We hope you are all excited for General Conference this weekend! WE SURE ARE!
What an amazing opportunity to tune out the world for 2 days, and listen to our prophet and apostles who are called of God.
Sometimes, it's hard to know how to prepare for conference weekend, so we wanted to give you a couple tips!
1. RECORD INSPIRED QUESTIONS in a notebook.
Have a few questions you have pondered before conference written down, and listen to what the spirit has to answer throughout conference.
2. READ PERSONAL STORIES of the prophet and apostles.
Get to know our church leaders, and learn more about them and their lives. They are all amazing examples and have so much to teach us.
3. TRY NOT TO GET DISTRACTED
Make sure you aren't texting or on social media "listening" to conference. A good way to keep your phone out for taking notes but nothing else is to put it on airplane mode! :)
4. STAY AWAKE
This is a really hard one sometimes, but allow yourself to stand up every once in a while, or have little crunchy treats around to keep you awake!
5. ENJOY CONFERENCE!
We truly know what a blessing conference is and can be for each person who watches/listens to it. It is a time to learn more about how we ourselves can improve, a time to feel and listen to the spirit teach us...and so much more! Be excited for conference weekend!!! :)
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There are so many promised blessings that come from conference...here are just a few!!! :)
Members of the Church are entitled to personal revelation as they listen to and study the inspired words spoken at general conference.
As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered. For example, you might yearn for direction and guidance by the Lord regarding challenges you are facing.Answers to your specific prayers may come directly from a particular talk or from a specific phrase. At other times answers may come in a seemingly unrelated word, phrase, or song. A heart filled with gratitude for the blessings of life and an earnest desire to hear and follow the words of counsel will prepare the way for personal revelation.
"As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered. … There are messages in each general conference given as a gift and a blessing from heaven specifically for our personal life situations." - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Don’t discount a message merely because it sounds familiar.
Prophets have always taught by repetition; it is a law of learning. You will hear repetition in themes and doctrines in general conference. Let me reassure you: this is not due to a lack of creativity or imagination. We continue to hear messages on similar issues because the Lord is teaching and impressing upon our minds and hearts certain foundational principles of great eternal importance that must be understood and acted upon before we can move on to other things. A wise builder first lays the foundation before erecting the walls and the roof.
We study out in our minds what we need and desire from Heavenly Father, and we pray to understand and apply that which we are taught.
Some might ask, “Why doesn’t the inspiration come more easily and quickly?” The Lord taught Oliver Cowdery, “You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right.” Conference messages come to us after prayerful preparation, through the Holy Ghost.This principle is true for all members of the Church as we prepare to participate in ward, stake, and general conferences. We study out in our minds what we need and desire from Heavenly Father, and we pray to understand and apply that which we are taught. As the time for conference arrives, we sacrifice other activities, “lay[ing] aside the things of this world, [to] seek for the things of a better.” Then we gather our families to hear the word of the Lord, as King Benjamin’s people did.
"Oh, how we need general conference! Through conferences our faith is fortified and our testimonies deepened." - Elder Robert D. Hales
Decide now to make general conference a priority in your life. Decide to listen carefully and follow the teachings that are given.
"In order for the messages of general conference to change our lives, we need to be willing to follow the counsel we hear. The Lord explained in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith “that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know … how to act upon the points of my law and commandment.” But knowing “how to act” isn’t enough. The Lord in the next verse said, “Ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me.” This willingness to take action on what we have learned opens the doors for marvelous blessings." - Paul V. Johnson