By Heather O.

1. Well, first we need to make our homes more like the temple… (sorry, couldn’t resist).

   But actually, I did think back to your questions on that post and the ones from the actual talk in the Ensign. It might be a place to start. Good luck!

   Comment #1 by ZinkaAugust 31st, 2009 at 7:51 pm

2. Wow. They are giving you carte blanche. Your assigned topic basically leaves everything wide open. That makes it easier and harder.

   We nurture the light of Christ in our homes by everything we do that invites the Spirit. So, that could mean anything from keeping a clean and tidy house (don’t look at my house please), to teaching our children not to contend with each other, to treating our spouses with love, to playing inspiring music, to reading the scriptures, to teaching our children the words of Christ, to testifying to our friends (member and non alike) in our homes.

   I think the pitfall in a talk like this is the temptation to take the grapeshot approach. If you do a laundry list mention of anything and everything that might relate (as I just did above), it won’t help your listeners. I say brainstorm yourself a laundry list (and I suppose that’s what you’re doing in part by coming here and asking for help) and then see what on the list you have a particular passion for or testimony of, then (and most important) pray about your audience, that you will be able to be an instrument in God’s hands and be inspired to focus on things that will help people who have come to be fed.

   Pray about the topics you like the best, ask for guidance, and then choose either 1, 3 or 5 (5 is probably pushing it) of these topics and center your talk around those. If you rely on the guidance of the Spirit, you can’t fail. Heavenly Father wants you to succeed. You and he are on the same mission–for at least those 20 minutes.

   Comment #2 by Pmom@ChocolateandGarlic.comAugust 31st, 2009 at 8:03 pm

3. And I was just freaking out about speaking in Sac meeting in three weeks…

   I guess the best bet would be getting back to basics. I find I do so much better when I focus on the simple things. Read my scriptures, pray, be humble, be kind… We can make all that so much more sophisticated, but it all boils down to living a life of humbleness to Christ.

   Sigh…I’m no help at all.

   Comment #3 by Tracy MAugust 31st, 2009 at 8:16 pm

4. I might mention part of why we want our homes to have the light of Christ. Something I had driven home recently.

   The other day I was taking my 4yr old home from someplace and he cried the whole. way. home. and for about an hour after we got home. It wasn’t that he wanted to stay where we were, it was because he did not want to go home. As I was standing there, frustrated beyond all reason, watching my son flail around on the ground loudly expressing his desire to be anywhere but in our home a line from my husband’s patriarchal blessing floated into my head. “[Your home] will be a welcome place to your [family], and to many other people, because the spirit of the Lord will be there.”

   Something clicked at that moment and I realized that if I want to ‘keep’ my kids in any real way then I need to make where I am (especially our house) someplace they like to be. Now that particular tantrum was very likely due to him being a tired hungry toddler who is more than ready to start preschool, but I did see that he was unhappy at home and felt impressed that it wasn’t just about having boring toys and stuff like that. I think I’ve been too focused on training him and haven’t been as good about respecting him and loving him in meaningful ways.

   Comment #4 by StarfoxyAugust 31st, 2009 at 8:23 pm

5. I don’t have a lengthy comment but it’s the first thing that came to mind when I read the post. (And sorry, I didn’t read the other comments before typing this.)

   Here goes…

   Discover what the “light of Christ” is and what it means to us then surrender to the process that will allow the Lord secure it within us.

   As for the nurturing bit, that just takes care of itself. If we have it, then we really don’t need to advertise it as much as we encourage with positivity another’s travels on their path to obtain it also…no matter what that path may be.

   Comment #5 by SinclairAugust 31st, 2009 at 8:41 pm

6. My husband’s family left the gospel when he was about 13 or 14. When we first married I wasn’t concerned about inviting the Lord into our home. Flash forward 18 yrs & we have two beautiful children who are choice spirits of our Father in Heaven. Sometimes (like the Wiz said) it’s just the simplest things that brings the Light of Christ. Like scripture study & family prayer. It can also be about inviting the missionaries over for a meal or changing a tire for someone on the road. Willingly doing VT or HT brings that light a little more fully into us. If we strive for Christ in our hearts then it stands to reason that His Light will also be in our homes.

