Elder Alexander Dushku, a General Authority Seventy, spoke during the Saturday morning session of April 2024 general conference. Elder Dushku explained that a testimony comes over time, from “rays of light.” The following is a summary of what he said.
Elder Dushku’s talk summary
After a “thick darkness” enveloped Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove he exerted all his power to call upon God before a “pillar of light” gradually descended upon him. The reestablishment of the Lord’s Church began with Joseph’s desperate prayer and a pillar of light.
“Rather than sending us a pillar of light, the Lord sends us a ray of light, and then another, and another.”
These rays are continuously poured down upon God’s children. “If we have received the gift of the Holy Ghost and are striving to exercise faith, repent and honor our covenants, then we are worthy to receive these divine rays constantly.”
Everyone experiences God’s light and truth in different ways. A burst of testimony may come as a spiritual impression, a joyful assurance of God’s love, the gift to recognize “tender mercies of the Lord” (1 Nephi 1:20) or more.
No single ray is strong enough to constitute a full testimony, but together, they become a pillar of light the darkness of doubt cannot overcome.
“In the midst of that pillar, we too will find a loving Heavenly Father, calling us by name, pointing us to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and inviting us to ‘Hear Him!’”
Watch his message
Notable quotes
“Rather than sending us a pillar of light, the Lord sends us a ray of light, and then another, and another. Those rays of light are continuously being poured down upon us.”
“Perhaps no one ray is strong enough or bright enough to constitute a full testimony, but together they can become a light the darkness of doubt cannot overcome.”
“We too can have our own pillar of light — one ray at a time. And in the midst of that pillar, we too will find a loving Heavenly Father, calling us by name, pointing us to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and inviting us to ‘hear Him!’”
See the full text of Elder Dusku’s talk: ‘Pillars and Rays’
Who is Elder Dushku?
- Elder Alexander Dushku was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on Sept. 30, 2023.
- Elder Dushku graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a Juris Doctor degree from BYU. He practiced law at Kirton McConkie for 27 years, focusing on the First Amendment and religious freedom.
- He met his wife, Jennifer Burnham, during his second semester at BYU, before leaving to serve in the Portugal Lisbon Mission.
- His parents being converts to the Church, Elder Dushku was the first in his family to attend seminary and BYU, and the first to serve a mission.
What has Elder Dushku done recently?
- In January, Elder Dushku spoke to legal professionals at the 2024 J. Reuben Clark Law Society Annual Fireside, sharing that religious freedom is critical for the building up of Zion.
- Before becoming a General Authority Seventy, he spoke in a chaplains’ seminar for the Church in 2014, speaking on the “preservation of religious liberty.”
Read more about Elder Alexander Dushku here.
