Annabelli

I spent a couple of summers with an Orthodox Jewish family. We would pee our pants if we had to observe the Sabbath in that manner every week.

I assume you mean the Men-folk, unless there is some special blessing to conjure dessert. When you enter my kitchen, you're going to need a blessing! It's not a free for all, you will follow the basic safety rules! You can make as many brownies as you like but you will not bake them at 700 degrees for three minutes! You can make all the donuts you like but you will not use the plastic salad tongs to dip them out of the hot grease! You do not have to clean up but you will serve what you have made...SHARE As for those who don't think they have literature at all colleges, who do you think you are kidding? We do not have to go to a college that promotes alcohol. We're not in a "college district." It takes no beer to get a college degree and it doesn't take much beer for a young person to get a funeral. You've been reading too many books in the shade of the beer gardens.

A great majority of college students are under 21 years of age. A good many colleges have had student death due to excessive alcohol consumption/alcohol poisoning. The Police are now conducting Under Age Drinking Party Raids. You receive a ticket for $750 and get your name on the front page of the newspaper. We do not send our children to "Party Colleges." I am LDS and I do not "Lobby" for alcohol. Get my vote the old fashion way! "Put a chicken in every pot!"

It is a city ordinance as to selling liquor where and when. Our grocery stores have separate package buildings for it. But there is absolutely no selling it at the gasoline stations/convenience stores. A nearby town overturned their ordinance last year to allow convenience stores to sell alcohol. They have a small 4 year college there and that is where the pressure was coming from. We have stepped up our no tolerance policy toward them and are no longer allowing them to send college brochures to our high school graduates. As for the original post, I think that there should be enough concern to prepare our homes for a Sunday Observance. There should be a hot slow cooker meal waiting at home and family activities set aside just for Sunday. It can just be a hot pot full of chicken noodle soup and crackers. Let the Priesthood in your home make dessert. Above all, get up and have Sunday Breakfast and it doesn't have to be anything more than muffins, yogurt, and juice. On Fast Sunday, get up early and have a Family Scripture Reading. Some Sundays things will go nicely but the other 51 Sundays will be a challenge.

It would be even more interesting here where we do not sell liquor in the grocery store/convenience stores...just in the liquor stores. But you could always buy a bottle at one of the bar & grills. Of course they don't allow you to take it outside so you would have to beer your hair in their public restroom and blot the extra with tissue or get on your knees and use the hand blower. Just remember that anyone is allowed to brew beer at home and I think one bottle every so often is not over the limit as long as it is for hair shine and not profit. But if you make a 12 month supply for your storage, it might be. A 72 hour ER kit would probably be okay with the limit. Use a balance of CH3CH2OH, C2H5OH or C2H6O for high shine performance.

I was always told that we will have one or two genuine friends in this life. All the other people in our lives will merely be acquaintances with similar interest. a-train explained how it works and I really appreciated knowing that and it is reasonable for me to believe that people scheme to take advantage of it. Like Bro. D & john doe, I was always under the impression that it was a matter of convenience and all were honest. Sometimes things become all too clear when people are living beyond their means and we start taking a closer look at their dealings. It's become very obvious that a lot of people are skimming proceeds from the organizations that they belong to and volunteer their time. When I received a copy of expenses for our benefit, I noticed that the rehearsal dinner king had been given a reinbursement for the rehearsal dinner. There were several other expenses by other persons that probably were not legit as well. The contributions for the program were enough to cover the thefts and actual expenses but not enough to fund the program next year. There was not that much interest in a Christmas Orchestra performance but I am sad that it ended this way. (Instead of being a community sponsored event, it will now be a performance at an area Baptist Church.) I think the most dishonest act of panhandling is those people who put out a can on the counter to collect and a lot of times it is for the funeral expense of a child. Usually the obit will carry the name of the church that took care of the burial. That's a horrible way to get money.

