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Ten Things of Thankful: Messages from General Conference

As promised earlier, here are some messages that stood out to me from this fall's General Conference, ten thoughts for which I am thankful:

Caption: "Some misuse authenticity as a celebration of the natural man and qualities that are the opposite of humility, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and civility. We can celebrate our individual uniqueness as children of God without using authenticity as an excuse for un-Christlike behavior."--Quentin L. Cook
Caption: "One of the great challenges each of us faces every day is to not allow the concerns of this world to so dominate our time and energy that we neglect the eternal things that matter most." David A. Bednar
Caption: "Our lives are like a chessboard, and the Lord moves us from one place to another--if we are responsive to spiritual promptings. Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives." Ronald A. Rasband
Caption: ". . .sometimes we are afraid to trust because we don't understand God's absolute love and desire to help us. . . .When we exercise faith and  humbly open ourselves to Their answers, we become free from the constraints of our misunderstandings and assumptions, and we can be shown the way forward." Jean B. Bingham
Caption: "How much value is there in fixing the world if the people around us are falling apart and we don't notice?" Bonnie L. Oscarson
Caption: ". . . no matter your history--if you have faltered, failed, feel broken--know that you are not alone. God still calls to you." Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Caption: ". . .the grace of Christ offers us not only salvation from sorrow and sin and death but also salvation from our own persistent self-criticism." Jeffrey R. Holland
Caption: "Something powerful happens when a child of God seeks to know more about Him and His Beloved Son." Russell M. Nelson
Caption: "Of course, we must always stand for what is right, and there are times when we must raise our voices for that cause. However, when we do so with anger or hate in our hearts--when we lash out at others to hurt, shame, or silence them--chances are we are not doing so in righteousness." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Those are just a few "sound bites" from conference; if you'd like to get the full experience, you can watch, listen, or read all of the talks here

Did any of those quotes stand out to you? What are your thoughts?

Be sure to visit the Ten Things of Thankful blog and feel free to link up your own list of what you are thankful for this week!





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Comments

  1. Oh, my! Those are excellent, and i like the first one best. We can be authentic and tell our hurts or frustrations or anger without being mean and nasty, but instead with a desire to mend whatever is wrong.

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    1. Agreed! Especially on social media, I think it is too easy to forget that there are actual real people on the receiving end of whatever we write. We need to be nice! :-)

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  2. Interesting idea for a post.

    I'd say the final one stood out to me most. I have my moments of anger, but I try never to lash out and be vindictive toward another person.

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    1. I think that quote has even more impact, when taken in context of the preceding lines from his talk:

      "In the year I was born, the world was immersed in a terrible war that brought agonizing grief and consuming sorrow to the world. This war was caused by my own nation—by a group of people who identified certain other groups as evil and encouraged hatred toward them.

      They silenced those they did not like. They shamed and demonized them. They considered them inferior—even less than human. Once you degrade a group of people, you are more likely to justify words and acts of violence against them.

      I shudder when I think about what happened in 20th-century Germany.

      When someone opposes or disagrees with us, it’s tempting to assume that there must be something wrong with them. And from there it’s a small step to attach the worst of motives to their words and actions."

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    2. I have been fascinated by just this and this historical period and event for longer than I can recall. I won't demonize anyone because it could all be turned back around on me at any moment. Scary.

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  3. You've shared an outstanding collection of thoughts from the Conference and I found myself nodding eagerly in agreement with every one of them! Every single one has a message we need to hear and ponder in our hearts, but I think the first one and final one really stand out for me because we see so much happening around us that I find bewildering and defeating. How can we share wisdom and understanding if we are shouting and belittling and how can we claim to know the path to righteousness if we conduct our personal lives like a circus sideshow? I note that we rarely hear comments in society at large about the virtue of modesty know, it's a show yourself, and be "proud" of your body world, but it has long since crossed the line to provacative and vulgar. There are much better ways to reflect our inner pride and self confidence, and to reflect the sacredness of the soul housed within. Thank you for sharing, I'm going to save some of these to return to when I need to remember what is really important! XOXO

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    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed them. I always come away from General Conference uplifted and inspired.

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