dprh

The number eight, 8? cut in half is zero, 0. On its side, it's the infinity symbol?

A dozen, a gross, and a score Plus three times the square root of four Divided by seven Plus five times eleven Equals nine squared and no more ???? How is that? Thanks to @Moresfor the 'gross'

I watched the video on selective empathy. It raised some good points. But I think we have selective empathy because we as mortal imperfect humans are incapable of caring about everything. Near the end he says "Saving one plastic straw is good. Caring about the actual problem is even better." My issue is that caring doesn't do any good. Care all you want, if you don't do anything about it, it won't do any good. And since our actions are limited by our time, we need to make choices using selective empathy of what we will focus on and do.

I think we are wandering into a topic that is prohibited on this forum. Your question is answered in @pam's thread. Talk with your Bishop. He is allowed to talk to you about it.

https://www.amazon.com/Like-Dragons-Did-They-Fight/dp/1105947971 This book is also a great resource for the type of struggle you are going through. I know it's helped a lot of people.

You can do it! I'm going through something similar, among other things. I just hit 5 months clean and I am not planning on relapsing. I suggest finding a local Addiction Recovery Program to attend, getting a sponsor to keep you accountable daily, going to therapy to find the underlying issues that @Jane_Doementioned. I am doing it, and I know you can too. You can DM me if you have any questions or if you just want to talk. https://addictionrecovery.churchofjesuschrist.org/find-a-meeting?lang=eng

Glad to have you here! You will always be welcome to start attending church again. You should be able to find the right meetinghouse and time for your ward online here. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ When you go, you can introduce yourself to the bishop (if he doesn't introduce himself first). He will be the one to help guide you back and answer those types of questions. I wish you the best!

This was while she was still a brain-washed Kree soldier trying to get back to her squad.

Thank you for sharing. That was a great read. Interesting to get an insight into a Jewish point of view.

I don't see 2nd Corinthians as forbidding solitary visits from Jesus or Heavenly Father. I see it as saying that you don't necessarily have to accept the word of a single person if they say they were visited. I had an institute teacher (gospel classes for college-age students) who held the position that as members of our Church, we do not really need to have a testimony of Joseph's First Vision because there was only one witness. But like @Moresquoted in John 8 that Jesus testified of Himself and His Father was the second witness, I think the Holy Ghost can be our second witness when praying about Joseph's First Vision.

FIFY

I have been praying more than I ever have in my life, except possibly my mission. I am repeating myself often, but I don't think it qualifies as a vain repetition. If you really mean it, and it helps you feel like you are communicating and communing with Heavenly Father, then go ahead and repeat yourself. But also, like @NeuroTypicalsaid, there are so many things to pray for, once you get going, you can find plenty to pray about.

Darn auto-correct. I'll be more careful in the future

I can see it from both (multiple?) points of view. For the childless couple, it can be hard to talk about, bringing feelings of sadness, shame, regret, etc. And that isn't something most people open up to with acquaintances. But that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't still talk about it with others. You might find someone who has some great insight, or even just a shoulder to cry on. Talking about difficult things can strengthen relationships. For the asker, they may be genuine in their question. They may want to build a relationship. Or, they may be so extroverted that they ask every question that crosses their mind without thinking of the impact. To me, asking something like this would be like asking "Do you or your spouse have any interesting birthmarks?" Sure, that might be interesting to know, but it's a boundary I wouldn't cross. Others aren't as reserved. If you are asked any question you feel is too personal, it is OK to say so. Be sure to be clear though. A few months ago, my wife had gone to the temple with a friend. On the drive home, she asked my wife a very personal question and my wife responded "I'm not comfortable talking about that." So the friend shared a personal story of her own and asked again. My wife's response was the exact same. "I'm not comfortable talking about it." The friend shares another personal story. After the fourth time, my wife finally gave in. After my wife shared, the friend asked if my wife felt better. My wife said "No, I didn't want to talk about it." When my wife said "I'm not comfortable talking it" her friend heard "If I feel more comfortable, I'll talk about it."