   My husband has been more than a little vocal about not believing in the gospel but two weeks ago he was sustained & set apart as the sunday school secretary. Trust me when I say that the Light of Christ can be found in amazing & profound ways.

   Comment #6 by Sues2u2August 31st, 2009 at 8:48 pm

7. Um, be prepared to take pen marks on your sheets in stride without yelling?

   That’s all I got today. Bone-dry. Good luck.

   Comment #7 by Emily CAugust 31st, 2009 at 8:51 pm

8. Uhhh, stake conference?

   You could always move.

   Comment #8 by KrisAugust 31st, 2009 at 9:41 pm

9. Um, I’m taking the “each and every one of you who is reading this” thing seriously, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have anything of any substance to say.

   I think if it were me I’d have to talk about the little victories, since that’s about as good as we get right now. Mostly it’s just a day-to-day struggle to survive and stay sane. But last weekend we cleaned a lot before my husband’s best friend and his family came to visit, and I’ve managed to mostly keep it up for an entire week, which is amazing and makes everything run a little bit more smoothly. It also allowed my husband the freedom to ask a new family from our ward to dinner when he saw them at McDonalds — since the house was already clean, he knew I’d be okay with it.

   I’d say talk about the little things you manage in your life to make your home a place Christ would want to be. Whether it’s that you swept all the floors every night, or that you planted a garden with your children, or that you read the scriptures as a family every morning, or whatever. Maybe you could talk about how you managed to take care of and stay close to your son while you were on bedrest with your daughter? That’s a circumstance where you might not be able to do a lot of the normal things people might think of (like keeping things clean), but I’m sure you learned to compensate in other ways, which might be interesting for others to hear about. I know I always like to see things from a new perspective.

   Good luck!

   Comment #9 by VadaAugust 31st, 2009 at 10:43 pm

10. I’m glad I’m not speaking in stake conference. I like to make things all about me.

    Nurturing the light of Christ can also be thought of as developing your conscience - and instilling a strong sense of right and wrong in yourselves and in your children. Teaching them that right matters, even when it’s hard.

    Maybe an angle to take? Because it really is kind of a carte blanche topic, like Pmom said.

    Comment #10 by The WizAugust 31st, 2009 at 11:23 pm

11. I didn’t read all the responses, so sorry if someone said this, but I would add “saying we are sorry” to the list. One of the best things I learned from my mother was to say sorry when I am mean to my children. It is possible to discipline with kindness. Along those same lines, making sure our children feel loved (whether through physical affection such as hugs and kisses, or by telling them) is super important.

    Comment #11 by GingerSeptember 1st, 2009 at 4:10 am

12. The word “nurture” really stuck out to me in the topic that they gave you. To me, nurturing the light of Christ in our homes is different from just making sure it’s there. It’s more like we need to raise it up, take care of it, feed it (metaphorically, of course) be responsible for it, and most of all, love it.

    Comment #12 by mellocelloSeptember 1st, 2009 at 7:29 am

13. honesty, accuracy, ravioli

    Comment #13 by JaySeptember 1st, 2009 at 8:09 am

14. We have a lamp in the middle of our large living room window. I love coming home and seeing that light shining out so brightly into the gloom. I read by that lamp, I hold babies by that lamp, and I dream big dreams by that lamp. Now, I have 6 kids so it and it’s mate are looking a bit rag-tag but the light still shines and comforts.

    To me I think of happiness. Christ’s message is one of peace and joy. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that. When I feel the Spirit, it just makes me happy, as if I’m filled to the brim and I’m just going to burst and spill out everywhere. I have to remember to nurture that happiness, that joy so that I can shine and comfort too.

