If you didn’t get a chance to attend the General Stake Meeting today (Sunday, May 2, 2010) with Elder Jay E. Jensen, here are some of the highlights:
President Coe was conducting and first released President Judkins as the 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency, as he and his family will be moving to California in a few months. He then released President Duckworth as 2nd counselor and then re-called him as 1st counselor, then called Elder Paul Brown as the new 2nd counselor.
The first speaker was President Coe, and he shared with us his favorite Chapter of scripture: Helaman 10. He loves this chapter, especially because of the part where Nephi is in complete alignment with God. He testified that if we can align our will with His, then miraculous things will come in our lives.
Next was Stake R.S. President Sister Engle, who spoke about the importance of home and visiting teachers to exercise "watchcare" for those they are called to serve as representatives of the Savior. We all have common goals in the church: to increase faith and personal righteousness, and to strengthen home and families. We may not get it perfectly right every time, but we need to keep trying.
We then heard extemporaneous testimonies from a young woman and young man from the stake (sorry, I didn’t get their names, but they were very brave to bear testimonies in front of so many people!)
We next heard testimonies from Sister Murray and President Murray, who have two more months until being released as Mission President.
Sister Murray spoke about the need of members to love and welcome new converts. She told how she always assumed that “other” members would take care of converts, but she now realizes that we ALL have to assume responsibility and love for them in order to strengthen each other.
President Murray spoke about how we all need to learn to be completely obedient to the Lord and submit to His will, just as a little child submits to the will of his parents.
President Judkins then bore his testimony and spoke about how the Lord uses us, even as imperfect and broken as we are, to help others and bring tender mercies to those around us for the Lord.
Then Elder Jay E. Jensen spoke to us. He began by explaining that the reason he was speaking to us all was because the 15 of the Apostles cannot speak to all members of the church because it is so big, but they do try to come out and meet with the members and bring the love of the Bretheren with them.
He addressed us about the importance of reverence, and how he remembers the only time he ever heard President Hinckley chastise was when he mentioned the “distressing lack of reverence.” Elder Jensen then asked us all, “But is he right?” The solution to this lack of reverence is for us to each worry about fixing ourselves, not our neighbor. If everyone were to worry about themselves, then we will have solved the problem of reverence.
Elder Jensen spoke about the power of music, especially of the hymns ability to bring reverence. He said that music can bring the Spirit when words alone cannot. He encouraged all of us to get out our hymnbooks and read together the preface from the first presidency for a Family Home Evening, which we could then follow by singing hymns and feeling the Spirit.
Elder Jensen then spoke about three things that we can do to help speed along the work of building the new temple. We need to pray (alone and with our families) for divine intervention to overcome obstacles that might come, put up a rendering or picture of a temple in our homes to remind us that is where we want to be, and to do family history and temple work.
He also spoke about four vital experiences in church history, along with what they can teach us today.
1) The First Vision; teaches us that revelation continues
2) Coming forth of the Book of Mormon; teaches us the importance of Latter-day scripture.
3) Latter-day Messengers (such as Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John); teach us the importance of having Priesthood keys and authority.
4) Joseph and Oliver being baptized; teaches us about Ordinances and Covenants.
All of these things are based upon Jesus Christ and His atonement, and if we as parents can teach the importance of these things to our children, they will have a foundation to rely on and a great testimony of fundamental gospel principles.
Elder Jensen ended by testifying to us of the importance of partaking of the sacrament each week. When we do this and have our sins forgiven, it enables us to lift up our heads and rejoice, just like the scriptures teach. We can feel this rejoicing spirit of the atonement every Sunday! What a blessing!
President Coe was conducting and first released President Judkins as the 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency, as he and his family will be moving to California in a few months. He then released President Duckworth as 2nd counselor and then re-called him as 1st counselor, then called Elder Paul Brown as the new 2nd counselor.
