dprh

Alma the Younger's "conversion" story is amazing and inspiring.  When people bring it up as an example, I like to then reference Alma 5:45-46
After his visit from the angel, he still had to study, fast and pray to receive revelation through the Holy Ghost. Laman and Lemuel show us that angelic visits or rebukes do not necessarily lead to conversion.  It is really through the visitation of the Spirit due to having a broken heart and contrite spirit.  Or more accurately multiple visits.

I was going over the CFM for this Sunday and was reading Paul's conversion story on his way to Damascus, and decided to take another look at Uchtdorf's "Waiting on the Road to Damascus" talk. It got me wondering.
We have stories like Saul/Paul, Alma the Younger, Zeezrom, Prison guards from Helaman 5, King Lamoni and his court, and others where they have the miraculous conversion stories. But then, used as a reference talk this miraculous conversion story of Paul, Elder Uchtdorf is saying "don't look for these experiences, go forward in faith". There aren't really any stories in the Scriptures where someone just lives faithfully step by step. The only people in scripture that I can think of that may have grown line upon line without any miraculous experience are scriptural figures that either did not play a "major" role or in reading it is clear that part of the story is missing (ie Shiblon, Corianton, Alma the Elder, Zeezrom, and others)
The CFM book says "While it’s true that Saul’s experience is unusual —for most people, the conversion is a much longer process" but there are a lot more of these "unusual" experiences in the scriptures than there are "usual" experiences.

What lessons are we supposed to learn from these conversion stories when the modern-day prophetic commentary is saying "go forward in faith and don't look for this kind of stuff"?

Your wife doesn't get a veto on your right to freedom of religion and that was likely why your Bishop was not to accepting of your excuse.  Plus you will be a better husband and father by putting God first than you will be by putting your wife and daughter first.  It is counter intuitive but it is true. 
You need to clearly and lovingly tell her that your faith is important to you and you are going to live it including going to church each week, it is not up for debate.  Tell her it will make you a better husband and father.  Tell her that it is her choice to either trust you and be accepting of that or to turn this into a sore spot in your relationship, but either way it isn't going to change what you do.  That is part of being the spiritual leader of the home.
You should however look for ways to make it easier for her.  Like if you took your daughter to church with you it would give her some 'me time' to sleep or whatever, and she can't say you are abandoning your daughter if you are taking her with you.  In our ward the young women are happy to help out single parents with little kids during sacrament, but even if you spend the whole time out in the foyer with your baby crying you are at least there, getting the sacrament and fellowshipping with the Saints.
As you live the gospel you will reap the blessings and have the spirit in your home far more often.  In time she will likely notice that and her heart will soften.  She may be willing to come to a social activity or be there when ministering brethren visit you.  My mother joined the church shortly after she married my dad, and he was not at all happy at first with how much it took her out of the home.  She stayed faithful and in time my dad realized it was doing good and he was OK with it.  Then he came to know it was true and joined the church when I was 9.  When I was 10 we were all sealed in the temple.  I can't promise you it will work out like that for you, but I can promise you it won't work out like that as long as let her decide how faithful you will be.

Yeah for sure, I used to resent her going to church. I didn't like it that she had friends there and it felt like she had a big part of her life that she loved and I wasn't involved in it. It made me jealous, I suggest you invite your wife to go with you even if she says no, at least she will feel welcomed into that part of your life. 

Hey Junior?  Just full disclosure here - I didn't really feel like an adult until both my kids had been born and I was in my mid '30's.  That said, I was an adult, I just didn't feel like one.  I had to act like one, even though I didn't feel like one.  I had to make principled decisions based on what was right, instead of what was popular, or what would have me liked, or what would make someone mad.  That's part of being an adult.  
When I was an immature dependent child, I was all about "my dad doesn't want me to" this, and "I want to try but my mom said" that.  But once I got married, I had to put all that childish nonsense away and start making decisions based on principles.  
It's your time, brother.  You are learning how to be an adult.  Be quick about it, because your wife and child need you to be one.  You don't have to be mean, rude, or unrighteous.  Just right.

I am not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (I thought the term "Mormon" is now frowned upon?) but I think of myself as very friendly to the Church and open to learning wherever I can find it.
As Scott said, this is also the biggest issue I've seen, but a close #2 is how Jesus and Lucifer are sometimes portrayed as spiritual brothers, which is a total, instantaneous, and irrevocable deal-breaker for many of my fellow Protestants, who simply cannot bring themselves to visualize Jesus and Lucifer as a sort of Cain and Abel.  I have studied this topic a bit and my understanding is that God is believed to be the Father of all beings, so in a sense we are all brothers and sisters.  But that concept can be awkwardly expressed in ways that frighten the daylights out of people who have never heard it before.
Maybe I'm a naive contrarian here, but I'd say many of my thoughtful friends define "Christendom" as "the set of all people who call themselves Christian," which seems like a reasonable starting point to me.

I always ask them as "What do you call a man (or woman) with no arms or legs..."  then for Art, you can ask what do you call his arms and legs?
Pieces of Art.
My three favorites are
...a woman...on a tennis court?
Annette
...two guys...in a window?
Curt and Rod
...a guy and a girl...on a grill
Frank and Patty

I always ask them as "What do you call a man (or woman) with no arms or legs..."  then for Art, you can ask what do you call his arms and legs?
Pieces of Art.
My three favorites are
...a woman...on a tennis court?
Annette
...two guys...in a window?
Curt and Rod
...a guy and a girl...on a grill
Frank and Patty

Are lame fake lyrics allowed here?

Did you know that in the Nauvoo temple they were originally considering using angels in the baptistery instead of oxen?
 
