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Of course it’s a good thing for kids who like that sort of thing. But completely unnecessary for eternal salvation.

I did realize JAG was moonlighting as accountant for the Church. It’s an interesting idea that the girls actually have gotten more money than the Young men but I think it would be a long shot to prove. In any case, I’m not one who has ever complained about inequities in funds. My kids have never felt neglected in the area of Church activities. I don’t really care.

They probably didn’t know about them. Actually only a very small percentage of wards and stakes have access to those camps. It’s mostly a western US advantage. Here in the east and the rest of the world we go through the process every year of having to find a place for the girls to have camp. It has cost my girls at least $100 out of pocket each to attend.

I’d like to know what the numbers actually are. Not just surmised to be.

That may be true to a certain extent but it isn’t a message that is very clear.In many wards there has been enormous leader pressure to accomplish the goal or project. Our last YW President put a huge emphasis on completing Personal Progress and devoted at least one activity a month towards it. There was absolutely no “this is optional” message there. I don’t know how the girls who just didn’t respond to the checklist approach to progressing personally could not feel like losers. Especially when the ones who finished it all in their first year of Beehives were praised and honored copiously! My oldest daughter who is Primary President in her ward already predicts that the activities on the Primary level will be based on the “noise” of several squeaky wheel parents in her ward. The quieter families will just have to go with the flow.

We didn’t get to go to those camps for free. I recall having to pay every year. And my girls had to pay to go, too. They now use “missionary” couples to act as hosts and to do maintenance. I don’t think the church paid anywhere near that much to maintain them.

At first I thought, oh dear this is not helping! Why do we need to define what kids do anyway under the label of a church program? But by the end when they announced the medallions and plugged in the numbers I thought, ok this makes more sense as a “program” or “initiative” as they call it. I’m still thinking the transition will be brutal for some wards. And Personal Progress was just a catchier title than “Children and Youth”. Again, kids who respond to goal challenges will like it. Others who just want to do their own thing without tracking progress may feel nagged by it. I guess it will be helpful for some who struggle with motivation or just don’t know where to start with self improvement. Also, as with ministering, I still feel Church leadership doesn’t trust us because we have to be assigned to serve each other and because there has to be a structured program to teach our children how to improve their lives. Does this mean we we’re still unwise because we have to be compelled to do this stuff?

I can hardly drink straight hot chocolate anymore. I’m in the habit of adding a teaspoon or two of Pero. And less of the chocolate. Plain hot choc is too sweet for me now. I’m quite sure I’d grow fond of coffee given the chance.

I had just been listening to this song. That’s why it jumped off the page at me. 😆

My computer screen on Deseret Book.

Well, I doubt the prophet would endorse that song. I think it’s pretty tasteless of that group to perform it at that particular venue. They should have known better.

This has been a remarkable discussion/argument, at least 6 pages worth that I did not read but only skimmed because it was just too tedious and hair splitting and nit picking and incomprehensive and mind boggling. But I thought I'd just drop this in here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/mormon-tabernacle-choir-rehearses-with-san-francisco-gay-mens-chorus?lang=eng And this: http://www.newnownext.com/sf-gay-mens-chorus-conductor-directs-mormon-tabernacle-choir/06/2018/ And this: https://www.deseret.com/2018/6/26/20647875/it-s-all-about-the-music-san-francisco-gay-men-s-chorus-performs-with-mormon-tabernacle-choir The trail has already been blazed by the Tab Choir. Looks like a good time was had by all. So not to worry about church-wide apostacy and such. "It's all about the music." Some people who self label as gay are extremely musically talented and have much to offer. For those of us who are close enough to go hear it, all we have to do is just listen with our ears and hearts and enjoy the music. The rest of you don't need to fret or even pay any attention. I did get a giggle out of this headline from the SL Trib. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/local/2018/06/25/the-mormon-tabernacle-choir-gets-a-gay-conductor-for-a-night/ ( Anyone who stopped reading at "conductor" just may have wet themselves or had a heart attack. 😄)

What about patronizing and looking down one's nose at something someone else feels strongly about?

Whoa!

Sigh! I’m a bit weary of change at this point. It’s getting distracting to me personally.

Must have heard it a dozen times in Conference. Who started it?

My initial thoughts are that: 1-It’s more a concept than a program. 2- It’s great because it’s so unstructured and can be customized per individual. 3- It’s going to throw some people for a loop since there is no Eagle or Medallion to work for. 4- I wonder if the boys will feel let down without Scouts since the program is so not rigorous. If applied, there is potential for tons of personal growth but nothing to put on a resume with the same easily recognizable brand Power as Eagle Scout,

Back to the original topic of this post. Would Salt Lake City be one of the most welcoming place for the LGBTs if it weren't for the Olympics bringing in so many alternative thinkers. In other words, if Utah hadn't hosted the Olympics and still wasn't on the map, or at the very least still confused with Iowa or Ohio by many in the eastern states, would there be as many LGBTs there now? I know there were plenty before, too, because many people I worked with at the hospitals came to Utah well before the Olympics for the skiing and hiking. I just wonder if the Olympics opened the door to more liberals who now, in 2019 champion the LGBT agenda. Not quite California or the Pacific Notrthwest yet, but getting there.

