Apr 30, 2012

The Gospel and The Church - What's the difference?

Converted to His Gospel through His Church - April 2012


I love it when a talk crystallizes a subject I have been pondering but had not been able to put into words. This is exactly what Elder Hallstrom did, clarifying the difference between activity in the Gospel and activity in the Church. I'll see you in 11 and 1/2 minutes.



Apr 11, 2012

Highlights and Themes: April 2012

General Conference Highlights - April 2012


Like Elder Holland mentioned in my last post, "for our time and in our day the counsel you have heard is, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, “the will of the Lord, … the word of the Lord, … the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.”  I'm not going to post the entire conference, but here are some highlights - I'll see you in about 14 minutes.



Sitting and watching conference is an interesting experience for me.  I personally get more out of many of the talks by really listening to them and examining them individually.  Ten hours of conference frankly tends to overwhelm me a little bit.  But I believe that listening to the entire conference is a bit like listening to an entire Mahler Symphony: I may not be able to sing it all back to you, but I'll get a good feeling for the overall shape, direction and intention of the music.  Deep analysis can wait. 

I find it interesting to search for overall patterns, for recurring themes, for messages which appear insistent in aggregate while subdued in individual repetition.  Here are some of the messages I found.

Apr 4, 2012

Conference, Ensigns, and Prophets

An Ensign to the Nations - April 2011 Conference


What better way to start off a blog about General Conference addresses than with Elder Holland's address on General Conference?  Watch it if you have time - I'll see you in about 18 minutes.



Elder Holland sure knows how to get your attention, doesn't he?  His addresses are always gripping to me.  Whether he's thanking saints for their faithfulness, warning us about the dangers of pornography, giving us insight into the atoning sacrifice of Christ or expounding his testimony of the Book of Mormon, I'm riveted every time.  (Perhaps I should have started a blog just to dissect Elder Holland's discourses!  Don't worry - I'll get to every one of these eventually.)  Elder Holland has a unique intensity and ability to shape phrases, coupled with an urgency and testimony that leave me hanging on every word.   So let's talk about some of those words!