Back in the 1960/70's, people could find a one room effiency to rent for $10 a week (kitchenette/bed & bath). Or you could spend $60 a month for a two bedroom apt/house. Minimum wage was $1.60 an hour but a lot of companies were paying around $3 an hour. A nice house cost around $8,000 and $30 worth of groceries lasted a month. Gasoline was about .30 cents a gallon and a new car cost $1,800. Most people were married and had large families. Jobs were plentiful and college was optional. Patty Hurst believed people were starving in the streets of America. She didn't solve the problem but she did create another mouth to feed while she was in prison. People choose their material priorities in this country. While 98% of my clothing can be machine washed there are people who have 98% dry cleaning only garments. But I think that it equals because I will be paying a lower cost of cleaning but replacing clothing frequently. People who choose to be in debt live far lower down the totem pole than those who are debt free and live in poverty. That is to say that a negative balance is less than a zero balance. Ditto that a loan is to be paid and a hand-out is a grant. Street vendors have to get a permit and pay to operate a profit business on the sidewalk. Why are the homeless allow to live on the same sidewalk for free? Of course the homeless may work a day or two here and there during the year and have taxes taken out of their pay. Few of them file income tax reports and I would assume that is the surplus we use for earned income credit. One of the most famous homeless legends who lived in poverty and is viewed as a hero was Robin Hood. And who can forget the magical life of Peter Pan. Irregardless of lifestyle there is a sacrifice and trials for all.

A few years ago, my young children and I were in our car traveling on a city street. I saw a man (28ish in age, average looks, not too poor/not very rich) walking along the street carrying a bag of groceries in each hand. I stopped and asked him if he would like a ride home. Like most people, he took a step or so back from the car and said no thanks. He said that he was a couple of blocks from home. So we went on our way and he started walking toward home. The next day I saw on the local news where he had for some reason been lying unconscious or dead on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train around 5:00 a.m. They knew that he had fell because his grocery bags were lying on the other side of the track. His family had been looking for him when he didn't come home but had never found him. He had cut through a vacant area that was a short cut home. I often wonder if I tried hard enough to get him home. Could I have been more persuasive, chosen better words, seemed more caring. A few months ago, I was at a high school function where we sat in the gym bleachers. I'm not too swift these days (RA) and I needed to step up three bleachers to sit with the parents. A man extended a hand so I could steady myself and I had a difficult time accepting his help. Jokingly, he said "it's the only way up." I've had someone reach out and help me with my coat or unscrew the lid on bottled water. It reassures me that most people are basically good and are trying to do the right things.

With all the electronic equipment, it is very hard to pass an insufficient check on your bank. The days of writing a check the night before payday is gone. The day of beating your check to the bank is also gone. As is a lot of other money juggling strategy. Now there is a credit card scam. I don't understand how it works. Apparently people need cash. I am highly offended that I am being "used" by these people. I have been involved where someone suggest that we go out to lunch as a group and it's under the impression that we are paying for our meal. When we get to the restaurant, the group leader tells the waitress/waiter to put it all on one bill and will pay it with their credit card. We just give that person our cash and all is fine. Come to find out, that person is simply pocketing our money and calling in a lost/stolen credit card after paying the bill. People are inviting kids over for a $5 pizza party and when the delivery arrives...out comes the credit card! We were planning to have a catered rehersal dinner when someone suggested that we just go to a restaurant instead. While we were finishing desert, everyone started passing money to the guy who ordered "the bill." There was more than enough money to cover the bill and leave a nice tip then out came the credit card! These people do not travel and are not trying to acquire frequent flyer miles. They are simply ripping off the credit card company and us. And no, I do not want to go shopping with people who want to put it on their credit card and I give them cash. I generally carry only a bank card and they embarass me when I do not have cash as if I couldn't pay my bill! The lady paying with her credit card at the restaurant made such a scene that we stopped at an ATM and I gave her $20 for my $6 lunch! I don't know of any fortunate way of dealing with these people and it seems to be a growing trend. I guess I will just ignore them/avoid them. So many people are doing it that it's kind of scary as to how far they will go. I'm just not going to be as generous about inviting people into my home anymore either. What are your thoughts about people doing this? We have a few threads about the beggars but what about these robbers?

God is a good example of godliness. Priesthood vrs Priestcraft is a good example of godliness. If God asked me to live on a planet with a Godlike prophet would I do it? Would this be for 90+/- years? Would it come with the free agency? How many trial offers will I get? Should I take out an extended service policy? If I choose the Weakest Package, can I upgrade later? I don't do business through prayer. Send me a vision and I'll look it over. Sorry, I just need to check out your godliness. It's just one of those "too good to be true offers." I'm going to get a body and eternal life for "how much?"

How did the kids like the mice gift?

