WEBVTT 00:00:07.429 --> 00:00:09.630 Welcome to Closer to Christ through General Conference, 00:00:09.869 --> 00:00:12.070 where two friends who love Jesus share our own 00:00:12.070 --> 00:00:13.949 approach to studying the most recent General 00:00:13.949 --> 00:00:16.870 Conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's 00:00:16.870 --> 00:00:29.510 jump into it. Today we're discussing and we talk 00:00:29.510 --> 00:00:32.280 of Christ. This is by Elder Gary E. Stevenson 00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:35.600 of the Quorum of the Twelve. Abby, we are now 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:38.460 on the third session of Saturday. This is a big 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:40.700 deal. It's amazing. Abby and I were just kind 00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:42.920 of having a little bit of a celebration for that. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:45.619 It feels good to get through these talks. I would 00:00:45.619 --> 00:00:47.880 love— It kind of depressed me because I was like, 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:51.000 okay, thinking. How many more? Well, it's probably 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:53.399 two weeks kind of from here on out. And then 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:56.140 like summer disappears. It does. Which I love 00:00:56.140 --> 00:00:58.799 fall, but. We love our summers here. We work 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:01.299 all, like we earn our summers. We earn them. 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:04.640 That's a good way to say it. So we would love 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:07.840 for you to share, like, and subscribe. It really 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:10.959 does help this to be seen by other people who 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:12.719 are looking for it, for like -minded people. 00:01:12.900 --> 00:01:15.180 So when you leave a comment, it changes the number 00:01:15.180 --> 00:01:16.719 of people that get to see it. I don't know why 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:18.579 it works that way, but like every time somebody 00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:21.040 like. like leaves a review for the podcast, it 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:24.099 makes a difference on how many people it kind 00:01:24.099 --> 00:01:26.239 of feeds to. Yeah. I'd also love to hear what 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:28.299 you have, just your thoughts on these things. 00:01:28.459 --> 00:01:30.980 Yeah. Be part of the conversation. All right, 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:32.760 Abby, what do you have for us? This is such a 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:35.280 fantastic talk. This is a good talk. We talk 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:37.560 of Christ. I hope that's true. If it's not true, 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:40.040 this talk gives you plenty of opportunity to 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:42.219 reset yourself and think we need to do it more. 00:01:42.420 --> 00:01:46.079 Yes. Because of the title of this talk, I thought 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:50.379 I would kind of dig into it. This is a session 00:01:50.379 --> 00:01:54.299 that included 32 talks. And Amy's husband kind 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:57.019 of like, he does all of the, he fixes our mistakes 00:01:57.019 --> 00:01:58.980 and like puts the music behind it. That's their 00:01:58.980 --> 00:02:01.980 role. And then it's my job. He sends me the podcast 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:05.400 and then I put them up onto the podcast platform 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.060 and then it distributes out from there. And so. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:11.379 Part of my job is to type the keywords into each 00:02:11.379 --> 00:02:13.139 talk. So as people are like looking for certain 00:02:13.139 --> 00:02:14.979 things that it will say like, oh, you want to 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:16.620 hear about Jesus Christ? You know, follow along 00:02:16.620 --> 00:02:20.120 with this thing, whatever. So because I do this, 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:23.740 type the references for each, I've thought a 00:02:23.740 --> 00:02:25.979 lot. I'm like, man, Jesus Christ comes up quite 00:02:25.979 --> 00:02:28.240 a bit. So in preparation for this talk, I decided 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.740 to look and see specifically how many talks do 00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:35.479 talk about Jesus Christ. And of the 32 talks, 00:02:35.620 --> 00:02:38.990 23 have Jesus Christ as a keyword. And I was 00:02:38.990 --> 00:02:42.030 like, I mean, really, is that true? So I counted 00:02:42.030 --> 00:02:45.990 the nine that didn't have it. One that comes 00:02:45.990 --> 00:02:49.150 up is the prophet's talk. And if you've read 00:02:49.150 --> 00:02:50.789 the prophet's talk or you've listened to the 00:02:50.789 --> 00:02:53.669 podcast on it, you know that he definitely did 00:02:53.669 --> 00:02:56.490 not omit Jesus Christ in his talk. He specifically 00:02:56.490 --> 00:03:00.069 referenced Jesus Christ seven times when he said 00:03:00.069 --> 00:03:02.150 the rising generation is rising up as stalwart 00:03:02.150 --> 00:03:04.490 followers of Jesus Christ. He said to build faith 00:03:04.490 --> 00:03:07.340 in Jesus Christ. disciples of Jesus Christ have 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:09.800 access to a different kind of confidence. He 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:12.719 said he wanted us to be filled with the pure 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:14.879 love of Jesus Christ towards all men. Prepare 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:17.000 for the second coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:19.379 He said your faith in Jesus Christ will increase. 