Great Day at Church

[wuapinmon]

Today was the best day I've had at church in years. During Sacrament meeting the YM President spoke about why he didn't serve a mission, but that how being an endowed MP holder sealed in the temple was what mattered most, and that if the YM didn't go on a mission to get there, things would still work out for them. He didn't express regret about not going, but was able to perfectly situate a controversial subject in an appropriate message.

Then I taught Lesson 17 from the NT to my youth class, and they were into it, and I was able to make ample use of stuff I got from pelagius's notes to spruce up the rather dry lesson manual.

Priesthood was about developing talents, and we got to meet combined with the HP, and the lesson went well.

I went hometeaching this afternoon. One of my families heat was stuck on (it was 90+F in that trailer), so I went and got some pliers from someone else I home teach and got to do some actual service while involving other church members to help.

I feel energized today like I haven't since I lived in NOLA.

[Moliere]

Very cool, wuap!

[jay santos]

Had a good day too. Cool missionary homecoming. I tauaght the 4yo's how to make paper boats. Yakiniku for sunday dinner. We're about to have family walk to the park. No mention of reformed egyptian.

[myboynoah]

Good Sac Mtg talks, one in particular that was very nice.

My BYU coed was asked to take the nursery while here, which is good since she's an elementary ed major and wants to teach kindergarten. While taking care of two very cute little girls a young Japanese guy that has been hanging around the branch the past few weeks came in and sat down. He got closer to the children, even stroking their hair and taking toys to try to interact. She asked why he was there and he didn't respond, so she exited with the little girls by the hand to come find me. I went to the nursery, found the guy there rummaging through toys and asked if he needed anything and explained that the nursery was for children and that he couldn't stay there. I suggested he go to priesthood meeting. He left the room rather sheepishly, and then left the building. Perhaps I offended him.

After meetings was a linger longer which was actually better than most. These are not my favorite things.

Then a scout meeting on getting to Eagle. The best line of the day came at the end, after four Eagles had explained about all the time and the hard work that went into their projects and one kid in the group pipes up and sincerely asks, "Was it worth it?" I'm still laughing.

Dinner was yakiniku-don.

[pelagius]

Then I taught Lesson 17 from the NT to my youth class, and they were into it, and I was able to make ample use of stuff I got from pelagius's notes to spruce up the rather dry lesson manual.

And I get to take credit. Seriously, I am glad it was a good day at church, and my hope is that they become less rare in a monotonic fashion.

[Jeff Lebowski]

After meetings was a linger longer which was actually better than most. These are not my favorite things.

I remember some wards in Japan that would do linger-longers that would blow you away, complete will full meals cooked in the kitchen at the church.

Why do you not like them?

[Jeff Lebowski]

I have another story from today. My wife has been giving me grief for falling short on my home teaching. So today the father of one of my families came by to drop something off and while she was talking to him at the front door she made an appt for this afternoon for my son and me to pay them a visit.

We ended up having perhaps the best visit we have ever had with this family. God works in mysterious ways.

[MarkGrace]

During F&T meeting today one of the older ladies in the ward said she had a hometeacher who was "very scrumptious." That got a lot of uncomfortable laughs. The same lady has also said that before joining the church she thought Joseph Smith was "just a horny shyster," and that she gets highly offended by the use of "um" and "other audible pauses" when people speak in a public forum. She recommended that church members who struggle with this should look into joining Toastmasters.

She's pretty much in the ward testimony meeting HOF.

[myboynoah]

I remember some wards in Japan that would do linger-longers that would blow you away, complete will full meals cooked in the kitchen at the church.

Why do you not like them?

My list:

• The food is usually not all that good. I don't blame people, because it must first sit through three hours of meetings. Figure preparation time and all, we're usually looking at food that is at best, 5 hours old.
  
• That leads to a lot of snack food (chips, crackers, cookies, baked items).
  
• Kids seems to touch at least 3 different items before settling on the one they want.
  
• Normally never enough food.
  
• I'm antisocial like IPU and usually just want to get out of there. This is my wife's cross to bear.

This makes me sound like a real butt, but that's where I am.

I agree with your comment on some of those Japanese "linger longers," but we are gaijins with a few Japanese, so the fare is mostly snacks like a said.

[Pheidippides]

I lost my cool in Gospel Principles at Church. Teaching about the Word of Wisdom, and trying to make the point that this is a principle but a lot of the details are left blank and we should figure it out on our own and not judge others. And then the class mullah and his father (visiting today) started in with the "but we have modern day prophets and they tell us everything!" line. I was irritated enough that I actually shot back that the modern day prophets don't even kind of agree so good luck with that.

He later tried to go down the "appearance of evil" train of thought by saying that it was bad to go in bars and have club soda if the glasses looked like they could feasibly be something alcohol was served in. I was gearing up again but then my saintly wife jumped in and shared a story about the time at a business dinner where a the host had gone well out of his way to get us non-alcoholic wine because he respected our religious principles and wanted us to feel welcome and of course we drank it because it would have been stupid and offensive not to even though we wouldn't buy it ourselves, and therefore she wasn't buying that appearance of evil bit.

I almost ran to the back of the class and kissed here right there, I nearly did.

[San Juan Sun]

He later tried to go down the "appearance of evil" train of thought by saying that it was bad to go in bars and have club soda if the glasses looked like they could feasibly be something alcohol was served in.

I always thought that avoiding the "appearance of evil" was to get to away from sin when we detect it. I didn't know that it was to get Pharisiacal so that people won't think we're sinning (e.g. why is Jesus sitting with those publicans?).

[Pheidippides]

I always thought that avoiding the "appearance of evil" was to get to away from sin when we detect it. I didn't know that it was to get Pharisiacal so that people won't think we're sinning (e.g. why is Jesus sitting with those publicans?).

We are a church of Pharisees. No doubt about it.

[Indy Coug]

We are a church of Pharisees. No doubt about it.

Are we a church of Pharisees or a church with Pharisees? I don't believe for a second we are a church of Pharisees.

[SoCalCoug]

I always thought that avoiding the "appearance of evil" was to get to away from sin when we detect it. I didn't know that it was to get Pharisiacal so that people won't think we're sinning (e.g. why is Jesus sitting with those publicans?).

My dad's a big "avoid the appearance of evil" advocate. I remember my sister was in "Bye Bye Birdie" in high school, and he didn't approve of the fake cigarette she had to use as a prop.

[Pheidippides]

Are we a church of Pharisees or a church with Pharisees? I don't believe for a second we are a church of Pharisees.

I said of and I meant of.