I understand some of you spent last night watching some game where guys run around carrying a ball that isn’t even spherical, when you could have been watching an epic Giants-Nationals game that ran the longest in MLB post-season history: 18 innings for the Giants win. The game clocked in at 6 hours 23 minutes, shattering the previous playoffs record by over half an hour. And here we gather for hours 7 and 8 of the general sessions of General Conference weekend….
As a reminder, all comments on this thread will be moderated by me. Giants fans only, please.
Play ball!
And we’re underway. President Eyring welcomes us to “the fifth and concluding session of conference.” (Women’s meeting still a meeting and not part of conference: confirmed.)
Opening Prayer: David F. Evans of the 70
This is an interesting musical number. I haven’t heard this one before.
Talk: M. Russell Ballard
Whitewater rafting rules: (1) stay in the boat, (2) always wear a life jacket, (3) hold on with both hands. Above all: stay in the boat!
Quoting Brigham Young: “This church is the Old Ship Zion, let us stay in it.”
“The experienced river guides today can be likened to the apostles and prophets, and inspired local priesthood and auxiliary leaders.”
“When the first presidency and Quorum of the Twelve speak with one voice, it is the Lord’s voice.”
“We see and experience the world in ways that few will realize…. We live not in a bubble, but out of a bubble, more than most people.”
Ballard writes a talk about being in a boat in the ocean, needing rescuing, and living in a bubble, and yesterday this happened–wow, timing!
“Brothers and Sisters, stay in the boat.”
“If any of you have fallen out of the boat, we will seek you, find you, …and bring you back on the Good Ship Zion.”
Talk: Richard G. Scott
Themes: Adam and Eve, choice and accountability, peace and turmoil. “All these are part of the perfect Plan of Happiness.”
“Seek the guidance of the Lord to determine how you can make better use of [these tools].”
First tool: Prayer.
“Buoyant peace” the result of daily use of prayer.
“Family prayer should be a non-negotiable priority in your daily life.”
Second tool: Scripture study.
“Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures…more important the sleep, school work, … social media…”
Promise of peace from scripture study is not a promise of no challenges. “[In the garden,] Adam and Eve were free from challenges, yet they were unable to experience happiness, joy, and peace.”
Third tool: Weekly Family Home Evening.
Don’t make it an afterthought.
FHE can help kids develop organizational skills, among the spiritual benefits.
Scott quotes “Sister Linda S. Reeves boldly declared.” Great to see a male authority to cite a woman as the authority! Her counsel was on the importance of FHE.
Fourth tool: temple
Attend the temple regularly, don’t let anything get in the way.
Nice quote:
“The more we develop these habits, the more Satan will want to harm us, but the less ability he has to do so.”
Talk: Carlos A. Godoy (of the 70)
Speaks in Portuguese and acknowledges the historical significance of this talk being given in Portuguese. “I don’t want to speak more quickly than the subtitles. :-)
Theme: making big decision, and small decisions.
Cites the classic Good, better, best talk.
Principle 1: consider options with the end in mind.
“With this understanding, Moses was able to endure many years of tribulation in the desert and lead Israel back to its home.”
Principle 2: be prepared for challenges to come.
“Joseph, Lehi, and Moses did not have easy journeys despite making right decisions.”
Principle 3: share this vision with those we love.
“When we decide to take a certain path, others will be affected…ideally, they will see what we see and share in our convictions. This is not always possible…”
Even when things are going well, consider if there may be something better.
Song: Count Your Blessings
Talk: Allan F. Packer (of the 70)
“The Church helps, but cannot do it for us. Qualifying for exaltation becomes our quest for a lifetime.”
“The family is the center of the Plan of Salvation and perhaps why it is also called the Great Plan of Happiness.”
“Temple and family history work is part of living the gospel in the home.”
“[Family history] work still takes time, and sacrifice, but everyone can do it. …Most obstacles have been removed. There is one obstacle the church cannot remove: an individual’s hesitation to do the work.”
Packer closes with a quote from a hymn, and notes that he changed a word. The change he made was to de-gender the langauge. Official sanction for de-gendering hymn wording! The song was “Rise Up, O Men of God”
1. Rise up, O
mensaints of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength
To serve the King of Kings.
