Area Authority Training

[Anddenex]

Our area authority who presided at our meetings during Stake Conference asked us a question in our Sunday morning priesthood training.

His questin, "Brethren when you are in need of a revelation pertaining to your callings, how do you obtain one?"

His response, after others provided theirs, "Ask your wife." He then trained that your wives brethren are revelators also, and one of your best sources to assist you in your callings. They are aware of details you are not. Ask them.

Fortunately, my wife has always been a strong backbone in all the callings I have served in. I have counseled with her in all my callings, discussing with her those details I am able to has proved priceless.

As a member of the bishopric, I have found this calling harder because their are some aspects I am unable to discuss with her, however, like today...I wish I could ask her, for I know she would provide wise counsel.

I know for myself this General Authorities training, and question, to be true. :)

[Wingnut]

They are aware of details you are not. Ask them.

There is something to be said for the rumor mill -- women tend to have a lot more information about family situations than men do.

When my husband was the ward clerk, one thing he did was keep a running list for the bishopric of all the women in the ward who were expecting, and their approximate due dates (due months, really). This was no small feat, being that the year my daughter was born, we had either 16 or 18 births in the ward that year -- I can't remember exactly. I almost always knew about pregnancies months before he or the bishopric otherwise would have, and that was information that he found helpful.

I know it's a random and maybe even insignificant thing, but it was helpful to him.

[Anddenex]

There is something to be said for the rumor mill -- women tend to have a lot more information about family situations than men do.

When my husband was the ward clerk, one thing he did was keep a running list for the bishopric of all the women in the ward who were expecting, and their approximate due dates (due months, really). This was no small feat, being that the year my daughter was born, we had either 16 or 18 births in the ward that year -- I can't remember exactly. I almost always knew about pregnancies months before he or the bishopric otherwise would have, and that was information that he found helpful.

I know it's a random and maybe even insignificant thing, but it was helpful to him.

I have found what you have shared to be true also. Definitely not insignificant.

[Palerider]

I remember going home after Church and there were many times my wife would say...thats too bad about so and so or did you hear what happened to such and such family. At other times one of my daughters would come over and her and her husband and my wife would be talking about things that happened in our Ward. I would sit there and think, here I am the Bishop of this Ward and they know more than me or I just found out about something that day and knew I was not to share info and here they would be talking about it already.

Yes, my wife has been a great source of inspiration to me in my callings.

[RipplecutBuddha]

It's true for most any leadership position that 'the grapevine' can be a powerful tool. As with any other similar situation it's vital to determine what is truth and what is not prior to acting, but I like this head's up about being too myopic about Priesthood duties, info.

[MarginOfError]

There's actually a larger principle at work than, "if you need revelation, ask your wife." It ought to be expanded to "if you need revelation, ask some other people."

I have grown strongly disenchanted with the image of a priesthood leader who independently receives all of the revelation needed to lead those he is called to serve. I've also seen some very powerful and miraculous things happen when a priesthood leader asks for advice and opinions of those he serves. The opinions may be varied, but I believe, more often than not, that the priesthood leader knows the right idea when he hears it.

[Vort]

There's actually a larger principle at work than, "if you need revelation, ask your wife." It ought to be expanded to "if you need revelation, ask some other people."

I have grown strongly disenchanted with the image of a priesthood leader who independently receives all of the revelation needed to lead those he is called to serve. I've also seen some very powerful and miraculous things happen when a priesthood leader asks for advice and opinions of those he serves. The opinions may be varied, but I believe, more often than not, that the priesthood leader knows the right idea when he hears it.

I come at it from a different perspective, but arrive at a similar conclusion. A successful leader does not operate in a vacuum or from a seat on high. Successful leaders, including the very spiritual, seem to have a gift of talking with those around them, convincing them, soliciting their advice, and listening carefully.

[Anddenex]

@Vort & MOE

I believe this is why we have bishopric meeting, priesthood executive committee, and ward council. All of which bring the body of leaders at one point into a meeting to counsel together, after all ideas, thoughts, comments have been presented, then a successful leader will be able to operate efficiently and effectively.

:)

I believe this is one of the reasons for the change in Young Men's and Young Women's. An opportunity for the youth to become successful leaders themselves.

[Just_A_Guy]

I come at it from a different perspective, but arrive at a similar conclusion [to MOE].

Sorry--did the Second Coming just happen, and no one told me? Is that what's going on here?

[Wingnut]

I believe this is one of the reasons for the change in Young Men's and Young Women's. An opportunity for the youth to become successful leaders themselves.

About a year and a half ago, while I was still the YW president in my ward, I attended a training with Sister Cook (I think) from the General YW Presidency. The only thing that I still remember word-for-word from that meeting, without referring to my notes, is when she said, "We've been telling them for years that they're the Chosen Generation, and then we go and do everything for them!" Her volume escalated as she said it, and she even brought her hands up by her head and was waving them a bit for emphasis...lol. Though she was referring to empowering the young women when it came to planning their own activities, I think the principle still applies to what you're saying above, as well. Good leaders have learned how to think, not what to think, and the new teaching format encourages critical thinking and involvement by the youth, instead of preaching at them.

Sorry--did the Second Coming just happen, and no one told me? Is that what's going on here?

I know...it's been happening a lot lately. LDS.net has become the Twilight Zone, I think.

[Wingnut]

Sorry--did the Second Coming just happen, and no one told me? Is that what's going on here?

I know...it's been happening a lot lately. LDS.net has become the Twilight Zone, I think.

[Anddenex]

Good leaders have learned how to think, not what to think, and the new teaching format encourages critical thinking and involvement by the youth, instead of preaching at them.

This statement here was actually the main focus of our training we received that day.

[Palerider]

Ward and Branch Councils are the best way to find answers to problems. You can see this in the church today that more weight is being put on the those Councils....You can solve lots of problems.

[CalledToServe]

Our area authority who presided at our meetings during Stake Conference asked us a question in our Sunday morning priesthood training.

His questin, "Brethren when you are in need of a revelation pertaining to your callings, how do you obtain one?"

His response, after others provided theirs, "Ask your wife." He then trained that your wives brethren are revelators also, and one of your best sources to assist you in your callings. They are aware of details you are not. Ask them.

Fortunately, my wife has always been a strong backbone in all the callings I have served in. I have counseled with her in all my callings, discussing with her those details I am able to has proved priceless.

As a member of the bishopric, I have found this calling harder because their are some aspects I am unable to discuss with her, however, like today...I wish I could ask her, for I know she would provide wise counsel.

I know for myself this General Authorities training, and question, to be true. :)

There's another reason besides just getting a second opinion to ask your spouse, whether you're the bishop or not, about your revelations and that's because the Lord promises us a second witness. It can be hard to know if the things we are receiving are just our own whims or really from God, so He will always offer us a second witness. If we turn to our spouses, we will often find that they can provide the second witness for us. They might say something that will confirm our feelings about what we received.

An example is a time when I received some instruction that was a bit scary for me to accept. However, I accepted it based on the fact that it would help me become more like Christ. When I told my husband about it, not mentioning my thoughts about it making me more like Christ, the first words out of his mouth were that it would make me more like Christ. That was a confirmation to me that what I had received was really from the Lord.

Since our spouses are the ones who love us most, they are the perfect individuals to second revelation for us. Others can too, but the Lord most often uses our spouses.