Jean

The most inexpensive place to buy religious art is the DI. There are many estates, etc that give their things to the DI and you can get them next to nothing. They might be a little dusty but clean them up and you have some good stuff to go on your walls.

This had a profound effect on me also. I read it many years ago when the book "Miracles of Forgiveness" came out. President Kimball also quoted Elder Ballard in his first chapter entitled "This Life is the Time". I know you can reference this to spiritual attributes you need to work on but I also used it for talents. For exmample I played the piano but I needed to improve. It made sense to me that I could certainly do this better with my body so I took more piano lessons and music has been a big part of my life in the church. I know we can't do everything, but it helps me to think about this doctrine and try more things in this life.

If you remember attending M Men and Gleaners when you were single. If you taught or attended junior Sunday School. If you learned a new hymn in Sunday School during practice time in opening exercises. If you gave a 3 minute talk in Sunday School opening exercises. If you went to Relief Society classes on weekday mornings and attended classes that were called cultural refinement, homemaking, mother education, or social relations. If you attended or taught Primary in the middle of the week after school. If you attended or took part in a visiting teaching program by Janice Kapp Perry called "Only A Visiting Teacher" There are probably many more, but that's all I can think of for now.

I was thrilled to read about the focus for next year on Christ. It has been very hard to teach these lessons about visiting teaching to the inactive sisters I visit this year. They focus the visiting teaching lessons on various aspects and we've taught about Christ many times in the past. Nothing new! :)

"Slow does not necessarily mean reverent." That is a true statement. It drives me crazy when hymns are turned into dirges too. I notice that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings their music at a good clip. It's hard to make a joyful noise when you are doing it in slow motion.

Pay off my debts. Pay off my family members' debts Keep some for emergencies -- than I would give the Bishop several million dollars at the time he begins tithing settlement. I think it would be so cool for members to come in for their tithing settlement and then have the bishop tell them one of their blessings for paying tithing is a rich anonymous donor wants to pay off all their debts including their house. (We have a poor ward so it would be doable) Then those people that never show up for tithing settlement would be sorry!

When I've gone through hard spots or even struggling with my testimony, I only concentrate on the Savior. I don't care what other people are doing in church or if the kids are running around. I put my focus on God and the Savior by immersing myself in scripture, in conference talks, writings of the general authorities, etc. Taking an institute class helped me a lot in going deeper with my relationship with God. Feeling a closeness to Heavenly Father makes a huge difference in my life. Have you had your patriarchal blessing? If you have, read it again. If you haven't, get your recommends and go for that spiritual experience. It's wonderful to concentrate on Heavenly Father's plans for you. I'm sorry about your wife. I'm sure your still in grieving process. What we put our focus on defines us and our quality of life.

I've been relief society meeting coordinator for about 3 years now. I'll admit it can be a ton of work. When I was first put in we had monthly meetings. Now we don't have them every month, but we at least have them quarterly as the handbook suggests. We always celebrate the RS birthday in March. We've used people in our ward who are talented in various areas. We've had one successful relief society on cooking healthy. We've had game nights tied up with service projects. We wrote down a service we could do and posted it on a bulletin board. The winning sisters of the games would go and pick a service as their prize. That was successful because people actually came through with their service project. I think it's important to work with the RS presidency on the needs in the ward and tailor your activities... ie self-esteem, marriage builders, sewing, date nights, etc. to whatever would be most helpful to the women in your ward. I think it's important to have a committee and different people can focus on the 4 aspects of the meeting -- publicity, food, whatever decorating is necessary and the activity. There are quite a few ideas you can get from the internet. There are even RS pinterest boards. Good luck with your calling.

I think you should pray before you go to RS and see if there is someone that needs your friendship. You can be directed to talk to the person who needs you. I've experienced this and it's a good feeling to be led by the Holy Ghost.

If you can't solve your problems, manage them. I've often thought about this quote and know that some problems don't go away. But if I think about them, I can usually figure out something that will help. It makes me feel more in control.

Hi -- Mintamintasticeh. Welcome! I've been lurking on here for a long time and enjoy these boards.

I love southern gospel music and some CCM. I especially love Laura Story's song, Blessings. I've been a member of the church a long time (like over 40 years) but I come from a born-again background. My father was a minister and I played the piano for church since I was in 6th grade. I grew up on "The Old Rugged Cross", "He Lives", "Until Then", "I'll Meet You in the Morning", "What A Friend We Have in Jesus", etc. I had the honor of having my Dad live with me for the last 6 years of his life. (He passed away two years ago.) Anyway, I took him to his church, Assembly of God, as much as I could and listened again to a lot of the old songs. I also attended my own ward so spent a lot of time on Sundays in church. I'm very close to my two sisters who are nonmembers and almost every time I visit I attend church with them also. (They have lived in towns where there have been no LDS chapels.) Anyway I'm one of the unusual active LDS members who have kept up on southern gospel and some CCM. I just attended a week ago a Blackwood Brothers concert. They are really old-school southern music, though. I actually really love southern gospel. I like quite a bit of CCM but some of the songs are so repetitive it gets on my nerves. I do like much of the music of Steven Curtis Chapman; Michael Smith; Brandon Heath; Casting Crowns; Phillip, Craig & Dean, etc. I like a lot of LDS music besides the hymns too. Are you familiar with Kenneth Cope, Michael McLean, Hilary Weeks, etc.? Thanks for asking this. Just in case you can't tell, I love music. It touches my soul like nothing else can.

