Sunday, April 2, 2023

SUPER SHORT General Conference Talk Summaries {Sunday Sessions/April 2023}

Here are the summaries I came up with for the talks from the Sunday sessions of General Conference in April 2023. This was a great exercise to keep me focused during the talks and I hope they're helpful to someone else out there.   

Disclaimer:   These notes are rough and there was no attempt to be grammatically correct; they're simply summaries of each talk.  

Click here for my  summaries from the Saturday session of April 2023.  

SUNDAY MORNING:

D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON
  BE ONE IN CHRIST.
 Begin with yourself to find oneness, Christ will help us find unity, love one another as we love ourself AND as He loves us.  Story of BH Roberts and his experience being offended by church leaders and eventually seeking unity and peace again.  Unity doesn't require sameness, but it does require harmony.  


CAMILLE N. JOHNSON
JESUS CHRIST CAN LIGHTEN OUR LOADS
 What heavy "rocks" are we carrying in our backpacks?  Yoke yourself to the Savior and gain His strength to help you lift your life's burdens.  Sometimes we are too prideful and we try to do life alone... but we need the Savior!  Repentance is what relieves us of the rocks of sin.  The atonement can help us find forgiveness for wrongs that have been committed against us, thereby relieving us of more heavy rocks that burden us. Jesus Christ IS relief. The relief he offers us is everlasting. 

ULISSES SOARES
EMBRACE CHARITY AND SHUN CONTENTION
 Heal contention that may be weighing us down.  Christ is the best example of charity. Seek to develop the characteristics of charity {love, patience, humility, etc}, so that we can treat others the way Christ would.  Satan rejoices when we have discord and contention.  The gospel represents good tidings of great joy--don't get caught up in the contentions of the world. Joy, peace, and spiritual growth can be ours if we turn to Him and seek to have charity. 

KAZUHIKO YAMASHITA
PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS ARE FOR ALL!
 Patriarchal blessings are for all ages (with no maximum age).   They are NOT just for those preparing to serve missions.   If you have a desire, do not be afraid to pursue and prepare to receive a patriarchal blessings.  Two purposes of Patriarchal Blessings:   1.  personal counsel from the Lord to you  2.  declares your lineage in the House of Israel.  It's a message from your Heavenly Father.  It is a guide, but it's not going to map out your life.


NEIL L. ANDERSEN
LET OUR THOUGHTS BE ON CHRIST
When Alma the Younger caught hold of Jesus Christ, his heart was changed. Let our thoughts be circumscribed of Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives.   We are spirit children of God.  View the world through the lens of our love for Christ and let go of things that don't fit his mission. He will bring us hope, peace, and love to all parts of our lives. 


KEVIN R. DUNCAN
 CHRIST'S WORK  IS DONE IN TEMPLES
Families can be united in the temple.   Think about the doctrine of eternal families through the lens of a nonmember or new member.  Every time we attend the temple and live up to our covenants, it is a protection from the adversary.  You will feel joy as you serve in the temple. 

RUSSELL M. NELSON
FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST AND TREAT OTHERS WITH CIVILITY AND RESPECT
 We live in an era of incivility where people feel like it is okay to vilify those who do not agree with them.   Contention never leads to inspired solutions. How compassionately do we treat other people...including those who do not agree with us?  True disciples of Christ build, lift, inspire, and encourage others.   Contention is evil and drives away the spirit--become a peacemaker now and always.  Those who foster contention are taking a page out of Satan's playbook.  If there is anything virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy, or of good report...these are the things we should speak to and about other people.   Differences of opinion are a part of life; manage them with dignity and respect.  Charity is the antidote to contention.    The Lord will magnify your efforts and the Lord invites ALL to come until Him!  


SUNDAY AFTERNOON


DALLIN H. OAKS
FIND TRUTH AND GET TO KNOW CHRIST IN THE SCRIPTURES
 Christ will lighten our loads.   Quoted lots and lots of scriptures about Christ, peace, love, etc.  

M. RUSSELL BALLARD
THINGS THAT MATTER MOST
 We need a relationship with Christ and this is of utmost importance.   Family relationships are also among those things that matter most (friends, family, and ward families are included in this).  We should use the spirit as we nurture these important relationships. Don't be afraid to testify of truth.  Testify to those we love. 

RONALD A. RASBAND
HERALD THE COMING OF CHRIST WITH THE PALMS OF DISCIPLESHIP
 The story of Ghanaians celebrating Palm Sunday in a beautiful way.   1. Prophecy--old testament prophets foretold Christ's coming 2.  the companionship of the Holy Ghost--we need the Holy Ghost to recognize truths, 3. Discipleship is unfailing commitment and love of God 4.  the atonement of Jesus Christ.  Fill your buckets with oil, by seeking the living water of Christ.

VERN P. STANFILL
PERFECTIONISM IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING "PERFECT IN CHRIST"
 Don't obsess with perfection.  Perfectionism is not the same as being "perfect in Christ".   Our best is good enough with the grace of our Savior. Story of harvest on the farm and the machine that left seeds behind.   Then the birds came and ate the rest. Used as analogy about God knowing the overarching plan.  Our clumsy efforts can lead to miracles.   Comparison to others is not emulation and can be destructive.  It is only through Christ that we can be made perfect.  

W. MARK BASSETT
DO ALL THAT WE CAN DO AND CHRIST WILL DO WHAT ONLY HE CAN DO
 That which the disciples could do themselves (rolling away the stone, removing the grave clothes, etc) and then Christ did what only he could do (raising Lazarus from the dead).  WE need to do all we can do.  The Lord loves effort.   When we embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, the blessings comes....sometimes later than we expect, but they will come. 

AHMAD S . CORBITT
JESUS CHRIST IS OUR SAVIOR
 Jesus Christ is our Savior and is an integral part of the eternal plan of happiness. We come unto Christ by following the Doctrine of Christ. The Doctrine of Christ is powerful and can heal nations. Do not speak ill of church leaders to our children, but teach them instead to turn to Christ.  

DAVID A. BEDNAR
ABIDE IN THE SAVIOR'S LOVE AND HE WILL ABIDE IN US
 in Enoch, it says "Go forth and do as I have commanded thee and no man shall pierce thee".= Do our best in our callings and don't worry about what other people think.     Come unto Christ with conviction and endurance and stay!  Truly feast upon the words of Christ to abide in his love. Try to make Christ the center of our lives.  Are the words of the Savior written in our hearts?   Plant the seed of faith in our hearts and allow the tree of faith to grow.  Power, guidance, protection, and peace are promised when we come unto Christ and walk with him.  Believe that the promises of Christ are for you individually.

RUSSELL M. NELSON
JESUS IS THE REASON WE BUILD TEMPLES
 Study the last week of Christ's life leading up to Easter, as well as His visit to the Americas in the Book of Mormon.  It is through Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven.  Jesus is the reason we build temples.   New temples will be built:  1. Guatemala, 2. Peru, 3 & 4. Brazil x2,  5 & 6. Philippines x2, 7. Indonesia, 8. Hamburg, Germany, 9. Lethbridge, AB, Canada 10. San Jose, CA  11. Bakersfield, CA  12. Springfield, MO 13. Charlotte, NC 14. Winchester, VA, 15. Harrisburg, PA 

No comments: