sister_in_faith

Anne, I'm sorry, but you are going to have to send me a copy of your W2s so that I can see if you are a friend worth investing any more time in. That goes for the rest of you too... I need to know who I should suck up to if something happens and I need some extra help. (please no one take this post seriously. it is sarcasm. thank you. )

I agree. Anne, get out of here! DOGS RULE!!!

This is what made me think of it!!! thanks for transferring it over!

I really do! So we have an I hate cats thread, I think we need an I love dogs thread. Bring on your cute puppy videos and pictures!!! cute puppy whistle - YouTube

I love the descriptions of the feasts they would have... they always sound so yummy... and I can picture myself (as a mouse) joining in and having a ball... You made me want to go pull them out and reread them, it's been a couple of years.

I don't think that the atonement is a difficult part of mormon doctrine to grasp. I think that there are other things that ARE more difficult, and I think that Heavenly Father will have to decide when they are ready for those things, if they don't already have a testimony of them. As members they have the resources available to them to study when prompted to. I think it is unwise to try to and 'force' it. But then again, missionaries do it every day, so I may be wrong.

This discussion reminds me of a jon stewart segment aired on Aug 18, 2011... World of Class Warfare - The Poor's Free Ride Is Over - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 08/18/11 - Video Clip | Comedy Central

Pack up those little ones and get yourself to church! I bet you won't regret it!

When I started taking missionary discussions I had just gotten Sunday off, and I wanted to go to a church. I wanted to be baptized. I had no idea about Joseph Smith or prophets or any of that. They started talking about it, and it just clicked for me. They asked me if I believed it, and I said sure. I didn't really. I didn't know for sure. It wasn't until I started really getting serious about studying doctrine that I developed a testimony of these things. I joined for the culture, and fell in love with the doctrine. Worked out okay for me! And yes, I am SURE that there are a lot of members (not just those crazy Utah mormons) who stay because there is a lot of safety in our culture.

I tend to pray long prayers. I ramble, and think, and talk, and cry, and talk, and because of my brain tumor there are times when I'll get distracted in the middle of a prayer, and forget to close with, "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." I struggled with this for a while, wondering what happens to those prayers, and my bishop assured me that Heavenly Father heard them and knows my heart, and that, while it is good to close them, it is not always necessary. So, my point is, that Heavenly Father hears and honors all our prayers, even if we don't say his son's name correctly, or at all! I personally think that there is 0% chance that Heavenly Father doesn't answer/hear/honor our prayers if we pray them in Jesus' name.

Oh my gosh, this summer Sophie jumped over a rattlesnake TWICE and didn't even notice it. She was on a trail thru tall grass by the river. We think she thought it was just a rock. My honey was behind her and almost stepped on the thing before he realized what it was. When he realized what it was, he was trying to get Sophie to come back to him, but off the trail, and she just came running back to him and jumped over the now coiled up snake for the second time. We call her the little snake charmer now. Whew we were lucky on that one because the drive to the nearest vet would have been over an hour away. We thought about getting her the vaccine, but we haven't heard if it works very well or not. Anyone ever gotten their dog the rattlesnake vaccine before? Does it work? Did the dog react okay to the vaccine? (sorry to hijack ur thread anne... just came to mind when I read your post...)

Good job! keep up with the counseling!!!

Congratulations!!! That is awesome!!! Sorry, don't have any advice, I just think you are awesome for doing it! Keep up the good work!

I stopped giving out money to people on the road after I took a 911 call, domestic disturbance, when I asked (in casual conversation, just to keep the caller on the phone til the officers got on scene) what the husband did for a living. She told me he was a 'sign holder'. I asked what she meant and she said that he holds signs for a living. He made $300 - $400 on a good day, and that's just what he did. They were a normal family in all other ways, had a house, cars, kids, just when he went to work that's what he did. He put on scruffy clothes, drove to the corner, and stood out there with a sign. It also drives me nuts when you see them fold up their sign and walk across the parking lot a car thats nicer than mine and drive away. I'm not saying that all people who hold signs are this way, but there are enough of them (and my honey knows most of the local ones, so this is a fact) that do it just because it's easier than doing something else, that I don't like supporting them. I carry brocures for the local crisis center and hand them out if I feel the need. In relief society the other week we were talking about how we SHOULDN'T give money to people on the street, because we don't know where it is going, and that giving them food or offering to give them a ride to the crisis center is more appropriate. We don't want to run the risk that our money is going to alcohol or drugs. I guess I should admit that I still do give out money if I don't recognize them and they truly look like they are in need. A couple of years ago I was really financially strapped, and had finally saved up enough money to get some extra food for food storage. I also had bought myself a 'treat' a piece of carrot cake, ready to eat. As I was pulling out of the parking lot I saw this man who was holding a sign and looked like he needed help. I pulled around and parked, but then couldn't figure out what I was going to give him. I didn't have any money, so I took some of the extra food I had bought, rice and beans, and canned goods, and took them over to him in bags. I also gave him my carrot cake (broke my heart). I felt good because I knew he would have food for the week. Heavenly Father had blessed me, so I wanted to bless someone else. Anyway, I ended up telling the carrot cake story in relief society a couple of months later, and the sisters baked me a carrot cake. It was really sweet.

Cut her off, and don't look back. Go thru the forgiveness process, for your own peace of mind! It will help you in just letting her go. I went thru letting a friend go a few years ago. It was hard because she was kind of my 'mentor' at church, but I realized that she wasn't who I thought she was, and the more I distanced myself the more I realized that I didn't want to have anything to do with her. Forgiveness was hard in coming. I still have a hard time to this day. BUT, this person is obviously not someone you want to be involved with any longer. It's not good for YOU! Just ignore her, and let it go.

