mom_of_jcchlsm

and I was just poking about, wondering what I could do for FHE tonight . . . Thanks, SF! Brother Ashton's message will be the focal point of our FHE. I was thinking: three of the things he talks about (nursing hurts, bad habits, and fears) can keep us not only from participating in the Gospel, but also from enjoying relationships with others in our family. Nursing hurts, not forgiving, being easily offended - that's obvious. Bad habits - selfishly refusing to change and adapt our personal habits or maybe our spending habits for the common good. Fear of falling short can keep us from trying at all.

Invite him to watch a session of General Conference over the internet with you - make it a date, the two of you both listening to conference and IMing each other back and forth the whole time. He can ask anything he wants and you can answer, or you can point out things or comment on how they apply to you. Send the missionaries to his door. You can leave them a tip to tract out a certain person, without telling him you sent them. He may be curious enough to invite them in, if only to see if they say the same things you do. Bear your testimony often - just little things as they come up in conversation, not formally (you don't have to say "in the name of Jesus Christ" at the end) I know that you have a huge emotional interest in wanting him to join the Church, but for this purpose you have to separate your attachment to him as your boyfriend from your love for him as a brother. If he feels pressure to convert or lose you, it will either drive him to put on an act - false conversion, or he will drop you to avoid uncomfortable situations and feelings.

Our Stake holds tournaments throughout the year in several sports for YW, YM and co-ed adult. I've seen it get competitive, but never too rough.

I'm a Mom, and I don't know much about what all is required for Eagle (since my oldest boy is still a Cub Scout), but I have two daughters in YW, and I've looked at the PP requirements. Do you feel the two awards are about equal? As in: Do they require about the same amount of effort? I know a lot of families make Eagle a prerequisite for their boys for getting a driver's license. Would it be fair to require PP completion for girls? It looks to me that PP can be completed rather slap-dash (doing the bare minimum, picking the easiest projects). Unless a girl is really self-motivated, or pushed by her parents/leaders, the path of least resistance may look attractive. Are the requirements for Eagle the same?

this is like my egg-timer, but mine is made by a different company: http://www.grill-perfect.com/egg.html - I don't know what an egg-beheader is really called. That's just what I call it. It fits down over the small end of a soft-boiled egg and slices off the top (through the shell, without getting shell crumbs into the egg) so you can scoop out the inside of the egg. I learned to eat eggs like that in Germany, but here in the States, you don't see it. The egg sits in a little cup. I can't find good egg cups here, either, so I found a set of napkin rings that are the right size if you set them on their sides. - I have enjoyed Friendship Bread, many times. - pastry cutter! Yes! My Mom taught me to cut in shortening/butter/lard using two knives slicing through the flour mixture. I'm so thankful to have discovered the pastry cutter. It works so much better. Recipe for Dutch Puff Babies: Use a large, very deep dish. Put ¼ cup of butter in the dish and place it in the oven while you mix up the rest of the ingredients. Set oven for 400° and turn it on. You want the dish very hot and the butter bubbly by the time the batter is ready. Beat: 6 eggs Add: 1 cup flour 1 cup milk ½ tsp. salt Beat until smooth. Tilt the hot dish all around to coat at least an inch or two up the sides with melted butter. Pour egg mixture into dish and return to oven immediately. Bake 25 min or until puffed and lightly browned. Serve immediately. Top with syrup, fresh fruit and cream, warmed pie filling, or my favorite: powdered sugar and lemon juice. As I indicated before, my family (two adults, two teens, four kids (plus a non-Puff-Baby-eating baby) goes through four of these for breakfast. I can just barely fit two in the oven side-by-side. Come to think of it, with only one in the oven it might cook a little faster. One batch can be cut into fourths for serving - it looks big, but it's mostly air, like a souffle.

I think lots of people spout things without thinking - especially those people who have a need to feel important. As a class member, I ignore most false doctrine, unless it seems to become a focal point of the discussion, and I only correct very carefully ("my understanding is that . . . " or "Oh! Look at the footnotes here. They say . . . " or "maybe you're refering to . . . - a lot of people get those two concepts backwards" ) As a teacher, you can (and should) be much more proactive in nipping false doctrine in the bud.

God / rock: I believe there is a limited (though very, very large!) amount of matter and God is able to manipulate it all, but He cannot create more than there already is. When the Earth was "created," it was really organized from the already existing matter. Can God do anything He wants? Of course, but saying "anything He wants" is in fact a limitation. God desires only that which is good. He does not desire evil, and can not do evil. God operates within the laws He has established. Can he step out of the boundaries? No. Not because He is limited, but because He has limited Himself. Sort of like if you make a New Year's resolution (except God sticks to his).

Though I'm sure the Church carries insurance for such cases, I think most members would not make a claim against it.

