I taught in Church today

[Sullyute]

We have a place to share what we learned in church, so we probably need a place to share what we taught or spoke on in church. So here we go...


I have the opportunity of teaching Elders Quorum every couple of months. I try to mix things up a bit to talk about Church related topics but with a different spin. I have talked about Mormonism in the Media (during the election), and Mormon Doctrine vs. Mormon culture. This week my focus was on a small section of the handbook of instruction:

"Parents have the primary responsibility for the sex education of their children."

I also quoted from the Church's A Parent's Guide (http://www.lds.org/manual/a-parents-guide?lang=eng) about child development.

We have a very diverse group with never married older guys, divorced, recently married, married with young kids, married with teenagers, empty nesters, and young elders getting ready for missions.

I asked how many received the birds and bees talk when they were teenagers and less than half had. We then discussed why that was and how it can be embarrassing for the kids and parents to discuss it.

It got a bit heated when I quoted the teen pregnancy rate for Utah and then asked if it is ok to teach kids abstinence, abstinence, abstinence... but just in case here is a condom for your wallet? A couple older guys said no that the prophet has never taught that so we shouldn't either but a couple younger elders thought that it was a good idea to do that as some LDS kids are still having sex despite being taught differently and they need to protect against disease and pregnancy. I had to finally end all the comments because we ran out of time. I ended by stating no matter how you as a parent feel about the subject we should follow the Church's advice and be the ones to teach our children about it.

I had several people come talk to me afterwards about the subject. One older guy told me that he had to bite his tongue on a couple occasion to keep himself from laughing. He said that he grew up on a farm and his little sister was artificially inseminating cows at age 12 so he found it funny that city kids and their parents were so reluctant to talk about such things.

Lastly, since we hold our class in the chapel I would suspect that it was the first time that the words p_nis, v_gina, and chl_mydia were uttered there, but then again teenage boys prepare the sacrament so I am probably way off on that one.

[Rocker Ute]

Wondering what teen pregnancy rate you referenced? There was a discussion on UF.N the other day, and Utah teen pregnancy rate is #42 in the nation (meaning one of the lowest).

BTW, I think you can teach kids about your values and also about safe sex without handing them a condom for the wallet, they aren't notions that have to be mutually exclusive.

This is how I plan to teach my kids about the subject:

Fuzzy Bunny's Guide to You-Know-What (http://www.myspace.com/video/leannegrech/fuzzy-bunny-39-s-guide-to-you-know-what/30892316)

[LA Ute]

I taught that the news story about the young woman who joined the church after seeing the Book of Mormon musical (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865579364/From-Book-of-Mormon-musical-to-Mormon-convert.html?s_cid=Email-4) was awesome.

(I didn't teach this part, but I also think it's awesome that she is moving to Utah to finish college school at the University of Utah. She is a theater and performing arts major.)

[San Diego Ute Fan]

I taught (yesterday) from President Uchtdorf's "Four Titles" talk. It was my unashamed appeal for better home teaching.

I figure if anything can move the needle, it is the popular German pilot (and Ute Football fan).

[mUUser]

...asked if it is ok to teach kids abstinence, abstinence, abstinence... but just in case here is a condom for your wallet?....


We've taught abstinence as well, and my oldest daughter heads off to college next fall. I've invited her to get birth control if she'd like. In my mind there's no sense in compounding poor judgment at the moment, with a child that she won't be able to support. When the boy heads off to college I'll be sure he has access to a condom or three.

[Sullyute]

Wondering what teen pregnancy rate you referenced? There was a discussion on UF.N the other day, and Utah teen pregnancy rate is #42 in the nation (meaning one of the lowest).

BTW, I think you can teach kids about your values and also about safe sex without handing them a condom for the wallet, they aren't notions that have to be mutually exclusive.

This is how I plan to teach my kids about the subject:

Fuzzy Bunny's Guide to You-Know-What (http://www.myspace.com/video/leannegrech/fuzzy-bunny-39-s-guide-to-you-know-what/30892316)

I used the numbers from the Federal Health and Human Services site here (http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/states/ut.html). It is for 2010 and has Utah at 37 out of 51 states and D.C. This shows total teen pregnacies but of those only 76% were out of wedlock (who know how many were shotgun weddings). So a strict unwed teen pregnancy rate would make Utah look much better.

I agree that there are many difference ways to teach teenagers about age appropriate intimacy and the potential consquences that can follow. I didn't advocate one way or the other. My goal was to simply get our quorum thinking and talking about an important subject that many find taboo.

