April 2, 2020
A Book of Mormon model for General Conference
There are no Book of Mormon chapters to read for Come, Follow Me this week because of General Conference this weekend. Similarly, there are none for next week because of Easter. It will be another two weeks before we are studying Mosiah 1-3 together. But there is a powerful model for General Conference in Mosiah chapters 1 and 2. I hope it’s ok; I’m going to jump ahead two weeks and write an extra blog post about General Conference and the model we find in the Book of Mormon for how to make more of it.
Before I do, I must make one disclaimer. General Conference, like the temple, is not intended to be a burden or to cause guilty feelings of falling short. I’m going to make several suggestions in this blog post about how to get more out of Conference, but none of these suggestions are intended to make you feel inadequate, guilty or like a failure. See if any of them work for you and will make your Conference weekend a little better. Don’t worry, I don’t do them all every Conference. They are just suggestions that will, hopefully, be helpful and not a burden or “guilt trip.” I promise that the Lord sees your efforts, knows your heart and is grateful for any sincere effort you make to come closer to Him during General Conference.
“A memorable and unforgettable conference!” – Pres. Russell M. Nelson
In his closing remarks on Sunday afternoon in the General Conference last October, Pres. Nelson extended this invitation to the members of the Church:
The year 2020 will be designated as a bicentennial year. General conference next April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel. … Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable. (“Closing Remarks”, Ensign, November 2019)
We had no idea then (I wonder if Pres. Nelson even had any idea?) what the world would be like now just 6 months later and how “memorable” and “unforgettable” this Conference will be. We have been preparing and anticipating for six months and now the time is here. Despite COVID-19 and all of its disruption of our lives, General Conference will go on! And aren’t we grateful for a change from all the “noise” around us to anticipate a weekend of inspired instruction, counsel and encouragement?
In a message on social media on Tuesday of this week, President Nelson extended this message of comfort and this invitation to Church members and others throughout the world:
What is true is that amid the gloomy darkness of a troubled world, the light of Jesus Christ shines ever brighter. He can speak truth to our hearts and minds as we seek Him and learn to hear Him. In this regard, we look forward to the upcoming general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4–5, during which we will hear from Church leaders about the glorious Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how His gospel brings peace to our lives.
Because large congregations cannot gather at present, this conference will have a different look. But the truth that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer—and that the fulness of His gospel has been restored to the earth—will be taught as always.
I extend a warm welcome to all, regardless of your faith tradition, to join with us through technology and to rejoice in the comforting power of revealed truth. I love you. I pray for you. And I assure you that the Lord is watching over us during these troubling times.
King Benjamin gathers his people
In Mosiah chapter 1, we learn that the righteous prophet King Benjamin waxed old, and he saw that he must very soon go the way of all the earth (v. 9), so he calls his oldest son Mosiah to him and tells him to make a proclamation throughout all this land among all this people, … that thereby they might be gathered together. (v. 10) King Benjamin is inviting all the people to come to General Conference, just as we have been invited (see above) by our beloved Prophet to gather for General Conference this weekend.
Benjamin tells Mosiah that there are two main purposes for his people to gather: (1) so that he can proclaim to them that Mosiah will now be their king and (2) so that Benjamin can give them a special name, a name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression (v. 12). Ironically, Benjamin won’t say anything about this name until after he has delivered his address, including a full chapter in our Book of Mormon devoted to the words of an angel. It won’t be until Mosiah Chapter 5 that we learn the name which Benjamin desires to give his people. We’ll talk about that in three weeks, when we get there in Come, Follow Me.
So let’s look at what General Conference looks like in the land of Zarahemla in about 124 BC under the righteous prophet King Benjamin and see what we can learn from those people that might help us have a richer General Conference experience in our homes in 2020 under the righteous prophet President Nelson. OK?
King Benjamin invites his people to gather
Mosiah is obedient to his father and did as his father had commanded him, and proclaimed unto all the people who were in the land of Zarahemla that thereby they might gather themselves together, to go up to the temple to hear the words which his father should speak unto them. (1:18)
We, too, have been invited to attend General Conference. But this conference will be different than any other in the past. The massive Conference Center will be empty on the 20th anniversary of its first General Conference in the year 2000 presided over by Pres. Hinckley. (Who can forget his emotional telling of the story of how the pulpit was made from a tree from his very own garden, a black walnut he had planted 36 years earlier? It was a powerful, tender moment with the Lord’s beloved Prophet! https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/04/to-all-the-world-in-testimony. )
Lori and I actually have tickets for the Saturday and Sunday morning sessions for this General Conference with our good friends, Richard and Joanne Griffiths, who had planned to visit Salt Lake City from Wales, UK, where we served as missionaries until nearly 7 months ago. But they won’t be coming here and we won’t be going to the Conference Center. With you and the rest of the Church, we will all be watching conference in our homes or wherever we can get access. Because of “social distancing”, we won’t even be able to gather with our extended families as we often do. It will just be one, two, three or a few of us in a million or more different locations throughout the world. But where two or three [or even just one] are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them—even so am I in the midst of you. (D&C 6:32)
The First Presidency, the speakers and those giving prayers will be gathered in a small conference room on Temple Square which will serve as the broadcast studio for General Conference to go to all the world. I’m sure it will be hard for them also. But the Lord will be with them, as well.
