2021
Until Next Time: 5 Ways to Keep the Spirit of Conference with You
May 2021

Until Next Time: 5 Ways to Keep the Spirit of Conference with You

By Sarah Lott Helzer

You can keep the messages from general conference with you every day.

young woman looking at phone near train

Photograph from Getty Images

General conference weekend is jam-packed with uplifting messages and prophetic counsel. So if you feel like you can hardly remember everything once the Sunday afternoon session ends, you’re not alone! Once the weekend is over, what can you do to keep the words of our Church leaders in your everyday life? How can you take their counsel and use it to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ? Here are five ideas you can use to keep general conference with you over the next six months.

1. Reread the talks.

One great way to keep general conference with you is to read, watch, or listen to each talk again. During conference weekend, we hear sometimes more than 30 powerful talks over the span of two days. Despite your best efforts and most detailed note-taking, there will likely be a few addresses you want (or need) to hear again.

Luckily, conference messages are easily accessible even after conference weekend is over. Here are some suggestions on ways to incorporate conference talks into your daily life:

  • Read a conference talk each week as part of your daily gospel study. Highlight passages that stand out to you and take notes on the page or in the Gospel Library app, just as you might in your scriptures.

  • Rewatch a general conference address during one of your home evenings with family members or friends.

  • Put in your headphones or ask Gospel Voice (available on Alexa and Google Assistant devices) to play conference for you. Listen to talks as you exercise, cook dinner, or get ready in the morning.

2. Pick a few specific invitations to work on at a time.

With so many invitations issued during conference weekend, trying to act on everything at once can feel overwhelming. It can also lead to feelings of discouragement and anxiety instead of the feelings of upliftment and happiness that are meant to accompany conference weekend.

Heavenly Father invites us to put forth our best effort, but He knows that we cannot do everything at once. So instead of overwhelming yourself with all that you could be doing, listen to the Spirit to help you choose a few invitations from general conference to begin working on. Consider prioritizing invitations given by our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.

3. Hang up your favorite quotes.

Make note of some quotes that stood out to you as you watched (or as you’ve revisited) conference. Write them down and hang them up somewhere you will see them every day, like on your bathroom mirror. You can hang several quotes at once or pick one at a time and swap it out for a new quote when you are ready.

As you read the quote, take a moment to ponder its meaning and remember Heavenly Father’s love for you.

4. Search for answers within the talks.

Just as you can read the scriptures with a question in mind, you can also read general conference talks with a question. Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prepare for general conference by thinking of questions that they have—questions like “How can I serve those around me?” and “How can I recognize God’s hand in my life?”

The opportunity to receive inspiration and revelation from general conference doesn’t end once conference weekend is over; you can always return to the words of our Church leaders for inspired guidance.

5. Share conference with others.

You can keep general conference with you by looking for opportunities to share it with others. Sharing conference can be as simple as putting a quote from conference that you really loved on social media or as personal as sending a comforting talk to a friend who is experiencing a trial.

Whether you want to share talks digitally or explain to someone what general conference is in an everyday conversation, praying for opportunities to share the inspired messages from general conference with those around you will help conference stay with you each day.

As Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Learning with and by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception.”1 As you make an effort to keep general conference with you over the next six months, your testimony of the restored gospel and our living prophet will grow. As you ponder the inspired words of our Church leaders, you can make the time between this general conference and the next even more meaningful.