FAIR

General Conference

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 2 Days!

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General Conference is now just 2 days away! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated social media posts, etc.

Musings on General Conference

by Trevor Holyoak

My earliest memories of General Conference are of me and my siblings playing with Legos while our parents tried to watch (and listen) in the same room. I knew it was our church leaders and prophet speaking, but to me it was just an opportunity to not have to go to church in person. As I got older, I paid a little more attention – particularly when my dad would take me to the stake center to watch the Priesthood session, and the times I took a date to Temple Square to watch it – but I didn’t start fully appreciating it until my mission. As a missionary, I fell in love with General Conference. I watched all the sessions all the way through for the first time in my life. Part of it may be that I realized how special this was for the members I watched it with – they spent the entire day at the church, and had a picnic together between sessions – but I think it was the first time I realized just what it was that I was watching: that these leaders were called of God to lead His church, and they were telling us what we needed to hear at that moment. [Read more…] about FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 2 Days!

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 3 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 3 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated social media posts, etc.

General Conference Notes Worksheet

by Nathan Richardson

This worksheet is for taking notes on during general conference. It combines boxes for writing in, as well as check boxes for quickly giving yourself assignments to do after conference, such as talks you want to re-read, or talks you want to copy quotes from. It’s a great resource for adults or teens. [Read more…] about FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 3 Days!

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 4 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 4 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated social media posts, etc.

General Conference:  Answers and Questions

by Edwin E. Gantt

As a Professor of Psychology at Brigham Young University, every day I am blessed with the privilege of interacting with and instructing some of the best young minds the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has to offer. It truly is a pleasure – and a very heavy responsibility – to be entrusted with teaching the youth of Zion. Although my students come from a stunning variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, family situations, races, and cultures – don’t ever let anyone tell you the BYU student body is some homogenous blob – among those things they do happen to share in common is a desire for answers. Indeed, most of my students have chosen psychology as their major area of study is because they assume that the discipline of psychology holds answers to their questions. After spending most of my adult life in the discipline I am not nearly as confident as they are that this is the case, but that is a story for another time. Regardless, it is one of the great joys of my life to be able to time each day with such vibrant, eager, and faithful young people who are so motivated to seek out answers and strive for greater, deeper understanding of themselves, the world, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. [Read more…] about FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 4 Days!

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 5 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 5 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated social media posts, etc.

“Was that a revelation?” General Conference and Agents of the Divine

by Steve Densley

Over time, I have come to look forward to General Conference more and more. It seems that now, more than ever, we need the wisdom and guidance that comes from those who have been set apart by God to instruct us.

Of course, I do not always hear what I want to hear. I am often challenged by the words of our leaders and can feel that I will need to stretch, sometimes with some pain, to accomplish what is expected. So I understand when I hear people wonder aloud, “Was that a revelation?” as if to say, “Do I really need to do that?” Or, “Is that really true?” [Read more…] about FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 5 Days!

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 6 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 6 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated social media posts, etc.

General Conference for Kids

by Lynn Wilson

The art of motivating children to glean something out of General Conference requires preparation too. I teach them a song to help memorize the twelve apostles by name. I put up pictures so they can identify them more easily when they are speaking. The more I teach them about our leaders, the closer they feel toward them. Sometimes before Conference we talk about themes that might come up in talks. Twelve themes are taped to a cupcake tin. Then during conference I fill each cup with a healthy snack which they get to eat when they identify a theme. This helps the kids (and parents) listen. The Church’s website for General Conference “Bingo,” fill in the blank, word puzzles, and other handouts have been a great help for young ones.

By the time my kids are eight, I encourage them to join in listening to the Saturday sessions too. I have notebooks and pencils for each child. The younger ones draw pictures of what they hear while the older ones take notes. I find dressing them in Sunday clothes helps them to appreciate the sacredness of the experience even if we are staying home. We talk about the Conference talks afterwards at well—during meals, family home evening, and before bedtime prayers. As difficult as it is, the more I sincerely love the messages, the more my children’s interest is piqued.

 

Lynne Hilton Wilson earned her Ph.D. in Theology and American Religious History from Marquette University.  Her doctoral dissertation compared Joseph Smith’s understanding of the Spirit with his contemporaries. Her master’s degree focused on New Testament studies. She attended BYU as an undergraduate and studied nursing and music. She returned to BYU has as an adjunct professor of Religion, and to teach at Education Week. She is presents regularly at the Mormon History Association, Society of Biblical Literature, and the like. She has served in the Church Education System for the past 35 years.  Currently she teaches Institute.  Previous Publications include: Christ’s Emancipation of New Testament Women, Nativity Narratives, Learning the Language of the Lord: A Guidebook to Personal Revelation, To Witness Easter, and articles in BYU Studies, the Interpreter, Religious Educator, and the BYU Religious Studies Center. She is co-founder of BookofMormonCentral.org. She and her husband, Elder Dow R. Wilson live in Palo Alto, California. They have seven children (all with red hair), and eight grandchildren (blond, ginger, and brown).

