It was a wonderful General Conference weekend! If you missed any or all of the conference, or just want to enjoy the messages again, there are multiple ways to do that.

See the April 2017 General Conference link for videos of all the talks on the LDS.org General Conference page. You can also listen to all the music from the General Conference sessions (such as the hymn that inspired the title of this post, “Rejoice the Lord is King!”).

You can also listen to/watch the April 2017 General Conference via the following links:

LDS General Conference YouTube channel

Mormon Channel YouTube channel

Transcripts will be available in a couple of days, and conference files will be available for the Gospel Library app shortly as well. (You can already access the Women’s Session on the Gospel Library App.)

We would love to hear what stood out to you from conference messages.

Messages about love, light, building on the simple foundation of the gospel plan and principles, faith not fear, and staying centered in Christ are some of the messages rolling around in my mind and heart. After hearing President Monson talk about the Book of Mormon, we started the book over as a family. I’m more committed to focusing on the good in the world and using social media in that positive way.

It was also exciting to hear about five new temples announced.

The post Rejoice! #LDSConf links appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

So far, one of the things that is fascinating me about this General Conference Odyssey project is how different my experience has been each time. Last week, it took me a while to settle on what to write about. This week, it took me all of about three minutes after I began reading the Priesthood Session talks (I started at the bottom of the list) to know what I wanted to write about.

I also started this project with a vision of what topics I’d feel most strongly posting about. But I have tried to stay open to whatever seems to “click” — and so far, what has grabbed my attention has surprised me more often than not. I am pretty sure I was pretty sure Boy Scouts would never be on my radar screen!

This week’s post will be simple because my experience engaging the material was simple. Just an hour or two before picking up my phone to start to read the talks, for some reason I was thinking about the Boy Scouts. More specifically, I was reflecting on why I choose to support Friends of Scouting, even though my son is no longer heavily involved in it (and even as some people choose not to support BSA).

It’s because I have long believed that the Church has stayed in the program as much for boys outside the Church as for those within it. (A recent Mormon Newsroom statement would seem to support that belief.)

In my brief moments when I was reflecting on my choice to support Friends of Scouting, I also imagined how grateful I’d be if my son were the one benefiting from the donations of other people. I also thought of my girls, of others’ daughters, too, and how often I think about the boys who will someday marry them.

Imagine my surprise when the first words I read from the Priesthood Session all but replicated the thoughts I had had about Boy Scouts.

Horace Mann, that great educator somewhere back in the time of Abraham Lincoln, told how he was the speaker at the dedication of a great boys’ school, and in his talk he said, “This school has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars; but if this school is able to save one boy, it is worth all that it cost.” One of his friends came up to him at the close of the meeting and said, “You let your enthusiasm get away with you, didn’t you? You don’t mean what you said that if this school, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, were to save just one boy, it was worth all that it cost? You surely don’t mean that.”

Horace Mann looked at him and said, “Yes, my friend. It would be worth it if that one boy were my son; it would be worth it.”

I want you to know that it would be worth it if it were my grandson, or one of mine. It would be worth it if it were one of yours.

I want to be honest here. Even as I see the value of the program, I’ve never felt a personal connection with or passion for Boy Scouts. We are not outdoorsy people. I don’t do so well with lots of lists and requirements such as those that infuse the BSA program. My son chose not to get his Eagle for various reasons, not the least of which that the expectations for Eagle projects didn’t match his personality style (and his project idea was rejected) and he didn’t want to do a more “typical” project just to check it off a list (nor was I going to force it).

In short, I would be dishonest if I said I wasn’t relieved that we are essentially done with Scouts in our little family.

I share these confessions because all of this doesn’t change how I feel about donating to BSA. My feelings and my little family are, in a sense, beside the point when it comes to responding to a prophetic invitation to support BSA in the big picture. Again, I have long felt there was purpose in that prophetic vision.

