Welcome to closer to Christ through general conference
where two friends who love Jesus share our own
approach to studying the most recent general
conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's
jump into it. Today we get to discuss the good
news recipe by Elder John D Amos of the 70 Welcome
to our listeners Amy. It's good to see you. Good
to see you Abby Love this talk so much because
I love recipes And I love cooking with a little
bit of heart Elder Amos shares that from time
to time, I find myself being bold enough to cook
one of the Louisiana's tasty recipes. The undocumented
final step after mixing all these ingredients
and following detailed instruction is to do the
final taste test and see if anything's missing.
And at this point, I can hear the Creole cooking
legends whispering in my ear, put more Tonys
in it, put more Tonys in it. Tonys is a Creole
seasoning made in Louisiana, where he's from.
And it's often used as the secret ingredient
to compensate for any imperfections that might
have happened while following the recipe. Exactly.
What a great start. I knew we was going to talk
about something good here, right? Along with
the good news recipe, Elder Amos draws a parallel
from President Nelson for the recipe of a happy
life. And he says it's reading the scriptures.
It was when he was 95 years old and people were
saying, like, what's your secret? What do you
do if something goes wrong when following the
recipe? Well, embedded in the Good News recipe
is the, quote, secret ingredient to ensure you
always get it right in the end, and the answer
is always Jesus Christ. I think we all have moments
when we feel our ingredients aren't good enough,
or we struggle to follow directions, or maybe
we do something out of order, or something happens
that is out of our control, and so on. I can
attest to this. Oftentimes, I know I fall short.
or that I just don't have what it takes to be
a great disciple of Christ or a mother or a friend
that day, and seeking help from Jesus is what
bridges that gap. I ask in prayer for the specific
Christlike attribute to be added to my heartfelt
efforts. So again, he says, what's the remedy?
It's simply to add more of what invites Jesus
Christ into your life. I love how simply he says
that. We kind of live in the sticks, Amy and
I do, and like borrowing a cup of sugar from
a neighbor isn't as realistic as it was when
I was growing up. That's like 10 steps one direction.
This is like a county mile or, you know, hop
in the car to borrow a cup of sugar. But I was
just thinking, I know what the point of this
is and adding more Jesus is the key. But, you
know, sometimes those little angels in our life,
those that have the extra cup of sugar to give
us when our sugar stores are depleted and we're
just really itching for those cookies. And, you
know, we get most of the way and we add what
we can. We contribute what we have and we're
scraping the bottom of the barrel of what we
have. But that neighbor can come step in and
provide and that's in no way to say that that
neighbor is replacing Jesus Christ. They're acting
as His hands on behalf of Him. So another way
of recognizing, adding more Jesus to our life
is sometimes just letting the borrowing happen,
being the good neighbor and sharing ingredients.
I'm pretty sure we've all, bless you, I'm sure
that we've all heard this mentioned since conference
in October. We've seen more Jesus shirts and
seen more Jesus comments. It's such a refreshing
take on how to live life because it's a simple
phrase. It's easy to remember. It's great when
it's in front of your face, you know, blazing
on a t -shirt. And it's absolutely the truth.
Elder Amos asks us each this question. So think
about this for a second. What might it look like
to add more Jesus into your life? He relays a
story when he served a mission. as a mission
leader even. During interviews, one elder asked
how he could more effectively work with his companion.
What happens next is what stands out to me. Elder
Amos, then President Amos says, in that instance,
I honestly didn't know how to respond. And after
a brief moment, I said, hey, can we kneel in
prayer together for guidance from the spirit?
And the elder agreed. So they knelt together
in prayer, praying for inspiration. admitting
that we don't know the answers absolutely okay
and turning to Heavenly Father in that moment
is the best way to approach the question, you
know, and the dialogue that ensued after that
led them to make some decisions together and
the elder came up with such great things, like
he'd already been pondering it. He just needed
to know that the answer that he was filling was
recognized by the Lord and that it was like the
right path to take. So I love that story and
I think there's so much application with the
missionary force growing, huge right now. Like
what a neat message to share with our kids. You're
not going to easily get along with all of your
companions that you have. And you're both there
trying to testify of Jesus Christ, but if you
don't have that. unity with your companionship,
knowing that you're very different personalities
most of the time. Absolutely. That you can cut
through that with his help, like even become
best friends with people that would maybe be
a former opposition. Yeah. And yeah, I love it.
