One of the great messages that came to me again and again in this last conference is that I need to be more diligent in my scripture study. As I pondered and listened to the closing address by Elder Anderson, the thought came to mind I should blog my weekly pondering of the conference addresses. There are enough of them I can write about one a week between now and the next conference in April. So, that’s what I’m going to do.
At this point, there’s no particular order in which I will take them. However, since there’s so much being said about Elder Oak’s comments, I plan on writing on his talk next week. I start this week with Elder Anderson’s closing address.
There are three themes which struck me during his talk:
1. Praying in the temple: “I am on my knees in the Temple with my brethren and I attest to the goodness of their souls. Their greatest desire is to please the Lord.” It reminds me of the prayers we offered in Bishopric meeting while I served as Executive Secretary. I have always felt we accomplished more in those morning prayers than in anything else we did. This resonates with my soul.
2. The effort which goes into preparing an address: “The Lord wants no pretense diminishing His voice to His saints.” They view it as a recurring burden and a sacred trust. Elder Holland spoke of this before. They fast. They pray. They study. They write and re-write. Elder Oaks would go through 15 drafts. I remember reading something about Elder Maxwell where he would make as many as 40 re-writes of his conference talks. I thought of this and Elder Oak’s comments on Saturday. He was testifying to the reality that their words are inspired.
3. He finished with a promise: “As you hear the voice of the Lord to you in the teachings of this conference and then act on those prompting, you will feel Heaven’s hand upon you and your life and the lives of those around you will be blessed.” What a marvelous promise!
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