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seashmore reacted to scottyg in President Nelson vaccinated
"I am optimistic about the future. It will be filled with opportunities for each of us to progress, contribute, and take the gospel to every corner of the earth. But I am also not naïve about the days ahead. We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.
Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."
Russell M. Nelson, April 2018 General Conference
This was given almost 3 years ago. The days are no longer coming...they are here now. No more arguing please. The Holy Ghost will tell you the proper course of action you and your families are to take, and, (for reasons known to the Lord) that direction may not always perfectly align with direction given to another. Don't worry about the actions of others. Do not gauge what you are doing to be right or wrong based off of what others do. Trust in what the spirit whispers, and follow the Lord's judgement and timing.
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seashmore reacted to JohnsonJones in President Nelson vaccinated
I think it is fair to consider that vaccination does cause injury and death. It is normally overblown, but I think that it is not something that can be written off.
Unfortunately, too many take it too far in their avoidance of vaccinations and become anti-vaxxers in general, which has led to MANY MORE deaths due to this, with the unfortunate casualties generally being children dying from childhood illnesses that we thought were wiped out decades ago (and would be still if not for the anti-vaxxers).
Still, to say that there are no deaths from a vaccination problem is similar to saying that the deaths from COVID-19 in the US are understated. Both do not look at the full picture. From all estimates, deaths from Covid-19 in the US have been undercounted by up to 50% (meaning we could have almost double the number of dead from Covid-19 in the US. Hospitals and very conservative trumpist can try to disguise the causes of death or how many are infected, individuals may die at home in apartments without being counted at first, but they normally cannot hide the number of deaths. Just like the actuaries of insurance companies have pretty involved formulas for figuring out the true numbers of deaths from a cause (which is done with flu deaths each year) they will do the same for COVID-19. The results thus far do not look promising, it appears that there are MANY uncounted deaths. Probably not 50% (that's more of the worst case), but could be hovering around 25% of Covid-19 deaths being under-reported.
In that same light, from the opposite side of the spectrum, the complications from the vaccine are not being discussed all that much from what I see. Much of this is to encourage people to be vaccinated rather than discourage them. If the complications were discussed more, it would only serve to reinforce some of the negative attitudes some people have developed. I have heard and read that there ARE complications and that means that there are probably deaths.
Here's the kicker though, and this applies to many of the vaccines that are out there. Covid-19 has anywhere from a 1% - 7% (depending on the situations and circumstances, when hospitals are overwhelmed it seems to be much higher in the 5%-6% range, but when everything is going well and the numbers are few it may even be below 1% mortality) of deaths. The Vaccine from everything I see shows that it has under a .1% mortality rate. Some say it's even less at a .01% mortality rate. That does not mean there is no risk, but even at it's worse, I have 1/10 percent chance of dying from it in the worst case comparatively to Covid-19, and 1/7000 chance comparatively in the best cases. I think I'll take the vaccine with those odds.
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seashmore reacted to JohnsonJones in Temple Clothing Bags
I don't have one with hooks, but I find a compact weekend traveler's bag or garment bag are what I normally use. For ease of availability I thought I'd try to find some on Amazon ranging in various sizes and cost
Swissgear Wheeled Garment bag
Bagazzi Shoulder Travel bag
Victorinox Werks Weekender
Wohlbege Weekender bag
Amsterdam Rolling Garment luggage
Or if you don't have to carry a suit or otherwise and want something smaller, a messenger bag may work for you which is something my youngest son uses when we go together.
Samsonite Leather Messenger bag
Messenger Waterproof Briefcase
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seashmore reacted to Traveler in Temple Clothing Bags
If you cannot find the bag fitted with the hook as you desire - you could add your own with a combination carabiner and j-hook.
The Traveler
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seashmore reacted to mordorbund in What is “Sunday Best”? (Style/symbolism/culture)
It does depend on local culture. In Europe and North America it's the horse. The ox and ass are day laborers and on Sunday it's all about transportation. Groom the animal properly the day before and you're good to go. Of course, in South America the Llama might be more appropriate, but back in North America it would be too exotic and detract from congregational worship. I'm told that Australia has not domesticated the kangaroo, so they ---
Sunday Best ---
Never mind. I misread the title.