 
 
They decided to go with a sans seraph font.

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!

I can't believe that the name "Texan" wasn't already taken.  Thought sure I'd be stuck with "Texan487593" or something like that.
And I am a Southern Baptist, born in Texas and I live here now.  Just moved to a new neighborhood and saw a big building near my house, which I believe is called a "stake center."  I've been investigating, uninvestigating, and reinvestigating the Church for many years now.  Not sure where this will lead, if anywhere, but I've enjoyed reading the comments in these forums and just wanted to say thank you.  

My name is James Garcia I am originally from El Salvador but I moved to the USA when I was 9, so i'm kind of an American now. I am 24 and live in Texas. I have been a member of the church since I was 9 but I was inactive for a really long time. I returned to church again late last year. I have 1 full sister who is a missionary right now and I miss her a lot. I don't know what else to say but if you have any questions for me you can ask me .

I found this forum a couple weeks ago and have posted a few times.  I like this community and figure I'll stick around and check in every so often.
I am in my late 30's, married with three kids.  I've been a missionary, financial clerk, ward clerk, YM's adviser and councilor, den leader, primary and Sunday School teacher in church.  Recently excommunicated, but working hard to repent, change, and be re-admitted into the Church. 
I am trying to develop more healthy connections with more people instead of isolating myself.  I figure an anonymous forum would be a good place to reach out.  My wife and I aren't comfortable yet with most real-life people knowing of our situation.  She's changed the setting for our family on the directory to private so most people can't see us. 

I don't think there is A key to a successful marriage.  There are a number of things that should be there.  Forgiveness and communication are both necessary.  If you are hurt/offended/etc by your spouse, you can forgive, but if you don't communicate about it, he/she will likely do it again and again.  He/she will miss an opportunity of growth, and your repeated forgiveness might change to resentment.  If you communicate how you were hurt/offended/etc but you don't forgive, then it'll keep coming up over and over in arguments or disagreements.

But I'm talking about those who haven't been warned. Essentially I'm saying that it is not (obviously) a commandment to be warned. It is, as you point out, a commandment to warn others once we've been warned.
Having a testimony is a result -- not an action.
Working to develop a testimony is an action (this is exercising faith). But actually having one is a result.

The part with the new piece of gum isn't always included in the analogy.  A chewed piece of gum has no value.  No one wants it.  Someone who has broken the law of chastity still has value, even if there are lasting consequences.

I remember the Boz, not because of his flaws,
But the gauze in his schnozz reminds me of Jaws.
There are laws about paws and beasts' filthy maws,
The thought of which gnaws at me, giving me pause
While it pitches and yaws amidst hammers and saws
While your dead, frozen heart only glacially thaws.

I'm not going to say that I'm giving up on monitoring what my children consume in entertainment, because I'm certainly not.  I'm definitely take measures to ensure they are not exposed to sexual themes and images, violent content (excluding Minecraft violence), and offensive language. 
But the portrayal of LGBTQ characters or family structures is not a hill I'm willing to die on. Largely because that isn't where my children are being exposed to those family structures. In the past couple of years, we've been involved in a softball team coached by a lesbian couple. My daughter and their daughter became friends. One of the children in our Karate program is a daughter of a lesbian couple. And we live in rural freaking Kentucky! 
Since about the ages of 8 and 5, my children have been in friendships that are directly tied to same-sex couples. Exposure from television and movies just isn't an issue--they're already living with it. And I dare say they are handling it a lot better than the adults seem to be*. 
 
 
* Unrelated, the season after my daughter was first coached by this particular woman, my daughter moved up an age group, while her friend and coach stayed behind. That season, nearly a third of the woman's team suddenly quit about two practices into the new season because parents didn't want their precious daughters "exposed to the lesbian." I was angry for weeks. Fortunately, it didn't  happen in subsequent seasons.

Depends on the meaning of "fear".

This is what is most important for you and your husband. In that light, it doesn't matter what I think or anyone else thinks. The fact that you are about to be sealed to a man who is willing to make you comfortable is a great start and it shows his love for you! That is most important no matter how silly something maybe. It is something that can be changed very easily. Congrats to you both by the way.

@anatess2 we will just have to agree to disagree. Thank you for your thoughts

Sorry this post got off track. My marriage is happy and healthy, I was just wanting to ask about Temple clothing. Thank you all that answered my questions. My husband is so sweet and I know he’d do anything for me so I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t being unfair to him. I appreciate all your thoughts! 

I don't think there is A key to a successful marriage.  There are a number of things that should be there.  Forgiveness and communication are both necessary.  If you are hurt/offended/etc by your spouse, you can forgive, but if you don't communicate about it, he/she will likely do it again and again.  He/she will miss an opportunity of growth, and your repeated forgiveness might change to resentment.  If you communicate how you were hurt/offended/etc but you don't forgive, then it'll keep coming up over and over in arguments or disagreements.

Baptism is sacred. It is a public declaration of faith--in this case--faith, not only in Jesus, but in what the church deems the Restored Gospel. I've seen baptismal services that made me cringe. At one, after the candidates had finished, one of the leaders of the church went to the microphone and said, "Anybody else wanna git baptized...come on, now--the water's warm!" Sometimes, when I conduct baptisms in the jail candidates will try to get the friends to get baptized with them--friends who do not attend church, and may not even know what Christianity is. I usually say something like, "There's no need to be baptized at this moment. Join us for a few Sundays, and if you feel so prompted I can always schedule another baptism." I hate it when folks say, "Well, I was baptized a few years back, but I really didn't understand it...it didn't mean much to me." So, whatever the backstory and motivation for this pronouncement, to my outsider ears it sounds like a positive development.