Stake Conference

We've enjoyed another fantastic stake conference this weekend.  Our stake presidency has been released after eight and a half years of great service.

We were visited by Elder LeGrand R. Curtis, Jr., area-authority seventy, and Elder Marlin K. Jensen, general authority seventy.  They were both marvelous teachers and leaders.

Here are some highlights that I enjoyed.

At the Priesthood Leadership session, Elder Curtis taught about revelation.  Then Elder Jensen followed up teaching about the order of the priesthood.  He highlighted the wording about the order of the priesthood in D&C 107:1-4.  Then he emphasized our roles in that order as explained in D&C 64: 29.  Elder Jensen used terms from the legal profession (his former occupation) to highlight those concepts.  He taught us that we, as priesthood bearers, are the agents mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants.  The principal who engages the agents to act on His behalf is the Lord.  He compared our charge as priesthood holders to the practice of granting "power of attorney" in the modern legal sense.  The "scope of authority" of His agents is established "according to the will of the Lord."  Elder Jensen referred us to Elder Curtis' teachings on revelation to help us know the extent of our scope of authority to act as agents to the Lord.  I also like the additional depth of meaning provided by the Latin root of the word agent, agere, meaning to drive, lead, act, do.

In the Saturday evening adult session of the conference, Elder Jensen taught from the scripture Mosiah 4:9-10.  Elder Jensen used those verses to indicate how we can know that God forgives us of our sins.  But what struck me about them was how they so emphatically assert the existence and divinity of God.  I was touched by that and thought that anyone struggling with doubts about God's existence might benefit from reading those two verses.  He does live.  He does love us.  He does forgive us.

Our ward choir sang at that adult session.  We sang "Where Can I Turn For Peace," a number we had sung at our ward conference earlier in the year.  The stake presidency had heard it then and invited us to share it for the whole stake.  I'm glad they did.  Our performance at ward conference was OK.  But our performance at stake conference was truly backed by the hosts of heaven.  It felt so much stronger and meaningful.  I was glad to be a small part of it and feel strengthened by the experience.

Sadly, I wasn't able to attend the final, general session of stake conference.  I was on a plane to Baltimore while it happened.  I can't wait to discover who is in our new stake presidency...