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seashmore reacted to MrShorty in What is “Sunday Best”? (Style/symbolism/culture)
I would say it is mostly culture and tradition (cue Tevye and the people of Anatevka). I find that we are somewhat uncomfortable conceding too much to personal preference, but I sometimes think personal preference ought to have more sway. Part of me would say that God's opinion ought to have the greatest impact on what we choose, but I sometimes find it difficult to really find God's will amidst the much louder voices of culture, tradition, and personal preference.
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seashmore got a reaction from NeuroTypical in Church Zoom accounts
My dad is in this camp. He gets easily frustrated by technology and the terminology confuses him. Hence his having outdated desktop equipment, and he only got a smart phone last year. Bonus: its a tracfone, which means I helped him set it up to connect to his wifi, but he is still convinced that it's using his data/minutes. He doesn't have video/mic capabilities on his desktop, so his participation is limited. He was also told (or given the impression) that he needed to log in using a video so that people in his ward could see him. I tried, to no avail, to tell him that it is possible and permissible to watch/listen to meetings without having a video.
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seashmore reacted to Just_A_Guy in Church Zoom accounts
Hmm. Our ward sacrament meeting broadcasts to Zoom and I don’t think mute/unmute issues have ever been a problem. But then, we live in Lehi and our ward is mostly a bunch of “silicon slopes” guys.
I’m pretty sure that if you have a paid Zoom account, it’s possible to mute someone and make it so they can’t unmute themselves. I know you can prevent screen sharing—I run the Zoom meetings for Gospel Doctrine and youth Sunday School. (I keep trying to convince our bishop that since my Zoom account has no meeting time limit, we can go back to 40 or 50 minute SS meetings; but for now he is sticking with half an hour for all non-sacrament meetings.)
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seashmore reacted to dprh in Church Zoom accounts
I'm not sure how it's set up, but our ward uses Zoom to broadcast to Youtube. That way participants can't talk and interrupt the meeting. Every week, the ward clerk sends an email with the link and the meeting information. It's worked very well for us.
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seashmore reacted to NeedleinA in Church Zoom accounts
Since it is a zoom link, you really could watch any ward if provided their link.
I heard @NeuroTypical will give out the link for $5 without drama OR $15 a session with sister whatsername screaming at the seasoned couple for sharing their intimate moment.
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seashmore reacted to NeuroTypical in Church Zoom accounts
I have my zoom meeting to no video and auto mute, but some folks still figure it's necessary to try to unmute and share video. It's the biggest buttons on the zoom toolbar, and some folks just figure it's something they have to click to 'make it work'.
I've personally heard poor sister whatsername screaming at her kids. And the Stake has kept everyone uptight about it since around April, when apparently one of the seasoned couples in our stake were off mute, and broadcast some sort of intimate moment to their entire sunday school class.
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seashmore reacted to Midwest LDS in Church Zoom accounts
The biggest tech issue we have in our ward is people, especially the older members, forgetting to turn off their mic's. It doesn't seem to matter how much we tell them to double check, there are a few who just seem to never remember to do that and then they accidentally broadcast their complaints, personal discussions, eating habits to everyone.
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seashmore reacted to NeuroTypical in Church Zoom accounts
Buncha older folks in my ward who remember the the church's 1990's dire warnings about the evils of technology and growing prevalence of downloadable p0rn, and stopped paying attention after that. Now they're being told to go online and sign themselves up for virtual tithing settlement, and it's just really hard.
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seashmore reacted to Grunt in Church Zoom accounts
I don't know of any people in my ward that don't know what email is. Every link I create says "CLICK HERE" We also don't have many people that don't have a computer or smart phone. Ministering brothers and sisters are responsible for assisting members who have issues, but it really is very simple and no major issues have popped up. We've been doing this since spring. I'm the one that fields most of the issues.
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seashmore got a reaction from prisonchaplain in Prisonchaplain retiring...from prison chaplaincy
They quite possibly remember how they were when they were that age. I think you'll be wonderful at whatever the Lord has in store for you next!
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seashmore reacted to NeuroTypical in Okay...which one of you Utahns put this up??
Boy howdy you got that right.
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seashmore reacted to Carborendum in Okay...which one of you Utahns put this up??
I'm sorry, I can't find the source. It was the first site I read about this. Now, I can't find it again.
But I'm still going to vote for "art" rather than "joke". If it was meant to be a joke, that was one pretty expensive joke that was WAYYYY out in the middle of nowhere and may have never been discovered. One point of the joke is that one gets to enjoy others laughing at it.
Art, on the other hand, does not require anyone to appreciate it other than the artist.
