Here's my original talk with some of the introduction taken out for privacy since this is a public blog. I was given 10-15 minutes so I had to cut some of this down, but wanted to keep a record of my original thoughts here which is probably 16-17 minutes long based on my calculations of how fast a typical person speaks and how many words were in my talk - just a little trick I do when preparing haha.
I wanted to share this too https://www.comeuntochrist.org/hearhim
but thought my talk was too long for 45 min. of church and I thought there was another speaker. Plus it's hard to get people's reactions to your talk when they're all in masks so I ended up speaking too fast 
I learned I was supposed to be the only speaker so the Bishop spoke after me sharing some similar thoughts based on what I said. We ended right on time though so maybe it was supposed to be because I liked the Bishop's remarks as he spoke more on connection based on talking with someone else earlier that morning.
I guess the fastest way to get to meet people in a new ward though in these times is to speak at church.
We moved in May, but it's been hard to meet people in the ward. We've met our neighbors. We met the Bishop, but then he moved and we got a new bishopric. We met a counselor from the new Bishopric and EQ president just a few weeks ago. RS President stopped by when I wasn't available. Neighbors across from us attend different wards. I think we met twice as many people today along with the 2nd Counselor from the Stake just after church because I spoke than we have since we moved in May.
I guess the fastest way to get to meet people in a new ward though in these times is to speak at church.
We moved in May, but it's been hard to meet people in the ward. We've met our neighbors. We met the Bishop, but then he moved and we got a new bishopric. We met a counselor from the new Bishopric and EQ president just a few weeks ago. RS President stopped by when I wasn't available. Neighbors across from us attend different wards. I think we met twice as many people today along with the 2nd Counselor from the Stake just after church because I spoke than we have since we moved in May.HEAR HIM TALK
.… well maybe you’ll learn a bit more as I speak today on the topic of Hear Him.
On the church website, there’s a section where the prophet and some other general authorities share how they hear him and they ask questions for us to think about and for us to share with others.
On the church website, there’s a section where the prophet and some other general authorities share how they hear him and they ask questions for us to think about and for us to share with others.
All year long, millions search for Jesus Christ but struggle to feel His influence. You can help them hear His voice and feel His love by sharing how you #HearHim.
Sharing your experiences will strengthen His influence in your life, that His joy will “remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).
Use these prompts to reflect and share how you hear Him:
● How do you hear Him?
● What verses of scripture help you hear Him?
● How does prayer help you hear Him?
● How do you tell the difference between your own thoughts and the voice of Jesus Christ?
● How do you hear Him?
● What verses of scripture help you hear Him?
● How does prayer help you hear Him?
● How do you tell the difference between your own thoughts and the voice of Jesus Christ?
“What steps can we take to Hear Him better and more often?”
● How do you hear Him?
Honestly I have been thinking about this topic for a while because like for many of you, it’s been a challenging year. It has felt really challenging to Hear Him when the world feels chaotic especially more so now than it did at the start of Covid. I kinda miss all the helpers I saw at the beginning of all of this.
It has been a challenge for me to Hear Him because I have learned that I am a pretty social person. I don’t have a lot of visible talents like singing or playing an instrument. I’m not bad at dance or sports, but definitely not memorable though I do think a certain stake young women’s basketball game helped me catch my husband’s eye going against a girl he liked. You’ll have to get the rest of that story at another time though.
It can be hard to figure out one’s talents when they’re not easily seen to everyone. One talent that I have learned that I have is that I can see and make connections between people. I have used that talent often in many of my callings in the church which helps me feel connected to my ward and community. When I help others through seeing those connections, I can Hear Him.
How do I do that now? I’ve thought about this a lot. Do we just give up on a talent? No! We have to get creative and maybe also discover new talents. Since last year when I gave a talk in a previous ward – apparently people just like me to speak in September, I’ve pondered on a concept about kindness in a book I’ve been reading and a speaker and author I’ve been following. He talks about Kindness being the international language of connection. He continues to say that Kindness is making someone feel less alone and stopping to see someone – really see them. I relate his concept to Charity. Charity is the Pure Love of Christ. We have to make and find connections in different ways right now. I’ve seen a lot of creativity in the world on connecting with people.