We can still “go to Conference”
But we can all still “go to Conference.” We won’t be able to sit in the Conference Center or even in a chapel, but we can “go to” General Conference. I think sometimes we take General Conference a little too casually. Often on Saturday, we fit it in with everything else that happens on a Saturday – soccer/football games, working in the garden or cleaning out the garage, working around the house or at our desk or a picnic at the park or in the mountains. To use a child development phrase, we sort of “parallel play” with Conference, like a child playing in the same room with her or his mother but neither giving full attention to the other. I know it’s hard with young children and sometimes with teenagers to get them to focus on Conference, but we can do our best to actually “go” to Conference, if even for only one session.
In my career in medicine, I needed to go to medical meetings periodically for continuing education. I think of the planning, time and money spent to leave home, work and church responsibilities for a few days, fly to another city, sit in a darkened auditorium for several hours each day listening carefully to the presenters (sometimes trying to stay awake), taking notes and then discussing new developments and ideas with other doctors at breakfast, lunch and dinner. At night in my hotel room, I’d review my notes from the day and review the schedule for the meetings the next day planning where I wanted to be and when. I’d review again and summarize my notes on the plane coming home and discuss what I learned with my colleagues when I was back at work. I would print my notes and file them for later retrieval and refer to them from time-to-time over the next year or more. It was a “total experience”! What if we went to General Conference that way?
Even if only for one two-hour session out of the five sessions in two days, I invite you to “go to Conference.” Totally be there, completely focused on the meeting and minimizing as much as possible distractions and other activities. We’ll talk more in a minute about some other things you can do. But for at least one session (more, if you can), give it all you can and have the most “total experience” possible. I find that it helps to change the scenery somehow. Lori and I especially enjoy conference at our condominium in Southern Utah where we can get away from the distractions at home. If you can’t get away, tidy up the room where you will “go” to Conference, change into church clothes (or, at least, something different from what you wear for more casual activities.) Let everyone know that you’ll be in an important meeting for the next two hours. Put your phone away! Focus on the meeting – the music, the prayers, the talks, and especially the Spirit. You may have to find activities for the young children, bribe your teenagers or take turns with your spouse “going” to Conference while they “hold down the fort”, but do your best for at least one session. I promise you will be rewarded!
Go up to Conference
Notice that in his proclamation Mosiah invited the people of Zarahemla to go up to the temple to hear the words which his father should speak unto them. (1:18) Later in Chapter 2 we read, the people gathered themselves together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the temple to hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them (2:1). As we discussed when reading 2 Nephi 12:2 (Isaiah 2:2), we always go “up” to the temple. Regardless of where the temple is built, on the top of a hill or in the bottom of the valley, we go up to the temple. We elevate ourselves and the temple lifts us up. We dress differently, speak and act differently when we go up to the temple. Similarly, we can go up to Conference.
The temple in Zarahemla, like the temple in the city of Nephi, would have been built after the manner of Solomon’s Temple (see 2 Nephi 5:16). Most likely, Benjamin gave his address in the outer court of the temple where the women and children could also attend. It is very likely that his address coincided with one of the sacred feasts (holy days) of the people according to the Law of Moses.
Notice that they also took of the firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the law of Moses (2:3). This was an occasion for offering sacrifices, giving thanks and making covenants. We can prepare for General Conference in the same spirit. Though we won’t literally go to up to the temple, our leaders will be speaking on Temple Square and the Conference will be broadcast from there. And we can have the spirit of sacrifice, gratitude and covenant making (desiring to improve ourselves and our relationship with God) as we go to Conference. The sacrament is not part of General Conference weekend, but we can remember our covenants none-the-less and ponder on their significance as we prepare for Conference. We can reflect on the tender experiences many of us have had with the sacrament (and with the Lord) in our homes for the past three Sundays having the sacrament there. And we can anticipate taking the sacrament on the Sunday following Conference, April 12, which will be Easter Sunday. General Conference can certainly be a covenant-making, covenant-renewing experience!
