1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,160 Welcome to Closer to Christ, the General Conference, where two friends who love Jesus share our 2 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,300 own approach to studying the most recent General Conference talks. 3 00:00:18,300 --> 00:00:19,920 This is Abbey and Amy. 4 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,640 Let's jump into it. 5 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,400 We are so excited to share with you today the talk done by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf 6 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:32,240 titled, Nourish the Roots and the Branches Will Grow. 7 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:36,800 So I'll start out by summarizing a story that he shared of a chapel that he used to enjoy 8 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,000 as a young boy. 9 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:44,520 He said it had an organ that had to be pumped and he would often help pump it so the congregation 10 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:45,600 could sing. 11 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:49,960 And when he was at the organ, he had a perfect view of this beautiful stained glass window 12 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:55,700 depicting our Savior Jesus Christ and another of Joseph Smith and the Sacred Grove. 13 00:00:55,700 --> 00:00:57,440 And he said the chapel is now gone. 14 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,320 It's made its way for new apartment buildings. 15 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,740 And while he was saddened about the building's removal, he thought more deeply on what is 16 00:01:03,740 --> 00:01:05,940 enduring rather than temporary. 17 00:01:05,940 --> 00:01:10,740 He said this, the covenant connection I forged with my Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son 18 00:01:10,740 --> 00:01:15,280 has stayed with me long after the chapel was dismantled and the stained glass windows were 19 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:16,280 lost. 20 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:21,640 Heaven and earth shall pass away, Jesus said, but my words shall not pass away. 21 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,160 What did you love from this talk the most? 22 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,320 I first I love that story. 23 00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:29,080 I thought it was so sweet the way he told it. 24 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:31,320 And then I feel like this is like the central part. 25 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:35,400 One of the most important things we can learn in this life is the difference between what 26 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,440 is eternal and what is not. 27 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:42,160 Once we understand that everything changes, our relationships, the choices we make, the 28 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:43,960 way we treat people. 29 00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:48,820 Knowing what is central and what is not is key to growing a testimony of Jesus Christ 30 00:01:48,820 --> 00:01:50,160 and His church. 31 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:55,200 Abby, why do you feel like it's more important or most important to know what is eternal 32 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:56,200 and what is not? 33 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:58,980 I mean, you summed it up so well right there. 34 00:01:58,980 --> 00:02:02,980 Everything changes in our relationships and the thing we're thinking. 35 00:02:02,980 --> 00:02:07,780 It helps us put off the natural man because we're thinking of more of the long lasting 36 00:02:07,780 --> 00:02:11,520 effects that we're going to have on the world. 37 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:16,920 Do I want to try to approach this with more love, patience, tenderness, or I'm going to 38 00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:21,600 jump to the anger, the emotions I'm feeling right in that moment. 39 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:25,720 Do I want to let those simmer down because these, I'm thinking of relationships when 40 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,000 they're lasting, they're meant to be eternal. 41 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:29,000 I love that. 42 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,000 So it tempers. 43 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,520 That's so great. 44 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:36,440 What do you feel like, what do you think he's talking about when he's talking about the 45 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:42,360 roots and what he's talking about with the branches? 46 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:47,400 So Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice is the root of our testimony. 47 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:48,880 All other things are branches. 48 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:50,840 And you've probably heard this quote before he used this. 49 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,600 Joseph Smith said it this way, the fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony 50 00:02:55,600 --> 00:03:00,820 of the apostles and prophets concerning Jesus Christ, that he died, was buried and rose 51 00:03:00,820 --> 00:03:05,560 again the third day and ascended into heaven and all other things which pertain to our 52 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,480 religion are only appendages to it. 53 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:14,600 That just speak to our very last podcast on keeping things of the doctrine of Christ simple. 54 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:20,840 Can you go on a tangent and speculate on all of the things after this life, aside from 55 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,240 the very few things we solidly know about it? 56 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:24,240 For sure. 57 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:29,520 You can go in any direction, but what's the most important thing to really give root to 58 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,360 our basic fundamental principles? 59 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:32,800 Love it. 60 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,640 As they're spoken by the apostles and prophets and then we come to our own knowledge as the 61 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:37,420 Holy Ghost testifies on those things. 62 00:03:37,420 --> 00:03:40,000 So let's talk about roots a little bit more. 63 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,200 How are we going to strengthen those roots so that the branches then can grow, that we 64 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,920 can learn more things, that we can add to our testimony? 