This can be a gut wrenching topic. Speaking as a mother who has a daughter who at the age of 8 was touched inappropriately by a 42-year-old neighbor man, and I called the police when I learned about it, my feelings are definitely -- protect your children. They depend on you and this is not a theoretic discussion. I do feel that the Holy Ghost can guide you. That's the only thing you can do in this life -- pray with all your heart and use wisdom in all things. Teach your children that if an adult tells you to keep it a secret -- tell the nearest trusted adult. Adults should not tell children to keep secrets and our children should be taught this. As far as not going to church because a child sex offender is in attendance, I would go. But I would be fasting and praying all the while. Different wards handle this in different ways. My daughter, who is now an adult, told me that a few years ago in their ward a child was assaulted during mutual which was on a Wednesday night. Evidently one of the mutual workers brought their children to an activity, and the assault took place in an empty classroom. A member of the bishopric read a letter to the Relief Society the next Sunday stating that members should know where their children were in the building at all times. They also stated that the person who committed this act had a restraining order placed against them and was not allowed to come within a certain distance of the church. I had never heard of this before so found it interesting. This is an extremely difficult subject and my sympathies go out to victims. Gentlesoul

This is an interesting question to me because I did get married in a civil ceremony and 6 days later was sealed in the Mesa Arizona temple. This happened in 1969 in Nebraska where there was no temple close to me at the time. I was a convert of 9 months and my father was a minister. Our bishop wrote to the first presidency and they gave permission for me to do this and have my father perform the ceremony after an interview with the local bishop and stake president. I didn't get married in a civil ceremony because of all the pomp and circumstances. I was the oldest child in my family and also the oldest granddaughter on my father's side. I had aunts and uncles tell my parents they were making arrangements to come to the ceremony even before the invitations were sent out. It was all about family love for me. In fact, it was at my wedding that my mother's side was all there for the last time before my grandpa died. The sealing was beautiful -- only my husband and his best friend and wife attended. My patriarchal blessing told me that a temple sealing would make my marriage here in this life more meaningful also. I'm grateful that I was sealed in the temple. I've been married for 43 years now and have absolutely no regrets on how it was handled. I'm glad that my family was able to be there and that my father performed the ceremony. It brought our family closer together and made absolutely no difference to having a forever family. Gentle Soul

Dravin -- That is an excellent thought. So many people are the stars in their own heads that they can't comprehend people thinking differently.

This is interesting conjecture of why pastors and priests do not join our church. I've been a long-time member but my father was a minister when I joined the church. He pastored an evangelistic church and almost always worked extremely hard at a job the whole time he was a minister. In fact when I was a child he pastored at a Sioux Indian Mission and received no compensation for it for over 5 years. (We were provided a place to live at the back of the church but my Dad had to pay all the other bills) Almost all the other pastors in his district also worked an extra job. Pastors work very hard at their jobs as a pastor too. They don't have an organization like our church where we have home teachers and visiting teachers to check on the members. The pastor has to make all the calls on the sick and hospitalized. He has many visits he makes and counseling he does also. He's the one that gives all the sermons which takes preparation. I don't think it is too much of a problem that ministers or priests would not join our church because of losing their jobs. They don't join the church because they haven't studied it. They don't study it because they are convinced that adding the Book of Mormon is a sin and no other book should be joined with the Bible. Many of the other churches (especially evangelistic churches) are given material to teach their congregation that Mormons and Jehovah Wittnesses are cults and it is usually the pastor that teaches this material. That is their experience and if they haven't been in contact with any Mormons, they are pretty set in their ways. They don't have any idea that we accept the atonement and are forgiven of our sins... and that we follow Christ to the best of our ability. I joined the church because of my best friend and seeing her life and example. It made me study the church and I had to do something with the information I was given. I prayed and felt it was true so I joined. I went to an interesting fireside last night that was given by an evangelistic minister that joined the church last year. He gave a great testimony of his conversion and it came because of getting acquainted with some good members. His name is Tom Scott and it will be interesting to hear his testimony after he has been in the church awhile. Gentle Soul

You've got some great advice here. I only have one piece to add. Heavenly Father can make such a huge difference. When I was having difficulty with my marriage, I would put our names in the temple. I would pray for Heavenly Father to help me be and do better. Gradually our marriage changed. It wasn't overnight and I certainly had to use patience. But it changed. Gentlesoul