Like this whole way through, I feel like he's
just so good at taking this teaching opportunity.
So they prayed together, sat quietly, and then
a scripture came to President Amos's mind. They
read this aloud, and charity suffereth long.
and is kind, and envyeth not, and is not puffed
up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth
all things." The missionary said with tears in
his eyes, yes, this is great, President, but
that is so hard to do. And he said, I agreed
and reminded him that he is a son of God with
divine potential. to do it together with the
Lord. Again, there's so much that I love about
this. I love when you couple a heartfelt prayer,
then with the fervent question led to the—sorry,
a heartfelt question. Yeah, question with prayer
leads to real revelation. It was very specific,
like it's very evident that God was in the details
here. This is real communion with God. And sometimes
I wonder if we're afraid just to turn to God
right in the moment, in real time, for fear that
maybe we won't get an answer. Like, I wonder
why that's not used more often. Absolutely. Right
after that awesome story, we get a glimpse of
something Elder Gilbert had shared, which at
that moment in time, he was not going to be the
newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
And I thought, maybe he's been quoted quite a
few times, you know, maybe. But the fact that
he was quoted in this conference and boom, he
became the next apostle, I thought that was pretty...
pretty orchestrated by God. Because you're like,
oh, yeah, that was a great story they told and
it's totally worth it. Yeah, the slope. And then
bringing that up in this conference to kind of
make it even more relevant. So the parable of
the slope is what Elder Gilbert taught, which
reminds us that we need to start where we are
and together with the Lord, move forward and
upward in a positive direction. Elder Amos said,
I could tell that this missionary was still feeling
a bit overwhelmed with the next steps, so I asked
him to describe his understanding of the scripture
by small and simple things are great things brought
to pass. And again, such a great leadership,
gentle shepherding and finding answers to these
questions that he has, he helped him clarify.
He made sure that this missionary understood
not next. Single step. Yeah What it meant for
him the missionary went on to describe the concept
that by doing a small and simple things great
things can happen Elder Amos asked him to take
a minute and identify two small things he could
do to be kind to his companion. And a few moments
pass, he shares his thoughts, and then he asked
him to take a minute and identify two small and
simple things he could do to be patient with
his companion. Almost immediately, he's able
to share his two thoughts. And it was clear that
he'd already been pondering this before the meeting.
Like you said. Yeah. So sweet. So just a quick
recap of this masterful teaching and leadership.
The missionary had a concern. They prayed together
with the mission leader. They read a lot of scripture
that came to mind. The mission leader helped
to clarify the words and then asked the missionary
to sum it up and then helped him identify two
small, simple things he could do. And now comes
the invitation for action and prayer again. He
says, I invited him to take those few items to
God in prayer and to ask for confirmation. direction
and inspiration on how to execute his plan with
real intent. This missionary agreed and he asked
for a follow -up. The president asked for a follow
-up in a weekly letter. And by the way, the missionary
said that indeed charity never faileth and his
countenance changed. He was happy and he looked
lighter and his letters were better. And I love
this because this president says, you know, at
the time he was the president of the mission,
he says, this missionary's letters were better
and brighter and so were his companions. Letters
so you could see that there was an overflow of
this missionary truly giving an effort and taking
it to God Yeah, and and just to reiterate the
why this worked because he said what can you
do exactly on your end? You can't tell your For
me in order for me to get along with you as companion
You need to do things the way I expect you to
do things on my style on my timeline You be the
missionary that I am and that will make me completely
happy because we're identical. Now, it was all
self -directed. What can you do to find more
love and charity for him? Things that he's already
doing and then you kind of accentuate those like,
oh, those are great things that he's doing. And
then kind of looking a little bit less at the
really annoying and irritating things that they're
doing. Missions are hard. I try to say that like
at least 50 times in mission prep. This is not...
an easy thing to do. You're going to get some
rejection and be away from home and such a new
experience. And you're going to find some of
your best friends. I mean, you know, one particular
Michigan Man of Adams will be a lifelong friend.
