RipplecutBuddha

You know how to get them to move? Get your cell phone out and start taking their pictures. When they ask what you're doing (and they will) simply state you're photographing the most important people in the world. If that doesn't work, immediately launch into full on stalker mode. That always works..along with the cell camera.

Uh...isn't Velveeta mac in a box too?? anyway, boxed mac (kraft is the best still) no movies for a year or no tv for a year?

Great....it's worse than I thought....I didn't know I was going to start a trend....

Hmmm...not too sure I like mine. Here's what I came up with randomly I licked a birdbath under your bed because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway. I'm pretty certain mine would close the thread...just sayin'....

People that take a full cart to the self-check out lanes...then end up making the attendant stand at the register and clear all the faults as they occur...toatlly defeating the purpose of having attendant-free check out lanes in the first place...while I stand in line behind them with a jug of milk and some oreos.

okay, I thought of some...or were reminded of them...anyway, ATF fluid.... ATF=Automatic Transmission Fluid...So when you read the bottle you're reading Automatic Transmission Fluid....fluid.... I had no idea automatic transmission fluid needed its own fluid...and I'm a mechanic. Hot Water Heater.... If the water's already hot...does it still need to be heated??? Fat Chance vs. Slim Chance Don't they mean the same thing?

It's ironic though that such things occur. For instance during my mission in San Diego, I flipped through the white pages and just out of curiostiy I looked up the LDS listing. *It took up almost an entire page in the phone book* the next longest listing I could find for any church was the catholic church, and it wasn't that close either. On one hand it would be nice to be included in such advertisings, so it could be known that we really are part of the community. On the other hand, the world does have a habit of rejecting us at any turn possible, so I don't really worry about it. The way I see it, if the Christian community chooses not to include us in their 'clique', it's their loss. Think of all the advantages they're giving up by passing on our capacity for outreach and advertising in our own right. As far as I'm concerned they're shooting themselves in the collective foot just for spite. maybe one day they'll change their position, but until then, we'll get along fine as it is.

It is a tough thing to have to face, but the good news is that you're aware of it. Don't forget to get a hold of your body's designer. Chances are he knows a thing or to that could help alongside the doctor's advice. Also, a priesthood blessing is always a good idea when facing these issues. Our hearts and prayers are with you.

Mickey...as if that were a choice... :) Donald Duck or Daffy Duck?

I also was inacive for a few years. I didn't join another church, I just stopped going to the LDS church..stopped reading the scriptures...stopped praying...and promptly began the task of messing up my life completely. I never did anything horrible, I never openly rebelled against the church, nor did I commit any crimes. What I did do is cause myself some problems I'm still sorting out today. The point is that even at that point, when I finally came to my senses, I realised the Lord was more than ready to welcome me back. Life has bee much much better since then, and I am very happy I decided to come back to what I always knew was right. You see, the Lord loves us no matter what we do. Really. Even after what he did for us in the garden and on the cross, he is still willing to let us walk away from him should we decide to. I sensed that he was saying to me "Okay, you want to go it alone? I'll let you. I don't want you to, but please remember that I'll still be here when you want to come back." Now that you want to come back don't ever doubt how much the Lord loves you and wants you to be as happy as you can be. Oh, and we are all praying for you. Follow the Spirit.

I'm not too sure there are any left....

Swiffer WetJet Fight a round with Mike Tyson in his prime---or---talk like Mike Tyson?

1. What is your favorite color? metallic steel 2. Where were you born? Riverton Wyoming 3. Did you serve a mission and if so where? San Diego/Alpine CA & Lake Havasu City AZ 4. Married or single? Single 5. What is your favorite food? Steak, pizza, or king crab legs 6. What is your favorite movie? Tombstone, Payback, the new Star Trek 7. Who is your favorite band? Dream Theater 8. Do you have children? No, so the world is still safe 9. Who is your favorite author? E.A.Poe, Talmage, Aasimov 10. What is your hobby? Religious forums, scale modeling, and driving Ferarri's...whenever I get one... 11. What is your idea of the perfect vacation? Road trip with zero schedule for two weeks, or camping in the mountains...for two weeks 12. What is your favorite city? Not sure I really have one...sorry. 13. What is your favorite sports team? Colorado Avalanche 14. What kind of car do you drive? '93 Lincoln Town Car 15. What was the first car you owned? '92 Chevy Cavalier 16. What calling do you hold in church? None right now 17. If you could travel anywhere in the world that you have not been to before, where would it be? Australia 18. What is your favorite tv show? MST3K, Alias, M*A*S*H 9. What is your current favorite restaurant? Old Chicago...I guess 20. What event in your life gave you the biggest rush? Hmmm...not sure I've had a 'biggest rush' yet...rollercoasters would be the closest I suppose.

