Here are a few things that stuck out to me. These are not direct quotes.

Conference talk topics are not assigned; although, the time alloted to the talks are. Any orchestration of common themes between talks is done in heaven. We determine the subjects of the talks by how we conduct ourselves. For example, if we are tired of hearing about tithing, we need to pay our tithing.

When listening to the conference talks, we should seek to identify the doctrine of the gospel, look for invitations to act, and look for the promised blessings.

He talked about the Apostasy, the Restoration, and the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times

Focusing on the gospel as being a celestial checklist discourages us from gathering all things together in one in Christ. Checking the boxes does not produce spiritual strength. In the War in Heaven, Lucifer didn’t lose; he rebelled. He called Lucifer’s rebellion the first something-for-nothing scam.

Agency is more than choosing; it is the power and capacity of independent action (see 2 Nephi 2). Agency is serving God and our fellow beings. Once we have made the baptismal covenant, we no longer have the choice to break the commandments. Parents need to teach children to exercise agency in the bounds the Lord has set; no force or coercion. Obedience is honouring the terms and conditions of the covenants

We should seek the companionship of Holy Ghost, exercise agency, and bless and serve others. We should not focus on running programs and worrying about numbers instead of peeople.

As we ponder Ephesians 1:10, we will have eyes to see what we’ve not seen, ears to hear what we’ve not heard, spiritual vitality, spiritual direction to give us added purpose, and spiritual protection.

If the parents aren’t doing their job, maybe they are the ones who need to take Sex Ed.

The phrase “prayer is the burden of a sigh” brings to mind all those times when praying where I felt stress and burdens melt away.

“The upward glancing of an eye” reminds me of all those times I looked to heaven and said a quick, silent prayer before a talk, or presentation, or entering a home to counsel someone.

I think my favourite verse, however, is the fourth:

Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice,
Returning from their way,
While angels in their songs rejoice
And cry, “Behold, he prays!”

Oh, to imagine the angels rejoicing when my family members and close friends decided to turn back to God!

It is no wonder the suggestion in the hymnal is to sing this song peacefully.

But still, do men not shine their shoes anymore?

Shortly after arriving in the Promised Land, Lehi blessed his children. Many people believe that Lehi died shortly after this, but in 2 Ne 4:12, we learn that Lehi “waxed old” after the blessings and before he died. Presumably, it was a significant enough period between the blessings and his death for Nephi to point out that his father grew old.

By the time the Nephites and Lamanites separate, it had been 30 years since they left Jerusalem (2 Ne 5:28), which means that Lehi was at least 30 years younger when he left than when he died.

If we assumed He was 75 when he died, that would have put him in his 40s when Joseph and Jacob were born, which is certainly believable. There is no indication that there is any parallel between the birth of Joseph and Jacob and the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah.

In 1 Ne 2:6, we read that Nephi was “exceedingly young”, presumably a teenager or a preteen, again supporting the idea that Lehi was in his 30s or 40s when they left Jerusalem.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/winter-olympics/7269950/Winter-Olympics-2010-Torah-Bright-wins-Australias-first-gold-medal-in-halfpipe.html

Good thing the competition wasn’t on a Sunday… ;-)

The first is a woman. She has very little of the skills and experience they are asking for, but she has a university degree like the ad asked for, but not in the field requested. She is raising two small girls with her husband. She is recently graduated with a college diploma in an area related to the position, but previously spent 20 years as a teacher. This will be her first full-time job since graduating from the college a year ago (she has been doing freelance until now).

The second is a man. His skillset and experience are broad enough for the position qualifications, but maybe not deep enough. He has no university degree. He is raising four children with his wife. His has been working with the company in another department for over nearly 10 years, and does part of the duties the new position would be taking over. He is about 10 years younger than the first candidate, and he asked for $10,000 more per year in salary expectations (but it is the same amount the company pays him now).

You are God, and both candidates are praying to you, asking that they get the job.

Whom do you bless with the job?

As both a journalist and a Mormon, I am continually dismayed that the Vancouver Sun and associated CanWest wire service choose to describe the British Columbia polygamist group with the terms “Mormon sect” and the “fundamentalist Mormon.”

I disagree with Mr. Campbell.

In my opinion, Mormon is an acceptable term to use to refer to any of the sects that originate from the church Joseph Smith founded. I see a parallel between the use of Mormon and the use of Protestant. I view Mormonism as an umbrella term that refers to all those who believe in the First Vision and the Book of Mormon, even if other minutiae differs.

That being said, I agree with Mr. Campbell that a clear distinction should be made between my church and other Mormon churches. I think responsible journalists and editors should ensure the use of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when referring to my church, and the proper names of other churches when referring to them.

My mission is one of the affected ones. In my case, however, my mission is being split. Geographically, at least three-quarters of it is being turned into the Utah St. George Mission. Granted, my mission already lost pieces to the Nevada Las Vegas Mission and the New Mexico Farmington Mission.

It looks like four of my areas (Kanab, Wellington, Pleasant Grove, and Provo) will remain in the UPM, while Kanab (my third area) will be in the USGM. Mesquite, my fifth area, transferred to the NLVM several years ago.

Apparently, the UPM had the highest number of stakes of any mission in the world.

I wonder if this is one more step to creating a St. George Temple Mission.

Growing up in my family, we weren’t allowed in the back yard to play on the swings or jump on the trampoline if it was Sunday.  No play dates with friends either.  BYU teams do not play or practice on Sunday.  Using examples like those, it would seem to be pretty clear that honoring the sabbath day means no sports or anything like unto it.

That is, unless you get paid millions of dollars for playing a sport, or coaching a professional sport, or perhaps you are competing at the olympic level.  In that case, you may get talked about in General Conference.  The Ensign and New Era will do articles on you.  You will be asked by Stake Presidents and bishops around the world to give firesides on your experiences. 

Thing is, you don’t get to compete at that level unless you spend some serious time practicing and playing your sport.  And most of the time that means practicing or playing on Sunday.  On the official church web site, the newsroom routinely showcases LDS olympians and other professional athletes who have spent much of their life tuning their craft at many a Sunday tournament or practice. 

Sure, playing sports is one thing, but how about watching?  My experience teaches me that it’s frowned upon to actually attend a sporting event on Sunday, but watching on T.V. seems to be acceptable.  That is, unless the olympics are being held in Salt Lake City.  Then you need to go volunteer and help run the event so things go smoothly.  Regardless, would sporting events even be held on Sunday if there was no audience to watch?  I’m sure some would, but I also bet that many wouldn’t.  Even still, our sacrament meeting attendance seems to be a little thinner on Superbowl Sunday.

So, dear readers, what is it we should tell our young members of the church when they ask if it’s OK to play sports on Sunday?  Does the answer change if they have potential as a future olympian or NFL quarterback?