askandanswer

I know someone once who took a very business-like approach to the question of finding a suitable counsellor. They wrote down in some detail what they felt their problem was. Then they wrote down exactly what they wanted from a counsellor and what they would consider to be a "cure" or a solution. Then they approached a counsellor, showed them what they had written and asked three questions:
What is your understanding of my problem
What can you do to help me
Why do you think this approach will work
After going through this process with three counsellors, they found someone they felt understood them and was able to help. Its a lengthy process, but I think its better to find out right from the start, rather than after several sessions, that the counsellor you are meeting with is not a good "fit" for you.

If you ever have a prompting that @zil @MormonGator and @pam are nice people, you can be sure that is a false prompting  . If you remember how that prompting feels, you will remember what a false prompting feels like, and that can be your guide. 

I'm sorry you've been through such a difficult time. Hugs to you. 

Count your blessings - now you have a short cut to Australia

I have been a caretaker of my aged parents for more than a decade and a half (though my father passed away some 8 years ago). And, during the last several years, my handicapped mother, who just turned 90-years-old,  has experienced a serious fall, a heart attack, and several strokes, among other tings, some of which occurred while I was out of town or at work.
During the last two serious  incidents, while traveling to be by my mother's side, I experience similar "promptings" as you, only to then discover that my Mom was still alive and on the road to recovery. 
However, upon further reflection, particularly in light of the evidence contrary to the  "promptings," I have come to understand that it wasn't so much a promoting as it was apprehension-induced, dream-like preparation for the inevitable. When my father passed, it was extremely difficult for me, in part because I was unprepared. I believe my mind and body has since learned from that experience, and has made adjustment so that it won't be repeated again--at least not to the same devastating degree. Granted, my mother's passing will still be very difficult for me, but now I am more prepared. (kind of like the difference between being surprised by a punch to the gut and being prepared for the punch). Both may hurt., but...)
I have frankly considered the possibility that it may also be wishful thinking, not in wanting my Mother gone and out of my life--far from it, but that her struggles and pain and sorrows (and by extension my own) may have come to an end and she has entered into peace and rest. That, or the  false "prompting"may provide something of a brief respite to catch my breath and once again put my shoulder to the wheel.
I hope this helps.
Thanks, -Wade Englund-
 

In most cases.
Q: When is the best time to plant a tree?
A: 20 years ago
Q: When is the best time to talk to your Bishop
A: yesterday
No reason to wait - good luck.

Hi Georgia, welcome to the site, I enjoyed your post.
As soon as I read the above, 1 Nephi chapter 8 came to my mind. Here is one verse from that chapter:
27  And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
 
I suggest you read the whole chapter and then ask yourself the following questions:
What path am I on, where does it lead, and what path do I want to be on. 
If, after pondering these questions, you're unsure of any of the answers, try Alma 32.
I hope you can find fellowship, guidance and support on this site.
Best wishes
 

Welcome!  You can absolutely PM through this site.  Just message through the profile.  If you read my thread here (it will take you 75 years because it's so long) you'll see I had many of the same concerns as you and worked through them with study and prayer.  I shied away from tithing, too.  I absolutely wouldn't say that issue means you aren't ready to be baptized.  Tithing is a very personal thing.  Have you spoken to missionaries or friends about it?  Ask 7 different Mormons and you'll get 7 different answers.  Pray about it.  Ponder it.  Go where the Lord sends you.  However, I will tell you one thing.  Many of the answers don't come until you exercise faith.  Whatever the Lord leads you to tithe, start now.  You don't have to be baptized to set aside your tithing every week.  

I can't help you with the reactions of your friends, but some of mine were similar.  I just didn't care.  That said, you aren't required to wear a billboard that says "Saint".  
As for your views on homosexuality and abortion, I won't discuss the "right or wrong" of your beliefs as this isn't the place for it.  I will tell you that as long as you aren't actively working against the church, your views are your own.  I don't think you'll run into an issue with how you vote in the ballot box.

I agree with everything except this one little thing. I think they often times coexist. Science is not truth, is not faith....but a very good tool for getting closer to it.

All I'm trying to say is what I believe isn't relative.  Everything I can find through official church sources says it is literal.  I'll publicly sustain that statement until given a reason not to.  "Because I can't find evidence of it" or "It doesn't make sense to me" isn't reason enough for me to publicly counter the church.

I often worked with a clerk, just the two of us alone, when processing tithing after the Sunday meetings. Surely we would not have been allowed to do that had the clerk been a sister, which would have meant either that two bishopric members always do the tithing or else that there would always be three people present. A relatively small thing, but inconvenient. I am surprised but not shocked to hear of sisters acting as clerks, but I assume it's a very rare thing and probably done when there is no good alternative. The Church is very conservative, and rightly so, in male-female Church interactions.