Talk: Hugo F. Martinez (of the 70)
Martinez is the first general authority of the LDS Church from Puerto Rico and the first from the Caribbean. He is a medical doctor.
He quotes President Linda K. Burton of the Relief Society. “First observe, then serve.” That’s two different male speakers quoting female authorities. //HAPPY DANCE//
“It is essential for us to ensure that each individual is ministered to and strengthened by the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Martinez relates the desperate conditions when Hurricane Georges hit Puerto Rico in 1998.
“We exceed our human capacities because we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose work this is.”
Great reminder: “Personal ministry is integral to keeping our baptismal covenants.”
This is a great follow-on to Holland’s talk about poverty yesterday. Another great reminder: “When saw we thee an hungered?..”
Talk: Larry S. Kacher (of the 70) 
Rip tides: don’t swim against the current! (Real water safety theme going today.)
“Before I joined the church, my life’s ambition was to ski.” #winning
Joining the church means a new current, but also some new challenges. Everything is new and different. Converts face a time of adjustment.
“By asking sincere questions and by seeking divine answers … we increase in knowledge and wisdom.”
“In this mortal journey, we must never think that our choices affect only us.”
Don’t rely solely on secular sources. “Rather than find truth, he lost his testimony,” affecting others in his family.
“Do our choices matter? Do they affect only us? Have we set our course firmly in the eternal current of the restored gospel?”
Talk: Elder Bednar
Speaking to non-members, answering the question, why do Mormons keep bothering me?
“Devoted disciples of Jesus Christ always have been and always will be valiant missionaries.”
“We are not trying to sell you a product.”
“We do not receive prizes or bonus points in a heavenly contest.”
“We are not attempting to coerce you to believe as we do.”
“Our invitations to you are not an attempt to diminish your religious tradition or your life experience.”
“We feel a solemn responsibility to carry this message.”
Those aren’t the words from the scriptures I had in mind.
“Sharing with other people things that are meaningful to us or have helped us is not unusual at all.”
IMPORTANT REQUEST: I know Bednar just told us to share tips about what has helped us with pain, but please never talk to me about essential oils!! #kthxbai
Talk: President Monson
Alright folks, I’m signing off and listening sans laptop.
By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog 
My dad and I were texting back and forth during the game (which is awesome, because he just figured out how to text, and baseball is our common language). He told me after 17 pitchers (combined), if they run out, the last nine players have to stay on the field for as long as it takes. Th Nats were out, SF had one left. 18 beautiful innings. You can take the girl out of San Francisco, but San Francisco never leaves the girl.
You’re a Gigantes fan? I like your style.
I guess I can’t think of a *reason* why the Women’s Meeting wouldn’t be considered part of GC.
Even more progress – women on the organ.
I think I might write a talk about having our “strength faithened”.
Okay, I have a second window up to watch the Portuguese with only English subtitles and no voice-over.
Ooh, this talk stings a little. Leaving the Church is akin to drowning.
If the only reason to stay in the Church is because it’s the only boat on the ocean, well, that’s not a good reason.
There have been women on the organ for years. Not exactly anything new.
Here’s the link to watch in Portuguese.
https://www.lds.org/?lang=por
“We don’t live in a bubble.”
I like that. Some people are clueless about the apostles.
And here Cynthia L. shatters her own record for consecutive words strung together about sportsball!
Seems like a good enough reason to me. If that be the case.
And I agree with him that the reasons I hear people give for leaving the Church often have little or nothing to do with the reasons I hear people giving for joining the Church.
I’m not saying the apostles live in a bubble, but generally, people who live in a bubble don’t think they live in a bubble.
//Conspicuously and self-righteously ignoring Scott’s comment about me.//
Let the dismissive hand-waving over at MormonThink begin in 3, 2, 1….
I agree Joni; I don’t think that anyone who accused a person of living in a bubble has ever been convinced otherwise when the alleged bubble-dweller claims otherwise.
I’M ON A BOAT!!
I’d wager that the apostles are at the very least aware of, if not personally acquainted with or witnesses to evils, atrocities, poverty, and pains which I (happily ensconced in my bubble) can’t even imagine.
People whose sum total international experience consists of getting drunk over Spring Break in Tijuana might well accuse a missionary finishing an international mission of “living in a bubble” simply because he never got drunk.