So I would like to invite you, if you haven’t already, to consider donating to the BSA Friends of Scouting campaign. Rather than worry about the BSA leaders’ salaries, or why Mormon girls don’t camp and tie knots as much as boys (thank goodness, I say!), consider instead whose son out there you might help (maybe a fatherless boy, or an inner-city boy, or a shy boy who would never do anything on his own but with Scouts gets out of his shell). Consider all the nonprofits and cities and neighborhoods and natural preserves that have benefited from the service of Scouts. Consider even future generations who could be blessed because a boy was busy and involved with Scouting and learned some responsibility and leadership and stayed out of trouble.

I say three cheers for the BSA and all the good that has come of the 100-year-long relationship between it and the Church. Who knows how long that relationship will last, but while it does, I will continue to give my support through Friends of Scouting. I hope you will, too.

– – – – –

Other posts from the General Conference Odyssey are below:

The post Why I support Friends of Scouting appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) believe that we as humans exist because our spirits — created by Heavenly Parents before this world was — give life to our earthly bodies. (And death is simply the separation of the body and spirit. Mormons believe in a universal resurrection, where all will have an immortal body reunited with our spirits.)

We were sent here to this mortal sphere to learn by experience, and to discover and understand and live true to as much spiritual truth as we are able to gain in our lifetimes. Mortality gives us much opportunity to experience opposition, the full range of the sweet and the bitter. The sweet can be so breathtaking. And the bitter can feel leave us feeling like we are being hit by waves, unable to catch a breath.

This weekend, I had a chance to have heart-to-heart talks about opposition, trials, and growth with two of my friends. I listened to each share very personal wrestles (and how God is helping them), and they also listened to me open up about some of the “in the quiet heart” struggles I am facing. Some of these are struggles are fears I’ve dealt with since childhood, things I feel like I “should” be over by now. Tearfully, I expressed to both that I feel foolish struggling with (and sharing) these things. My head says that I “should” be better. (“I have a testimony. My spirit knows and feels the answers to my fears….”) But it’s as though my mortal self is not yet able to truly absorb and be changed by the truths. (Four decades is a long time. It’s hard to undo beliefs and thought/belief patterns that form in childhood. And that’s okay. Things take time.)

My friends were both so kind, reminding me that we each have our struggles. As cliché as that may sound, we truly do have experiences that can seem to push all our buttons and sometimes make us wonder what good could come of such pain.

Speaking of clichés, I don’t believe the cliché that God won’t give us anything we can’t handle. He does sometimes give us more than our mortal selves can handle. What good can come of this? We can experience the sweetness of God’s grace and the way hearts can be knit together when we are willing to allow others to help. Life’s experiences also allow us to have empathy for others, to serve and share and lift with educated hearts. This is what I experienced with and from my friends.

The feeling I had being comforted and encouraged by my friends came back to me as I was reading a 1971 General Conference talk by Ezra Taft Benson. A simple phrase leaped off the screen as I read. Then-Elder Benson (who later became the 13th president of the Church) was talking about how not following the Savior can be detrimental to our spiritual progression. As true as I know that is, the simple phrase that spoke to me was where he talked about “our individual battles to overcome our worlds.”

The kindness shown to me felt even more validated in these words. As much as struggle is just part of mortality,  and there can be commonalities to our struggles, the journey we each walk because of them is so. very. personal. My childhood-turned-adulthood fears are an example of my own “individual battle to overcome [my] world.”

How about you? What personal battle scars do you carry so far in your mortal journey? What fears, beliefs, thoughts, weaknesses, or sins repeat in your life and leave you feeling battle weary, and sometimes in over your head, wondering what good could come of this?

For me, for you, I share what Elder Benson continued to teach:

“[W]e are not without his help. Again and again he told his disciples, and all of us, “Let not your heart be troubled. …”

“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” [Other scriptures add meaning to this one, reminding us that He will do that which is right and expedient with God’s will for us — helping us understand why sometimes our heartfelt pleas are not granted as we would wish, or as quickly as we would like.]

“I will not leave you comfortless. …”

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. …” (John 14:1, 14, 18, 27.)

If there is one thing living prophets and apostles (and ancient ones, too) teach, it’s this: We need Jesus, and He stands at the helm of each of our individual lives (another thought from my weekend conversations) to help us. I hope you can feel of His strength, help, and love as you face your battles and overcome the trials of your own personal world.

