I learned in church today

[NorthwestUteFan]

We had the primary program yesterday as well.

As much as I enjoy listening to the children. I try to keep an eye on the parents in the crowd as well to see their reaction to their child's part.

Our program was excellent. I am very proud of our primary kids and the leaders who worked tirelessly to teach them the songs and their parts. We even had one 11 year-old girl sing a solo, and two other trios sang songs. They all sounded very, very good. The trios were siblings (from different families); two 11 year-old twin girls and their 7 year-old sister, and three brothers aged 10, 7, and 5. Typically performances such as these are terrifying for little kids but they all knocked it out of the park. They sang like pros. I sang in sacrament meetings many times when I was in high school with smal groups or large choirs, but NEVER would have been able to muster the courage necessary to sing when I was in primary.

There were some very cute kid/crowd interactions at the microphone, and somehow none of the kids managed to make a 'rude noise' into the microphone, as several of them (including two of my own kids ) managed to do during each of our practices.

Several of our kids had an inactive or non-member parent show up for the performance (one even sat on the stand with his kids), and that was an added bonus.

[San Juan Sun]

I learned today that narcissism and general assholeness extends to pretty much any calling in the church. Some Background:

My wife is in charge of the primary program next week. Since we have 3 wards in the building time with the chapel for practice is obviously limited. We are the 9am ward and the next one comes in at 11. Last week which was fast and testimony meeting the bishopric makes an announcement that we need to end sacrament meeting at 9:45 (instead of the usual 10:10) for primary program practice.

People still decide that their testimony cant wait and we ended sacrament at 10:05. Not only does the bishopric not stop people from coming up the bishop feels like he needs to add his two cents at the end.

Fast forward to yesterday and we have the visiting high council speaker. The bishopric makes the same announcement TWICE that we need to end at 9:45 so the primary can practice in the chapel. The visiting speaking companiion does a good job and the High Councilor is left with 10 minutes. He of course goes 10 minutes over. He had his fake cry and testimony. Hey inconsiderate prick how about you save it for next month when you are speaking again? Do you really think your talk was that important? Its not like you wont be able to speak in church again. You will be speaking next month!!

I've never seriously wanted to berate a church speaker before and if not for my wife calming me down I would have let him have it. Although most of me thinks I should have let him have it.

I think I know who your HC guy is, and you couldn't be more dead on about the fake cry/testimony.

[Tone Loc]

I had the spirit reaffirm the truth of many gospel principles to me in church yesterday. I feel renewed in my desire to follow Jesus, and be more like him.
Hopefully this carries me to a great week of kindness and the ability to keep his commandments. Talks weren't perfect, but I realize they don't have to be. The effort was there.

I relearned that I am very grateful for my belief system, and the direction and guidance it gives me in my life.

[TripletDaddy]

I had the spirit reaffirm the truth of many gospel principles to me in church yesterday. I feel renewed in my desire to follow Jesus, and be more like him.
Hopefully this carries me to a great week of kindness and the ability to keep his commandments. Talks weren't perfect, but I realize they don't have to be. The effort was there.

I relearned that I am very grateful for my belief system, and the direction and guidance it gives me in my life.

thanks for sharing. simple, but very cool.

[Sullyute]

I had the spirit reaffirm the truth of many gospel principles to me in church yesterday. I feel renewed in my desire to follow Jesus, and be more like him.
Hopefully this carries me to a great week of kindness and the ability to keep his commandments. Talks weren't perfect, but I realize they don't have to be. The effort was there.

I relearned that I am very grateful for my belief system, and the direction and guidance it gives me in my life.

I agree with 3D, great post. Can you share a little more detail for those who didn't get the same affirmation yesterday but still desire one?

[thesaint258]

I had the spirit reaffirm the truth of many gospel principles to me in church yesterday. I feel renewed in my desire to follow Jesus, and be more like him.
Hopefully this carries me to a great week of kindness and the ability to keep his commandments. Talks weren't perfect, but I realize they don't have to be. The effort was there.

I relearned that I am very grateful for my belief system, and the direction and guidance it gives me in my life.

I often find church boring, so I'm often found in the back trying to stay awake (unsuccessfully), perusing various websites, or reading. Church is boring to me because it's always the same stuff over and over, and it's often read right out of the book. Last night, I was reading the BoM, and in Jacob it talks about how priests and teachers had to be out constantly reminding people to follow the commandments or else the more-numerous Lamanites would wipe them out (according to the Lord's promise that they'd be safe as long as they kept the commandments). I realized that we all need those constant reminders, and by not paying attention in church, not only am I not going to get the kind of experience you had, but church will never be any better. So, thanks for posting this. It helped convince me that I need to pay better attention next week.

[Portland Ute]

I got an email from our EQP asking me to meet with the branch president today. I have been without a major calling for a while (but my wife is RS president) so I figured the good life was coming to an end.

