceptional behavior get to take a ticket down to the bishop's office after church. I kinda like this. The bishop gets to talk to the kids about what they did to earn the ticket, and he is good about having different types of treats.

 

On another note, I just started attending RS and treats are handed out every week there!

[MamaSheep]

This is why I wish people actually followed the "no food in primary" rule.

 

I always laugh when people think Mormon are sheep--look at our compliance with rules like this (or the home teaching stats) and then talk to me about what mindless obediacs we are!

 

Seriously. Anyone who thinks that has never driven on a freeway in Utah. :glare:

 

(Says the Mormon gal with "sheep" in her forum name...lol....)

Edited April 11, 2012 by MamaSheep

[garddwr]

On another note, I just started attending RS and treats are handed out every week there!

 

I want to come to your ward:001_smile:

[VeganCupcake]

Yep, it was. What house were you in? I spent time in French, Japanese, and German houses...

 

Russian house for 2 years. :) I bet we know each other. How funny!

[gardenmom5]

Seriously. Anyone who thinks that has never driven on a freeway in Utah. :glare:

 

(Says the Mormon gal with "sheep" in her forum name...lol....)

 

yeah - there's a reason the freeway picked up the nickname of "the luge". dh - who lived in utah for many years, vowed to never drive our own car there again . . .

don't forget the jaywalking . . . .

[MamaSheep]

yeah - there's a reason the freeway picked up the nickname of "the luge". dh - who lived in utah for many years, vowed to never drive our own car there again . . .

don't forget the jaywalking . . . .

 

Oh and there's been lots and lots of freeway construction too. They keep rearranging the lanes so you're never quite sure just where the road will take you next. It's quite the ride. Especially since speed limit signs are, as my mother says when she comes to visit, considered merely decorative.

 

I will say, though, that it's nice how drivers actually allow the jaywalkers to cross safely here. When we lived in Georgia you weren't even safe on a crosswalk. :001_smile:

 

No conference talk again for me today. Dh's brother called this morning to say that their dad's ongoing health issues are now such that he's down to maybe a couple more weeks with us, and we're preparing to send dh out there on Friday for an extended visit so he can say goodbye and help his brother with all the "necessary arrangements". Life is a funny ol' thing, isn't it?

Edited April 12, 2012 by MamaSheep

[mamatohaleybug]

I'm sorry to hear that, Amy. I'm flying to Utah this weekend to visit my grandparents because of similar news. :(

 

And speaking of flying to Utah, all this talk of interstate driving there reminds me why I'm so excited to drive around with all of the crazies! :/ LOL

[DianeW88]

So sorry about your FIL, Amy. :grouphug:

 

And Mamatohaleybug, the construction is only REALLY bad in Utah county right now. If you're heading north of Salt Lake, it's actually the best it's been in years. Of course, construction season isn't in full swing yet.

 

But I was down at UVU last week...and holy cow!! What a stinking mess it is on the freeway! Ugh...how do you all stand it. Glad I don't live in American Fork right now!!

[MamaSheep]

Thanks for the sympathies. This isn't unexpected, but it's sure hard on dh. His mom passed in October, and then we had the miscarriage in January, and now his dad. It's been a rough year for all of us, but especially for dh.

 

mamatohaleybug, I'm sorry to hear you've had sad news too. :grouphug: As Diane says, the road construction fairy is focusing her attention on Utah County right now. Since that's where I live I'm finding it particularly aggravating right now. But either north or south of here it clears up considerably. And up north especially the roads are lovely, wide and smooth and with actual permanent signs so you can tell where you are and how far it is to where you want to go. Diane, I don't know about everyone else down here, but I survive by not going on the freeway unless it's really necessary, and then going at off times whenever possible, trying to allow extra time to get there just in case, and daydreaming about how nice it will be when all those new lanes are actually available to drive in all the time and in the proper direction. I will say, though, that the very thorough rearrangement of our town's on/off ramps is starting to really get to me. And I'll admit we haven't taken many field trips to the zoo, aquarium, planetarium, or dino museum up your way this year. :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: I would be seriously surprised if I find time to spend on a conference talk today. I'm picking my parents up from the MTC today because their flight for Germany doesn't leave until Monday and it's cheaper to stay at my house than any of their other options. Yesterday when we decided dh needed to leave tomorrow morning we also decided to bump ds's 15th birthday celebration up to tonight so that his dad and grandparents could be here for it (his birthday isn't until next week). For his birthday cake he wants that really yummy cheesecake it takes three hours to bake. And dh needs some specific laundry done so he can pack. And Mom and Dad need to stop at a bookstore because the one at the MTC doesn't have a book they wanted for the trip (about Pres. Monson's involvement with getting the Freiburg temple built behind the iron curtain). Fortunately all the birthday presents have been purchased already and just need to be wrapped...assuming I can remember where they all got stashed....sigh. Yes, it's going to be one of those days around here. But I'll check back here later and see if someone else was able to focus on a conference talk, and maybe I can pick up a few crumbs from their feast.

