general conference april 2015

Every few years General Conference and Easter Sunday fall on the same weekend and it is a lovely treat. This year it happened and I want to share with you my favorite parts from this year's General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Saturday Morning

I felt the Saturday sessions were overwhelmingly about the family and marriage and defending these two. 

"Two essential ingredients to a successful marriage are a cookie and a kiss." -Boyd K. Packer on his own marriage and how he met his wife. 

"Nowhere is the generosity and mercy of God more manifest than in repentance." -Boyd K. Packer

Linda K. Burton began her talk with numerous quotes from general authorities on their wives and marriages and they were so cute, you guys. 

"Because of the office I hold I have a solemn responsibility to tell the truth-- she's perfect." -Linda K. Burton quoting Boyd K. Packer on his wife. AWWWWW!!!!

"A husband is never more attractive to his wife than when he is serving in his god-given role as a worthy priesthood holder in the home." -Linda K. Burton. Preach sister, preach.

"When was the last time I chose to be happy instead of demanding to be right?" -Linda K. Burton. One of those moments when a part of a talk is aimed right at you :-O

Dallin H. Oaks gave one of my favorite talks of the weekend about the parable of the sower and how different members of the church are like different seeds and their hearts are like the different types of ground the seeds fell upon. Also he straight up called people out on being on their phones during the passing of the sacrament which was cool and alarming. He talked about members sometimes having a "keyhole view" of the gospel, where they focus on a certain aspect that bothers them, they disagree with or don't fully understand instead of looking at the entire beautiful picture of the gospel. He quoted Hugh Nibley on defending our faith and how living this gospel is supposed to be difficult and we are going to offend people and our lifestyle is going to be viewed impractical by the world, but that is the gospel and we should stand for truth until the end.

"Any one of us can develop stony hearts which is stony ground for spiritual seeds." -Dallin H. Oaks 

Saturday Afternoon

"Ultimately we will be left without excuse." -David A. Bednar getting real about the importance of godly fear and how it's not the kind of fear we are accustomed to and is actually good to have.

"Many things are good, many things are important, few are essential." -D. Todd Christofferson

Wilford W. Andersen used a beautiful and unique metaphor of dancing and music as ways we learn of the gospel, live it and the blessings we receive from it. Dance steps are the things we do in our lives and the music is the blessings we receive from doing these things. Sometimes we do things that people don't understand and it's like seeing someone singing and dancing in their car next to you in traffic. They look ridiculous, but it's cuz you can't hear the music. 

"A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying." -Dale G. Renlund on how the name of our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) can sometimes make us uncomfortable because we are 100% aware that we are not saints and are always making mistakes. While we are free to make mistakes, repent and learn from them, it's also our responsibility to allow others to make mistakes and change. When we judge people for trying or don't give them the same chances we would want for ourselves, we become Latter-day Hypocrites. 

Easter morning! Sunday sessions were primarily testimonies of the life of Christ, the miracle of His resurrection and the wonder of his Atonement. It was amazing to listen to the words of prophets of God proclaim their knowledge and surety of Jesus' triumph over death and such a perfect way to celebrate the Easter holiday.

Sunday Morning

President Thomas S. Monson announced the building of temples in the Ivory Coast, Haiti and Thailand!!!

"Casual commandment keeping and apathy desensitize us from marveling at the miracles of the gospel." -paraphrased from Bishop Gerald Causse. He started his talk describing how sometimes, because we are so accustomed to seeing marvelous things, in his case it was his family living in Paris and always see the Eiffel Tower, that we get used to them, take them for granted and sometimes completely ignore them. Sometimes this can happen to us in the gospel and the way we live our lives causes us to forget about the miracles and wonders of the gospel and forget about how it blesses our lives.

"All of us are lost and need to be found." Brent H. Nielson gave an incredibly touching testimony of his sister leaving the church and many years later re-joining and how sometimes all we can do is wait, watch and love the people in our lives who leave the church. We need to remember that we are all lost sheep trying to be found and we must never stop loving the ones who take longer to be found.

Jeffrey R. Holland shook me to the core, in the most reverent and powerful way with his testimony of the Savior, his death and resurrection and the importance of the Fall of Adam.

"We cannot celebrate Christmas or Easter without acknowledging Adam and Eve and the Fall." -paraphrased from Elder Holland's talk, but one of those things you know you've learned, but then it hits you how true and pertinent it is. He even made the comparison of the Savior as another Adam who came to the earth to die for our sins as well as Adam's, so that we could be saved and live again. 