It's really tacky to get a little "windfall" that is enough to screw up your life but not enough to change it. Don't let it rock your boat. You probably have some unexpected expense coming along your way. Just accept it as if the giver has the gift of discernment. Who knows, maybe this year you will have to sign the second line on your income tax return! Amount Owed...due by April 15th, 2008. That little gift might come in handier than you think. Standards of Wealth: Wealthy Person: Can now use vending machines that take plastic. Middle Class: Cannot use vending machine because they only have a $20 bill. Spendthrift: Can use vending machine because they have $17.53 in change from $20 bill. Miser: Ask if anyone has change for $20 bill hoping to get some change because they don't spend money. Poor: Has $ for purchase but vending machine does not dispense anything. I guess that I should lay off the potlucks because I got a loaf of banana bread and two plates of cookies. I'm really offended that someone thinks I'm fat! (edited to add word)

I was in the grocery when I saw my old friend (nonmember). I asked her what she has been doing and how are things going? Fine. So my second question is always how are things at church (Church of Christ)? When you ask someone about their church, they always introduce you to the people with them. She had her sister with her who had moved back from another state. So we talked about the disaster that forced her home and decided that we would meet at my friend's house for lunch the next day. I turned toward the baking isle and one of my ward sisters surfaced who had been standing next to a display avoiding me. She's telling me about something when another sister came around the corner from the pickle isle next to us and joined in the conversation. I think she had been avoiding the other sister and was waiting to buy something off the baking isle. We chatted about nothing in particular for two or three minutes and then headed our ways. If someone seems to be caught up in their own world, I don't bug them because they seem to have their mind on other stuff. But if we step out of the check-out lanes at the same time or park next to each other, I speak if just to say Hi and use their first name. For the guy who buys liquor across the street from the bank and loads it while he's smoking a cigarette, I don't worry about speaking to him because he only comes to church when he dyes his hair! For the people at church who only speak with their family members or members of the bishopric at church, they are usually really friendly outside of the church and generally speak first. I never honk and wave while people are pulled over being ticketed by the police (member or not). I really don't want people to know that I know Officer X who I normally speak to when he's working the school patrol. I intentionally avoided a teacher who was trying to match up coupons with products at the store. I was glad that I did because she was trying to pass register coupons from another store. How embarrassing was that! There was a district store manager visiting for the grand remodeling opening. He was wearing a pair of black slacks and a white shirt with a tie. People who thought he was a missionary were really speeding up to get past him. The mark of a true missionary is when one stops to straighten a whole bin of pork chops!!!

Patriarchal Blessing I scheduled a Patriarchal Blessing. I had a lot of concerns as to what it might be or might not be. I did understand that a patriarchal blessing is eternal, and its promises may extend into the eternities. I believe that my concerns were about the standards and quality of my life and if I am doing those things as inspired by the Lord. Our Patriarch is a very formal person and he was pleasant and trusting. He is very dedicated to his calling. I was surprised and impressed as to how much he knew about me. The interview was more of a conversation led by the Patriarch. When he began the Blessing, I knew that it was the first time that he was viewing it by the exclamations that he used as he spoke. There were details in the Blessing that were very pertinent to me and linger in my thoughts. My advice for anyone who has questions about Patriarchal Blessings is to read the articles on LDS.org,, ask your Bishop to explain it further, and only accept counsel from LDS Members in good standing. Don’t rob your experience by reading online Patriarchal Blessing written by ex-members, excommunicated ones or anti-Mormons…etc.

Some generations back, it was typical for anti-mormons to attend LDS Churches. Some of them were even baptized. These anti-mormons had children who also attended the church. While their anti-mormon parents did not tell the children about their anti-mormon associations, they did teach anti-mormon beliefs to their children as if it were church doctrine. These anti-mormon parents did not stay in relations with their anti-mormon associates and when the anti-mormon parents died, their children were members of the LDS Church and never knew the reality of their parents to be anti-mormons. While these children are in good standing as legitimate members, the teachings of anti-mormon values still are current beliefs to most because they were taught as if it were church doctrine. Most of these children are adults with children and grandchildren. It is a matter of educating members with church doctrine and reinforcing the values of the church. I realize that there are people who have learned anti-mormon values on their own and convert into the Church based on those beliefs. And again, it is a matter of educating members with church doctrine and reinforcing the values of the church. Whenever I have a whimiscal thought about something that may or may not seem right, I go to LDS.org and check it out.