Edited April 12, 2012 by MamaSheep

[missmoe]

We read Brother Packer's talk as a family yesterday. Like cseittter mentioned it was hard to get to the heart of the talk with the anecdotes.

 

I understood the talk to be about the responsiblilities of parents. As a parent of a young adult, I'm realizing how parenting changes but continues at this age. This talk spoke to me about my responsiblities continueing. I also took hope from the story that President Packer's parents weren't model church members and yet he grew up to be strong in the church.

 

I found it interesting that my children had a whole different take on this talk. They all took from this talk that we are commanded to be like little children and Christ is the ultimate example of that.

 

Our family is following Kristiana's example and reading all of the conference talks as a family.

[MamaSheep]

I thought of you people when I was driving up the freeway to the airport and back this morning and found myself obstructing traffic even though I was already going 10mph over the limit...:glare:. But dh is off on the plane, and Mom and Dad are in the basement repacking their bags for Germany (they've been told the weight limit is less than they thought, so we'll be storing a box of their things for a couple of years). And I actually found a few minutes to listen to another talk.

 

This time it was Elder Scott's talk, "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life". I always find that Elder Scott has very interesting things to say--but I have a VERY hard time listening to him talk because somehow the tone and cadence of his voice always make me too sleepy to process properly. I always get more out of his talks in print. And today I found that listening while reading is even better because then I get the subtle emphasis here and there that's communicated by tone of voice and doesn't come across as well in print, but reading along helps keep my brain focused.

 

One thing I thought was interesting was what he had to say about our connections with loved ones on the other side of the veil, and his reminder that they're still part of our family and church community and they participate in the Lord's work there, just as we do here.

 

I also liked these quotes:

 

"One of the great lessons that each of us needs to learn is to ask. Why does the Lord want us to pray to Him and to ask? Because that is how revelation is received.

 

When I am faced with a very difficult matter, this is how I try to understand what to do. I fast. I pray to find and understand scriptures that will be helpful. That process is cyclical. I start reading a passage of scripture; I ponder what the verse means and pray for inspiration. I then ponder and pray to know if I have captured all the Lord wants me to do. Often more impressions come with increased understanding of doctrine. I have found that pattern to be a good way to learn from the scriptures.

 

There are some practical principles that enhance revelation. First, yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost. Those emotions must be eliminated, or our chance for receiving revelation is slight.

 

Another principle is to be cautious with humor. Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the Spirit. A good sense of humor helps revelation; loud laughter does not. A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life.

 

Another enemy to revelation comes from exaggeration or loudness in what is stated. Careful, quiet speech will favor the receipt of revelation.

 

On the other hand, spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices. Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep, and good eating habits increase our capacity to receive and understand revelation. We will live for our appointed life span. However, we can improve both the quality of our service and our well-being by making careful, appropriate choices.

 

It is important that our daily activities do not distract us from listening to the Spirit."

...

"For spirituality to grow stronger and more available, it must be planted in a righteous environment. Haughtiness, pride, and conceit are like stony ground that will never produce spiritual fruit.

 

Humility is a fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of inspiration to know what to do. It gives access to divine power to accomplish what must be done. An individual motivated by a desire for praise or recognition will not qualify to be taught by the Spirit. An individual who is arrogant or who lets his or her emotions influence decisions will not be powerfully led by the Spirit."

...

"If you feel that God has not answered your prayers, ponder these scriptures—then carefully look for evidence in your own life that He may have already answered you.

 

Two indicators that a feeling or prompting comes from God are that it produces peace in your heart and a quiet, warm feeling. As you follow the principles I have discussed, you will be prepared to recognize revelation at critical times in your own life."

