The theme for the conference was "Higher".
Virginia Hinkley Pearce - Option overload
Too many options = dissatisfaction, because we assume with so many choices, we should be able to get perfection.
3 options we all have...
1) We can choose to believe that we have a choice
We all have choices, no matter how limited we feel.
"Man's greatest endowment in mortal life is the power of choice - the divine gift if agency...next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God's greatest gift to man." Pres David O.McKay
"The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice." George Eliot
Do not put yourself in a victim seat and say "I didn't have a choice". The Holy Ghost can't work on you when you do that.
We do have a choice - you can make it joyfully or be a victim
No matter what the circumstances, we can choose to be brave, happy and helpful
2) We can choose to surrender
...to Christ. Not giving up, but the gift of trusting, believing and giving your life to Heavenly Father.
The moment we become aware of ourselves we begin a tug of war about who will be the centre - me or God
A soul who has surrendered their will to god is less fearful, more happy, more capable etc
“Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He can deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their soals, and pour out peace.” Ezra Taft Benson
As the Holy Ghost witnesses the truth if Christ's character we come to trust him.
"And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure."
You change your own human nature if you surrender it to Christ. Have you ever wanted to change yourself?
Choose to replace fear with faith... HE can do this, so with his strength I can do anything that is His will to do.
Cease doing things our way and learn to do them God's way.
3) We can choose to show up.
...with all of us. Be physically present, spiritually present, minister to one another. Don't just be there. You don't have to know what you're doing, you just show up.
We're not dead yet, that means we haven't finished what The Lord wants us to do yet.
A story about President Eyring - His ward were assigned to go and work in the church farm doing some weeding. He was in a lot of physical pain due to problems with his hips but he went anyway. He was in so much pain that he laid on his stomach and pulled himself along the rows. At the end of the day someone came along and told him he'd been weeding the wrong patch. The bit he'd weeded had actually already been sprayed and the weeds would have died in two weeks anyway. He just laughed. He was asked how he could be in such good spirits about having gone through all that pain to weed where it wasn't necessary, to which he responded "I wasn't here for the weeds".
All the phrases the saviour has said about himself:
I found you then I found me (song)
The saviour wants to forgive.
Another second chance (song)
Words are sacred and must be spoken with restraint and care.
When we choose to say kind things about other people, we will love ourselves more.
Say love (song)
What phrase could you say to yourself multiple times a day to help you become who Heavenly Father wants you to be?
Brad Wilcox - A Daily Conversion
We can accept or reject the gift, but can't fault Christ for giving it.
Gifts are valued if they are used (like Christmas gifts)
How do we accept and use that gift?
The laws and ordinances begin with faith.
Choose to maintain childlike faith, even when you're grown. Faith that is strong enough to motivate us to action, repentance and change.
The temple is all about change. From street clothes to white, room to room, earth to heaven.
That change is only possible as we rely on His power, as we make and keep sacred covenants. As we apply the atonement daily in keeping our covenants.
A covenant is a stop at the petrol station - we promise to continue on our journey toward him, he promises to fill our tank with enough to make it.
It is our energy source. Don't have a goal not to use it (it would be like planning a cross country trip without stopping for petrol)
Come unto Christ is a means to an end - the ultimate end is to become like him.
We don't take the sacrament because we're perfect, we take it to help us become perfect.
Brad Wilcox - A Daily Conversion
We can accept or reject the gift, but can't fault Christ for giving it.
Gifts are valued if they are used (like Christmas gifts)
How do we accept and use that gift?
The laws and ordinances begin with faith.
Choose to maintain childlike faith, even when you're grown. Faith that is strong enough to motivate us to action, repentance and change.
Temple - all about to change. From street clothes to white, room to roomearth to heaven.
Try change is only possible as we rely on His power, as we make and keep sacred covenants. As we apply the atonement daily in keeping our covenants.
A covenant is a stop at the petrol station - we promise to continue on our journey toward him, he promises to fill our tank with enough to make it.
It is our energy source. Don't have a goal not to use it (cross country trip without stopping)
Come unto Christ is a means to an end - the ultimate end is to become like him.
We don't take the sacrament because we're perfect, we take it to help us become perfect.
The Pietà by Michaelangelo
He signed his work - Michaelangelo of Florence made this, across Mary's sash, after people thought he hadn't made it.
Sacrament -we're taking Christ's name, but we're not just taking his name, like an ancestor or movie star, he is giving his name to us, we are his work and glory, he is signing his work. He's signing it Jesus of Nazareth is making this.
Faith, baptism, repentance and covenants are to help us access the Holy Ghost:
Endure to the end = endure to our end, our end is to become like Christ.
With the sanctifying power of the spirit we can change.
Enduring makes the changes sink deep inside of us and become part of who we are.