Thank you for asking us to participate in your survey. It made me think and also made me feel I should meditate on these questions longer. However, these are my quick answers. 1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself such as your age, ethnicity and education? 64 – German/English/Scottish – some college 2. Where were you born? Can you describe where you grow up and what was it like there? Lincoln, Nebraska – grew up in small towns in Kansas and Nebraska – well-loved and very family oriented – I’ve lived mostly in cities the last 40 years, however. 3. What is your religion? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 4. Were you born into this religion or did you come about it later on in life? If so, what made you choose or stay in the religion you are in? I joined my church when I was almost 21 years old. I chose it because I felt there was more to learn about Heavenly Father and the gospel. I had a very close LDS friend that embodied many traits that I admired. 5. Do you practice your religion on a daily basis? Yes 6. Can you tell us key ideas from your religion? We are literal spirit children of Heavenly Father and we lived in the Spirit World before we came to this earth. Jesus Christ made atonement for our sins and we can return to live with Him again if we repent. We are on this earth to progress and serve each other. 7. What are your views on your religion? How strong are your beliefs? Are you strict with your religion? My religion paints the big picture of where I came from, how I should live and where I am going. I am very strong in my beliefs. I am strict with my religion using love as the universal barometer of my actions. 8. Do you believe it to be the only religion worth following? I believe it’s the only religion that has the whole gospel. Other religions have part of the truth and people that follow those truths are exemplary people. 9. Is your religion open to other religions; is it similar to other religions? We believe that truth can be found anywhere. In some ways we are similar to other religions and in other ways not so much.. 10. How do other religions view you or your religion? Many other religions believe we are a cult. 11. Does your religion affect your personal life? Interaction with others? If so how? Yes, it affects my personal life. I believe kindness, being loving, and service to others to be the basis of my interactions with people. 12. What do you find most rewarding about your religion? Knowing that I can call on Heavenly Father in prayer and he will always give me strength to meet life’s circumstances if I am obedient to his commandments. I also know that I will see my loved ones who have passed on. 13. Have you ever questioned your faith? Yes. 14. What are your views on modern society? Modern society is eroding into people with less self-discipline, morals and standards. 15. What are views on politics in general? There are less and less people in politics who are serving the people. 16. Would you consider yourself conservative, liberal or centrist? Conservative with some liberal leanings. 17. What are your views on Canadian politics? How about international politics? Sad to say I don’t pay any attention to Canadian politics. International politics leaves me with a very anxious feeling about the future. 18. How do you feel about religion (in general) being used in politics or religion used in politics? It would be good if all politics was founded on Christianity. There would be less evil in the world. 19. Does your religious beliefs and practices influence your political views? How and why? My religious beliefs influence every part of my life which includes politics. Of course I would want honest knowledgeable politicians but I can dream.

Thanks for wishing us Happy Easter! The whole weekend was good for me. We met some family members and went to the Arizona Easter pageant on Friday night. That is always a good reminder of the gospel message. The pageant is very well done. Sunday the musical numbers were uplifting and I felt a strong spirit in Sacrament meeting. Easter was good.

You could also call the missionaries and they would sit beside you so you'd have someone to be with.

That was a beautiful experience and I appreciate you sharing it. The only time I ever got to attend a conference session was in 1995 just before one of my sons went to the MTC. It was still being held in the tabernacle but I remember the sweet spirit I felt inside that room.

I don't believe the LDS church treats women as lower status. I believe some men, as individuals, might do this. This thread has been interesting for me to read. I take it that the OP has issues with some of the men in her ward when she had a leadership position. I've had the opportunity to serve in several leadership positions under various bishops. In my opinion, they have all had their strengths but I've related to some better than others. It's my theory that men who have good relationships with their mothers, wives, etc (the women in their personal life) relate better to women in the church. I've worked with some bishops who did not give much attention to my concerns or listen to my suggestions. (They did have some very real talents, though, and were very effective with various ward members.) I've worked with other bishops, and I'm especially thinking of one bishop in particular, who sought out my advice and considered me a real counselor. We worked together and I felt like I made a real contribution to the ward. This bishop had a great relationship with his mother and had a good wife. I think he thought highly of the women in his life so gave great respect to the women in the ward. We are all on a learning curve and we need to forgive each other our weaknesses. You might have a different opinion about women and the church depending on your personal interrelationships.

I have found the most friends when I'm serving with them. If I sign up to help with a dinner (funeral or whatever), a service project, cleaning the church, etc. there is usually plenty of people to talk to. It is much easier to get acquainted with people when you do activities together. Christmas is coming and there are usually plenty of activities associated with this. Talk to your Relief Society president or the compassionate service leader on what needs might be out there. Sitting in a Sunday meeting or even sitting beside someone is not the best way to have any indepth conversations with people.

My husband and I just saw this movie in the theater tonight. It was very riveting. I thought they did an excellent job in portraying the faith of the Saints. They also had some humorous elements in the movie which was a nice relief.