Dictionary definitions are great. But for complex ideas like emotions and feelings, they are often lacking. These definitions could easily be used to define guilt to. Since we have two words with similar denotations, the connotations have evolved in different directions. See my earlier post about the differences. Brene Brown has a lot of information on shame.

This is a great point. I have been studying things like this a lot. While each case is different, depending on each spouse, generally speaking, most experts do not advice that a spouse be the accountability partner. They are usually encouraged to be involved, but not in the details. There are a lot good articles, blogs, and podcasts, that talk about recovering from porn. Some I found on the Covenant Eyes site.

This is probably just an issue with semantics, but to me, shame is something we should avoid. It is not good. Guilt, remorse, embarrassment, even fear are good. I like Brene Brown's talk, here about it. About 14 minutes is a quote that I really like Shame keeps people locked in isolation. While it may be a decent preventative-type feeling, it is incredibly destructive. It destroys self-worth and connection. Shame is the adversary's counterfeit to guilt.

Hah, my wife texted this article to me today. I can't wait to try them. One more reason to get baptized and receive my blessings again. 👼

Thank you @LiterateParakeet. That was pretty funny and a great way to take some of the shame away from talking about porn. It's incredible how invasive and pervasive it is while at the same time, how taboo it is to talk about. I had/have great parents, but I do wish they'd talked about and prepared me better for fighting porn. I don't know if they didn't realize how easy it was to find or if they just didn't know how to talk about it. Does anyone here use Covenant Eyes, or other services? Do you have suggestions for which one to pick? Thanks!

Most Christians I've talked to about it look at baptism as "an outward expression of an inward commitment." I think that is the most common view of baptism, and I believe that God appreciates that declaration from anyone who is sincere.

I think the most important thing about ministering is that the family knows they can call you when they need to. If you keep reaching out, they should get that message. Phone calls are more personal than texts or emails and will help develop the relationship better. When you are in a conversation with them, at church, on the phone, at the store, ask open-ended, but specific, questions. Instead of 'how are you doing? Do you need anything?' you could ask about one of the kids. "Is John doing all right in school?" or "What is Sally interested in these days?" Good luck! It's great to hear about people who are trying to minister.

I do think all baptisms are ordained of God. While they aren't all done with Priesthood authority and won't work as a gate into the Celestial Kingdom, I do think that when a person makes that commitment to be baptized, God is pleased. Of course, as I write that I think of infant baptisms. Moroni 8 is pretty clear about how the Lord feels about that. So maybe I should adjust my 'all' like @classylady. Anyone who chooses for themselves to be baptized and make that commitment to dedicate their lives to God, pleases Him.

That is awesome-sauce! I hope it's a beautiful skies that day.

I think this policy is more in harmony with the concept of line upon line, precept upon precept. There are plenty of different circumstances that could lead to a couple wanted to have a civil marriage. The first that comes to mind is a new convert who hasn't met the one year term to receive his/her endowments yet, but wants to marry another member of the church. This new way, they can be sealed one year after the baptism instead of the marriage. I don't see this change taking anything away from the sacredness of the temple sealing. It is more inclusive and I imagine it will lead to more people ending up being sealed in the temple. As one who is subject to a different church policy of waiting at least a year, I can understand the frustration of waiting on a seemingly arbitrary period of time. In my case, excommunication, I understand the need for a uniform policy regarding the time to wait. With marriages and sealings, I don't see a similar need for standardization.

Thanks for the response @lynnpca7. I think we'll eventually get to a point where we're more open in our ward. It's still fairly fresh and hard to be vulnerable. We are both going to group support. I go to three different ARP groups a week and my wife goes once a week, but 3 different groups depending on which night fits our schedule. We both have talked to a couple friends about it. We have a great couple in our town that are serving as ARP missionaries whose story is pretty similar to ours. I hope one day to follow them and serve in that capacity. But for now, I have to focus on getting baptized and receive my blessings again.