NateHowe

In addition to my LDSblogs postings, I have started a podcast in direct response to Elder Ballard's comments. (link in my signature)

If you have a Palm or other handheld device, you can also download the scriptures in many formats: Church Publications for Handhelds

The Church sells the Standard Works (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) on one CD-ROM for six bucks. Go to LDScatalog.com and click on "scriptures" in the left sidebar. They will ship it for free.

Just a different perspective (and this is not to judge anybody - it's just my view): If I buy a CD where the naughty words are bleeped out, my mind tends to fill the blank spaces or the bleeped areas with the original words. It's not an intentional thing; some songs are just written with profanity in the "flow," and taking out one word does not change the message. I try to avoid "cleaned up" versions because an edit can call the profanity to mind with as much effect as the original. Better to choose different, music that doesn't require bleeping - there's enough of it available.

I have met several General Authorities, each time briefly. Honestly, when I am in the situation, I have nothing to ask. The answers they would give are in the scriptures and General Conference addresses. Anything not covered there is probably not something I need answered at this point.

Perhaps we need to be more willing as Priesthood holders to ask our brethren for blessings. Serving in such a way blesses them, and we may gain more insights and strength for ourselves. Canuck, I think you hit it on the head: That feeling seems common. We are taught to be independent in many things. But seeking the blessings of the Lord under the hands of his servants is not a sign of weakness or an indication that we can't handle something. It is a sign of faith and desire to receive additional strength.

I am an occasional user of LDSforums.com, and I found out about these forums from there. I am an independent LDS musician, publisher, writer, and educator. I am blissfully married and have a child on the way. Enough about me. See you in the forums.

If you are interested in Church music or Church history, check out Bruce's Lost Hymns Project page: http://users.mstar2.net/brucewrites/Lost%2...OST%20HYMNS.htm It's an excellent resource for LDS musicians and common folks who just like to look back beyond the current green hymnal.

A general rule here - if there is any doubt, seek counsel from your Priesthood leader. If the sin does not require official Church discipline, the Bishop or Branch President will give you good counsel and send you on your way. If it does require more repentance with the assistance of a judge in Israel, the Bishop or Branch President can help you start on that path. Either way, any place where you may try to draw your own line between needing the Bishop's help and not is a place where you need to talk with the Bishop to find out where the line is.

Generally, members who fall off the boat for a time at any age know that they should be in the Church. Inviting them gives more opportunities for them to make the right choice. However, a phone call saying, "We're having a potluck Saturday" may not be enough. In my college ward, we had some good success by simply knocking on people's doors when they didn't show up at Church. Sometimes when they lived in the dorms across the street from the Institute building where we held Church, a friend and I would go and bang on doors of those who didn't come to Sacrament meeting and try to get them back for Priesthood or Relief Society. Not all of them appreciated the awakening (nor did some roommates), but they all understood that this was important to us, and they could not use the excuse of being "uninvited."

There is a difference between public and private prayer. When we pray in private, we talk with the Lord about all things that are important to us. We repent of our sins. We ask for specific guidance and revelation for ourselves. We speak of ourselves in the singular form: I thank Thee . . . Please guide me . . . Help my family, etc. When we pray in public, especially in a Priesthood meeting or other Church function, our prayers are slightly different. We are speaking for the group, not only for ourselves individually. Thus, it would not generally be appropriate to say, "Bless my cat Samson that his tumors will get better." Samson may be important to you individually, and you may certainly talk with God about him in your personal prayers. But a public prayer is concerned with the things of the group for which you are acting as voice. Perhaps in the setting of a Teacher's Quorum, you would express gratitude for the Atonement of Christ, for the restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith, and for a living Prophet. You might also give thanks for the lessons that have been taught there. You may ask for the Lord to help the Quorum to live by the principles you have learned that day. Essentially, you need to remember why you are in the meeting. It is a meeting of the Priesthood of God. If you are in the mindset and spirit of such a gathering, you will naturally pray for those of your quorum who are less active. You will naturally pray for those over whom your quorum has stewardship. You will naturally give thanks for the blessings of the restored Gospel. Be more concerned about who you are becoming than you are about the words you are saying in prayer. Then the right words will come, because they will be given by the Holy Ghost.

Thank you. This seems like a nice little community, and I hope it grows well.

I am Nathan Howe. I come from Colorado. I am here because I enjoy fellowship and Gospel discussion. I am a composer and freelance musician, and co-founder of Grate Media, an independent publisher. My most recent project has been to set up the Ward Choir Network, which is a new site with the goal of improving ward choirs. I am also a music educator, a ward choir director, and a ward missionary. I served in the Australia Sydney South Mission from 2001 to 2003. I now have a beautiful wife and a child on the way. It will be nice to talk (or rather, to write) with all of you.