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I taught RS this Sunday. It was a wonderful experience for me! The topic was ch 17 from the George Albert Smith manual "The Strengthening Power of Faith". At the end of relief society there were very few dry eyes because of what we as sisters had shared with each other about faith.

Driving home I ask my wonderful eternal companion about his third hour experience... his responce "the teacher read straight from the manual and I had a hard time trying to stay awake". I guess I just came to ask why.

I know my husband is capable of feeling and responding to the spirit... as are all the men in the elder's quorum for that matter. :)

Why does there have to be such variance between RS and EQ with the same topic? Is it such a hard thing to ask that men open up and share spiritual things with each other? Is it too hard to ask for a little planning ahead instead of reading the manual ver batim?

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I taught RS this Sunday. It was a wonderful experience for me! The topic was ch 17 from the George Albert Smith manual "The Strengthening Power of Faith". At the end of relief society there were very few dry eyes because of what we as sisters had shared with each other about faith.

Driving home I ask my wonderful eternal companion about his third hour experience... his responce "the teacher read straight from the manual and I had a hard time trying to stay awake". I guess I just came to ask why.

I know my husband is capable of feeling and responding to the spirit... as are all the men in the elder's quorum for that matter. :)

Why does there have to be such variance between RS and EQ with the same topic? Is it such a hard thing to ask that men open up and share spiritual things with each other? Is it too hard to ask for a little planning ahead instead of reading the manual ver batim?

One never knows why - I have been in wards here the person asked to prepare the lesson did not show and the priesthood leader conducting was called away on an "emergency". The person giving the lesson did not realize there was a problem until it was time for the lesson.

We all should be reading the lesson before hand so that we can prepare to contribute to the discussion. If just one person in your husband's priesthood quorum or group had read the lesson before and was prepared to discuss the topic - but - who knows - reading it together in class may be the only way priesthood leaders could figure out to get their members to read the lesson.

The Traveler

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Why is it that I'm able to be expressive of my feelings and emotions, even intimate when praying to the Lord yet so seldom with other men? Why is it that I can open my heart and share the deepest yearnings of my soul with God but not with my fellow man?

The softer my heart, the more open and vulnerable I allow myself to be, the easier it is for me to feel the comforting touch of the Spirit of God. What I've learned to do privately, women are able to do publicly with much greater ease then men. To me, this is why you were so enriched by relief society while your husband simply fought to stay awake. Your heart was secure enough in the love of your fellow sisters to allow yourself to show vulnerability where as your husbands heart was not.

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I taught lesson 17 last week in Elders Quorum. The lesson went over great, we didn't shead any tears but all were edified. I am greatly looking foreward to the Lorenzo Snow manual for next year.

I think that there is a problem with our society, inside and definately outside of the church. It can be summed up pretty easily.

Man-up.

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Maybe you should ask your husband. He will certainly have better insight into his quorum dynamics than we will.

I used to have great lessons with my elders quorum. I now have great lessons with my high priests group. We rarely get all weepy, but the Spirit is present in abundance.

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Sometimes the difference between a good lesson and a bad one is the teacher. I've had several teachers in EQ that literally read from the manual the whole lesson. There wasn't much discussion and I felt wasted after its done because there was more I wanted to contribute but never could. What makes a lesson is when both the teacher and members are contributing. Even better is when members read the chapters or lesson before hand and ready to give their insight and thoughts.

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I taught RS this Sunday. It was a wonderful experience for me! The topic was ch 17 from the George Albert Smith manual "The Strengthening Power of Faith". At the end of relief society there were very few dry eyes because of what we as sisters had shared with each other about faith.

Driving home I ask my wonderful eternal companion about his third hour experience... his responce "the teacher read straight from the manual and I had a hard time trying to stay awake". I guess I just came to ask why.

I know my husband is capable of feeling and responding to the spirit... as are all the men in the elder's quorum for that matter. :)

Why does there have to be such variance between RS and EQ with the same topic? Is it such a hard thing to ask that men open up and share spiritual things with each other? Is it too hard to ask for a little planning ahead instead of reading the manual ver batim?

It is obviously because women are perfect, transcendentally spiritual giants, whereas men are lazy, no-good spiritual midgets that can't even think simple things out ahead of time, or throw some inflection into a terminally-dull rote reading from the manual.

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It is obviously because women are perfect, transcendentally spiritual giants, whereas men are lazy, no-good spiritual midgets that can't even think simple things out ahead of time, or throw some inflection into a terminally-dull rote reading from the manual.