"Jesus stands triumphant over death, although He stands with wounded feet." -Jeffrey R. Holland

1) Grace unlocks the gates of heaven

2) Grace opens the windows of heaven

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf back to back was one of my favorite Easter treats. President Uchtdorf spoke on the grace of God and how even if we lived perfect lives, it still wouldn't be enough to enter heaven because we would still be unclean and need the grace of God to fully cleanse us.

"We must enter the gates of heaven with a change of heart so dramatic it is referred to as 'being born again.'" -Dieter F. Uchtdorf (paraphrased)

"Salvation cannot be purchased with the currency of obedience. It was bought by the blood of the Son of God." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Here's a conference throwback for you. I think this was in October 2011. This was also the same weekend I met Preston for the first time aww. 

Sunday Afternoon

"How we live our religion is far more important than what we say about our religion." -Robert D. Hales. Maybe my favorite quote from Conference? Elder Hales spoke about the freedoms we enjoy to live our religion and proclaim it, but ultimately, our example is what speaks the loudest to people.

Neil L. Andersen gave a beautiful talk about the revelation behind the decision of where to build temples and how their locations demonstrate the Lord's revelation to his prophet and the Saints in that area's faith and willingness to serve. My heart is always softened when I learn and hear about members of the church around the world make sacrifices to attend the closest temples to them, some saving up for months or years just to attend the temple. It makes me realize how lucky I have been my whole life to live relatively close to the temple and how I should more regularly attend.

"Because of what I've heard and felt during this conference, how will I change?" Russell M. Nelson, perfectly ending the final session of this April's General Conference.

Once again I am moved and humbled by the words of our prophet and his counselors. I am especially grateful for their testimonies of the Savior and add mine to theirs. He lived and died for us and triumphed over that death. It was the most miraculous and wonderful event in the history of the world and it was done because of pure love for you and me. 

Thank you for reading. Visit here to watch or listen to this April's Conference messages.

general conference october 2014

Another General Conference weekend has come and gone and I am always a little bit sad when it's over. If you have never read my blog before, welcome. After every General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I do a little recap of my favorite talks and quotes.

This year for the Sunday afternoon session, we biked to White Rock Lake an listened to the last session in the shade of a tree. I really miss cool fall weather and the changing of the leaves, but sometimes 75 and sunny isn't so bad. All of the pictures in this post are from Sunday afternoon.

One of my favorite talks was by Elder D. Todd Christofferson about the Atonement and how we don't automatically earn exaltation; it's a physical, conscious choice on our part. He also rebutted people who argue that they should not be forced to obey commandments and a loving God wouldn't make such high demands with this great statement: "A god who makes no demands is the functional equivalent of a God who does not exist."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf is always a conference MVP and spoke at the General Women's Meeting, Saturday morning session and priesthood session! My favorite quote was about the church being a place for all kinds of individuals in all aspects of life with all kinds of testimonies- "I know of no signs on doors of our meetinghouses that say your testimony must be this tall to enter."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a fantastic talk about standing up for our beliefs, but remaining civil and loving everyone. I thought this topic was so relevant because of the constant ridicule and controversy the Church and its members face. It's important that we stand up for what we know is right, but also remain disciples of Christ.

Probably my favorite talk from the entire conference was by Elder Jorg Klebingat. He began his talk by asking the question, what would you do if you had an interview with the Savior in a minute? What would go through your mind? Would you feel ready? He then gave us 6 steps to improve our spiritual confidence:

1) Take responsibility for spiritual domain and well-being

2) Take responsibility for physical well-being 

3) Embrace whole-hearted obedience as part of your life

4) Become good at repenting thoroughly and quickly

5) Become really good at forgiving

6) Accept trials and setbacks as part of your mortal existence: "Millions of your brothers and sisters are being tested, why do you think you would be exempt?"

Elder Klebingat's message was very straight forward and kind of called me out, which is always a little startling, but always great in a talk. I highly suggest you re-visit this one.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a passionate talk about caring for the poor. My favorite part of this talk was towards the end when he admitted that he did not know how each of us can help the poor, but God knows. I think it's inspiring and humbling when such amazing and righteous leaders of the church can admit that even they are not sure about all things, but they are certain the Lord knows.

"Who can put a price tag on the influence of a mother?" -L. Tom Perry

And to close, Elder David A. Bednar addressed his talk to non-members and explained why Mormons are so eager to share the gospel with others. "Our simple desire is to share with you the truths most sacred to us."

