- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
I have mixed feelings about sticking to the basics, here’s why: * They are great for people new to the church and allow a focus.
* If we stick to the same handful of topics (or at least a smaller number), we risk becoming even more repetitive.
Yes, I think it’s good to focus on the Savior, but get some variety in too. If we talked every single week about the atonement, it could get boring so talk about Jesus’ teachings as well. They come as a package.
As for the temple – I’m not a huge fan of the endowment. My favorite place in there is the baptistry, which has always had the best atmosphere. Before I went I was pretty bewildered by what some people said about the temple, and I still struggle to connect with what some people say about it. My main reason for doing endowments is to get to the Celestial Room. I used to enjoy the film, but the parts I enjoyed have been cut down.
My only deep desire for Sacrament Meeting is that it be a worship service, not another Sunday School or PH/RS/YW/YM/Primary class. As long as the talks are focused on Jesus and/or Heavenly Parent(s) in some real and meaningful way, I am happy.
Old Timer wrote:
My only deep desire for Sacrament Meeting is that it be a worship service, not another Sunday School or PH/RS/YW/YM/Primary class.As long as the talks are focused on Jesus and/or Heavenly Parent(s) in some real and meaningful way, I am happy.
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: Me too.
I would like some personal application for the basics of the gospel. For example: – If you have difficulty praying, try doing …
– If you have difficulty forgiving someone who’s hurt you, try doing …
– If that doesn’t work try “x, y or z”.
One answer for applying gospel principles, doesn’t fit all.
Yesterday was a GREAT sacrament meeting. Three talks & a guitar solo. Everyone stayed within the time limits allowed. I wish I could go into more details. I don’t want to “out” members of my ward. Needless to say, I hope this is a sign of better
things to come. Maybe the message for me is: they aren’t always going to be gems. Be patient & take life & SM’s as they
come.
Minyan Man wrote:
I would like some personal application for the basics of the gospel. For example:– If you have difficulty praying, try doing …
– If you have difficulty forgiving someone who’s hurt you, try doing …
– If that doesn’t work try “x, y or z”.
One answer for applying gospel principles, doesn’t fit all.
One of my favorite ward members is an active member of AA and was inactive for decades, yet he’s been back for longer than me, he gives his testimony regularly, and he is an inspiration to me.
I like him because he’s honest. He doesn’t hide the fact he’s divorced, nearly killed himself with drink, went to prison or had struggles with the church. He was inactive for nearly thirty years! He is one of the best people I know and has helped dozens of people recover from addictions, even in our local prison. And precisely because he says, “try X, Y or Z”. He tells you what to avoid and how to get away from those things, if you get there. He speaks from experience. The strange thing is that despite his past failures, I trust that man more than many of those who have never been down those paths.
When I see the GAs, I rarely hear about their general struggles. I don’t expect them to have done all the things my friend did, and now regrets. But I would like them to admit their failings occasionally – and not just as a child, which seems to be the one part of their life that they can ever admit to having troubles in.
I wish they would get rid of the practice of assigning talks on general authority talks. It is not helping the perception of leader worship when we act like only they have something to say. The practice i think was born out of the need they felt to control the message and limit any craziness. Hence why so much has become so boring. Leaders talks are just a rehash of the some talking points. Then we rehash them again in Sacrament and classes.
It would not be hard to get some more dynamics into meetings. It would take leaders giving up some control and let creativity take hold. Something I think will not happen.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I know it’s pretty common in many places to assign a conference talk. My son in another part of the country just mentioned a talk assignment he has like that. In my own wars that is not the practice and I’m thankful for that. Likewise, my stake assignments are not that way, although we do get reference talks. For example, my last two assignments were “Receiving and recognizing answers to prayer ” (yes, I nuanced that one just fine) and “Hope in Jesus Christ and his gospel.” Each had 3 reference talks, none of which I quoted ( although I do frequently quite from at least one). The problem with the way talks are assigned on a GC talk as I see it is that the people aren’t being given a topic. That makes all the difference. Old Timer wrote:
Honestly, I have never had a MP or SP show up unannounced and ask to speak. Is that common where you live?
While Bishop I had a 70 (Lawrence) show up (with SP in tow), unannounced 10 min before church was to start. He wanted to speak. I remember it because I got in trouble for telling a joke while introducing him (he had been MP in Siberia, so you can guess where that went).
After the meeting he told my SP that it was inappropriate to tell jokes in Sacrament meeting, only the prophet could do that (Hinckley at the time) My SP relayed the information to me. Because I liked my SP, I didn’t tell him to tell the 70 get that stick out of his %$5#@$%$^.
This week was much better. Our former Bishop gave the first talk. His topic was on David of the OT. He related his life, with all the ups & downs, to our own lives. (Maybe without the extremes.) His point was, none of us live a perfect life without challenges. The 2nd speaker
went short leaving 10+ minutes to fill. The SP was in attendance & filled the balance of the time adding to the 1st talk. There was a musical
number in the middle that was Christmas music. Our SP does have a kind heart. I’ve noticed that when he comes to our SM’s, he comes
early, he goes to the back of the chapel, shakes everyone’s hand & seems very sincere in his remarks.
Ours this week was pretty “meh” and that’s not all that unusual. The topic was “Light the World” and included two youth, a missionary, and an adult. The youth talks were both short and on topic but unremarkable. (“I was supposed to have lunch with someone new but that’s really hard at my school and I didn’t have time anyway but I did talk to someone I don’t usually talk to….” The other one who everyone else but me seems to think is so cute up there just rambled cuteness as usual – she’s the daughter of a bishopric member and speaks about every other month.) The missionary did better than I hoped and stayed away from “Invite us over to watch the new video with your neighbors” and instead focused on Uchtdorf’s more simple invitation messages (I’m still not doing it). We had a rest hymn, we usually don’t and the final speaker had over 15 minutes and took nearly 25. “For some reason I signed up three times before I started to get text prompts and I just got the first one this morning so I hoped to have lots of things to report but I have none” and it went down hill from there. He talked a little about serving others but I tuned out after less than 5 minutes and started watching the clock about 15 minutes in. The positive side was the songs were Christmas hymns and I like the sacrament hymn as well. ETA: Neither youth mentioned Christ or what Light the World really meant, the missionary did talk about his own conversion to Christ and Christ being the focus of the season, and if the final speaker talked about Christ it was after I tuned out. Just saying.
I’m glad sacrament meeting is only 60 minutes. I rarely attend the second hour anyway, except for the occasional sunday school with my wife. I would rather get shot with a Taser than sit through 50 minutes of mind-numbing Elders quorum.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.