Non-General Conference Applied: November 2024 Invitations Recap

Posted on by Mitch Peterson

Last updated on December 15th, 2024 at 07:58 am

General Conference Applied

S4 E7 – Sunday, December 1, 2024 | Non-General Conference Applied: November 2024 Invitations Recap

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Podcast Episode Outline

What is the speaker inviting me to do, and how might I consider taking action?

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President Russell M. Nelson

President Dallin H. Oaks

President Henry B. Eyring

President Jeffrey R. Holland

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Elder David A. Bednar

Elder Quentin L. Cook

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

  • 11/14/2024: “The Lord has more to give for those who feel and express gratitude for what they have already received. Let us be grateful and express that gratitude to Him constantly.”
  • 11/28/2024:

Elder Neil L. Andersen

  • 11/12/2024: “Hold on to the commandments of God and your sacred covenants and keep climbing. And if you need to sit down for a moment or a time, if you only have strength for this hour or this day, then rest and go to your knees—physically or in your mind—and pray to your Heavenly Father.”
  • 11/14/2024:
  • 11/28/2024:

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

Elder Dale G. Renlund

  • None.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Elder Ulisses Soares

Elder Patrick Kearon

  • 11/11/2024: “As fellow children of our Heavenly Father, it would do us well to talk with and listen to the thoughts and ideas of those who don’t agree with us. If we do this with an open heart, we’ll be blessed to understand one another and become a force for peace.”
  • Christlike Attribute: “I try to understand others’ feelings and see their point of view. (Jude 1:22) (Charity and Love)
  • Actions:
    1. Improve at finding common ground.
      • “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” by Adam Grant: “When I asked Harish [Natarajan]: ‘How do we improve at finding common ground?’ He offered a surprisingly practical tip: Most people immediately start with a ‘straw man’ – poking holes in the weakest version of the other side’s case. He does the reverse. He considers the strongest version of their case, which is known as the ‘steel man’. A politician might occasionally adopt that tactic to pander or persuade. But like a good scientist, Harish does it to learn.”
    2. Learn what non-Latter-Day Saints think of Jesus Christ.
    3. Beware of internet algorithms which show you more and more of what you viewed in the past, limiting your exposure to other opinions and points of view.
      • “Sacred Scriptures—the Foundations of Faith“, Elder Quentin L. Cook, October 2024 General Conference: “Both long-term members and those newly studying the gospel need to be intentional about what they view. Do not entertain immoral, dishonest, or unrighteous material. If you do, algorithms can lead you down a path that destroys faith and impairs your eternal progression. You can be acted upon positively or negatively. Seek righteousness and avoid dark internet rabbit holes and doomscrolling. Fill your life with positive, righteous ideas; be joyful; have fun but avoid foolishness. There is a difference. The thirteenth article of faith is a marvelous guide.”
  • 11/18/2024:

Instagram

President Russell M. Nelson

President Dallin H. Oaks

President Henry B. Eyring

President Jeffrey R. Holland

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Elder David A. Bednar

Elder Quentin L. Cook

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

  • 11/14/2024: “The Lord has more to give for those who feel and express gratitude for what they have already received. Let us be grateful and express that gratitude to Him constantly.”
  • 11/28/2024:

Elder Neil L. Andersen

  • 11/12/2024: “Hold on to the commandments of God and your sacred covenants and keep climbing. And if you need to sit down for a moment or a time, if you only have strength for this hour or this day, then rest and go to your knees—physically or in your mind—and pray to your Heavenly Father.”
  • 11/14/2024:
  • 11/28/2024:

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

Elder Dale G. Renlund

  • None.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Elder Ulisses Soares

Elder Patrick Kearon

  • 11/11/2024: “As fellow children of our Heavenly Father, it would do us well to talk with and listen to the thoughts and ideas of those who don’t agree with us. If we do this with an open heart, we’ll be blessed to understand one another and become a force for peace.”
  • 11/18/2024:

X

President Russell M. Nelson

President Dallin H. Oaks

President Henry B. Eyring

President Jeffrey R. Holland

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Elder David A. Bednar

Elder Quentin L. Cook

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

  • 11/14/2024: “The Lord has more to give for those who feel and express gratitude for what they have already received. Let us be grateful and express that gratitude to Him constantly.”
  • 11/28/2024:

Elder Neil L. Andersen

  • 11/12/2024: “Hold on to the commandments of God and your sacred covenants and keep climbing. And if you need to sit down for a moment or a time, if you only have strength for this hour or this day, then rest and go to your knees—physically or in your mind—and pray to your Heavenly Father.”
  • 11/14/2024:
  • 11/28/2024:

