How closely should one stick to assigned topics for talks?

[statman]

I've seen people simply blow them off and talk about what they wanted - sometimes even acknowledging upfront that they were doing so: "The bishop asked me to talk about X, but I'm going to talk about Y instead."

My topic this week is something very close to: "Performing my family responsibilities through keeping personal and family histories."

I drew a complete blank on the subject. I don't really regularly keep a journal - although I do have one that that I've written a page or two here or there during/after major life events. Maybe 2 to 4 realtively thoughtful entries a year on average for the last 20+ years. Compared to my mission journal, it isfirst rate literature. My mission journal is essentially unreadable. I went for long stretches when I faithfully wrote in it every day, but those "faithful" times are when it's least meaningful - really just a travelogue...

Anyway, since I don't regularly keep a journal, I feel uncomfortable droning on and on about it. Especially since I've been warned that I need to be prepared to be an 'accordion' speaker - anywhere from 10-30 minutes.

So I found a talk given by Elder Neuenschwander in 1999 that was nominally about keeping personal and family histories. But it was a big departure from the standard 'keep a journal' talk. It was really about making sure that your family/children know the salient points of your history - "conversion story," "how I met your mother," "when / why I decided to go/stay in school," "how tough it was when your mother and I got married young," etc. He posits that oral histories like these go a long way in converting the next generation and give your children another set of examples that allow them to "like the scriptures unto themselves."

I like Elder Neuenschwander's talk a lot more than what I initially perceived to be my bishop's request. But he really didn't elaborate on his rquest other than the sheet of paper he gave me that was a photocopy of the generic stuff about using the scriptures and conference talks as your guide, listening to the spirit while preparing and giving your talk, etc, and the topic and date hand-written at the top. the only discussion I had with him was that I was speaking last and that there's only one youth speaker and a sister before me, and he's not sure if she'll speak for 5 minutes or 25 so I need to be prepared for any contingency...

So I feel pretty good about going th Elder Neuenschwander route. I like his take a lot better than the generic take I initially had.

And except for it's extreme length, the name Neuenschwander is pretty cool.

[Indy Coug]

I think that's a perfectly reasonable angle to take.

[RC Vikings]

I think I would go off topic and just talk about something that is bugging you.

[Portland Ute]

It depends on how often you want to be called to talk. The further off topic, the more likely you will get called to talk less often.

[Jacob]

Only as closely as the spirit directs.

Or in other words, not closely at all.

Also, if anyone tells me to prepare a talk between 10 and 30 minutes for sacrament meeting, Well, I don't know. I'll just be annoyed and ignore the suggestion and prepare a 15 minutes talk.

[Paperback Writer]

I think you are on solid ground with Elder N. What has helped me was reading my ancestors writings. Before they died, many of them worte a last will or testament - basically a short testimony for the benefit of their decendants. Many of these were educated people who sacrificed much in the early church and have helped my testimony. For example, one ancestor lost his entire inheritance-his family was very affluent - to join the church and felt that this sacrifice would result in many blessings for his posterity. And I look at what I've been blessed with and wonder how close that connection is. Another example, is an ancestor who personally knew Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and accepted them as prophets. That first hand knowledge has helped me.

At times I wonder what I may write for the benefit of my posterity. I can think of a few nuggets that might be of some help to future generations like how I felt after I was baptized, when I received my mission call, marriage in the same temple as my parents and what it meant to them, births of children, etc.

IMO, this is part of turning the "hearts of the fathers to the children" if I quoted that correctly. Generations can be linked through sharing life experiences.

[RobinFinderson]

For the most part, journals are fairly passe. People prefer email, forums like CUF, Facebook, etc. Maybe you could give a talk about the blessing of posting on CUF, and how someday your grandchildren will be able to read all of your thoughts on many topics, and learn a LOT about your world view, all by sifting through your CUF posts. You could try to encourage your whole ward to find their own CUF, or to sign up to our CUF.

[Borderline Divine]

Yikes!

For the most part, journals are fairly passe. People prefer email, forums like CUF, Facebook, etc. Maybe you could give a talk about the blessing of posting on CUF, and how someday your grandchildren will be able to read all of your thoughts on many topics, and learn a LOT about your world view, all by sifting through your CUF posts. You could try to encourage your whole ward to find their own CUF, or to sign up to our CUF.