I hope you enjoyed this October conference as much as I did. If you missed any of the talks or want to re-visit your faves, you can listen/watch/read the messages here.

I'm thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and especially thankful for the guidance of a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I know he and his counselors are messengers of God and the words and messages they chose to share with us last weekend are pertinent and relevant in our lives today.

teach and preach and work as missionaries do

Today has been an emotional whirlwind because my little brother went into the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah this afternoon. I talked with him on the phone while he had lunch with Alyanna and Drew before he was dropped off. I wasn't home at the time, but when I got back I texted Alyanna about Nic's status and she responded that they had just dropped him off and a second after that my mom texted in our family group text "Can I talk to him?" That's about when the tears started and they've been going all afternoon and into the evening.

Don't get me wrong, I am so, so thrilled for Nic or I should say Elder Padilla. He is doing the very best thing he could possibly do with his life at this point and I know he will do great things. Today it just hit me that he will be serving the Lord full-time for two years and started this afternoon.

To make myself feel better, I decided to listen to the General Women's Meeting that happened last Saturday. I missed it because I was working, but couldn't think of a better way to make myself feel better than to hear from church leaders about how much the Lord loves me. The meeting started with a video which featured women all over the world talking about the blessings of the temple. They shared their favorite experiences and many talked about the wonderful opportunity of being sealed in the temple. I started crying a lot during this part because I thought about how missionaries make this possible by spreading the gospel. By bringing people to Christ, they bring families together forever. My own family joined the Church after 2 sister missionaries knocked on our door in Tennessee. It warmed my heart to think of how my brother will be making it possible for other families to be together forever. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the talks from this meeting, I highly suggest downloading them and listening to them in the car or something. They're excellent and so uplifting.

This was mainly for me to talk about my feelings because I have so many of them. I really couldn't be prouder of Elder Padilla and his willingness to serve. I know he will be a wonderful missionary and that he is a great disciple of Jesus Christ. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you full-time missionaries around the world, past, present and future. Your efforts have changed lives, mine included. Thank you also the families, teachers and friends who support these missionaries because missionary work couldn't happen without you.

Elder Padilla would love to hear from you. You can e-mail him at: padillaj@myldsmail.net or write him a letter:

Elder Jose Nicolas Padilla

Provo Missionary Training Center

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

called to serve

Oh what a happy weekend it has been. On Saturday morning I flew to Philadelphia so I could be home for Nic's farewell talk on Sunday. My trip was way too short (Saturday morning-Monday morning), but still so very happy. Nic has chosen to serve a 2 year service mission for our church and he will be in Melbourne, Australia speaking Mandarin!!!! He reports to the Missionary Training Center on October 1 and this past Sunday he spoke in church about how we can be missionaries in every aspect of our life. My favorite part about Nic's talk was when he said that despite the fact that he has a formal call and assignment to do missionary work, he is not any more important than the rest of us when it comes to missionary effort. We all have the same responsibility whether or not we have a nametag to bring souls unto Christ. I am really proud of my little brother because even though I still think he's a goof, he has grown up into such a bright and shining disciple of Christ and I know he will make a wonderful missionary.

Besides getting to see my family, Blythe, Kaile, Jadyn, Sean and Drew all made it to Lancaster this weekend as well. I met Blythe and Kaile in 2007 when we attended EFY in Buena Vista, Virginia. I was roommates with Maren and we became fast friends with Blythe and Kaile. They lived in North Potomac, Maryland so throughout high school we visited each other back and forth on the weekends. Eventually Blythe went to BYU a year before us and then we followed. We have all lived together at some point (except for Maren and me oops) and Maren, Blythe, Kaile and Jadyn were bridesmaids in my wedding. I love these girls with all my heart and was so happy to snuggle with them this weekend.

Here is a group picture of all of us after church on Sunday. Nic gave a great talk and we enjoyed each other's company. I was excited to meet Drew and to see my best friends for a few days. It's always hard to leave home, but this time was especially sad when I said goodbye to Nic at the airport. I know he will be great and I'm so impressed with his decision to serve the Lord for 2 years. My heart goes out to all the full-time missionaries and their families. Your sacrifices are such an integral part of our church and we love you for all you do.

