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To paraphrase the Boomtown Rats… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kobdb37Cwc&noredirect=1 Actually 3 hours of it to be precise.
My 7yo asked me this morning why he had to go to church. ‘It’s boring’ he complained. ‘It’s a good chance for us to go and learn how to be good to each other and treat people kindly.’ I replied. ‘But they never teach us anything like that, we just sing songs and read the scriptures.’ My “shelf” creaked. Why am I inflicting this on my kids?
Truth is, I kind of agree with him. For the last month or two I’ve actually not enjoyed the 3 hour Sunday block. It’s boring, it seems to focus on self-congratulatory repetition of ‘why we’re right’ and ‘why everyone else is wrong.’ It re-enforces peoples feelings of comfort and security. It focuses on behaviours to mimic in a belief that validates us, qualifies us while disqualifying everyone else. I sit and get frustrated, angry and more disillusioned. I spend all week exploring my faith and discussing it online with people who seem to ‘get it’ and then spend 3 hours wondering why I bother.
I can’t remember the last talk/lesson that was focused on the gifts of Jesus – his example, his forgiveness, his saving grace. Or on how to fulfill his instruction of love God, love your neighbour. Or ‘inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’
I don’t want to stop going at the moment as I’ve not resolved which way to ultimately turn. I can’t take ‘time off’ as it would mess the kids around (DW doesn’t go, so I’m the only one to take them). And yet, if I said ‘no church today’ they’d probably thank me for it.
Harrumph…
Rather than moping, I’ve decided to look for the positives (and yes, I’m posting during sacrament meeting… consider a thought crystalising process). As I do when I sit through the endowment, I’ve picked a role in my life to ponder while listening to see I can something of value. Today I’m here as a neighbour and learning to love my neighbour.
I felt a sense of peace and positivity… my spirit or the Holy Spirit, endorsing and celebrating the following words of one of my favourite hymns:
187 v4:
In word and deed he doth require
My will to his, like son to sire,
Be made to bend, and I, as son,
Learn conduct from the Holy One.
2.5 hours left, I’ll see if I can find a few more positives.
I don’t know. I couldn’t do it today. I showed up sat in my seat for 5 minutes and came home. Just couldn’t do it. The people I drive in canceled today so I didn’t go. Today was actually nice for for me. As it was the first day of our newly formed ward all they had was SM. So I only had to be there for just over an hour 
The OP resonated with me. I came home grumpy today. It doesn’t help that this was my third week in a row going solo. Maybe I should have been posting in SM and my day would have been better.
😆 The thing is I wasn’t to go and get something positive out of it. I want to believe, but there are weeks when I go and just being there seems contrived. Maybe next week I will pick a roll to focus on. It may seem boring because it actually is boring. I do not think we we need to think any harder than that. Long term members have been conditioned to believe that church is uplifting and full of learning experiences. So when we find it tedious we tend to think we are not listening or something. Many a talk has been given on how if you do not like attending meetings it is your fault. I have never heard an authority actually say we have boring meetings. But that is what they are, at least to someone who hates hearing the same thing over and over again. Take a book on your iPad. it works for me.
Quote:It may seem boring because it actually is boring.
This.
Often, boredom isn’t the fault of the one who is bored (although it often is, as well). Often, something simply is boring.
As Cadence said, in more general terms, find a way not to be bored. I generally compose counter talks / sermons in my head most times I am bored by a talk – or just look at my family and enjoy being with them.
My mum used to say “if you’re bored you’re boring.” But she didn’t mean we had to find what we were currently doing interesting. If we said “I’m bored,” what she meant in her reply was “then go and find something else to do.” Given my wife doesn’t go and my kids would prefer not to, if I remain uninspired by the content, I wonder whether that ‘something else’ even needs to be in a chapel. Maybe it’s time to stop ‘staying.’
For the next few weeks, I’m setting the kids on a ‘word treasure hunt.’ Find one thing today about ‘XYZ.’
My seminary teacher used to say the same of Isaiah, ‘don’t try to understand every verse, just read a whole page and look for just one statement that resonates with you or makes you think.’
ihhi wrote:The thing is I wasn’t to go and get something positive out of it. I want to believe, but there are weeks when I go and just being there seems contrived. Maybe next week I will pick a roll to focus on.
I’ve also started replacing words in my head to cope.
