NOM

We went to an out of town baptism last week and my husband was asked to witness and help confirm. The bishop asked to see his TR. Unbeknownst to my husband, it was expired by about six months. He was terribly embarrassed, but the bishop said it was okay and he got to witness and help confirm anyway....

Thank you so much for your response regarding the hymns. I almost didn't ask since I felt like it wasn't "important," but I'm glad I did. I didn't expect such a deep and broad response. I also appreciate the lyrics you shared. I particularly liked your statement "singing the theology," as it is anal...

The Nauvoo Polygamy essay tries to suggest that by marrying these women Joseph was somehow heroically rescuing them from being shackled to unworthy, substandard husbands, which is why Sarah Pratt and Miranda Hyde are such great examples. This is cruel to these men to assume that they are substandar...

I’ve never been on a pioneer trek, but I think it sounds goofy and promotes characteristics, ideals, and a past that is deeply flawed. I doubt I would have enjoyed it as a youth, and I certainly wouldn’t enjoy going as a leader. I live in the western US, in a non-Mormon area, that was heavily settle...

I haven't listened to the TedTalk, but I did read this a while back, it was very interesting:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/ ... =longreads

That whole section when Lee extrapolates about the Hebrew word "timshel," the story of how Cain MAY triumph over his sins, and then Adam whispers that very word to his son at the end as a blessing. And then the novel just ends. Makes me tear up every time I read it. And yes, as you note, it's all a...

I have a question about the Community of Christ hymnal, although perhaps if I just did my own research I could answer it for myself. Last week I spent sacrament meeting reading “Emma Smith’s 1841 Hymnal” by Michael Hicks. http://publications.mi.byu.edu/publications/jbms/21/1/S00002-5102dbf2a788c2-Em...

A lot of music, but some pieces that immediately come to mind: Beethoven’s seventh symphony – the entire piece Edvard Grieg’s piano pieces Ecclesiastes Various works of Joseph Campbell A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) The Good Earth (Buck) My Antonia (Cather) Jane Eyre (Bronte)...

I'm reading a lot of old classics these days. One book I read frequently is East of Eden by Steinbeck. Lot of wacky stuff in there, but one book I love to read, and makes me cry every time. Don't know why. The spirit maybe? I love East of Eden. One of my all time favorite books. It's a far more pow...

Hi Linked!

it's been a while since you've posted, and I was wondering how things are going for you generally and how preparation for you talk is going?

Several years ago the bishop stood up and corrected me after a talk regarding a reference I made to priesthood keys. I went home and sure enough on lds.org I found exactly what I said. Which only solidified my opinion: No one has a clue what they're talking about. I'm not saying I know anything eit...

In case you need to wash your eyes and ears after that: https://youtu.be/nBtk39S6Z9g It was a sad day when I realized Sesame Street provided better morals, teachings, and emotional wellness than church. I'm okay with it now, but it was a sad realization at the time. So this makes me more self-consci...

Several years ago the bishop stood up and corrected me after a talk regarding a reference I made to priesthood keys. I went home and sure enough on lds.org I found exactly what I said. Which only solidified my opinion: No one has a clue what they're talking about. I'm not saying I know anything eith...

No different than any other church????? Then why should I seek anything different?? If they are all the same then it's just preference, assuming I want religion I'm my family's life then by that logic it just doesn't matter. If it’s no different from any other church, there’s no reason to seek anyt...

I have a friend who was at a Stake Primary meeting last week. One Primary president said that her presidency is seeing more and more kids refusing to do things, like give talks, say prayers (Good for them, I say!). The Stake Primary President said that the Stake President is concerned because it’s a...

I say congratulations to anyone who can sit through a church meeting and keep their sanity. Sometimes I find listening to everything at church as quite amusing - a lot of people very invested, emotionally and intellectually, in something that really doesn't matter/doesn't exist/isn't true. For anoth...

I showed my husband Brigham Morris Young's wiki page last night. He was so surprised! And amused about his association with the YMMIA. I love learning stuff like this. Thanks!

I've come to a place where I think just about the only purpose of any church is community. I was born into the Mormon community and it's never really worked for me. Perhaps my biggest problem with it is the idea that it is the "one true church." This bothered me as a child, possibly because one of m...

I feel sort of the same way. I just moved away from my last ward where I had my transition. It felt good to go with those people because I could continue in a rut with them. I am now in Phoenix, and my wife still wants to go to church. Trying to even think about building relationships with new chur...

I read an interesting book, Heaven’s Ditch by Jack Kelley, a while back and while I’ll add it to the books thread, I thought I’d give it some visibility here. The basic premise of the book is that it is a historical non-fiction look at the building of the Erie Canal, but about thirty pages in I was ...