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 7 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 7 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated negative social media posts, etc.

How I prepare for General Conference

by Lynn Wilson

General Conference is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Often my enjoyment of it is directly related to my preparation. When I take the time to reread or relisten to previous conference talks, prepare questions I need help with, and prepare my life to take time off for a full-two-day-religious-holiday, I am more apt to feel empowered by the messages. Perhaps the most important preparation is praying for a meek or teachable heart and the Spirit’s witness that the words are inspired from God.

During Conference, I often take notes to help me focus while listening. This way I can also record spiritual promptings. To help me focus, I try to find a core message and give each talk a “title” (my titles are rarely correct, but it’s still helpful). When I am in-tune with the Spirit I feel that I am learning not just from our General Authorities, but directly from our Lord. I try to listen with both the micro and macro view. On a micro level I listen for answers to my questions. On a macro view I listen trying to put myself in the river of God’s revelation.

To solidify my resolve after General Conference, I talk with friends and family about it. I reread my notes and impressions. I often see things I forgot. I always appreciate the chance to slowly go over the written records when they become available.

 

Lynne Hilton Wilson earned her Ph.D. in Theology and American Religious History from Marquette University.  Her doctoral dissertation compared Joseph Smith’s understanding of the Spirit with his contemporaries. Her master’s degree focused on New Testament studies. She attended BYU as an undergraduate and studied nursing and music. She returned to BYU has as an adjunct professor of Religion, and to teach at Education Week. She is presents regularly at the Mormon History Association, Society of Biblical Literature, and the like. She has served in the Church Education System for the past 35 years.  Currently she teaches Institute.  Previous Publications include: Christ’s Emancipation of New Testament Women, Nativity Narratives, Learning the Language of the Lord: A Guidebook to Personal Revelation, To Witness Easter, and articles in BYU Studies, the Interpreter, Religious Educator, and the BYU Religious Studies Center. She is co-founder of BookofMormonCentral.org. She and her husband, Elder Dow R. Wilson live in Palo Alto, California. They have seven children (all with red hair), and eight grandchildren (blond, ginger, and brown).

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 8 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 8 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated social media posts, etc.

Today, Elder Ammon Holyoak talks about how he prepares for General Conference.

 

Ammon Holyoak is serving as a full-time missionary in the Arizona Mesa Mission. He is from Cedar Hills, Utah.

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 9 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 9 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated social media posts, etc.

About Those Conference Predictions

by Benjamin Pacini

Anyone who is making conference predictions is probably just trafficking in conference-mania.

Ask me how I know. [Read more…] about FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 9 Days!

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 10 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 10 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated social media posts, etc.

Contextually Concrete Revelation

by Samuel Major

When I moved to Chicago to begin my master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, I went with the intention to be unashamed about the gospel and a desire to be fully prepared to defend it. From orientation week forward I made it well known that I was one of those “Mormons” and that my religion was everything to me. I was going to be an intellectual missionary for the church. I would prepare for General Conference with the intention of figuring out new ways to clearly defend the gospel so that I could articulate its precepts to a room full of hostile, secular academics. This meant that I would watch General Conference like I would listen to a university lecture in a philosophy department- organizing notes about gospel doctrines logically and preparing rebuttals for the arguments I anticipated would be brought up in class.  [Read more…] about FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 10 Days!

FAIR’s Countdown to Conference – 11 Days!

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General Conference is coming up in 11 days! It will be held April 1-2, and will have morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, along with an evening session for everyone on Saturday. More information is available here.

In preparation, we are doing a daily countdown with posts from different people explaining how they feel about General Conference, how they prepare, tips for getting the most out of it, how to deal with associated negative social media posts, etc.

Today Jennifer Roach returns to talk about what you can do to help others that are upset about something they hear in General Conference. And if you missed yesterday’s post, it’s available here.

Jennifer Roach earned a Master of Divinity from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and a Master of Counseling from Argosy University. Before her conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints she was an ordained minister in the Anglican church. Her own experience of sexual abuse from a pastor during her teen years led her to care deeply about issues of abuse in faith communities. She is the host of the podcast Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions.