General Conference Odyssey: Saturday morning session, October 6, 2007
The Sustaining of Church Officers
Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church
The October 2007 conference started with a sustaining vote. President Faust had passed away two months before, and Elder Eyring was called to fill the resulting vacancy in the First Presidency. The vacancy he left in the Twelve was filled, in turn, by Quentin L. Cook. This adds one more living apostle (for the time being) to the list of those whose talks are being covered by this project.
The Weak and the Simple of the Church
Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
With these new changes in Church leadership, President Packer spoke about some of the principles regarding Church callings. The principle of common consent entails that those who are called are known by those within their stewardship and given that responsibility openly. “We always know who is called to lead or to teach and have the opportunity to sustain or to oppose the action. It did not come as an invention of man but was set out in the revelations.... In this way, the Church is protected from any imposter who would take over a quorum, a ward, a stake, or the Church.”
Aside from priesthood authority, that was one of the points that gave strength to Brigham Young’s claim as Joseph Smith’s successor: as an apostle, he had already been openly sustained as a leader within the Church-in contrast to others who claimed the right of presidency by oral or privately written statements from Joseph suggesting they were to succeed him, without such statements being generally known by the Church as a whole. (Sidney Rigdon’s position as First Counselor in the First Presidency was the most compelling point in his favor, were it not for the apostles having priesthood keys that he didn’t possess.)
President Packer also quoted this famous statement from President J. Reuben Clark, who said, “In the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve but how. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one takes the place to which one is duly called, which place one neither seeks nor declines.”
President Packer then mentioned one of the features of the Church of Jesus Christ that sets it apart from other churches: a lay membership that has access to priesthood authority and can exercise it whenever called upon, which is done in all of our congregations.
“We see in the Christian churches their struggle to fill the need for clergy. We do not have that problem. Once the gospel is preached and the Church is organized, there is an inexhaustible supply of faithful brothers and sisters who have that testimony and are willing to answer the call to serve. They commit themselves to the work of the Lord and live the standards required of them.
“Members have had the Holy Ghost conferred upon them after their baptism. The Holy Ghost will teach and comfort them. They are then prepared to receive guidance, direction, and correction, whatever their position or needs require.
“This principle sets the Church on a different course from all other Christian churches in the world. We find ourselves in the unusual position of having an endless supply of teachers and leaders, among every nation and kindred and tongue and people, all over the world. There is a unique equality among members. No one of us is to consider himself of more value than the other.”
He also touched upon how inadequate he felt when receiving various callings, and how others have felt similarly about him. “Years ago when I first received an appointment that resulted in my picture being in the newspapers, one of my high school teachers, evidently quite astonished, was heard to say, ‘That just proves that you can’t tell by looking at a frog how high he is going to jump!’”
And, while he said it before, he again emphasized that those who occupy “higher” positions on the Church’s organizational flowcharts aren’t any better than the rest of the Saints.
“There is the natural tendency to look at those who are sustained to presiding positions, to consider them to be higher and of more value in the Church or to their families than an ordinary member. Somehow we feel they are worth more to the Lord than are we. It just does not work that way!
“It would be very disappointing to my wife and to me if we supposed any one of our children would think that we think we are of more worth to the family or to the Church than they are, or to think that one calling in the Church was esteemed over another or that any calling would be thought to be less important.”
He mentioned a son of his who was serving as a ward mission leader. It’s not a calling that commands much notice or respect, but President Packer and his son’s wife were both satisfied that it was a calling suited to his son’s skills and circumstances. “What my son and his wife are doing with their little children transcends anything they could do in the Church or out. No service could be more important to the Lord than the devotion they give to one another and to their little children. And so it is with all our other children. The ultimate end of all activity in the Church centers in the home and the family.”
That last line is an idea President Packer repeated multiple times. And it’s arguably one of the most important things he taught.
Enduring Together
Richard C. Edgley, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
Bishop Edgley spoke about the losses his ward had experienced over the years of his living there-notably, five deaths from young people (four of them in car accidents) within an eight-year period-and how members responded to those losses. While much of his talk commented on problems faced and the responses given, he put them into a series of points we can learn from:
1. The Lord’s organization is fully adequate to know and care for those with even the most dire emotional and spiritual needs.
2. Adversity can bring us closer to God, with a renewed and enlightened appreciation for prayer and the Atonement, which covers pain and suffering in all their manifestations.
