Emily's Top 10 Highlights from General Conference April 2019

INTRO

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of my favorite things is getting to watch/listen to General Conference every 6 months (April and October). We believe that just like in Bible times, we have a prophet on the earth today (Russell M. Nelson) along with 12 apostles. These men receive special revelation from God about what we need to be doing and focusing on during our lifetime in our day. During these conferences, we are blessed to hear from the prophet and apostles and other church leaders both male and female. I personally look forward to these conferences because they help me stay on track. Of course I can pray and receive my own answers, but hearing from the prophet and other leaders who have received even more revelation helps me to know that God really does love us, His children, and wants us to succeed--therefore He has given us so many ways to receive guidance--prayer, fasting, general conference, the scriptures, church meetings, healthy relationships with friends and family, and so on.

Click April 2019 General Conference to read, watch or listen to the fantastic talks given!

This post is a compilation of some of my notes and favorite moments as well as inspiration I received. These points are in order of appearance in the conference. 

TOP 10 HIGHLIGHTS 

"There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel. As we consider our commitment to the Savior, are we careful or casual? Because of our mortal nature, don’t we sometimes rationalize our behavior, at times referring to our actions as being in the gray, or mixing good with something that’s not so good? Anytime we say, “however,” “except,” or “but” when it applies to following the counsel of our prophet leaders or living the gospel carefully, we are in fact saying, “That counsel does not apply to me.” We can rationalize all we want, but the fact is, there is not a right way to do the wrong thing!" Becky Craven 
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/12craven?lang=eng.

I loved her emphasis on being more mindful, intentional and having integrity. For me, it meant-- stop thinking about what others think of me and focus on how God sees me, and do whatever it is that I do with intention, mindfulness, and carefulness to what the Lord would want me to do.

Dieter F Uchtdorf's 5 Simple Ways to Shine Christ's Light:

1. Draw Close to God. Strengthen your knowledge and testimony of Him

2. Love and minister to others

3. Commit to walk the path of Discipleship

4. Share what is in your heart. Be open about what you love and believe

5. Invite others to come and see.
(Dieter F Uchtdorf "Missionary Work: Sharing What is in Your Heart) 
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/14uchtdorf?lang=eng

Sometimes for me it is scary to share my beliefs especially in person, but to share what you believe does not necessarily mean sit your friends down for a lesson about God. So much of sharing what you love and 

believe is through your example and willingness to spread God's light and love--and that is not very scary. 



"Brothers and sisters, do the best you can do day after day, and before you know it, you will come to realize that your Heavenly Father knows you and that He loves you. And when you know that—really know it—your life will have real purpose and meaning and you will be filled with joy and peace." (M Russell Ballard "The True, Pure and Simple Gospel of Jesus Christ")
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/23ballard?lang=eng

I think it is safe to say that we ALL want happiness. It is also safe to say that not all of us know exactly how to get it. Elder Ballard's son once asked him, "When am I ever going to make it?" Elder Ballard 's advice was to do your best. Isn't that really all we can do? Act with the knowledge and inspiration that we each have and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will consecrate our efforts to make us better. We might not get what we want by just doing our best, but God has a plan. He sees the whole picture and when we trust Him, we will feel His love, peace, and happiness. 

"We have learned that answers are sometimes slow to come. This can be because it is not the right time, because an answer is not needed, or because God trusts us to make the decision ourselves. " (David Homer "Hearing His Voice")

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/27homer?lang=eng

I have been so conflicted my whole life about getting answers to prayers. Maybe it is because I expect major signs or a voice or an obvious miracle. But I recently realized that that is not the way that Heavenly Father talks to me. I think that He talks to everyone a little differently. He speaks to me by sending me tender mercies (even unrelated to my specific prayer), and by bringing me greater peace. He speaks to me by letting me figure it out on my own (as frustrating as that is for me because I would rather be told what to do) and then sending me peace (or not) about my decisions. During this conference, specifically during THIS very talk, I felt that overwhelming peace about a certain life decision that we will be announcing later ;)

"Knowing that, Satan tries to exploit the worldly pressures we all face. He works to dim our light, short-circuit the connection, cut off the power supply, leaving us alone in the dark. These pressures are common conditions in mortality, but Satan works hard to isolate us and tell us we are the only one experiencing them."  (Sharon Eubank "Christ: The Light that Shines in Darkness")

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/42eubank?lang=eng

Lets get really real for a second!! When I am having a rough day or week or moment, my thoughts are so internal, it's all about me. "No one understands," "I'm alone in this," I can't be helped" etc. Anyone else? I KNOW I am not alone in these feelings. When I have those negative thoughts, I need to recognize that that is SATAN. God would never think those things about me, and He would never want me to think like that about myself. Satan wants us to feel alone, because when we feel alone, we don't have light, we don't reach out to others, we serve less, we think negatively, we can't become the person we know we want to be.