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

Elder Dale G. Renlund

  • None.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Elder Ulisses Soares

Elder Patrick Kearon

  • 11/11/2024: “As fellow children of our Heavenly Father, it would do us well to talk with and listen to the thoughts and ideas of those who don’t agree with us. If we do this with an open heart, we’ll be blessed to understand one another and become a force for peace.”
  • 11/18/2024:

Church Magazines

Friend

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Devotionals

Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults

Elder David A. Bednar

  • “Things as They Really Are 2.0“:
    • “Always remember that an AI companion is only a mathematical algorithm. It does not like you. It does not care about you. It does not really know if you exist or not. To repeat, it is a set of computer equations that will treat you as an object to be acted upon, if you let it. Please, do not let this technology entice you to become an object.”
    • “To navigate the complex intersection of spirituality and technology, Latter-day Saints should humbly and prayerfully (1) identify gospel principles that can guide their use of artificial intelligence and (2) strive sincerely for the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the spiritual gift of revelation.”
    • Christlike Attribute: “I seek knowledge and guidance through the Spirit. (1 Nephi 4:6) (Knowledge)
    • Actions:
      1. “Review and study the AI guiding principles developed and distributed by the Church.”
        • “I invite you to review and study the AI guiding principles developed and distributed by the Church earlier this year. These principles inform the Church’s use of artificial intelligence and provide a strong foundation upon which you can build your personal safeguards against the perils of inappropriate technology usage.” -Elder Bednar
      2. Study the following Church News Release: “Guiding Principles for the Church of Jesus Christ’s Use of Artificial Intelligence”
        • “Elder Gong said reliance on the Holy Spirit, wisdom and trusted sources can help inoculate against deepfakes [the fictitious or malicious use of someone’s name, image, and likeness].”
      3. Engage in “righteous work”.
        • “One of my great concerns is that overreliance on AI technology will cause us to become spiritually slothful and shallow—and to forfeit the blessings made possible through righteous work.

          “I wonder how many sacrament meeting messages and Sunday School, priesthood, and Relief Society lessons next Sunday will have been generated from AI. A simple command spoken into your digital device, wait a few seconds or minutes, and you have what you need. But do you really have what you need?

          “Now, I believe AI appropriately can assist in gathering information, critiquing our thinking, evaluating our writing style, and accelerating an iterative process of learning ‘line upon line [and] precept upon precept.’ But the divine capacities to create and work belong uniquely to each of us as sons and daughters of God. We undoubtedly can generate and produce fabulous content for a sacrament meeting talk with AI. But the objective is not merely producing or presenting impressive content; rather, it is working and becoming what God intends and yearns for us to become.

          “I personally do not use this technology to generate or draft my talks, articles, or content for other projects. This must be my diligent effort, my creative work, and, most importantly, my seeking to be open to inspiration from the Holy Ghost.

          “I do use this technology to critique my work. For example, after I finished writing the talk I am delivering to you right now, I asked an AI app to analyze and describe the tone of the talk for a worldwide audience of young adults who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” -Elder Bednar

BYU Devotionals

BYU – Hawaii

Elder Dale G. Renlund

  • “Take Upon the Name of Jesus Christ“:
    • “My invitation to you is that you willingly and wholeheartedly take upon you the name of Jesus Christ.”
    • Christlike Attribute: “I am true to God at all times. (Mosiah 18:9) (Integrity)
      • Directive: “We take on the name of Jesus Christ when we identify with Him, when we access His strength and power, when we emulate Him, when we join Him in His work, and when we always remember Him. We become our better selves when we focus on Christ, more so than when we focus on ourselves.”
      • Promise: “You will be blessed with His power, stability, and direction in your lives. If you don’t take on yourselves the name of Jesus Christ with real intent, you won’t have these blessings. Mormon described what happened to his people when Christ was not involved in their lives. His people ‘were once a delightsome people and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea they were led even by God the Father. But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they.’ [Mormon 5:17-18] Without sail means they were without power. Without anchor means they didn’t have stability. Without anything to steer with means they had no direction. Hence, my invitation to take on yourselves the name of Jesus Christ and all that that entails. As you do so, I promise you power, stability, and direction.”
    • Actions:
      1. “Identify with [Jesus Christ].”
        • “When we take on the name of Jesus Christ, we link our name with His. We identify with Him. We gladly become known as Christian. We come to Him, partake of the fruit of His atoning sacrifice, and we certainly do not look about as if we are ashamed. We acknowledge Him and we stand up and are counted as His. Metaphorically, the banner we carry and the jersey we wear identify ourselves with Him.” -Elder Renlund
        • “And Peter Went Out and Wept Bitterly“, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, April 1979 General Conference: “Peter, affirming his loyalty, his determination, his resolution, said that he would never deny. But the fear of men came upon him and the weakness of his flesh overtook him, and under the pressure of accusation, his resolution crumbled. Then, recognizing his wrong and weakness, ‘he went out, and wept.’

