What a good Specific Conference!

This week in class Professor Griffin was mentioning General Conference and said how it should be more like a "Specific Conference" to us. I thought it was funny, hence my title here. So I kept telling my wife that I was excited for Specific Conference! But really, that's what the conference should be to us. We shouldn't just sit back and wait and "see what they dump on us this time," in Professor Griffin's words. We need preparation in order to make it real to us.

I can't help but mention the talk of Jeffrey R. Holland that I heard today. He always just hits me with some realization, or resonates with what I feel often. What I love about him is he is always so engaged in what he is saying. You never get the impression he is just reading the teleprompter. He is totally enthralled by the Spirit he feels and is expressing. What stuck out to me is how he mentioned things from Christ's Sermon on the Mount, which we just studied! In Matthew 5:23-34 we read, "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." 

Holland mentioned this teaching in his sermon today as well, and I feel he is just hitting right where it hurts for some people. Many are too easily offended or made angry by other's in the Church, and I think it's ridiculous in my opinion! Now honestly I've never felt very hurt like this man clearly was in Holland's story of the man who was angry at his bishop for judging him regarding if he actually paid tithing, but I hope when that time comes (for I know it will come!) I will be mature enough in the gospel to not let go of such amazing blessings for something as trivial as my anger. In this same sermon Christ warns us about anger, and I agree with Holland when he says that anger can make us worse than what the person may have done. We must be able to forgive people, for Christ did this when literally legions of devils didn't want Him to. He overcame way more than we ever have to deal with. Let that give us confidence when we are steadfast in Him!