LDS General Conference: An Introduction

You know, life seems full of decisions and subsequent adjusting and refining. This blog has been public and anonymous since I created it, and picking what things might benefit others and what things are better left private has gone through many adjustments. For example, I realized after my last "serious dating relationship" that I don't need to keep the world at large informed of my dating life; family and roommates are sufficient audience :) Other topics represent more of a challenge, like what spiritual events should I share or reserve for my journal. Based on the "call to arms" on the blog "(Gay) Mormon Guy", which the author based on an excellent talk in General Conference today, I'm starting to think that maybe I need to reconsider some of my boundaries on topics, or simply adjusting my approach to what I share through my blog so that I can share more and share better.

The Semi-Annual LDS General Conference, for those who might not have been aware, is a twice-a-year event (held the first Saturday and Sunday of April and October) broadcasted live from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the upper-level church authorities (President of the Church and his counselors, the Quorum of 12 Apostles, members of the Quorums of 70, and leaders in auxiliary programs) address the Church as a whole on various topics for 8-10 hours over the weekend.

Here is the lds.org link to find current and past General Conference addresses.

Conference is pretty amazing. On one level, it's a lot of fun to get together with my friends at someone's house, bring food, and listen to the speakers' messages. The best part though, is that no matter where you are in the world or what circumstance you find yourself in, all the members of the Church get to hear the same messages. I'm definitely guilty of taking the blessings of General Conference for granted. We believe that the line of priesthood authority was restored by God through Joseph Smith, and that line of authority with prophets, pastors, evangelists, etc has continued since to the present day. Those who lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aren't theological politicians - they are ordinary men and women who obey God's call when He asks them to step up and assume extra responsibilities in caring for His children worldwide. As members of Christ's Church, we sustain these men as prophets, seers and revelators for the whole world. Thus, the opportunity we have every 6 months to hear from so many prophets of the Lord is a priceless one indeed.

Soon, I'll share some of the preparation I did for Conference and some of my favorite insights I got from listening to the speakers. But I need sleep now if I want to be awake for the rest of Conference tomorrow.

Guten Abend und bis Morgen! :)