184th annual general conference: sunday sessions

As promised, I have split up my favorite parts of this year's General Conference into 2 posts. These are my favorite quotes and things I learned from the Sunday morning and afternoon session. You can watch both sessions and the entire conference here.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed my increase in usage last weekend and the hashtag #ldsconf. This has become one of my favorite parts about conference because I'm able to share my thoughts immediately to the thousands of other Conference viewers in the Twittersphere. I've also noticed that some of my non-Mormon followers favorite my #ldsconf tweets and who knows, maybe they looked up the talk to read the whole thing. As much as people complain about our phone obsessed generation, I think that there are some benefits to having and sharing information instantly via social media. Thanks for not unfollowing me during Conference and thanks for everyone else who posted their #ldsconf tweets :)

Photo credit Meg Ricks

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

• Someone on my Twitter feed made the comment that one of the most inspired things President Monson has done as a prophet was calling Elder Uchtdorf as one of his counselors and I couldn’t agree more. This man is called of God, not to mention he is the king of producing the most perfectly, pinteresting quotes.
• Be thankful in our circumstances instead of for things
• How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God there is rain? – I can already see this wall decal in the homes of Mormons everywhere. But truly, we need to stop waiting for trials to be over to thank God. We should always have an attitude of gratitude in our hearts regardless of our circumstances.
• Why do we resist endings? Because we’re made of the stuff of eternities
• Endings in mortal life are merely interruptions

Jean A. Stevens

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a checklist of things to do, it lives in our hearts
• The gospel is not a weight, it’s wings

David A. Bednar

•  Happiness is not the absence of a load—I make this mistake all the time. When my life is great and easy, I think, “Man, this is happiness. Nothing to worry about,” but it’s not true.
• There is no anguish of the soul we face that the Savior hasn’t felt first. HE GETS ME. But seriously. The Savior gets you and loves you. 

President Thomas S. Monson

• Everyday of our lives we are given the opportunities to love others
•  The people we meet everyday in parking lots and elevators are the portion of God’s children He has given us to love—awww! That is so hard to think though because I feel like I encounter so many people I don’t everyday I have no interest in loving, but they’re put in my life to love. 

Lawrence E. Corbridge

• Elder Corbridge bore testimony of Joseph Smith and his fundamental role in restoring the gospel back to the earth. This was a timely message for me because I recently finished reading Under the Banner of Heaven and learned of some not so shining moments in church history.
• The truth will always be opposed—Much like the Savior was ridiculed and eventually crucified, Joseph Smith faced persecution until his dying day. People can’t leave the truth alone and it will always face opposition.
• The family is the pattern of heaven

D. Todd Christofferson

• Our lives are His—Because the Savior gave His life that we might live again, our lives and everything we do are really His
• If Christ was resurrected He is a divine being and had to have been a God and what He taught was true because God cannot lie. Basically Elder Christofferson made the connection starting from Christ’s resurrection to His life to His teachings to His gospel and how if one happened, then everything that followed had to have happened. It was very cool and reminded me of my Philosophy 215 class at BYU.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to listen to the prophet and his counselors during General Conference. I know the talks are inspired and the men and women giving them are called of God. Thank you for reading! Feel free to shoot me any questions or share you favorite from this April General Conference.

184th annual general conference: saturday sessions

On April 5 and 6 I had the opportunity to listen to General Conference. I love Conference because it always seems to fall at the perfect time of the year. When I was at BYU, it was always right before finals and right after the school year started. I miss living in Provo because it was so easy to get tickets to Conference and attend one or multiple sessions. However, we are so blessed today to watch Conference from the comfort of our own homes, which is exactly what I did this year. I want to highlight my favorite talks and quotes from the weekend and I would love to hear your feedback and answer questions! (I am writing this post based on the notes I personally took while listening, so some of the quotes may not be exact and are most likely paraphrased).

Photo Credit to Meg Ricks

I’ve split up this post into Saturday and Sunday sessions to save you from reading a super long post. Here are my thoughts from Saturday morning and afternoon sessions:

Jeffrey R. Holland

• Talk about starting strong. Elder Holland is known for delivering powerful and emotional messages and this talk was no exception. My favorite part from this one was this line: It is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat boat but don’t even row it
• Christ-like love is the greatest need we have on this planet.
• Living the gospel is hard but it’s the most worthwhile thing we’ll ever do in this life.

Ronald Rasband

• To sustain our leaders is a privilege and is coupled with the responsibility to share their burdens
• What He asks of us is to take up the joyful burden of discipleship- discipleship is JOYFUL burden. Whoever thought the words joyful and burden would be used to describe one another. But this goes back to Elder Holland’s talk and the difficulty of living the gospel but the infinite blessings we receive from doing so.

