Soul_Searcher

There needs to be a laugh button on this thread! Funny you should say that Pale..we went for a walk yesterday and there was a park so we went in there and let off some steam, it was really fun. Trouble was, afterwards we were starving so we went to McDonalds. As we were walking out my DH jokingly turned round and said, ' 'Allo Bishop (or insert name of uber-member of the ward here)!! Fancy seeing you here!' Just a reminder that no ones perfect and we all do things like that now and again.

I wish I could have that sort of feeling. It would make my life a lot easier!

That includes members bringing up stories like this, right? Why the focus?

I'd be happy to show you around Pam

This is a cool topic! I live in a big town, about 185000 people. Its a London overspill so it has a London feel. I.E lots of empty vandalised buildings ghetto-type areas, high crime rates and a football stadium. 20% of the population are unemployed and on benefits. Its very multicultural. 33% of the population are asian, 10,000 are Polish and another 5,000 are Eastern european. The town is very industrial and working class and right next to one of the main motorways in the country, the M1. The main thing about the town is the famous airport, which we live half a mile from. Needless to say, I hate the place but its location is very central with good travel links. 25 mins to London, 40 mins to Paris. We live on the very outskirts of town about 50 yards from the next county. We have a little 2 bed cluster house, 3 houses joined together. Its a nice estate and our house overlooks country side and empty fields. You can see the planes fly into the airport from our house but we are not in the flight path as theres no noise. Its peaceful and the walks in the countryside are beautiful. We back onto some of the most beautiful green English countryside for miles.The chapel is in the flight path so its pretty noisy but u get used to it. Oh yeah..the oldest building in the town dates back to the 1540s-when Henry VIII was on the throne. Its a pub and we eat there probably once a fortnight. It has beams and open fires. The church in the town centre was built in the 1100s so the town is 900 years old. I know u Americans love the historic side of Britain!

I prayed for a calm day where I would get the chance to learn and show what I can do. I prayed for no trouble, stress or hassle like the other days. It was the best day I'd had in the unit. When I left I really felt god had answered my prayer. Misshalfway-thanku so much! I suppose I know the answers really I just need lots of encouragement!! I suppose it will be worth it. I need to hang on to the fact that it will. :)

I'm really trying to get back into church but I'm finding it so hard to motivate myself. If I leave it a few days without doing anything churchy its like I'm back to square one. I have to pick myself up and go through it all again. I have been asking for a spiritual experience. Its not like asking for a sign, as it says in the scriptures if you ask you will get one. I feel I need this. I prayed the other day to have a good day at work as Ive been having a really hard time there. It was a great day and I felt my prayer was answered. The next day, I prayed even harder, as I was working with a woman who hates me. It was the day from hell, she was awful to me and I spent half of it in tears-The worst working day of my life, without a doubt. Did God abandon me? Did he even answer my prayer in the first place? Was it just a coincidence? Me and my DH have been working on going back to the temple, we let our recs lapse and I haven't been in 4 years, since we got married. I'm very nervous about this, it all seems overwhelming. I'm finding it hard to pay tithing, its a drain financially after you haven't paid it for a while. I'm trying so hard to listen and feel something and be interested at church but its difficult. Will it always be like this? how can I get a bit more motivation rather than just plodding through all of this and feeling overwhelmed?

Ive also heard that power walking is better. If you start off with power walking, you can gradually build up to running. It also tones ur legs and bum better. I do it with wrist/ankle weights on for extra toning. Its easier on ur joints too. Apparantly the shorter you keep your steps the more effective it is. It is very good cardiovascularly too, so you will build up your stamina and hopefully be able to run further in time.

hi!

I havent read the whole thread, but my best friend grew up in the environment. Her Dad is not a member. Her Mum brought her and her brother up in the church with the Dad's support. The son served a mission, they are both married in the temple. As far as I know they have a good marriage. Not saying it was easy for them, but it worked. The Mum is stake YWs pres. I think you need to assess your partner. Everyone is different. I dated a non member who I knew would never understand or be supportive about church. Would your man be, and would you be happy? Thats what I would be asking myself.

Really? What sort of content is innapropriate then? I read a lot, and theres usually some sex or something un-church worthy in the books i read. This has nothing as far as I can tell, Im on the 3rd book. In fact, Edward has old fashioned values and wants to marry Bella before they have sex. You think that is inappropriate?? What sort of books would you buy for a teenager? I think some people can get a little too caught up with this sort of thing. How on earth do u live in the world if you think the Twilight books are unnacceptable?

Why is it portrayed this way if its wrong?? I was taught this was the literal way.

