Closer to Christ through Conference, where two friends who love Jesus and His gospel
sharing our own approach to conference.
Hey, Amy.
Hey.
So, this is Abbey here.
I just wanted to remind our listeners, this podcast aims to reach you if you are eager
to explore the insights and inspirations found within General Conference Talks.
Our analytics are showing that on some platforms we're being heard, but we grab a listener
at whatever the current episode is that they are on.
We know that the introductions aren't always popular to listen to, but we would encourage
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If I haven't talked you into going back to episode one, let me give you a brief synopsis.
We ask you to please ponder the questions we pose, but don't be afraid to formulate
your own.
Trust your own process of seeking revelation and acting on the promptings that you receive.
Our hope is that through listening to these conference talks, you're going to find yourself
drawing closer to Jesus Christ and experiencing a deeper connection with Him in your daily
life.
And we are hopeful that these short podcasts will allow you, the listener, to have a jumping
off point to delve deeper on your own into whatever conference has to offer for you.
If we suggest an action item that we see in a talk that we like, that we picked out as
important, decide if it's right for you, but make sure our suggestions best suit your needs
and modify them if they don't.
Ask yourself, will this be best for my individual growth?
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Your ideas and inspirations are valuable.
And when you are able to collaborate and share with others, the power of those ideas is exponential.
So join us today as we discuss Elder Ulysses S. Suarez of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
in his talk titled, Covenant Confidence Through Jesus Christ.
Amy, what was the standout for you in this one?
Where do we want to go with this talk?
So even for just the actual title of it, I had never heard covenant confidence through
Jesus Christ.
I had heard spiritual confidence before and that does make sense to my heart as well.
Or keeping your covenants, like it's something that you just hold close and don't exhibit.
And I love the phrase covenant confidence because it gives me, who's a very visual person,
a clear picture of where the confidence is coming from.
It's my confidence in Jesus Christ and His atonement that was made for all.
And my favorite part is the way that he, just at the beginning, he describes exactly what
it is.
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, which I just say amen to that.
So this is the next quote that I really liked and this is what...
Stood out.
It just stood out to me and resonated.
So he says this, if we change our preparation to enter the temple, we will change our experience
in the temple, which will transform our lives outside the temple.
So I loved it because temple preparation can look different for every person.
It can look different in every stage of life.
If you're going for the first time, then a temple preparation class would be in your
best interest.
And about six years ago, I found myself in a particular place where I sort of started,
you could say I changed the approach and the preparation to enter the temple.
So what I did was I would just decide to take a question to the temple.
Now mind you, this wasn't some earth shattering question.
It was honestly something like, what can I do this week for my third child so that he
knows I love him?
Something like that.
And then as I would worship and serve in the temple, I would listen for and I would wait
for pieces of my answer to distill on my heart.
And then afterwards I would write it down in my phone, like when I was on my way home
or before I left.
And I would ask that the spirit would bring to my remembrance anything that was communicated
to me.
Because you know, sometimes it's just a thought.
And here it is.
This was the key for me.
I take any answer that I received as 100% from God.
And it's worth noting that I pay special attention to the feeling that accompanied my answer
or my prompting.
Feelings of peace in my heart, clarity, that it's a good thing, and that it's consistent
with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And then like I said, I move forward in clarity and I do the thing.
Then I return in temple worship and I repeat this with another pressing question for me.
So maybe the next one would be what's the most impactful thing I can do in my marriage
relationship.
Maybe sometimes, oh, there were definitely seasons when I would ask, can you help me
see the holes in my physical health?
And then I would say, what's one thing that I can focus on right now to bring greater
happiness to my life?
So this exercising of the muscle takes out all the second guessing that kind of takes
up the valuable time and space.
I create room for the answer.
And then I let doubt melt away.
I become familiar to the sweet spirit of peace, clarity and comfort and hope that are available
in the temple.
So that's kind of the key is to remember what the temple feels like to my heart.
And then couple that with the feelings and the promptings that I get from the spirit.
And then don't let those feelings stop there like carry that with you outside of the temple
doors and into the action that you're going to take.
That's exactly what I was going to say.
Like I'm very mindful of that spirit that accompanies me home from the temple that gives
me the spiritual and covenant confidence, right?
And honestly doing that has really changed my experience in the temple because I've done
it for so many years now.
It's just become part, you know, you kind of don't think about it, right?
Like when you do something so often, just these small things over a large amount of
time, it really does make a big difference.
That's true.
Changes, it changes everything.
And, and I mean, you make it, you make it sound easy.
I'm not going to lie.
You make that sound like it's an easy process and you've been doing it for so long that
it's just you're stuck in nature.
