Pretty amazing to think that any organization has enjoyed 183 annual conferences! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has and will continue to do so until the return of the Savior, and maybe even after that, too!
Highlight #1: The talk about
Marriage by Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Quorum of the Seventy.
He outlines five principles that are common to all successful, strong and satisfying marriages.
1) "In the happiest marriages both the husband and wife
consider their relationship to be a pearl beyond price, a treasure of
infinite worth. The best marriage partners
regard their marriages as priceless."
2) "
Faith is the foundation of every virtue that strengthens marriage.
Strengthening faith strengthens marriage. Faith grows as we keep the
commandments, and so do the harmony and joy in marriage."
3) "
Humility means that both husbands and wives seek to bless, help, and lift each other, putting the other first in every decision."
4) "Where there is
respect, there is also transparency, which is a key
element of happy marriages. There are
no secrets about relevant matters
in marriages based on mutual respect and transparency. Loyalty is a form of respect. They keep their social media use fully worthy in every way. They permit
themselves no secret Internet experiences. They freely share with each
other their social network passwords. They do not look at the virtual
profiles of anyone in any way that might betray the sacred trust of
their spouse. They never do or say anything that approaches the
appearance of impropriety, either virtually or physically."
5) “Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else.”
9 A Church handbook teaches: “The word
cleave
means to be completely devoted and faithful to someone. Married couples
cleave to God and one another by serving and loving each other and by
keeping covenants in
complete fidelity to one another and to God.”
He concludes with this amazing reminder of the real organization of a marriage: " Marriage is a gift from God to us; the quality of our marriages is a gift from us to Him."
Highlight #2: Talks about
virtue,
chastity and
righteousness.
"In a morally desensitizing world, young women need women and men to
“stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all
places.” Never before has this been more important than now. Young women
need mothers and mentors who exemplify virtuous womanhood. Mothers,
your relationship with your daughter is of paramount importance, and so
is your example. How you love and honor her father, his priesthood, and
his divine role will be reflected and perhaps amplified in your
daughter’s attitudes and behavior.
Again I renew the call for a return to virtue. Virtue is the strength
and power of daughters of God. What would the world be like if
virtue—a
pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards, including
chastity—were reinstated in our society as a most highly prized value? If immorality, pornography,
and abuse decreased, would there be fewer broken marriages, broken
lives, and broken hearts? Would media ennoble and enable rather than
objectify and degrade God’s precious daughters? If all humanity really
understood the importance of the statement “We are daughters of our
Heavenly Father,” how would women be regarded and treated? "
Elaine S. Dalton
"
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a single, undeviating standard of sexual
morality: intimate relations are proper only between a man and a woman
in the marriage relationship prescribed in God’s plan. Such relations
are not merely a curiosity to be explored, an appetite to be satisfied,
or a type of recreation or entertainment to be pursued selfishly. They
are not a conquest to be achieved or simply an act to be performed.
Rather, they are in mortality one of the ultimate expressions of our
divine nature and potential and a way of strengthening emotional and
spiritual bonds between husband and wife. We are agents blessed with
moral agency and are defined by our divine heritage as children of
God—and not by sexual behaviors, contemporary attitudes, or secular
philosophies."
Elder David A. Bednar
"We earnestly hope and pray for universal peace, but
it is as individuals
and families that we achieve the kind of peace that is the promised
reward of righteousness. This peace is a promised gift of the Savior’s
mission and atoning sacrifice."
Elder Quentin L. Cook
Highlight #3: Talks about
belief verses knowledge,
obedience,
Jesus Christ and
His teachings, and becoming
followers of Christ.
Highlight #4: The spiritual and temporal FEAST of Conference Weekend!!!
Plus, sitting at the TV for 4 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday gives Sariah plenty of time to practice new hair styles. The first one above is McKenna's creation - the braided ponytail bun. The next photo is Sariah's first attempt at fish-tail braids. She did AWESOME!!
The record sheet shows Nathan as runner #705, age 16, male and placing SEVENTH in his age group (ages 13-19). He completed the race in 53:45 - which averages to an 8 1/2 minute mile!!! This was his first race ever - I'm so pleased for him!!
