Comments on: Watching conference

By: Wilfried

Wilfried — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:38:12 +0000

Thank you, Michelle. It is true that one of the major aspects of the Church has to do with the lives of our brothers and sisters. Their stories of faith and endurance, without having to be spectacular outwardly, all also contribute to testimony.

By: Michelle Glauser

Michelle Glauser — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:32:20 +0000

I loved your post. These peeps into people’s lives remind me why I love all the people in the wards I have been in.

By: Wilfried

Wilfried — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:07:41 +0000

I still need to acknowledge with gratitude the previous (and ongoing) comments. All read and much appreciated! Thanks to each of you, from Adam to Willey and queuno, and all in between.

By: queuno

queuno — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:15:20 +0000

(Just now finally read this post. For many reasons, I was most touched by Hernan. Thanks, Wilfried.)

By: manaen

manaen — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 19:34:09 +0000

The description and ensuing discussion about the contrast between the private details revealed about the members in the audience and the superficial description of the visiting speaker -- sans such detail about his life -- reminded me of how Elder Eyring opened his 4/2004 GenCon talk: When I was a young man, I served as counselor to a wise district president in the Church. He tried to teach me. One of the things I remember wondering about was this advice he gave: â€œWhen you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.â€ I thought then that he was pessimistic. Now, more than 40 years later, I can see how well he understood the world and life. These words struck me hard when I heard him say them. I've found surprising opportunities to help people when I remember them: recently I noticed the cashier in a car wash seemed slightly distracted. As I tried to talk gently with her, she disclosed that she and her sister had learned the day before that their mother had terminal brain cancer and that they were wondering how to tell their mother, that she was a first-year college student and now wondering what changes she would have to make in her plans to take care of her mother. We talked a bit (I had a BoM on the counter) about the plan of salvation. There are many doors to Christian service that Elder Eyring's words can open. I sometimes wonder whether God doesn't limit our ability to see these opportunities according to our willingness and preparation to act upon them.

By: Martin Willey

Martin Willey — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:09:46 +0000

It occurs to me that the “show” in a church meeting is often, maybe mostly, in the audience, and not at the front of the theater. What is appearing on the “screen,” – - the stories being told, the principles being taught – - come alive in the individual congregation member. And each “performance” is perceived and applied differently, depending on the individual member’s life experience. Thank you for such a beautiful and thought-provoking post.

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:59:52 +0000

I can’t add a thing to what’s already been expressed. Wilfried is a real treasure and his stories and insights have buoyed me up as few others. It interested me to read that W’s efforts require much editing, additional thought and, yes, probably some anguish. And I thought such things came naturally and easily to him, because they certainly don’t to me.

By: dan

dan — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:37:23 +0000

Thank you for another incisive and beautifully descriptive post. As my European member friends have pointed out countless times, general conference talks are mostly given by Americans for Americans. One can hardly blame traveling authorities for not being able to address local culture more directly, but the irony of sharing a sports story with people who have struggled for their lives in the circumstances you describe… that\’s our church in a nutshell.

By: Adam Greenwood

Adam Greenwood — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:03:39 +0000

The burden of pioneers is that when they’ve done the nearly impossible they’re asked to do it again and do the impossible too. It gives me some sympathy for the poor broken hardscrabble people who’ve already struggled across the plains listening to Brigham Young tell them to burn their homes and evacuate, or colonize some even more remote stretch of desolate desert, or have all things in common, or build a temple.

By: john f.

john f. — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:22:36 +0000

Thanks for the wonderful post Wilfried. This provides much to ponder and calls us all to be more understanding and interest in what individual members are struggling with.