– – – – –

Editor’s note: This post is part of a collaborative effort of Mormon bloggers who are reading and writing about General Conference talks. We’ve started with talks from 1971. The goal is to read and write weekly until all of the talks from prophets and apostles are read. If we keep up the pace we have started, we will have caught up by July 2029 with the April 2029 Conference!

This week, we read the following four talks. I would recommend them all.

Out of the Darkness – Joseph Fielding Smith

Voices of the Past, of the Present, of the Future

Love of the Right by Marvin J. Ashton

Life is Eternal by Ezra Taft Benson

Sometimes I hear people wonder and ask about what Mormon doctrine really is. One way to answer that question is to look at the patterns that are repeated across decades, even centuries of time. It’s a very powerful thing to see the messages from the past that are so relevant to the present (note even the title to Spencer W. Kimball’s talk).

Here are the posts by fellow bloggers about this first cluster of General Conference talks. 

Beginnings and Endings

The General Conference Project: The End of the World, the End of Death, and the End of Shame

The Voices of the Prophets

LDS Conference April 1971- Hippies, Drugs, and Failure in the Home

Custodian and Dispenser of Saving Truth

April 1971: Nothing New Here – Just Same Ol’ Mormonism

The post “Our individual battles to overcome our worlds” appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

It’s been quite a firestorm online since the news was leaked that a policy change around the children of same-sex couples was made this week. Here is the official video, an interview with Elder D. Todd Christofferson, that gives some context and explanation about the policy change. (You can also watch the video and read the transcript at this Mormon Newsroom link.)

The whole gamut of reactions has shown up on social media. There are some for whom this policy was a logical clarification of already-clear doctrine about marriage between a man and woman being central to God’s plan. There are many for whom the policy raised questions, especially as to why children of same-sex couples were so directly affected by this policy. There are some who are angry and some who feel deep hurt on behalf of those this policy will affect. And, of course, there are some who are misrepresenting and demonizing this policy — an unfortunate but not surprising response. (Stating the obvious, there will always be a range of responses to something so charged.)

For me, the surprise I felt lasted only minutes and my feelings quickly settled into a sense of gratitude for clarity in a complex and continually-changing political, cultural, and social landscape. The issue of same-sex marriage as it relates to my faith is something I have thought and pondered for a decade and a half, perhaps more than almost any other topic except perhaps doctrine relating directly to Mormon women.

I shared some initial reflections on my personal Facebook wall as to why this policy made sense to me, and as people engaged with me, it quickly became clear (although not surprising) that the range of emotions and reactions was broad and varied. I was grateful for people who would engage in conversation and share their thoughts, because I think we benefit when we seek to understand others and also feel safe to engage and be honest even when disagreeing.

I hope that we can all be sensitive to those around us and to that range of feelings that people are having right now. Our leaders have told us repeatedly that it’s okay to have questions. As Elder Christofferson noted yet again, it’s not okay to advocate against the leaders, but it’s okay to wrestle and, when necessary, even pound on the door of heaven for understanding, peace, perspective, and insight.

I fear that there is a misconception that people either completely agree with this policy or completely disagree. What I’m seeing is that a fair number of people are wrestling. There is a tension here that Elder Christofferson captures quite beautifully that can be hard to navigate: How do we reach out in love to all our brothers and sisters, while also unflinchingly upholding the now-all-the-more-clear divine mandates around the doctrine of marriage between a man and a woman, and the corollary to that doctrine, which is that sexual relations are only sanctioned by God when between a legally married husband and wife, man and woman? And how can you not feel a tug at your heart for the children who are and will be affected by all of this?

My husband and I had a chat with our nephew and his wife yesterday. (Incidentally, our nephew is the author of this post, which went wildly viral on Friday, a post that has incited a lot of vitriol online. How easy it can be to demonize someone you don’t know. Love needs to flow both ways. This can be hard not just for those who are affected by the policy, but for those who support it.)

