I just spent a wonderful weekend in Boston! It was awesome to see the leaves, explore the city, take a break.....
.....and attend a fantastic conference with about 500 other single members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The theme of the conference was "Stand Together: Maintaining Perspective on what Matters Most." There were some fantastic speakers and opportunities to think together about how to strengthen ourselves and others in the gospel. Here were some of the highlights:
Elder Matthew Eyring:
* maintain a life-long commitment to Jesus Christ* remember the power of understanding true doctrine
* treasure up the words of life
* understand that your struggles really aren't relevant because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
* tie yourself to the feelings you have when you read your scriptures
* gain power when acting in faith even through uncertainty
* we are agents to act, not objects to be acted upon
* we need revelation!
* ACT so the Lord will guide you to receive more light (1 Nephi 16:29)
* are we prepared to listen, feel, act? :)
* the shelf-life of a prompting is very short! act quickly.
* serve, sacrifice, go to your knees and DEPEND ON THE LORD! :)
* boldly declare who you are and what you're about
* don't be afraid to sacrifice and ask for sacrifice from others
* act and invite others; never shrink as members of His Church
* "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ!" (Romans 1:16)
* be unafraid to be who you are!
* sacrifice and consecrate all that we have to the Lord and His kingdom!
Elder Clayton Christensen:
* There are less standard sacrifices asked of us now, but "it is not meet that [we're] commanded or compelled in all things"... but we should "be anxiously engaged in a good cause...and bring to pass much righteousness." (D&C 58:26-28)
* What have you been doing on your watch?
* The standard of sacrifice is ALL things!
* Sacrifice everything for the kingdom -- there is so much to do! Create a plan of action!
* The Church needs you!
* Find out what questions people have.
* Sacrifice time to serve in the temple.
* Remember what matters most -- what matters most to God needs to be what matters most to us!
* Sacrifice for the Lord and you'll be happy.
* Be innovative and creative in your attempts to build the kingdom of God!
* See a problem and solve it. Take the initiative!
* Seek for inspiration and revelation.
* When we hit a roadblock follow the ways of God (Isaiah 55:8-9) and build the kingdom in His way -- by the simple and weak, be humble and open, we're not perfect, create a need, get to know people, go after the one like the Good Shepherd
* Lose yourself in the gospel! (Mark 8:35)
* Come sacrifice all that you have for the kingdom of God.
* Build kingdom in Lord's way....we'll be successful and you'll grow!
Sister Kristen Oaks:
* We are a covenant people to "stand as witnesses at all times" (Mosiah 18:8-10)
* Heavenly Father loves us personally -- you're a child of God!
* Be the best you can be -- be a disciple of Christ!
* Honor your emotions -- you are a celestial being here on a visit!
* Be anxiously engaged! "Real princesses save themselves." :)
* Know and understand who you are.
* Understand the priesthood.
* Sanctify yourselves -- your faith will demand the best of you.
* Prepare to live after the manner of happiness
* "Taste" the principles of eternal life.
* We are in enemy territory, so get up and read the Book of Mormon.
* Recognize the voice of the Lord.
* Be kind to each other.
* Look for service.
* Comfort those in need.
* Stand by each other.
A few other thoughts by some other fantastic speakers:
* Define what spiritual success is for you.
* Live the gospel with ambition!
* Pray for inspiration.
* Come drop my burden at His feet....to do and be what He wants today!
* Choose spiritual success and make a purposeful plan to achieve it.
* God is with us!
* We can't turn back -- it's not consistent with who we are--children of God.
* Know His voice; don't get lost.
* Nothing can separate us from the love of God (see Romans 8:35-39).
* Jesus Christ offers the abundant life.
* Come boldly to the throne of grace for mercy (Hebrews 4:16).
* What if the Lord called you to do something important? What would your response be?
* Do you feel closeness to the Lord in prayer? If not, why not?
* We need to be loved and cherished by others
* People come here to become world experts, but you're the best....the light of the gospel shines in your faces!
* Have courage to live the gospel!
* Leave what you're doing and reach out to others.
We also sang some wonderful hymns that helped me learn some important things:
- More Holiness Give Me (more gratitude, more trust in the Lord, more hope in His work, more fit for the kingdom, more used would I be)
- Onward, Christian Soldiers
- Hope of Israel
- In Humility, Our Savior
- True to the Faith
It was a great weekend! :)
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