3. Members who suffer tragedy firsthand often experience an increased capacity for love, compassion, and understanding. They become the first, last, and often the most effective responders in giving comfort and showing compassion to others.
4. A ward, as well as a family, draws closer together as it endures together-what happens to one happens to all.
5. And perhaps most important, we can each be more compassionate and caring because we have each had our own personal trials and experiences to draw from. We can endure together.
Strengthen Home and Family
Mary N. Cook, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
Sister Cook spoke about the influence for good that children can have on their parents and other family members. An example of that influence was her brother, who wrote a Christmas letter to the family while he was serving a mission. In the letter he challenged his family to prepare to enter the temple and be sealed together-something that had not yet happened. By the time he returned home, his parents had taken the steps needed to realize that blessing.
As Sister Cook said, “Can you make a difference in your family? Yes, you can! I often wonder about my family’s eternal progression if my brother had not written that powerful letter. His patterns of righteousness and example changed our lives.”
She also shared a statement from Elder Hales, who said, “If the example we have received from our parents was not good, it is our responsibility to break the cycle.... Each person can learn a better way and in so doing bless the lives of family members now and teach correct traditions for the generations that follow” We’re not slaves to our programming. If we know better, we owe it to ourselves and our families to do better.
Why Are We Members of the Only True Church?
Enrique R. Falabella, Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Falabella spoke about reasons why he was a member of the Church, which were presented in three points: the eternal perspective the gospel gives, priesthood power, and personal testimony.
The first point spoke to the plan of salvation and the promise of families remaining together after death. For the second point, he brought up something President Packer hinted at earlier in this session, how each family can have the priesthood’s blessings in their homes. “This is the only church upon the earth which offers such a blessing to families.”
It’s something I’ve tended to take for granted; is just one of those nice things we can do. But as I think about it, I realize how right he is! Is there any other church where fathers are taught and empowered to give blessings to their own wives and children? Is there any other church where any worthy member of the congregation can bless others with priesthood authority? Prayers of faith can be given, for sure; but such blessings don’t have the same form or spirit as what is done within the Church of Jesus Christ.
Then, regarding testimony, Elder Falabella said, “Above all else, this is the reason for my membership in the Church: because the Holy Spirit has penetrated my heart and has made it known to me that Christ lives, that He is my Savior, that He paid for my sins, and that He has prepared the way so that if I live according to His precepts, I can enjoy all other promised blessings.”
Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises
Spencer J. Condie, Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Condie reviewed several commandments the Lord has given us, along with the blessings that result from following those commandments. Some of those consequent blessings are obvious, though others require a bit of insight to perceive. “Sometimes, in our earthly impatience, we may lose sight of the Lord’s precious promises and disconnect our obedience from the fulfillment of these promises.”
He commented, “In this age of one-hour dry cleaning and one-minute fast-food franchises, it may at times seem to us as though a loving Heavenly Father has misplaced our precious promises or He has put them on hold or filed them under the wrong name.”
An example Elder Condie cited of delayed blessings were those of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, all of whom were promised numerous descendants as part of the covenants they and their husbands made with God. Yet each woman had to wait before they were blessed with children. Sarah was over 90 years old before she conceived. Rebekah was married 20 years before her husband’s prayers on her behalf resulted in children. As Rachel watched her sister Leah (both married to Jacob) have one child after another while she remained childless, she one day demanded of her husband, “Give me children, or else I die.” (Knowing that Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife, I don’t think her delayed pregnancies came from a lack of effort on his part.)
In each case, despite the delayed blessings, the blessings eventually came. “When heaven’s promises sometimes seem afar off, I pray that each of us will embrace these exceeding great and precious promises and never let go. And just as God remembered Rachel, God will remember you.”
Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Elder Uchtdorf spoke of the hardships his family endured during and after World War II as he was growing up in Germany. His parents had agreed that if there were dangers, they would gather to the village of his grandparents and reunite there. With his father in the military and the Russian army advancing toward their home, his mother took the family to their agreed upon destination during the unusually cold winter of 1944-45.
“In the middle of this despair, my family learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint.”