I am sobered by the reality that for some, a change like this can feel like the last straw in a years-long wrestle around this issue. The thought that came to mind was that it can feel, for some, very Abraham-like. It can feel impossible, baffling.

I was reminded of this quote tonight, and am struck by how relevant it feels because of the perplexing nature of Abraham’s test (and because of the tender feelings of a loving parent that were involved in what he faced):

“I heard Joseph Smith say and I presume Brother Snow heard him also-in preaching to the Twelve in Nauvoo, that the Lord would get hold of their heart strings and wrench them, and that they would have to be tried as Abraham was tried. And Joseph said that if God had known any other way whereby he could have touched Abraham’s feelings more acutely and more keenly he would have done so. It was not only his parental feelings that were touched. There was something else besides. He had the promise that in him and in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; that his seed should be multiplied as the stars of the heaven and as the sand upon the sea shore. He had looked forward through the vista of future ages and seen, by the spirit of revelation, myriads of his people rise up through whom God would convey intelligence, light and salvation to a world. But in being called upon to sacrifice his son it seemed as though all his prospects pertaining to posterity were come to naught. But he had faith in God, and he fulfilled the thing that was required of him. Yet we cannot conceive of anything that could be more trying and more perplexing than the position in which he was placed (Journal of Discourses 24:264).”

There is little someone like me who isn’t walking that path with this particular policy can say to take away that pain. It’s just there. But I do believe that we each have to walk our Mount Moriahs. I have felt tastes of such tormenting tensions in my life, and there have been times they have almost broken me — some quite recently, in fact. When you are backed against the wall of faith, it can feel like it may press life out of your soul.

But I have come to believe all the more as I have walked some of my own personal Moriahs that this is some of what we are here to experience — not because God is some sadistic being, but because there is no other way to truly come to trust Him unless you aren’t up against something impossible, unmanageable, beyond mortal reach and understanding. Paraphrasing Ezra Taft Benson, we all will find times when we are backed against the wall of faith.

If I may, let me take you back to the conversation yesterday. As the four of us sat and shared our thoughts, I envisioned those who may be feeling like Abraham might have felt — afraid, perplexed, pressed, baffled. I pictured Father Abraham walking up Mount Moriah, alone. What a walk that must have been! No one could walk that path for him. His choice to make that journey of faith was between him and his God. (Even President Gordon B. Hinckley, the quintessential optimist, described the road back to God as a lonely one, one requiring deep faith.)

And surely, if people had know what Abraham was going to do, many would have declared him insane at best and evil at worst.

But rather than being left with the image of a lonely Abraham, I am grateful for the insight my husband shared about this seemingly-impossible scriptural story. Yes, Abraham had to pass this test. Only he could decide if he would follow through with what God told him to do.

But he did not walk up Mount Moriah alone.

His son, Isaac, was there, walking beside him. As my husband reminded us, Isaac is a type for the Savior. He is the One who walks with each of us, the One who actually was sacrificed on our behalf. He is our ram in the thicket, the One who exemplifies both perfect love and taught the law that leads back to God. He is the One who can help us through our heartrending trials. He is the One who makes compensatory blessings possible — for example, to children who cannot be baptized for a time.

He is the answer to it all, whatever it may be.

We can (and I think we should) keep an open dialogue about all of these issues, and allow people to be where they are in their journey with it all. I firmly believe that those who seek insight and understanding from God will, in God’s way and time — line upon line — receive insight, help, comfort, and clarity.

But perhaps more than anything, I pray that especially those of us not in pain right now will prayerfully be ready to reach out to those who are struggling, ready when the Spirit prompts to testify that they do not walk their paths alone. God is there, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. We can all come to know and feel and realize that as we walk our own journeys in spite of — and perhaps more particularly because of — our Mount Moriah experiences. Abraham would not have known the power of his own faith and the wonder of the angel and the ram had he not walked that lonely road in faith.

God bless those of you who may be walking such mountains now. Know that you are loved and cared for by many, most especially by God and His Son.