For a while, when people would say ‘I know Joseph Smith was visited by God and Jesus’ I’d mentally reply ‘no you don’t.’ It wasn’t productive. Yesterday, as well as listening with a certain ‘hat’ on, I also started replacing or adding words to people’s testimony:
So in the previous truism, I’d change what I was hearing to: ‘I feel certain and have eliminated any doubt that Joseph Smith was visited… Etc’
If someone said ‘I know the church is true’ I’d tag on ‘for you, but not all.’
I know they don’t think like that, but it’s what I feel about the statements and it helped a little.
As mentioned in my second post, I decided to focus my day on considering how to be a better neighbour. Someone mentioned a boss who visited a regional office after a 1 year of absence and no contact. As he walked through the office he stopped at someone’s desk. “How did you get on with that suggestion we discussed together last year?” This impressed me and made me consider how interested I am in individuals.
Home Teaching was the priesthood topic. Initial groan… But I ignored the comments about ‘duty’ and reflected on how HT, if done properly, is the church’s way is to ensure the saints are looked after. Provides an opportunity to serve.
Matthew 25 says those who ‘do it unto one of the least of these, does it unto me… And… these are the righteous sheep promised eternal life.’ Many are able to accomplish that without a HT program, or even a church. Maybe HT is another of God’s gifts to provide the opportunity to at least do a little service and support of those who need it. A bit of an arm twist for those who would otherwise do nothing for ‘one of the least of these…’
Use discernment to offer service. Don’t just say ‘do you need anything?’ This can apply to all areas of acts of kindness, not just HT.
A comment from a class member: “We’re here on this earth to look after each” other and care for each other.
A friend lived in a Virginia ward for a brief time. Their bishopric was always working on a list of six month’s-worth of Sacrament Meeting talks. They’d ask people (young and old) to speak, and to come to a Sac. Mtg. Talk fireside. Attendance at that was good. He gave his take on the purpose of talks, gave some reading material about speaking, and then he gave them all their assigned topics and days. Topics and days weren’t coordinated. You could end up with three talks on very different subjects, but my friend said that the meetings were cohesive. And sometimes unexpected connections between the talks emerged and it added even more to the experience. Most importanly, though, everyone was prepared, some of them had had the topic for months by the time they spoke and they really “owned” it. Ann wrote:A friend lived in a Virginia ward for a brief time. Their bishopric was always working on a list of six month’s-worth of Sacrament Meeting talks. They’d ask people (young and old) to speak, and to come to a Sac. Mtg. Talk fireside. Attendance at that was good. He gave his take on the purpose of talks, gave some reading material about speaking, and then he gave them all their assigned topics and days. Topics and days weren’t coordinated. You could end up with three talks on very different subjects, but my friend said that the meetings were cohesive. And sometimes unexpected connections between the talks emerged and it added even more to the experience. Most importanly, though, everyone was prepared, some of them had had the topic for months by the time they spoke and they really “owned” it.
That’s impressive dedication to the improvement of sacrament meetings. Beats a phone call on a Thursday night…
I don’t want to sound like I’m being overly negative… but I think that even well-prepared talks can jar. It’s hearing stuff I don’t know if I believe any more that’s difficult. Well-prepared or not.
mackay11 wrote:Ann wrote:A friend lived in a Virginia ward for a brief time. Their bishopric was always working on a list of six month’s-worth of Sacrament Meeting talks. They’d ask people (young and old) to speak, and to come to a Sac. Mtg. Talk fireside. Attendance at that was good. He gave his take on the purpose of talks, gave some reading material about speaking, and then he gave them all their assigned topics and days. Topics and days weren’t coordinated. You could end up with three talks on very different subjects, but my friend said that the meetings were cohesive. And sometimes unexpected connections between the talks emerged and it added even more to the experience. Most importanly, though, everyone was prepared, some of them had had the topic for months by the time they spoke and they really “owned” it.
That’s impressive dedication to the improvement of sacrament meetings. Beats a phone call on a Thursday night…
I don’t want to sound like I’m being overly negative… but I think that even well-prepared talks can jar. It’s hearing stuff I don’t know if I believe any more that’s difficult. Well-prepared or not.
True. I think it appealed to me because we have a whole sacrament meeting on one sub-topic, a whole month of a main topic….
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