00:03:19.699 --> 00:03:21.900 And in his concluding testimony, he testified 00:03:21.900 --> 00:03:23.879 that Jesus Christ was the Redeemer of Israel 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:28.259 and leads this, his church. So like I'm saying, 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:31.819 I didn't go through the other. eight of the nine 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:33.879 that didn't specifically say that Jesus Christ 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:35.819 was included, but I was using that to emphasize 00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:37.919 the point. Even when they don't, obviously I 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:39.819 could put Jesus Christ on every keyword of every 00:03:39.819 --> 00:03:43.219 talk because we talk of Christ. We talk of Him. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:46.520 Even when we don't claim to have that talk focused 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:49.340 on Jesus Christ, He is in there. He is in all 00:03:49.340 --> 00:03:52.479 of them for a reason. Clearly, the leaders are 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:54.180 teaching us something really important here. 00:03:54.379 --> 00:03:56.620 Christ is at the center of our church and should 00:03:56.620 --> 00:03:58.800 be the center of literally everything we do. 00:03:59.550 --> 00:04:01.129 There have been many, especially recently, who 00:04:01.129 --> 00:04:02.849 have worked hard to emphasize the living Christ 00:04:02.849 --> 00:04:05.129 in our worship and in our stories and in our 00:04:05.129 --> 00:04:08.610 addresses and in our homes. In studying this 00:04:08.610 --> 00:04:11.550 address by Elder Stevenson, I took his talk title, 00:04:11.650 --> 00:04:14.189 And We Talk of Christ, and I put the word do 00:04:14.189 --> 00:04:16.870 in front of it at the beginning of it. I said, 00:04:17.069 --> 00:04:21.569 each point of this talk that he runs through. 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:24.540 How, especially in recent times, the church is 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:26.899 making an effort to speak more and teach more 00:04:26.899 --> 00:04:29.360 and testify more of our Savior. And then I ask 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:31.620 myself, have I recognized this shift or emphasis 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:35.939 in my own life? Do I talk of Christ? That is 00:04:35.939 --> 00:04:39.720 so powerful, Abby. Honestly, Jesus Christ changes 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:42.839 everything. Talking, testifying, and sharing 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:45.360 about Jesus Christ changes us and our interactions 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:49.300 with others. The opening story was so sweet. 00:04:49.420 --> 00:04:54.750 I love this story. So just to paraphrase, at 00:04:54.750 --> 00:04:58.290 the end of a long trip, the tired Stephensons 00:04:58.290 --> 00:05:01.889 waited in a stressful airport customs line. He 00:05:01.889 --> 00:05:05.230 talked about how the officer processed Elder 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:07.850 Stephenson's first with no emotion, then began 00:05:07.850 --> 00:05:10.230 reviewing his wife's passport. When she spotted 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:12.449 a small card with an image of Jesus Christ tucked 00:05:12.449 --> 00:05:16.250 inside, her demeanor changed. She looked up, 00:05:16.290 --> 00:05:19.730 smiled warmly, and responded with kindness. This 00:05:19.730 --> 00:05:22.399 is my favorite. sentence of the whole thing, 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:25.459 Abby. The simple presence of the Savior image 00:05:25.459 --> 00:05:27.480 softened the moment and touched the heart of 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:30.019 the officer. Oh, it's the next one. This small 00:05:30.019 --> 00:05:33.319 picture of the Savior connected the hearts of 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:36.540 two otherwise disconnected strangers. That is 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:38.439 kind of what we talked about this in our last 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:41.439 podcast. Yeah, the last podcast as well, that 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:45.000 the Savior connects people. I mean, it truly, 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:48.910 he brings down walls. He softens things that 00:05:48.910 --> 00:05:52.069 may have been there before, but he just, he dissolves 00:05:52.069 --> 00:05:54.170 boundaries. And I love, or sorry, he dissolves 00:05:54.170 --> 00:05:57.509 walls. And I really, really love that. It transformed 00:05:57.509 --> 00:05:59.750 the impersonal to personal, capturing the beauty, 00:05:59.810 --> 00:06:02.089 the miracle, and the reality of the light of 00:06:02.089 --> 00:06:04.680 Jesus Christ. Then he says this, for the remainder 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:07.500 of that day and often since I have contemplated 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:10.579 that sweet, simple moment with awe and have rejoiced 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:12.519 in the glorious effect of the light of Christ 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.420 upon God's children. Isn't it amazing when we 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:17.279 don't have the words to communicate how believers 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:21.259 of Jesus Christ can have their hearts knit together? 00:06:22.459 --> 00:06:26.519 What did you say? It breaks down walls? Yeah, 00:06:26.579 --> 00:06:29.360 it dissolves. It dissolves walls. He dissolves 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:31.759 walls. I absolutely agree. And I love that story 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:35.399 too. As followers of Jesus Christ, or if you 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:37.379 want to look at this talk like I did, you would 00:06:37.379 --> 00:06:40.920 say, as a follower of Jesus Christ, am I seeking 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:44.079 to receive and share his light? On this talk, 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:46.699 Amy, I think I'll have you kind of hit the key 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:49.620 points of doctrine for us that he mentions. And 00:06:49.620 --> 00:06:53.259 then, you know, as you list those, you and I 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:56.259 and the audience can consider where are our testimonies 00:06:56.259 --> 00:06:59.300 on any one of these specific doctrines? Fantastic. 