The post Pondering Policy, Mortality, and Mount Moriah appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Stephen R. Thomas 

We are all preparing to listen to general conference [this weekend] to hear what our prophet and apostles and other leaders have to say to us.  While many of us will receive their messages with joy and enjoyment, others of us may find ourselves, consciously or unconsciously, inwardly resisting some aspects of what is said.  I have experienced hearing the words of our leaders in both states of mind, and I believe that the difference lies in…the degree of our understanding of the Savior’s atoning role in our salvation.

Let me begin by describing a little of my own history with hearing our prophet and other leaders at conference.  As a child, I enjoyed conference quite a bit because it meant that we could go to church in the family room dressed in our pajamas while eating fresh-baked muffins.  Always the musician, I also thought I did a pretty good job of conducting the Tabernacle Choir from the sofa.  As I got older, though, and listened more carefully, I noticed that there were a lot of instructions in the talks, and I tried to understand what I was supposed to do to follow them.  Eventually, I started to feel like maybe there were a few too many good ideas to incorporate in my life all at once, but also felt like I needed to do it anyway.  I did my best, but eventually I started to feel discouraged by listening to conference.  By the time I was a teen, it seemed that I could never keep up with what I perceived was being asked, and it felt like one big guilt trip.  I still dutifully did what I could, but felt burdened until enough time had gone by that I more or less fell back into my usual routine and forgot about it until the next conference.

This pattern continued for a long time.  I still remember the shock I felt one day when, in anticipating the next conference, one of my friends said that for him conference was just like Christmas.  I stared at him in disbelief, and thought something must be wrong with me.  I had a testimony, but I felt completely unable to live up to what I thought the messages were telling me, and so I felt more dread than joyous anticipation of conference.

Later on, however, I realized that there was a very important ingredient missing in my gospel understanding.  I was always drawn to the Savior’s words in Matthew 11:28-30:  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  I loved these words, and longed to feel what the Savior described, yet I felt far too often that doing everything right in the church was more of a burden than a blessing, and I felt in fact heavy laden by the things I perceived I was to do in order to “come unto Him.”  I asked myself:  If this is what it means to come to Him, how could his yoke be called “easy” or “light?” The lists of all I felt I had to do were endless, and that I could endlessly be doing them all better:  home teaching, service projects, callings, fulfilling my role as a husband, father and breadwinner, paying tithing and offerings, attending all kinds of church meetings, keeping all of the rules of thoughts and behavior that we as church members do as we strive to observe the 13^th article of faith and other commandments, staying fit and healthy, loving my enemies, being kind and patient, seeking that which is praiseworthy, and on and on.  It seemed that conference just added more things to the list or pointed out the ways in which my attempts to keep up with everything I was already trying to do were inadequate. 

So what did the Savior mean by “coming to Him” in order to find rest?  I thought, wow, I could use some rest!  And yet I couldn’t imagine that he meant “Come unto me and don’t bother with the commandments.  In fact, take a few days off from your duties.”  There had to be something more to what this scripture meant. 

Through much time spent in soul searching and prayer, I eventually understood what was missing:  even though I believed in the gospel and had a testimony, I really had not fully understood what was needed.  I had not experienced what the scriptures called conversion or being born again.  (Mosiah 27:25-26).  I was still laboring under the assumption that my spiritual success was all up to me and that I had to save myself primarily through my own efforts.  I saw Jesus Christ as a somewhat distant figure who we were supposed to imitate strictly on our own power.  I had not yet understood that the way to accomplish the way back home to our Father in Heaven was not through mere outward compliance, which would always be inadequate, but through a complete inner change of heart.   This is described in Mosiah 5:2 as those listening to King Benjamin exclaimed that they were converted “because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

I did not understand that it was hopeless to attempt to live the gospel without this change that could only be wrought through the Spirit and that neither I nor anyone could ever do enough or be enough on my own to succeed.  No wonder I felt burdened by the messages I perceived in conference!  I was trying to do what they asked without the complete transformation brought about by the Atonement and without the aid of grace, the very real and enabling power of Christ that comes to those who receive him.  What I learned was that the source of power to do his will was missing, because I was trying to create it on my own instead of turning fully to Him. 

