“‘Ye Are My Friends'”

Last updated on March 10th, 2025 at 01:16 pm

General Conference Applied

S4 E28 – Sunday, March 9, 2025 | “‘Ye Are My Friends’” by Elder David L. Buckner; October 2024 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

Bio

• “Elder David L. Buckner was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the April 2024 general conference. At the time of his call, he had been serving as a member of the Tenth Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Northeast Area.
  
  “Elder Buckner has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Ecuador Guayaquil Mission, counselor in a bishopric, stake Young Men president, high councilor, bishop, and stake president.
  
  “Elder Buckner received a bachelor of science degree in finance from Brigham Young University in 1988 and a master’s degree in business administration from Durham University in 1991. He also received a master’s degree in international relations from Brigham Young University in 1995 and a juris doctorate degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1996. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1998 and president of Bottom Line Training and Consulting, Inc. since 1999.
  
  “David Lamar Buckner was born in Ogden, Utah, on September 27, 1963. He married Jennifer Romney Jackson in 1990. They are the parents of five children.”
• This was Elder Buckner’s first general conference address.

Jesus Christ Is The “Great Unifier”

• “In a world filled with contention and division, where civil discourse has been replaced with judgment and scorn, and friendships are defined by -isms and -ites, I have come to know that there is a clear, simple, and divine example we can look to for unity, love, and belonging. That example is Jesus Christ. I testify that He is the great unifier. …
  
  “The Savior has called upon us to help one another, lift one another, and edify each other. This is what He did when He healed the woman with an issue of blood, cleansed the leper who pled for His mercy, counseled the young prince who asked what more he could do, loved Nicodemus, who knew but faltered in his faith, and sat with the woman at the well, who did not fit the custom of the day but to whom He declared His messianic mission. …
  
  “In a contentious and divided world, I testify that the Savior Jesus Christ is the great unifier.” -Elder Buckner

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Invitation One

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

• “I see the Savior’s declaration ‘ye are my friends’ as a clarion call to build higher and holier relationships among all of God’s children ‘that we may be one.'” -Elder Buckner
  • In my own words: Prioritize building higher and holier relationships with others.
  • Resource recommendation from Clay about the Prophet Joseph Smith laying down his life for his friends: Truman Madsen’s Joseph Smith Lecture 8 (But start with Lecture 1 – the series is awesome!)

Why does it matter, or why is it important? (Doctrines, Principles, Christlike Attributes)

• Christlike Attribute: “I try to understand others’ feelings and see their point of view. (Jude 1:22)” (Charity and Love)
  • “[22] And of some have compassion, making a difference.”

What’s in it for us? (Promises)

• “One of the promised blessings of ‘becoming one’ is a powerful sense of belonging.” -Elder Buckner
  • 4 Nephi 1:15-18 – “[15] And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. [16] And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God. [17] There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. [18] And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered until an hundred and ten years had passed away; and the first generation from Christ had passed away, and there was no contention in all the land.”

How will we take action? (Directives, Personal Revelation)

• “We do this as we come together seeking both opportunities to unite and a sense of belonging for all.” -Elder Buckner
  • “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion” by Gregory Boyle: “Scripture scholars contend that the original language of the Beatitudes should not be rendered as ‘Blessed are the single-hearted’ or ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ or ‘Blessed are those who struggle for justice.’ Greater precision in translation would say, ‘You’re in the right place if … you are single-hearted or work for peace.’ The Beatitudes is not a spirituality, after all. It’s a geography. It tells us where to stand.
    
    “Compassion isn’t just about feeling the pain of others; it’s about bringing them in toward yourself. If we love what God loves, then, in compassion, margins get erased. ‘Be compassionate as God is compassionate,’ means the dismantling of barriers that exclude.
    
    “In Scripture, Jesus is in a house so packed that no one can come through the door anymore. So the people open the roof and lower this paralytic down through it, so Jesus can heal him. The focus of the story is, understandably, the healing of the paralytic. But there is something more significant than that happening here. They’re ripping the roof off the place, and those outside are being let in.”
• “Brothers and sisters, we must stop looking for reasons to divide and instead seek opportunities to ‘be one.’ He has blessed us with unique gifts and attributes that invite learning from one another and personal growth. I often told my university students that if I do what you do and you do what I do, we don’t need each other. But because you don’t do what I do and I don’t do what you do, we do need each other. And that need brings us together. To divide and conquer is the adversary’s plan to destroy friendships, families, and faith. It is the Savior who unites.” -Elder Buckner
  • President Russell M. Nelson, “‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers’“, October 2002 General Conference: “Father Abraham was uniquely called a ‘Friend of God.’ Peace was one of Abraham’s highest priorities. He sought to be a ‘prince of peace.’ His influence could loom large in our present pursuit of peace. His sons Ishmael and Isaac, though born of different mothers, overcame their differences when engaged in a common cause. After their father died, they worked together to bury the mortal remains of their exalted father. Their descendants could well follow that pattern.
    