People want to be seen...People want to be appreciated for their efforts and not for all the things they aren’t doing.
When I use the word “see” I mean using all our senses, seeing with our eyes, but deeper than the surface, hearing what people say and how they say it, feeling their love through their actions, feeling that Spirit and having gratitude for it.
Do you see your children work together to clean?
Did you see your new neighbor say hi and wave?
Do you see the stranger let you in when trying to change lanes?
Do you see a stranger’s kind patience when you’re trying to put your groceries on with 3 helpers who are asking you lots of questions?
It has been a challenge for me to Hear Him because I have learned that I am a pretty social person. I don’t have a lot of visible talents like singing or playing an instrument. I’m not bad at dance or sports, but definitely not memorable though I do think a certain stake young women’s basketball game helped me catch my husband’s eye going against a girl he liked. You’ll have to get the rest of that story at another time though.
It can be hard to figure out one’s talents when they’re not easily seen to everyone. One talent that I have learned that I have is that I can see and make connections between people. I have used that talent often in many of my callings in the church which helps me feel connected to my ward and community. When I help others through seeing those connections, I can Hear Him.
How do I do that now? I’ve thought about this a lot. Do we just give up on a talent? No! We have to get creative and maybe also discover new talents. Since last year when I gave a talk in a previous ward – apparently people just like me to speak in September, I’ve pondered on a concept about kindness in a book I’ve been reading and a speaker and author I’ve been following. He talks about Kindness being the international language of connection. He continues to say that Kindness is making someone feel less alone and stopping to see someone – really see them. I relate his concept to Charity. Charity is the Pure Love of Christ. We have to make and find connections in different ways right now. I’ve seen a lot of creativity in the world on connecting with people.
People want to be seen...People want to be appreciated for their efforts and not for all the things they aren’t doing.
When I use the word “see” I mean using all our senses, seeing with our eyes, but deeper than the surface, hearing what people say and how they say it, feeling their love through their actions, feeling that Spirit and having gratitude for it.
Do you see your children work together to clean?
Did you see your new neighbor say hi and wave?
Do you see the stranger let you in when trying to change lanes?
Do you see a stranger’s kind patience when you’re trying to put your groceries on with 3 helpers who are asking you lots of questions?
There are so many things behind the scenes that we don’t always recognize and that are so much harder to see because you have to look deeper. We tend to only see the negative. We see the pile of toys in the basement or the growing laundry. We see our kids fighting with each other. We see someone not pay attention driving. We can Hear Him by seeing others as Christ sees them especially now though we have to look deeper. We’re all just doing our best right now.
● What verses of scripture help you hear Him?
My favorite scriptures that help me and have helped me relate to
trials and adversity
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Alma 13:28
28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and awatch and pray continually, that ye may not be btempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be cled by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, dmeek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;
1 Corinthians 10:13 has been my favorite scripture since I was a teenager. I think I learned that Alma 13:28 related to 1 Corinthians 10:13 sometime in my college years and so I always combine them now when sharing my favorite scripture. To me the scripture means we cannot overcome adversity, our trials without humbling ourselves and praying with faith to overcome. We might not think we can overcome, but God knows us and if we are faithful, we can see the blessings from each adversity. I rely on this often which helps me to Hear Him which also relates to one of my favorite quotations the last couple years has been…If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you. We are put on this earth to grow, and we can only do that with change and being challenged. This year has been a big challenge, a very different one than I have faced before. I made a little acronym last year. Faith + Action = Blessings ----- FAB! Remembering those simple truths helps me to Hear Him.
● How does prayer help you hear Him?