To use an analogy, I realized that the way I had long managed my spiritual life was essentially the equivalent to pushing a car through the desert, hoping to make it to my destination through sheer determination and muscle.  This kind of work is slow and discouraging.  With this approach, you notice the heat, the thirst, the dust, the scorpions, and the pebbles in your shoes, as well as the long-term futility of your efforts.  You keep slogging along while thinking, “I’ll never get there!” 

On the other hand, receiving the Savior completely into our hearts and understanding through the Spirit his role in our salvation is like putting gas in the engine of our spiritual car…suddenly the car seems to go on its own, and our position changes from the one pushing to the one steering.  Our effort is transformed into making choices at the wheel to stay on the right road, which means listening to him and his servants.  But the car flies along compared to our first approach and we start suddenly to see that the scenery in our journey is beautiful and we feel closer and closer to our ultimate destination. 

Still, even once I understood what was missing, I found that I didn’t know how, in practical terms, to let the Savior into my heart and to access His grace.  I was so used to feeling responsible and burdened, I didn’t know how to let go and let Him change me.  I didn’t trust that if I stopped pushing, and got in the car, He could and would make it go.  While the process for me has been long and gradual and has taken a number of challenging turns, I realized that he meant what he said when he said in 3 Ne. 9:19-20:  “And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.  And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost…” 

My self-sustained efforts to comply outwardly (and at times with a doubtful heart) with what I imagined the church to require were like those burnt offerings.  They were unworthy of what the Lord has said he requires, which is the inward sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit.  Only when we give him that can he give us what we need to come to Him:  the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost which truly converts us.  To do this, I have found that sincere prayer and long, frequent contemplation of gospel principles as given in the scriptures helps me to develop a true, inward humility, and allows my heart to become broken and my spirit contrite.  As I have done so, I have felt the remarkable power of the Spirit burning within me, cleansing, and changing me and, most importantly, changing my desires, which in turn change my actions.  The Spirit helps me move forward toward the final step of completely turning my will over to Him and letting him direct all my actions. 

This transformation—which I would call true conversion—can happen to each of us as we seek to have the Spirit become fully present to guide and comfort us.  I believe that the remarkable, transforming presence of the Holy Ghost is one of the most powerful ways in which God shows us his love, as it is in fact His actual presence in our physical and spiritual being.  What better love can he show than by being with each of us at our very center?  Once we feel and understand what it is telling us, it becomes a homing device, directing us in the path that leads to him.  It is no accident that being fully present to one another is likewise how we best show love to our fellow beings.  Our Heavenly Father does the same for us through sending us the Holy Ghost so we know He is there.  And the Holy Ghost can only be with us as we let the Atonement clear the channels through which we feel it.  As we feel its presence more fully, our hearts change, which leads our desires and actions to change and our lives naturally come into alignment with our Father’s will.

When we are converted in this way, or are in the process of understanding what true conversion means, we are prepared to hear the messages of conference in the spirit with which they are intended:  We will understand the messages as evidence of our Father’s love for us as he desires above all for our success as the object of his work and glory in returning to Him.  We will receive the messages not as bricks of burden put in the payload of our out-of-gas spiritual vehicles, but as spiritual fuel to speed us in our journey safely and joyously home to Him.  

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This weekend the semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will continue (as was noted last week, it began with the General Women’s Meeting that was held last weekend). The five remaining sessions will be broadcast worldwide (in about eight dozen languages) from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

General Conference is a special time for members of The Church of Jesus Christ. One of the beliefs of our church is that just as in ancient times, God has called prophets and apostles to help teach people about the Savior and to help people come to Christ through doctrine and priesthood ordinances.

We also have other general church leaders who speak, such as members of the Quorums of Seventy and auxiliary leaders (Relief Society [women’s organization], Sunday School, Young Men, Young Women).

You can participate in the conference in multiple ways. Sessions are held at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and the priesthood session (for men) is held on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. (All times shown are Mountain Time.)

