As this issue of the Church News is being circulated, the 175th Semiannual General Conference of the Church convenes in Salt Lake City, though many of our readers will not receive their copies until after the conference has concluded.

In addition to being a pleasant and durable tradition in the Church, general conference is consistent with the Lord's commandment given early in this dispensation (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:61). More than once in revelations to the early Brethren, He directed them to hold a meeting or conference and "rejoice together" (Doctrine and Covenants 62:4; see a similar instruction in 58:61).

In addition to conducting business pertaining to the general membership, the purposes of such gatherings are clear: a recharging of spiritual batteries, as it were; strengthening of one another in the work of the kingdom, giving instruction and correction in doctrine and principle, a uniting of faith so that the Lord's Spirit might be poured out upon the collective body.

Of course, things have changed immensely since the early days of the Church. In a way undreamed of in the 19th century, technology is in place to carry the written words of God's servants instantly to the body of the Church, and at less expense, perhaps, than a live assembly. Moreover, the membership has grown so large that only a miniscule fraction can be contained in one place, even with the increased capacity provided by the Conference Center. Some might wonder then about the continuing practicality of these large, twice-yearly, live gatherings.

The answer, perhaps, can be found in the words of Nephi, who remarked that he was "not mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men" (2 Nephi 33:1). It is true that the spoken word — with attendant voice inflection, gestures, eye contact — has a unique potential to influence the hearts of receivers.

Nephi went on to observe that "there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as a thing of naught" (verse 2). That can happen with the spoken word as well, for "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

It follows, then, that those who receive general conference messages, either in written or spoken form, must be spiritually prepared to derive personal benefit. How can we be thus prepared?

To answer that, we might turn to the words of Jarom, Nephi's grandnephew and the fourth in the line of record keepers. He lamented that there was much that had to be done among his people "because of the hardness of their hearts, and the deafness of their ears, and the blindness of their minds, and the stiffness of their necks" (Jarom 1:3). Here, in one sentence, Jarom has named all the elements of the body that, in a figurative sense, relate to human understanding. Let us consider each in turn as it pertains to preparing ourselves to receive general conference:

The heart has been regarded through the ages as the seat of human emotion and innermost feeling. A heart that is hardened cannot be touched by the influence of the Spirit present at conference.

Ears that hear symbolize the attention we must give to the proceedings of the conference in order to benefit thereby. Obviously, this entails clearing our schedules so that we can take in the sessions, particularly on Sunday when, in much of the Church, conference broadcasts take the place of the regular Sabbath-day meetings we are commanded to attend.

The phrase "blindness of their minds" might seem like a mixed metaphor until we reflect that the eyes and the brain, the organ of the mind, together form an integral system we call vision. Like a lens detached from a camera body, the eyes are useless without the brain to process the images they take in. Any of several conditions might be present to blind our vision and intellect to the messages of conference, including prejudice, apathy, hostility, fanaticism and ignorance.

Another such condition is pride, and that relates to Jarom's fourth metaphor, "the stiffness of their necks." In a scriptural sense, a stiff neck is one that does not allow the head to bow in humility, which is a prerequisite to receiving the things of God.

There is much we can do individually to prepare our hearts, ears, minds and attitudes; perhaps the foremost is to approach our Heavenly Father in humble prayer to so bless us. Let us bear that in mind as we enjoy another general conference.