seashmore

Hey, Tambourine @pam, play a song for me! TIFI

I didn't think any of the ones you posted for me would have avatared to my taste, but I like trains and Johnson wasn't going to use his, so I gave it a whirl. First try, I saved it to my iPad, but was given a message that the file was too large when I tried to use it. (Truth be told, I've seen that error message before when I tried and that is why I'm still using the default.) Then I tried opening it in a new tab and using the url but was automatically informed that the url cannot come from mormonhub.

In which case, we can follow the Spirit and know whether a good tongue lashing is in order or whether it's best to mentally check out of the discussion and into our own scriptures.

Agree to agree. Someone else mentioned Institute, and around 2009/10, President Monson encouraged YSAs to "make Institute a priority." @Lknight you mentioned a music scholarship. I assume you either sing or play an instrument. Find a community group to do that with. And/or get a different job. If your current gig is retail, check out food service. Or look for entry level positions at hospitals and nursing homes (mostly cafeteria, honestly). Look for something that puts you in converstations with others. You may be surprised where that leads you. The "adult" jobs I've enjoyed the most came because I connected with people at my food service jobs (which I kept as PT jobs and viewed them as a social outlet because my parents and I did not make wise choices with regards to financing my education.)

I also enjoy some good metal music, although I tend to prefer symphonic metal to most other kinds. In fact, I played this video for my YW after talking about Esther and how each of us is placed in situations when and where the Lord needs us. A couple of them really loved it, and another looked conflicted about liking it because I don't think she was expecting to feel what she was feeling when I said it was from a progressive metal band.

Answers to all those questions can be found with the blanket: rely on the Spirit. During your preparations, pray that those who will be attending and participating in that week's class will be doing so with pure intentions, etc. In terms of preparing, know your class members. If you don't anticipate anyone bringing it up, you probably don't need any contingency lesson plans. If you know someone well enough to know they're going to bring it up, you probably also know them well enough to know how best to keep the peace in class. Whenever I plan a GD lesson, I look at the "purpose" header. If you think rabbit holes are going to pop up, refer the class back to it ASAP. Read it verbatim if necessary. There's probably also some better advice in the Church's "Teaching in the Savior's Way" which replaced the use of Teaching: No Greater Call. (I honestly don't know how similar the content is, but they were both designed to serve as resources to help anyone called as a teacher of any class.)

I have a friend who feels the same way about his baldness, no matter what the scriptures say about every hair being restored to our heads.

Our family rule was we had to wait until we were 12 before we could get our ears pierced. And my mom (from personal experience) warned us against large/heavy earrings, especially around babies. I have my ears pierced, but do not wear earrings due to some plaque psoriasis that gets in the way. When one of my dad's sisters asked to get her ears pierced, my grandmother reportedly replied, "If God wanted you to have holes in your ears, He would have put them there." Our bodies are temples. Adorning them modestly (read: with moderation) with jewelry or flowers that will not last can help us to enjoy their beauty. Tangent on the diamond rings: when our office got new toilets, one of the first things I noticed was how quickly the front top of the rim got scratched up, and the only explanation I can conjure up is my coworkers' wedding/engagement rings. I'm no germaphobe, but...

I'm glad that your problem has disappeared according to the personal revelation you received. One of the nice things about my depression being seasonal is that I know it will get better. I had experiences similar to what I'm having now as a counselor in a RS Presidency in a different unit. As a result of that calling, I learned there are challenges I can knock out of the park in August that I can't even swing at come January. Patterns in my adult life and phrasing in my patriarchal blessing lead me to believe that my capacity will expand and contract seasonally for some time to come. What if God's plan is to help me teach/show/help others learn how to respond to the needs of someone with depression?

I can't get past the triangular light. Might be obscure, but "Come to the Roger Waters of baptism."

haha...There is not even one LDS man within ten years and twenty miles of me who isn't currently married. So to actively date worthy men would require me to move....effectively releasing me from my calling.

One of my very favorite quotes is by Elder Holland. "Imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it."