I can say that I've gone into the temple with specific questions and I've received specific
answers, but you're definitely articulating a process that you've made really work for
you.
Can I share something?
So this is what's interesting about that.
When you say those words, I think, yeah, you're right.
That does make it sound like it was calculated, like it was a process.
I do have to say that I just felt I just followed the spirit.
It sounded like a great thing for me to do.
Now six years later, I looked back and I decided to kind of write down some of my life stories
so, really, it was in that moment of looking back, of asking the Lord to show me clarity
and to show me just kind of what I'd been doing.
And it was really, really interesting to see it all come together when I actually wrote
the words down.
I thought, wow, that was amazing.
I had no idea that's what I was doing.
I like that.
So you will admit that probably to people like me, that does sound like a big action
item, like a big step to take forward.
But you're encouraging us, start with a small question, accept the answer as it is.
You said something that I was like, that's key to it.
You took your phone out, you write a little note in the temple of the inspiration that
you got, and then you follow through and you do that thing.
I feel like I'm most successful when I get revelation from the Lord, when I acknowledge
that I received it, that I'm saying that it's from Him, and then I follow through with it.
Exactly.
I don't feel like He's willing to give me the next piece of the puzzle until I make
a step towards doing the thing that He already gave me.
Exactly.
And what if it was something just as small as take Him to lunch?
Guess what?
We can all do that.
That totally happens.
I was a Relief Society president in my younger years and I had this impression to go take
somebody crayons.
I don't even know what that was about.
And I did it and it meant everything to her.
And I don't remember all of the details of it, but I was like, this is so weird.
But I'm like, I heard you say, go take crayons to the sister.
And when I did it, maybe she seriously was sitting there.
She's like, I could share you a box of crayons.
Can you even believe that?
And following through with that, it was kind of early in my service in that position.
And I thought when things are awkward, when I'm prompted to say something, it just kind
of comes out of my mouth because I'm like, if I hold on to it, then He's going to think
that I didn't hear Him and He won't want to send me more.
Exactly.
Right?
Visit somebody, do this, do that.
Yes.
And that was the biggest thing too, is that I also remind Heavenly Father that my intention
with this is to cultivate clear communication with Him and then to act on any prompting
I get from Him.
That's really what I tell Him.
I said, I am loving growing into revelation.
And if you think of it this way, Abby, the fact that I was able to look back over six
years, think of that.
What I really did was I captured a bunch of rays that happened every week, sometimes multiple
times a week.
And when I captured that, it was a pillar.
So right now you're saying that's a lot to handle because you're listening to the pillar,
but really it did happen ray upon ray.
I totally acknowledge that.
I just want to make sure the reader knows that you've had other process of things you've
taught me in the time that we've been friends.
And I've heard other friends be like, you like revelation, personal revelation, that's
kind of a big one that comes up.
They're like, you make that sound so easy.
But I do want them to know that this is like Amy 2.0.
She was also our age at one time and she did also start somewhere else in the process.
And even though revelation came and she trusted that revelation, I just want to say, I don't
think that it comes without some trial and error and some practice.
Oh, amen.
Okay.
Yes.
Good.
People are feeling better about this than I think.
100%.
So then just the last part of it, Abby, is, you know, when he says that it changes your,
what does he say, he says, which will transform our lives outside of the temple.
So then what I realized I did, and again, I didn't know I was doing this.
I didn't know I was following a quote process or anything.
But what felt right to my heart was I thought, okay, I have cultivated that feeling.
I know what it feels like and I know what it sounds like when Heavenly Father speaks
to my heart.
So I said, and the fact that I didn't second guess it, I didn't waste any time.
I just did the little thing, right?
So how about, what if I took that home?
And I started at home when I was saying my prayers, I would ask that question that normally
I would reserve for the temple.
And I would ask the question.
And then again, I would just wait for some little pieces or promptings that are still
upon my heart.
And I would take it 100% that it was from God.
And remember, I had the two things that still went with it.
It had to have the feeling, right?
The peace, the clarity, the hope.
And then it also had to be consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So that's what I would do.
I would have that impression.
I would do that thing I was impressed to do.
I'd ask for his continued guidance.
And then I'd thank him as he helps me grow into the spirit of revelation.
So I just love that I was able to be as confident as I was in the temple when I received an
answer or a prompting that I was in my everyday life and at home.
And that's what I think the true blessing is, is when I think of the blessings of the
temple flowing through my life.
That's what I feel like.
I feel like I was able to capture and remember and zip it into my heart what it feels like
to be in the temple.
And then I carried that with me.
