New Era’s General Conference Notebook a “Dedicated Place” for Learning How to Receive Revelation

Contributed By Eleanor Cain Adams, ChurchofJesusChrist.org Church News staff writer

  • 5 April 2019

Two young women use the General Conference Notebook, a supplemental resource sent to New Era subscribers that’s intended to help youth participate in and record personal revelation during general conference. The notebook is now available for individual download on the New Era website.

Article Highlights

  • Preparing for general conference will help youth learn to receive revelation.
  • The General Conference Notebook is designed to help youth begin study habits now.
  • The notebook is now available for download in black and white to facilitate easy printing.

“[The General Conference Notebook is] one dedicated place where [youth] can put the quote that stood out to them; one dedicated place where they can write their testimonies and remind themselves of that one thing they felt stood out to them; one place where they can say, ‘I need to do this because of what I felt or heard.’” —Ryan Jensen, New Era managing editor

A year after its release last April, the New Era’s General Conference Notebook is now available for download in black and white or color for both single- or double-sided options.

The additional printing options make it even easier for youth, parents, or leaders to print the note-taking booklet at home, said New Era managing editor Ryan Jensen, because only one notebook comes per New Era subscription and is currently unavailable in Church distribution centers.

The General Conference Notebook is a supplemental resource sent to New Era subscribers that’s intended to help youth participate in and record personal revelation during general conference and beyond, Jensen said.

“It’s not in one random notebook, not in some random note on the phone—it’s a physical reminder of all the things youth heard and felt during the two days of conference that they can lean back on through the next six months.”

General conference preparation

The General Conference Notebook is meant to help youth prepare before conference even begins, Jensen said. For example, the notebook’s Q&A section helps youth prepare to receive inspiration by pondering on and writing down any questions they may have—including a space for answers they receive.

The April 2019 notebook even features a new section where youth can prep their own conference game board to highlight themes and lessons learned with their families in a fun and creative way.

More than anything, Jensen said, the notebook serves as a unified place where youth can focus on preparing to receive inspiration.

“It’s one dedicated place where they can put the quote that stood out to them; one dedicated place where they can write their testimonies and remind themselves of that one thing they felt stood out to them; one place where they can say, ‘I need to do this because of what I felt or heard,’” Jensen said.

The General Conference Notebook will help youth learn to receive revelation this April 2019 general conference.

Listening for and recording revelation

One of the key goals of the notebook is to facilitate individual patterns for receiving revelation, Jensen said. For this purpose, the notebook includes a variety of pages for note-taking that feature inspiring quotes from Church leaders and designated boxes for writing down promised blessings, action items, and favorite quotes.

President Russell M. Nelson has recently emphasized the importance of learning how to listen to the Holy Ghost and writing down personal revelation.

“Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen!” President Nelson counseled. “Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will ‘grow into the principle of revelation’” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Apr. 2018 general conference, emphasis added).

The notebook gives youth a designated space to begin that habit of listening to and recording those spiritual promptings, Jensen said.

“We want it to provide an experience for youth while they’re participating in conference where they can … make note of the inspiration they receive from the Holy Ghost,” he shared.

The table of contents page displays the different resources the notebook includes.

Setting a pattern for personal study

The General Conference Notebook is meant to supplement any efforts youth have already made in advancing their personal study of the gospel, Jensen noted.

“While we want it to be available for youth to have a dedicated place for their conference experience, we know it’s not the only place—it’s not meant to replace a system that works for you,” he said. “But if you haven’t found that one thing that works for you, give it a try and see what works.”

After all, establishing habits for personal study, how to receive revelation and how to act on those promptings now—as a young man or a young woman—can make a huge difference in the long run, Jensen said.

“That’s going to be a pattern that you can take with you throughout the rest of your life, hearing the words of prophets, apostles, and other Church leaders every six months and doing what you’re feeling you should do,” he said. “That’s going to set you up for long-term success within the gospel and keeping on the covenant path.”

On this page, youth can write down their questions and the answers they receive during conference.

What’s next?

Share feedback with the New Era team. As the notebook is set to be translated and shared with the worldwide Church next October, Jensen welcomes any feedback to ensure the notebook is the best resource it can be.

Here’s what you can do:

Youth can keep track of what themes they’ve noticed during conference for future reference.

This is a new page in the notebook that helps youth and their families pay attention during conference by making their own fun conference game.

One of the many note pages in the notebook makes it easy to keep track of favorite notes and insights from conference.

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