We will cherish that friendship, brotherhood
for life. But when you have the opportunity to
find some of your best friends, you're also going
to find some people that are really hard to love
just at surface level, but still God saw fit
to pair you together. And I don't think that
that happens by chance. It's such a great opportunity
to learn patience. If you just got along with
every companion, that's not real life. You're
going to encounter people that's hard. So, aside
from the missionary thing. There is going to
be maybe somebody you minister to or have to
work in a relief society or elders come with
that great you in the same way. But at the end
of the day, probably you had the inspiration
that they were supposed to be the person and
taking that same application. It's going to be
a big game changer. Let's go back to the recipe
analogy. As you follow the good news recipe for
having happy living, remember President Nelson's
teaching, which was, whatever questions or problems
you have, the answer is always found in the real
life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Learn more
about his atonement, his love, his mercy, his
doctrine, his restored gospel of healing and
progression. Turn to him, follow him. And when
you need to hear him, and know how to invite
Jesus into your life, consider the following
steps that the prophet, President Nelson, taught
us about personal revelation. He said, find a
quiet place where you can go regularly, humble
yourself before God, pour out your heart to your
heavenly father, turn to him for answers and
for comfort, pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses, yes,
the very longings of your heart. And then listen,
write those thoughts that come to your mind,
record your feelings and follow through with
actions that you are prompted to take. As you
repeat this process day after day, month after
month, year after year, you will grow into the
principle of revelation. Not that my way is the
only way, but I find that when I have that sincere
conversation, my night prayers. But I mean, I'm
not going to sit there. I'm an impatient person.
So like, I'm not going to just sit there and
like, wait for the answer to come immediately.
But usually if I go to sleep on it, I do wake
up with a little piece of inspiration. So I've
given him eight hours to respond back. It comes
in that early dawn moments, you know, when it's
quiet. Yeah. I don't know if that's everybody's
thing or maybe the next walk you take or the
next holding some laundry or something that comes
to you. But I love the idea of the quiet place
to to pray out your heart, like pour out your
heart, but I just don't want to make it sound
like the answer is going to come in that quiet
closet. Right. The answer might come in the most
chaotic moment of your day. I don't really know.
If you need an answer at the moment, I think
that they do come sometimes, but so much more.
In my own life, they just, they diffuse as I'm
ready to hear them. Yeah. Little by little they
come. It was so interesting. Recently, an acquaintance
told me all about a chat GPT conversation and
how they had a deep conversation where this person
felt valued and seen and heard, and they figured
out life's problems together. It was a mix between
a doctor, a best friend, and a therapist. At
one point, they said, I love you to chat GPT.
They went to bed feeling so happy about the exchange.
This person wanted for me to have the same happiness
and to try it out. I was happy. for their happiness,
and yet I couldn't shake the thought that I was
thinking, this is how I feel. That's an electronic
counterfeit. Yeah. Yeah. This is how I feel when
I prayer journal with Heavenly Father. Yeah.
Because like you said, some prayers, it's my
nightly prayers and they're, you know. Sort of
rote. Yeah. Or just, you know, it's not necessarily
that I have the time or the energy to sit down
and to ask questions that have been weighing
on my heart for a couple weeks, right? Yeah.
put effort like that, like President Nelson said,
you know, to the longings of your heart, to listen,
to write down what he says. I feel seen, I feel
valued, and we figure out my problems together.
I go to sleep on these nights with so much happiness
in my heart, having resolved concerns and things
that have been weighing on my heart for maybe
weeks. And as I reflected on this observation
in prayer, what came to my mind was, just like
you said, that President Nelson gave us this
recipe for revelation eight years ago in his
talk. revelation for the church, revelation for
our lives. It is true that prophets are seers.