[Rocker Ute]

I used the numbers from the Federal Health and Human Services site here (http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/states/ut.html). It is for 2010 and has Utah at 37 out of 51 states and D.C. This shows total teen pregnacies but of those only 76% were out of wedlock (who know how many were shotgun weddings). So a strict unwed teen pregnancy rate would make Utah look much better.

I agree that there are many difference ways to teach teenagers about age appropriate intimacy and the potential consquences that can follow. I didn't advocate one way or the other. My goal was to simply get our quorum thinking and talking about an important subject that many find taboo.

I got that sense from you about wanting to spark conversation, I was just adding my 2 cents. One day I'll share the 'maturation' talk I had with my dad, it was equally uncomfortable for both of us, and now a cherished memory, ironically. He probably has no idea that I've chuckled about it these years later, maybe he has too. I can't wait to scar my children in similar fashion.

[Scorcho]

I've always been under the impression that a good percentage (20%) of married LDS adults have never used birth control (maybe I'm wrong in that assumption). To that orthodox group, a single LDS Teen or Adult carrying a condom would clearly be controversial. You are braver than I am, I don't think our EQ could handle that topic. Minds would be blown.

On the other hand, we all know LDS teens and adults who've had children out of wedlock. While heart-breaking and tragic in the short term, in many of those cases, those new fathers and mothers excel in life and the gospel long term. Things have a way of working out and it almost seems like it was part of their individual plan, and a poor choice ends up being a life-long beneficial turning point.

[Scorcho]

Just a guess/feeling, but I would think that 20% is an order of magnitude high. fair enough, it was just a guess.

speaking of what I taught in church, we are discussing prophets and revelation in Sunday School, I mentioned the Holy of Holies in the Salt Lake Temple and none of my 14 year old class had ever heard of that room before? I was surprised these are bright kids that know the gospel pretty well. It seems like there a number of gospel subjects that were referred to 25 years ago that we don't reference any longer. Holy of Holies, and calling and election made sure are just a couple of those?

[LA Ute]

fair enough, it was just a guess.

speaking of what I taught in church, we are discussing prophets and revelation in Sunday School, I mentioned the Holy of Holies in the Salt Lake Temple and none of my 14 year old class had ever heard of that room before? I was surprised these are bright kids that know the gospel pretty well. It seems like there a number of gospel subjects that were referred to 25 years ago that we don't reference any longer. Holy of Holies, and calling and election made sure are just a couple of those?

I think the holy of holies is just a little obscure. In any copy of the book The House of the Lord you'll see photographs of it. I haven't heard anyone mention having one's calling and election made sure for many years. One of my mission companions who had spent a year at BYU pre-mission told me that it was a hot topic there in 1974. The concept has always rubbed me the wrong way.

[chrisrenrut]

My wife and I have been assigned to talk on Easter Sunday, with a topic of "Easter". I'm putting together a lot of thoughts for both of us to use, and I think it will be fairly easy and fun.

I was fiddling with the concept of embedding some "easter eggs" in my talk. Things that I can say that would be inside jokes that few if any would get, that I can smile at internally while saying them. As a poor example, when I was speaking before leaving for my mission (many, many years ago), a friend challenged me to incorporate lyrics from a Beatles song. I wasn't very clever about it, I just said after one point "Obladi, Oblada, life goes on".

Any thoughts or challenges of things to say? I'm not looking to be a total goof off. The talk will be centered on Christ and will have serious parts as well. But the talks I enjoy most usually have some lightheartedness to them. I'm trying to think of pop culture references, lines from a movie, unusually words or phrases, etc. that you normally wouldn't expect to hear in a talk.

[Sullyute]

Any thoughts or challenges of things to say? I'm not looking to be a total goof off. The talk will be centered on Christ and will have serious parts as well. But the talks I enjoy most usually have some lightheartedness to them. I'm trying to think of pop culture references, lines from a movie, unusually words or phrases, etc. that you normally wouldn't expect to hear in a talk.

I would start of the talk with "all right, all right, all right."

[NorthwestUteFan]

I have nothing for you, but I have put a Bob Dylan lyric into every one of my sacrament meeting talks over the past 10 years.

Speaking of Dylan: "It frightens me, the awful truth, of how sweet life can be..."

[Two Utes]

I think the holy of holies is just a little obscure. In any copy of the book The House of the Lord you'll see photographs of it. I haven't heard anyone mention having one's calling and election made sure for many years. One of my mission companions who had spent a year at BYU pre-mission told me that it was a hot topic there in 1974. The concept has always rubbed me the wrong way.

