bytebear

Most people don't have a psychologist or therapist.  Going to an ecclesiastical leader (of any faith) is often their only option, so it's important that church leaders at the local level are trained and understand their role and responsibility to help the member find the right resources.  No different than a teacher, or even a boss.  Their primary role is not to give counseling in any professional manner, but they can and should counsel people whom they attend to, supervise, whatever.
 

Agreed that is a problem (the apostles saying christ would return any time now) its a bigger problem for me that Jesus himself said it too.  It all comes down to how different people interpret scripture

Well, yes, but I do think there are some caveats.   For example, when a prophecy has an implied condition (which is often the case).  Or when the NT apostles warned that Christ's return was any time now.  Any time.  And we're still waiting.  And I often read the NT in the spirit of Paul correcting the misunderstandings of Peter or John, misunderstandings by the listener, more than the errors of the apostles.   Or just opinion dictated as if it were doctrine.  Paul stating that women cannot speak in church or that they must wear a head covering.   Kind of like today when a prophet tells women to wear only one set of earrings, or that we shouldn't get tattoos.  Good advice, perhaps, but not an edict from on high at least not one binding to the eternities.

Personally if I needed to talk to the Bishop about a sexual sin, I don't want another person in on the conversation.  If I felt uncomfortable, I know where the limits are.  But for those more vulnerable I totally get it.

LOL, and Noah got naked wasted!  When it comes to actually speaking in the name of God though, the scriptures are very clear.

To clarify: Which quorum or group an adult man meets with is at the discretion of the stake president. I think it's likely that Grunt is already meeting with the high priests. Many men are requested (a.k.a. instructed) by the stake president to meet with the high priest group in their ward, even if they have not been ordained to the office of high priest. This is actually quite common.
To expand just a bit:
The offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood as they have been given to us include elder, high priest, patriarch, seventy, and apostle.
The office of apostle is the "highest" office, in that it encompasses the duties of all the others in addition to its own specific duties. The office of patriarch is, as far as I know, basically an extension of the office of high priest. The stake president (who holds the office of high priest, and generally not that of patriarch) can ordain a man in his stake to this office. That man, known then as the stake patriarch, is authorized to offer patriarchal blessings to members of that stake. The office of high priest is sort of the basic office of stake governance. An area of the world, like a city, generally does not have any high priests until a stake is created. All stake-level Priesthood leadership, as well as all bishopric members and high priest group leadership, must hold the office of high priest. The office of elder is the fundamental office of the Melchizedek Priesthood. With only the rarest of exceptions, this is the office that all men are ordained into when they receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. This office includes all the authority necessary for a man to act in any ordinary Priesthood calling -- most importantly, in his home. The office of seventy was, for many decades, considered a stake-level office, like that of high priest. Just as each stake has one high priests quorum, each stake had one seventies quorum. Elders were called at the stake president's discretion to serve as seventies, and were ordained to that office. As I recall, their main focus was missionary work. If a man in the office of seventy were called to a leadership position in the stake, he would be ordained a high priest; thus, the office of seventy was considered above that of elder but below that of high priest.
In the mid-1980s, stake seventies quorums were discontinued, and their members were assigned to their ward's elders quorum, or were ordained high priests at the stake president's discretion. The priesthood office of seventy was reclassified as a general authority-level office, similar to the office of apostle. In effect, the office of seventy is today considered above that of high priest.
(In discussing one office as being "above" another, I don't mean to imply that the Priesthood authority is greater or that the men in the "higher" office are morally superior to those in the "lower" office. Neither thing is true. The Priesthood authority is one; the newest ordained elder has as much Priesthood authority as the president of the Church. And men are righteous or wicked according to their choices, not their Priesthood office.)
Also, the calling of "bishop" per se is as the president of the priests quorum, which is why "the Bishop" presides over the ward's Aaronic Priesthood. But "the Bishop" is also the presiding high priest over the ward, offering spiritual guidance for the ward members. For that calling, he must hold the office of high priest.

I trust the canonised scriptures above all else too  

One thing I like is that scripture that is canonized is reliable, but we still are free to interpret it, looking at the scriptures as a whole, which takes a lifetime of study and we continue to gain insight.  I trust the scriptures.  I trust most of what prophets have said, but not all of them, and so "false prophecies" don't bother me, because the Lord in his infinite wisdom always seems to get it right, even when prophets don't.