Right now we have to dig deeper to see and to Hear Him. We can do that by building up our homes making them strong foundations. Prayer is one way that helps build that strong foundation. When I am on my knees in prayer, I can feel His Spirit strongest. I can feel peace and more easily listen with my heart what He would have me do. I was grateful for a big opportunity to teach my children about prayer when they helped make the decision to homeschool this year. It was a tender mercy to see the process and hear their prayers as we came to this decision for our family this year. We all just have to hold on to the Iron Rod by doing those small and simple things. It is a strait and narrow path and right now it feels like we’re walking through a mist of darkness and right next to that dark and spacious building full of anger, unkindness, deception, hate. If Hear Him with our hearts, we can get through any challenge or darkness.
● How do you tell the difference between your own thoughts and the voice of Jesus Christ?
This has been the hardest one for me this year. I have felt like I have prayed about several different things between getting extra jobs and buying our house and they didn’t work out how I planned at all even though I thought they were the things God led me on the path to. I had planned to build a house in another area close to here. We were 30 minutes away from finalizing that plan and something went wrong, and the decision didn’t feel right anymore. I was devastated because I had this place in my mind for over a year. Not sure if people in this ward were praying for us to come here (like one of my previous wards), but hopefully in time I will find answers to the whys of the different things not working out this year. Most of the time I do find the answers to why our life is on the course it’s on. Seeing the why months or years later helps me to Hear Him.
“What steps can you take to Hear Him better and more often?”
I am looking forward to listening to General Conference next weekend to feel more peace, to Hear Him more clearly and to get answers on how I can still build up the kingdom. I hope all of you can do the same.
“During trying times, few things are as reassuring and comforting as truth,” Church President and Prophet Russell M. Nelson said on March 28. “Amid the gloomy darkness of a troubled world, the light of Jesus Christ shines ever brighter. He can speak truth to our hearts and minds as we seek Him and learn to hear Him.”
He continues, General conferences are among the ways we try to hear God speak. Like others, we know we don’t have all the answers. In times of darkness and uncertainty, all of God’s children crave light and clarity. There is a reason for this hunger. Our souls need the nourishment of light and truth just as our bodies need the nutrients of a balanced diet. Without this spiritual nourishment, it can be easy to forget that God loves every person on this planet.
“During trying times, few things are as reassuring and comforting as truth,” Church President and Prophet Russell M. Nelson said on March 28. “Amid the gloomy darkness of a troubled world, the light of Jesus Christ shines ever brighter. He can speak truth to our hearts and minds as we seek Him and learn to hear Him.”
He continues, General conferences are among the ways we try to hear God speak. Like others, we know we don’t have all the answers. In times of darkness and uncertainty, all of God’s children crave light and clarity. There is a reason for this hunger. Our souls need the nourishment of light and truth just as our bodies need the nutrients of a balanced diet. Without this spiritual nourishment, it can be easy to forget that God loves every person on this planet.
God speaks to us in many ways every day. Our challenges, as tragic and heartbreaking as they can sometimes be, can help us better hear His voice. He deeply loves us, but we tend to sleep deeply through life. We need wake-up calls."
These words were from a recent newsroom article about general conference coming up. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/why-general-conference
I leave you with my testimony that I know that this church is true and that our Heavenly Father is mindful of each one of us. I know that my Savior lives. I know we have a prophet today, Russell M. Nelson, who guides this church and guides us through some of the challenges we have today like with the Home Centered, Church Supported program with the Come Follow Me. Being a convert to the church and not having a strong gospel home foundation, the Come Follow Me program has been a challenge for me to do. There have been so many changes in the past year for my family and it’s been hard to keep up. As I mentioned earlier, together as a family, we prayed about school options for this school year and my children chose to be homeschooled through an online charter. For our family, this has helped Come Follow Me be easier for us to do because of this choice. I have seen some of the blessings by following this program. I hope to see more as we do our best to improve in this area. We need to continue to build our faith and take action deeply to see His blessings. I leave you these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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