General Conference can be a family experience
Continuing in Mosiah 2, we read that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family (2:5). If possible, we gather with our families for General Conference. Because of social distancing, our family for this Conference will be two of us, Lori and me – no children or grandchildren. That’s unusual. We love to be with our family for Conference – as many as possible! But it won’t happen this time. That’s ok. They will be with each other. Our granddaughter is safely home from her mission in Brazil and will be with her family, so all of our grandchildren can be with their parents and siblings. We know that there are still missionaries away from home doing their best to spread the Gospel despite the restrictions on them. We are grateful for their service and pray for them every day. We know what it’s like to be away from home on a mission at Conference time. We’re grateful to the good people of England and Wales who made us feel at home with them for 18 months including three General Conferences.
Whether you are a family of one or many, do your best to gather your family around you for Conference. As we socially distance, we are only supposed to be with those of our own household, but we can be connected virtually with each other and our hearts can be knit together in unity and in love one towards another (Mosiah 18:21) even though “socially distanced.”
We can “pitch our tents” toward Conference
When the people of Zarahemla came to hear King Benjamin, they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple (2:6). They didn’t just place their tents randomly, but they pitched them toward the temple so they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them (2:6). This weekend, we can “pitch our tents”, i.e. orient our lives, our activities, our families and ourselves as much as possible toward Conference. Make it the #1 priority for the whole weekend, not just for an hour or two on Sunday.
You can only expect so much of children and youth, but you can help them understand that Conference is important to you and help them find meaning in it. There are lots of resources for families with children in the Friend and other Church publications. In some wards, Primary leaders and teachers even distribute work sheets, puzzles and pages to color to the children of the ward to help their families with Conference. Several years ago, our generous neighbor, Preston Miller, invited the children in one of his home teaching families to listen to conference and promised to pay them a nickel or a dime, maybe a quarter (I can’t remember how much) for every time they heard the name “Jesus Christ” spoken. It cost Pres more than he expected but the children of the Tingey family have never forgotten that Conference or their good home teacher!
Sometimes we have to do other necessary things on Conference weekend. I’ve listened to little bits of Conference more than once while on duty at the hospital, wishing I didn’t have to work. Our lives have to go on but, if we will be prayerful and discuss it with the Lord and with our spouse (if appropriate) and children (when possible) and do our best to “pitch our tents” toward General Conference, I promise that the Lord will bless us for doing our best and we will have a revelatory, worshipful experience.
The words of Conference will be broadcast
In the days of King Benjamin, he caused a tower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them. (v. 7) There is an interesting Church News article this week about the development of technology surrounding General Conference since the first one in 1830. We’ve come a long way from sitting outside under a tree with the brethren preaching from the back of a wagon! In my lifetime, we’ve seen the first television broadcast of Conference, the first color TV broadcast, the first satellite transmission and now Conference is available in so many different ways. Here’s the link to an article that details different ways to access General Conference: https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-03-30/watch-general-conference-online-ksl-tv-radio-broadcast-178862.
I remember as a young missionary in England in the 1960s going to the local chapel in Luton, Reading or Hyde Park to watch Conference on some sort of closed circuit trans-Atlantic connection. Now you faithful Saints in England and Wales can watch in the comfort of your own homes, though with the inconvenience of a 7-hour time difference. I remember when Lori and I were there, staying up until 11 pm on Saturday and Sunday evenings of Conference weekend to watch the 2 pm sessions live from SLC. (But I didn’t get up at 1 am on Sunday morning to watch the 6 pm sessions on Saturday evening.) If the meeting times aren’t convenient, the Conference sessions are available again at churchofjesuschrist.org shortly after the session is over, so you can watch at your convenience.
We’ve come a long way since Benjamin’s tower!
The words of the Conference messages will be available in many ways
When King Benjamin began to speak, he realized that, even speaking from the tower, not all of the people could hear him, so he caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice (2:8). This is the forerunner of the Ensign which will print all of the Conference addresses in May. The Gospel Library App will have the audio and video of the Conference sessions by the day following the Conference sessions and the text of the messages a few days later (usually by the Thursday after Conference weekend.)
We have been encouraged by several of our Prophets, including Pres. Nelson, to read and reread the Conference messages after they come out and use them as a source of study for the next six months. We will also study them in Priesthood and Relief Society meetings on the 2nd and 4th Sundays for the next 6 months. I like to download the audio files, import them into iTunes and sync them to my iPhone so I can listen to the Conference talks in the car, on my bike or when I’m working in the garden. I often get more out of some of the messages when I listen to them again than I did the first time.