...

"Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege. It is based upon eternal, unchanging principles. We receive help from our Father in Heaven in response to our faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency."

 

[Amira]

During President Uchtdorf's Sunday morning talk I noticed that he didn't directly quote the KJV all the time. I appreciated that because instead he used words that were much easier to understand, particularly for children or non-native English speakers. I don't know if he just chose to reword things, or if he used another translation (there have been other times people have quoted other versions in conference and the footnotes tell you that) because the notes for his talk don't make that clear.

 

Anyway, I was glad to see that. I like the KJV and am fine with its being our official version, but since it often obscures the meaning even for competent English speakers, I was glad to see President Uchtdorf's flexibility.

[MamaSheep]

Ok ladies, here's the dish. Mom and Dad were here again this past weekend in between the end of their MTC training and their plane ticket to Germany (dropped them off at the airport Monday morning). Mom mentioned how awesome it was to sing "Called to Serve" with that many enthusiastic voices, and I mentioned that I'd seen photos floating around of David Archuleta in the missionary choir at conference and wondered if she'd seen him at the MTC. She said only once that she knew of, but she probably wouldn't recognize him if she had seen him other times. She was in the cafeteria with another older lady and wondered aloud what the flock of sister missionaries on the other side of the room was about. The sister she was with said that they were talking to David Archuleta, and then enthused about what a wonderful young man he was to sacrifice so much to go on a mission. Then Mom asked me to tell her who he was, and what on earth he'd sacrificed, and why the girls were vying so for his attention. She never did pay much attention to celebrities.

[DianeW88]

Ok ladies, here's the dish. Mom and Dad were here again this past weekend in between the end of their MTC training and their plane ticket to Germany (dropped them off at the airport Monday morning). Mom mentioned how awesome it was to sing "Called to Serve" with that many enthusiastic voices, and I mentioned that I'd seen photos floating around of David Archuleta in the missionary choir at conference and wondered if she'd seen him at the MTC. She said only once that she knew of, but she probably wouldn't recognize him if she had seen him other times. She was in the cafeteria with another older lady and wondered aloud what the flock of sister missionaries on the other side of the room was about. The sister she was with said that they were talking to David Archuleta, and then enthused about what a wonderful young man he was to sacrifice so much to go on a mission. Then Mom asked me to tell her who he was, and what on earth he'd sacrificed, and why the girls were vying so for his attention. She never did pay much attention to celebrities.

 

:lol::lol::lol: Poor Elder Archuleta!

[VeganCupcake]

Ok ladies, here's the dish. Mom and Dad were here again this past weekend in between the end of their MTC training and their plane ticket to Germany (dropped them off at the airport Monday morning). Mom mentioned how awesome it was to sing "Called to Serve" with that many enthusiastic voices, and I mentioned that I'd seen photos floating around of David Archuleta in the missionary choir at conference and wondered if she'd seen him at the MTC. She said only once that she knew of, but she probably wouldn't recognize him if she had seen him other times. She was in the cafeteria with another older lady and wondered aloud what the flock of sister missionaries on the other side of the room was about. The sister she was with said that they were talking to David Archuleta, and then enthused about what a wonderful young man he was to sacrifice so much to go on a mission. Then Mom asked me to tell her who he was, and what on earth he'd sacrificed, and why the girls were vying so for his attention. She never did pay much attention to celebrities.

 

That is terribly cute. :D

[Xuzi]

Have y'all seen this? :lol:

[Heidi]

Have y'all seen this? :lol:

:svengo::lol:

[DianeW88]

Have y'all seen this? :lol:

 

Bahahahaha! :lol::lol::lol: I love it!

[jennsmile]

Actually, the new handbook states to follow the direction of your priesthood in regards to food on primary. Not sure why they changed it.

On a primary yahoo group, I am on it was mentioned that we are world wide church and in some countries they feed the primary children their one decent meal of the week.

 

Personally I would love a NO CANDY in Primary rule. By all means feed them some fruit or veggies or something healthy.

[MamaSheep]

On a primary yahoo group, I am on it was mentioned that we are world wide church and in some countries they feed the primary children their one decent meal of the week.

 

Personally I would love a NO CANDY in Primary rule. By all means feed them some fruit or veggies or something healthy.

