“UNEQUIVOCALLY UNASHAMED OF CHRIST”

This past weekend [March 31-April 1] was General Conference for us LDS CHURCH members. A reprieve for the souls who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" and await and hopefully, prepare to "be filled" with the vital oil of the Holy Ghost. It is another opportunity to see and hear a "living" oracle of God teach, exhort, bless and speak truth to our attentive ears and reverent hearts. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for the past 35 years has given me many opportunities to hear the voice of a living prophet—including our present Prophet—Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley. I cherish the privilege of knowing for myself that God lives; hears our prayers and gave us His Only Begotten Son to deliver us from eternal death.
Elder Jeffrey Holland explains:
"A general conference of the Church is a declaration to all the worldthat Jesus is the Christ, that He and His Father, the God and Father of usall, appeared to the boy prophet Joseph Smith in fulfillment of thatancient promise that the resurrected Jesus of Nazareth would again restoreHis Church on earth and again 'come in like manner as [those JudeanSaints had] seen him [ascend] into heaven' (Acts 1:11).This conference and every other conference like it is a declaration that Hecondescended to come to earth in poverty and humility, to face sorrow andrejection, disappointment and death in order that we might be saved fromthose very fates as our eternity unfolds, that 'with his stripes we arehealed' (Isaiah 53:5). This conference proclaims to every nation,kindred, tongue, and people the loving Messianic promise that 'hismercy endureth for ever' (see Psalm 136:1)."

Having a personal and a slow-maturing testimony has helped me come to realize in grades that life without the knowledge of Christ and the restored Gospel with all its tenants would be purposeless, without prevailing consequence and obnoxiously dismal. I’m not here to give a lecture, preach a sermon nor do I wish to sound like “I know it all.” {I’m learning that pride takes away from everything I want to be now and in time, and that it serves no “real” purpose achieving to living a life of peace and confidence in the Lord, so what would be the point?}

1. I testify that Christ is “THE ETERNAL PURPOSE” that motivates me each day to seek the greater good, to believe in happiness and to cling to light even when darkness invades. In the Gospel of Jesus Christ there’s a universal purpose, briefly stated in The Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Christ) is “prepared to meet God.” The late Apostle Elder Neal A. Maxwell expressed it best. “We are, at the center of God's eternal purposes, for He has told us what His work and His glory consist of. There can be no sense of purpose—no lasting purpose—for us that exists apart from His purposes.”
2. Christ is the ONLY TRUTH we can hold on to no matter what circumstance arrives. To me He is all that is unfailingly steady and unchangeable. William George Jordan (1864 - 1928) was an American editor and essayist, considered by some to be one of the greatest essayists of his time once said in terms to truth:“If you have truth on your side, you can pass through the dark valley of slander, misrepresentation and abuse, undaunted as though you wore a magic suit of mail that no bullet could enter, no arrow could pierce. You can hold your head high, toss it fearlessly and defiantly, look every man calmly and unflinchingly in the eye, as though you rode, a victorious king, returning at the head of your legions with banners waving and lances glistening, and bugles filling the air with music.” (William George Jordan.) And, from one of the Church’s Elder’s of the Canadian Mission concises it for me. “The greatest change of all triumphs over the minor changes, and above them all is the unchanging Christ.”
Nobody’s life is perfect, [look at Princess Diana—yikes!] nonetheless, I do know life is sweeter, more bearable and definitely more purposeful with Christ at our center. We can all be less stressed and discover true, lasting peace if some very vital questions are answered and Christ has them.

TIDBIT!
“The Power of Truth” From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Power of Truth is a book written by essayist and Saturday Evening Post editor, William George Jordan. The book was first published in 1902. The Power of Truth is a self-help book that was originally 151 pages long. There are multiple versions of this book, but the original is the only that is 151 pages long. In the 1930's the copyright for this book was purchased by Mormon prophet Heber J. Grant. Grant re-published the book as a 64 page essay. Grant also published the first chapter of the book as a Christmas present while he was serving as mission president.