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Our third hour was great – we reviewed the new site http://www.justserve.org/ and how we can use it to find ways to serve in our local community. Loved that. The website is very similar to one that we had at American Express where we could find local projects our teams could go do to serve in the community.My daughter wasn’t with us today because her friend’s church had a Disneyland trip this weekend, so we let her go to that. At the last minute she was dead panicked because they were doing a church service before the trip, and she was convinced they were going to trash on Mormons at this church service. I pointed out that while other churches may sometimes be critical of Mormons, it’s pretty unlikely that their church service would be about us. She continued to be anxious, so I told her if they said something bad about us, she should just stand up and say “Well, I’m a Mormon, and it’s not a cult,” but while she’s saying this she should hold up a paper in front of her chest that says “Save me!”
Spent the day at a fantastic ward service project. I love when we all come together to fill a need. Good Stuff. I’ve been on the lookout ever since this thread was created. I’ve gone through an extended drought locally but today… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4SUl69RFJ8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4SUl69RFJ8” class=”bbcode_url”> This week was WC and the lesson during SS was “Take My Yoke upon You, and Learn of Me.” The instruction was really good and all the comments made were truly awesome (if I didn’t know any better I’d have guessed that the person that substitute taught the class has an account on StayLDS
SM and the joint PH/RS had some wheat mixed in with the tares as well.
😆 We also had that lesson, and it was wonderful. I also was sustained as a High Councilor. I get to talk a lot and have no real authority. It’s perfect.
Ray, congrats to you. I am glad you are in a position to do good in your stake. Old-Timer wrote:We also had that lesson, and it was wonderful.
I also was sustained as a High Councilor. I get to talk a lot and have no real authority. It’s perfect.
I wouldn’t exactly call being in charge of setting up chairs for stake conference “no authority” Ray.
I had a few good things happen yesterday:
1. Terryl and Fiona Givens gave an excellent fireside presentation last evening. They are such down-to-earth people, I enjoyed meeting them and I thoroughly enjoyed their presentation. (I plan to give an expanded version of my notes at some point.) Seriously, if you have the opportunity to hear them speak, take it – you will come out edified. My only disappointment was how relatively poor the attendance was and that I was the only high councilor there, although a member of the stake presidency did willingly preside and participate. There were no bishops there, either. On the other hand, I knew almost everyone in the room and gained some insights into where some others are on their journeys.
2. Related to #1, I volunteered to say the opening prayer. That might not seem like a big deal, but I have not said a prayer in a larger meeting since returning – so for me it was sort of big. Honestly I don’t know what came over me, the sister conducting asked for a volunteer and my hand just went up.
😮 I generally avoid being asked and except for one time in HPG and a couple times in HC meetings I have been successful at avoiding public prayer.3. In HPG the lesson was from the ETB manual about repentance. I pretty much liked this lesson from the book, but the teacher did not use the book at all (which is fine with me), his lesson was more of a basic repentance thing. (On the other hand, we’re high priests, and could have used something a little more meaty.) At any rate, someone threw into the discussion what other churches (Protestant churches were specifically mentioned) teach about repentance and the idea that many of them only teach that we must accept Christ and we are then forgiven without any of the “work” of repentance. This went on for a bit until the newly called HPGL (a convert) spoke up and said we need to be careful in talking about what other churches believe. He said we know as little about them as they do about us, but that he is unaware of any Christian church that does not teach repentance in some form and that repentance is a basic gospel principle. This is not the first time I have heard him say things like this, but it’s nice he did again.
DarkJedi wrote:2. Related to #1, I volunteered to say the opening prayer. That might not seem like a big deal, but I have not said a prayer in a larger meeting since returning – so for me it was sort of big. Honestly I don’t know what came over me, the sister conducting asked for a volunteer and my hand just went up.
😮 I generally avoid being asked and except for one time in HPG and a couple times in HC meetings I have been successful at avoiding public prayer.Congrats.
:thumbup: I was going to start this post with “I think I’m in the best ward in the church”, but that’s just a fleeting thought as I know nothings perfect. But yesterday was really good, the youth speaker talked about not judging others, the adults gave excellent talks quoting from the Baptist hymnal and other sources (the concluding speaker was a sister as well). Really great meeting. OTOH, there was a slight disturbance towards the end of the 3rd hour and the police showed up, so there’s that.