 

Super good point.

[MamaSheep]

I posted about my mom here because we'd discussed Elder Archuleta here before and I thought you guys would get a giggle out of it.

 

But...is anyone still interested in discussing conference talks, or has that topic run its course? I've spent the last few days up to my neck in other stuff, but dh has been sent off to Maryland, Mom and Dad have been shipped out to Germany, ds's birthday has been celebrated early so all and sundry would still be here for the homemade cheesecake (because, let's face it--me with half a cheesecake and no husband...not a pretty picture), and most of the physical fallout of such business has been tidied away, and I find myself with room to breathe a little again. I see that nobody has posted here much in the meantime. I'm finally getting back to going through the talks one at a time so I can focus on them, and I'm happy to post in here about it, but I don't want to be talking to myself. What say you?

 

On the off chance anyone cares (tee hee) today I decided that I couldn't remember where I'd left off, and didn't want to take the time to figure that out. I knew I hadn't listened to the priesthood session yet, so I decided to start at the top of that one and work my way down. So far I've only listened to Elder Bednar's talk. Here are bits that stood out to me:

 

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands apart from other churches that claim their authority is derived from historical succession, the scriptures, or theological training. We make the distinctive declaration that priesthood authority has been conferred by the laying on of hands directly from heavenly messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith."

...

"The priesthood is the authority of God delegated to men on the earth to act in all things for the salvation of mankind. Priesthood is the means whereby the Lord acts through men to save souls. One of the defining features of the Church of Jesus Christ, both anciently and today, is His authority. There can be no true Church without divine authority.

 

Ordinary men are given the authority of the priesthood. Worthiness and willingness—not experience, expertise, or education—are the qualifications for priesthood ordination"

...

 

"A priesthood holder is expected to exercise this sacred authority in accordance with God’s holy mind, will, and purposes. Nothing about the priesthood is self-centered. The priesthood always is used to serve, to bless, and to strengthen other people."

...

"“It is not enough to receive the priesthood and then sit back passively and wait until someone prods us into activity. When we receive the priesthood, we have the obligation of becoming actively and anxiously engaged in promoting the cause of righteousness in the earth, because the Lord says:

 

“‘… He that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is ****ed’ [D&C 58:29]”"

...

 

"The power of the priesthood is God’s power operating through men and boys like us and requires personal righteousness, faithfulness, obedience, and diligence. A boy or a man may receive priesthood authority by the laying on of hands but will have no priesthood power if he is disobedient, unworthy, or unwilling to serve.

 

“The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and … the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

 

“That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man” (D&C 121:36–37)"

...

"You and I hold priesthood authority that has been returned to the earth in this dispensation by heavenly messengers, even John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John. And therefore every man who receives the Melchizedek Priesthood can trace his personal line of authority directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope we are grateful for this marvelous blessing. I pray we will be clean and worthy to represent the Lord as we exercise His sacred authority. May each of us qualify for priesthood power."

 

 

I also found his comments about the input he received from the sisters in the church interesting, and pertinent to the discussion we had going here a while back.

 

Good stuff. But...as I say, I don't want to just sit in here muttering to myself...so I probably won't post anymore on this unless others express an interest. :)

Edited April 18, 2012 by MamaSheep

[Xuzi]

Hmm. I'll have to read that one. If only to read the comments from the sisters. :lol:

[dangermom]

Yes, I'm interested! I know I've been pretty much AWOL from this thread but I'm reading it. :) The whole Easter stealth candy poison debacle kind of threw me for a loop.

[Julie in Austin]

Actually, the new handbook states to follow the direction of your priesthood in regards to food on primary. Not sure why they changed it.

 

Can you point me to where? I looked but couldn't find it.

[MamaSheep]

Hmm. I'll have to read that one. If only to read the comments from the sisters. :lol:

 

It was just a brief little bit toward the end. I almost quoted it, but I thought the men/women thing has been pretty thoroughly discussed here and didn't want to resurrect it. ;)

 

Yes, I'm interested! I know I've been pretty much AWOL from this thread but I'm reading it. :) The whole Easter stealth candy poison debacle kind of threw me for a loop.

 

Yay! Another interested party!

 

(The candy is part of an insidious Mormon plot to take over the world. You know it is.)