Following are viewing options (from the Church’s How to View Live page)

Viewing Options

	LDS General Conference YouTube Channel Video in English, Spanish, and Portuguese
	General Conference Website Video in 26 languages
	BYUtv Video and audio in English only
	BYUtv International Video and audio in Spanish and Portuguese
	Mormon Channel Website Video and audio in English and Spanish
	Mormon Channel Mobile Apps Video and audio in English and Spanish
	Mormon Channel on Roku Video in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and ASL

Many local cable and radio stations make conference readily available. Visit www.bonneville.info for broadcast information or check local listings.

To view conference sessions at local meetinghouses, check with local leaders on the availability. Visit www.lds.org/maps to find a local meetinghouse.

The post General Conference is here! #ldsconf appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Mormon LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks #ElderOaks

Last night, my husband’s family gathered in the evening so the men and young men in the family could attend priesthood session of General Conference together. The women (and young boys) of the family enjoyed our tradition of a dinner cooked by Favorite Aunt Chris. We often will do a movie, but this time Chris had provided an activity for us all. It’s an awesome tradition that we all love.

When “the boys” got home from priesthood session, they ate and we all enjoyed some dessert and then many of us gathered around the television to watch the excitement of the Final Four game between Kentucky and Wisconsin. It was fun to be able to enjoy both spiritual stuff and some fun stuff together.

Now as I’m decompressing from the awesomeness that is General Conference and family traditions around Conference, I took a look at the trends on Twitter. A few minutes ago, six of the top ten Twitter trends (one of which is a promoted hashtag) had something to do with General Conference. #FinalFour was up there, too.

#ldsconf
#ElderOaks
#priesthoodsession
#PresMonson
#FinalFour
President Monson
Priesthood

And now, #ElderOaks and #priesthoodsession are bookending #finalfour.

Twitter reflects the two things that made up our day memorable!

Kinda fun.

The post #ldsconf trending right up there with #finalfour appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

It’s a weekend members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints look forward to with great anticipation every April and October. There are many ways you can join in and listen to living prophets and apostles. This LDS Media Talk post shares the multiple ways you can participate.

Read some posts from Mormon Women and elsewhere about conference traditions, conference activities, and more.

Please feel free to link in the comments section if you have a post. We know there are so many out there!

Mormon Women Share: Preparing and enjoying LDS General Conference

One of my favorite blogs has an amazing crepe recipe as well as wonderfully warm photos of her family’s traditions (crepes and Legos, if you were wondering)
Scenes from the Wild

LDS General Conference Traditions, Preparation, Activities for Children

More examples of General Conference Traditions

The Red Headed Hostess

Raising Lemons

These posts have some links to and ideas for activities for the kids:

Mothers Who Know

Keep Moving Forward with Me

Preparing for General Conference #ldsconf –

What are your conference traditions?

If this is your first time listening to LDS General Conference, we welcome you, and would welcome any thoughts or questions you may have as you listen.

The post #ldsconf General Conference is here! appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

There’s already a lot of chatter about LDS General Conference. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints look forward with great anticipation every six months to two days of listening to talks from prophets and apostles and other worldwide leaders of the Church. Members find personal direction and inspiration and encouragement from the talks given by our leaders.

For example, here is a video of young adults sharing thoughts about past general conference talks that have inspired them.

What general conference talks have inspired you? Share in the comments below, on Twitter or Facebook (be sure to use the #ldsconf hashtag!), share on your blog and link below, or share with your family around the dinner table.

The post #ldsconf is coming! What General Conference talk has inspired you? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Maddie writes:

Do Mormons believe that God never changes? If so, I have a question: For a long time Mormons encouraged if not required polygamy. Why have you changed and now say that practice is not permissible? If God doesn’t change His mind, would you say that your early leaders were wrong? If so, couldn’t they have been wrong about many other things?

Maddie, this is a question that I think a lot of people have, so thanks for asking it.

I think the short answer to your question is that we believe in living prophets. But following is a longer response that I hope can explain a little about what that means to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how that relates to your question.

I think what is on Mormon.org addresses your specific question about polygamy pretty well, so I’ll start there. This is from the page “Do Mormons practice polygamy?”