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:01.779 Would we be willing to learn more about any one 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:05.019 of these points or willing to share his light 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:08.779 with our testimony on these points? Abby, I love 00:07:08.779 --> 00:07:11.680 that. Yeah. So Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. 00:07:12.350 --> 00:07:14.689 of his church Through ancient and living prophets, 00:07:14.889 --> 00:07:16.850 our Heavenly Father has commanded us to hear 00:07:16.850 --> 00:07:19.970 Him and to come unto Christ. We talk of Christ, 00:07:20.069 --> 00:07:22.550 we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, and 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:25.889 we prophesy of Christ. We teach that Jesus Christ 00:07:25.889 --> 00:07:28.310 is the Son of God, and during His earthly ministry, 00:07:28.449 --> 00:07:31.250 Jesus taught His gospel and established His church. 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:33.709 We testify that at the end of His life, Jesus 00:07:33.709 --> 00:07:37.370 atoned for our sins when He suffered in the Garden 00:07:37.370 --> 00:07:39.889 of Gethsemane, was crucified on the cross, and 00:07:39.889 --> 00:07:42.110 then was resurrected. Abby, I've got to share 00:07:42.110 --> 00:07:44.519 this really quick. it came to my mind. I sent 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:48.040 out a missionary this week. And I just, with 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:49.600 this missionary, it's been a little bit different. 00:07:49.699 --> 00:07:52.420 I've had impressions and thoughts of what to 00:07:52.420 --> 00:07:54.519 do. And the thought was to send him a letter 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:57.459 every day in the MTC, which I was like, okay. 00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:00.500 And I've been to the MTC. One day feels like 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:03.740 two weeks. So I called my son down, who's now 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:06.100 14, and said, listen, your brother's in the MTC. 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:07.899 It's been one day. So if we're early for him, 00:08:07.939 --> 00:08:09.660 it's been two weeks already. We need to get him 00:08:09.660 --> 00:08:11.540 some letters. So I said, look for two memes. 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:14.360 You can print out. We'll put that as part of 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:16.459 it. And then I want you to prayerfully find two 00:08:16.459 --> 00:08:17.959 conference talks that you want to share with 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:19.620 your brother. What would be great for him to 00:08:19.620 --> 00:08:22.259 learn or to just to remember and read right now? 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:27.129 So one of them was. One of them was actually 00:08:27.129 --> 00:08:29.069 a conference talk way back from like, I think 00:08:29.069 --> 00:08:32.889 2005. And it was his grandfather's talk. So he, 00:08:33.009 --> 00:08:35.769 my son printed that out and he got another one 00:08:35.769 --> 00:08:37.570 too that had, I forget which one it was, but 00:08:37.570 --> 00:08:40.809 it talked about love and service. Anyways, then 00:08:40.809 --> 00:08:42.850 when he came downstairs, I said, I would love 00:08:42.850 --> 00:08:44.710 for you. I handed him a highlighter and just 00:08:44.710 --> 00:08:46.730 said, just highlight two things from each talk. 00:08:47.640 --> 00:08:49.639 So he knows it wasn't just like a print click. 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:51.820 It was like with real thought, I'd take these. 00:08:51.960 --> 00:08:55.740 And so my son started reading it. I was addressing 00:08:55.740 --> 00:08:57.480 the envelopes and putting stamps on them and 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:59.299 everything, getting them ready. And my son came 00:08:59.299 --> 00:09:01.320 up and started reading it. And he said, Mom, 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:04.399 this is the part I chose. And he read. And we 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:06.539 talk of Christ. We rejoice in Christ. We preach 00:09:06.539 --> 00:09:10.580 of Christ. I just loved it because he said, I 00:09:10.580 --> 00:09:12.759 want to share this with my brother because that's 00:09:12.759 --> 00:09:16.019 what he's doing right now. And so it just, again. 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:20.639 Sorry, my mom missionary heart is a little bit 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:24.840 tender right now, but I just loved that, number 00:09:24.840 --> 00:09:28.120 one, that his grandpa first, you know, had the 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.399 words of preaching of Christ and testifying of 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:33.059 Christ so that our children know to what source 00:09:33.059 --> 00:09:35.779 they can look for remission of their sins and 00:09:35.779 --> 00:09:38.200 really to all the answers in life. I love that 00:09:38.200 --> 00:09:40.399 that was a generational thing that I saw before 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:45.019 my eyes. just in that quick moment that day, 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:46.480 you know, and now it's in the mail and it's off 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:48.639 to our missionary. But again, when I read these 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:53.519 words, there is power behind the words and the 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:56.340 name of Jesus Christ. And the