I never served a typical mission, but live in the exact type of city your son is serving in. (We're only two hours from the mission home, though.) Our branch covers ground in at least four counties, and many of the surrounding towns wouldn't have a ward even if every citizen was an active Mormon. Anyway, I'd encourage him to focus on asking questions and listening to hear the answers when they talk to people, rather than listening to respond or lead the discussion. In my own personal missionary work, I set a goal to bring everyone I can one step closer to Christ. Elder Bednar gave a great talk a few years ago addressed to nonmembers. In there, (I'm paraphrasing) he invited them to bring with them whatever truth they already had to see if we couldn't add to it. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/come-and-see?lang=eng

I appreciate the scripture, but the rest of it were things I've already gone over myself, both recently and with other callings. I don't like the idea of asking to be released, which is why I'm requesting a counselor...again. But only because my BP can't call and set apart someone to be my husband. ;-)

I really just need a safe place to vent. I have no specific question, but welcome any suggestions. I was called as a Counselor in my branch's YW Presidency in February. In June, I was called as the YW President (because the other one was moving) and retained the other counselor, Sister A. I was unsure about how to go about calling a second counselor, as I had never done so before, and met with the Branch President to go over a couple of names. No one felt right for either one of us, and I was ok going ahead with only one counselor for a little bit due to local circumstances. Fall comes around, and I know I'm going to be needing that other counselor. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder and cannot handle the physical and emotional tasks in winter that I can at other times of the year. I know this about myself, and I plan accordingly as best I can. Elder Hales said, "When you cannot do what you have always done, you do what matters most." I trim a lot of fat from my life during the "hibernation" months. I chat with my BP and mention getting another counselor. He suggests a name and I was 100% on board, although we decided to wait until after the Primary Program due to her current calling. Thumbs up; I'm good; I can wait. Primary Program comes and goes, and I wait to hear the calling announced from the pulpit. I mention it again in November, when he asked me for names for new class presidencies. (Which, by the by, still have not been called or set apart even though it was barely two weeks after he asked for them because I sought input from my counselor.) The week that I was out of town, I follow up with him by email and was given a second name to consider for another counselor. It took me about two weeks before I felt confident. I told him the name was agreeable, but with conditions. Namely, when he called me, he wanted to see the YW classes meet separately (Laurels and Mia Maids) but I said it would place undue stress on both Sister A and myself to have to both teach a lesson every week. I said once there was a second counselor, we could probably combine Mia Maids and Beehives (once we get one again) and that Sister A could teach twice a month, once to the Laurels and once to the younger girls. He agreed that he would ask the new sister to accept the call as 1st Counselor and reassign Sister A as the 2nd Counselor. That was before Thanksgiving. And I still only have one counselor. Now, Sister A is great. I love her, and she has one of the most beautiful spirits I've known. She is very willing to lend both of her hands to help, and will provide whatever is asked of her. However, getting her to provide ideas or feedback is like pulling teeth. She's a quiet person and extremely introverted. She is not as confident as she ought to be about her English speaking skills, and I've tried to be encouraging in that regard. I've tried easing her in to helping with the decision making, which is where I need the most help. Counciling with her is incredibly difficult. I cannot function in a council if I'm the only one coming up with ideas. The stress and responsibility of heading two councils where I am the only one contributing (I live alone, so no one else contributes to my family council) will become too much for me physically and emotionally before January is over. I NEED a counselor I can council with, or else I need to be released. I'll see if I can meet with the BP this week; if not, I'll have to tell him as much over email.

Something similar happened to me the last time I gave a talk. I pulled up the talk I wanted to quote from, and it started playing the audio! Thankfully I was able to quickly silence it. Now I make sure my volume is muted when I bring my iPad to church. Also, a story that isn't all mine, but I was there, so I'll tell it. One of my good friends ("Carl") really liked my sister, so he would hang out with us and the guy I was kind of dating ("Gavin"). Carl always wears a beard and a baseball cap. Always. (Except for formal ocassions.) I used to tease him that I could tell when he got a new girlfriend because he would show up to work clean shaven. (Girls would always swoon and say, "I want to see what you look like without your beard!") Anyway, after a few months, my sister talked him into coming to church with us. Since our ward met backwards (sacrament meeting last), my sister and I walked him down the hallway to where they held Priesthood. Just outside the doorway, Gavin was standing with the EQ President and the 1st counselor in the bishopric. Of course, Carl had removed his beard and baseball cap before coming to church. Gavin looks up, sees all of us walking down the hall, and blurts out, "You look funny!" Which, to be fair, is the typical reaction to seeing Carl without a beard and baseball cap.

