feasting

I am not a big eater. This is not a surprise to anyone who knows me at all. Since I started playing tennis on a regular basis I've had to pay extra attention to my diet and increase my calorie intake, so that I don't lose weight. Maybe I will even be able to gain some?

The recent general conference of the church was a spiritual feast. After four two-hour sessions of conference, I was overwhelmed in the good way. I truly felt that I had taken in all that I could and look  forward to studying the messages in the months ahead.

Then tonight, I was invited to a meeting with Elder Johnson of the first quorum of seventy. It was like dessert after Thanksgiving dinner. Delicious! Even when you are completely full.

Elder Johnson called Doug to the stake presidency when we lived in the UK. I remembered the engaging personality of this very charming Englishman. Fifteen years later our paths have crossed again.

He is on his 100th mission tour with his wife, Pamela.

Here are a few of my favorite thoughts from the evening:

• The way we stand in troubled times is as "one", united, together
• I am an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing else
• When we have come unto Christ we cannot be restrained from reaching out to others
• We do not have selective friendships--we love everyone
• Everything important happens one by one
• That which tears people down furthers the work of Satan and that which builds people up furthers the work of the Savior
• If you serve with the Spirit you will never get burned out

He also counseled us to look for and study the theme of unity in conference.

It was a wonderful evening, and I feel  blessed to have had this very fulfilling experience.