more we bring it 00:09:56.340 --> 00:10:00.919 into our lives, the more power we have. Remembering 00:10:00.919 --> 00:10:02.659 that his purpose as a missionary is going to 00:10:02.659 --> 00:10:05.299 be to talk of Jesus Christ and rejoice in him 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:07.019 and knowing that there's going to be a fair bit 00:10:07.019 --> 00:10:09.059 of rejection as a missionary, but regardless 00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:12.580 of that, his successes will be. counted on his 00:10:12.580 --> 00:10:15.000 willingness to share that message and and the 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:17.169 people that are open and willing and wanting 00:10:17.169 --> 00:10:19.809 to hear that He is prepared and going to share 00:10:19.809 --> 00:10:21.970 that, like all missionaries or like us as we 00:10:21.970 --> 00:10:23.470 take those missionary opportunities. For anyone 00:10:23.470 --> 00:10:26.129 who does that, we rejoice that because of this 00:10:26.129 --> 00:10:28.470 Savior's atoning sacrifice, we can be forgiven 00:10:28.470 --> 00:10:31.190 and cleansed of our sins as we repent. This brings 00:10:31.190 --> 00:10:33.470 us peace and hope while making it possible for 00:10:33.470 --> 00:10:35.909 us to return to God's presence and receive a 00:10:35.909 --> 00:10:38.490 fullness of joy. We prophesy that because of 00:10:38.490 --> 00:10:41.690 Jesus' resurrection, death is not the end but 00:10:41.690 --> 00:10:44.620 an important step forward. We will all be resurrected 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:47.980 after we die. This means that each person's body 00:10:47.980 --> 00:10:51.299 and spirit physically and literally will be reunited 00:10:51.299 --> 00:10:55.220 and live forever. So Amy just mentioned she sent 00:10:55.220 --> 00:10:58.019 a missionary out this week, and I stated it, 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:00.360 but I want to state it more firm and more clearly, 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:04.100 his purpose as a missionary. um for missionaries 00:11:04.100 --> 00:11:06.100 everywhere both full -time member missionaries 00:11:06.100 --> 00:11:08.600 is to invite others to come unto christ and partake 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:11.600 of his restored gospel and sometimes you know 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:13.500 this will come up in conversations and it's our 00:11:13.500 --> 00:11:15.639 actions that do the testifying like what you 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:17.639 just talked about in your last one more than 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:20.139 just reading the words on the pages in the scriptures 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:22.700 learning about our savior we do the things that 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:26.700 he did that's the best way to testify I'm never 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:29.039 going to engage in a conversation where someone 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:30.799 is telling me that I don't know my Savior Jesus 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:32.600 Christ or that we worship a different Savior. 00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:35.299 I'm going to choose to remain focused on teaching 00:11:35.299 --> 00:11:37.299 opportunities when they present themselves and 00:11:37.299 --> 00:11:40.179 consider my actions being really the way for 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:42.539 me to reflect that I know my Savior Jesus Christ. 00:11:43.129 --> 00:11:45.090 I love your resolve there. That is a really, 00:11:45.110 --> 00:11:48.470 really great point. Okay, Abby, so going with 00:11:48.470 --> 00:11:50.909 your process, the next part is focused on messages 00:11:50.909 --> 00:11:53.669 from living prophets in our day. So we might 00:11:53.669 --> 00:11:56.250 ask the question, do we believe living prophets 00:11:56.250 --> 00:11:58.850 receive revelation from God to teach and lead 00:11:58.850 --> 00:12:02.190 us and are increasingly inviting us to come unto 00:12:02.190 --> 00:12:04.669 Christ? Yeah, and he wrote that out. Like, we 00:12:04.669 --> 00:12:07.250 believe in living prophets. I don't think it 00:12:07.250 --> 00:12:09.159 makes a big difference when you're... Like really 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:11.120 combing through this talk to put the do in front 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:13.080 of it. Love that. Well, yeah, because then it's 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:15.720 a self -check. Yeah. Do we think recent adjustments 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:17.700 are to be politically correct or do we know this 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:20.220 direction and correction and emphasis came from 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:23.019 God? Let me run through just a few recent adjustments 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:27.539 that he shared in his talk. The decision to retire 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:29.340 the name Mormon Church and to replace it with 00:12:29.340 --> 00:12:31.600 the correct name, the Church of Jesus Christ 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:34.379 of Latter -day Saints. The availability of new 00:12:34.379 --> 00:12:36.600 inspired Christ -themed art for display in meeting 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:39.350 houses. Oh, my gosh. Big difference, huh? Yes. 00:12:39.509 --> 00:12:40.389 We've got some beautiful pieces. I just have 00:12:40.389 --> 00:12:45.669 to say this, too. Our seminary in this valley, 00:12:45.870 --> 00:12:49.070 Abby's husband is a seminary teacher. And I went 00:12:49.070 --> 00:12:52.750 with Abby a few months ago to go. We were going 00:12:52.750 --> 00:12:55.190 to do something. And the art in that meeting 00:12:55.190 --> 00:12:57.299 house. I mean, you can call it a meeting house, 00:12:57.320 --> 00:13:00.860 it's a seminary, is absolutely fantastic. And 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:03.600 just the thought that came to my mind is that 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:07.500 the Lord wants the youth to also be beneficiaries 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:10.419 of beautiful art of Jesus Christ. Well, I just 00:13:10.419 --> 00:13:12.059 love that. Think about it. They're just coming 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:14.740 across the street from their public school. Such 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:16.700 a different feeling. I mean, you'd probably get 00:13:16.700 --> 00:13:18.580 thrown in prison if you had like a picture of 00:13:18.580 --> 00:13:21.159 Jesus at the school. Not the place for it, right? 