That's what I meant.

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We don't have an instructor for my Elders quorum. Everyone is expected to arrive with the lesson read and prepared for discussion. One of the Elders is then called on to teach at the start of the hour. We've had some really excellent discussions.... And really lousy attendance.

*This story is fictional and is in no way meant to represent or resemble actual quorums past or present. Very few elders were harmed in the making of this story, and they all had it coming to them.

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LOL thank you for explaining all this to me. I guess I just had to rant a little after Sunday. They do have good lessons occasionally. They just ahve people asked to give lessons that don't show up. Military ward, hurricane clean up, things just happen. Now I have to swallow the anti-pride pill and repent of the judgemental thoughts I have been having about EQ.

sigh...... off to get the pill

Mags

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Perhaps it is just me, but I find teary-monies for the most part an abysmal, tedious experience. Maybe it is a cultural thing.

I appreciate the counsel of President Hunter:

“Let me offer a word of caution. . . . I think if we are not careful . . . , we may begin to try to counterfeit the true influence of the Spirit of the Lord by unworthy and manipulative means. I get concerned when it appears that strong emotion or free-flowing tears are equated with the presence of the Spirit. Certainly the Spirit of the Lord can bring strong emotional feelings, including tears, but that outward manifestation ought not to be confused with the presence of the Spirit itself” (The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, 184)."

I think too many people confuse sentimentalism with the influence of the Spirit. President Hinckley said the following while referencing Moroni 7:13, 16-17:

"That’s the test, when all is said and done. Does it persuade one to do good, to rise, to stand tall, to do the right thing, to be kind, to be generous? Then it is of the Spirit of God. . . .If it invites to do good, it is of God. If it inviteth to do evil, it is of the devil. . . . And if you are doing the right thing and if you are living the right way, you will know in your heart what the Spirit is saying to you. You recognize the promptings of the Spirit by the fruits of the Spirit—that which enlighteneth, that which buildeth up, that which is positive and affirmative and uplifting and leads us to better thoughts and better words and better deeds is of the Spirit of God” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 260–61).

Regards,

Finrock

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I used to have a sunday school teacher, in high school age, who read straight out of the manual. I really detested the class. It was just awful. I can read. I want an expansion on the words in the lesson. A lesson and discussion in other words.

No wonder your husband fought sleep. It just is not a spiritual experience. He was lucky. You got more out it and can share your experience with him.

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Mine and my wife's experiences with lessons is usually the opposite of the OP. The RS lessons are usually highly scripted, straight from the manual with no variation, and little discussion, in other words, boring. In Elder's quorum we often had interesting and interactive discussions. I've been a HP for two years now but due to callings haven't actually attended a HP lesson yet.

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I taught RS this Sunday. It was a wonderful experience for me! The topic was ch 17 from the George Albert Smith manual "The Strengthening Power of Faith". At the end of relief society there were very few dry eyes because of what we as sisters had shared with each other about faith.

Driving home I ask my wonderful eternal companion about his third hour experience... his responce "the teacher read straight from the manual and I had a hard time trying to stay awake". I guess I just came to ask why.

I know my husband is capable of feeling and responding to the spirit... as are all the men in the elder's quorum for that matter. :)

Why does there have to be such variance between RS and EQ with the same topic? Is it such a hard thing to ask that men open up and share spiritual things with each other? Is it too hard to ask for a little planning ahead instead of reading the manual ver batim?

Lol, in my ward it is the other way around most of the time. I typically have much more of a deep discussion about gospel principles with my husband on the drive home that I did not get from RS. But I think this is all a personal thing. I think that one can get what they want out of the class if they remain attentive to the spirit and personally ponder what is said. My husband, though, is one that speaks up and shares.

As one might imagine (reading my posts here), I don't let a RS lesson go by as just 'reading from the manual'. There are typically enough points in the lesson to open it up to a wider discussion with questions or personal experience to get the spirit flowing. It probably is that it happens to be those in the EQ, in your ward are a little more reserved. (Or it might be that over half the men in the EQ in my ward are lawyers).

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I have had a wide experience with Elder's Quorum. In one branch, if the teacher didn't show up or something, we would just read something and discuss it, such as the Articles of Faith. That always led to some great discussions. In fact, sometimes that was better than when the teacher showed.

In my current ward, we have had great lessons. My wife says that the RS lessons are good, too, though they tend to be short, since they also do other things, and some of the teachers are less comfortable teaching longer lessons.

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