Love, Honor and Devotion will lead the way.

Sorry I have written a few days, but I have been battling a really nasty case of the Flu and at my age, that isn't as easy as it sounds. Still a week's worth of rest, some loving care by my amazing Wife and a truly powerful blessing by our incredible Elders last night and I seem to be on the mend. I feel more alert and more awake today than I have in the past week. With the grace and strength of God I will continue to get better.

After watching the Priesthood Conference last night and the first part of the General Conference today, I feel even more inspired and proud than I have over the whirlwind teaching and Baptism of the past few months. Listening to the inspiring stories and talks given by the leaders of our Faith literally gave me shivers occasionally. I think we are truly blessed to have these gifted people helping us and showing us the way.

I think the thing that touched me the most was something that probably seems very simple. As these men who have spent the majority of their lives serving God and Serving the faithful spoke, their voices would occasionally break with the true depth of their emotions. I would think that the vast majority of these speakers were raised as part of the generation that believed that “real men” never showed emotions or never shed a tear in a public place since that would be considered a sign of weakness.

And yet, as each man spoke, his voice would occasionally deepen and become scratchy as he remembered some particularly moving moment in his life. These older Gentlemen stood up in front of thousands live and millions around the world with tears in their eyes and love in their voices talking about just how amazing their lives have been. There was no shame on their faces for being “weak” or doubt in their voices for revealing the highs and lows they had experienced.

A Philosopher once said, “Showing strength real or imagined is simple. It is in our very nature to hide our pain or shame. Only one who is truly strong can stand before his fellow man and show that he is less than perfect.” Even today, boys are taught that showing weakness is unmanly. They are taught that real men don't cry or show their fears. For some reason, this also seems to translate into “Don't show emotions” at least not grand amounts of it and certainly not in public. Some people even find it a little frightening or daunting to show how much they care about the things they love.

So to see these amazing men standing in front of the entire world and being moved to tears and broken voices over their love of God and the lives he has given them makes me think that the path of our Faith and our Church is in good, solid hands because our Leaders have been truly blessed and touched by God.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.