Generally I go by the instruction in the Doctrine
and Covenants, section 46, verse 2.
It reads, "Notwithstanding [that which was] written, it
[was]
given to the elders of my church in the beginning, and
ever shall be, [that they shall] conduct all meetings as
they are ... guided by the Spirit."
That's pretty inclusive.
I follow that, and sometimes it takes a little courage to
go with a blank mind, but it always comes.
You stand up, and the Spirit always comes.
We don't worry about you because you're connected to
the powers of heaven, and you need not be afraid.
We all draw from our experience, as well as from
the Spirit, but he seems to draw more from the
Spirit than any other.
But he also has pertinent personal experiences to share
that help people apply, in simple ways, the gospel.
And I think that's perhaps his greatest strength, that he
makes it simple.
As a member of the Twelve, I don't hold any more priesthood
than any high priest in the Church or any
elder in the Church.
We have conferred upon us that priesthood after the holiest
order of God, the Melchizedek Priesthood.
If you understand that, any elder anywhere in the world
has authority to do what needs doing.
I sense in these opportunities that there's a hunger, in a
way, to just share an experience together where we
all feel the Spirit, where we all are being taught according
to our need and our circumstances in an individual
way by the Spirit.
It's a group meeting but an individual tutoring.
There is nothing that cannot be overcome, cannot be
conquered, cannot be dealt with, if you
have the Holy Ghost.
There is little you can achieve that's
lasting without it.
And I believe everyone who participates appreciates that
opportunity.
We hunger for it; we look forward to that; we all have a
need for it.
Another thing I sense is a longing to hear the testimony
of an Apostle--not that they don't have it themselves.
We're sharing a testimony that most everyone who hears it
also possesses.
I bear witness of the Father, who has ordained that we would
each receive the Holy Ghost, who loves us so much that He
gave His Son.
That being the first and foremost responsibility of an
Apostle, to bear witness of the name of Christ, is the
thing that has the greatest impact, I think, and that
people most want to feel.
And the Son, who willingly placed upon the altar His own
life--who is the very Son of God, who is the literally
resurrected Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who stands at the head
of this Church.
But I think that's the greatest service we can
provide to people in and out of the Church, to know that
one thing, for surety, of the Savior--that He is the Son of
God, that we do have a Heavenly Father, who is His
Father and our Father, and that His grace is sufficient
for our salvation and our resurrection, and all that
that entails.
That's everything that matters.