Truth Seeking with Carol F. McConkie

Here To Serve A Righteous Cause
Carol F. McConkie
First Counselor of the Young Women General Presidency

Here is a link to the full talk.

Ok, here are the three truths I pulled from Sister McConkie's talk. I hope you enjoy them.

"Of this premortal covenant, Elder John A. Widtsoe explained: 'We agreed, right then and there, to be not only savior for ourselves but ... saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father's work, and the Savior's work, but also our work. The least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achieving the purpose of the eternal plan of salvation.'"

"Righteousness emanates out to the world when we understand what God wants us to do and then we do it." (I love this quote. Thanks for sharing it Sister McConkie)

"We all experience times and seasons in our lives. But whether we are at school, at work, in the community, or especially in the home, we are the Lord's agents and we are on His errand."

Truth Seeking with Linda S. Reeves

Worthy of Our Promised Blessings
Linds S. Reeves
Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

Read the full talk here.

Today I have pulled three quotes from Sister Reeves' talk, three truths that touched my heart,

"I know of nothing that will qualify us for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost as much as virtue."

"Many in today's world are looking for instant gratification and instant knowledge on the Internet. In contrast, we will exceedingly be blessed if we exercise faith and patience and go to our Heavenly Father, the source of all truth, with our concerns. So many answers and assurances can come through daily searching and studying the scriptures and with sincere and pleading prayer, but there are no such promises on the Internet." (I am a bit of a Facebook addict, so I needed to hear this.)

"I testify that our bodies are sacred gift from our Heavenly Father and that as we keep our lives pure and clean through the atoning sacrifice of our Savior and keep the vision of our Father's promised rewards daily in front of us, we will once day receive 'all that our Father hath.'"

Truth Seeking with Rosemary M. Wixom

Discovering the Divinity Within

By: Rosemary M. Wixom

Primary General President

Check out the full talk here.

I love to listen to conference talks, but I read this one. And I’m glad I did. I think I caught a few things that I might have missed otherwise. 

Ok, here are the quotes that stood out to me, a few of the truths that I was reminded about when I listened to Sister Wixom’s words.

“We come to this earth to nurture and discover the seeds of divine nature that are within us.” 

“Elaine Cannon, a former Young Women general president, said, ‘There are two important days in a woman’s life: The day she is born and the day she finds out why.’ We know why. We have come to this earth to help build His kingdom and to prepare for the Second Coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. With every breath we take, we strive to follow Him. The divine nature within each one of us is refined and magnified by the effort we make to draw nearer to our Father and His Son.”

“We are His,' Paul said. ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’ Often the first Primary song we learn is ‘I Am a Child of God.’ Now it is time to take that beloved phrase ‘I am a child of God’ and add the words ‘Therefore, what?’ We might even ask questions such as these: ‘What will I do to live my life as a child of God?’ ‘How can I develop the divine nature that is within me?’”

“President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, ‘God sent you here to prepare for a future greater than anything you can imagine.’ That future, a day at a time, comes alive when you do more than just exist; it comes alive when you live your life to fill the measure of your creation. This invites the Lord into your life, and you begin to let His will become yours.”

What do you KNOW to be true?

Share your testimony with us. Make the world a better place and the people in it stronger.

Tell us the truth, tell us your truth.

I'm back. Again.

Hello there. It's me again.

Returning after another lapse in writing. Or at least in writing posts on this site.

Over the last few months I have been busy editing my first novel and starting a second. I've also been busy starting another blog. Andrea Fingerson: Truth Seeker. Check it out if you have a minute.

But, I've decided that it is time to turn my attention back here, that is is time to immerse myself in the scriptures again, especially General Conference talks.  In order to help myself do that, I am going to simplify my posts. I know the previous posts ranged in length, but they took me a while to put together. I think I was facing a problem a lot of writer's face- over thinking.

So, from now on, my plan is to present simple posts about each talk. Mostly I will share a few quotes that spoke to me when I was reading. The quotes that rang especially true to me. I am a truth seeker after all.

I hope you enjoy the posts. And I hope you will share your favorite parts of the talks too. I look forward to hearing from you.

-Andrea

Linda Burton: We'll Ascend Together

Sister Burton begins her talk by reminding us of the importance of and the sacred nature of the role a father has in his family. As a daughter who is so thankful for the love of her father, and as a sister in-law who loves to see her brother in-law honoring his role as husband and father, I have a lot of respect and admiration for men who honor this aspect of their identity.

A father makes a significant impact on the lives of his children. It is a role that deserves more respect than it sometimes receives. It is also a role that I can imagine being very overwhelming, just as motherhood is overwhelming, but in a different way.

That is why Heavenly Father did not intend for His children to fulfill that role alone. Rather, He intended for parents, both fathers and mothers, to have helpmeets. I realize that the wife is usually considered the helpmeet, but I see the role as going both ways.

According to Sister Burthon, "the phrase 'help meet means 'a helper suited to, worthy of, or corresponding to him.'"

Brothers and sister, Heavenly Father wants us to work together, to love and support each other. Not just within the bonds of parenthood and matrimony, but especially within those bonds. As, Sister Burton said, He wants us to follow the advice of the following proverb: "thee lift me and I'll lift thee, and we'll ascend together."

I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us. He wants each of us to live a righteous life, accept the atonement, endure to the end, and return to live with Him. I do not know your particular circumstances. Like me, you may not (yet) have reached the point in your life where you are a father or a mother. You may not even be married, but you are all children of God. You are all part of an eternal family. I know that if we honor our responsibilities and strive to be help meets for each other, we can all return home.