I hope it's good, but I'm a bit gaurded. I'm worried that it will have dodgeball-like tendancies (a nasty movie).

pressure cooker - don't own one - I've always been a bit scared of them electric frying pan - couldn't live without! Ours is huge - makes 8 grilled cheese at once snow cone maker - we had a manual one - it was dusty - threw it out just a week ago while paring down for our move heavy duty cookie sheets - yup! heavy duty stainless mixing bowl sets with plastic lids - wish I had a nice set. motley assortment of big bowls, most without lids will have to do. pots and pans with glass lids - yes! although I probably have more than I need 13X9 glass dish with plastic lid and carrying case - I own three. Indispensible blender - currently broken, and I'm suffering bread Maker (electric) - what? who needs it? baking bread the old-fashioned way is fun. loaf pans - a must! I must make banana bread, pumpkin bread, apricot bread, or just plain regular bread, or meatloaf twice a week bundt pan - hmmmm. I don't use it often (maybe once or twice a year?), but when I want it, no other shape will do. punch bowl - you can always borrow one from the RS if you need it deep cassarole dishes (7x11x4) - I really only need them for one recipe I can think of (Dutch Puff Babies), but there is no substitue - the high sides make the dish. I have two, since our family can devour four batches of puff babies at one sitting - make two, dish those up, then refill them and pop the next two in the oven to have them ready when we're hungry for more. Electric steamer - ours holds four artichokes or three broccoli stalks (chopped) - you can make rice in it (but it doesn't hold enough rice for our family any more, so I use a pot on the stove for that now), steam tamales - yeah, indispensible! Dehydrator - at one time, I used it a lot, but I haven't hauled it out in probably two years now. Could do without it, but I like knowing it's there in case I want it. Egg timer - I have one of those really cool egg-shaped ones that goes in the pan with your eggs and changes color as it heats up egg-beheader - I really had to search for this tool speakerphone - perhaps not what most would consider a kitchen gadget, but that's the only place I need it - so I can work on making dinner while on the phone

biz, You sound really bitter. Is someone you know going around bragging about being related to so-and-so and you haven't done the research yet to prove that you are, too? or you have gone back that far on every line and proven that you aren't? I wholeheartedly agree that being related to someone famous is no reason to be puffed up. But that's no reason to tear down the practice of researching one's ancesrty. LDS do family history research in order to provide vicarious ordinances for our deceased relatives. If we happen to discover fun and interesting connections along the way, that just icing on the cake.

yeah, washing dishes after dinner, when you each thought the other was going to pay.

Ben, For those who believe the Bible, we're much closer related than Adam and Eve - we're all decendants of Noah through one of his three sons.

but if you're going to tell your congregation "this is what we believe - this is what they believe" it should not include junk like:- Mormons have sex in their temples - Mormon men have to have at least 6 children in order to reach the highest level of their priesthood - Mormons believe in voodoo - Mormon women are forced to be subservient to their husbands Even the things they get technically right are presented in the worst possible light, and without explanation. It's as if they are going for shock value, not presenting information: - Mormons don't believe in the Trinity - Mormons don't baptize thier babies - Mormons have to wear holy underwear - Bishops and other Mormon clergy don't have any kind of religious schooling - they could be plumbers or accountants or sales clerks Anyway, I'm not asking them to let us hold a cottage meeting at their event, but a representative to answer questions and help them stick to the facts wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?

Maybe not where you live. Here (in a small town in Texas), the Baptist Churches hold seminars to "educate" their members about other faiths. Funny, they don't ever invite the missionaries or a Bishop to speak. But we get asked all kinds of (rude, unbelievable) questions, and occasionally parents forbid their kids to play with ours. The missionaries no longer have an appartment here because they kept receiving threats and their tires were slashed.

I don't care how conservative the South is, they won't vote for a Mormon. The Southern Baptists would abstain from voting or even vote for a liberal rather than put a Mormon in office. The preachers would cry from the pulpit and the members would obey.

I really enjoyed the read, but in the end, I felt like I had been used. The driving plot is a vehicle for pushing morals and ideals which are contrary to mine. It is fiction, though very convincingly written in places. I can see how it upset Catholics. I would be really angry about a book of this kind written about LDS history.

I have not studied the history of persecution of Mormons, but have always guessed the opposite--that it was shock and outrage at the practice of polygamy that led to the "going after" of the LDS. Do you have some sources I could look into to, because your argument here probably ties together all three or four strings on polygamy right now. Bottom-line question: Did polygamy lead to persecution of Mormons, or was polygamy the weapon anti-Mormons chose to use to go after them? PC, there was tremendous persecution even before polygamy was introduced. The US law against polygamy was introduced to prevent Utah from becoming a state. Many feel that the Manifesto, which officially ended polygamy in the Church, was only issued in order to appease the government and make it possible to obtain statehood. Here's a very abreviated timeline: 1831 - Joseph Smith and followers chased out of Palmyra, NY - they go to Kirtland, OH. 1832 - Joseph Smith tarred and feathered, someone tries to poison him 1835 - doctrine of Eternal Progression brings cries of "blasphemy" against Joseph Smith and his followers 1836 - practice of polygamy first introduced 1846 - beginning of Mormon exodus to Utah, which was not a part of the USA at the time 1887 - Congress passes the Edmunds-Tucker Act 1890 - President Wilford Woodruff issues the Manifesto 1896 - Utah becomes the 45th state 1904 - excommunication becomes the official penalty for taking a second wife

