laronius

I love his books but I am afraid of starting that series because of what won't get done that should get done as I'm reading those massive books. 😄

I am reminded of the Joseph Smith quote: “A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.” I think this is the earthly application of what it means to live an exalted life or life like God. A person filled with this kind of love is never truly satisfied with what they have accomplished, notwithstanding the great joy it has brought, because so long as creation continues so does that internal drive to exalt that creation continue. This person also sees eternity as none too long because every day is filled with great meaning and purpose. As for me, I know I am not there yet. All too often I am content to let the world go on its merry way but at times I do get a glimpse of that kind of life and it urges me on.

You need to overcome the regret you feel. You did the best with the information you had and apparently the Lord did not feel it vital for you to be in a ward with more youth otherwise he would have directed you differently. Try to find peace in the knowledge that the Lord felt your current situation was acceptable to meet your families needs and that there must be compensatory blessings in store for your kids. That doesn't mean it won't be difficult for them but the Lord is mindful of them. But in the meantime you need to keep those negative feelings at bay and not let Satan smother your peace and happiness.

I have absolutely no problem with people saying they know the church is true, even little kids. In Alma 32 Alma points out that knowing is a relative term. A person can come to know something through the workings of the Spirit and yet have it not be a perfect knowledge. So when a person testifies that they know the Church is true all they are saying, at the very least, is that this truth has been planted in their soul and has sprouted therefore they know that it is of God. But it's not a perfect knowledge. Perfect knowledge is that which is necessary for eternal life and is the fruit produced by that seed of Faith but only after much care and diligence.

This disagreement is really just a symptom of a much larger question that has to do with faith and works. My guess is he believes that we are saved by merely accepting Christ as our Savior. So any other act/work is merely optional including baptism. So if you are to gain any traction with this guy (as unlikely as that is) it will be done by addressing the larger more fundamental question.

I think CV75 does a good job of pointing out examples in the scriptures we're healing does not come right away or at all. Not all physical trials will be overcome in this life regardless of the amount of faith of the sufferer. But you specifically mention addiction as a trial. I do believe that any physical trial that impedes our ability to keep the commandments can be overcome in this life and the Lord will help you do it. But it's unlikely that a removal of the addiction will occur all at once as there is a great deal to be learned from the struggle. I think the two big keys are deep humility (as in sincere Thy will be done deep) and exactness and great diligence in doing the things you are supposed to be doing. Let the struggle sanctify your heart and I think the body will follow.

A while back we had some homeless people coming into our building while we were having sacrament mtg and they would go into the kitchen and prepare themselves a meal. Then they would pop popcorn in the microwave. Imagine sitting in the chapel and the smell of popcorn comes drifting in. And you thought the sacrament bread tasted good, this was down right distracting. This went on for about three weeks before we realized what was happening and told them they can't turn our church into a movie theater.

I know there is security at temples but I have never seen them at the entrance (at least the ones I've been to). Though perhaps it depends on where the temple is located. I personally have no problem with someone who open carries as they are usually the ones who can be trusted with them. And in some locations, such as your ward, it's not a big deal. But in most wards it would be a distraction. I guess my bigger beef is with the idea that is implied in all this that this policy could not have been inspired. That puts us on ground far more dangerous than not being able to pack a gun for two hours out of the week.

I would disagree. When Jesus said that those who live by the sword perish by the sword he was not commenting about whether we should defend ourselves or not but where do we put our trust in the end. Is it in the Lord or in ourselves? In priesthood ordinances, especially in the temple, we are being asked to leave the world behind and to stand in holy places, recognizing that only the Lord can save us in the way that matters most.

Comparing insulin to guns doesn't jive for me, but whatever. So I have a question for you. Do you feel it appropriate to pack a gun as you participate in ordinances in the temple, the endowment for example?

The statement also says: “Churches are dedicated for the worship of God and as havens from the cares and concerns of the world..." Bringing your gun to church is not leaving your concerns of the world behind. Can violence find us at church? Sure, but the last I checked the Lord is more concerned about how we live than how long we live.

Now that sounds like a plausible scenario. I suspect that the amazing experience that is to be the next General Conference will have far more to do with how we prepare than what they actually do at conference. No different than before except we are being told in advance where to focus our preparation efforts. So in other words those with oil in their vessels will have an amazing experience and those without oil will see just another conference.

So maybe try this on for size. In 2 Nephi 2:11 Lehi states that if opposition did not exist "all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death..." Now the "dead" mentioned can't be the same thing as the "death" mentioned. Dead is a state of being (or is that non-being?) whereas death is a process. So the "life" talked about, in order to be the opposite of death cannot mean the state of being alive (because that is the opposite of being dead) so it must refer to the process of being made alive or in other words birth. So Adam and Eve could not give birth because death had not yet entered the picture, being opposites.