    “Abraham’s posterity has a divinely decreed potential. The Lord declared that Ishmael would become a great nation and that the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would bless all the nations of the earth.
    
    “So the descendants of Abraham, entrusted with great promises of infinite influence, are in a pivotal position to emerge as peacemakers. Chosen by the Almighty, they can direct their powerful potential toward peace.
    
    “Resolution of present political problems will require much patience and negotiation. The process would be enhanced greatly if pursued prayerfully.”
• “Do we warmly welcome all who come through the [meetinghouse] doors? Brothers and sisters, it is not enough to just sit in the pews. We must heed the Savior’s call to build higher and holier relationships with all of God’s children. We must live our faith!” -Elder Buckner
• “I worship on Sunday as a reminder that we need each other and together we need Him. Our unique gifts and talents that differentiate us in a secular world unite us in a sacred space. The Savior has called upon us to help one another, lift one another, and edify each other. This is what He did when He healed the woman with an issue of blood, cleansed the leper who pled for His mercy, counseled the young prince who asked what more he could do, loved Nicodemus, who knew but faltered in his faith, and sat with the woman at the well, who did not fit the custom of the day but to whom He declared His messianic mission. This to me is church—a place of gathering and recovery, repair and refocus.” -Elder Buckner
• “To any who have stepped away and are seeking a chance to return, I offer an eternal truth and invitation: You belong. Come back. It is time.” -Elder Buckner
• “May I invite each of us to be worthy of the Savior’s invitation to ‘be one’ and to boldly declare, as He did, ‘Ye are my friends.'” -Elder Buckner
• Mitch:
  • President Russell M. Nelson, “Peacemakers Needed“, April 2023 General Conference: “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be examples of how to interact with others—especially when we have differences of opinion. One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people.”
  • Action: Each week, I will record in my journal how compassionately I treated others that week, and where I might improve.

Invitation Two

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

• “We must live our life so that the world does not see us but sees Him through us.” -Elder Buckner
  • In my own words: Don’t just act like Jesus Christ – become like Jesus Christ.
  • Lyrics to “A Window to His Love” by Julie de Azevedo
  • followHim Podcast – Christmas – President Alvin F. Meredith III and Sister Jennifer Meredith: [President Meredith] “Years ago when I was serving as an Area Seventy in Tennessee, I had multiple weekends in a row where I had church assignments that kept me away from my home ward and finally I had an assigned home weekend. I was at church with my family. We showed up at 8:45 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. sacrament meeting because that’s what time Jennifer thinks is on time for 9:00 a.m. church.
    
    “As we got the kids settled, I noticed that there was a lady seated in the first row of the overflow, those hard chairs back behind the chapel, that I had never seen before. And I asked Jen if she knew who that was and she didn’t know either, and so I went back and I introduced myself. The lady told me her name was Jackie. I said, ‘Hey, I’ve been away for a few weeks.’ I said, ‘Are you new here?’ And she said, ‘Well, this is my first time visiting your church.’ When she used the phrase your church, it caught my attention and I said, ‘That’s wonderful.’ I said, ‘We love to have visitors. We’re so grateful that you’re here. What brought you here?’
    
    “And she said, ‘Well, there’s a little bit of a story.’ And I said, ‘Well, there’s 15 minutes. Please tell me a story.’ She proceeds to tell me that 20 years ago she was working for a small newspaper right outside of Nashville. One of her responsibilities was to edit the religion section of the paper. A group of men had written an article about the church. They brought it to her and asked her to publish it. She, like a good editor, asked what their sources were and they admitted that they had not talked to anyone from the church and she said, ‘Well, don’t you think we should talk to someone from the church before we publish an article about the church?’
    
    “She took it upon herself to reach out to the church, so she went to the phone book, looked up The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She dialed the number. A man who she described as having a nice voice answered. She described her plight to him. He said, ‘I’m really busy right now, but I’ll be at the church on Wednesday and if you come back, then I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.’ She begins to tell me about this meeting that she has on this Wednesday night at what was – she didn’t realize it – but it was the stake center. She said, ‘This man was so kind and so gracious.’ And then she used this phrase, ‘He must have been the most Christlike person I have ever met.’ Well, she left that interview. You know how sometimes life gets in the way? Not the bad things of life but the busyness of life.
    
    “She didn’t do anything about those feelings that she had until the week before we had met in our church building. She was walking through a business park in Brentwood, Tennessee, walked by a door that had a nameplate that said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Tennessee Nashville Mission. She said that same feeling that she had had two decades ago came back and she felt compelled to walk into what was the mission office. She tells the sweet senior sister missionary seated at the receptionist desk this story. And this senior missionary, I don’t know exactly what words she used, but I imagine in my mind she said, ‘Jackie, surely you know the Lord has brought you here. You’ve got to come and see why you felt that way then and why you felt that way today.’ She gave Jackie the address for our church building and the time that Sacrament meeting started. There she was in our overflow.
    