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seashmore reacted to prisonchaplain in Prisonchaplain retiring...from prison chaplaincy
As exciting as the country parish with the old lady cakes sounds, alas, such will not be my lot to bare. Besides, we ministers do not get to truly retire. Instead, we get re-fired! It's amazing how many of my peers in corrections have shuddered with fear when I told them I was considering teaching at the high school level.
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seashmore reacted to prisonchaplain in Prisonchaplain retiring...from prison chaplaincy
It's Thanksgiving Day, so I figured I'd announce that, yes I am thankful for the nearly 23 years the LORD has allowed me to serve as a prison chaplain. Alas, mandatory retirement is fast approaching, and I prayerfully put in to do so at the end of this year. Next steps likely include my continuing as a volunteer pastor and transitioning to my first love--teaching. It's not yet certain how that will look, but I am convinced that what lies ahead will be even better than that which is passing. Oh … and no, I'm not retiring from here. Mercy has its limits.
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seashmore reacted to MarginOfError in Tithing Settlement
I've refused to participate in tithing settlement for probably a decade now. I don't object to tithing settlement or it's purposes. I object to the time frame in which it must all be done. Requiring a bishop to meet with each family in the last three months, while also requiring at least a clerk or other bishopric member to be present (if done by the books) seemed anathema to reducing the administrative load on the bishop.
I'll return to tithing settlement when the bishops are permitted to take these declarations throughout the year.
I still review my tithing statements to make sure I'm paying a full tithe. I've been pretty open with my bishops that I don't consider the ten minutes he could spare for me worth his time. They've never complained.
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seashmore reacted to Carborendum in Tithing Settlement
I remember one year we went to do tithing settlement and my father was shocked at what he discovered. He hadn't been keeping a running tally. He had been paying from his profits each month. When he got the tithing record, he was shocked that as far as he could tell, he had only paid half of what he usually did.
The bishop told him to take a closer look with his accountant and see what the real number was. The accountant gave him the numbers and pointed out a particular product that was costing him money. He took that back to the in-house book-keeper. They discovered that a product she put together was actually losing money. This was not an approved loss leader. It was the main product that was priced way too low. It cost him tens of thousands of dollars. He fired her and had to revise the pricing structure for the business to try to make up for it the next year.
I found it odd that he hadn't noticed the savings account dwindling over the course of the year. But that's why he hired someone else to look at it. It wasn't until tithing settlement where he saw that he had to face reality.
Yeah, it has some temporal advantages.
For my family it is mainly a time for us to hear a minor sermon from the bishop. He already knows each member of my family very well. But it is rare that he can talk to the whole family at once. So, he gave us a little sermon about "listening to the Spirit." Just as he was dismissing us, I had to ask, "Aren't you going to ask if we're full tithe payers?" He was a little embarrassed about the faux pas.
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seashmore reacted to Grunt in Sacrament Talk
Well, the Stake President was there and nobody pulled my Temple Recommend, so I think I'm in the clear.
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seashmore reacted to Grunt in Sacrament Talk
It was pushed to next week, which makes it even worse. Over the last few days I've carried my notebook and just entered anything that popped in my head. Sadly, as I read them this afternoon, they all seem to focus on things that wouldn't make the most uplifting Sacrament talk: setting the example in your household, repenting, only following the Prophet when it's convenient, finding reasons to not follow the Prophet, choosing faith, etc.
"Hey, remember Grunt? He called the entire ward to repentance and got exed. He made it 1030 days, though. It was a good run. Who let him in the Bishopric, anyway?"
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seashmore reacted to Carborendum in For this reason alone, I could vote for this Democrat
https://www.theblaze.com/news/minnesota-democrat-blow-whistle-voter-fraud
A Minnesota Democrat is blowing the whistle on a vote-buying scam that is working to help her campaign. She exposed it and denounced it. She warned all others to stay away from it. And she herself was stopping her door-to-door campaign so that she would not even "have the appearance" of being involved in that evil.
I don't know what her poltiical positions are (other than she's a Democrat). But that level of honesty and integrity that may serve to hurt her politically is worth my vote.
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seashmore reacted to Jane_Doe in Sacrament Talk
I too love the you=[ick talks, letting the Spirit guide me.
The 30 minutes notice is... a mixed bag. The upside is that it is so quick and from the heart, and not something you fiddle with a million times over. The downside is if you feel silly when-the-straight-from-the-heart has some tongue ties involved .