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:23.539 I mean, the kids notice the difference in their 00:13:23.539 --> 00:13:25.960 day between the two things, but maybe the artwork 00:13:25.960 --> 00:13:29.340 is helping set that stage for them to feel the 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:32.080 contrast when Jesus is in your day versus when 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:34.279 he's not. It's almost, he's almost life -sized. 00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:36.960 They're so big. So I just love that. I was so 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:39.899 taken by that. So I am very grateful that resources 00:13:39.899 --> 00:13:41.740 have been given for that. Have you noticed that 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:44.220 in our church houses too? Yes. Oh, absolutely. 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:47.019 Yeah, like it's nice to like know who got their 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:50.129 young woman medallion in 1970. That's cool. It's 00:13:50.129 --> 00:13:52.129 cool to know who was like the first bishop in 00:13:52.129 --> 00:13:55.210 a warden stake back in the day. But at the end 00:13:55.210 --> 00:13:58.110 of the day, those things only matter because 00:13:58.110 --> 00:14:00.870 those people were trying to do something to grow 00:14:00.870 --> 00:14:02.809 closer to Jesus Christ. Isn't it better to just 00:14:02.809 --> 00:14:04.870 put a picture of him up there? Absolutely. Point 00:14:04.870 --> 00:14:06.330 right directly to him. I love it. Because it's 00:14:06.330 --> 00:14:09.629 him. Yes. Yeah. It is so great. Also, the availability 00:14:09.629 --> 00:14:12.570 of new inspired. Okay. what i just said the christ 00:14:12.570 --> 00:14:15.169 themed art love it young woman and ironic priesthood 00:14:15.169 --> 00:14:17.610 quorum themes and the music focused on jesus 00:14:17.610 --> 00:14:20.870 christ for example disciple of christ and look 00:14:20.870 --> 00:14:22.789 unto christ do you like the new music do you 00:14:22.789 --> 00:14:25.309 listen to it at all oh yeah I especially like 00:14:25.309 --> 00:14:28.289 it when your husband adds or sends it to us in 00:14:28.289 --> 00:14:30.389 our group text. Yeah, listen to this one. It's 00:14:30.389 --> 00:14:32.330 so good. And then I'll continue listening on, 00:14:32.350 --> 00:14:33.950 you know, while I'm making dinner or doing whatever. 00:14:34.110 --> 00:14:37.529 It's so good. Greater emphasis, like you were 00:14:37.529 --> 00:14:39.710 saying, Abby, on the atonement and literal resurrection 00:14:39.710 --> 00:14:43.009 of Jesus Christ as the most glorious events in 00:14:43.009 --> 00:14:45.460 history. And then there's the celebration of 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:48.559 Easter as a season and not just a holiday with 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:50.799 an emphasis on Jesus Christ. I really liked how 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:52.539 he talked about, you know, two years ago he talked 00:14:52.539 --> 00:14:55.659 about this and that he and his family have been, 00:14:55.659 --> 00:14:58.340 this will be the third Easter he said that they're 00:14:58.340 --> 00:15:00.899 doing this. They reflect on the importance of 00:15:00.899 --> 00:15:03.240 elevating Easter as a sacred celebration focused 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:05.740 on Jesus Christ. He says recent guidance from 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:08.080 church leaders encourages families and congregations 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:10.480 to develop Christ -centered Easter traditions 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:13.299 such as devotionals. Holy Week activities like 00:15:13.299 --> 00:15:15.620 you and your husband did for the stake and home 00:15:15.620 --> 00:15:19.700 worship. Elder Stevenson also shares how his 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:21.759 own family is working to make Easter more meaningful 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:24.480 by incorporating scripture readings, spiritual 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:27.480 plays, and decorations that emphasize Christ's 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:29.879 atonement and resurrection. And this is the part 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:32.460 I liked. He said it twice, this word balancing 00:15:32.460 --> 00:15:36.509 or to balance. At one point, he called it a sweet 00:15:36.509 --> 00:15:39.070 balance between traditional elements like eggs 00:15:39.070 --> 00:15:41.570 and baskets with faith -based symbols. And I 00:15:41.570 --> 00:15:44.429 really feel like that is the ultimate goal for 00:15:44.429 --> 00:15:49.350 a disciple of Christ, is to balance life, just 00:15:49.350 --> 00:15:51.809 the things that we do on an everyday basis, and 00:15:51.809 --> 00:15:53.950 also with Jesus Christ, because we want to incorporate 00:15:53.950 --> 00:15:56.330 Him into everything that we do. You don't want 00:15:56.330 --> 00:16:00.350 it to feel like we can only do Jesus. on this 00:16:00.350 --> 00:16:03.529 side, and we can only do fun on this side. We 00:16:03.529 --> 00:16:06.289 want them to be married. We want people to be 00:16:06.289 --> 00:16:08.970 like, wow, you can have fun and talk about Jesus. 00:16:09.289 --> 00:16:13.750 Yeah. FSY again, Abby. I love it. It's still 00:16:13.750 --> 00:16:16.470 fresh on my mind. It just happened. But as you 00:16:16.470 --> 00:16:19.129 were talking, I'm like, okay, it's June. Right. 