65 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:47,920 Love it. 66 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,640 Elder Uchtdorf gave some really, really great feedback on this. 67 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:55,960 He said, if you are uncertain about a particular doctrine or practice or element of church 68 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,840 history, seek clarity with faith in Jesus Christ. 69 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:04,720 And then he says this, seek to understand his sacrifice for you, his love for you, his 70 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:06,620 will for you. 71 00:04:06,620 --> 00:04:08,200 Follow him in humility. 72 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:13,600 The branches of your testimony will draw strength from your deepening faith in heavenly father 73 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:15,280 and his beloved son. 74 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,640 And then I really like that he shares some practical ways of going about this. 75 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,640 He says, if you want a stronger testimony, the Book of Mormon focus on its witness of 76 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,220 Jesus Christ. 77 00:04:24,220 --> 00:04:27,840 Notice how the Book of Mormon testifies of him, what it teaches about him and how it 78 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:29,960 invites and inspires you to come unto him. 79 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:34,600 I will say that I have heard different, you know, different things about where the Book 80 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,720 of Mormon took place, and he talked about this a little bit. 81 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:41,320 He's saying, you know, more important than where it may have taken place, like where 82 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:47,320 Jerusalem is or whatever, what's most important is the testimony of Jesus Christ in those 83 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:48,320 pages. 84 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:49,320 That's the root. 85 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:50,320 He said, if you're seeking a more- 86 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:59,080 You could spend a lifetime on trying to pinpoint where the exact instances in the Book of Mormon 87 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:00,320 took place. 88 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:03,560 What did it do for your testimony of Jesus Christ at the end of that day? 89 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:04,560 Right. 90 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:06,160 If you see it as a hobby, that's one thing. 91 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:07,800 If you're seeing it as a lifelong pursuit- 92 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,880 The only way I'm going to believe it is if I can know exactly where the locations are. 93 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:12,600 Two separate things there, right? 94 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:18,000 If you're seeking a more meaningful experience in church, in meetings or in the temple, try 95 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:22,020 looking for the Savior in the sacred ordinances we receive there. 96 00:05:22,020 --> 00:05:25,080 Find the Lord in his holy house. 97 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:31,620 And then he said this, Abby, as far as callings go, which I am sure he's felt this multiple 98 00:05:31,620 --> 00:05:37,440 times in his life, just the fact that there is a large portion of his time that goes to 99 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,200 the Lord, that goes to his callings. 100 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:46,840 He says, if you ever feel burned out or overwhelmed by your church calling, try refocusing your 101 00:05:46,840 --> 00:05:49,000 service on Jesus Christ. 102 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,940 Make it an expression of your love for him. 103 00:05:51,940 --> 00:05:54,040 Great reframing, right? 104 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,960 If you have a hard time loving your calling, just gently suggest that they put you in the 105 00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:58,960 primary. 106 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:02,520 That's where you know that heavenly Father Jesus Christ love you the most. 107 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:03,520 Just kidding. 108 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:05,120 But Amy just got a new calling today. 109 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:06,800 We're team teachers in primary now. 110 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:07,800 So fun. 111 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,800 It's going to be the best. 112 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:16,400 Amy, I'm sure you did consider this as you were listening to this talk. 113 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:22,820 Probably took a moment to consider your own testimony, the roots of your own testimony. 114 00:06:22,820 --> 00:06:27,080 And I want you to think what your own testimony is based on. 115 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:32,060 He talked about it and he said, at first we may be drawn to the Savior's gospel in church 116 00:06:32,060 --> 00:06:38,080 because we're impressed by friendly members or kind bishop or the clean looks of a chapel. 117 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,480 And these circumstances are certainly important to grow the church. 118 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:46,240 But he says, if the roots of our testimony never grow deeper than that, what will happen 119 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:50,720 when we move to a ward that we meet that's less impressive or less impressive building 120 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,280 with members who aren't so friendly and the bishop says something that offends us? 121 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:55,280 What's going to happen? 122 00:06:55,280 --> 00:07:00,480 I feel like Abby, he was talking to like every single person with his first story. 123 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:01,480 Because guess what? 124 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:02,480 It happens when you move. 125 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:03,480 You know what I mean? 126 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:07,200 Because there's the love and all of the relationships that you've left behind it and maybe that's 127 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:08,480 the way you're feeling. 128 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,240 And he's like, that's not the point. 129 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:12,640 It's great to have at the beginning. 130 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:15,920 Like if that is in place, wonderful. 131 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,000 Is it the basis of our testimony? 