I also think that it's already happening from a literal standpoint. From about the early 1990s Salt Lake valley began changing so fast. That's when we moved from Salt Lake City to Logan. Every time we visited it felt changed- not in a good way. People were pouring in from California and other high rent states due to the low price of housing, freeways became crazier to drive on, the housing market started to go nuts. We had a tiny house to sell and felt a little sheepish asking $50K for it. Then a realtor friend took us aside and told us to ask $89K . We got asking price within a week. Now that little house would list at $400K at least. I don't have anything against Californians per se. I know a whole bunch of wonderful people who moved to Utah from there. But many move-ins brought with them an edginess and a faster more competetive pace than was felt in my hometown before that. Then, as amazing as the Olympics were, suddenly Utah was on the map and was no longer a well kept secret- which resulted in more people coming with ever wordlier views and practices. I believe a lot of members of the Church in Utah started jumping on the bandwagon to capitalize on the new notoriety of our humble little state by increasing housing prices, building the ever bigger and grander mansions. Pride!! Again, I love diversity and don't have anything against outsiders but when they come in and gripe about the status quo and the dominant religion and start tearing apart the beautiful tapestry carefully woven together for 150 years or so, then this part of the prophecy comes true :" we will be mixed up in these now peaceful valleys". As that mixing occured, wordliness increased and many members have been caught up in this quest for wealth and beauty and power that came with the interlopers that took sad advantage of the simple trust that many Utahns posessed. The latest evidence I've seen is that the stake I grew up in consisted of about 12-13 very full active wards. It has now been condensed to about 6 or 7 neighborhood wards with other non-english speaking wards from all over the valley sharing the buildings. One building only has one ward meeting there. It's almost unrecognizable anymore and very sad to me. There has been a lot of turnover as the primary generation of home builders in that area have died off and their children generally can't affod to buy their parents homes. The influx is all not members of the Church. Then the gay movement took hold and everything is scrambled. I know that many of my nieces and nephews left the church over that issue. My own sons left but over other things. Scary times!

There are all sorts of situations in life and even biological aberrations that could cause us to feel traumatized, depressed and even suicidal. I think my brain would light up too if I could do all the things my “natural woman” would like to do and be told I’m not breaking a commandment. But that’s just not how life works. That goes against the way the Lord has set this world up. I believe it’s a fantasy that LGBT folks should expect to respond to their passions and not be breaking the most fundamental of God’s laws. I’m sorry for the hurt that so many feel. I’m sorry they get so despondent that life doesn’t seem worth living. But here's an observation. I have several male friends from high school who are single. I don’t know if they are gay but they are active members of the church. They have never been married and at this point (we all turned 60 this year) and chances are getting slimmer every year that they would marry if they aren't gay. But they find joy in just life itself. One of them is the most generous, happy persons I know. He has the means to travel extensively and goes to theater and extravagant dinners often. But it’s clear that his greatest joy is in giving to others and trying to bring happiness to his friends and family. He’s gone through lots of tragedy with several brothers dying of a genetic disease. And he gets in there, rolling up his sleeves at fundraisers to find a cure. He has found some things to live for that have nothing to do with his love life or lack thereof. . I appreciate that mental health workers feel so much sympathy for LGBT people who are suicidal. But maybe instead of trying so hard to coddle them as well as convince society that we have somehow betrayed them, and let them do their thing without judgment, their patients would be better served with a plan to get the focus off their sexual orientation, off of the way they think people are oppressing them and turn it around. They could enable them to find other sources of happiness, find service opportunities for them, find ways for them to forget about themselves. We know that true generosity and losing ourselves in the service of others lights up the brain and warms the heart in the best way.

I finally got around to going through the "Training for Protection of Children ..." presentation today. Most of it was pretty straight forward and expected. But I'm confused on one part. It says that if we as leaders see signs of abuse or neglect we should go to the authorities right away. But if the bishop is informed or suspects abuse, rather than going straight to the authorities, he should counsel with the stake president first. so why is the bishop's duty in reporting different than the random ward member or leader? Why wouldn't we counsel with the bishop first before alerting police or social services?

My other question about this is would you have to prove that in that situation you would have indeed been able to pull your gun out and actually hit the perp? In a stressful situation how many would actually turn into a wobbly Barney Fife who couldn’t hit the side of a barn? (raises hand)

I asked two of the wives at Mutual tonight. One husband doesn't carry at church but she said she is aware of an agent in the ward who usually does. The other wife (third SS agent) does "all the time". There are at least two other agents that I don't know about. So we're in luck if it ever happened in our ward on a Sunday they weren't off protecting POTUS or some other dignitary. Plus we have several active military members in our ward who might be in the habit of carrying. I wonder if they are included or excluded in this clarified rule.

What are other scenarios where you'd need your firearm on a routine day out and about?

So we just hope we have a few cops in our wards. Can they carry at church if they are off duty? We have several secret service agents in our ward. I certainly hope they are carrying when they are in attendance!!