Pray for them. By name. Pray that others will cross their paths in ways that will let them know the Lord IS mindful of them. Have faith that He will. Continue doing what you've been doing in terms of being a spiritual influence in their lives. Be patient. Overcoming feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt take time.

Might I suggest Al-Anon? Different from Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon is specifically for family members of people who have a drinking problem. So, this would be something for you, not him. The people in your local group may be able to help you deal with his deceptions and may help you put his habits into a different perspective. (Note: this is not an LDS based group, but it did wonders for a college friend and her mom while my friend was in high school and her dad was a recovering alcoholic.) In the meantime, I suggest neither condemning nor condoning his drinking habits. I'm a passive aggressive person, so I would probably take any alcohol I find hidden and put it on the top shelf of a kitchen cupboard or similar place, where it's not hidden or on display. I would also probably put additional inspirational quotes and scriptures around. Nothing too bold, just an extra picture of a temple or a "through Christ I can do all things" magnet on the fridge. Things that can help you, him, and your children (in that order) deal with the havoc your 18 year old is wreaking.

I know what you mean. I've been on (Tuesday night) sessions where the only patrons are temple workers from that shift who have been assigned to be patrons. Almost 100% of our Tuesday night sealing sessions were that way. I think one of my favorite sessions, though, was one very early into my call as a temple worker when there was only one "citizen" patron in an endowment session. I felt like that session was just for her in a way. It reminded me of how important each individual is to our Savior. Even if you or I were the only person to have benefited from his Atonement, He still would have considered it worth the sacrifice.

Honestly, how I feel about scripture challenges has a lot to do with how I feel about those extending them. I appreciate President Monson, love his messages, and believe he is a prophet of God, but I don't really feel that I have a personal connection with him. So when he suggested to read the BoM each day, I kind of did it. Bare minimum effort has yielded bare minimum results situation. At our first stake conference in May/June, we were challenged to read the BoM by the next one, which was last weekend. I really don't feel connected to my current stake president. In my recommend interview, he was more interested in chatting about how much everyone in the stake loves our branch than getting to know me personally. I waited a couple of months, did a big push, and ended up falling off the wagon and short of the goal. I don't recall any of the high council Sunday speakers talking about the challenge or it being mentioned in the Sunday meeting. Comparing it with a challenge from six years ago, when the stake president (I've moved and he's been released since then) issued a challenge to read the BoM twice in that calendar year. I blew that out of the water. I finished where I had been (about halfway), read it twice through, and then read it backwards chapter by chapter in the last six weeks of the year. Not only did I feel more connected to the person issuing the challenge (I just ran into him and his wife at a multi stake dance and they recognized me as someone familiar, even if they may not have remembered my name) but the high councilors and other leaders would often make mention of it when participating in sacrament meeting or Sunday School lessons. There was a concerted effort to keep it in our minds, which sent the message that it was something they felt was truly inspired, rather than something that's probably just a good idea. And I guess that is probably how I determine how committed I am to challenges like these. If it feels like it's just a good idea, I'll give it half a chance. But if I feel like it's truly inspired, I'm all in! Also, I don't do well with self-guided study. Challenges like this give me structure and purpose to my study, which increases the likelihood that I'll actually do it.

Welcome @Kenvincible @prisonchaplain some of the non-LDS people I know who do genealogy do it because it helps them feel connected to people or to learn more about why they might be the way they are. These are evidences of what Mormons call "the spirit of Elijah," which is "to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the children." There are also a few who like the puzzle aspect of it.

This will be great for units like mine who have a hard time bringing enough endowed brethren to help officiate.

I vote for learning a new skill or doing something to help you magnify your calling. (Planning a lesson, writing cards to mail to less actives, etc.)

This makes me glad to be in YW. Our branch leadership is notoriously unorganized, and the Youth use a manual (of sorts). We've hardly breached the topic since the letter came out. Then again, our communication is awful, and I may be out of the loop.

Whew! I thought it was just me.