Monday, April 02, 2007

Saturday March 31, 2007 - Morning Session of General Conference

General Conference
News Story from Deseret News
Morning Session

F. Michael Watson (Audio, Text ) gave the statistical report. A hundred thousand or so short of 13 million. Just under 300,000 convert baptisms this year.

Elder Richard G. Scott - Apostle (Audio, Text)
Prayer
The most powerful being in the universe encourages us to have audience with him on a daily basis. This is extended to everyone no matter of worldly status. The audience can be for as long as we want.

Prayers could be improved by:
1. Trying to ask for what he wants for us and not what we want for ourselves.
2. When we don't feel like praying or don't feel worthy of prayer is when we need to pray the most.
3. Don't wait until we encounter a totally over powering problem to go to God in prayer.
4. Do your part to study the problem and work on a solution yourself while waiting on the Lord.

Answers don't necessarily come while you are praying. They come as we exercise faith through our obedience.

Elder Jay E. Jensen - Seventy(Audio, Text)
Music in our meetings should not be a performance. Music becomes a performance when it draws attention to itself.

Music has great power. We can prepare ourselves to receive the messages of church meetings by coming early and listening to the prelude music.

Sing hymns as lullabies for our children.

Inappropriate music drives the Spirit from us.

Elder John B. Dickson - Seventy(Audio, Text)
Directed to the youth of the church.
Word of Wisdom
He said that we are less tempted by things we haven't partaken of. That is a different that what some say about trying something to find out you won't like it or the teaching that one should take time to "sow their wild oats" before they settle down.

Choose before you have to choose. Choose now that vulgar words and jokes will never fall from your lips. Choose now that you will never lie or cheat.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - Apostle(Audio, Text)
He talked of James counseling us that he that bridals his tongue control the entire body is a perfect man. A horse can be controlled with a bit in his mouth. A boat is controlled with a comparably small rudder. The savior said, "Not that which goeth into the mouth adefileth a man; but that which cometh out of the bmouth, this defileth a man." (Matt. 15: 11)

He condemned abuse (verbal, physical, emotional, sexual, or any kind) and also gossip and backbiting. He said to speak positively about everyone including ourselves. "The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh, but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones."—Apocrypha., Ecclesiasticus 28:17 He noted that verbal abuse knows no gender.

One should never call their children names. We should also be careful when comparing children. When we say that one child is smart and one is pretty. All the children here is that one of not smart and one is not pretty.

He said that we should be cheerful. No misfortune is so bad that whining can't make it worse. There was undoubtedly someone in the golden age of society who complained that everything was too yellow.

Elder David A. Bednar - Apostle (Audio, Text)
He talked of how a pickle is created by a specific process. If you alter that process it does not become a pickle. You must prepare the cucumber by cleaning it properly and submerse it in salt brine for a certain time. If you just sprinkle it with salt or just occasionally dunk it in the brine you will not get a pickle.

We must be prepared and follow the process to become born again. Just occasionally reading our scripture, praying, going to church, giving service, performing any of the other parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ does not make us born again. We must be totally immersed in the gospel. Also, the process takes time. It does not happen immediately. One must keep immersed and keep at it.

President Thomas S. Monson - 1st Counselor to the Prophet (Audio, Text)
He shared some thoughts on the hope we have after death. Death is not like some imagine. It is much like going into another room.

He quoted from Acts 7 to talk about the resurrection. "55 But he, being full of the aHoly Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the bglory of cGod, and dJesus estanding on the fright hand of God," We see here the distinct beings, God the Father and His son Jesus Christ.

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