So I get to church a little early, and meet with the BP. He says that my temple recommend is expired. I'm sure that I renewed it about a year ago, but he says we need to have another interview, which went fine. Then he asked me about my home teaching, which is admittedly subpar, and asked me to do better.

At the end of the meeting, I mentioned that I thought my recommend was current. He didn't have the (old) temple recommend book with him to check, but said my name came up in a report.

Today I learned that there is a report for lapsed temple recommends.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one that didn't know this existed until I got the phone call...

[Portland Ute]

I was a bit concerned at first, but was pleasantly surprised to find out all he wanted was to ask if it was ok to give my wife a calling in the Primary. :whew:

How did you answer him?

[falafel]

Today I learned that there is a report for lapsed temple recommends.

I learned of that report when we were going down the list during PEC and my name came up.

[falafel]

Cool. Hopefully we can discuss G.A.S.'s transforming of the Word of Wisdom from a suggestion to a mandate, and somehow work in Mark Twain's comments about Brigham Young's well-stocked liquor cabinet, the 'best west is the Mississippi'.

Twain must have been drunk when he said that.

[cougjunkie]

I learned today that narcissism and general assholeness extends to pretty much any calling in the church. Some Background:

My wife is in charge of the primary program next week. Since we have 3 wards in the building time with the chapel for practice is obviously limited. We are the 9am ward and the next one comes in at 11. Last week which was fast and testimony meeting the bishopric makes an announcement that we need to end sacrament meeting at 9:45 (instead of the usual 10:10) for primary program practice.

People still decide that their testimony cant wait and we ended sacrament at 10:05. Not only does the bishopric not stop people from coming up the bishop feels like he needs to add his two cents at the end.

Fast forward to yesterday and we have the visiting high council speaker. The bishopric makes the same announcement TWICE that we need to end at 9:45 so the primary can practice in the chapel. The visiting speaking companiion does a good job and the High Councilor is left with 10 minutes. He of course goes 10 minutes over. He had his fake cry and testimony. Hey inconsiderate prick how about you save it for next month when you are speaking again? Do you really think your talk was that important? Its not like you wont be able to speak in church again. You will be speaking next month!!

I've never seriously wanted to berate a church speaker before and if not for my wife calming me down I would have let him have it. Although most of me thinks I should have let him have it.

This is seriously one of the lamest things I have ever heard. Our primary practice during the time alloted for primary and on Saturdays. Sorry but if I were bishop I would not take 30 minutes from the most important meeting of the week for the primary to practice.

Much ado about nothing here.

[Sullyute]

This is seriously one of the lamest things I have ever heard. Our primary practice during the time alloted for primary and on Saturdays. Sorry but if I were bishop I would not take 30 minutes from the most important meeting of the week for the primary to practice.

Much ado about nothing here.

Boo! The issue is not taking time away from sacrament, the issue is people not respecting the time at which the meeting was requested to end.

[Surfah]

This is seriously one of the lamest things I have ever heard. Our primary practice during the time alloted for primary and on Saturdays. Sorry but if I were bishop I would not take 30 minutes from the most important meeting of the week for the primary to practice.

Much ado about nothing here.

I was actually surprised that the Bishop would allow something like this too. Maybe this was the high councilor's passive aggressive way of telling the bishop that this was not kosher.

Also, I don't know why but Primary presidencies always seem to get worked up about these things. My ward is no different. It was always life or death it seemed if some kid didn't stand up on cue or get to the mic in time to read his part during practices. I have seen presidents and their partners in tears over this. Do they forget that everyone loves this Sunday mostly because of the kids' errors and antics? Gidget just got called to be the secretary in our ward and already the presidency is getting her all flustered with everything she needs to be doing and how to do it.

[TripletDaddy]

I was actually surprised that the Bishop would allow something like this too. Maybe this was the high councilor's passive aggressive way of telling the bishop that this was not kosher.

Also, I don't know why but Primary presidencies always seem to get worked up about these things. My ward is no different. It was always life or death it seemed if some kid didn't stand up on cue or get to the mic in time to read his part during practices. I have seen presidents and their partners in tears over this. Do they forget that everyone loves this Sunday mostly because of the kids' errors and antics? Gidget just got called to be the secretary in our ward and already the presidency is getting her all flustered with everything she needs to be doing and how to do it.

I'm in that camp, too. I don't like when speakers take more than their allotted time. That being said, why not just use the 2 full hours of Primary to practice the primary program? You can't understand half of what is being said anyway and the main thing everyone is waiting for is the one kid that yells his lines into the mic. That always kills.

Primary and RS lends itself to a lot of drama. This is a neutral observation.

[creekster]

Primary and RS lends itself to a lot of drama. This is a neutral observation.

But do you think they are attractive or not? Your post is not spekaing for itslef loudly enough.