"Those who know, don't speak. Those who speak, don't know." Looks like LA isn't one of the chosen few yet.

[LA Ute]

"Those who know, don't speak. Those who speak, don't know." Looks like LA isn't one of the chosen few yet.

I will confirm that without reservation.

[Rocker Ute]

My wife and I have been assigned to talk on Easter Sunday, with a topic of "Easter". I'm putting together a lot of thoughts for both of us to use, and I think it will be fairly easy and fun.

I was fiddling with the concept of embedding some "easter eggs" in my talk. Things that I can say that would be inside jokes that few if any would get, that I can smile at internally while saying them. As a poor example, when I was speaking before leaving for my mission (many, many years ago), a friend challenged me to incorporate lyrics from a Beatles song. I wasn't very clever about it, I just said after one point "Obladi, Oblada, life goes on".

Any thoughts or challenges of things to say? I'm not looking to be a total goof off. The talk will be centered on Christ and will have serious parts as well. But the talks I enjoy most usually have some lightheartedness to them. I'm trying to think of pop culture references, lines from a movie, unusually words or phrases, etc. that you normally wouldn't expect to hear in a talk.

I'll give you my latest joke when I last spoke. I said, "Sitting up on the stand and looking out at so many people I know well, it reminds me that in my Patriarchal blessing it mentions that I had a part in planning my life on earth, particularly the people with whom I would associate. I have to say of all the parts of my blessing, that part has always been a particularly discouraging revelation."

Half will laugh and the other half will be offended.

[DrumNFeather]

In two weeks I'll be teaching my monthly EQ lesson and the talk that is up is President Eyring's talk: To My Grandchildren (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/to-my-grandchildren?lang=eng). All things considered, I'm pretty excited about getting to teach on this talk because it is about Happiness...and that is exactly what I'm going to focus on...what is it that makes people happy (or unhappy).

My plan for right now is to bring in a number of things that make me happy, and then ask others in the room what things make them happy. Included in this discussion will be what makes for a happy marriage, but moreover, a happy existence, given all the troubles and pressures that we are surrounded by daily. I'm going to find a bunch of quotes from outside sources on the subject of happiness, and finally, I'm going to make copies of Pharell's song "Happy" and hand them out to everyone in EQ.

What other ideas do you guys have?

I'm a big tent guy, and I take a very practical approach to how I practice my religion...and most importantly, I want to keep things light and stress free in my class so everyone feels comfortable to comment and participate...and mostly feel like I'm not wasting their collective time.

[Sullyute]

In two weeks I'll be teaching my monthly EQ lesson and the talk that is up is President Eyring's talk: To My Grandchildren (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/to-my-grandchildren?lang=eng).

I haven't heard the talk but I like what you have presented so far. It sounds like it would be a great lesson with lots of participation. Let us know how it goes. Also there is a documentary on Netflix called "Happy" about what makes people happy around the world. You could show a clip in class or watch it for yourself for some additional material.

[DrumNFeather]

I'm up to bat again in two weeks. The stake made an error and has posted the same talk has this month's lesson, so the EQP told me I can choose whatever talk I want. Given the state of so many people that I interact with both on these sites and in my ward, the natural choice for me is President Utchdorf's "Come Join with Us" talk from last October. I am really working hard with some of my friends who are struggling to help them know that there is room for them within the walls of the church so long as I am teaching.

Any other talk suggestions I should look at?

[NorthwestUteFan]

Any other talk suggestions I should look at?

The original version of Ronald Poelman's talk at Conference in the Oct 1984 is perhaps the single finest talk ever given by an LDS General Authority. In the talk he discussed the difference between the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Church ("ofJesusChrist....ofLatter-daySaints").

The talk was so good at pointing out the stark distinctions between Gospel and Church that other, higher-ranking GAs forced him to re-record the talk and they published only the revised text in the Ensign.

A good breakdown of the changes is found here:

http://lds-mormon.com/poelman.shtml

The revised version conflates the "distinctions between" the two, into a "relationship between" and pushes the idea that we always need the Church and cannot grow beyond it, as implied in the original talk.

[Sullyute]

Elder Faust's talk on forgiveness is fantastic. He gave it a year or so before he died.