He then taught about enduring to the end, a principle I find myself thinking of more frequently as time goes by, and along a trajectory similar to his:
“When I was a young boy, ‘endure to the end’ meant to me mainly that I had to try harder to stay awake until the end of our Church meetings. Later as a teenager I progressed only slightly in my understanding of this scriptural phrase. I linked it with youthful empathy to the efforts of our dear elderly members to hang in there until the end of their lives.
“Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God. This belief distinguishes Latter-day Saints from many other Christian denominations that teach that salvation is given to all who simply believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ.”
Going on, he said,
“Enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life’s difficult circumstances or ‘hanging in there.’ Ours is an active religion, helping God’s children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. Viewed from this perspective, enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance.”
I could comment, but he says it better.
“Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunrise to sunrise. It is accomplished through personal discipline following the commandments of God.
“The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is a way of life. It is not for Sunday only. It is not something we can do only as a habit or a tradition if we expect to harvest all of its promised blessings.”
And, finally, “My dear brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Head of this Church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose. He is the Son of the living God.”
Mrs. Patton-the Story Continues
Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency
The session concluded with President Monson talking about the April 1969 conference, when he had been impressed to talk directly to Terese Patton, the mother of one of President Monson’s childhood friends who had joined the navy and was later killed in action during World War II. Thinking back on that talk, he shared here the aftermath of it:
“I had little or no hope that Mrs. Patton would actually hear the talk. I had no reason to think she would listen to general conference. As I have mentioned, she was not a member of the Church. And then I learned that something akin to a miracle had taken place. Having no idea whatsoever who would be speaking at conference or what subjects they might speak about, Latter-day Saint neighbors of Mrs. Terese Patton in California, where she had moved, invited her to their home to listen to a session of conference with them. She accepted their invitation and thus was listening to the very session where I directed my remarks to her personally.
“During the first week of May 1969, to my astonishment and joy, I received a letter postmarked Pomona, California, and dated April 29, 1969. It was from Mrs. Terese Patton.”
He didn’t indicate whether she ever joined the Church or embraced the gospel, but her letter assured him that his words had given her the comfort she needed and answered the questions she had regarding her son. “Although Mrs. Patton has long since left mortality, I have felt a strong impression to share with you the manner in which our Heavenly Father blessed and provided for her, a widow, in her need. With all the strength of my soul I testify that our Heavenly Father loves each one of us.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church
The October 2007 conference started with a sustaining vote. President Faust had passed away two months before, and Elder Eyring was called to fill the resulting vacancy in the First Presidency. The vacancy he left in the Twelve was filled, in turn, by Quentin L. Cook. This adds one more living apostle (for the time being) to the list of those whose talks are being covered by this project.
The Weak and the Simple of the Church
Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
With these new changes in Church leadership, President Packer spoke about some of the principles regarding Church callings. The principle of common consent entails that those who are called are known by those within their stewardship and given that responsibility openly. “We always know who is called to lead or to teach and have the opportunity to sustain or to oppose the action. It did not come as an invention of man but was set out in the revelations.... In this way, the Church is protected from any imposter who would take over a quorum, a ward, a stake, or the Church.”
Aside from priesthood authority, that was one of the points that gave strength to Brigham Young’s claim as Joseph Smith’s successor: as an apostle, he had already been openly sustained as a leader within the Church-in contrast to others who claimed the right of presidency by oral or privately written statements from Joseph suggesting they were to succeed him, without such statements being generally known by the Church as a whole. (Sidney Rigdon’s position as First Counselor in the First Presidency was the most compelling point in his favor, were it not for the apostles having priesthood keys that he didn’t possess.)
President Packer also quoted this famous statement from President J. Reuben Clark, who said, “In the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve but how. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one takes the place to which one is duly called, which place one neither seeks nor declines.”
President Packer then mentioned one of the features of the Church of Jesus Christ that sets it apart from other churches: a lay membership that has access to priesthood authority and can exercise it whenever called upon, which is done in all of our congregations.
“We see in the Christian churches their struggle to fill the need for clergy. We do not have that problem. Once the gospel is preached and the Church is organized, there is an inexhaustible supply of faithful brothers and sisters who have that testimony and are willing to answer the call to serve. They commit themselves to the work of the Lord and live the standards required of them.
“Members have had the Holy Ghost conferred upon them after their baptism. The Holy Ghost will teach and comfort them. They are then prepared to receive guidance, direction, and correction, whatever their position or needs require.
