General Conference: Sat pm

Lunch run. I had to eat. And then my hands were full with food, so I didn’t get a chance to sit down until partway through the first talk.

Elder Robert D Hales
Poor use of agency can lead to loss of agency
Christ exercised his agency to act, continuing until the end “It is finished”
Chains of sin and death were broken through Christ’s choice to be our Savior
Job chose to be faithful, Mary & Joseph chose to flee to Egypt, Joseph Smith chose to heed God’s counsel
When we don’t keep commandments and follow promptings, our abilities to act and progress are diminished
Cain’s spiritual progress stopped when he chose to kill Abel
Disobedience paints us into a corner – we become captive to our choices
Despite being spiritually stuck there is always a way back
Following Word of Wisdom frees us from captivity of poor health
Staying out of debt enables us to have opportunities to help others financially and temporally
We liberate others from darkness by sharing the gospel, which allows them to walk in the light
Righteous exercise of agency always makes a difference in the opportunities we have to progress eternally
Do we hearken with exactness to voice of the Lord and His prophets, or practice selective obedience?
If you’re held captive by sin, come back; trust in the Atonement

Elder Quentin L Cook
By the light of Christ all mankind may know good from evil
Freedom and light have never been easy to attain or maintain
We must do our best to preserve light and protect families and communities from assault on morality
Onslaught of evil forces are particular threat to the family
We would be wise to black out lethal bombs that destroy spiritual growth and development (pornography, tv, websites)
If we don’t, devastating moral explosions may shatter the peace of righteous living
We need to increase religious observance in the home
Introduce content that is praiseworthy, virtuous, holy – shelter us from evil
Be source of light in protecting communities
“A time of plenty and an age of doubt”
How can we promote values to help abate descent into violence and evil?
Common moral foundation transcends theological differences
Majority of people are still respectful of basic moral values
Power and influence of evil people is large despite being small in number
Many leaders reject Judeo-Christian moral view of the world, no preference given to moral goals
Light of Christ informs conscience of all people (distinct from Holy Ghost)
Pres Packer “source of inspiration which each of us possesses in common with all other members of the human family”
Common for lesser part of people to desire that which is not right
If voice of people chooses iniquity, the judgment of God will come
Religious faith is store of light, knowledge, wisdom that benefits society
Engage in moral conduct because we feel accountable to God
A of F #13 We believe in being honest
Religion is critically important to democracy – abide by rules and practices that promote democratic ideals
Role of religion in treating all mankind as brothers and sisters (made in image and likeness of God)
Support people of character and integrity to help re-establish values that will benefit society
Don’t expect views to be automatically accepted, but ask for review based on merits
Live and proclaim gospel principles and moral values to be a force for righteousness

Richard C Edgley (Presiding Bishopric)
Reality of restoration of gospel continues to be challenged
Confusion, doubt, and pessimism can result from attacks on church
We choose how to react to challenges against gospel principles
Our choice should be faith, which requires effort
“Come unto me and knock, and it shall be given unto you”
Choose faith over doubt, fear, the unknown, pessimism
Awake, arouse, experiment, exercise, desire, work, plant – Alma’s talk on faith uses action words
We must seek after and develop faith
Responsible for our own faith or lack of faith
There are many things we don’t know; some matters are “mysteries of heaven” and we know what is important
Plain and simple gospel truths have been revealed for us
Choose to awake and arouse your faculties, humbly approaching the Lord to find truth
“If any man will do his will, he will know of the doctrine”
Faith needs constant nourishment through prayer, scripture study, application of doctrine
Difficult times are sometimes in reality the best of times when we have faith

[ Choir: Lord, I would follow thee ]

Elder Kevin R Duncan
Early Saints in Utah had hard time believing that this was really the place (me too)
Protection in this life comes from trusting the prophets of God
We have blessing of being led by a living prophet
The Lord will reward our obedience when we heed the words of His prophet
Many in the world have advice for us and it’s easy to rely on “the arm of the flesh”
The answers we need come through the prophet
We can learn what the Lord wants us to know about almost every subject

(diaper change)

Elder Gong
We bless generations when we become fellow Saints in the gospel
Temple blessings and ordinances make it possible for individuals and families to return to heaven

(naptime)