          “As I have read this account my heart goes out to Peter. So many of us are so much like him. We pledge our loyalty; we affirm our determination to be of good courage; we declare, sometimes even publicly, that come what may we will do the right thing, that we will stand for the right cause, that we will be true to ourselves and to others.

          “Then the pressures begin to build. …

          “Now, in conclusion, may I go back to Peter who denied and wept. Recognizing his error, repenting of his weakness, he turned about and became a mighty voice in bearing witness of the risen Lord. He, the senior apostle, dedicated the remainder of his life to testifying of the mission, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the living Son of the living God. He preached the moving sermon on the day of Pentecost when the multitude were touched in their hearts by the power of the Holy Ghost. In the authority of the priesthood received from his Master, he, with John, healed the lame man, the miracle that brought on persecution. He fearlessly spoke for his brethren when they were arraigned before the Sanhedrin. His was the vision that led to carrying the gospel to the Gentiles. (See Acts 2–4; 10.)

          “He suffered chains and prison and a terrible martyr’s death as a witness of Him who had called him from his nets to become a fisher of men (see Matt. 4:19). He remained faithful and true to the great and compelling trust given when the resurrected Lord in his final instructions to the eleven apostles charged them to go ‘and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’ (Matt. 28:19). And he it was who, with James and John, came back to earth in this dispensation to restore the holy priesthood, under which divine authority the Church of Jesus Christ was organized in these latter days and under which same authority it now functions. These mighty works and many more unmentioned were done by Peter who once had denied and sorrowed, and then rose above that remorse to carry forward the work of the Savior following his ascension and to participate in the restoration of that work in this dispensation.

          “Now, if there be any within the sound of my voice today who by word or act have denied the faith, I pray that you may draw comfort and resolution from the example of Peter who, though he had walked daily with Jesus, in an hour of extremity denied both the Lord and the testimony which he carried in his own heart. But he rose above this, and became a mighty defender and a powerful advocate. So too, there is a way for you to turn about, and add your strength and faith to the strength and faith of others in building the kingdom of God.”
      2. “Access [Jesus Christ’s] strength and power.”
        • “President Nelson taught, ‘Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ.’ In taking on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we take on His strength or power. As President Nelson further stated, ‘The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way.'” -Elder Renlund
      3. “Emulate [Jesus Christ].”
        • “When we take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we emulate Him. In this emulation, we attempt to develop the attributes He has. As stated in the Young Women Theme, ‘As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I strive to become like Him.’ As we do, we progressively become more and more as He is. We develop the kind of love He has. True followers of Jesus Christ seek this love. If we don’t have it, we ‘pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love.’ When we have this love, we show His love to others. We additionally work to acquire the Christlike attributes of virtue, integrity, patience, humility, diligence, and steadfast, unwavering obedience.” -Elder Renlund
      4. “Join [Jesus Christ] in His work.”
        • “When we take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we willingly join the Savior in His work. … We join the Savior in His work when we share His gospel, when we minister to those who have been wounded, shattered or crushed by their experiences in mortality, and when we help the vulnerable.” -Elder Renlund
      5. “Always remember [Jesus Christ].”
        • “As we partake of the sacrament, we covenant to always remember Jesus Christ. Even when we are occupied with other matters, we remain mindful of Him, just as we are always mindful of our own names, regardless of what we focus on. … What can we do to always remember? Among the most important is partaking of the sacrament each week.” -Elder Renlund

Other

Press Releases

President Russell M. Nelson

  • “First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Congratulate President-Elect Donald Trump on Election Win“:
    • “We congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States of America. We invite all to pray for him, other elected officers, and leaders of nations around the world. Praying for those in public office is a long tradition in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
    • Christlike Attribute: “My prayers are earnest and sincere. (Enos 1:4) (Humility)
    • Actions:
      1. “Pray for the president of the country.”
        • Church News Podcast Episode 207: Boyd Matheson on the gospel principles of civil, peaceful political engagement: [Boyd Matheson] “Here in the United States, of course, we have our major elections on the first Tuesday of November. … My neighbor … initiated something in our little neighborhood years ago, and it takes place on the Saturday after the election, and it is a 1K Donut Run.