“This principle sets the Church on a different course from all other Christian churches in the world. We find ourselves in the unusual position of having an endless supply of teachers and leaders, among every nation and kindred and tongue and people, all over the world. There is a unique equality among members. No one of us is to consider himself of more value than the other.”
He also touched upon how inadequate he felt when receiving various callings, and how others have felt similarly about him. “Years ago when I first received an appointment that resulted in my picture being in the newspapers, one of my high school teachers, evidently quite astonished, was heard to say, ‘That just proves that you can’t tell by looking at a frog how high he is going to jump!’”
And, while he said it before, he again emphasized that those who occupy “higher” positions on the Church’s organizational flowcharts aren’t any better than the rest of the Saints.
“There is the natural tendency to look at those who are sustained to presiding positions, to consider them to be higher and of more value in the Church or to their families than an ordinary member. Somehow we feel they are worth more to the Lord than are we. It just does not work that way!
“It would be very disappointing to my wife and to me if we supposed any one of our children would think that we think we are of more worth to the family or to the Church than they are, or to think that one calling in the Church was esteemed over another or that any calling would be thought to be less important.”
He mentioned a son of his who was serving as a ward mission leader. It’s not a calling that commands much notice or respect, but President Packer and his son’s wife were both satisfied that it was a calling suited to his son’s skills and circumstances. “What my son and his wife are doing with their little children transcends anything they could do in the Church or out. No service could be more important to the Lord than the devotion they give to one another and to their little children. And so it is with all our other children. The ultimate end of all activity in the Church centers in the home and the family.”
That last line is an idea President Packer repeated multiple times. And it’s arguably one of the most important things he taught.
Enduring Together
Richard C. Edgley, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
Bishop Edgley spoke about the losses his ward had experienced over the years of his living there-notably, five deaths from young people (four of them in car accidents) within an eight-year period-and how members responded to those losses. While much of his talk commented on problems faced and the responses given, he put them into a series of points we can learn from:
1. The Lord’s organization is fully adequate to know and care for those with even the most dire emotional and spiritual needs.
2. Adversity can bring us closer to God, with a renewed and enlightened appreciation for prayer and the Atonement, which covers pain and suffering in all their manifestations.
3. Members who suffer tragedy firsthand often experience an increased capacity for love, compassion, and understanding. They become the first, last, and often the most effective responders in giving comfort and showing compassion to others.
4. A ward, as well as a family, draws closer together as it endures together-what happens to one happens to all.
5. And perhaps most important, we can each be more compassionate and caring because we have each had our own personal trials and experiences to draw from. We can endure together.
Strengthen Home and Family
Mary N. Cook, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
Sister Cook spoke about the influence for good that children can have on their parents and other family members. An example of that influence was her brother, who wrote a Christmas letter to the family while he was serving a mission. In the letter he challenged his family to prepare to enter the temple and be sealed together-something that had not yet happened. By the time he returned home, his parents had taken the steps needed to realize that blessing.
As Sister Cook said, “Can you make a difference in your family? Yes, you can! I often wonder about my family’s eternal progression if my brother had not written that powerful letter. His patterns of righteousness and example changed our lives.”
She also shared a statement from Elder Hales, who said, “If the example we have received from our parents was not good, it is our responsibility to break the cycle.... Each person can learn a better way and in so doing bless the lives of family members now and teach correct traditions for the generations that follow” We’re not slaves to our programming. If we know better, we owe it to ourselves and our families to do better.
Why Are We Members of the Only True Church?
Enrique R. Falabella, Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Falabella spoke about reasons why he was a member of the Church, which were presented in three points: the eternal perspective the gospel gives, priesthood power, and personal testimony.
The first point spoke to the plan of salvation and the promise of families remaining together after death. For the second point, he brought up something President Packer hinted at earlier in this session, how each family can have the priesthood’s blessings in their homes. “This is the only church upon the earth which offers such a blessing to families.”
It’s something I’ve tended to take for granted; is just one of those nice things we can do. But as I think about it, I realize how right he is! Is there any other church where fathers are taught and empowered to give blessings to their own wives and children? Is there any other church where any worthy member of the congregation can bless others with priesthood authority? Prayers of faith can be given, for sure; but such blessings don’t have the same form or spirit as what is done within the Church of Jesus Christ.