LDS_Scoutmaster wrote:I was going to start this post with “I think I’m in the best ward in the church”, but that’s just a fleeting thought as I know nothings perfect. But yesterday was really good, the youth speaker talked about not judging others, the adults gave excellent talks quoting from the Baptist hymnal and other sources (the concluding speaker was a sister as well). Really great meeting.
OTOH, there was a slight disturbance towards the end of the 3rd hour and the police showed up, so there’s that.
story please!
Actually I don’t know the story, they showed up just after the bulk of parishioners had fled the scene. The bishop had sequestered them quickly into a Sunday school room. I’ll probably hear more about whatever happened during the coming week. The last speaker today gave a talk that everyone here would have loved. I asked for a copy, but I want to share one thing before Sunday School starts. In talking about the Sadducees and Pharisees, he mentioned Gospel hobbies – and one of the examples he used was “the white shirt hobby”.
Please do forward on Old-Timer wrote:“the white shirt hobby”.
What a nice way to frame it – “hobby”. Not too offensive, but brings home the point that it isn’tTHEgospel. I have lived out East, close to Joseph’s home, for a few years now and it has been so awesome for me to be around people that aren’t from the West. Haha I just felt that what happened in my Stake meeting yesterday, may not be something I will hear when we move back out West. It seems like being open about doubts isn’t quite as welcome, or I just haven’t heard much of it. Our Stake Presidency was changed yesterday and I had such a great experience, which has not happened in such a long time. One of the new presidency members bore his testimony and it was so obvious that he has had a faith crisis. He talked about wondering if God was real and if the church was true, and he said that after he had studied world religions he had come to the conclusion that if God was real, then this was His church. He then went on a search to know if God was real. He said that three things had helped him come to his decision that God was real. I am going to destroy this, as I cant remember exactly how he put things, but I remember the idea. He said one was that he read through the book of mormon and felt that God had indeed inspired Joseph and he said that he didnt know how Joseph did it, (loved this) but he did know that it was of God and he felt the spirit when he read it. Another was through service in the church and how he had been led by God and had seen the Lord’s hand while serving people. The third thing must not have been as important for me to hear because I have asked three people and they all could remember the first two, but not the third. Haha Anyway, I really needed to hear from someone that was just a bishop and now in the stake presidency, and see that you can get through all of this and still be faithful and useful to the Lord. I hope to be able to help others one day, or to find peace with the Lord wherever I land!! slowlylosingit wrote:I have lived out East, close to Joseph’s home, for a few years now and it has been so awesome for me to be around people that aren’t from the West. Haha I just felt that what happened in my Stake meeting yesterday, may not be something I will hear when we move back out West. It seems like being open about doubts isn’t quite as welcome, or I just haven’t heard much of it. Our Stake Presidency was changed yesterday and I had such a great experience, which has not happened in such a long time. One of the new presidency members bore his testimony and it was so obvious that he has had a faith crisis. He talked about wondering if God was real and if the church was true, and he said that after he had studied world religions he had come to the conclusion that if God was real, then this was His church. He then went on a search to know if God was real. He said that three things had helped him come to his decision that God was real. I am going to destroy this, as I cant remember exactly how he put things, but I remember the idea. He said one was that he read through the book of mormon and felt that God had indeed inspired Joseph and he said that he didnt know how Joseph did it, (loved this) but he did know that it was of God and he felt the spirit when he read it. Another was through service in the church and how he had been led by God and had seen the Lord’s hand while serving people. The third thing must not have been as important for me to hear because I have asked three people and they all could remember the first two, but not the third. Haha Anyway, I really needed to hear from someone that was just a bishop and now in the stake presidency, and see that you can get through all of this and still be faithful and useful to the Lord. I hope to be able to help others one day, or to find peace with the Lord wherever I land!!
This is great! Thanks for sharing. I think it could be amazing if were able to open up the tent a bit more (a lot more, but have to take baby steps I think).
In Sunday School, we were talking about the parable of the sower and the different types of ground on which the seeds fall. One woman (totally active and the wife of someone with a visible calling) said:
Quote:Sometimes, the ground shifts beneath you.
She wouldn’t have shared it, but her husband asked her to share with everyone what she had whispered to him.
We really don’t have any idea who is struggling with what. I simply know that we are not alone in doing the best we can to make sense of it all OR in having the ground shift beneath us in some way.
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