Another Conference to Remember

I think this has been one of the best General Conferences ever. I made it a matter of prayer during the days leading up to conference that the brethren would be inspired to say things that would be directly applicable to me and the challenges that are confronting us as a family. I suppose the better prayer would have been to ask that I would pay attention and have ears to hear what they were saying. But either way, my prayer was answered and I received what I believe were direct answers that I need right now. I felt my testimony strengthened on several occasions and felt my gratitude increase the Atonement of Christ and for the restored church. I testify to each member of my wonderful family that it is the Lord's kingdom on earth and that Christ is at the helm. That the Prophet Joseph was called by the Father and the Son to restore the church and that the keys of the priesthood are at work in the church to prepare for the Savior's coming. Sometimes I feel an acute longing for the Savior's return and the Millennium. Your mom and I want more than anything else, to arrive safely there with all our children and grandchildren. I was very moved by the hymn we sang in the opening session of conference on Saturday morning (which was very cool to be at in person --a first for us!) Anyway, the words of the hymn are a reminder of that happy, coming day when we all want to be there together:

Come, ye children of the Lord,
Let us sing with one accord,
Let us raise a joyful strain
To our Lord, who soon will reign
On this earth, when it shall be
Cleansed from all iniquity;
When all men from sin will cease,
And will live in love and peace.

O, how joyful it will be
When our Savior we shall see!
When in splendor He’ll descend,
Then all wickedness shall end.
O what songs we then will sing
To our Savior, Lord and King!
O what love will then bear sway,
When our fears shall flee away!

All arrayed in spotless white,
We will dwell ’mid truth and light.
We will sing the songs of praise;
We will shout in joyous lays.
Earth shall then be cleansed from sin.
Every living thing therein
Shall in love and beauty dwell;
Then with joy each heart will swell.

I hope every member of our family will spend the next six months reading and listening to the conference talks, with special emphasis on the talks by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. I've noticed that when I read the talks after conference, I find that there is much that I missed the first time. I especially like to listen to the talks after downloading them to my ipod.

Curse upon the land

All the talk lately about the credit crisis in the US and world financial markets with dire predictions about the credit markets seizing up if something isn't done to provide liquidity, reminded me of these verses in the Book of Mormon:

And now there began to be a great curse upon all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which, if a man should lay his tool or his sword upon his shelf, or upon the place whither he would keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so great was the curse upon the land.
Wherefore every man did cleave unto that which was his own, with his hands, and would not borrow neither would he lend" -Ether 14:1,2

Also, the recent revelations about the corruption among lawmakers in congress and their partners in crime at lending institutions and on Wall Street reminded me of Alma's warning to the Zoramites:

"...the foundation of the destruction of this people is beginning to be laid by the unrighteousness of your lawyers and your judges." -Alma 10:27