    “I’ve grown up in Tennessee and those are my people and I was curious about the story and I said, ‘Do you by chance remember the name of the man that you talked to 20 years ago on that Wednesday night?’ And she said, ‘I’ll never forget him. His name was Todd Christofferson.’ Six weeks after that Jackie was dressed in white. I was privileged to be dressed in white with her. After her baptism, with her hair still dripping, the bishop asked her to speak at her own baptism. He asked her to share her testimony, but if you’re a new convert, you don’t know any different. She stood up in front of what she referred to as her new church family. She thanked everyone for being there and then she said, ‘Brothers and sisters, I hope that you know that your lives may be the only Book of Mormon that anyone will ever read.'”
  • Elder Hugh B. Brown, “‘Father, Are You There?’“, BYU Devotional, October 8, 1967: “Some time ago a great actor in the city of New York gave a wonderful performance. There was thunderous applause at the end of the performance.
    
    “Some man in the audience thought he would like to hear this man read a scripture. He rose and said, ‘Sir, would you read for us the 23rd Psalm?’
    
    “Then the actor, being a great speaker as well as a great actor, said, ‘Why, yes, I know the words of the 23rd Psalm.’ And as such a man would read, he did read that wonderful psalm. When he finished, again there was thunderous applause.
    
    “But the actor arose and signaled for silence and said, ‘I appreciate your response, but there is a man sitting down here whom I happen to know. He is an elderly man. I would like for your benefit to have him come and really read the 23rd Psalm.’
    
    “The old man, of course, was frightened, but he yielded to the invitation, staggered to the stand, and read as only such a man could read the 23rd Psalm. In quavering voice he said:
    
    “‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    “‘He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
    “‘He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
    “‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
    “‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
    “‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’
    
    “He sat down, and there was complete silence; many were wiping their eyes.
    
    “The great actor arose and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, as I told you, I know the words of the 23rd Psalm, but this man knows the Shepherd.’
    
    “Oh, what a difference!”

Why does it matter, or why is it important? (Doctrines, Principles, Christlike Attributes)

• Christlike Attribute: “When I pray, I ask for charity—the pure love of Christ. (Moroni 7:47–48)” (Charity and Love)
  • “[47] But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. [48] Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.”

What’s in it for us? (Promises)

• I did not identify any promises associated with this invitation.

How will we take action? (Directives, Personal Revelation)

• “This does not take place only on Sundays. It takes place at the grocery store, the gas pump, the school meeting, the neighborhood gathering—all places where baptized and unbaptized members of our family work and live.” -Elder Buckner
  • Sister Michelle D. Craig, “Eyes to See“, October 2020 General Conference: “As I pray for the Lord to open my eyes to see things I might not normally see, I often ask myself two questions and pay attention to the impressions that come: ‘What am I doing that I should stop doing?’ and ‘What am I not doing that I should start doing?’
    
    “Months ago, during the sacrament, I asked myself these questions and was surprised by the impression that came. ‘Stop looking at your phone when you are waiting in lines.’ Looking at my phone in lines had become almost automatic; I found it a good time to multitask, catch up on email, look at headlines, or scroll through a social media feed.
    
    “The next morning, I found myself waiting in a long line at the store. I pulled out my phone and then remembered the impression I had received. I put my phone away and looked around. I saw an elderly gentleman in line ahead of me. His cart was empty except for a few cans of cat food. I felt a little awkward but said something really clever like, ‘I can see you have a cat.’ He said that a storm was coming, and he did not want to be caught without cat food. We visited briefly, and then he turned to me and said, ‘You know, I haven’t told anyone this, but today is my birthday.’ My heart melted. I wished him a happy birthday and offered a silent prayer of thanks that I had not been on my phone and missed an opportunity to truly see and connect with another person who needed it.
    
    “With all of my heart I do not want to be like the priest or the Levite on the road to Jericho—one who looks and passes by. But too often I think I am.”
• Mitch:
  • “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear: Develop identity-based habits. “It is a simple two-step process: 1. Decide the type of person you want to be. 2. Prove it to yourself with small wins… Once you have a handle on the type of person you want to be, you can begin taking small steps to reinforce your desired identity. I have a friend who lost over 100 pounds by asking herself, ‘What would a healthy person do?’ All day long, she would use this question as a guide. Would a healthy person walk or take a cab? Would a healthy person order a burrito or a salad? She figured if she acted like a healthy person long enough, eventually she would become that person. She was right.”
  • Bluffdale Utah Independence Stake Conference Adult Session, Saturday, March 8, 2025: A member of my Stake Presidency taught: “Don’t focus on the attributes of Christ without focusing on Christ.”
  • Action: I will strive to focus more on Christ. I will measure this by noticing the number of times each day I ask myself: ‘What would Jesus Christ do in this situation?’

What will you do?

How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

Conclusion

The focus of our next podcast episode will be the October 2024 General Conference address that was delivered by Elder D. Martin Goury and was entitled “Be Thou Clean.”

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Please remember that General Conference Applied is meant to be a supplement for your review of General Conference Addresses. We promise that you will get more out of each General Conference Applied episode when you study the General Conference address first.

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Tags

Belonging | Friendship | Jesus Christ | Unity

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