the ministering of angels has not ceased

3 Nephi 7:18

"angels did minister unto him daily."

Moroni 7:25-29

"Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men."

"I testify that angels are still sent to help us, even as they were sent to help Adam and Eve, to help the prophets, and indeed to help the Savior of the world Himself.

Even the Son of God, a God Himself, had need for heavenly comfort during His sojourn in mortality. And so such ministrations will be to the righteous until the end of time."

The Ministry of Angels  

By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

October 2008

I've felt the ministering of angels. Know that Heavenly Father loves you and sends His army to watch over you. You are not alone.

serving

"On these ministering visits, I sometimes wonder what to say and do, especially when those I visit are going through difficult challenges. But instead of focusing on what I might say or do, I have found that focusing on the Master minister—our Savior, Jesus Christ—helps me most when ministering to others."

We Follow the Master Minister  

By Elder Juan Pablo Villar

Liahona, October 2024

Elder Villar then quotes 3 Nephi 17:7-9 where Jesus calls for the nephites to bring all of their sick and afflicted to Him. The thought struck me that if someone held back and didn't go forward to be healed, they probably wouldn't be.  

It's easier to serve than to be served for many if us. My grandmother says that not asking for help is denying others the blessing of serving.  

On the other hand, sometimes there isn't really anything useful someone can do. There's nothing necessary. That's when ministers can get creative. There are a lot of kind and even helpful things that aren't actually necessary. Bring treats or a meal. Send a card. Just listen on the phone or in person. Send a positive thought, a funny meme, or an interesting story. Just be involved.  

Both sides need to start reaching out more. These last days are full of people trying to pull us apart. We have to reach for each other in small and simple ways more often. Don't wait for the bif stuff. Unity is built in the small stuff.

conference bonus material

Elder Andersen started this conference off by quoting pres. Nelson in a previous conference:

"Pure revelation for the questions in your heart will make this conference rewarding and unforgettable."

Russell M. Nelson, “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 6–7.

 

More than just listening to conference once or twice, or even reading again, we have another opportunity. For the last few years, speakers have been adding extra content to their messages in the footnotes when the talk is published. For instance, Elder Andersen includes an except from president Nelson's 1995 byu speech in footnote #3. I've found various explanations, definitions, and other bonus content in the footnotes in the last several conferences. How cool is that? Bonus content for general conference!   

share eternal life

3 Nephi 5:13

Only through Him can we and all our brothers and sisters inherit the greatest gift we can receive—eternal life and eternal happiness. To help them, to be an example for them, is not for the weak. It is for the strong. It is for you and me, Latter-day Saints who pay the price of discipleship by answering our accusers with Christian courage.

Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship 

 By Elder Robert D. Hales

October 2008

He came to save

"I have learned that Jesus Christ truly is “of a forgiving disposition.” It is neither His mission nor His nature to condemn. He came to save."

The Man Who Communed with Jehovah  

By Elder Kyle S. McKay

Oct 2024

I appreciate messages like this that remind me that repentance isn't scary. It's freeing.

fences and guardrails

"Fill your life with positive, righteous ideas; be joyful; have fun but avoid foolishness. There is a difference."

Sacred Scriptures—the Foundations of Faith  

By Elder Quentin L. Cook

Oct 2024

Elder Cook warns against the many pitfalls in life and then encourages us to have fun. The Lord often reminds us theough prophets and scriptures that there is only freedom within the commandments and only captivity outside of them.

Doctrine & Covenants 98:4, 7–8

2 Nephi 2:27

The cartoonist Mike Waters captured this idea in a cartoon many years ago. One guy hates being confined by a fence so he jumps over it to escape. The other yells that it's not a fence, it's a guardrail. 

 

choice and control

In an April 1983 talk, Boyd K Packer told of a conversation with a general and his wife. They were impressed with the youth of the church and asked how the church "controlled" them.  

"I was interested in her use of the word ‘control’.... I said we develop control by teaching freedom... When one understands the gospel, it becomes very clear that the best control is self-control.... There is no true freedom without responsibility, and there is no enduring freedom without a knowledge of the truth."

Agency and Control  

By Elder Boyd K. Packer

I thought this was really well franed and worth pondering. It's probably better in its full, original version but this conveys the basic thought process.