187th Semiannual General Conference -Saturday Session

Saturday Morning

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

• We all have an innate desire and instinct to find our way home.
• How do we know where to go? It's instinct. 
• Human beings have an inner guidance system that draws them to their heavenly home.
• Deep within us is the desire to reach through the veil and embrace the heavenly parents who await us on the otherside. 
• Are you quenching the light of desire within yourself?
• God calls to you. He knows you. He knows the many times you've sought him. 
• No matter your history, know that you are not alone. God still calls to you. 
• If you call to him, He will speak to you this very day.
• Turn to the Lord. Why? 1. Your life will be better. 2. God will use you to make others lives better.
• Just as God makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good. He also allows adversity to test the just and the unjust. 
• Following the Savior will not remove all of our trials. It will remove the barriers that prevent you from getting the help God wants to give.
• Those who heed the inner call to seek God, even if they stumble will receive the assurance that all things will work for their good.
• Turn your soul to the Light. Begin your journey home. Your life will be better, happier, and more purposeful. 
• As you serve God, and care for/help your fellow man,  You will see progress in your life. In ways you can't fully imagine.
• Don't focus on your limitations. Don't focus on being "more" of something. Blessings come not from our abilities, but from our choices.
• God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound those that are mighty. 
• Until we are presented with the trial ourselves, we don't know quite how we will react. Nor can we judge others on their choices. 
• God will use you, magnify your desires, if you are willing.
• In many ways we are far from home, though we don't need to feel alone or lost. We have the light of Christ to guide us. 
• Good things come from making an effort to reach those things. 
• Life is not a self driving car, a plane on autopilot, a boat drifting down the stream. We must act. Swim against the current to progress.
• No one else is responsible for our personal journey, the commitment and burden falls us directly.

Bonnie L. Oscarson

• When you're searching for an answer, you should pause to consider that it's right in front of us. 
• Those who live only for themselves, figuratively shrivel up and die, while others who serve others grow and flourish.
• Be careful to not turn inward and forget that the essence of the gospel is service. Helping others. 
• Are we distracted? Are we being too ambitious in looking ways to help? Remember you can help right in your own home. 
• We may be so focused on the disasters around the world, that we don't notice the person needing friendship sitting next to us. 
• What good is it to save the world if we neglect those that are close to us? 
• God places those who need us, close to us. So that we may more easily help them in their times of need. 
• Do you ever act because you saw a need and desired to help? 
• Serving others can begin at any age at any time. 
• Changing the world begins with strengthening your own family. 
• There will always be someone who is lonely and needs a friend. Be that friend. 
• We are not just receivers and takers of the gospel at church. We are also givers. 
• The Savior most often ministered to ONE person at a time. 
• Some of the greatest needs may be the ones right in front of you. 
• Begin where you are. Love them as they are. And prepare. 

Dallin H. Oaks

• We must be vigilant in a world that has moved far from being spiritual.
• The opposition of the world and the pride thereof are reasons for us to hold fast to the iron rod. Too many blessings are lost.
• If we lack faith in God's plan and refrain from it's actions, we forgo receiving growth and maturity. 
• Every generation that has sought to follow God's plan has encountered challenges. 
• Seek to show love for all. 

John C. Pingree Jr.

• Our Heavenly Father has specific and significant things for you and me to accomplish. This is for everyone, not just a privileged few. We all have a meaningful role to play in furthering God's work.
• God has always used ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.
• The Lord has more in mind for you than you have for yourself. The Lord needs you to change the world.
• All gifts we have are purposeful. There is no insignificant talent given to us. All are essential.
• The Lord will often use your trials as a stepping stone to help you later help others.
• Sin is perhaps our greatest stumbling block. Blocking and dimming our views with distractions that make it difficult to focus.

D. Todd Christofferson 

• As we partake of the sacrament, we would do well to consider how to incorporate Christ's character into our own lives and being.
• We cannot be content to remain as we are, but should be constantly moving to become better. 
• Often you can feel God's love and mercy most strongly when you are on your knees. 
• We are the product of all we read, hear, do, think. 
• Our Mortal experiences offer us the opportunity to choose. 
• Service is not something we endure so we can earn. Service is the very fiber of which exalted life is made. 
• God will show us our flaws and failings, but he will also help us turn our weaknesses into strengths. 
• Let us not be content with where we are, but also let us not be discouraged. 