00:16:19.289 --> 00:16:21.870 And I'm thinking back, it was in March this year. 00:16:21.970 --> 00:16:25.120 Easter was. And I'm thinking. April, but still. 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:27.080 It was April. It was weird, though, I thought 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:29.700 this year. It was because the season was stretched 00:16:29.700 --> 00:16:31.639 out longer and we got to enjoy it for a longer 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:33.919 time. Okay, well, fine. Okay, it was April. But 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:36.000 still, a few months have gone by. Oh, yeah. And 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:37.659 I'm like thinking about Easter. I'm like, it 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:40.259 was rad this year. So great. So that's the whole 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:43.179 point that I do think my kids bring up certain 00:16:43.179 --> 00:16:44.879 things, certain traditions that we've been really 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:48.980 focused on bringing into focus, especially over 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:51.279 the last couple of years. And there are traditions 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:52.960 and there are things that they look forward to. 00:16:53.680 --> 00:16:56.080 So I love that we're talking about this a couple 00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:58.080 months after when it's been. And I'm thinking, 00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:01.899 yeah, it's still relevant. It's changing our 00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:03.759 lives that I'm like, oh, like I'm looking forward 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:06.599 to next Easter. Yeah, that's so awesome. And 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:08.680 again, he just the ultimate goal is to celebrate 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:11.460 Easter, not just as a holiday, but a holy season. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:13.400 So the season of it centered on the Savior's 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:17.710 sacrifice and also his triumph over death. Do 00:17:17.710 --> 00:17:20.809 you want to go for the next one, Abby? Yes. I'm 00:17:20.809 --> 00:17:22.890 sure you've noticed the introduction of the visual 00:17:22.890 --> 00:17:25.950 identifier of the Church of Jesus Christ and 00:17:25.950 --> 00:17:29.650 how symbolic it is. In 2020, the prophet, President 00:17:29.650 --> 00:17:31.829 Russell M. Nelson, introduced a new visual identifier. 00:17:32.170 --> 00:17:34.650 The symbol reflects the truth that Christ is 00:17:34.650 --> 00:17:36.990 at the center of his church and should be at 00:17:36.990 --> 00:17:39.619 the center of our lives. We now see this familiar 00:17:39.619 --> 00:17:41.799 symbol on temple recommends, church websites, 00:17:42.019 --> 00:17:44.640 magazines, as the icon for the gospel library 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:47.380 app, and even on military ID tags for many members 00:17:47.380 --> 00:17:49.740 of the church serving in the armed forces. The 00:17:49.740 --> 00:17:51.680 symbol includes the name of the church contained 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:54.259 within a cornerstone, a reminder that Jesus Christ 00:17:54.259 --> 00:17:58.960 is the chief cornerstone. Shown in, if you're 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:01.680 looking at the physical print of this talk, it 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:07.630 has this reference. It's Cambodian. and is in 00:18:07.630 --> 00:18:10.589 use in 145 languages the center of the symbol 00:18:10.589 --> 00:18:13.509 is a representation of bertal thor thor i don't 00:18:13.509 --> 00:18:16.690 say his name good thor valdison's beloved marble 00:18:16.690 --> 00:18:19.710 christus statue which has become widely associated 00:18:19.710 --> 00:18:21.950 with the church and is found in visitor centers 00:18:21.950 --> 00:18:24.869 and on temple grounds around the world its prominence 00:18:24.869 --> 00:18:27.359 in the church symbol suggests that christ should 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:29.559 be the center of all we do likewise the savior's 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:31.740 outstretched arms indicate his promise to embrace 00:18:31.740 --> 00:18:34.359 all who will come unto him the symbol is a visual 00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:36.240 representation of the love of the savior jesus 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:39.460 christ and contains it's a constant reminder 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:41.859 of the living christ the symbol is of christ 00:18:41.859 --> 00:18:44.259 exiting the tomb as a living resurrected being 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:47.589 there's a million things to You're going to see 00:18:47.589 --> 00:18:50.470 that symbol. It's going to kind of be front and 00:18:50.470 --> 00:18:53.509 center more often than not. I love that they're 00:18:53.509 --> 00:18:55.730 emphasizing a representation of the living Christ. 00:18:55.869 --> 00:18:58.869 I love the arch. I love the cornerstone. I love 00:18:58.869 --> 00:19:01.890 the idea of the tomb, exiting the tomb, resurrected. 00:19:02.289 --> 00:19:05.029 I don't know what my deal was, Abby. I mean, 00:19:05.069 --> 00:19:07.450 this was, you know, shown to us in 2020. Now, 00:19:07.470 --> 00:19:10.450 I was living in a cabin and I was watching, you 00:19:10.450 --> 00:19:13.799 know, conference from that. But somehow. I missed 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:16.880 the part that the arch is him exiting the tomb. 