Maybe to second some of what already has been said. Questions make the lesson. If you can come to class with well thought out questions you are 75% of the way to a great lesson. The questions should fall into two categories: 1. doctrinal or theory and 2. practical or how does this apply to your life. The second helps get people to share their experiences which keeps people awake and gets them to ask themselves "I wonder if that would work for me?" This is especially important as class members should have already been studying and living the principles taught during the previous week and have something to share. One of the best teachers I have come across in a long time was a young guy (still in college) but who came to class so well prepared that for him it was no longer about the lesson but the people. He would ask great questions and then as people would respond he would often place one arm across his midsection and rest his other elbow on that arm with his hand on his chin and would listen very intently to what was being said and then ask great follow up questions to help flesh out their insights, often starting with doctrine and ending with the person sharing an experience or bearing witness of its truthfulness. If you can make that transition from at church and in the scriptures to at home and in our lives you will have had a very meaningful class.

In addition to seeking out truth wherever it may be (as mentioned by Anddenex) we also know that by the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of ALL things. In the self-reliance class I'm attending it makes it very clear up front that we are supposed to involve the Lord in all temporal matters. I think this is an area where we as members often live far beneath our privileges. As you point out there is still a lot of leg work to be done on our end but at the end of the day we take what we have learned, work things out in our minds and then present it to the Lord for both approval but also assistance in carrying it out. Its the whole "create things spiritually and then physically" process that we learn about in the temple.

Things to do: study scriptures/conference talks, study Come Follow Me, family history, journal writing, cooking (but nothing too involved), work on calling, visit family, set goals for the coming week, go for a walk (when the weather is nice). Living in a hot place I find myself getting stir-crazy on Sundays sitting around. I do wish there was more to keep me moving when going for a walk is like strolling through Hades. I have felt the Spirit nudge me recently away from things that aren't necessarily bad (like reading a novel) but don't promote the purpose of the day. When I respond I do feel a difference in the day.

Isn't it obvious? They are going to release a translation of the sealed portion of the plates! It's gonna happen some time so why not now? Talk about the uproar that would cause! 😮

Well that's one responsibility you cannot delegate. Hope they start feeling better.

In the talk Elder Cook also referenced how much bishops should be off-loading onto EQ and RS presidents and their councilors. There was a useful diagram showing only four things the bishop cannot delegate: youth, caring for others, finances and being a judge. Everything else can and should get delegated (with exceptions of course).

The bishopric form the presidency of the Aaronic priesthood. This is simply removing the middle man (men) in carrying out those responsibilities.

So in other words this change will accomplish nothing? Well that's a rousing vote of confidence. I agree that many families who struggle today will likely struggle tomorrow, regardless of any changes that take place but we shouldn't underestimate the quality of youth the Lord is sending to the earth. We hear it said by the brethren all the time and I don't think they are empty platitudes either. There will be many amazing individuals who come out of less than ideal family situations. Of course the impact of having a supportive family can not be overstated but with good youth leaders I think there will be many youth, if given the proper tools, who will emerge from less committed families and become stalwarts in the kingdom of God.

I agree with part of what you are saying. Too many in the past have used the Church as their crutch to lean against without developing their own spiritual legs to stand upon. But true spiritual self-reliance is not about enabling us to step away from the Church but to move closer to it, to become a support instead of a burden. The ultimate end of self-reliance is the development of individual ability to be consecrated to the Church and its mission to build the kingdom of God. So the true irony of self-reliance is its goal of helping us become one rather than separate.

I think we are all familiar with Pres Nelson's statement from his first GC as the prophet: "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." If we combine that with the whole idea of a home centered and church supported approach I think we are being told that gone are the days (if those days ever existed) where parents can delegate part of their responsibilities to the Church in raising their kids. The world is simply becoming too dark to expect a couple hours on Sunday and a couple more during the week to keep our youth safe. If parents and families don't raise the bar and start creating a Proclamation on the Family home their children will be in grave danger notwithstanding the Church's efforts. Remember, half the virgins were foolish and not ready for the Bridegroom's coming. Imagine how many youth will be raised in those homes. Its a sad thought but we live in a sad world. Of course we do what we can to save as many as possible but we fool ourselves if we believe this new youth program needs to be some all encompassing venture to be successful. The whole point of the program is to help youth and families learn to become more spiritually self-sufficient.

I'll confess that for about the first half of the year I was not very good about using the Come Follow Me manual. And its not that I wasn't studying the scriptures, I was, its just that over the years I have gained a strong preference to studying topics rather than going through the scriptures from beginning to end. But recently I decided to get more serious about Come Follow Me if for no other reason than to follow the counsel of the Lord's servants. And I have found, as I have with other things, that when we take seriously what the Lord directs us to do through his chosen servants he will bless us for it. That's a lesson I thought I had learned a long time ago but I guess I had grown complacent in my approach to spiritual things.

I don't pretend to have any divine insight into your blessing but just to throw a thought out there. It sounds to me like you did "pursue" a vocation in service, something that, like you said, was obviously not what you would have chosen according to your strengths. Perhaps it was simply an Abrahamic test of sorts and the Lord was pleased with your willingness. Of course I could be completely wrong but I guess my bigger point is that sometimes things aren't quite what we think they are and only in hindsight do we come to understand them.