Connie

For my part, again as an outsider looking in, I was really confused at times when this poster kept accusing others of rudeness and attacks. I didn’t read most of them that way at all, but I can appreciate that he felt that way about them and I’m sure there were some that maybe were (I wasn’t giving these threads the most careful of readings). That’s why I was concerned that maybe he was reading some things into it that weren’t really there.  But, yes, it’s always a good idea to give people the benefit of the doubt and utilize that in responding. I just think we need to not only be more kind in posting but also more kind in reading and give others the benefit of the doubt when reading their comments.

I love working on family history. It's been years since i've been able to work on it very seriously. Little kids and homeschool keep a girl busy.
 
My parents do a great deal. They work in the local family history center once a week. And our stake has been encouraging and helping the youth to get more into it. So my oldest has worked quite a bit on indexing and has started going with the grandparents to the center every week to learn and work on family history.

As an outsider of the recent conversations but one who has participated in similar ones in the past, my perspective may be a bit different. Can people give these guys the benefit of the doubt and be more careful in their wording when responding to these types of people—absolutely. And even when, like the recent poster, they chose only to reply to the slightly more aggressive or not so carefully worded responders and ignore everything else, things can be turned around. I had the great privilege of participating in a thread where that was able to happen.
 
That being said, there is the other side of the equation. The person reading a post needs to also be very careful in how they read it. Are they themselves bringing in too much of their own emotion and reading it into what everyone else says? Are they assuming something about the poster based on a phrase or wording that rubbed them the wrong way? We have to be very careful in reading others posts that we are not bringing in such assumptions and sensitivities that we are “reading between the lines” things that are not there.
 
I feel like I’m wording this very awkwardly, but I hope y’all understand what I’m trying to say. It’s a very fine line between poster and reader, and it’s not always clear where the fault lies. We can all do better in how we play each part.

Howdy. Welcome to the forum. :)

As an outsider of the recent conversations but one who has participated in similar ones in the past, my perspective may be a bit different. Can people give these guys the benefit of the doubt and be more careful in their wording when responding to these types of people—absolutely. And even when, like the recent poster, they chose only to reply to the slightly more aggressive or not so carefully worded responders and ignore everything else, things can be turned around. I had the great privilege of participating in a thread where that was able to happen.
 
That being said, there is the other side of the equation. The person reading a post needs to also be very careful in how they read it. Are they themselves bringing in too much of their own emotion and reading it into what everyone else says? Are they assuming something about the poster based on a phrase or wording that rubbed them the wrong way? We have to be very careful in reading others posts that we are not bringing in such assumptions and sensitivities that we are “reading between the lines” things that are not there.
 
I feel like I’m wording this very awkwardly, but I hope y’all understand what I’m trying to say. It’s a very fine line between poster and reader, and it’s not always clear where the fault lies. We can all do better in how we play each part.

James E. Faulconer wrote another little book about scripture study called (unsurprisingly), Scripture Study: Tools and Suggestions. It does not contain questions about every verse like the Made Harder series does, but instead it outlines important methods of scripture study.
 
So many just skim the surface of the scriptures over and over again as if they were cheap novels. His little book will tell you how to really study each word, how to ask questions from a number of angles, how to outline a section for clarity, how to study words in the Bible without needing to learn Hebrew and Greek.
 
I highly recommend it. Take what he provides in this little book and dig deep into a passage of scripture on your own. Studying in this manner has almost always brought me new and significant insight. 

Agree there were several decent replies... In fact I would say most of the replies were decent...  Most of the replies were ignored.  For someone claimed to be interested in learning they didn't seem all that interested in the answers

Where do I find this commandment?

The Tripods trilogy (The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire) was written by John Christopher in the '60's It is a science fiction trilogy for teenagers that describes a resistance movement against an alien race in the process of taking over the earth. When the Tripods Came is a prequel to this trilogy that was written in 1990 to tell the story of how the tripods originally conqured mankind.
 
After failing to conquer mankind through brute force (perhaps as a ruse to encourage overconfidence in mankind), the Tripods use television to create a following amongst the world's peoples. As these "Trippie fans" become more enamored of the Tripods, caps are introduced to further the Tripod's control over people's minds. The story follows one family as these events unfold. The family "catches on" and has to avoid being capped while trying to travel from England to Switzerland, which seems to be the European country with the least Tripod influence.
 
Considering how much I have enjoyed the earlier books in the Tripods trilogy on a few different occasions, I was disappointed in this book. The plot felt somewhat forced and the character development seemed weak. As a fan of original trilogy, it was interesting to get some sense of the "backstory" that Christopher envisioned. For others who are fans of the trilogy, this is an acceptable prequel that suffers from many of the same difficulties that other prequels have. It is a fairly quick read, as it is intended for a younger audience.
 