And I'm not saying it's easy to do, but rather than just capturing the words, if we can capture
the emotion or the feeling, the way that we feel about the revelation that we received
and take that outside of the temple walls, because I think that's something that Satan's
really good at, like making us doubt when he has more access to us and we have more
time to think about it, like was the answer really that simple?
Probably.
Right.
And how much time have I spent and have you spent thinking and wondering, was that really
him?
And then usually what happens at that point, you waste your time and then you second gets
doing it, then you don't do it.
And then it's harder to get the next piece.
Exactly.
You do nothing.
It stalls you, which is exactly what the adversary would love.
Just, just a distraction.
So I've kind of shared that Abby, I would love to hear what your thoughts were on this
talk and if you have any of your own, you know, your personal experiences.
This is one of those that stood out to me, like it was written on my heart.
It's what I bore my testimony of the Sunday after conference, you know, people get up
and say that kind of highlights what added to their testimony.
I asked Heavenly Father to bless me to be able to say, you know, what was on my heart
and the words that came out of my mouth were home centered, gospel supported and temple
bound.
And that addition of that third phrase, it meant everything to me.
For me, I see the what of the gospel is that prophets, seers and revelators have moved
us toward a home centered approach.
No more can you say, well, the church teaches this, the church teaches that.
What I'm teaching in my home is what is being taught to my children.
I love that.
It's the foremost, so it puts the, I don't want to say burden of proof, but like it puts
the pressure on me.
Like if I just want to say, well, the church teaches that, you teach truth, the church
supports that truth, ideally.
But you know, church is condensed now.
It's only that, you know, the two hours, I think we're all just happy enough with that.
And it can be really impactful time of the week, it can be uplifting, but a lot of that
has to do with the preparation that we've put into the time in our home in the previous
week or recent past that goes into those lessons or if how we engage or, you know, teaching
styles like are they facilitators or they like lectures that does make a difference,
but it's church supported, but it really is secondary to what's happening in our homes.
So those are the what's of the gospel for me, but adding that third phrase provided
the why.
Why am I attending church?
Why am I teaching come follow me in my home?
Why does this matter?
And it's because we're temple bound.
Looking at my life, I'm only a couple of years away from my oldest leaving the house and
my kids are growing like at an alarming rate.
And so I've been recently pondering a lot of questions surrounded by filling the measure
of my creation as a mother.
I say questions like what can I do in this brief time I have left with my children while
we're all under one roof that gives them the greatest chance for keeping their faith that
they've been taught in this home.
And I'll say during this talk, I received an unmistakable impression that my devotion
to the temple was a key piece of the answer to that question for me myself in this time
right now.
And I know that doesn't have to be the answer to everyone, but literally the question on
the top of my paper, it was to do with how to fill the measure of my creation as a mother.
And as as Ella Schwartz was talking, I was like, your temple attendance matters.
So after I had time to go back and I've looked at this talk like layer upon layer, I've also
kind of done what Amy did, kind of introspective like what are the pieces?
Why does the temple matter so much?
And I came up with a few things.
I jotted them down.
So if it feels like I'm reading it totally because I am.
If I'm attending the temple, I'm saying that the recommend that grants me access into the
temple is valid and that those things that I attested to to be true means that I'm living
up to the best standards that I can.
Not that I'm perfect, but that I'm coming recommended by the Lord.
It's a check in process for me.
I'm not going to a bishop asking for permission to attend the temple.
I'm sitting in front of a representative of Jesus Christ recommending myself and he's
eager to accept my desire to attend the temple.
So for me, as long as I'm holding that recommend with a true and honest heart, it's a great
assessment tool for myself.
I did a quick little search.
It made me think, what do people think temple recommend is?
And so Mormon Wiki is like, it's a piece of paper.
And I was like, ooh.
And then I scroll down a couple and it's like from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, much more confirmation bias that that recommend is so much more of an offering that
we're recommending ourselves to the Lord and he's accepting that recommendation.
So what I said there, like that was another layer of study as to what that recommend means
to me.
Another thing that I learned as I was reflecting is that I noticed that my children see me.
They know the responsibilities that I have in a given day.
And when I make time for the temple, or better yet, when I don't even have time to attend
the temple, but I still go, the Spirit's confirmed to me that they recognize this time.
It's a very physical way for them to see me doing something that demonstrates my love
for my Heavenly Father and His Son.
So then just to go with what Amy said, I asked the question, what happens when I'm in the
temple?
For me, I definitely notice a change in the noise and the chaos of my life.
I leave it on the outside and I'm there on an appointment with the Lord.
And I stole that little phrase from the talk because I loved it so much.
And I can tell you that I have myself taken a question or two into the temple about one
or all of my children or my spouse or whatever's pressing on my mind.