I also like to read the messages in the Ensign when it becomes available about a month after Conference. I read the Conference talks on the Gospel Library app. They are found first on the “General Conference” tab and then a few weeks later on the “Magazines” tab. It’s easy to listen to the speakers again and follow along in the text. I find that when I take the talks one at a time in my morning study this way each day, I can focus even better on the individual messages than when I get them all in one weekend. Using the Gospel Library app, I can highlight the text, make notes, add links to cross references and read the footnotes (some of which are really interesting! Sometimes, it’s almost like there is another talk that there wasn’t time to give in the footnotes of some of the speakers, such as Elder Renlund, and others.) I can also add the talks to Notebooks on the Gospel Library app for future reference. It is amazing the tools we have at our fingertips today! You can do many of the same things with the print version of the talks in the Ensign. Lori likes the print version especially because she can read it in the bath tub (not a good idea with an iPad!)
King Benjamin – an excellent model for General Conference
I hope you can see how King Benjamin with the help of his son Mosiah is an excellent model for how to approach General Conference. I hope that something I’ve written will give you and idea or two that you might try this weekend. After Easter we will consider the actual words of King Benjamin’s address, including the words of an angel to him, and the impact on the people. It is one of the most important parts of the Book of Mormon and one of my favorites!
A few personal suggestions
I’d like to finish with a few simple suggestions of things I’ve tried to do over the years which have helped me get more out of General Conference. You probably have your own list, but here is mine.
1. Prepare prayerfully for General Conference. It’s not too late to begin to pray about the coming Conference. Pray for our leaders. Their talks are already written and submitted for translation, but the Conference is still guided as it unfolds by the Spirit of the Lord. Pray that they will receive the Spirit. And pray for yourself and your family members that you and they will be in tune with the Spirit so He can help you receive the messages and answers the Lord has personally for you.
2. Ponder what questions you have in your life, what challenges you are facing, what responsibilities you are struggling with, what burdens you are bearing and list them in your mind. Or, even better, write them down so you can listen for answers, direct personal revelation to you during Conference. Pray about them. Ask the Lord to give you insight, answers, understanding and comfort regarding your questions and issues. Revelation in Conference comes not only in the form of messages which are given by the Church leaders but also in the form of impressions and messages from the Lord through His Spirit which come while we are in proper spirit for a revelatory experience. “Going” to Conference is like reading the Book of Mormon. It opens the door to revelation and parts the veil sufficiently to create a window for the Lord to teach you things He wants you to know and feel. Formulating our questions and concerns helps to focus our attention and we are more likely to receive the revelation we need when we are doing our best to “go” to Conference.
3. Make notes as you listen. I’m a compulsive note taker, probably from medical school. But I find that I am much more focused and my retention is considerably better if I take notes of the talks by the speakers. I like to take notes in two colors – blue for what they say and, more importantly, red for what I feel and impressions I receive as they speak. The notes in red are the revelation part. Then I can go back over my notes and review the things I felt and the impressions I received of things I need to do. Many times, the impressions come not necessarily during the talks, but often during the music. Listen especially to your feelings as you listen to the lovely music. Some of my most profound experiences with the Spirit have come during the music of General Conference.
4. After Conference, do something (or be something) differently because of the messages and what you felt. Let it make a difference in your life. Many of us have had the experience of going to a good retreat or workshop for work, school or some group and coming away excited but not knowing what to do next, so not doing anything differently. I call it “work-shop-itis.” Well, don’t come away from General Conference with “Conference-itis.” Sometimes we come away from Conference with a lot of enthusiasm and energy but no direction. Many times we say, “Wasn’t that a great Conference?” But are we changed by the Conference? Do we do anything differently, understand any important gospel truths better or feel in differently in important ways? Our notes and the impressions we’ve received will help us know what we should do because of Conference and how we can be different and, hopefully, a little better. The Lord told the Church members in the Doctrine and Covenants, And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me— (D&C 43:9) Imagine how the Lord will open the windows of heaven to us if we will “bind ourselves to act” on the revelatory impressions and guidance He gives us!
5. Keep Conference alive for six months as I’ve suggested above by listening, reading, discussing, studying, quoting from and applying the messages for the six months until the next conference.
A prayer and a promise
My prayer for you, for all of us, is that this General Conference, which our Prophet has promised will be “memorable” and “unforgettable”, will be a spiritually enriching and refreshing, revelatory experience at the level and depth we are each prepared to receive it.
My promise is that, if we will do our best or at least do something meaningful and sincere to make more of this General Conference than we have in the past, the Lord will recognize and reward our efforts several fold. That’s how He works. When we try, honestly and sincerely try, He meets us much more than halfway and blesses us more than we had ever hoped. Surely, He is the Giver of all good gifts! (See Matt 7:11).
May the Lord bless us all this Conference weekend.
Thanks for reading!
Richard
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