Carlos H. Amado

• Props to the speakers who deliver messages in languages other than their native tongue. I can’t imagine how difficult that must be, and yet they still manage to convey their thoughts and the Spirit so well
•  Even during His immense suffering, Christ continued to pray for and think of others

Neil L. Andersen

• You are infinitely more precious to God than a tree- Ok ok, I know this is taken out of context but I giggled so much when he said this line. Like sweet, I’m more special than that sequoia!
• While many well-intentioned governments and politicians redefine marriage, God does not—simple statement about the sanctity of marriage.
• God has saved you for His final preparations before His return—I always get emotional thinking about being part of a chosen generation. It sounds a little conceited, but we truly have been saved for the last days. It’s frightening that of all the human lives who could have been brought to earth at this time, I am one of the ones chosen to live in this day and age- yikes. This concept makes me think of EFY and singing “As Zion’s Youth in Latter Days” and feeling a flood of emotion and humility.
• Elder Andersen talked mostly about the ever-increasing gap between the standards of the world vs. the Church. As Latter-day Saints we stick out more and more and have become more and more recognized throughout the world. Now more than ever we need to live like disciples of Christ and be the best examples of His Church we can be. 

Russell M. Nelson

• Even if everyone else is doing it, wrong can never be right—simple statement but hard to live but so, so true.
• Courage, not compromise brings the smile of the Lord’s approval
• Stand up for what you believe in. Let your faith show. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel.

Richard G. Scott

• Shoutout to Elder Scott for consistently mentioning his Sweet Jeanene every time he speaks. I actually yelled, “I LOVE JEANENE” during this talk to which Preston responded, “I know.”
• Teach with the vision of the importance of being sealed in the temple—It’s gonna be awhile before I’m teaching my own little ones about the importance of the temple, but it makes me remember how important the temple was in my family growing up. We always had a picture of the Washington, D.C. temple in our home and it was emblazoned in my mind that my goal should be to get married there someday. I dreamed about my wedding since I was little and imagined all the frivolous things like my dress and flowers, but my mom always reminded me that none of that mattered unless I was sealed to my husband that day. Yay for that dream coming true :)

W. Craig Zwick

• Kept shooting glances at Preston this whole talk cuz it was all about COMMUNICATION y’all. This talk is called “What Are You Thinking?” and I thought it was one of the most useful and practical addresses of Conference. Elder Zwick shared his own personal experience of miscommunication with his wife as well as an example from the Book of Mormon of different viewpoints resulting in abrasive words and hurt feelings.
• The willingness to see things through each other’s eyes transforms corrupt communication to ministering grace—Think before you speak! Think about what the other person might be thinking. This talk was for me because my feelings are easily hurt and I am a champion at holding a grudge and refusing to speak. 

Thanks for reading both my Saturday sessions thoughts. You can watch both Saturday morning and afternoon sessions here

T

six

Today was a very special day because I went through the temple for the first time. It was probably the most unique experience of my life so far, and sometimes felt overwhelming, however, I also felt an incredible sense of love the entire time- from my parents, the temple workers and especially the Lord. The DC temple is one of my favorite spots on earth and holds so much meaning in my heart. It was where my family was sealed, where I did baptisms for the first time, and now where I have taken my endowments and where I will be married. I didn't think it was possible, but I am even more excited to get married there than ever before. Today was like one big, happy, ongoing reminder of what is in store for me this Friday. We are down to single digits! 6 days until I am Mrs. Preston Kutney forever. I am giddy with excitement.

proof of heaven

I just finished reading this 15 minutes ago and it has been one of my favorite books I've read this year. I attribute my appreciation for this largely to my religion and my firm, already-existing belief in an afterlife, but I think anyone would find Dr. Alexander's story uplifting and fascinating. Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife is Dr. Eben Alexander's account of his personal near-death-experience (NDE) and the miracle his body and mind underwent during his week-long coma. Dr. Alexander's recovery is a miracle in itself, but this was not even the most amazing part of his story. As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Alexander led his life as a staunch believer in science and medicine. He frequently heard stories from patients of their NDEs and other-worldly experiences, and politely acknowledged them, but completely discounted their credibility, knowing full-well there was no way these individuals actually experienced and saw the things they did. What I loved most about this book was the incredible transformation Dr. Alexander underwent after his coma. He makes beautiful statements about the reality of God and His love for each of His children, which are simple truths I've grown up believing, but when you see an extremely intelligent, grown man come to knowledge of these things, you realize the perfection of God. My heart was full reading this and it only increased my testimony of the Savior and Heavenly Father. 