"President Nelson has repeatedly emphasized that the 'gathering [of Israel] is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, … you can be a big part of it.'"    (D. Todd Christofferson "Preparing for the Lord's Return")

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/44christofferson?lang=eng

So I know that this is a quoted quote from President Nelson, but Elder Christofferson had an amazing talk so go read it too! Okay so THIS quote was totally another confirmation to the decision we made (we cant wait to share it with you in the next few months!) As members of our church we love to share the gospel, even though it can be difficult and scary to share what is in our hearts. God wants all of His children to hear the gospel and we have the responsibility and privilege to share it with others.That is what it means to "gather Israel." But my favorite part of all of general conference was this very line, "If you choose to, you can be a big part of it." And I want to be a big part of it!

"Some have asked, 'But if I am forgiven, why do I still feel guilt?' Perhaps in God’s mercy the memory of that guilt is a warning, a spiritual 'stop sign' of sorts that, at least for a time, cries out when additional temptations confront us: 'Don’t go down that road. You know the pain it can bring.' In this sense, it serves as a protection, not a punishment." (Tad R. Callister "The Atonement of Jesus Christ")

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/45callister?lang=eng

This was one of my biggest questions growing up in my teenage years and right before my mission. But when talking with my Bishop he said that if we can feel the spirit, then we have been forgiven, because He cannot dwell in unholy temples.  What Tad R Callister said above goes perfectly with this. Yes, we still might feel that guilt from past mistakes, but if we have repented, and moved on in Christ then we have been forgiven, and that guilt should be used to help us, not hurt us.

"Just as reading and learning about muscles is not enough to build muscle, reading and learning about faith without adding action is insufficient to build faith." (Juan Pablo Villar "Exercising Our Spiritual Muscles")

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/52villar?lang=eng

This is what I am working on a lot this year! I have some spiritual and character weaknesses that I am trying to strengthen and this talk references the importance becoming strong in our spirits and not only in our bodies. I can't even say more, you just have to go read/watch/listen!

"Even while we are patiently waiting upon the Lord, there are certain blessings that come to us immediately." (Kyle McKay "The Immediate Goodness of God")

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/55mckay?lang=eng

I sort of referenced this idea when I commented on David Homer's talk "Hearing His Voice" above. This quote really spoke to me, because, as embarrassed as I am to say this, I do get impatient and ornery and frustrated when I feel like I am not getting answers "quick enough." But like I said earlier, God send me those seemingly unrelated tender mercies that tell me that God does know me and love me and sees the bigger picture. 

"When we build a fortress of spiritual strength, we can shun the advances of the adversary, turn our backs on him, and feel the peace of the Spirit. We can follow the example of our Lord and Savior, who, when tempted in the wilderness, said, 'Get thee behind me, Satan.'" (Ronald A Rasband "Build a Fortress of Spirituality and Protection")

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/56rasband?lang=eng

THIS is the GRAND finale of my list and the WHOLE point of me starting this entire BLOG! SORRY about all of the CAPS but I am just so exited. I technically started this blog and called it the "Outpost of Heaven" right after getting married in 2015 (I wrote a few random posts about our travels and first miscarriage but literally a "few." I'm trying to do better now.)  It is my attempt at creating an outpost of heaven wherever I am--out and about, online, through social media and ESPECIALLY in the HOME. The Home should be a safe and spiritually strong place filled with love and peace and protection, just like an outpost, or as Elder Rasband so perfectly explained, a "fortress." It should be a place where we don't have to worry about Satan getting into our lives and hearts.  ***See my OUTPOST OF HEAVEN tab at the top of this cite for more info***

If you made it this far, THANK YOU for reading! I really appreciate that! I know this post was especially lengthy but I really hope that I was able to uplift even just one person. If you haven't read/watched/listened to General Conference April 2019, please do so! And if you HAVE, I encourage you to re read/watch/listen because it doesn't matter how many times you have gone over it, there are always new thoughts and impressions God can send your way. 

XOXO
Emily