One thing I like is that scripture that is canonized is reliable, but we still are free to interpret it, looking at the scriptures as a whole, which takes a lifetime of study and we continue to gain insight.  I trust the scriptures.  I trust most of what prophets have said, but not all of them, and so "false prophecies" don't bother me, because the Lord in his infinite wisdom always seems to get it right, even when prophets don't.

I am going to add that after Elder, one is made a High Priest.  This happens if you are called to a leadership position of Bishop (or counselor), since bishops have to be High Priests.  Generally, once one is older around the age of an empty nester, if you have not been called as bishop you will be ordained a High Priest.  You will then meet with the High Priest group rather than the Elders.   There is also a council of High Priests at the Stake level called... wait for it... The High Council.  Think of it like the Stake version of the 12 apostles (but without the prestige). 

You'll find the same organizational order throughout the church.  A president with two counselors and a council of leaders under that.  You see this at the top with the Prophet and 12 apostles.  Then you see it again with the the Presiding Bishopric, And then you have the quorum of the 70 (regional leaders where each group can have up to 70 members, although they usually have fewer than that).  And so, the Stake kind of works like a mini version of the general church, with a Stake President, a High Council, and then local bishoprics.  Back in the 70s, stakes also had local 70s, but they discontinued that practice.
Ok, so here's something to think about.  There are two priesthoods.  Aaronic and Melchezedic.  The Aaronic is for temporal (physical) needs, and the Melchezedic for spiritual needs. So, the AP physically prepares the sacrament, and physically performs baptism, and the bishop both local and general (an AP office) tends to the temporal needs of the church (welfare and such).  And the MP doe the spiritual tasks, like the laying on of hands, giving spiritual blessings, preaching the gospel (both callings of missionaries and apostles).   So, if the Bishop is an AP calling, why do you have to be a High Priest?  Well, because we aren't descendants of Aaron. The specific office is designated only to them, and since we aren't of the bloodline, one must be a High Priest to fulfill the calling. 

Now, here's some more trivia for you.  Look at the Salt Lake Temple. See that there are three spires to the East and three spires to the West.  The Eastern spires represent the MP and the president and two counselors. And the Western spires represent the AP and that presidency.   Older temples (the last one being the Los Angeles temple) were built with priesthood assembly halls, big conference rooms designed for instruction and training, and they had two sets of pulpits, one set at the East and the other at the West, and the benches were designed to flip over to face whichever direction was being used.  The Kirkland temple, the Salt Lake temple and the Los Angeles temple have these rooms. Not sure if any of the older temples still have them or if they have been renovated. 

I hope you will forever cherish and study the Book of Mormon as well.

What I miss most from the Catholic Church is that grand majesty of the traditions.  Like the simple act of genuflecting when crossing the altar.  As a new convert to LDS, the ward and stake buildings and even the sacrament meetings seem more casual in comparison.  But then I entered the temple and... whoa.

I hope you will forever cherish and study the Book of Mormon as well.

It's a newer smaller one, but looks nice.  I went to the St. Paul Minnesota temple when visiting family out there.  It was in a suburban neighborhood and one of the standard later designs.  The chapel next door was larger and the grounds were very small. 
Now, if you want to do an AWESOME temple road trip, do what we did about 4 years ago.  Start in Los Angeles. Then Newport Beach to San Diego, then up the I-15 hitting every temple on the way all the way to Logan, Utah.  You'll hit about 20 temples, including all four Pioneer temples.  There are two new ones since we did that trip (Cedar City and Payson).  I should map the route.  You can also hit a few historic sites on the way.

My brother-in-law works for the Catholic Church.  He is the music director for the church and the corresponding K-12 Catholic school.  That's his job and he gets paid good money for it.  The pianist is also paid.  He gets paid per mass.  The church usually only pays for the pianist for the high mass and all the other masses are accompanied by volunteers.  The pianist can possibly make over $500 per weekend though if he plays for weddings and funerals - that's a total of 5 hours of "performance" and the corresponding practice sessions - a pianist usually spends less than 20 hours a week to make $500.  A high school kid can do the job!  But yeah, you have to be Catholic to play for the Catholic mass.
But where you can make a lot of money in the Catholic Church as a musician is if you get commissioned to compose a mass.  My brother-in-law composed one of the masses of a canonization event at the Vatican.