Jesus was to experience everything that mortal person would endure in life. Do we experience Gethsemane and a form of cruxifiction in death? What would be a Gethsemane Moment in your life? I would think that death would be the same for an individual whether it was a misfortune or a natural state of old age; I do believe that people are consciously aware of death in any circumstance. I do believe that some people skip the opportunity of Gethsemane, too set in their ways, too prideful, too mean. Gethsemane = a time when we ask for the Lord to forgive us, when we forgive ourselves, when we forgive others, when we make peace with our loved ones. Is Gethsemane the place where we give back the "free agency" that we have been entrusted with?

I do believe that the Jews are right about the days that we celebrate and how we celebrate them. There are Holy Days and Festivals. Most people are just trying to wring a Holy Day out of a Festival and it's not working. It's hard to understand why the LDS lesson plans are not correlated with the holidays. It was a real bummer to study the Atonement in July. I almost puked when they tried to celebrate the Passover on Thanksgiving. (If you are going to down some bitter herbs, you should learn how! And you should do it on Passover!!!) If Jesus wanted us to celebrate his birth in April, he would not have inspired Christmas Trees and Presents and a Coke Song to unite us in Peace & Harmony. {And by the way, I remember when Christmas becames a pegan holiday. It is when Daddy stops footing the bill and the kids going on 20 years old and beyond have to assume the expense! Oh and for those who want clothes for Christmas but never like the fashions that they picked out and received...I just give them clothes hangers!) Merry Christmas

Being worthy to wear cross jewelry? Wow, that seems a bit "out there" to me. You wear it if you want to remind yourself of the awful ordeal that Christ underwent for our sakes. Are you serious? What, are we only to obtain them from a DeseretBook-affiliated retailer? Wow, you seem to be taking the wearing of the cross to an extreme, imho. I didn't understand this part. What do you mean by "Heavenly Father judging Jesus?" I just cannot hear Pres. Hinckley say Bros. & Sis. let me remind you to purchase a cross at the Dollar Tree Store and look at it often. You will receive bargin upon bargin when you do so. It doesn't matter how you display your cross because it's not official doctrine anyway and you will not be allowed to bring it in the Temple. Just loop a red ribbon on it and try to stay off drugs.

No thanks, I'm hanging jack rocks on my tree!

CrimsonKairos: For me the cross is a symbol of Truth, Service, & Love (and in that order). Yoke as an example of the covenant Jews made with God. Their prayer shawl is the symbol of that yoke. Many Christians wear a cross as a symbol of their covenant/yoke. How and when should you bear a cross upon your being and when are you worthy to do so? And when are you unworthy to do so? I see a good number of LDS wearing the cross on a necklace. They have not been excommunicated, reprimanded, or counseled. Is wearing a cross a matter of preference or committment? I believe that if LDS members are to wear a cross there should be some very strict rules about how it is obtained and displayed. Being mortal until death, did the Heavenly Father judge Jesus? Is this the fear that people do not want to embrace and see the cross as a symbol of judgement? edited to add: I never use the word sin as it has been used to abuse innocent people by self righteous hypocrites.

CrimsonKairos: I can understand your concern about crosses and crucifixes because I believe that we all have a concern that needs to be addressed. There are so many things being altered. Many Catholics wear a cross around their necks. For many of them it is their personal key to Heaven. The chain never breaks and they never loose it. If Jesus walked along a street lined with people and removed the cross from around their necks, would it be as though he were removing a yoke from their lives. Would they be surprised that they were still living without it? Would they be released from the fear that it has over their lives? Is Jesus telling us that we should be following him through his gospel and that is the way? That we shouldn't harden our hearts with the cross? I think that I would rather follow Jesus than to depend on a cross (key). Is Jesus the cross?

Here, The Church of God (Pentacostals) have put up their big cross on the front lawn of their church with the bloody corpse thing. They gave the children their nail/ribbons last week. Several of them in my neighborhood ride the church bus. They have Christmas Trees at home. We're getting pretty used to the bloody corpse thing as they put it on a float for the fall festival parade. The news people came out and filmed their Easter production. They tie the bloody corpse thing to the cross and drag it from the parking lot to the stage. Is it done in a spiritual fashion? Not since it is known as the bloody corpse thing. In the LDS Church we view the nail as the cosmic axis/axis mundi around which the heavens rotate. The red robe Jesus wears reminds us to strive to be like Heavenly Father. So a nail bearing a red ribbon has a much deeper meaning for us as we celebrate the living Christ.

