Conference Weekend

Twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, our church holds a general conference. The leaders at church headquarters speak in five different meetings (three on Saturday and two on Sunday) which are broadcast by satellite and the internet throughout the world.

I LOVE conference weekend. I love it for many reasons. Of course I love the uplifting talks, and the great spiritual renewal that I always feel when I listen to conference. But, I must admit that one of my favorite parts of conference is what I call "church in your pajamas". You see, no regular Sunday meetings are held the week of conference, you just get to stay home and watch it on TV, and, in my case, that means in my PJ's. It is such a relaxing weekend because you don't plan much else, and you mostly get to sit around and listen to the word of the Lord. It doesn't get much better than that. I also enjoy discussing with my friends and family the different talks after each session is over. The last couple of conference weekends we were traveling, and although you can often find it on AM radio, it is not the same at all. So, this conference was especially good for me.

Some of my favorite talks were:

Elder L. Tom Perry who spoke on living the simple life. His talk was based on Thoreau and his experience at Walden Pond. Thoreau said that we need only four things to survive; food, clothing, shelter, and fuel. Elder Perry went on to expound on each of those topics from a spiritual perspective. I loved the thought that what we need to do to de-stress is not necessarily pamper ourselves, or take a break, but simplify. That is a very hopeful and peaceful thought. My favorite quote in this talk was, "Just before Thoreau died, he was asked if he had made peace with God. He replied, 'I was not aware we had ever quarreled' ".




President Dieter F. Uchtdorf who spoke on Hope. At the beginning of his talk he told a tear jerker of a story that had me bawling. His talk really moved me. His point was to keep moving forward with hope, and not to let the difficulties of life paralyze us.








Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin who spoke on dealing with the adversities of life (this topic seemed to come up a lot this conference). When he was young he lost a football game. When he explained to his mother why he was so discouraged she said, "Come what may, and love it!" He talked about applying that philosophy to our daily lives, not in a Pollyanna way, but not taking ourselves too seriously.





Elder Carlos A. Gadoy who spoke on receiving a testimony through the process of nurturing the seed. Many small and simple experiences over time that witness to you of the truth of the gospel. It was very sweet, and I could relate

It was a great conference. The gospel means so much to me in my life. If you have ever had any questions about the Mormons, click my button at the top of my blog that says the church's real name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It will take you to a website that will answer most of your questions.

~C