I hope you will forever cherish and study the Book of Mormon as well.

It's a newer smaller one, but looks nice.  I went to the St. Paul Minnesota temple when visiting family out there.  It was in a suburban neighborhood and one of the standard later designs.  The chapel next door was larger and the grounds were very small. 
Now, if you want to do an AWESOME temple road trip, do what we did about 4 years ago.  Start in Los Angeles. Then Newport Beach to San Diego, then up the I-15 hitting every temple on the way all the way to Logan, Utah.  You'll hit about 20 temples, including all four Pioneer temples.  There are two new ones since we did that trip (Cedar City and Payson).  I should map the route.  You can also hit a few historic sites on the way.

All I can say is I feel bad for the deacon who has to pass the sacrament to the stand.  I hated not knowing who to go to first.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed by the laying on of hands by one with authority. This gift allows the recipient the right to receive the comforter at all times.  The influence of the Holy Ghost can be manifest to anyone, but that is not the same as constant bestowal of the influence of the Holy Ghost. 

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed by the laying on of hands by one with authority. This gift allows the recipient the right to receive the comforter at all times.  The influence of the Holy Ghost can be manifest to anyone, but that is not the same as constant bestowal of the influence of the Holy Ghost. 

I find the sacrament prayers to be the best instruction on the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Sacrament (communion) is done weekly, and is considered a renewal of our baptismal covenant.  And the covenant is found in the words of the prayers.  There is one prayer for bread, and another for water (wine). 
They are found in the Doctrine and Covenants, and are canon.
Here are the prayers:

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/20
75 It is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus;
76 And the elder or priest shall administer it; and after this manner shall he administer it—he shall kneel with the church and call upon the Father in solemn prayer, saying:
77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
78 The manner of administering the wine—he shall take the cup also, and say:
79 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

I find the sacrament prayers to be the best instruction on the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Sacrament (communion) is done weekly, and is considered a renewal of our baptismal covenant.  And the covenant is found in the words of the prayers.  There is one prayer for bread, and another for water (wine). 
They are found in the Doctrine and Covenants, and are canon.
Here are the prayers:

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/20
75 It is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus;
76 And the elder or priest shall administer it; and after this manner shall he administer it—he shall kneel with the church and call upon the Father in solemn prayer, saying:
77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
78 The manner of administering the wine—he shall take the cup also, and say:
79 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed by the laying on of hands by one with authority. This gift allows the recipient the right to receive the comforter at all times.  The influence of the Holy Ghost can be manifest to anyone, but that is not the same as constant bestowal of the influence of the Holy Ghost. 

Lamen and Lemuel pretty much knew their dad was a prophet given all that happened.  Still, they didn't much care.

Dr. Drew Pinsky, TV and radio doctor, big on addition treatment had some very good comments on the radio the other day on the media's coverage of Trump.  He went to a meeting of the top political people on the opeoid epidemic, and he's an expert in the field.  He said the meeting was extremely positive, and he truly believed the administration had the right ideas, and the right people to do it.  He was totally optimistic about it.  Well, he said at the last minute the president came in, thanked everyone, did the standard pat on the backs, and told people they were doing good work.  He wasn't actually part of the discussion, just giving a thanks to everyone.  Apparently in his comments he said something to the effect of, "I think for some of these drug dealers we need to inflict the maximum penalty".  Well, the next day, the headlines and stories were all "Trump want to execute drug dealers". Nothing about the actual plans, nothing about the discussion, and that's the problem.  The media doesn't want to report on what is, but on what they want things to be.  They constantly and continually predict things that don't happen.  And they chase stories that end up being red herrings.  And we are not being told the truth.  And it's extremely frustrating.
Bear in mind, Dr Drew was a regular CNN contributor during the election, and was told by his conservative friend Adam Corolla (they had a show together years ago) that the media was lying to the public, and he couldn't give a fair assessment. Dr. Drew denied it, saying CNN never told him what to say, or censor his words.  That is, until he commented that Hillary Clinton looked like she had a serious neurological issue and needed to be checked out.  After that on-air statement, he was taken off and ultimately fired from CNN.  He has never trusted the media ever since.  And neither should you.