Not sure their “thoughts” about whether they live in a bubble or not are relevant. The “fact” is that they do travel extensively and are exposed to far more than most members of the church.
Elder Scott sure has a soothing voice.
Seth R.,
Yes–and by their own definitions of “bubble” they could both be right. That’s why claiming that you don’t live in a bubble rarely convinces anyone–because those in need of convincing have typically defined their bubble in a way that the alleged bubble-dweller cannot ever satisfy.
Great to hear Elder Scott quotes and relying so heavily on Sister Reeves.
Joni – my husband’s current inability to hold his head up validates your opinion.
In fairness, though, being abroad and meeting by and large with people who revere you and who share your values in order to affirm already held ideals isn’t exactly stepping out of a comfort zone. Nor would meeting with national leaders with the intent of representing and in some cases defending one’s organization/institution. That’s not to take away from the travel and meetings that take place, which are much more extensive that I have embarked on.
I’ve been failing miserably on the family scripture time and FHE front – so I’m getting a few fingers wagged at me from my children.
Moreover, the bubble argument ignores the idea that apostles are called by The Lord and are inspired where necessary.
It’s just so darn hard and frustrating with little kids
Seth — Elder Scott did some finger wagging too.
I also think that Elder Scott cancelled 30 minutes of my children’s sleep each day too. And it won’t be at the beginning of their sleep time.
Scott B – agreed. I get excited whenever a man quotes a woman over the pulpit.
OKAY, NO MORE BUBBLE DISCUSSION ALLOWED UNTIL, LIKE, TOMORROW.
Very cool for my husband to listen online in Portuguese. I really think this change is going to be wonderful for a lot of people all over the world. I hope we get more and more of it.
Lots of discussion about the distractions in our lives, and the need to remove them.
“Lots of discussion about the distractions in our lives, and the need to remove them.”
*I read, as I check FB, BCC, and Ebay*
*sigh*
I swear they must like draw straws every conference on who has to talk about family history work and how technology has made it possible OH ITS SO EASY NOW! EVEN A MONKEY CAN TRACE THEIR FAMILY HISTORY NOW, BUT THAT HISTORY WILL NEVER LEAD TO A HUMAN
I love family history talks because I don’t feel guilty at all. Both sets of grandparents have done the work back to approximately the 1400s and/or where records essentially stop. There aren’t many admonitions I feel I can completely check off my list, but this is one.
He just quoted a RSP!
Ellie, that’s basically how I feel about the Word of Wisdom and other commandments. My ancestors kept those commandments like a boss, so I’m all good.
And our internet is down. I’ll just assume it’s the work of Satan.
Here you go, Ellie! Now you can do the work the rest of us have to! https://familysearch.org/indexing/
Fascinating end to the talk from Elder Packer–he changed the hymn to be gender-neutral. And he quoted an RS president. It’s all too much!
For me this entire conference has been wonderful. I usually also enjoy the discussions about the talks on here, but even with the increased moderation, which I like, there seem to be too many knee-jerk reactions, overreactions, and overanalyzing that it is distracting. Are you guys like that in your day to day interactions with other people? I genuinely believe that the GAs are good men and are doing their very best to do what God wants them to do, I have enjoyed the Sprit I have felt and the truths that have been tesstified to my heart. We are all human, and have our own experiences, biases, etc, and interpersonal communnication can be quite difficult. In these large meetings they have to talk to the generality of the members, and the world. Sometimes there is not the nuance that I would like, especially when they castigate single men, but that’s my bugbear. If they were as nuanced like it seems like some of you want, only one or two people could speak, and the talks would be as dry as legal briefs. Let us actually take the talks to heart and be more Christlike and charitable, ok?
Brian,
In keeping with my typical knee-jerk reactions, I only read your first sentence before responding. THANKS!
Scott B., I wish it worked that way for other commandments! But actually, I can’t think of other rules where one person can cover for someone else like with genealogy. Guess I’ll have to keep at it.
Ellie,
I guess what I meant by my comment is that I don’t think that your relatives have covered for you at all–I think that your (and all of our) responsibility extends beyond our family lines.