This just seems like a red flag to me. I don't know the details, but I think it is a situation that bears watching. I agree with the daddy/daughter date idea! Just be aware that people who talk about things like hating the world, or death and things like that can be at a higher risk for suicidal behaviors (and this TOTALLY may not be the case, but it's better to be safe than sorry!). I would keep a close watch on it. Ask her about it... "Why do you hate the world right now sweetie?". But that is totally up to you how to handle it. I would just treat it as a red flag, and give her some TLC! Just don't let her start using this kind of behavior to act out and start getting attention that way. Just my 2 cents.

I read the grand jury thing... it's sickening. This is what happens when people mind their own business.

I agree with an earlier poster... sending them to public school isn't going to solve this problem. You have behavior issues that need to be delt with. What you are doing isn't working for you, so you are going to have to change things up... reading books or maybe going to counseling might help... good luck!

I don't have an answer to any of these questions, but I am at peace about it, because no matter what the 'system' is, it will be perfect! The right things will happen. There won't be any mistakes. I know for me that being separated from Heavenly Father would be my own kind of hell. I LONG to be with him. Just to sit at his feet and soak up his presence. I hope and pray that I am able to do that. I know one thing, this thread makes me want to go to the temple in a hurry. I don't want to hold any one's progress back. I am the only church member in my family so their happiness rests on my shoulders. Lot's of responsibility!

Someone's been watching a little too much Stargate SG1!

My favorite LDS doctrine, that everyone can enjoy the benefits of the atonement (in this life or after). One of the things that annoys me is when other christians focus on 'accepting jesus as your savior' and then teach little or nothing after that. I think that there is so much more to being 'saved' than saying a single prayer, but I see christians doing back flips to get people to say a single prayer accepting jesus, and then walk away dusting their hands off as if they have done this wonderful thing. Secondly, I can't believe that there are actually people out there who believe that if a person doesn't 'accept jesus' and/or be baptized before they die that they go to hell. Huh? Seriously? I can't imagine that Heavenly Father would allow a large amount of his children (like aboriginal (sp?) austrailians, and tribes of people living in south america) who NEVER had the opportunity to hear about Jesus to simply go to hell. That does not compute. Sorry if I'm duplicating other responses, I didn't read them before posting... :)

Oh, and just from an investigative stand point, I would want to talk to the closest witness (which would be you, not the bishop) about it anyway. I hated getting calls from 3 or 4 steps out of the actual situation ("well, my sister is afraid to call, but her neighbor is getting beat up by her boyfriend, oh and they live in a different state." Yeah, that happens a lot. UGHH!), so the police would rather talk to you than the bishop (unless he has other information to volunteer). That's just a thought.

Several weeks ago there was a thread about the book a child called it, so rereading that is fresh in my mind. I think that reporting it is the right thing to do. I worked for a police department as a 911 operator/dispatcher for 5 years, and then at a large city 911 comm center for 3 years. BELIEVE me we get calls every day for things a lot less than this. We send an officer out who will do the investigation. If it is unfounded, no one blames the caller for calling. I do not think that telling the bishop is enough. If you have a child at your house asking for 'sanctuary' I would call 911 and ask for an officer to respond. I would not let the child go home or the parents have contact with the child until the officer arrives. I would even lie and say the child was not at my house if the parents confronted me about it, until an officer arrived. You still have the option of calling the police, even now. Tell them exactly what happened (coordinate with the bishop since he is involved now if you want to). But tell the bishop that you think that you must report this. You can even call a hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD is a national hotline). Call child protective services and do an anonymous report. That is allowed as well. The thread about JoPa brings to mind someone who knew about a child being hurt and many people think that they did not do enough. I am SURE that you don't want to feel that way in a few months if things turn out for the worst. This is TOTALLY your call, and I don't want to guilt you, but it is always better to call 911 and be wrong, rather than not calling when there is an emergency. (K, I'll get off my 911 soap box now...) Tuff situation. I hope that it works out for the best. :)

I think gossip is SUCH a sticky thing, it's better to just not get involved at all. It can be SO hurtful. Perhaps this is not a good analygy, but I think gossip is a lot like pornography. It is addictive. It tears apart relationships. You may think it's 'innocent' at first, but even doing it once can lead down a very dangerous path. I think we have all probably been the victims of gossip, and for my part I know that it is hurtful enough that I NEVER want to be a party to hurting someone else with it. I'm kind of like a sponge, what people tells me goes in one ear and stays (and probaby will get lost) in my head. I think that if someone tells you 'news', like "I'm engaged!" or "I'm having a little girl!" without any 'that's between you and me' action, then it's fine to repeat it. If there is any doubt, I would ask the source if they are okay with me spreading the news first. If you would be hesitant to ask the source for permission to spread it, then that's probably a good sign that you shouldn't! But things like, "we are trying for a baby", that's a little more private. The only exception to the above rules for me (and some people may see this as a big one) is that I tell my honey everything. Don't tell me anything you don't mind him knowing. And, no, it doesn't go any further than that. And if anyone asks me to keep a confidence and want me to not tell him, I tell them that I don't keep secrets from him, so they better just not tell me! I've never kept ANYTHING secret from him, why start now?!? Before I was a member of the church I confess that I would gossip about people in the work place. I regret it, and stopping it was like breaking an addiction (literally), but now that I've stopped, I really feel no reason to talk about other people at all. Except for this one girl... PM me and I'll tell you alllll about it!