At various times, the Lord has commanded His people to practice plural marriage. For example, He gave this command to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon (Doctrine and Covenants 132:1). At other times the Lord has given other instructions. In the Book of Mormon, the Lord told the prophet Jacob “for there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife: and concubines he shall have none… for if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things (Jacob 2:27-30).

In this dispensation, the Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. Church leaders regulated the practice. Those entering into it had to be authorized to do so, and the marriages had to be performed through the sealing power of the priesthood. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff received a revelation that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage (Official Declaration 1).

Through a living prophet, polygamy (in limited practice) was commanded for a time. Through the same means (through a living prophet), polygamy was later revoked.

We believe changes in policy or commandments given to or through prophets do not negate or contradict the belief in an unchanging God. In fact, to me, the fact that God has consistently used this pattern of having living leaders to guide His people and do His work throughout the dispensations of time underscores the unchangeableness of God! Let me explain, or give a few examples.

Consider, for example, that God gave the law of Moses to the children of Israel. Before His death, Jesus and the family He grew up in lived and obeyed that law. But after Christ’s death and resurrection, the law was no longer practiced. It had been fulfilled; it had served its purpose in God’s big picture. After that time, it became, in fact, wrong for followers of Christ to practice the law of Moses.

But this change didn’t negate the divine role Moses had in God’s work or the role the law of Moses had during that time to bring people to God and point their souls to Christ. God had not changed, and His desire and love for His children had not changed, and His eternal plan to save His children through Christ had not changed (that was the plan from the beginning of time, even before the earth was formed, and still is the plan!). But the law had.

Another example is how, at first, Jesus Himself told the apostles to only teach the Jews, but after Christ’s death, to and through Peter (the authorized head/leader of the Church), the revelation was received to then take the gospel to the Gentiles. This didn’t negate Jesus’ commission to His leaders when He was alive. Again, God’s character and love for His children had not changed, but God had continued to reveal His will through His authorized servants, and His work continued to go forward.

Over time, the authority that had been given to Jesus’ apostles was taken from the earth, as those apostles died. Because of His big picture view and because of where people were at the time (speaking generally), there were centuries of time when that authority did not exist on the earth. God had not changed, but in His big picture view, that period of time had a purpose (and many people had important work to do to help prepare for the restoration of the gospel).

It was all still about God’s plan and His love and His purposes to bring people to Christ and this time, to prepare the earth for Jesus’ *second* coming.

Through the prophet of the restoration and the authority that was restored to and through him, Joseph Smith, the pattern of having living prophets was also restored. Continuing and unfolding authorized revelation for Christ’s Church became part of the pattern again. The unfolding work of the restoration of the Church took years and years, and continued after his death…and continues to this day.

Polygamy was commanded for some to live for a time in the early history of the Church. But through a living prophet (the fourth president of the Church), Wilford Woodruff, God revealed in 1890 that it was time for that to end. Leaders from that time forward upheld monogamy as the rule. As noted in the Mormon.org quote above, monogamy has, in fact, always been the rule. God has commanded polygamy at times, but it was never meant to be His unending, unchanging law.

Today, living prophets continue to receive inspiration about policy changes and specific things the Church and its members are to do and focus on.

But through all of the dispensations of time, through all of these types of changes and that process of God giving different instructions to different prophets depending on what His will and purposes were, the character of God has not changed. His love for His children has never changed. His plan, as mentioned before, never changed.

For me, although I don’t fully understand the purpose polygamy filled in its time, I am not bothered by it. This pattern of God working through living prophets to reveal His will and commands for specific times and seasons, in fact, only strengthens my faith in God and His character. It is the pattern found in scripture. I find great comfort in knowing that He will give the instructions that I need to know in my life through prophets, and that He is fully aware of what is needed now in our time given where we are in the earth’s history and in His big picture view. But my God is the same God who guided Moses and who sent Jesus and who inspired Peter and who called Joseph Smith and who speaks through living prophets today.

Answers to and thoughts about questions addressed at Mormon Women should not be considered official responses of the Church. For official material and/or to ask Mormon missionaries questions, see Mormon.org.

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