132 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:19,120 It's not. 133 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,320 He says, I love the second one that he did, Abby. 134 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:25,240 He says, doesn't it seem reasonable to hope that if we keep the commandments, we're sealed 135 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:29,560 in the temple, we'll be blessed with a large happy family with bright, obedient children, 136 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:35,240 all of whom stay active in the church, serve missions, sing in the ward choir and volunteer 137 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:38,160 to help clean the meeting house every Saturday morning. 138 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:39,160 Right? 139 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:43,400 I actually used to have visions of that and that's definitely not how, as far as the choir 140 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,440 and the helping to clean, not exactly how it worked out. 141 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:50,520 And then he says this, and I really like this, while he hopes that this will all happen for 142 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:57,960 each of us, he asks if this hope is something to based our testimony of Jesus Christ on. 143 00:07:57,960 --> 00:07:58,960 And he does say- 144 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:03,520 Like what's going to happen if those things don't check out? 145 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:04,520 Right. 146 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:08,520 How are we going to check ourselves out about where our own testimony stands on? 147 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:14,440 Do we say, you know, this gospel is true only if every one of my children is obedient their 148 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:22,040 whole life and stays in the gospel or if they all serve missions or sing the ward choir, 149 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,040 you know, are they if? 150 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:25,040 Yeah. 151 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,360 And it's interesting you saying that out loud. 152 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:34,560 It sounds a little bit ludicrous, but I do feel like that probably is a held belief that 153 00:08:34,560 --> 00:08:35,840 may be subconscious or whatever. 154 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:37,200 Do you know what I mean? 155 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,860 Because then if your children leave or are you all of a sudden thinking, wait a second, 156 00:08:40,860 --> 00:08:44,900 maybe this is maybe it was all not true or whatever. 157 00:08:44,900 --> 00:08:45,900 You know what I mean? 158 00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:47,240 So it's great to ask these questions. 159 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:51,960 He actually gives us some really great questions for each of us. 160 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:57,320 He says, ask yourself, is my testimony based on what I hope to happen in my life? 161 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,220 Is it dependent on the actions or attitudes of others? 162 00:09:01,220 --> 00:09:07,600 And then he says this, or is it firmly founded on Jesus Christ, rooted and built up in him, 163 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,560 regardless of life's changing circumstances? 164 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:16,280 So here we are again talking about what is the root Jesus Christ changing circumstances 165 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,640 that is going to come that is going to go just like that scripture at the beginning 166 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:21,880 talked about. 167 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:26,220 Also Abby, you and I have had this conversation many times over the past almost five years. 168 00:09:26,220 --> 00:09:28,240 Can you believe it's almost been five years since I lived here? 169 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,860 I think most people listening now have had experiences when those in our word family 170 00:09:31,860 --> 00:09:34,200 have not acted the way that we would hope. 171 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,840 And maybe there have been times when we've not acted in ways that we had hoped. 172 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:41,280 What keeps you coming back to church each week? 173 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:50,920 For me, it started out as my parents' regular habit of taking us to church. 174 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:56,520 And when I went to college myself, it became my tradition because I didn't have to go. 175 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:58,440 They weren't there telling me to wake up and go do things. 176 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:02,480 There wasn't like strings attached like, you know, paying for your college if you go to 177 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:03,480 church. 178 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:04,480 There was none of that. 179 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:08,560 I distinctly remember that first Sunday waking up and going to church when I was on my own. 180 00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:11,680 And it was definitely my own free will and choice. 181 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:16,600 But the only time I tested it, I just I wasn't like that for my, I wasn't like push my parents' 182 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:17,600 button about that. 183 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,200 But I went for myself. 184 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:23,600 And I would say even at that point as a 17 year old starting college, I can't even say 185 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,120 that it was backed in faith necessarily. 186 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:31,440 I just accepted the gospel as it was and took my parents' word for it and had started to 187 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:32,440 develop my own testimony. 188 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:35,480 And I know that that was definitely developing within me at like 15. 189 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:40,280 But like to know where I'm at now and looking back, I can see my testimony has been building 190 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:41,680 for all of these years. 191 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:46,640 Now regardless of my experience at church, it's great. 192 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:47,720 My experience at church is great. 193 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:52,440 But even if it wasn't great, I could easily be able to say, that's not the Church of Jesus 194 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:54,000 Christ. 195 00:10:54,000 --> 00:11:00,120 That's a cultural thing or that was, you know, that was a natural man reaction. 