On a more religious note... A serious pet peeve of mine is when anti's come up and try to tell you what you believe and/or what the official doctrine of the LDS church is. Then when you politely try to correct them, they immediately launch into the time-worn tactic of 'lying, or dodging the question'. For anyone who is not a member of the LDS Church to assume they know the official doctrines of the church better than an actual member is not only illogical, but arrogant. Most already know that we attend three hours of church every sunday, plus two General Conferences involving over twelve hours of instruction, two Stake Conferences involving three hours of instruction, two Ward Conferences involving one hour of instruction every year...plus all the training and correlation meetings...One would begin to realize we probably know our stuff pretty well. I don't have a problem with people disagreeing with LDS doctrine, nor with someone who is firmly planted in their own faith. Religion is something we all must decide on our own. However, don't try to tell me what I believe, because you don't know what I believe unless I tell you first. There..rant overwith. Thank you.

people that drive through cities at night with their fog lights on...in any weather besides foggy weather People that drive through cities at night with their high beams on...as though the street lights aren't even there. People that tailgate you...even as you're going five over...in the right lane...and they stay behind you for half a mile, then suddenly cut around you and take the very next right off of the road. People that talk as loud as possible on their cell phones in public, then glare at you when you look at them...as though you're supposed to be deaf or something. People that follow you down a row of cars in a parking lot to see you've got a spot they want. These people I actually love because I'll deliberately walk away from them through the rows just to get 'em wound up.... yeah, that'll do for now..oh, wait...you're cruizing on the interstate in cruise control, then someone passes you only to slow down and force you to slow down, yet when you go to pass them, they speed up again....especially in a semi that can't go over 70 mph in the first place....

I have a bit of a problem with 'hypothetical' questions like this. It invites too many opportunities to lose the spirit. For instance...after addressing this issue, one could then turn around and begin questioning how 'effective' his/her own bishop/stake president is at fulfilling his calling. One could also then justify judging others in their ward as to how 'worthy' they are to hold a TR. One could also justify not doing their home/visiting teaching because it's not specifically mentioned in the TR interview. In short, we are tempting ourselves with justifying a great deal of pride. My answer to the hypothetical question (that turns out not to be hypothetical at all) would be this; "When I'm the bishop and I have to face that situation, I hope the Lord tells me what to do, because I don't know the right answer." Further, it's none of my business who else has a TR. My business is to make sure I'm worthy to obtain and hold one regularly. That worthiness is between myself, the bishop, the stake president, and the Lord...and frankly, everyone else can go pound sand if they feel they have a right to judge me and/or my worthiness. On my mission, I was disturbed to find that a few of my fellow missionaries had no problem attending the temple without shaving. I know it's never laid out that you ought to...but it's the temple...the most sacred place on the earth, right? Well I knew the elders in question were very good, very spiritual, and I had no desire to look down on them. All the same, it was tough. We cannot, we dare not, begin going through life assuming the Savior's role as judge of mankind. We must look to our own course of life and make sure we're doing all we can for ourselves and our families when it comes to worthiness.

That could be the case, and optimism is a good quality to have in most any situation, but I've been through this with a couple other individuals in the past, and it's how it happened then. Things might have changed since then, but once they presented their membership records for the other religion, their names were removed from the records of the ward/stake. It's always good to see people come back after leaving the church, but even Heavenly Father doesn't want to compel us to be somewhere we don't want to be.

I was inactive for about six years. My advice, just start going to sunday meetings again. Talk with the bishop about your situation...maybe some of the members can write or email you during your deployment. My brother was in Iraq three times as well, and he said the letters were just as good as getting them on his mission. As for getting active again, my process first involved getting used to praying regularly again, then opening the scriptures again, then going to meetings..talking with the bishop, etc. It felt like going back home. The spirit was very strong, and I was very very glad to have decided to get active again. In a related comment, I have a very dear friend who's in the army and inactive. I've been praying for her for a while now, but hopefully the Lord will move her heart at the right time. As for you, I'm happy for you and I know you'll be glad you decided to get back into it. My life has been better by far ever since I re-activated myself.

It is true. If you officially join another denomination, your membership in the LDS church is ended. The reason is that while there are many doctrinal similarities between the LDS Church and other Christian religions, there are also many differences on a fundamental level. The doctrine of the trinity being a prime example. Keep in mind the questions during a temple recommend interview. If you join another church, are you really sustaining the general authorities, and so on...

LostSheep For fleecing unsuspecting customers

That is an excellent point to make. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to testify of truth. Most Christian religions believe Jesus is the Savior. Whenever someone states this, the Spirit will be there to testify to those prepared to hear him that what they are hearing is the truth. The LDS Church has never claimed to be the only church that teaches truth. The LDS Church has claimed to be the only church that teaches all revealed truth from God. It's a small difference, but a real one.

Whatever your friend decides to do, hypothetically, he needs to understand that the decision he is contemplating is a very serious one from the standpoint of the LDS Church. Wanting to leave the church without getting any 'fallout' is like wanting to get into heaven without having to obey God...it just doesn't work that way. If your friend doesn't believe in LDS doctrine, then maybe he shouldn't be a memeber...on the other hand, maybe he needs some soul-searching prayers between himself and God. I would never recommend someone leave the LDS Church, or any religion, on a whim...or even if they're going through a very troubling time in their lives (especially then). However I suppose there are times that it's the right thing to do. Ultimately it is between him and God. As has been stated, it's a pretty simple process to leave the church, but there are inescapeable repercussions involved, and they must be kept in mind when the decision is being made. While the church doesn't practice ostracism formally, there will be members of his ward that will act on their own decisions, and it may appear as the same thing.

okay, so I try to upload a picture, except it's too big...and I can't re-size it to the less than 500 px required...so I guess I'm stuck without an avatar... oh, well

Um....no that's not what I was talking about...although that was pretty cool. (I love aviation and flying btw) What I was talking about was...well people changing out of their surf suits right there on the street in front of everyone...and other issues related to warm-climate cities. Finishing up my mission in Lake Havasu City during the last part of Spring Break didn't help much either.

Worldliness in general is all over the place...it's the world after all. I saw it most pronounced immediately after my MTC time. The bus ride from the MTC to SLC airport was....eye opening. All along I was thinking to myself...'how did I not see this before?'. But then I landed in San Diego, and that really blew me away...It's something I'll never forget.