Jeffrey R. Holland

• The scriptures were written to bless and encourage us. 
• Celestial goals may seem beyond our reach, but we're never given commandments by God that he knows we cannot keep. 
• As Children of God we should not demean or vilify ourselves. That's not going to make us the person that God wants us to be. 
• We can pursue personal improvement without demolishing our self esteem. 
• Here in mortality. Perfection is still pending. 
• Focusing on the Father's and Son's achievement rather than our own failures doesn't justify us to dumb down our standards. 
• Our only hope in True Perfection is receiving it as a gift from Heaven. We won't earn it.
• Try to be a little more Godlike in little things. 
• While in mortality, lets strive for steady improvement. 
• We are all called to serve somewhere. 
• Look at my life now, and look at my former life. Can you not see that I am trying to be better? 
• If I know the way home, but am walking along it drunkenly, is it any less the right way simply because I'm staggering?
• Don't gloat. Give your help to anyone striving to walk the road back to God.

Saturday Afternoon

Henry B. Eyring -Sustaining of Church Officers

Gary E. Stevenson 

• A spiritual eclipse can occur if we allow minor obstructions to get so close that they block out the light of Christ. 
• Perspective is the ability to see all relative information in a meaningful way. 
• Sometimes we try so hard to do something Good that we block out the Spiritual Light of Christ and end up in darkness. 
• Comparing our seemingly normal existence with others apparent well crafted happiness will make it difficult to add light. 
• When confronted with images that portray idealized reality, let us not compare ourselves to it, but allow it to inspire us. 
• Pride is swallowed in Humility. 
• Some of the greatest and most effective people are those who are the most meek and humble. 
• Don't let life's distractions eclipse Heaven's Light

Stephen W. Owen

• While there may be undefeated seasons in sports...there aren't any in life. 
• Repentance points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. 
• The Joy of Repentance is more than the Joy of living a Decent Life. 
• Faith keeps you moving. Faith keeps the father patiently watching. 
• We are all prodigals. We all have to come to ourselves (usually more than once) and choose the path to come back home. 
• It is not enough to gain a testimony. You have to maintain it and strengthen it. 
• Now is the time to Begin. Do not Procrastinate. 
• The Reward IS worth the Effort. 

Quentin L. Cook

• We are all Equal before God. 
• Anyone who proclaims superiority under the father's plan because of differences between people does not understand God's plan. 
• True Humility is seldom visibly evident. 
• While life is incredibly short, it is also incredibly significant. 
• Sometimes humility is accepting callings when we don't feel adequate. Or serving faithfully when we think we deserve more. 
• We need to yield ourselves to the enticings of the Holy Spirit. 
• We can celebrate our uniqueness without putting down others in the process. 
• Agency requires that we respect many choices of which we may not always agree. 
• As often as we repent, the Lord will forgive.
• Holding a grudge is poisonous to our souls. 
• Humility is a sign of spiritual strength. It's a quiet confidence that day by day, hour by hour, we can rely on the Lord.
• The Test of Greatness is the way one meets the Eternal Everyday.

Ronald A. Rasband

• God does not work by coincidence, but by divine design. 
• There is a guiding hand above all things. Often when things happen, it is not by accident.
• What may appear to be a random chance, is in fact overseen by a loving Heavenly Father.
• Changes in our plans aren't always missteps in our journey but first steps to heading out on the Lord's errand. 
• Heavenly Father can put us in situation with specific intents and results in mind. 
• Heavenly Father continues to place us in each others paths for a reason. 
• The Lord loves to be with us. 
• Not all of what God asks of us is a result of how strong we are, faithful we are, or what we may know. 
• When we are righteous, willing, and able and are striving to be better qualified, we find ourselves in places we never imagined. 
• The Lord's hand is guiding you. He's in the small details of your life as well as the major milestones. 

O. Vincent Haleck

• A man can live in the dark for a period, but there will come a day when he'll long to come into the light. 
• The Heart of a Widow is the one who senses, feels, and embraces the Light of Truth and yearns to bring others into that light. 

Russell M. Nelson

• You could have given me diamonds and rubies, but there is nothing more precious to me than this additional knowledge of Christ.
• Each individual receives a witness and testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Immersing ourselves regularly in the truths of the Book of Mormon can be a life changing experience. 
• The full power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is contained within the Book of Mormon. Period.
• Book of Mormon = Power.
• Power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, cheer our souls.
• If you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon you can be immunized from the plagues of the day. 