196 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,720 Like this issue that I'm having with that person has nothing to do with my testimony 197 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:04,720 of Jesus Christ. 198 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:10,800 And I'm not saying that that's like rock solid, never gonna be changed. 199 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,760 But I'm continually thinking about nourishing those roots because I've lived enough life 200 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:20,640 to know like if I put that trust and faith in people, people can disappoint. 201 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:22,160 They're not the gospel of Jesus Christ. 202 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:24,160 Yep, we're all fallible. 203 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:25,160 Right. 204 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:32,200 So he was really good at like hitting those three things, traditions, habits and faith. 205 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,280 There's a difference between the three things. 206 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,400 Traditions he would say are beliefs and practices passed on from one generation to the other. 207 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,920 Like I said, my parents kind of brought me up in that tradition of going. 208 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:45,600 In the scriptures, the Lord consistently warned the righteous to avoid evil traditions of 209 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:46,600 men. 210 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:51,080 It was I, one five, and we should have been like unto our brethren who know nothing concerning 211 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:55,240 these things because of their traditions of their fathers, which are not correct. 212 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,120 A tradition is something that's handed to you. 213 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:00,040 You didn't come up with it in most cases. 214 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:03,960 Like it's learned behavior from the people that came before you. 215 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,320 You do get to decide if you want to carry on that tradition or not. 216 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,320 Like what you said about the church. 217 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:10,320 Exactly. 218 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,940 You know, certainly when you're in your parents' home, probably it's best to carry on the traditions 219 00:12:13,940 --> 00:12:14,940 that they want. 220 00:12:14,940 --> 00:12:18,360 Some people will kind of stretch the limits on that and kind of test out for themselves. 221 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:22,360 But like really when you're an adult and you've left house, that's when you get to choose 222 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,040 whether those traditions are coming or not. 223 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:25,040 And why not? 224 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:26,720 I mean, it's a great tradition to go to church, right? 225 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:27,720 Yeah. 226 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:28,720 It's a great one. 227 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,520 I think so. 228 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,280 The fact is why I think that that's important. 229 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:35,280 I go regularly. 230 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:36,480 We take our kids regularly. 231 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,480 It's not like, you know, once a quarter that we're going to show up. 232 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:44,080 I'm demonstrating to my children that it's not even a question. 233 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,920 We're nine o'clock church now and my little three-year-old is not about having nine o'clock 234 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:49,920 church. 235 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:51,720 And so we had done tubbies the night before. 236 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:53,320 We're kind of like really prepared for it. 237 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,160 I was on my own getting the kids ready and he was kind of like trying to sleep and I'm 238 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:57,720 trying to get him dressed. 239 00:12:57,720 --> 00:12:59,680 And all I had to say, he's like, where are we going? 240 00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:00,680 I said church. 241 00:13:00,680 --> 00:13:01,680 He's like, oh, church. 242 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:02,680 And he like peppered right up. 243 00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:03,680 Oh, wow. 244 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:07,440 They totally mostly sleep during sacrament meeting, which is pretty awesome for me. 245 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:09,160 But what I'm saying is he's three. 246 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:10,160 He understands. 247 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:11,840 He does not understand the days of the week. 248 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,920 He understands what church and Sunday means. 249 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:18,200 So that's the best that I can do at this stage is to let him know. 250 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,840 Like we're going to consistently demonstrate that and we hope that as tradition that they'll 251 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:22,920 carry on. 252 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:26,880 Why don't you share your thoughts on habits from this talk? 253 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:32,480 I looked up habits and said it's a usual way of behaving, something that a person does 254 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,800 often in a regular and repeated way. 255 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,160 And then I found this and it tends to occur subconsciously. 256 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:42,840 So because I was like, yeah, it's great to have a habit, let's say of attending church. 257 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:49,000 And then defined within the psychology realm, it says habit is defined as a phenomenon whereby 258 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:53,440 behavior is prompted automatically, meaning you don't have to think about it by situational 259 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,960 cues as a result of learned behavior. 260 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:01,160 And then so we'll see in this light, I actually don't want things pertaining to the gospel 261 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:03,240 of Jesus Christ to be out of habit. 262 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,520 It tells me it's a learned behavior, almost automatic, much like muscle memory. 263 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:10,680 Then I looked that up and I loved this. 264 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:13,080 And I am going somewhere with this muscle memory. 265 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:14,080 Thank you. 266 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:19,600 No, despite its name is not about muscle, but it's rather about the brain. 267 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:23,880 When we learn a new skill or practice a particular movement, the brain creates neural pathways 268 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,960 and connections that control the associated muscle groups. 269 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:31,240 Then these connections become more efficient, well coordinated and through repetition and 270 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:35,000 performance of the task with increased accuracy and ease. 271 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:40,200 After time and practice all parts, it actually takes the brain, the body's muscles and the 272 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:46,640 nervous system, they all work together and the action becomes automatic. 273 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,860 It's fascinating concept that has intrigued athletes, musicians and professionals across 274 00:14:50,860 --> 00:14:53,440 various fields. 275 00:14:53,440 --> 00:15:00,760 And while it's a great skill, especially if you're one of those, you know, an athlete, 276 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:05,640 musician or professional, as we want to build in our spiritual lives, if we're seeking to 277 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:09,520 deepen our connection with Jesus Christ, it's probably not the best use of that. 278 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:13,760 We want to do actions that require not only our bodies, but incorporate our spirits as 279 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:14,840 well. 280 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:19,160 Like we just covered in the Seek Him With All Your Heart talk with Elder Budge. 281 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:24,840 When we incorporate our spirits into our spiritual practice, we are called to live in a higher 282 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:26,200 and holier way. 283 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:27,920 So think about it this way. 284 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:31,460 President Nelson calls each of us to minister in a higher and holier way. 285 00:15:31,460 --> 00:15:33,080 What did he ask us to do? 286 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:38,500 He asked us to stop with the checklist, stop with the automation and to put our spirits 287 00:15:38,500 --> 00:15:40,320 to work in this spiritual work. 288 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:45,160 Essentially, what he asked us to do is do spiritual work with our spirits and our body. 289 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:50,480 If you think of Heavenly Father, He has a perfected body and He's doing everything with 290 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:53,360 His spirit and His body. 291 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:58,840 Um, maybe you agree with what I'm saying and if you don't, I won't be offended for you 292 00:15:58,840 --> 00:15:59,840 speaking up. 293 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:04,000 But I think it comes in that order of traditions, habits and faith, not by coincidence, because 294 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,520 I don't think there's anything wrong with doing things that our parents bring us up 295 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:08,520 to do. 296 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:09,520 I don't either. 297 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:10,920 And then we asked, do we want to carry on with that? 298 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:16,720 And then as far as habits go, you can watch athletes or people take on these really difficult 299 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:22,700 tasks and you, you can just stand in awe thinking that with practice and repetition, how they've 300 00:16:22,700 --> 00:16:24,480 improved the thing that they're doing. 301 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:25,480 I agree. 302 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,540 And so it's like art with my kids that they don't understand all of the reasons why I'm 303 00:16:28,540 --> 00:16:30,800 having them do something and not going to be church related. 304 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:37,440 That can be math related or the reading process or handwriting, repetition, practice, improvement, 305 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:40,280 and we get iteratively better at things that we're doing. 306 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:46,440 But what we, what I feel like you were saying is that in there is lacking the reason for 307 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:52,520 them to be motivated by it as much until we get to the point of incorporating the spirits 308 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,560 into the mix and working that next level up. 309 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:57,560 And the roots, right? 310 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,440 Like, like a mom that wants her kids to be like a concert pianist and they put their 311 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:03,920 kid at the piano for three hours. 312 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:09,520 They pro, most likely they don't love sitting at the piano for three hours in that moment. 313 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,360 But at some point they've got the skillset and they've, they, they can play the piano 314 00:17:13,360 --> 00:17:15,000 all of a sudden. 315 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:20,200 But if at some point they find that they enjoyed themselves, their spirit is involved in the 316 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:24,560 equation all of a sudden that's when they're masters of their craft. 317 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:28,240 I'm trying to use other things than just the gospel because like you said, this comes from 318 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:29,880 like human psychology. 319 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:34,600 There are things that we do for different reasons, it reaches a different level of consciousness 320 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:35,600 or whatever. 321 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:36,600 Yep. 322 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,080 And higher and holier that is being called to the next level, right? 323 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:42,040 Because it is a beautiful and wonderful thing to do things with muscle memory. 