” those in need of convincing have typically defined their bubble in a way that the alleged bubble-dweller cannot ever satisfy.”
The No True Scotsman fallacy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
Am I correct that there was not a speaker from the General Young Men’s Presidency in this conference?? They usually speak in the priesthood session, but not last night.
I like to sing the song from the kids songbook as follows:
Family history, I’m not doing it, my family history,
And the reason why, I’m not doing it, is rather clear to me,
CAUSE MY DAD DID IT!!
Sigh. You’re probably right, but digging through familysearch.org is harder to get excited about when it’s not your family. Temple work, however, isn’t. Something to work on.
He missed “and upbraideth not” from his quotation of James.
Can all of us who are members just tune out Elder Bednar and get on with lunch??
Ellie, if you think your family history is all done, learn how to use FamilySearch Family Tree (how to add sources and correct information based on reliable sources, how to add pictures and documents) and then choose a great-great grandparent (someone born in the early to mid1800s) and work your way down through the Descendancy Tree.
Unless you’re from generation after generation of only children, you’ll be surprised at the gaps in the family research, and you’ll also be surprised by how close you can feel to your extended family as you source their Family Tree entries, research and learn and write about their lives, and share their stories with your family.
Still no score in Detroit.
No member of the YM Presidency, also no member of the presiding bishopric that I saw (priesthood maybe? )
Seemed like more than usual number of 70s?
Bishop Davies spoke last night in priesthood session.
There was a counselor in the presiding bishopric in the PH session. (Dean M. Davies, i think his name is?)
Okay everyone–comments on back on unfiltered. Please play nicely!
Family History is rarely completely done. If you just do your straight line back, maybe, but what about your ancestors’ brothers and sisters and their families. They are all a part of your family. Some of the most exciting people I have found on my family tree are not blood relations at all, but related through marriage to a distant cousin pr something. When my parents joined the church, they were the first members in their families. But sidelines back a couple of generations yielded pioneer stock. For example, my grandmother’s sister’s husband’s mother’s sister’s husband’s mother (that is the only roundabout relationship I have memorized) was a second cousin to the Loader family who came across the plains in the Martin Handcart Company. I also have Truman Angell on my family tree, even though it is just a relationship through a sideline relative that was a fourth wife to Truman’s daughter’s second husband, not a blood relationship. Researching sidelines is just as much fun as straight back ancestors.
I’ll jump in on the side of family history being done, so I tune out those talks. I got called as FH consultant at one point, so I asked the family genealogists for their research. I ended up with PAF files of 60,000 names (which are now all on the Familysearch website). There is no way I’m going to find the 60,001 person. And one of the reasons for the new website was to eliminate duplication of effort. Yeah, if my dad did the research, I don’t have to duplicate his effort.
I cheerfully attend the temple regularly, and tell pioneer heritage stories to my kids. But I don’t go looking for ancestors. I’m an amateur, so I would just annoy the professionals. The way to learn how to do FH research is to do it, but there aren’t any easy lines left to be a learning experience for me. I can’t jump in at the level of expertise required to add anyone to my family tree. Talk to anyone who knows what they’re doing at FH, and they’ve got stories about how annoying it is to have someone like me try to add stuff. I do my part by staying away. That means fewer mistakes for the experts to fix.
Wow. I just don’t know what else to say about that last comment other than it is both the best and worst excuse I’ve ever seen for not doing family history all wrapped up into one. Well stated.
“Bubble” may not be the precise term. But 40 years ago when serving as interpreter for Elders Eldred G. Smith and Delbert L. Stapely. In the course of our days together they felt impressed to share with me their views on topics ranging from the conspiracies behind civil rights activism and the prevalent sexual orientation of “intellectuals in the Church”. It wasn’t a particularly edifying experience but it did cure me of any hero worship tendencies.
Would it have taken that long for the teleprompter operator to show the translator how to work the dial, so she didn’t have to spend the talk showing him where they were?
Elder Packer–he changed the hymn to be gender-neutral. And he quoted an RS president.
And he’s the son of He Who Must Not Be Named! We’re getting somewhere!
Ben, I think the “No True Scotsman” fallacy is that all of us of Scottish descent like the current tune of “Praise to the Man.” :)
Heh heh… “woman on the organ” … heh heh