    Comment #14 by All8September 1st, 2009 at 8:21 am

15. The first thing I thought of when I heard your assigned topic was the idea of the light of Christ being the Holy Ghost and the power of discernment of truth and of right and wrong that is given to every person who comes to this earth. (see: Moroni 7:18-19 and D&C 84:46)

    Regarding the “nurturing” aspect of it, I thought of the fact that we have to live worthily of the companionship of the Holy Ghost and that the blessing of its constant companionship is something we enjoy when we are living up to our baptismal covenants. Also, that as we heed the spirit and its promptings we become more tuned in to its influence.

    That’s my 2cents, and I have enjoyed reading other’s take on it.

    Comment #15 by aprilSeptember 1st, 2009 at 9:19 am

16. There is a wonderful story written by the man who wrote Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten about using a mirror to reflect light on others and how we are all mirrors. We don’t own the light, we don’t manufacture the light but it is our duty to reflect that light to others…

    I can’t explain it well, so I found a link - it starts with “Are there any questions”…

    http://www.gaia.com/quotes/Robert_Fulghum

    Comment #16 by JoleneSeptember 1st, 2009 at 9:27 am

17. There is a wonderful story written by the man who wrote Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten about using a mirror to reflect light on others and how we are all mirrors. We don’t own the light, we don’t manufacture the light but it is our duty to reflect that light to others…

    I can’t explain it well, so I found a link - it starts with “Are there any questions”…

    http://www.gaia.com/quotes/Robert_Fulghum

    Comment #17 by JoleneSeptember 1st, 2009 at 9:27 am

18. I know it is not good blog etiquette to post a link and try to pirate traffic, but for your own personal use, in case you find it helpful, my General Conference Book Club this week is kind of tackling this topic and the talks and articles there are things you might find helpful. (I do understand the whole temple home frustration thing, believe me, but it’s still a worthy goal.)

    http://diapersanddivinity.com/2009/08/30/general-conference-book-club-week-21-elder-stevenson/

    and

    http://diapersanddivinity.com/2009/05/06/womens-conference-chapter-2-integrity/

    (look at #2 on the list there)

    Comment #18 by Steph @ Diapers and DivinitySeptember 1st, 2009 at 10:44 am

19. By having the light yourself first, so by doing all the Sunday School answer things.

    When I was engaged, the Bishop told us it was more important to have personal scripture study and prayer than family study and prayer. It seems to me, if I’m doing the first, the other pretty much falls into place. But I don’t think it would go as easily the other way around (from a parents point of view). However, when do those things as a family–my kids start doing them on their own.

    Comment #19 by mmilesSeptember 1st, 2009 at 11:28 am

20. I’m still working on that myself. We’re doing a hymn before family scripture study now. The kids don’t like to sing but I think it at leasts gives them a minute to get ready for scripture reading, you know, just to settle them down. We do one hymn each week. I don’t know if it’s working, but we’ll keep trying.

    Comment #20 by mormonhermitmomSeptember 1st, 2009 at 11:45 am

21. All good advice above, my only advice on any talk is to make it personal. Talk about why it matters to you, how it applies in your life, (ya know, a specific example from your home)….also, offer a specific challenge to the members - something real they can go and do. Good luck.

    Comment #21 by amelia bedeliaSeptember 1st, 2009 at 12:09 pm

22. Growing up, I had a friend who lived in really rough circumstances. I invited her over only a few times, but really loved spending time with her. As adults, she confided that those days in my mother’s home were the really happy ones–that she felt safe, and loved, and acceptable, and knew that there was something better in the world for her.

    My mother does nurture the light of Christ in the home–she does the “Sunday School Basics”, but it’s beyond that. Home can be a refuge, for our own family, and sometimes, without us realizing it, for others. If my home were the only place on earth a person might feel God’s love, am I doing a good enough job? Would the atmosphere in my home be enough to draw them to Christ? If not, why not? What can I change?