Polygamy does not equal abuse/rape/molestation. Abuse/rape/molestation are valid civic issues, meaning that the government ("we, the people") do have a vested interest in preventing these atrocities and aprehending and procecuting the perpetrators. Polygamy in and of itself, however, does not negatively affect society, nor does it harm minors (who by social custom are a group protected by society). As has been pointed out here and elsewhere, polygamist groups can and do exist without rates of abuse/rape/molestation higher than the average population. Just because a notable few are steeped in iniquity does not prove a causal relationship between a polygamous lifestyle and perversions. It's like saying that three known serial killers owned iguanas as children, therefore owning iguanas is bad and shouldn't be allowed. If you can show me that 1)all or very near all serial killers owned iguanas and 2)no or very, very few non-iguana-owners become serial killers then we have a possible causal relationship. I don't see that with polygamy. I see one sick group skewing the results for the rest. Maybe if polygamy were legal, and you actually had to get a marriage license and both parties had to sign it, it would be easier to aprehend those who are outside the law on other issues.

I don't see that polygamy is a problem. LDS, former LDS, branched off from LDS, Hindu, Tribal or whatever, why is it such a big deal to people? People should be free to do pretty much whatever they want, whatever they feel is right -- up to the point where it infringes on others' rights. Can anyone tell me how a group of people practicing polygamy hurts the community? The US laws against polygamy were not enacted because polygamy was offensive, but rather to "go after" LDS. In that sense, such laws totally fly in the face of personal freedoms and freedom of religion (which the US is so proud of).

PC said: "a. Post Millenialism: Christians are to prepare the world for Christ's return through advancing science, culture, ethics, and of course, the Gospel to the point where Christ sees that it is gloriously ready for his triumphant return. b. Premillenialism: Christians are to do what they can for a lost and dying world. Winning souls is primary. A time of great trouble is coming when Christians will be persecuted and killed globally, when an Antichrist will rule, and when a great spiritual apostasy is yet to come, when the world will embrace a global religion that does not worship the one true and living God. From your post, Traveler, I take that it most LDS embrace a more or less post-millenial view." I don't know about Traveler, but as I read your description of post-millenialism, I shook my head and thought "now who could believe that after reading the scriptures?" And as I read your description of premillenialism, I agreed with the first bit, but not the last. I think LDS believe something else entirely, though I don't know what you'd call it. We believe that we are to do all we can to teach and to cry repentance and to bring souls unto Christ. There is a limited time allotted for this, but we don't know how long. The general state of the world is becoming more and more evil and specifically, the gulf between the righteous and the wicked is widening - in the last days there will be no fence-sitters, no grey area. The Church (as an organization, not the body of people) is laying the foundation for Christ's millenial reign (such that when He comes, the political, administrative machine is in place). There are many specific prophecies yet to be fulfilled before Christ comes in glory, but many have already been fulfilled. When Christ returns, the wicked who are alive at that time will be burned as stubble in a field. We consider this the confirmation of the Earth - the baptism by fire. (the Earth having already been baptized by imersion at the time of the flood) The millenium will be a time of intense work, as the righteous dead are ressurected and the righteous living at the time of Christ's return are changed in an instant from living to immortal (many LDS refer to this as being "twinkled" ). During the millenium, Temple work will be performed for all who have ever lived upon the Earth. At the end of the millenium, Satan will be loosed again for a time. After that, anyone else who still needs to be ressurected will be, and then comes the final judgement.

Fad thing here is to put one of those medical rubber gloves over your head like a hat but with the wrist at your top lip so that your nose is inside, then inflate the glove by breathing in through your mouth and out through your nose. Mohawk of inflated fingers. But some guys then pull it down over their mouth as well and see how long they can stand it. Bad idea!

how wonderful! do keep us updated - I love traveling vicariously. take pictures.

potty training (totally off topic): 1. every child is different. no use comparing one to another 2. in the olden days kids were potty trained younger -- cloth diapers! That would motivate both parent and child! 3. Any time I hear of a child being potty trained by 18 months, I think it's the parent who is trained, not the child. 4. I don't care how much you coax and teach and work at it, a child is ready when he is ready. When the child is ready, he almost teaches himself.

there have been some incidents this year with phones that you can take pictures with. I'm betting those will be banned next year. Guys taking pics in the locker room. Kids taking pics of tests.