          “1K and donuts. So it is less than the length of one street in our neighborhood. And I remember several years ago, it was the Saturday after the election. It had been an incredibly contentious election cycle, a lot of hard feelings, a lot of emotion. And I remember that Saturday morning I woke up, and I did not want to go to the 1K donut run. And I told my wife, Debbie, ‘I don’t want to go.’ She’s like, ‘We go. We’re going to go.’ And a little begrudgingly, I got up, we went. We meet in this area, we call it the grassy bowl there in the corner of the neighborhood. And I saw all of my neighbors had come. And every year they pick a different charity, and they raise a little bit of money for that. And we have a big motivational speech about all our training, you know, to get to the end of the street so we can get to the donuts and hot chocolate. And the race is really over before it begins.

          “But as I walked around, I didn’t hear a single person say anything about who they voted for or didn’t vote for, or how great this was, or how awful or terrible this was. I heard people talking about someone in the neighborhood who had just had a surgery and someone who had a parent who had just passed away. And the only thing I heard about a politician was a member of my neighborhood who, in answering a question about, ‘Oh, what are we going to do after the election?’ she said, ‘Well, my family got up and we did what we do every single morning in our house; we pray for the president of the country.’ And that was the only political comment I heard, and the race started and ended, and we ate donuts, and people stayed there for hours in community.

          “It was sacred ground, because it wasn’t about the politics, it wasn’t about anything else. It was about people coming together and recognizing that we are connected as children of our Heavenly Father.” [September 29, 2024, What? Eye. Read. 💡 Newsletter]
      2. Sign up for the 1440 Newsletter.
        • Sign up here. “The best, fact-driven information, expertly curated and explained for the intellectually curious. We scour 100+ sources so you don’t have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more.”
      3. Be “committed to the pursuit of truth.”
        • “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” by Adam Grant: “Taking responsibility is taking your power back. When we find out we might be wrong, a standard defense is: ‘I’m entitled to my opinion!’ I’d like to modify that. Yes, we’re entitled to hold opinions inside our own heads. If we choose to express them outloud, though, I think it’s our responsibility to ground them in logic and facts, share our reasoning with others, and change our minds when better evidence emerges. …

          “Every time we encounter new information, we have a choice: 1) We can attach our opinions to our identities and stand our ground in the stubbornness of preaching and prosecuting; or, 2) We can operate more like scientists, defining ourselves as people committed to the pursuit of truth, even if it means proving our own views wrong.”
        • “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” by Adam Grant: “Experts assessed American Presidents on a long list of personality traits, and compared them to rankings by independent historians and political scientists. Only one trait consistently predicted presidential greatness, after controlling for factors like years in office, wars, and scandals. It wasn’t whether Presidents were ambitious or forceful, friendly or Machiavellian. It wasn’t whether they were attractive, witty, poised, or polished. What set great Presidents apart was their intellectual curiosity and openness. They read widely and were as eager to learn about developments in biology, philosophy, architecture, and music, as in domestic and foreign affairs. They were interested in hearing new views and revising their old ones. They saw many of their policies as experiments to run, not points to score. Although they might have been politicians by profession, they often solved problems like scientists.”

Temple Dedicatory Prayers

President Russell M. Nelson

  • Deseret Peak Utah Temple:
    • “Please inspire our youth to attend Thy house often. Help them to discern truth from error. Please bless them with a desire to always be worthy of a temple recommend. Please inspire all who enter Thy house to stand as witnesses of Thee and Thy Beloved Son.”

Elder Quentin L. Cook

  • Casper Wyoming Temple:
    • “Please touch the hearts of the people, especially the youth, in this special part of Thy vineyard. That they may be inspired and motivated to attend this temple often and to search for their forebearers and do vicarious work on their behalf.”

Take Action

How will you take action on the invitations discussed in this podcast episode?

Conclusion

As we conclude this episode, I have some important information. Show notes for this and all other episodes can be found on my website, mitchellryanpeterson.com. On my website, you will also find my weekly What? Eye. Read. 💡 newsletter.

In my newsletter, I share the best thing I heard, saw, and read during the past week, as well as the best idea I developed. If you are wondering how you can help me: if you could subscribe to, rate, and review the podcast as well as share it with others, I would appreciate it. And please also sign up for my newsletter at mitchellryanpeterson.com.

You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook where I share additional General Conference related content. The links to my social media accounts are in the podcast episode details for each podcast episode. Lastly, please remember that General Conference Applied is meant to be a supplement for your review of General Conference Addresses.

I promise that you will get more out of each General Conference Applied episode when you study the General Conference address first. Thank you for joining me in this effort to become doers of the word and to take action on general conference invitations.

Additional Content

Previous Podcast Episode (“Nourish the Roots, and the Branches Will Grow” by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

Next Podcast Episode (“In the Space of Not Many Years” by Elder David A. Bednar)

All Podcast Episodes

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