Here is one of my favorite excerpts from the book:

Ultimately, none of us are orphans...None of us are unloved. Each and every one of us is deeply known and cared for by a Creator who cherishes us beyond any ability we have to comprehend. That knowledge must not longer remain a secret.

start where you are

Last weekend was the 183rd General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had the opportunity to listen to the prophets and leaders of the LDS church, hear their counsel and use their teachings to improve my life. It's one of the best weekends of the year! If you missed any part of it, the entire conference can be watched here.

Before I left for college, my Young Women's leader gave me the journal that is pictured above. I decided to use it as my "church" journal, because although she encouraged us to use it to record our college experiences, I felt silly writing about boys and grades in a notebook with JESUS on the cover. Appropriately, I finished the journal during the last session of conference. It really warms my heart to flip through all the pages and see the notes that I took during General Conference, Relief Society sessions, Christmas devotionals and firesides. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to attend BYU and be so close to all of the leaders of the church. It is truly a unique and special experience and has only added to my love for the university.

As usual, I want to share my favorite talks, quotes and insights I gleaned from this April conference. Check it out:

(Alex Steele Photography)

• One of the biggest themes of the entire conference was missionary work. When I asked Preston about priesthood session, he said it was heavily emphasized as well. Ever since the historical announcement made last October regarding the lowering of the missionary age, there has been an explosion of missionaries. I know I have probably shared this on this blog or to you in person, but I have a tremendous testimony of missionary work. My own parents joined the Church when two sister missionaries knocked on their door in Tennessee. It's real and it works. There are few things more admirable to me than young men and women in the prime of their life taking aside 18-24 months to serve the Lord and teach His children. One of the most important lessons I learned from conference was how important it is to be a missionary, even if you don't have an actual call or name badge. Elder Andersen said it so sweetly- "Paint a missionary badge on your heart."
• "Who could've imagined that the full standard works and years of General Conference would be able to fit in your pocket?" -Elder Richard G. Scott. I love using social media to promote my faith. Obviously. It made me so happy to see my Twitter feed so active with #ldsconf tweets. We are a technology driven generation and the Lord knows that, which is why it's so easy to share the gospel through all forms of social media. And who doesn't love the Gospel Library app? It really is amazing the years of knowledge and counsel we have at our fingertips.
• David A. Bednar's talk on chastity and the sanctity of marriage. I knew this would be addressed at conference and it was mentioned several times and emphasized by quite a few General Authorities. Elder Bednar emphasized Satan's desire to make us miserable using our bodies because it is the one thing he will never have. 
• Dieter F. Uchtdorf's entire talk. This was my favorite talk of the weekend and the title of my post. President Uchtdorf gave us 3 things to do:
  1) Start where you are.
  2) Turn your heart towards the Lord.
  3) Walk in the light. 
  I loved the first step of starting where you are. He explained that we don't have to wait until we are in our final days of judgment to receive the Lord's blessings. The Lord's blessings aren't reserved for perfect people. The Lord is ready to bless us and help us  if we just start now, right where we are, regardless of how far behind we feel. It's the small, righteous little things we try to do each day that make a difference and ultimately exalt us. This talk was so encouraging and reminded me of the beauty and perfection of the Savior's love.
• L. Whitney Clayton's talk about marriage. Because I'm getting married. But seriously, this was great. He gave us 5 things he has observed and learned are necessary to maintain a successful marriage. My favorite line was, "Marriage is a gift from God to us. The quality of our marriage is our gift to Him."
• Jeffrey R. Holland's talk. I feel like the entire church holds their breath in anticipation for Elder Holland's talks. This one was another encouraging talk about turning to the Lord and having faith that He will help us. My favorite line from probably the entire conference was from this talk: "Imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with and that must be terribly frustrating for Him, but He deals with it and so should we." Be patient with each other guys. If the Lord can deal with our 239587094375938745 faults, we can learn to deal with each other's.
  
  If you managed to read this whole post, thank you. I consider my General Conference posts to be the most important ones on this blog. I appreciate your comments and feel free to direct any questions to me and I'll try my best to answer them. I love my church and I love President Monson. I know he has been appointed by the Lord as a living prophet to lead us through this crazy world. This gospel brings me the most joy I've ever known. I know it's true and I love it.