Sorta-liveblogging general conference: Sunday afternoon session

I’ve said before that Sunday afternoon is when everybody gets to relax a bit, ’cause they known the world isn’t watching quite as closely, or at least a lot fewer folks in the Mormon world are watching—but i don’t know if that’s really the case anymore. Anyway, at the very least you can settle in for the start of it and get yourself through it with the mantra of “Less time left than regular Sunday meetings”. (Repeat as needed.)

Anyway, as i always do with these entries, the addresses are presented in reverse chronological order, with the last speaker first and the first speaker last. This means that to read the session in chronological order, you need to scroll to the end of the post and work upwards (and to get this entire general conference in chronological order, you scroll to the end of the Saturday morning session and scroll upwards). However, the notes for each speaker run top-down, because otherwise i’d end up confusing myself really badly.

And now—onward!

Thomas S. Monson (president of the high priesthood)

• We need to follow the Lord’s example by bearing a message of peace and goodwill, even toward those we disagree with.

D. Todd Christofferson (of the quorum of apostles)

• A recitation of the witnesses of the resurrected Jesus Christ, and the stories of their encounters with him.
• Jesus was able to be resurrected of his own power, affirming that he wasn’t just a carpenter or a teacher or even a prophet.
• Jesus’s miracles were real, as were his promises to his apostles that they would perform miracles.

Marcos A. Aidukaitis (of the seventy)

• If you examine the fruits of the church, you will find that they are delicious, and testify of the truth of the message.
• Make sure that when you’re seeking after truth, you don’t cast out the truth.
• It isn’t enough to ask of God in faith with an honest heart—we also have to believe we will receive.
• It is good to receive truth from any source, but especially from revelation through the Holy Spirit.

Michael John U. Teh (of the seventy)

• We need to be very careful about becoming focused on our material acquisitions to the point that we get distracted from things of eternal worth.
• We need to put more time and effort into strengthening our families.
• Where our treasure is, our hearts will be—so we need to take care that our hearts are in the right place.

Lawrence E. Corbridge (of the seventy)

• Why was Joseph Smith persecuted? Because he taught the truth.
• The atonement takes full effect in our lives because of what was restored through Joseph Smith.

L. Tom Perry (or the quorum of apostles)

• An extended metaphor about driving horses, with us as the horse, and Jesus as the driver using the harness and bit as the Holy Ghost.
• “Too often we think of obedience as passive”.

William R. Walker (of the seventy)

• This is mostly a retelling of his own Mormon pioneer family history.
• Did he actually just say that we are more likely to choose well if we had faithful ancestors? I’m thinking i must have misheard, but i’m afraid i didn’t.

Boyd K. Packer (president of the quorum of apostles)

• An actual apostolic promise, phrased as such, that no blessings associated with marriage will be withheld from those who can’t marry in this life!
• Christ is the center of everything we do in the church.