Everyone has regrets, but no one will ever have to say "if only I had a saviour" because we do.
When we were told about mortality, we shouted for joy. Why?? Because of the pain and suffering, death, betrayal by loved ones, heart break etc?!? It was for Jesus because we knew his atonement meant we wouldn't have to face mortality alone.
He is not proving us through this earth life, he is improving us.
Heaven is not a prize for the perfect. It is the future home of everyone who is willing to apply the atonement of Jesus Christ and become perfected in Him.
Laurel Christensen Day - Letting go of your fears
Fears can hold us hostage to inaction.
Fears fall into 4 categories
1) fear of disappointment
A sense of loss for something you've never had.
2) fear of danger or bad things
Pray for protection. Put on the whole armour of God. These were God's children before they were yours, he is watching over them. We have a deep bench on the other side of the veil, of angels watching and waiting to help and protect.
3) fear of failure
Can keep us from trying again. Luke 9:62. Stop looking back, go at it again as if it were the first time
4) fear of success
You might become the woman you were born to be, then what would the expectations be of you?
Look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not. D&C
Life was not meant to be lived in a comfort zone.
1 Cor 2:9
Don't be worried about letting yourself feel how much you wanted something so good. Be worried when you don't.
Alma 32 - desire, believe, experiment, receive
It undoes backwards too. Things don't happen as you expected, so you feel like you haven't received. You stop experimenting, then you stop believing, then stop desiring and hoping for that good or asking Him for it anymore.
It's vital to desire and believe. God will not waste a miracle on a doubter.
Do not stop petitioning The Lord for the righteous desires of your heart.
"If your eyes are always on your shoelaces, if all you can see is this class or that test, this date or that friend, this disappointment or that dilemma, then it really is quite easy to throw in the towel and stop the fight." (Elder Holland)
Fight fear with love
Fight fear with a sound mind.
1 Cor 2:5, 12, 13, 14, 16
It's our will being in line with His.
Sometimes wanting to know God's will can turn into wanting Him to make all our choices and be accountable for our decisions. We're here to learn and make choices and to learn that he trusts us to make choices at our crossroads as long as we're involving him.
He loves our agency more than he loves our happiness. We have to be willing to choose.
Putting it all down to His will is a cop-out. Some say "Well, this must be God's will or something would change"
Be willing to live God's will and he will say to us, There's a lot of room in my will for you, make sure there's enough room in your will for me.
As long as we are always involving him, things will go right.
Common phrase- Don't just stand there, do something, but sometimes we should reverse it. Just stand there and don't do anything. Don't react in fear.
The Lord will fight our fear for us. He will stand by our side and teach us how to do it.
We can know his will and also follow our hearts. He can make room in his will for ours.
Chryslen
Pick one thing to focus on doing from today.
Sheri Dew - What Mormon Women Know
The Lord will not force you to learn. You must exercise your agency to authorise the spirit to teach you.
Man makes mistakes. Who are you trusting with your life? Is it the wisdom of men or God?
Are you walking around with something you've been given and you don't know what it does or even if it does anything good? Like and ID security card that you don't know opens lots of doors for you.
We mustn't be timid Latter Day Saints
Pres Hinkley, when asked what the church does for its women responded - we get out of their way and watch with wonder at all they are accomplishing
Do you feel oppressed as an LDS woman? We have privileges that might require ordination in other religions, that don't in ours - leading primary, relief society, going to the temple, ministering, preaching, teaching, proselyting etc Are there any organisations that allow us to do so much? and this isn't a 21st century thing. Relief Society was organised in 1842 - when women couldn't vote, couldn't own property, couldn't live alone.
LDS women have the highest holiest privileges on earth.
Have you had moments where you felt timid about it being an LDS woman?
Do you feel you can represent how glorious it is to be an LDS woman?
Those of this dispensation must be ready to present the church of the lamb to the lamb. We must be looking and acting like his church.
Conversion requires immersion. So we're not walking around with something that we don't really know what it is.
Every one of us has come here with a divine errand. It's an ongoing process to figure out what it is. Am I where The Lord wants me to be and doing what he wants me to do?
He held on to us for the latter days because we would have the courage to face it and be fearless in building Zion.
God expects us to learn to receive revelation. It's crucial to the building of the kingdom. Women have unique spiritual gifts, as do men. Together they make the whole.
An endowed woman has as much access to priesthood power as an endowed man. The endowment is an endowment of power and knowledge. We can tap into power to do something that nothing on earth can.
The blessings of the priesthood are poured out on all women share the authority of the priesthood with their husband. There is no grade of the work in the temple to which women are not equal to men.
D&C 84, 107, 110, 121, 124
What did I really receive in the house of The Lord? Do I not know what I am entitled to?
Final song from Hilary Weeks