Until this very moment it never occured to me that future generations of the seed of my loins would read my internet postings in the years ahead.

I gotta tone it waaaaay down.

That parable is gonzo...

[LA Ute]

I've seen people simply blow them off and talk about what they wanted - sometimes even acknowledging upfront that they were doing so: "The bishop asked me to talk about X, but I'm going to talk about Y instead."

My topic this week is something very close to: "Performing my family responsibilities through keeping personal and family histories."

I drew a complete blank on the subject. I don't really regularly keep a journal - although I do have one that that I've written a page or two here or there during/after major life events. Maybe 2 to 4 realtively thoughtful entries a year on average for the last 20+ years. Compared to my mission journal, it isfirst rate literature. My mission journal is essentially unreadable. I went for long stretches when I faithfully wrote in it every day, but those "faithful" times are when it's least meaningful - really just a travelogue...

Anyway, since I don't regularly keep a journal, I feel uncomfortable droning on and on about it. Especially since I've been warned that I need to be prepared to be an 'accordion' speaker - anywhere from 10-30 minutes.

So I found a talk given by Elder Neuenschwander in 1999 that was nominally about keeping personal and family histories. But it was a big departure from the standard 'keep a journal' talk. It was really about making sure that your family/children know the salient points of your history - "conversion story," "how I met your mother," "when / why I decided to go/stay in school," "how tough it was when your mother and I got married young," etc. He posits that oral histories like these go a long way in converting the next generation and give your children another set of examples that allow them to "like the scriptures unto themselves."

I like Elder Neuenschwander's talk a lot more than what I initially perceived to be my bishop's request. But he really didn't elaborate on his rquest other than the sheet of paper he gave me that was a photocopy of the generic stuff about using the scriptures and conference talks as your guide, listening to the spirit while preparing and giving your talk, etc, and the topic and date hand-written at the top. the only discussion I had with him was that I was speaking last and that there's only one youth speaker and a sister before me, and he's not sure if she'll speak for 5 minutes or 25 so I need to be prepared for any contingency...

So I feel pretty good about going th Elder Neuenschwander route. I like his take a lot better than the generic take I initially had.

And except for it's extreme length, the name Neuenschwander is pretty cool.

If I were the guy making the assignment and you gave the talk you describe here, I'd be happy.

[Uncle Ted]

I was once assigned to talk on unity and ended up on taking about drafting and bumping strategies in NASCAR restrictor plate racing. They haven't asked me to talk again since then.

[Brian]

Please don't deviate. That topic sounds awesome.

Can you imagine that topic being assigned to a scrapbooker? Oh my...

The Neuenschawnder angle sounds like a good one.
Re: journals, I've always remembered something a prof. said to me during qualifying exams: "I write so that I can understand what I think." I think there is a lot of value in writing for that reason alone.

On the other hand, the only talk I remember from church as a teenager, was when someone got up and said "I'm going to give a talk about fishing." And then he went on for 10 minutes about fishing. No parable, no faith promoting story, just fishing.

[grapevine]

H ronald Powers gave an excellent talk on food storage. Need to read up on it.

For move ins and outs is it farewell and introduction? I have seen some but that is usually only briefly and they give assigned topics. Rarely does someone let the participants speak. I have been given talks at conference and firesides to speak on. Times I talked about something else as a kid.

I do remember one new move in that said since moving to new town was mother of all these chickens, sheep, turkeys cattle and other animals and how she was going to hit the people at the butcher shop for how they treated them. Grateful she could get eggs from her hens and not the ones that are spraryed in stores. Warned farmers not to use pesticides because they cause cancer. What does that have to do with church?

On other end people that say I did not prepare will let spirit dictate I think that is offensive to spirit myself. He does not help those that prepare. And people that only quote someone in authority Joseph Fielding McConkie railed on that. Takes responsibilty from you.

For the most part people stay on topic. Had recent Sacrament Meeting were it was on music and people assigned either got up told us why hymn was important and sang verse. Mic was passed to older people. Someone did say this is not LDS people that think this way. If something does not justify the death of Jesus and Joseph and Hyrum why say it? People looking for confirmation from outside sources there.