The first speaker was President Coe, and he shared with us his favorite Chapter of scripture: Helaman 10. He loves this chapter, especially because of the part where Nephi is in complete alignment with God. He testified that if we can align our will with His, then miraculous things will come in our lives.
Next was Stake R.S. President Sister Engle, who spoke about the importance of home and visiting teachers to exercise "watchcare" for those they are called to serve as representatives of the Savior. We all have common goals in the church: to increase faith and personal righteousness, and to strengthen home and families. We may not get it perfectly right every time, but we need to keep trying.
We then heard extemporaneous testimonies from a young woman and young man from the stake (sorry, I didn’t get their names, but they were very brave to bear testimonies in front of so many people!)
We next heard testimonies from Sister Murray and President Murray, who have two more months until being released as Mission President.
Sister Murray spoke about the need of members to love and welcome new converts. She told how she always assumed that “other” members would take care of converts, but she now realizes that we ALL have to assume responsibility and love for them in order to strengthen each other.
President Murray spoke about how we all need to learn to be completely obedient to the Lord and submit to His will, just as a little child submits to the will of his parents.
President Judkins then bore his testimony and spoke about how the Lord uses us, even as imperfect and broken as we are, to help others and bring tender mercies to those around us for the Lord.
Then Elder Jay E. Jensen spoke to us. He began by explaining that the reason he was speaking to us all was because the 15 of the Apostles cannot speak to all members of the church because it is so big, but they do try to come out and meet with the members and bring the love of the Bretheren with them.
He addressed us about the importance of reverence, and how he remembers the only time he ever heard President Hinckley chastise was when he mentioned the “distressing lack of reverence.” Elder Jensen then asked us all, “But is he right?” The solution to this lack of reverence is for us to each worry about fixing ourselves, not our neighbor. If everyone were to worry about themselves, then we will have solved the problem of reverence.
Elder Jensen spoke about the power of music, especially of the hymns ability to bring reverence. He said that music can bring the Spirit when words alone cannot. He encouraged all of us to get out our hymnbooks and read together the preface from the first presidency for a Family Home Evening, which we could then follow by singing hymns and feeling the Spirit.
Elder Jensen then spoke about three things that we can do to help speed along the work of building the new temple. We need to pray (alone and with our families) for divine intervention to overcome obstacles that might come, put up a rendering or picture of a temple in our homes to remind us that is where we want to be, and to do family history and temple work.
He also spoke about four vital experiences in church history, along with what they can teach us today.
1) The First Vision; teaches us that revelation continues
2) Coming forth of the Book of Mormon; teaches us the importance of Latter-day scripture.
3) Latter-day Messengers (such as Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John); teach us the importance of having Priesthood keys and authority.
4) Joseph and Oliver being baptized; teaches us about Ordinances and Covenants.
All of these things are based upon Jesus Christ and His atonement, and if we as parents can teach the importance of these things to our children, they will have a foundation to rely on and a great testimony of fundamental gospel principles.
Elder Jensen ended by testifying to us of the importance of partaking of the sacrament each week. When we do this and have our sins forgiven, it enables us to lift up our heads and rejoice, just like the scriptures teach. We can feel this rejoicing spirit of the atonement every Sunday! What a blessing!
Thanks for taking notes. A few of us were reigning in chaos in the YW room with our kids and I know we didn't get to take notes!
ReplyDeleteWhat? Take notes? Why couldn't I just have remembered all of that in my head? It's not like my brain is mush due to my children(...at least that's who I blame!)
ReplyDeleteDid I forget anything or get any of the names wrong that you can remember?
Thanks! I was sad I missed it. Now I know what our leaders want us to focus on.
ReplyDeleteAbout doing family history in preparation for the new temple...my new daughter-in-law went to the temple for the first time a week ago. She said she had a name for me to do by proxy. She went to her bag and pulled out a stack of pink and blue name cards an inch thick! Talk about being so excited to be a member of the church and so ready to worship in the temple!
We all need to take a lesson from her in preparing for our new temple.
Ellen