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I do like the peace & quiet in the celestial room. (I probably said that before.) It feels like you are completely away from this world & the problems we see & endure on a daily basis. (I used to get the same feeling when I took my dog to the dog park.)
Then you get dressed go outside & there it is again.
There is a huge difference to me between learning something new FROM the Endowment and learning something new DURING he Endowment – and, for me, it depends on the learning for which I am searching. There is little, if anything, I can learn directly from the Endowment at this point in my life. However, I don’t have to think about it at all now. I can go through the motions, physically, and let my mind wander / be open to contemplate whatever hits me in a quiet, peaceful place (“sacred space”). In that sort of setting, I can learn a lot – and certainly something every time.
The temple is one such place for me, and it is such a place for my wife. It means a lot to her to be able to talk about her impressions while there – so going means a lot to me, even if I wasn’t learning anything on my own. Learning things on my own is a nice bonus.
I learn something new about God every time I hike in the mountains by myself instead of going to church. I also enjoy being with my family in the celestial room and the talks we have coming home from the temple, which has been a while since I went with family. When we start thinking the temple validates us, we lose sight on the source of our spirituality, and our true worth, and all the possibilities for our potential in the eternities.
They don’t filter through a temple doorway.
As was said, the temple is symbolic. We can use that symbolism. Or…We can let go of things we used to believe when we were younger that held us back or limited our experiences with the Divine.
NOT having a TR doesn’t guarantee us learning new things or being close to God. Having one doesn’t either. It’s what we do internally with the path we are on that determines how we manufacture our spiritual experiences and our beliefs about the eternities.
But the church has a system they have agreed to use. And it involves TR. It’s the orgs system. Do with it what you will. But don’t use it as an excuse to tell yourself the card validates your worth or not, don’t use it as an excuse to stop working out your salvation. It’s truly meaningless on a personal level. It’s just a thing the church uses for purposes of organization for rituals.
I’m told that I can never have a TR, and I think the GA has the facts misconstrued. They don’t listen to me. As I have thought about it the realization comes to me that a TR for me is inappropriate. They don’t understand that either. The important part is that I love God, and Jesus and am forgiven. I love the Sacrament Services. That is what is important.
Khadijah wrote:
The important part is that I love God, and Jesus and am forgiven.
Amen! Love God, Love your neighbor, Love yourself and allow the same patience and compassion as you would advocate for others to be applied to yourself.I’m bumping this up again. Today I received an email from our Executive Secretary reminding us that our TR was about to expire. Our Stake is performing “virtual” interviews with the Bishop & I presume the SP.
In these times especially, why would I want or need a TR?
Our temple is a 3 hr round trip & it’s closed. Plus we haven’t gone in more than 2 yrs.
I’m sure the only reason for doing it now is to spread out the demands on the Bishop & SP.
They probably a pick up in their schedules when we get back to “normal”.
Minyan Man wrote:
I’m bumping this up again. Today I received an email from our Executive Secretary reminding us that ourTR was about to expire. Our Stake is performing “virtual” interviews with the Bishop & I presume the SP.
In these times especially, why would I want or need a TR?
Our temple is a 3 hr round trip & it’s closed. Plus we haven’t gone in more than 2 yrs.
I’m sure the only reason for doing it now is to spread out the demands on the Bishop & SP.
They probably a pick up in their schedules when we get back to “normal”.
We’re doing the virtual interviews here as well. My recommend expires in August, although I only recently discovered that because we do have a family wedding coming up. I had thought it was expiring this month and was in fact dreading the virtual interview process but since the wedding is in August and my TR expires in August I’m good. If I didn’t need a TR for the wedding and it was expiring I’d wait for a live interview. Like you MM I have not been to the temple in a couple years and it’s an even longer trip for me. And like other temples it’s only open for live husband/wife sealings now anyway.
That said, in addition to giving the bishopric something to do and heading off a glut of appointments post-quarantine, the quarterly report still contains an endowed member with TR stat so from that point of view having everybody up to date looks good. That’s probably behind the motivation to contact those with expiring recommends.
Minyan Man wrote:
I’m sure the only reason for doing it now is to spread out the demands on the Bishop & SP.They probably a pick up in their schedules when we get back to “normal”.
Hadn’t thought of it that way. Thanks.
My TR expired near the beginning of the quarantine. I got contacted about doing a virtual interview but I told them I thought it was kinda pointless seeing as how the church and temples were closed. I figured it was partly what DJ mentioned, reviewing the endowed members without an active TR report, and part that orthodox mentality that always having an active TR just in case you die or something.
Hadn’t thought of the interview backlog. Maybe it won’t be so bad because I imagine there will be a staggered return and I’ll stagger in much later than others.
nibbler wrote:
… having an active TR just in case you die or something.
No worries. I memorized the signs and tokens.
DarkJedi wrote:
nibbler wrote:
… having an active TR just in case you die or something.
No worries. I memorized the signs and tokens.
For those of us who haven’t memorized them, you can always use google.
You can find anything on google.
Minyan Man wrote:
DarkJedi wrote:
nibbler wrote:
… having an active TR just in case you die or something.
No worries. I memorized the signs and tokens.
For those of us who haven’t memorized them, you can always use google.
You can find anything on google.
There’s also the old guy who will whisper it in your ear standing right next to you…
That reminds me, there is a symbolism in the temple ceremonies that I really like. At every step along the endowment etc, there is always someone
to help you along the way. That’s the lesson for life too. (or it should be.)
DarkJedi wrote:
Minyan Man wrote:
DarkJedi wrote:No worries. I memorized the signs and tokens.
For those of us who haven’t memorized them, you can always use google.
You can find anything on google.
There’s also the old guy who will whisper it in your ear standing right next to you…
You guys crack me up.
😆 Minyan Man, probably my favorite aspect of the temple is that anyone who is there and tries even a tiny bit (even if only by staying) will “succeed” in getting to the Celestial Kingdom. I personally take that as broader than the mortal attendees, since we do the work for every person who has, does, or will live. To put it differently in a theological way, if someone chose to accept the Father’s plan in the pre-existence, with almost no exceptions, they will have the necessary ordinances performed for them. So, if they made the original choice to “show up”, they will finish successfully.
I know that is not the orthodox view, and I understand why it can’t be, but I choose to see it that way, regardless.
Grace that covers sincere agency, no matter how it manifests, brings a wonderful peace for those who truly believe in it.
Old-Timer wrote:
Minyan Man, probably my favorite aspect of the temple is that anyone who is there and tries even a tiny bit (even if only by staying) will “succeed” in getting to the Celestial Kingdom.
Curt, I like that idea. I never looked at it that way.
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