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Welcome to By Common Consent’s coverage of the 5th and final session of the 179th Semi-Annual General Conference! Please stay tuned for updates, and also remember to check out our minute-by-minute coverage on Twitter, and watch it live streaming from LDS.org. While we at BCC are understanding of the difficulties in staying awake during the last session because we overate during lunch, there will be no tolerance for comments that are less than zippy, peppy, or loaded with warm fuzzies.

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A Grand AM to you!

Welcome to By Common Consent’s live coverage of General Conference on this absolutely miserable and rainy Sunday Morning in Salt Lake City! Music and the Spoken Word is being played and…er…spoken right now, with the Sunday Morning session ready to get going in about 15 minutes. Don’t forget to follow our minute-by-minute coverage on Twitter. We also encourage you to (if you’re not already doing so) watch Conference live, streaming from LDS.org. [Read more...]

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We here at BCC would like to thank you all for being courteous in driving after the Morning session concluded today. We are now back, with the Afternoon session set to get underway in about 3 minutes. Remember to get up-to-the-minute commentary, quotes, and door prizes on our Twitter feed, @ByCommonConsent.

More to come, but let’s get it started. [Read more...]

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Welcome to By Common Consent’s live coverage of General Conference. We will be updating this post throughout the session, providing commentary, quotes, and photography as events unroll. For more up-to-the-minute coverage, please see our live coverage on Twitter. [Read more...]

As a lover of all things gossip, I adore speculation about what might be announced in General Conference, what the big themes will be, etc. — especially when it comes to a new apostle, a new initiative or program, or a name change.

This session, however, I’m looking for something more simple: a time of refreshing. I want to feel the Spirit strongly and be reaffirmed in my testimony of this work, and leave Conference with a little more spring in my step.

What are you hoping for this time? And how can we at BCC cover Conference more effectively and meaningfully for you? Remember that we’ll have an open thread, as well as live coverage on twitter (@bycommonconsent).

You will be following our masterful coverage of all sessions of this weekend’s 179th Semi-Annual General Conference, of course!

Like last April, By Common Consent will be providing top-notch Live Blogging, Photography, Twitter feeds, Protest Interviews, and free babysitting (courtesy of Times & Seasons). We hope the experience is even better this time around, and welcome your suggestions and especially your participation!

What you need to know:
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We now go from the sublime (Russell’s “My Gifts” reflections upon Pentecost below) to the ridiculous. To wit: the growing practice of assigning ward members to speak on General Conference talks. [Read more...]

I’ve been refreshing the link all day, and now find that the full text of all the talks of the April 2009 General Conference is now available on lds.org. Pull up a chair and feast at the table, everyone.

• April 2009 General Conference Archive (full text, video and audio)

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We are 4 days out from a great general conference, 6 days out from an interesting Mormon Studies conference, and 5 days out from the episode that killed my faith in Dollhouse. THIS is what we are talking about? Seriously, shut up!

…[O]ur Father’s plan is big enough for all His children…

Elder Quentin L. Cook’s talk from the recently concluded General Conference presents a useful and compelling presentation of what might be called a contemporary Mormon account of Christian universalism, a doctrine of how salvation can be extended to all.   One of the virtues of the talk is that it is clear enough in its presentation to make its own paradoxical limitations spring vividly to life: what Elder Cook discusses is a universalism with boundaries, a plan big enough to save all God’s children except the ones who are left out. [Read more...]

A brief photo montage of some of the faces on the sidewalks during today’s conference. With each is a brief audio interview. Enjoy! [Read more...]

Here’s something I don’t say all that often: I love President Packer’s talk! [Read more...]

We continue our coverage; this post will be updated with photographs and commentary as we go. I’m starting this off but Kristine will take over once she realizes what I’ve been writing. [Read more...]

Family PSA, Wirthlin memorial, new Spanish language Bible, and other news.

Discuss.

We will be reporting and photoblogging the Morning session as it develops. For more instant updates follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ByCommonConsent . [Read more...]

I know you all were chomping at the bit to know what BCC will be doing for General Conference this year. Answer: liveblogging, reporting, photoblogging from the Conference Center, plus twitter updates and sidebar updates as we go. We are also now accepting suggestions for a good name for our coverage. So far we’re going with SPRING CONFERENCE 2009: CONFERENCE HARDER. [Read more...]

It’s been, to be perfectly candid, quite some time since I really, really enjoyed a General Conference. [Read more...]

This is the end, beautiful friends.