It was another rousing and successful General Conference. My cup was filled and I was re-fortified to continue working toward salvation with the ever-loving aid of my Savior Jesus Christ.

Question:

Did anyone hear anything that may have alluded to “Preparedness” during this conference?

Answer:

I did.

What is preparedness, but preparing us for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Are you prepared to greet Him today; right now?

The speakers urged us, as forcefully as they could around their loving words, to gain a stronger testimony, to repent more, to use our agency more wisely, to understand doctrine better, to teach it better to our children, to obey and sustain the prophet, to avoid distractions, to continue sharing the gospel and on and on. Did I capture enough of these ideas? Are any of them new? It is now our job to go and do.

How many of you know what was taught to us six months ago? Are those words no less important? Are we done with those and ready for the new set of instructions? Are we accountable for what we remember, did, do? I know I could do better. I have a tremendous amount of work to do if I want to be prepared for the coming of the Lord.

Let me just share with you some of the things I’m planning to do:

1. I’ve already read through and underlined key phrases in my May Conference Ensign. I plan to continue going through it to capture all suggestions that I feel I need to act on. I believe I can generalize some of them to just one or two main focus categories. Some, however, are specific and will need to be treated specifically if they are ever going to really help me change.
2. As soon as they are available online I will be reading through each talk to underline and capture key phrases once again. When I get my new Ensign, I will transfer my notes and continue this process. Because these two conferences make up the entire year, I plan to combine all that was said into a few main categories. From here I will set my goals. I only have till next April to see a difference in myself, so speed is of the essence. Granted, I will be happy to see some “repeats”, so I can catch up, have another chance to repent and change, and grow and actually see my improvement.
3. Every time I pray I plan on asking for help as I go through my personal list of categories. When I partake of the Sacrament, or Fast, I will place my thoughts and desires on the altar. As I attend the temple, I will continue to pray for ability, strengthen my desire, and overcome my weaknesses. I know the Lord will help me.
4. This will most assuredly impact and involve my family. I will ask them for support. Who knows if anything can be creatively adapted as Christmas or Birthday presents? We have been reminded all too often to hold Family Prayer, Family Scripture Study, and Family Home Evening. My children are older, but I am concerned for my grandchildren, so I will be working on ways to teach and influence them for good.

What is the point of listening to General Conference and not doing anything about it? Why do our leaders even bother to speak to us? What do we do with this information? How do we teach it, remember it, or use it?

That’s what I hope to understand better. You see I’ve never done what I just listed above. But it finally occurred to me, I really ought to do something with this information. I mean, really, what good is it if we don’t remember what our prophets are telling us?

I personally believe it is more important to be Spiritually Prepared than to be Temporally Prepared, but obviously both are very important. Both take a lot of time and effort to actually happen in a person’s life. Both require Time and Expense. If you want to come with me on this journey, I invite you to do so. Please, feel free to contribute your ideas and successes. We are all in the same boat together. We don’t want to kick anyone out of the boat. Instead, I think we all want to see everyone succeed, get prepared, and receive the prize of eternal life.