But based on this line of thinking, I'll ask, what can I do for them as their mother?
And those answers have become very apparent for me in very simple ways.
But it has changed the conversation, it's changed interactions, it's changed like what
my natural inclination to do as a mother would be.
Like I'm involving revelation in that process.
And so even if they're simple things, it's making a big difference in the way that I'm
mothering.
So as I go to the temple often, I'm reminded of those covenants and blessings associated
with them.
And I know that those are broadcast on my posterity forever, as long as I remain faithful,
regardless if they continue in the faith and the footsteps that they're taking now.
So my covenant allows me to know that my job is to demonstrate my faith through thought
and deed, and that I don't get to determine the outcome of that for my own children, but
that's okay.
My life is so much better because of the covenants that I have made.
And all that I can do is hope that if I continue to live the life that I am recommended to
the Lord, and I make sacrifices to attend the temple, and I listen for revelation, I
ask for revelation on their behalf as I'm in there, that I can see, wow, what confidence
it gives me to be a covenant maker in the temple in maybe one of the hardest jobs that
I've engaged in in my lifetime, being a mother.
So that's the long and the short of it.
I will say, you can defer this question if you want, but I do happen to know you attended
the temple yesterday.
And you went in with a question, you feel comfortable talking about that?
I'm trying to remember what my question was.
Because I do know, I'm going to try to remind you in subtle ways.
The podcast went live and it was an offering.
And it's like you're putting something kind of scary out there just because you know,
like people start, like you put yourself out there as like a target, I think, when you
put anything out in the world of social media.
So I just asked, Heavenly Father, what do you think of me?
And I just let the things come, you know, come to my heart.
And some of the things I heard were, I'm proud of you.
I like you.
I love you.
Which we, as parents, we know that like and love are two different things.
And it was just sweet.
I just sat there.
I love my children all the time, but sometimes I don't like them.
I was like, sweet, you like me?
I love that.
He loves you.
Amen.
I've got so too.
So there are simple questions, but like that was what was most pressing for you in that
day.
I thought it was great.
I learned so much from you.
And so I'm hoping that people can see the questions can be short and sweet and the answers
can be short and sweet, but they make a big difference.
Action items from this.
What did you pick up on?
Something I love that you said, Abby, is, and I know what a busy life you have, and
I stand in awe when I look at you, I've said this before, Abby has more peripheral vision
than any person I've ever seen.
She's able to keep her eyes on focus directly on what she's doing in her life.
Yet she also has the spiritual gift to see and to help others in a very short amount
of time.
She can be very efficient.
And I've also learned that with her and her temple attendance, she'll say, you know, can
we hit a quick session or can we do initiatories together?
And I used to spend more time in the temple and I love that she's able to fit it in amidst
her heavy schedule.
Yes.
And that I've also adapted that as well.
And guess what?
Guess what the cool part is, I haven't felt any part that I've missed that extra time.
I have been able to feel the spirit just as strong and do the things I need to do.
So I really, that is a huge testimony for me, watching Abby fitted in amidst a very
heavy schedule.
I just think that's it.
Go to the temple and love it and worship, you know what I mean?
Can't do it wrong.
We can't miss out on talking about the word binding.
Look for that word when you're reviewing this talk.
Look for how he talks about the word binding.
But the action item I wrote out was the binding that happens as we attend the temple should
hopefully make us desire to have our next appointment with the Lord scheduled.
I like that they kind of change the wording.
Changing the wording on that makes me change, makes me more excited.
Like if you have on your schedule like date with your husband, nobody's like, I'm trying
to get out of that.
That doesn't sound fun.
Everybody's like, that sounds good.
So changing the wording of temple attendance from being like an obligation instead to being
a date with the Lord sounds so much more appealing to me.
And I really start wanting, I want to start thinking of it more like that.
So you may be near from a temple, near to a temple, you may be far from the temple.
I would suggest as an action item that you set an appointment today to with the Lord,
get it on the schedule and be realistic.
So if you're far away, don't be acting like you're going to try to go tomorrow.
That's not realistic.
Make something that's actionable and that can happen for you.
I did start typing another action item and I deleted it, but I'm feeling like I'm going
to add it back.
So my last suggestion would be to our listeners that haven't yet accepted the blessings that
come from the temples.
I like to ask you to ask yourself what's holding you back.
Just the simple question is that, and if it's self doubt and it's that you don't think that
you're enough, then you need to backtrack and ask the question.
You need to ask Heavenly Father how he feels about you and let him answer that and see
if that propels you to getting closer to holding that recommend that you so deserve.
Any last bit?
We'll see you next time.
Thanks guys.
See ya.