A Conversation with Sister Julie B. Beck

My interview/discussion with Sister Julie B. Beck, the General Relief Society President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints finally went live today on The Mormon Channel. She is the president of the worlds largest women's organization and it was a humbling experience being able to meet with her. She is an inspired woman, who cares for the women of the world deeply.

I wrote about my experience meeting with her on my other blog, MMB and if you're interested you can click over there to see what other things I had to say.

For me the some of the biggest things that I took from these meetings with the General Relief Society President, Sister Julie B. Beck, were:

1. The ways we can utilize the war chapters in Alma in raising our families in “enemy territory”. I felt a call to action to learn those chapters and learn them well. They should be every mothers blue-print as we raise our families in enemy territory.

2. We discussed at great length our duty as Latter-day Saint Women Bloggers to be women like Abish—leaders in our own little blogging communities, leading people to righteousness. In fact when I left my first meeting with Sister Beck, I asked her what she would have me do, and she said “Be a woman like Abish and lead people in your own way to righteousness.”

3. The heavy burden that is Sister Becks of being the steward of all the Women and Children. That is a heavy burden to carry. I saw the tears in her eyes as she expressed her love and concern for the women of the church.

4. Her desire for us to all get along and stop being our own worst enemy. We as women can be quite mean to each other. We “war and jangle” with one another—are critical of the choices that each other is making—when we should be the safe place for us each to land. If we were the safe places for each other, then our Relief Societies would be places where we could ask questions, express sorrows, and request help without feeling like we are being judged.

5. That sometimes when we look to our peers for answers to our questions we are just flaming the fire. We need to look to the women in our lives—in our past—to find the answers to the questions that really plague us. Look at the “Grandmother” figures in our wards and search them out and learn from them. Age brings wisdom and they can shed a different light on the issues we are struggling with because of their life experiences.

The experience I had while waiting to meet with her each time was deeply personal. I had the spirit of the Lord strongly present in my life as I read the comments and questions pouring in-- and I had the constant reminder in the back of my mind of the spiritual gift that the Lord has blessed me with. He is a wise one, the Lord, and he knew that this gift-- the simple gift of knowing-- would be the best one for me. I don't need to speak a million languages or see angels. I just know. And that knowing allows me to see, hear and understand all sides of the equation without it damaging my own faith.

Take a listen and see what you think.

I learned some things that blew my mind.

But mostly? I'm proud to call myself a Mormon Woman-- a woman who is strong, educated, progressive,  dedicated and an individual.

Which is what my religion is truly all about-- its an individual experience.