Like, this is a long time ago that he saw this
was coming, like you said, a counterfeit. They
follow, prophets follow revelation and help us
with the skills that we need to live happy lives
in this ever evolving world. Eight years is ample
time for each of us to put these principles into
practice. as President Nelson put it, to grow
into the principle of revelation. And there are
many great ways to use AI, maybe to organize
information or to refine your documents, et cetera,
but I can't help but feel that this particular
way is a counterfeit to prayer and the principle
of revelation. It's just the easier way to do
it and there's not much effort on our part. Absolutely.
I mean, I've just chat for many things and it's
so immediate. The response is so immediate. Sometimes
it's not a truthful response. If you actually
know the answer to the question you're asking
it, you can call it up like that's not factual.
It only gives me stuff that you can like source.
It's funny. It'll try to get away with saying
what it thinks you want to hear because it also,
the more that you use it, the more that it knows
you. Like it interjects like facts about me that
I'm like, oh my goodness, that's creepy how you
act like you know me. Exactly. But who actually
knows me? Right. And I could have said the same
longing of my heart and wanting a direct answer
from Father. He would point me to the scriptures.
You've done this, like you just open the scriptures
some random, just random page. I'm not a scriptorian,
so I'm not like, I love that this mission president
had a beautiful scripture that came to his mind.
And I have a husband that definitely that's his
skill set. That is not my skill set. but he can
still use the scriptures for my benefit in the
same way. Open the scriptures, flop it open,
put my finger down on a verse and I'm like, yeah,
that's the answer. Perfect. Thanks, buddy. When
I need something immediately. Or when I'm in
the Bible and you know how they have like the,
you know, they have the physical books right
there and you'll open it up and it's like, wow,
that was it. Yeah. So great. Abby, do you have
any last thoughts? I love this. I loved his enthusiasm
about this. I totally related to the idea of
like trying to make a recipe and then, you know,
like those final tweaks that need to be made.
And I mean, when you kind of get into the monotony
of cooking, actually, maybe they think of this
little talk and you think more Jesus in my life.
You know, what does that look like? Well, it
looks like I'm actually eager and excited to
feed my family and nourish them and just kind
of all of these interactions that I'm doing that
if it's filling a little bit, lackluster, can
I just add a little more Jesus? My little girl
had to cook with me the other day and we were,
I think we were making spaghetti. It had garlic
in it. And so it could have been unafraid of,
I think it was like a spaghetti meal. And so
she's at the chair and she's doing things. And
I was like, there's no measurement for this.
And so she's like sprinkling the garlic and stuff
and she adds a little more. And she's like, I
measured that with my heart. And I said, you're
my child, right? She'll be eight shortly, so
these moments are to be cherished. Anyway, butter
and garlic, those are like non -negotiables in
my cooking. And so I don't know, I just kind
of put a smile on my face. You know me in spice.
And so that Creole seasoning, I was like, that's
not for me. But I just kind of thought, yeah,
if that recipe is lacking, it just needs a little
more salt and butter. Absolutely. It's so funny.
On my mission, we had a chunk of Pecorino Romano
in our refrigerator, and it was the same thing.
Anytime we made something that wasn't quite there,
you just grate some of that. and it just tasted
like heaven. I feel like everyone has their own
little secret sauce. We have followers across
the world at this point. Everyone has it. I know.
I would love to know what's the secret sauce
in your country. But for me, salt and butter.
Oh, yeah. Cheese always helps. Yes, and butter
always. A little more cheese. So, in conclusion,
Jesus is always the answer. Prayer is the answer.
And I'm so grateful for a living prophet of God
that directs us and helps us to prepare for the
turbulent times that we live in right now. And
I pray that each of us take the prophet's counsel
into our lives and we find peace and joy. I say
that in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.
That was great. We'll catch you on the next one.
See you next time. Or we'll see you on Facebook.
One of these days, that's going to be an awesome
little site video.