    Comment #22 by Liz XSeptember 1st, 2009 at 12:21 pm

23. Here’s my two cents (and trust me - this is something we sorely need in our home!)
    Open the scriptures, every day, with your kids. Turn off Miley Cyrus and turn on the primary hymns, just for a few minutes. Sit down on the floor and play.

    Comment #23 by Aunt LoLoSeptember 1st, 2009 at 1:19 pm

24. I think Liz X hit the nail on the head. To me, the Light of Christ is Love. With a capital L. If your home is one of Love, your family and visitors will feel safe and comfortable. They will be reminded of spiritual things and they will gain confidence. Everything seems to fall into place when your actions reflect love of God, love of family, and lastly love of self.

    Comment #24 by Jessie T.September 1st, 2009 at 1:24 pm

25. I think the light of Christ is perceived more easily and more often when we *appreciate* what’s happening to/around/in our families. Such as: seeing the family’s difficulties as opportunities to learn, acknowledging and respecting the contributions of each member toward the well-being of the whole, and recognizing the many divine blessings that combine to bring the family to be where and what it is.

    Katherine

    Comment #25 by SWSeptember 1st, 2009 at 6:28 pm

26. After many years, I concurr with what is quoted below. If you can get the Spirit of God into your children while they are with you, they will “hold to the iron rod” when they are without you. Your home has to become a sanctuary from a disfunctional and darkening world. You have to teach them while they are young and protect them more than ever. That being said, you have to prepare them to go into the world, not shelter them from it. But arm them with the Spirit of God and you cannot fail.

    QUOTE:
     Brigham Young also visited me after his death. On one occasion he and Brother Heber C. Kimball came in a splendid chariot, with fine white horses, and accompanied me to a conference that I was going to attend. When I got there I asked Brother Brigham if he would take charge of the conference. “No,” said he, “I have done my work here. I have come to see what you are doing and what you are teaching the people.” And he told me what Joseph Smith had taught him in Winter Quarters, to teach the people to get the Spirit of God. He said, “I want you to teach the people to get the Spirit of God. You cannot build up the Kingdom of God without that.”

    This what I want to say to the brethren and sisters here today. Every man and woman in this Church should labor to get that Spirit. We are surrounded by these evil spirits that are at war against God and against everything looking to the building up of the kingdom of God; and we need this Holy Spirit to enable us to overcome these influences. (Collected Discourses, Vol.5, Wilford Woodruff, October 19, 1896)

    Comment #26 by SusanSeptember 1st, 2009 at 7:22 pm

27. i’m with kris. MOVE. far far away…..

    Comment #27 by lizSeptember 1st, 2009 at 8:31 pm

28. In case you’re not freaked out enough… when I spoke in Stake Conference, President Hinckley decided to pop in for a visit. SO, you should definitely plan for a presidential possibility.

    My two cents: nurturing means to be incredibly aware, to consistently measure - what is the feeling in your home? What needs to change and is everyone on board with the goal of home as a heaven on earth? Our family motto is Celestial Here. We want to replicate eternity in our home - it’s what nuturing the light of Christ in our homes is all about.

    Comment #28 by Laurieann ThorpeSeptember 2nd, 2009 at 7:13 am

29. My husband volunteers us to speak (and sing). Ugh. We last talked about strengthening families. I really came to appreciate the following verses and I think that they would apply to your topic:

    Colossians 3: starting at verse 9

    …seeing that ye have put off the bold man with his deeds; And have put on the anew man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: … but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forebearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
    And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him….And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord.

    I really liked the last part about doing what we do “heartily”. We really need to mean it, or at least pretend we do until it is a reality.

    I also play the organ for our ward. While I was playing prelude one of the counselors told me that the area seventy was there. I told him that he really could have held that information to himself until AFTER I was done speaking.