Priesthood Session

Dale G. Renlund 

• The opportunity to benefit from the Savior's Atoning power is his most important payload & is made available through the priesthood.
• God intends priesthood to be used for more than a class on Sunday or a service opportunity.
• The use of the priesthood is governed by priesthood keys and covenants. 
• Priesthood is not an amorphous source of autonomous power.
• God's atoning power is made accessible through the Priesthood.
• Being casual and apathetic in a priesthood calling, can jeopardize the priesthood covenant could lead to mission failure.

David F. Evans

• Never put others down for having questions. Let them voice them and help them out as you can. 
• Do the things you should and don't do the things you know you should not do. 
• You are responsible for finding the answers to your own questions and acting upon what you learn. 
• If you do not have a firm testimony, do what is necessary to obtain one. It's essential you stand on your own testimony.
• Whatever I'm asked, I'll do.
• Choose to act rather than be acted upon by the doubts of others. 
• Our search for answers should focus on the Best of books, speakers, words. 
• When things are hard we may have to just push through patiently with tried cheer and a smile on our face. 
• At times you may need to hold onto the faith of others while you find your own faith.
• Without knowing everything we can know the truth. 

Richard J. Maynes

• Earning the Lord's trust is a great blessing that requires effort on our part. 
• Integrity or the lack thereof, is a fundamental part of a person's character. 
• With each choice we make we either gain or loose the Lord's trust. 
• To Earn the Lord's Trust, you must first place your Trust in Him. 
• Having trust in someone is similar to having faith in someone. If there's no faith or trust then instead you find fear and doubt. 
• Once you take a bribe or compromise your integrity, it is very difficult to get it back. Don't even do it. Not even once. 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

• Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who cares about our troubles. 
• Sometimes spiritual illness comes as a result of sin or emotional wounds. Sometimes spiritual breakdowns come so gradually that we can scarcely tell it's happening. 
• Just because spiritual trials are real, does not mean that they're incurable. We can heal spiritually.
• The Savior's healing touch can transform lives in our day, just as he did in his day.
• Darkness reduces our ability to see clearly what was once plain and clear.
• Light allows us to see things as they really are. Between Truth and Error. Vital and Trivial.
• We will find spiritual healing as we step away from the shadows of the world and into the everlasting light of Christ.
• He who humbly follows Jesus Christ, will experience and share in his light. And that light will grow until it dispels the deepest darkness.
• Light = Spirit & Truth 
• The Light of Christ, enlightens and saturates the souls of all to the voice of the Spirit. 
• If you'll open your mind and heart to receive the light of Christ and humbly follow the savior you'll receive more light.
• God will not force us to embrace his light. 
• If we become comfortable with darkness, then we will be less willing to change. It takes action to step from the darkness into the light. 
• Even in the darkest of nights, the sun doesn't cease to radiate it's light. Only half of the earth is in shadow. 
• Darkness is not an indication that there is No Light. It simply means that we're not in the right place to receive the light. 
• Even in moments of greatest darkness, God hears our humble petitions for help. 
• It is up to us. To be in the right place. To see and feel the light and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even when night has fallen.
• Remember. You are a bearer of Light. 
• Every time you turn your hearts to God, you experience His light. 
• It is our quest to seek the Lord until his light of everlasting life burns brightly within us. 

Henry B. Eyring

• The Lord's leadership of the church requires great and steady faith. 
• God calls imperfect people into positions of trust.
• Delay judgements until you can see as the Lord sees. 
• No matter where you are in the chain of priesthood service, faith is essential. 
• Go with Faith that you're on the Lord's Errand. 
• Every Leader is a mixture of strengths and weaknesses. It's up to you to see their potential or their possible failures. 
• Can you see another's weaknesses and look past them to the strengths beyond. 
• By choosing not to judge others you could receive the confirmation that you desire.
• We should look past perceived imperfections, warts, or spots and uphold the office that they hold. 
• There is a thread that binds us to the Lord in our Service. 
• It takes faith, trust, and humility to serve in the place we are called. 

To watch/listen/read the conference talks in their entirety please visit: 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference?cid=HP_SA_30-9-2017_dPFD_fGC_xLIDyL2-3_&lang=eng 

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi