Elder Bednar’s talk is all about finding peace and stillness in a loud and chaotic world. He talks about Christ being the rock we build our foundation on and places and times we can do that so that we have assurance and confidence that everything in our life will be ok.

“I believe the Lord’s admonition to “be still” entails much more than simply not talking or not moving. Perhaps His intent is for us to remember and rely upon Him and His power “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in.” Thus, “be still” may be a way of reminding us to focus upon the Savior unfailingly as the ultimate source of the spiritual stillness of the soul that strengthens us to do and overcome hard things.”

When have you felt that your faith has been a shelter in the storm?

“The symbolism of Christ as the “rock” upon whom we should build the foundation of our lives is most instructive. Please note in this verse that the Savior is not the foundation. Rather, we are admonished to build our personal spiritual foundation upon Him.”

What experiences have you had with Christ that are in your spiritual foundation?

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President Eyring speaks about the temple and the power of temple covenants. He shares a story about a time he and his wife found peace and comfort during a hard time because of their covenants. And he shared a few things President Nelson has promised us in recent years about temple attendance.

“Perhaps this statement from President Thomas S. Monson best illustrates what Kathy and I felt on that unforgettable night. “As we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace. … We will grasp the true meaning of the words of the Savior when He said: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid [John 14:27].’”"

How has expressing emotions - to family or friends or a spouse - helped you feel more at peace?

“It is through the sealing covenants in the temple that we can receive the assurance of loving family connections that will continue after death and last for eternity. Honoring marriage and family covenants made in temples of God will provide protection from the evil of selfishness and pride.”

How can you be sympathetic to those who don’t fit the ideal family found in The Family: A Proclamation to the World?

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Elder Gerard's talk is all about, as the title says, integrity. He talks about the need for integrity in our lives - the ability to stick to our morals and beliefs in our relationships with God, others, and ourselves.

“Living a life of integrity requires us to be true to God, to each other, and to our divine identity. Integrity flows from the first great commandment to love God. Because you love God, you are true to Him at all times. You understand that there is right and wrong and there is absolute truth—God’s truth. Integrity means we do not lower our standards or behavior to impress or to be accepted by others. You “do what is right” and “let the consequence follow.””

When have you had integrity in your beliefs or goals - whether to yourself or with others?

“A life of integrity is not a life of perfection; it is a life in which we strive every day to foremost be true to God and within that context to be true to others.”

How can you be “true to others"?

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Elder Soares speaks powerfully of the temple and the confidence - power, reassurance, and strength - that we receive through covenants. He focuses specifically on temples and the true goal of temples - this covenant confidence. He shares a few stories of people in the scriptures and also people who he knows who have that confidence so obviously in their lives.

“I pray that we may be spiritually renewed by the inspired messages from our leaders this weekend and rejoice in what I love to call “covenant confidence through Jesus Christ.” This confidence is the quiet yet certain assurance of receiving the blessings that God promises for those who keep their covenants and is so needed amid the challenging circumstances of our day.”

What confidence have you received from your covenant relationship with God?

“I wondered if sometimes we get lost in the excitement of having new temples in our cities and communities and neglect the holier purpose of the sacred covenants made in the temple.”

How can you focus on the reason for the temple - your relationship with the Savior - when preparing for and attending the temple?

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Elder Dushku’s talk is all about personal revelation and how individual and unique it is. He tells the story of the First Vision and then reassures us that if we never have an experience like that, we are still faithful. We can be spoken to in a million very personal ways.

“And yet, every one of us is different. No two people experience God’s light and truth in exactly the same way. Take some time to think about how you experience the light and Spirit of the Lord.”

How do you feel the Spirit in your life?

“These are some of my rays. You have had your own experiences—your own light-filled bursts of testimony. As we recognize, remember, and gather these rays “together in one,” something wonderful and powerful begins to happen. “Light cleaveth unto light”—“truth embraceth truth.” The reality and power of one ray of testimony reinforces and combines with another, and then another, and another. Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a ray and there a ray—one small, treasured spiritual moment at a time—there grows up within us a core of light-filled, spiritual experiences. Perhaps no one ray is strong enough or bright enough to constitute a full testimony, but together they can become a light that the darkness of doubt cannot overcome.”

What has “line upon line” looked like in your life?

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Sister Dennis speaks about symbols and the power of symbols to teach us deeper meanings and remind us of important things. She specifically talks about covenants being symbols and the symbols used in the ordinances we participate in to make covenants. She also covers garments and the symbols they are in our lives. She also reminds us that missions and marriage are not a requirement for going through the temple for our endowment. Anyone who is eighteen and feels they are ready should talk to their bishop about preparing. She ends her talk with her testimony of covenants and the power they have had in her life.

“Baptism by immersion is the symbolic gate through which we enter into a covenant relationship with God. Being immersed in the water and coming up again is symbolic of the Savior’s death and Resurrection to new life. As we are baptized, we symbolically die and are born again into the family of Christ and show we are willing to take His name upon us. We ourselves embody that covenant symbolism. In the New Testament we read, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” With our baptism we symbolically put on Christ.”

How do you strive to keep your baptismal covenant?

“The garment of the holy priesthood is deeply symbolic and also points to the Savior. When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit and had to leave the Garden of Eden, they were given coats of skins as a covering for them. It is likely that an animal was sacrificed to make those coats of skins—symbolic of the Savior’s own sacrifice for us. Kaphar is the basic Hebrew word for atonement, and one of its meanings is “to cover.” Our temple garment reminds us that the Savior and the blessings of His Atonement cover us throughout our lives. As we put on the garment of the holy priesthood each day, that beautiful symbol becomes a part of us.”

If you are already endowed, how does this change the way you think about your garments? If you are not endowed, how does this change the way you think about and prepare for one day wearing them?

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President Holland gives powerful, personal testimony. He talks about the death of his wife and his recent health struggles and how that has changed his view of the gospel and life. He also spends much of his talk speaking about the power of prayer, even in the life of Christ. And he closes his talk with his testimony of Christ, His Atonement, and the gospel.

“In my profound gratitude for all this, I join G. K. Chesterton, who said once ‘that thanks are the highest form of thought; and … gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.’ With my own ‘happiness doubled by wonder,’ I thank all of you and thank my Father in Heaven, who heard your prayers and blessed my life.”

What moments can you think of today - this week, this month - that made you happy? And how can you double that happiness with the wonder of an endlessly loving God?

“My beloved friends, our prayers are our sweetest hour, our most “sincere desire,” our simplest, purest form of worship. We should pray individually, in our families, and in congregations of all sizes. We are to employ prayer as a shield against temptation, and if there be any time we feel not to pray, we can be sure that hesitancy does not come from God, who yearns to communicate with His children at any and all times. Indeed, some efforts to keep us from praying come directly from the adversary. When we don’t know how or exactly for what to pray, we should begin, and continue, until the Holy Spirit guides us into the prayer we should be offering. This approach may be the one we have to invoke when praying for our enemies and those who despitefully use us.”

What role has prayer played in your life?

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Hello hello! It’s been a while! But I’m back. And I have just a couple announcements and housekeeping before we get into this next season of General Conference Conversations.

When I started this project two years ago, I was really just getting into Podcasts. And I fell in love with a lot of Come, Follow Me podcasts specifically that helped with my CFM study and helped me to have more comments at church and just get more out of my studies generally. I didn’t see any podcasts or YouTube channels that did that with General Conference talks, though. And I thought, “Hey, wouldn’t it be awesome if there was something like CFM for Conference talks? We discuss them in Relief Society and Elders’ Quorum. But we don’t get to all 30 or so talks every six months. It would be really great to have some deeper study of the Conference talks like we have with scriptures.”

And so, General Conference Conversations was born. I had a lot of big ideas when I started out. Having guests. Getting really deep into these talks. Lots of side studies and extras. And I’ve done a little bit of that since. But it turns out podcasting is a lot of work. And with the number of talks and episodes, it can get really overwhelming. I’ve also been very open with how my life has changed over the last couple of years. I’ve moved several times. I got a new job. Traveled for that job. And so my routines have changed. My availability has changed. So the podcast has changed.

And it’s going to change again in a couple different ways. The episodes are going to be a little bit condensed. I’ll still talk about each talk, but they may be a bit different and a bit shorter than in the past. I also really want to embrace the “Conversations” part of General Conference Conversations. I want your thoughts and feelings and insights. So I really need your help with comments and emails and any other discussion opportunities.

I’ll have questions, just like always, and if you feel so inclined to add your thoughts, please comment on YouTube or head over to my Instagram or Facebook to add your thoughts there. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your thoughts publicly, you can always message me privately. Your comments and thoughts might even make it into a future episode!

I can’t wait to get into this season with you. Keep an eye out!

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