President Boyd K. Packer: The Plan of Happiness

Hello again, Brothers and Sisters. I am so glad to get back into the habit of writing this blog. I haven't spent much time in the scriptures lately and, consequently, I've felt the difference. But I'm already stating to feel better after only two days of reading and responding to these wonderful conference talks. As someone said, somewhere in the Bible, we all truly need to feast upon the scriptures. 

Boyd K. Packer: The Plan of Happiness

Here is a link to the full talk

Early in his talk, President Packer makes reference to an important gospel principle. He phrases it this way: "the end of all activity in the Church is to see that a man and a woman with their children are happy at home and sealed together for time and all eternity."

I really love this principle of the gospel. Truthfully, it is really challenging for me to face sometimes. I am single and I don't know when, or if, I will be blessed with children during this life. As I tell my students regularly: yes, I want children, but I have to find their father first.

According to President Packer, "the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth has never been rescinded. It is essential to the plan of redemption and is the source of human happiness." Sitting here now, listening to my sweet nephew sleeping, I cannot help agree with this. I have found much joy and happiness because of my family, but especially because of my niece and nephew. Children are a wonderful blessing and I am so thankful to have these two in my life.

I can admit to some sadness because I do not yet have a family of my own. But I also realize that I am not alone. I do have a family. I am an aunt, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece, and a cousin. I have also been blessed with several wonderful friends. At the moment, I do not have a husband or children, but I do have wonderful people in my life whom I love and cherish. I also have faith that one day I will find my eternal companion and we will have children of our own. I don't know when that will happen, but I trust in Heavenly Father's promise.

After spending some time discussing the sacred nature of our ability to, and responsibility to, have children, President Packer reminds us that we don't need to be fearful if we've made mistakes in the past. He says that while our physical bodies sometimes retain a scar, or other reminder of an injury, our spiritual bodies do not follow the same rules: "our spirits are damaged when we make mistakes and commit sins. But unlike the case of our mortal bodies, when the repentance process is complete, no scars remain because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

He ends his message by urging us to escape our feelings of guilt, by "accepting the Atonement of Christ," and by promising that if we do, our "heartache can turn to beauty and love and eternity."

This is such a beautiful apostolic promise. One that I hope all of us will accept into our hearts.

President Eyring: Is Not This The Fast That I Have Choosen

Ok, people. Vacation is over and its time to get serious. Here our my thoughts on this next talk. I've love to hear yours.

President Eyring: Is Not This The Fast That I Have Choosen

Here is a link to the full talk

We all have an appointment with Heavenly Father, a "future interview," as President Eyring says. One of the ways we prepare for this interview is to serve our fellow Brothers and Sisters. That is part of our responsibility during this life, to succor our fellow men: "When we offer succor to anyone, the Savior feels it as if we reached out to succor Him."

At times, this can seem like an overwhelming task. There are so many who need help. (Truthfully, we will all need help on one point or another during our lives, maybe even at several points during our life time.) There are also times when we feel so overwhelmed with our own lives, that we may not feel capable of helping others. Thankfully, the Lord has provided a way for each of us to serve our fellowman: fasting and fast offerings.

As President Eyring says, "it is a commandment so simple that a child can understand it. It is a commandment with a wonderful promise for those in need and for us."

For those who don't know, here is how fasting works. Once a month, usually on the first Sunday of the month, all local wards hold Fasting Testimony meetings during Sacrament. Members of the church are invited to fast for 24 hours, or two meals, prior to this meeting. More specifically, we are invited to fast for a purpose. With a prayer in our heart, we can fast for personal guidance or for others in need. Then, on fast Sunday, we are asked to make a generous fast offering to our ward. The Lord's servants then pray about these financial offerings to know who it should be shared with. The offerings could be distributed to those in need locally, or elsewhere across the globe.

According to President Spencer W. Kimball, who President Eyring quoted in his talk, "rich promises are made by the Lord to those who fast and assist the needy. ... Inspiration and spiritual guidance will come with righteousness and closeness to our Heavenly Father. To omit to do this righteous act of fasting would deprive us of these blessings." I believe President Eyring shared these words because he wanted us to understand just how important it is to fast.

In recent years we have heard more and more about natural disasters and other tragedies taking place across the world. When an event like a tsunami or an earth quake happens so far away, we might feel helpless because there is little we can do from the comfort of our homes. But, we can support Heavenly Father's children in their time of need, no matter how far away they are. The relatively minor sacrifice of a fast offering helps to provide needed financial support. It pays for food, and blankets, even water. Heavenly Father's local servants are only able to provide this assistance because of the fast offerings of His children. All of His children. Even those who might be hundreds of thousand of miles away.

According to President Eyring, "your fast offering will do more than help feed and clothe bodies. It will heal and change hearts. The fruit of a free-will offering may be the desire in the heart of the recipient to reach out to others in need. That happens across the world."

Fasting can be challenging. Not everyone is able to fast from food. But all of us can honor the principle of the fast, and teach it to our children.

At the end of his talk, President Eyring prayed for us. He said, "I pray that we will claim those great blessings for ourselves and for our families."

That is my prayer for you as well. As we approach the Fourth of July weekend consider what and who you can fast for, and consider how generous of a fast offering you can make. Your contribution can and will make a difference in someone else's life.