How many times have we held the elevator door open for a stranger. It's not just about giving material things; it's also about service. Why do we feel more pressured to give a few temporal things than to offer service to another?

No, they are only part of the poverty problem in America. However, many in these two groups are the hardest to help because they can be so resistive and combative at times. It is difficult to get some mentally ill individuals stabilized on medications that can help them. Affordable housing is difficult to come by all of the time, and especially so for these groups. Religious outreach missions continue to play an important role in helping these people. In Salt Lake, the LDS Church has contributed financially to the St. Vincent DePaul (Catholic), the Archdiocese of Utah and the Salvation Army. It is well appreciated when individual Mormons also help with the manpower needs for these needy. There is so much to do but we can try our best. Its unfortunate what happens in the cases of chemical dependence and mental illness. Many people who are chemically dependent have suffered some trauma or violence and the mentally ill do not choose to be out on the streets. The programs do not do enough to help these groups. We personally know a few people in these categories who we have tried to help. It is an awful spot for these people to be in. I don't believe they choose this path conciously. Their families are burdened with the responsibility entailed. With the one person When they are on the medication they are alright. But its hard to get them to stay on it when they think they are doing fine. Once they are off of it its hard to get them back on because they aren't aware they need it and the system won't make sure they get it. They can't force someone against their will. So, Instead this person is unable to hold a job so has no money. They also have no medical insurance to pay for the medication they need. The family can't afford to support them. They stick around then disappear. They've been in and out of the hospital for a couple of days then tossed out onto the streets. They are alone and frightened until or if something brings them back to those they know. It's a tragic cycle. My heart really goes out to people in these situations. It's a frightening way to live It's truly sad that more can't be done to really get these people the basic help that they need and that there aren't more practical options in place. The situation with the most of the homeless people is relocation. States see caregiving as a means of boosting the job market. Profit companies recruit clients from anywhere in the US. These profit companies have a 90% failure rate. The clients (alcoholics, drug addicts, mentally challenged, and juvenile deliquents) are abandoned when the company closes. The only clients protected by law are those who are "wards" of the state. Profit Companies include alcohol/drug rehabilation centers, group home facilities, and boot camps. It is not as if the families do not care, they have no way of finding these people. The families may not be aware that the company has closed for months or even years. Some Profit Companies continue to accept fees for the care of the clients long after the business is gone. The clients may have been moved from their homes in Arizona for example to Maine. It continues to be a huge disasterous problem especially with the outrageous number of boot camps.

We are down to our frugal buttons & bows in America's Midwest. We gave cash and more cash during the 9/11 crisis. We know that it went to the rightful because when the need was fulfilled, they asked no more. We sent truckloads of goods to the Hurricane Victims. We were asked to give bottled water again and again. We no longer have cluttered homes. The thrift shops operating charge much more for used products due to a lack of donations. It has become cheaper to shop at Walmart! We are just overcoming our bottled water shortage but most of it is store brand water and name brands are still quite expensive. We drink a lot of tap water. We have plenty of homeless shelters and programs and food banks. We do not encourage people to live in cardboard boxes commuting with grocery carts. There are many people too mentally challenged to stay in a shelter. The police are familiar with most of these people and check on them during harzardous winter storms moving them to warm shelters whenever possible. We are not cruel uncaring people. We have all sorts of volunteer progams to get involved to provide services for others. We have Senior Services for the elderly so that they are not preyed upon by the "handyman." Like most of the people have already stated, the homeless and needy have been taken care of and those on the streets are usually thieves and robbers. I think the kid at the trolley station might be a pick-pocket. There are just so many criminals waiting for us to sit down a laptop, iPod or cell phone while we fumble with our belongings. I am glad that most of the fast food restaurants now take debit/credit cards because that is usually where the handout was standing because they knew we had to pay in cash before. Our greatest challenge this year was handing out box fans during the heatwave this summer. And I pray that all of our volunteer utility workers and project habitat for humanity crews in California will be home for the holidays.