OK, its time I said something. I have been working all week and have not had time to catch up on this thread tho I have been thinking about it. Firstly, I am sorry if I have mislead anyone. My intention is CERTAINLY not to mislead or confuse, just to get perspectives and discussion in problems I have. Pam, Pale-If you feel confused then in a way I am glad. This is how I feel about the church, and it is obviously reflecting in my posts. I too feel pulled in all directions. I hear something I dont have too much issue with (PBlessings) and sort of gravitate in that direction to something familiar. Then I think or read something that darkens my mind and heart and I get sucked away into another direction (i.e, this thread, other things). I HAVE been a member all my life. I should point out my Dad is the only active member of my family bar me. My Mum is semi active but has basically the same issues I do tho she is content to pootle along. She hasn't actively taught me as such and my Dad had 3 children to teach. Me being the righteous one, he was desperately trying to find ways to keep my bro and sis active. Thank you Maureen for pointing out that certain things have different significance at different times of your life. When I say, deal with things as they 'come up' I mean things that I DID NOT know before.. Some people may find this hard to believe, but its true. I did NOT know about seer stones, polyandry, Adam-God theory etc until VERY recently. (This is not cause I didnt listen in church, cause I was a total Molly as a teenager-its cause we are not taught it!!!) In my job, we have a code to abide by, and if we do not do this we can be struck off. If theres one thing I can confidently say that I am, it is HONEST. I'm being very honest by laying bare my soul, and all the stuff goin on in my head. It does MY head in, it does my husbands head in, and my Dad has the patience of a saint, talking to me for 90 minutes on the phone on Monday. Some days I feel, yes, ok, I can do this. Then I feel discouraged and want to give up. Its a head mess, I'll grant you. I'm sorry if I'm confusing you all. I comment on the things I feel are appropriate. If it happens to have a generic church perspective, then it does. If it does not, then that reflects my confused state of mind. In all honesty, this is almost taking over my life, I find my head crowded with thoughts constantly, even staring out the window on the bus and at work thinking about stuff, always texting my Dad, looking at talks, information and books. This is at work too and I have to snap myself back into reality. Maybe some people could PRAY for me to have some peace and order in my mind. I hope this gives a better idea of what I am going through. You have all been wonderful so far. Please bear with me a little longer and try to be understanding until I become the uber-mormon that everyone seems to want me to be. P.S-Thank you so much to those who have seen the real me, as messed up as I am.

I sometimes use carbonated water to top on squash too elgama, but i stopped doing it as I heard too much carbonated liquid contributes to cellulite

Im only just getting back into praying-Ive got a lot to work through

I hate the word 'skinny' as much as some of us hate the word 'fat'. It was always used in a derogotory way to me. 'You're so SKINNY!' followed by a curl of the lip. I prefer 'slim' or thin. I work really hard at my body to look toned and feel healthy. Some people get nasty at being thin too!!!!! (Amazingly pathetic and sad, but unfortunately true)

The Edwardian era is my absolute favourite! I am trying to hunt down a photographer that will do a photoshoot with us dressed in Edwardian outfits. The 20s were also amazing. Flapper girls, the hats and cigarette holders!! Soooo elegant

Any cola is fine. No one has ever said we cannot drink coke. Some more fundamentalist memebers will try to tell you it is, but it is YOUR CHOICE. Its not out. I drink it all the time like several posters here. But in answer to your question.....I drink sugar-free fruit squash, milk and water. I have carbonated drinks like coke as a treat and in restaurants.

Could you provide some links? I tried to search but it wasn't coming up with anything, just refreshes the page I'm on. OK, I can think of it as a covenant. But what you have suggested means I'm tied to everyone in the CK (if I get there which is unlikely anyway lol). I dont know if thats a particularly great thing, and if my relative isnt sealed or whatever, I wont be with them because they haven't kept a covenant? That is not fair, why would God do that?

I dont know if Im alone in this but I find the idea of 'being sealed' contraversial. Im trying to accept different aspects of church doctrine as they come up, but this is something Im finding VERY hard. There are so many situations were being a 'family forever' does not work. What happens if a family member leaves the church? Then the one who has stayed gets punished too, as they will not be able to be with that person who they love. Or divorce? What about the children who wont get to have their parents together? Or my poor friend who was sealed, then her husband was killed in a car crash a month later. She is NOT ALLOWED to be sealed again, so if she gets married again, the children wont be sealed to anyone, and her poor husband will not have his kids sealed to him, and he will NEVER be allowed to be sealed to the woman he loves. This sucks for everyone concerned. Sealings are a good idea in theory, but only if everyone stays active, married, and alive. Its not realistic or feasible. I know I can pray to accept this doctrine, but its still so unfair, especially my beautiful friend. Any comments?

exactly, I might get some more direct guidance. I dont seem to be doing too well so far.....

Well this applies to anyone going away for uni. I personally chose to go to a uni only an hour away from home. I drove home on the weekends and sometimes in the week too. It gave me the independance I wanted but I was near enough in case I got too homesick. You know yourself, if you will e really really homesick them I would choose somewhere u can live at home. Or if you want a bit of freedom, go somewhere not too far like I did.

Scriptures (most of the time) and handbag. I make sure I have chewing gum/sweets etc in it and a drink. Sometimes i-pod.

Dunno really. To see what it says. Why not? I'm slightly obsessed with my ancestors. That would be interesting, I might do it.

I was under the impression that the urim and thummim were buried with the plates. If thats the case why did he need a stone from a neighbours farm to do it?