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:21.019 I feel like that's an emphasis of this talk, 00:19:21.059 --> 00:19:23.339 honestly. Yeah. And so when I heard that, like, 00:19:23.380 --> 00:19:25.839 I love the symbol as well. And then when there 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:28.180 was that added measure, I mean, it's been out 00:19:28.180 --> 00:19:30.039 there for all these years, but for me and for 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:31.960 my testimony, when it was the added measure of 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:36.140 the arch being the tomb and another representation 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:38.779 of the resurrected Christ, it just, I don't know, 00:19:38.839 --> 00:19:40.859 it went further into my heart and I just loved 00:19:40.859 --> 00:19:43.039 it even more. Why this matters is that since 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:47.119 the time that it's been introduced, we're seeing 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:51.279 how often it's being utilized by the church. 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:53.319 And so it's not just like, eh, it's this thing. 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:55.839 If you ever need a logo or emblem for the church, 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:58.740 like here's this thing. It's on a ton of things. 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:01.339 And the app that I open every single day. That 00:20:01.339 --> 00:20:04.960 is the icon for it, right? It's part of our everyday 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.680 lives now. It's a great talking feature, a great 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:10.480 talking point. I think that's a common misconception 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:12.539 with other Christian creeds. It's like you don't 00:20:12.539 --> 00:20:13.960 even believe in Jesus Christ and you're like, 00:20:14.619 --> 00:20:16.900 Look at the logo. Look at the name of the church. 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:19.440 He's there. And people will be like, oh, yeah, 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:21.839 that's a PR stunt. That was an awfully expensive 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:25.539 PR stunt. Honestly, any sane individual that 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:28.000 was running a business, let's say, they wouldn't 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:29.460 make that decision. They'd be like, we've kind 00:20:29.460 --> 00:20:31.920 of gone upstream on this, like this. But when 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:35.039 God's the one that said, I already told you the 00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:37.240 name of my church. It was in print all those 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:40.230 years ago. You went off kilter. We've got to 00:20:40.230 --> 00:20:43.349 bring it back to the Savior. You're not like, 00:20:43.390 --> 00:20:44.670 well, that's going to be expensive. That's going 00:20:44.670 --> 00:20:46.230 to be difficult and hard to do. You're just like, 00:20:46.349 --> 00:20:50.250 okay, we'll make it happen. And in pretty short 00:20:50.250 --> 00:20:54.349 order, it happened. It did. Overnight, Tabernacle 00:20:54.349 --> 00:20:56.069 Choir was changed. There were a few things that 00:20:56.069 --> 00:21:00.730 was just overnight done. It was great. I'm impressed. 00:21:00.890 --> 00:21:03.369 I think, you know what that means? It was a big 00:21:03.369 --> 00:21:06.190 hard thing to do. And because they did it, like, 00:21:06.210 --> 00:21:08.210 think about all the other revelation we've been 00:21:08.210 --> 00:21:10.069 able to add to that and the awesome things that 00:21:10.069 --> 00:21:13.890 have come since that misstep was corrected. I 00:21:13.890 --> 00:21:17.509 agree, Abby. So you went through these things. 00:21:17.930 --> 00:21:20.630 Individually, those things might feel like they're 00:21:20.630 --> 00:21:22.950 small. But since time has passed, since they've 00:21:22.950 --> 00:21:26.910 been implemented. maybe each of those points, 00:21:27.029 --> 00:21:28.990 like you take this slow enough to think like, 00:21:29.049 --> 00:21:30.890 did that make a difference in my life? Is that 00:21:30.890 --> 00:21:35.190 a big deal? Does it matter that the artwork is 00:21:35.190 --> 00:21:37.190 more Christ -centered? Does it matter that there's 00:21:37.190 --> 00:21:40.390 a new symbol? Does it matter that I use the Church 00:21:40.390 --> 00:21:43.049 of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints versus... 00:21:43.819 --> 00:21:46.500 you know, Mormon church. Yeah. Does it make a 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:48.759 difference? By small and simple things, right? 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:51.119 They are small. They are small tweaks. They are 00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:53.799 very simple, but that brings about such a different 00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:56.779 feeling. And I am very grateful for it. I want 00:21:56.779 --> 00:22:00.599 more peace in my life. I want more of the light 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:02.700 of Jesus Christ in my life. And I love that. 00:22:03.160 --> 00:22:05.799 our prophet was humble enough to receive this 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:08.740 correction from the Lord and implement it. Because 00:22:08.740 --> 00:22:11.420 when we do that, he is able to magnify those 00:22:11.420 --> 00:22:14.099 efforts. And he magnified that on a worldwide 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:17.579 scale. So I just love that. I'm grateful I'm 00:22:17.579 --> 00:22:20.400 a beneficiary of it. Yeah. And the point of this 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:23.400 talk was to say, I mean, I'm making it. The point 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:25.859 of this talk is to put the word, do I? Do I use 00:22:25.859 --> 00:22:28.319 the proper name of the church? And if I do, what 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:30.339 changes, what impact is that having on my life? 00:22:30.440 --> 00:22:32.720 It's great. And if I'm looking at that point 00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:36.660 and say, I actually don't use the name of the 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:39.000 church properly. Let's say that I'm saying that. 