My area has had females serve as clerks. I found out when I was happily telling a priesthood leader that he could never call me to the position of clerk. He turned to me, gave me the look and set me straight. I have been much better behaved since!

Not really. I have known women to hold these positions where there is a paucity of priesthood holders (accommodation for local circumstances). It would the exception rather than the norm mostly for societal reasons and how temptation of various kinds works its way into and through our social relationships and structures.

Them currently being fulfilled by priesthood holders in a matter of policy, not doctrine.  

Rejoice and be happy and grateful

Qur'an: القرآن
Qumran:قمران‎, though I think the location is more properly Khirbet Qumran: خربة قمران‎
Looking at it in Arabic I'm not sure if it is one letter or not, the full name certainly is more than one letter different. And the one letter off in English you note only works if Qur'an is used to transliterate and not Koran. The Qur'an means "the recitation", I can't seem to find a meaning translation for Khirbet Qumran.
Note that traditionally the receipt of the Qur'an by Mohammad is around Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Khirbet Qumran is quite some distance away. And even if there is a similarity of meaning or word roots, it doesn't necessarily mean there is a connection of substance. Just like a bibliography and the Bible aren't terribly connected. Also one letter can mean a lot, fake versus fate for example .
Is there something about the Essenes that leads you to think of a connection between them and Islam?

You're assuming he was addressing people (1).  I assumed he was describing people's behavior (2).
(1) Folks, we invite you to take your seats as the meeting is about to begin.
(2) Before the meeting begins, we invite folks to take their seats.
(1) We invite you, whichever side of the veil you're on, to come unto your Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.
(2) You know what we our message is, world?  It is that we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.
...It could go either way, but the words themselves are descriptive, not [whatever the word is for invitive / conversational / addressive].  It's sort of halfway in between.  But I don't think the dead are constantly aware of / seeing / hearing the living (I think that's the exception, not the rule).  Are the dead invited to the living's General Conference?  Perhaps.  But I'd bet they have their own wards and their own leaders and their own callings to attend to.

I use vanilla. 
That's just the technique they use for reluctant investigators.  First the Jack Daniels, then the "Let's set a date for you to be baptized."

Is it not true that when departed spirits in the spirit world have proxy baptisms and confirmations performed for them on earth, and they then accept those saving ordinances performed in their behalf, that they become members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the same Church that now has Russell M Nelson standing as it’s earthly President? Is it not true that when proxy confirmations are performed that the dead are, if they accept it to be so,  pronounced  members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, not members of some other iteration of the Church that existed during a past dispensation or to a separate and discrete Church organization that exists in the spirit world.
The above being so, it’s only natural that the newly converted in the spirit world would be required to sustain the LDS Church President as the leader of the Church to which they belong. After all, the Church President possesses all the saving priesthood keys of authority including the very same keys of priesthood authority that initiated and authorized all the saving ordinances that were performed for them in the temple? For the spirits of the dead who are converted at this point in time, there is a very real and indispensable connection to today’s Restored Church of Christ.

Amongst the many surprises at the April General Conference was the comment below from President Nelson during the Sunday afternoon session:
Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.
Does anyone else remember a prophet extending any sort of invitation or exhortation to those on the other side of the veil?
 
 

Not in those exact words, but it's the concept that's been around for centuries now in regards to why we do baptisms for the dead and other temple work.  We are doing it for those that accept these ordinances on the other side.
Or, I suppose he could be talking to the premortal spirits that have yet to come and must decide which families to be born to and how to chart their life.  That would be new I think.

Amongst the many surprises at the April General Conference was the comment below from President Nelson during the Sunday afternoon session:
Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.
Does anyone else remember a prophet extending any sort of invitation or exhortation to those on the other side of the veil?
 
 

I don't get paid for teaching Gospel Principles but there has been talk of me paying those who attend.

I'll give one more related.  Acting out in anger almost never achieves positive results.  I can't think of a single time when I acted out in anger that I was happy with the results.  Anger is a pretty useless emotion.  I think most of the time if you take a deep breath, take a step back, try to look at the bigger picture, you find that you anger is generally not so justified.

This is for you and your wife (it would be great if you tell her this) - the way up the mountain is the same way down the mountain... one step at a time in the right direction. 
Draw your map to the right direction, put one foot forward, and check often to make sure you're still headed the right direction.  Hold your wife's hand if you need to.  If you find you've made a step in the wrong direction, simply stop, re-orient, and make the next step in the right direction.  This is life.  This is the iron rod to God.  It doesn't matter what bad things get thrown into the path and how difficult it becomes... just keep putting one step forward in the right direction even if you have to make baby steps because it is getting hard.  One step at a time.
Good luck.