Saturday, April 14, 2012

April 14, 2012 Stake Conference - Priesthood Leadership

C Scott Grow presided at the Priesthood Leadership Conference today.  He shared a story shared by Apostle Jeffery R Holland in their two day session prior to April General Conference.  It goes like this....as Elder Holland.

I've never told this story before, but I want to share it with you now.  In 1950 I was 10.  My mother was an active member of the church from pioneer heritage.  My father was a convert, formerly of the Catholic faith.  He was less active.  He smoked and drank coffee.  Three men in suits got out of the car and came to the door.

Those men were the Bishop of our ward, the Elder's Quorum President and the Sunday School President.  My father answered the door with a cigarette in his hand.  After speaking for a minute the Bishop explained that they had come to extend a calling to him as a Sunday School teacher.  My father raised his cigarette and said, "I'm not qualified."  The Bishop responded, "That's your problem."

In that moment my father received a revelation.  He realized that they were asking him to teach my Sunday School class.  They hit my father in the one spiritual bone in his body....his children.  My father took the cigarettes out of his pocket and threw them into the fireplace.  He never smoked again.

When I get to heaven I want to meet Joseph Smith.  I expect there will be a line, but before I do I want to find that Bishop, Elder's Quorum President and Sunday School President.  I want to thank them for what they did that day. In one generation my family went from inactivity to being here among the general authorities of the church.


Are you active in the Gospel or active in the Church?  Have we let the testimony of Christ sink deep into our hearts? or are we just phoning in our efforts?  Are we magnifying our calling? or are we just going through the motions?  Is it the principle of minimum compliance? or do we love God with our might, mind and strength and our neighbors as ourselves?


In his last conference address, Bruce R McConkie said, "In speaking of these wondrous things I shall use my own words, though you may think they are the words of scripture, words spoken by other apostles and prophets.
True it is they were first proclaimed by others, but they are now mine, for the Holy Spirit of God has borne witness to me that they are true, and it is now as though the Lord had revealed them to me in the first instance. I have thereby heard his voice and know his word.
Our testimonies should all be so sure as Elder McConkie's.

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