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:41.400 Then I say, is it a big deal? That you just take 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:44.700 a minute to question if it's a big deal or not 00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:46.619 to you. Do you think it came by revelation? Do 00:22:46.619 --> 00:22:48.980 you think that it was like a strategic move? 00:22:49.460 --> 00:22:51.640 Yeah. Thank you for that, Abby. Every one of 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:54.519 those points, I'm just kind of thinking. Take 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:56.839 time to just think on it. Where am I at on that? 00:22:56.940 --> 00:22:59.500 And is there any, did it spark any desire to 00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:01.980 have like minor corrections? Or am I like, yeah, 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:04.519 I'm doing that thing and I'm seeing the blessings 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:06.359 that come from doing it. Either way, it's a blessing, 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:08.680 right? Whether you make a tweak or whether you 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:10.380 recognize that those blessings are flowing through 00:23:10.380 --> 00:23:12.839 your life. It's a good thing. Self -reflection, 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:18.779 big fan. It's just, it's just great. Okay, so 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:21.700 C .S. Lewis stated that to preach Christianity. 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:25.359 meant to the apostles primarily to preach the 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:28.000 resurrection. The resurrection is the central 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:30.099 theme in every Christian sermon report in the 00:23:30.099 --> 00:23:33.339 Acts. The resurrection and its consequences were 00:23:33.339 --> 00:23:36.200 the, quote, the gospel or good news which the 00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:38.759 Christians brought. There is a resurrection, 00:23:39.059 --> 00:23:41.960 the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:45.019 is swallowed up in Christ. C .S. Lewis, he's 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:47.619 an amazing person. I think he did a lot of good. 00:23:48.019 --> 00:23:51.759 You know why he did? Because he... I don't know 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:55.000 if he was like an atheist exactly. Yes. My husband's 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.640 giving me the yes on this. I watched some documentaries 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:58.940 on him and stuff. Especially after I became passionate 00:23:58.940 --> 00:24:00.980 about the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. Like 00:24:00.980 --> 00:24:04.759 just sobbing my eyes out about Aslan. Like, what 00:24:04.759 --> 00:24:07.299 is this guy? What does he come from? We're always 00:24:07.299 --> 00:24:09.079 quoting. He's always got these good things. But 00:24:09.079 --> 00:24:12.119 I think his stuff really hits the hardest because 00:24:12.119 --> 00:24:16.740 he lived a life without Jesus Christ. You know, 00:24:16.779 --> 00:24:20.819 once he had his own testimony of the Savior, 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:24.119 he was never really afraid to put him in like 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:26.859 every piece of work that he wrote. And there's 00:24:26.859 --> 00:24:29.319 a million good quotes from that guy. I love that. 00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:31.380 That's a very good point. He knows the contrast. 00:24:31.500 --> 00:24:33.279 He knows what a life without him looks like. 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:36.359 And kind of through intellectual means, he developed 00:24:36.359 --> 00:24:38.619 a testimony of him and then I think it went way 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:40.940 above intellectual. Clearly, because A Lion, 00:24:40.940 --> 00:24:42.579 Witch, and the Wardrobe, anyone who's reading 00:24:42.579 --> 00:24:45.140 the words of that book, like it just sinks deep 00:24:45.140 --> 00:24:47.960 into your heart. Jesus Christ is Aslan. I mean, 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:50.980 a representation and teaching it on a children's 00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:53.119 level is just beautiful. Right. Love that. But 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:54.700 then an adult can read the book. Oh, totally. 00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:56.599 That's why it's so great. It's like a primary 00:24:56.599 --> 00:24:59.019 song at that point, right? Like I sit in primary 00:24:59.019 --> 00:25:00.819 and just cry because I'm reading, I'm singing 00:25:00.819 --> 00:25:03.519 about Gethsemane because it's such simple truths 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:05.579 that a child could understand it, which means 00:25:05.579 --> 00:25:10.059 adults can. That's a fact. Any more thoughts? 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:13.279 I think I've shared everything here. So much 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:15.420 power when we talk of Jesus Christ. It really 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:17.960 is a great talk and a good opportunity to, like 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:20.339 you said, do I put do in front of these things. 00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:22.859 I love it. So let me close with his testimony. 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:26.099 Go for it. I testify that all who accept the 00:25:26.099 --> 00:25:28.380 invitations from our living prophet and his counselors 00:25:28.380 --> 00:25:32.099 to more intentionally commemorate the holy events 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:34.420 that Easter represents will find that their bond 00:25:34.420 --> 00:25:37.059 with Jesus Christ grows ever stronger. He is 00:25:37.059 --> 00:25:40.549 risen. and that he lives, of which I testify 00:25:40.549 --> 00:25:44.450 in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thanks 00:25:44.450 --> 00:25:46.130 for being here with us. Catch you next time.