Sunday, May 02, 2010

Sunday thoughts


I am so fired up from going to Women's Conference. There is power and strength in gathering with so many like-minded women to be instructed and uplifted.

It's hard to pick a best part, but Sister Beck's talk at the opening session is also pretty hard to beat. We all agreed that it was worth the price of admission all on its own. (I took 7 pages of notes.)

Here are my highlights:

  • What is your mission? We all have a mission to develop ourselves and to build up the kingdom of God, but we should each put some thought into our individual missions.
  • Taking care of our posterity takes precedence over all other things.
  • Rebekah in the Old Testament had a very full mortal experience. She was one of the most pivotal people in history. She knew how to receive personal revelation.
  • We are only limited by our faithfulness and our willingness to achieve.
  • Go to the temple and listen to the promises the Lord has given you. Listen to the blessings and who is giving them.
  • When we have the Spirit with us, we can literally walk with God. We can discern His will – we can gain the ultimate education.
  • How do we choose to walk with the Lord?
know our responsibilities
increase in faith and personal righteousness
seek out and help others in need
the power of a group working together in faith is immense
  • A mother is the lioness at the gate. Whatever is important to her will be important to her family, because she will make sure of it. She will devote her life to preparing her cubs to go out and serve the Lord.
  • When our priorities are out of order, we lose power.
  • Divide the things in your life into: essential, necessary, and nice to do. Each person's lists will be different, but many of our essentials are the same (prayer, scripture study, repentance, revelation).
  • The essential things: if I don't take care of these, my eternal progression may be compromised. Know the mind and will of God. How can I help my family? What things do I need to correct?
  • Necessary: Homemaking takes on new meaning when we are striving to make a home where the Spirit can dwell. Create a house of order. Be kind to your husband. Lay aside the things of the world. Become self-reliant. Love each other.
  • Nice to do: Projects, having lunch with friends, leisure reading, entertainment. These things will not save us. When our priority is here, we are neglecting what is essential and necessary.
  • The swing shift is when the lioness needs to be at the top of her game. When everyone comes home tired, hungry, and less lovable, they are also the most teachable and the most grateful. Prioritize where you're going to spend your energy so that you are available at this crucial time.
  • Take a pencil and paper with you when you say your prayers.
  • Those that are strong, take with you those that are weak.
  • Visiting teaching is the best kind of friendship.
  • Visiting teachers are first responders.
  • Get a new copy of the Book of Mormon. Write in the front:
1. Who am I?
2. What are my responsibilities in the House of Israel?
3. How do I fulfill my responsibilities?

Record the answers you find.
  • Be a Rebekah in your own generation. She never saw the outcome of her commitment during her lifetime, but her life had limitless impact.
  • If we will do our part, He will walk with us, and we can walk with Him.
Jill, Kristi and I decided that we simply cannot just walk away from this conference and return to the status quo. We can't reconvene next year as the same people that we were this year. We're going to set goals based on the things we learned and be accountable to each other.

I have so much to think about, and many things to change.

10 comments:

Susan said...

Wow! Great report. I kept checking back again and again to see if you had posted...now it's so late that I'm going to have to digest and reread this tomorrow several times!

I really want to make it a goal to come next year. Thanks for the notes.

j said...

these are such great thoughts. thanks so much for posting them. it helps me learn from you.

just these few thoughts have really made me think a lot. i'm going to have to make some goals of my own, i think.

Cara @ Gardenview Cottage said...

I have always wanted to go to Womens Conference but never have. I just might have to go next year. Those were some awesome notes! Thank you. I'm going to read up about Rebekah!

Diane said...

Thanks so much for your review and notes from Sister Beck's talk. She isn't on the list to be rebroadcast and because of my commitment at the temple, I couldn't be there for her opening address. Please give me more!

Jill said...

I feel desperate to keep my motivation and spiritual high after this talk and our weekend. I have been a weepy mess all day today and fear I'll never be able to wear mascara again if this continues. It's an interesting change for me.

Melinda said...

I love your notes! I am so glad you posted them so that those of us who couldn't go can still feel like we can learn from it. There are so many good things here, I think I need to print them off to keep with me to read over and over.

jenn said...

I love that you have each other to be accountable to!

Sounds like an amazing conference.

Claire said...

I love how much the Gospel of Christ helps to empower and motivate us!
Thanks for sharing. :)

Denise said...

Count me in with your mom's resolution to attend next year! I am so thankful for your detailed notes. I need to print them out and keep them handy for reference! I'm glad you had such an uplifting, spiritually enriching time.

Ciria said...

Thanks for all the great notes- I did not get such thorough notes!

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