324 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,840 Just watching it, like when you watch the Olympics, I cry during the Olympics because 325 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:48,080 I'm like, how does a body do that? 326 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:49,760 How, what did it take them to do that? 327 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:51,220 I mean, it's just beautiful. 328 00:17:51,220 --> 00:17:52,220 You know what I mean? 329 00:17:52,220 --> 00:17:53,220 Exactly. 330 00:17:53,220 --> 00:18:03,320 I would say too, like a world, a world Olympic athlete, a gold medalist in a sprinting event 331 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:07,480 could be creamed in if, if, if we threw them all of a sudden, we threw them into a cross 332 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:08,920 country long distance event. 333 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:09,920 Oh yeah. 334 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:11,480 Totally different skill. 335 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:14,840 If they just loved to run period and then their body could adapt to whatever it'd be 336 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:20,920 one thing, but like they've created a habit of doing this skillset perfectly by repetition. 337 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:21,920 Totally good Abby. 338 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:26,880 So want to spend a little bit more time on that last, that last piece of it, like acting 339 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:28,160 on faith. 340 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:32,440 That's how we're going to incorporate our spirits into deepening our testimony. 341 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:33,440 Yes. 342 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:34,440 Deepening our roots. 343 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:35,440 Yes. 344 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:36,440 I love it. 345 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:37,840 At the end, Abby, he talked about different things about faith. 346 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:44,040 So he says, faith is strong when it has deep roots in personal experience, personal commitment 347 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:49,760 to Jesus Christ, independent of what our traditions or what others may say or do. 348 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:55,320 Faith is beautiful, beautiful because it persists even when blessings don't come as hoped for. 349 00:18:55,320 --> 00:19:00,240 And then he says, faith endures the trials and the uncertainties of life because it is 350 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,360 firmly rooted in Christ and his doctrine. 351 00:19:03,360 --> 00:19:04,360 And then I love this part. 352 00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:08,080 He just says, we should not expect to understand everything before we act. 353 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,360 That is not faith. 354 00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:13,240 Just like Alma taught, faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things. 355 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:18,520 If we wait to act until all of our questions are answered, we severely limit the good we 356 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:24,120 can accomplish and we limit the power of our faith. 357 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:25,120 Love that part. 358 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:28,440 You did a good job on this. 359 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:32,540 What I'm finding interesting as I'm thinking about this talk is that there are parts and 360 00:19:32,540 --> 00:19:40,440 pieces of my testimony that I can stop and reflect on and think, what actions am I doing 361 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:43,620 my life that are out of habit? 362 00:19:43,620 --> 00:19:50,840 Is it time to take it to the next level and do it for like faith promotion more versus 363 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:54,480 just doing it because that's what I've always done. 364 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:58,000 And I don't think that all comes at the same time, all those pieces of work that don't. 365 00:19:58,000 --> 00:19:59,000 You're right. 366 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:00,920 They're all different components that work together for it. 367 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:01,920 And I think that's good too. 368 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,660 If you dig up a tree, they don't all have equal length of roots. 369 00:20:05,660 --> 00:20:09,080 If you have a sprinkler system on your lawn or whatever your means for watering and you 370 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:13,160 were to look, you'd be like, oh, that really watered this part of it. 371 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:14,760 And that's not a bad thing. 372 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:19,280 I would say things centered around covenants and the temple, like those go really, really 373 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:25,440 deep and there could be other areas that I'm like, trust my profits or whatever. 374 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:26,680 I'm just saying this out loud. 375 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:27,680 That's not mine. 376 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:31,860 I'm just giving ideas that you're like, okay, what part can I consider that I really want 377 00:20:31,860 --> 00:20:35,520 to put the effort into doctrine? 378 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:36,520 Love that, Abby. 379 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:41,240 So in closing, yes. 380 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,920 He says a testimony is not something that you build once and it stands forever. 381 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:45,920 Darn it. 382 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,340 I love one and done things, but this is not it. 383 00:20:48,340 --> 00:20:49,640 And it's worth it too. 384 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:52,800 It's more like a tree that you nourish constantly. 385 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:58,200 You shall reap the rewards of your faith and your diligence and your patience and long 386 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:03,080 suffering waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you. 387 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:10,000 I love his words in saying that this is a marathon and not a short distance thing and 388 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:15,080 all of the efforts we put into putting Jesus Christ at the root of our lives and of our 389 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:16,080 testimony. 390 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:17,080 Everything pays off. 391 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:18,080 Thanks for being here today. 392 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:40,720 Catch you on the next one.