The series as a whole, I think, is a good introduction to science fiction for younger readers (late tweens to teens). The overarching theme explores something that we as LDS often see in our theology -- is it better to be "capped", without free will or conflict or pain or suffering, or is it better to be free to make your own choices, even though those choices often lead to conflict, pain, and -- on a larger scale -- war between peoples.

LOL. Yeah, if she's holding your pants, I'd say that's a sign.

One can hope.

I would maybe amend this with: Pray for inspiration on which gifts the Lord particularly wishes for you.

I love this topic. I’ve always had a great interest in gifts of the spirit. I’ve always loved that scriptural idea of seeking the best gifts. And as others have pointed out that is done through prayer and through practice.
 
I love that idea of practice. In our gospel doctrine class last Sunday our teacher really emphasized that idea from the lesson (it was lesson 32) about practicing how we can recognize the promptings of the Spirit. It’s an idea I had never thought much about before, but it makes perfect sense to me. If you want to get good at something you practice it over and over. If you want to develop a specific gift of the Spirit you practice it over and over.
 
Before you can practice, though, you need to learn how to practice that particular thing. One thing that has helped me is to study the topic. For example, I spent about a year just studying the topic of faith. Now I have a greater understanding in how to develop/cultivate/practice the gift of faith.
 
So I would say pick one of the gifts you particularly wish for. Study it, ponder, pray about it, take notes on how you can practice it and then do it—practice it over and over until it feels right.

Yay for Southern Utah! It's gonna be a beaut! Groundbreaking ceremony this Saturday.
https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-sets-date-for-cedar-city-utah-temple-groundbreaking?lang=eng

I'm pretty sure it's in direct relation to how much money you send to Palerider. 

Silly! I've already read that one. 

Badges:  Sounds like you have them all, unless there's a special patrol patch (you'll want to ask your 11-year-old scout leaders).
 
You're correct that in Boy Scouting parents cannot sign for their own boys' rank requirements; the boys are expected to show more initiative and reach out to troop leaders, merit badge counselors, etc. outside of their own families. 
 
Once a boy turns 11, he starts going to 11-year-old scouts each week.  Eleven-year-olds can simultaneously work on getting their Tenderfoot, 2nd Class and 1st Class.  Ideally, they'll have earned all three badges by their 12th birthday.
 
Also - many scout offices will sell a sort of adhesive you can use to put patches on so that you don't have to sew 'em.  I highly recommend it.

Just another quote on the topic.

Silly! I've already read that one. 

Silly! I've already read that one. 

This very question is addressed in this month’s Ensign in an article taken from a talk given by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at last year’s BYU Women’s Conference.
Here is a link to the article:  https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/07/reaping-the-rewards-of-righteousness?lang=eng
 
And here are some quotes from the pertinent section titled “The Reward of Prospering in the Land.”
 
 
 
I would encourage you to read at least that particular section of the article. He quotes some scriptures and gives some examples.

I really enjoyed the audio book and sometimes listen to it while long-boarding. I highlights that truth, that all of us born to this earth, no matter during what age or what culture, have an inboard compass or instinct that gently point us to the truth if we will but listen. These truths we attain have as much to do with remembering as discovering. 

This very question is addressed in this month’s Ensign in an article taken from a talk given by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at last year’s BYU Women’s Conference.
Here is a link to the article:  https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/07/reaping-the-rewards-of-righteousness?lang=eng
 
And here are some quotes from the pertinent section titled “The Reward of Prospering in the Land.”
 
 
 
I would encourage you to read at least that particular section of the article. He quotes some scriptures and gives some examples.

Finally finished reading Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie cover to cover.

You remind me of my cousin. She enjoys playing the victim card, too. Her ex-husband has full custody of their 2 girls, has kept a string of girlfriends living with him one after the other, gives her the barest minimal contact with the kids and poisons their minds against her by speaking nothing but negativity about her. The judges in her mind are no better. She has tried many times to gain custody of her girls, but they won’t budge.
 
From where I stand, you have two options. You can continue to play the victim card for the rest of your life or you can turn to the Lord and find out what He would have you do in your current circumstances. The world is what it is, and the only person you have any control over is yourself. Turn to the Lord. If He tells you to move to a different country, then fine. Just make sure you’re not doing things your own way out of fear or doubt. Chose the path of faith and trust that the Lord’s plan for you is much greater than your own would be. My cousin has decided to continue to be a victim and as such has turned very bitter and negative about men and life, and she wonders why people don’t want to be around her and she can’t find a man to marry her. I would encourage you to try the other route. It is the path to greater peace and happiness.