Then, regarding testimony, Elder Falabella said, “Above all else, this is the reason for my membership in the Church: because the Holy Spirit has penetrated my heart and has made it known to me that Christ lives, that He is my Savior, that He paid for my sins, and that He has prepared the way so that if I live according to His precepts, I can enjoy all other promised blessings.”
Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises
Spencer J. Condie, Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Condie reviewed several commandments the Lord has given us, along with the blessings that result from following those commandments. Some of those consequent blessings are obvious, though others require a bit of insight to perceive. “Sometimes, in our earthly impatience, we may lose sight of the Lord’s precious promises and disconnect our obedience from the fulfillment of these promises.”
He commented, “In this age of one-hour dry cleaning and one-minute fast-food franchises, it may at times seem to us as though a loving Heavenly Father has misplaced our precious promises or He has put them on hold or filed them under the wrong name.”
An example Elder Condie cited of delayed blessings were those of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, all of whom were promised numerous descendants as part of the covenants they and their husbands made with God. Yet each woman had to wait before they were blessed with children. Sarah was over 90 years old before she conceived. Rebekah was married 20 years before her husband’s prayers on her behalf resulted in children. As Rachel watched her sister Leah (both married to Jacob) have one child after another while she remained childless, she one day demanded of her husband, “Give me children, or else I die.” (Knowing that Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife, I don’t think her delayed pregnancies came from a lack of effort on his part.)
In each case, despite the delayed blessings, the blessings eventually came. “When heaven’s promises sometimes seem afar off, I pray that each of us will embrace these exceeding great and precious promises and never let go. And just as God remembered Rachel, God will remember you.”
Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Elder Uchtdorf spoke of the hardships his family endured during and after World War II as he was growing up in Germany. His parents had agreed that if there were dangers, they would gather to the village of his grandparents and reunite there. With his father in the military and the Russian army advancing toward their home, his mother took the family to their agreed upon destination during the unusually cold winter of 1944-45.
“In the middle of this despair, my family learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint.”
He then taught about enduring to the end, a principle I find myself thinking of more frequently as time goes by, and along a trajectory similar to his:
“When I was a young boy, ‘endure to the end’ meant to me mainly that I had to try harder to stay awake until the end of our Church meetings. Later as a teenager I progressed only slightly in my understanding of this scriptural phrase. I linked it with youthful empathy to the efforts of our dear elderly members to hang in there until the end of their lives.
“Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God. This belief distinguishes Latter-day Saints from many other Christian denominations that teach that salvation is given to all who simply believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ.”
Going on, he said,
“Enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life’s difficult circumstances or ‘hanging in there.’ Ours is an active religion, helping God’s children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. Viewed from this perspective, enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance.”
I could comment, but he says it better.
“Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunrise to sunrise. It is accomplished through personal discipline following the commandments of God.
“The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is a way of life. It is not for Sunday only. It is not something we can do only as a habit or a tradition if we expect to harvest all of its promised blessings.”
And, finally, “My dear brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Head of this Church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose. He is the Son of the living God.”
Mrs. Patton-the Story Continues
Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency
The session concluded with President Monson talking about the April 1969 conference, when he had been impressed to talk directly to Terese Patton, the mother of one of President Monson’s childhood friends who had joined the navy and was later killed in action during World War II. Thinking back on that talk, he shared here the aftermath of it:
“I had little or no hope that Mrs. Patton would actually hear the talk. I had no reason to think she would listen to general conference. As I have mentioned, she was not a member of the Church. And then I learned that something akin to a miracle had taken place. Having no idea whatsoever who would be speaking at conference or what subjects they might speak about, Latter-day Saint neighbors of Mrs. Terese Patton in California, where she had moved, invited her to their home to listen to a session of conference with them. She accepted their invitation and thus was listening to the very session where I directed my remarks to her personally.
“During the first week of May 1969, to my astonishment and joy, I received a letter postmarked Pomona, California, and dated April 29, 1969. It was from Mrs. Terese Patton.”
He didn’t indicate whether she ever joined the Church or embraced the gospel, but her letter assured him that his words had given her the comfort she needed and answered the questions she had regarding her son. “Although Mrs. Patton has long since left mortality, I have felt a strong impression to share with you the manner in which our Heavenly Father blessed and provided for her, a widow, in her need. With all the strength of my soul I testify that our Heavenly Father loves each one of us.”