    Best of luck. You will be fine. You will gain new personal insight. People will be touched and make a concerted effort to nurture the Spirit of Christ in their homes. Then, you will breathe a sigh of relief and savor just one piece of really good chocolate.

    Comment #29 by JCSeptember 2nd, 2009 at 8:18 am

30. I agree with some of the writers before me who said that you should seek to know what the light of Christ is and then how YOU should apply it in YOUR life. I am not sister so and so. I don’t have her strenghts/weaknesses. I am me. I need to know what the Lord wants from me specifially for ME. It may be a good workout and scripture study each day. IT maybe some other things. THe key is individuality, without straying from our universal beliefs. THe beauty of our church is that is has a set of standeards but that they are can be tailored for our individual lives. I try so hard to remember this when I am faced with a sister so and so who says “IF only you do these 100 things you life will be better”.

    Comment #30 by gineeSeptember 2nd, 2009 at 3:10 pm

31. I think there needs to be an obvious physical presence. A visual reminder of Christ and his teachings. We do this by hanging artwork, having the family proclamation hanging, as well as other-physical reminders (statues). This way we are give regular visual reminders of who we should be modeling our life after.

    Comment #31 by girlsmamaSeptember 2nd, 2009 at 7:08 pm

32. I’d say try to stay away from assuming everyone is a young married Mormon couple with 3 kids.
    I’d want to talk about integrity, living in difficult circumstances, praying about each family member, that loving someone doesn’t mean letting them do whatever they want, praying to know God’s will for us, having faith to follow his will.

    Comment #32 by jksSeptember 2nd, 2009 at 9:01 pm

33. Whatever you say, don’t run long. Remember, 5 minutes = 5 minutes. Especially in Stake Conference. Leave the heavy lifting to the Stake Presidency (or visiting authority). And relax. Very few people will remember what you say, but they will remember the Spirit. Too many people stress over the words of their talks. Concentrate on having the Spirit with you and you’ll be fine.

    Comment #33 by Brother of HeatherSeptember 3rd, 2009 at 2:42 pm

34. Yo bro—-I got assigned 15 minutes. And yes, they were very specific with the time. I think they would shut the mic off if I ran long.

    Just so y’all know, I really appreciate this. I’m still coming up completely blank, and terrified, and stressed, and wondering if I will open my mouth and nothing will come out. I have no idea if I can pull this off.

    Comment #34 by Heather O.September 3rd, 2009 at 7:44 pm

35. My comments might be way too late here, but here is the first thing that popped into my head when you posed the question. The light of Christ is given to EVERYBODY right? The way I look at it, it is indicative not just of who we are, but who we CAN be. For example, when Nephi and his family are in the wilderness and they’ve been wandering around for a while, they’re starting to get tired. And hungry. And impatient. And then Nephi breaks his bow. What happens after that? Lehi murmurs. LEHI - the one who had the vision in the first place, the one who stood as the partriarch of his family, the one who had the faith to lead his family out of Jerusalem had had it, and he murmured. What did Nephi do after he fixed his bow (with the Lord’s help)? He went to his father and asked where he should go to look for food. Nephi nurtured the light of Christ in his father by treating him the way he knew his father COULD be, in spite of the fact that he was having a weak moment.

    These moments happen in our lives all the time. One thing that my husband is really good at is when he can tell I’m at the end of my rope, he will sometimes come up to me and say, “Do you need a hug?” and he’s not being sarcastic or patronizing - he knows that his affection will diffuse my stress, and get me back to where I can be instead of the way I’m acting at the moment. I think that is nurturing the light of Christ that he knows I have inside me somewhere (and some days he has to dig deeper to find it, but we won’t get into that ) I’m sure you have similar examples from your personal life, and I think those kinds of examples are highly effective when speaking to a large group because it helps them identify.

    Wow. I’ll stop talking now. Good luck, the rest of us here know that you’ll do a great job!

    Comment #35 by kristySeptember 4th, 2009 at 10:59 am

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