[LA Ute]

I taught our high priests group yesterday. It was Chapter 8 in the Joseph Fielding Smith book, The Church and Kingdom of God (https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-joseph-fielding-smith/chapter-8-the-church-and-kingdom-of-god?lang=eng). Suffice it to say that very few people posting in this thread so far would have enjoyed the lesson. :D But it was a fun discussion from a believer's point of view. (Hint: the Poelman talk didn't come up.)

[UBlender]

I taught our high priests group yesterday. It was Chapter 8 in the Joseph Fielding Smith book, The Church and Kingdom of God (https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-joseph-fielding-smith/chapter-8-the-church-and-kingdom-of-god?lang=eng). Suffice it to say that very few people posting in this thread so far would have enjoyed the lesson. :D But it was a fun discussion from a believer's point of view. (Hint: the Poelman talk didn't come up.)

Taught that one in EQ last week....and also thought a lot about some of the discussion on this thread/board in my preparation.

[LA Ute]

Taught that one in EQ last week....and also thought a lot about some of the discussion on this thread/board in my preparation.

I did too. I may seem to be making light of the concerns expressed here -- I'm not. It's just that a lesson about that subject, taught to a room full of believers by a believe, is a different type of discussion than we tend to have here.

[DrumNFeather]

So, in two weeks I'm teaching on the most recent conference talk on Joseph Smith. I'm trying to decide what kind of approach I want to take to this lesson in general. I try to keep my lessons light on the fluff and try to be very real and realistic about the subject matter. For this particular topic, I'll be channeling Bushman quite a bit, but I also want to give people an idea of the world and circumstances that he was born into and lived in. My plan for this is to dive a little into the circumstances.

The question then becomes about Joseph and what should be covered there and how much is too much to share/discuss in a church setting where some might not know some of the more controversial information regarding him.

I'd love to hear some feedback/suggestions on the best approach here.

[DrumNFeather]

I'm not sure why anything controversial needs to be included in a church lesson. Is it to challenge members of the class? Stir up discussion? To appear well read? Prepare people for attacks that they might hear?

With Joseph Smith, there's so much good stuff to talk about and only 30 minutes. I'd make sure there's a really good reason before brining in anything extraneous. If you start with what you want the class to get out of the lesson, it will be easier to decide what is in and what is out.

Yeah, I think that is a fair point, and one that I agree with. Sometimes I get in the habit (not for apperances) to just throw comments out there off-hand that aren't intended to be inflamatory, but end up being that way. I really don't like to troll my ward, because fundamentally I disagree with that approach in a church setting.

[LA Ute]

I'm not sure why anything controversial needs to be included in a church lesson. Is it to challenge members of the class? Stir up discussion? To appear well read? Prepare people for attacks that they might hear?

With Joseph Smith, there's so much good stuff to talk about and only 30 minutes. I'd make sure there's a really good reason before brining in anything extraneous. If you start with what you want the class to get out of the lesson, it will be easier to decide what is in and what is out.

^^^^^^^^^^
Yes.

[San Diego Ute Fan]

Yesterday I prepared a lesson for our HP group. As it turns out, I taught a combined EQ and HPG. I started the lesson by showing "Come Unto Me" in its entirety by President Eyring from May 2013. I passed out paper and pencils for everyone to take notes on how we can draw closer to the Savior. We then shared some of our thoughts in the 20 minutes that remained.

The two overarching themes in the talk are obedience and service. I was thanked afterward like never before, yet it took less preparation than any lesson I can ever remember giving.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ILLSZUD6VE

[DrumNFeather]

I'm four pages into my lesson on Joseph Smith in my notes and I finally am quoting the talk. Lots of background info and context for this one. Interestingly enough, this is the week that all of our graduating Seniors are joining the EQ, so that will add a new dynamic (not that I expect them to show, maybe one).

[DrumNFeather]

I'm up to bat again this week, and teaching on President Uchtdorf's talk: "Are You Sleeping Through the Restoration?"

I've been trying to come up with some examples of counsel or what have you that have been given in talks recently in GC such as "Get out of Debt," "Beware of Pride," President Monson's Anger talk from a few years back.

Do any other examples spring to mind?

[Sullyute]

I'm up to bat again this week, and teaching on President Uchtdorf's talk: "Are You Sleeping Through the Restoration?"

I've been trying to come up with some examples of counsel or what have you that have been given in talks recently in GC such as "Get out of Debt," "Beware of Pride," President Monson's Anger talk from a few years back.

Do any other examples spring to mind?

Doubt your doubts. :p What is the gist/premise of Uchtdorf's talk? Is it just about following counsel of general authorities or that changes to the structure of the church may still be forthcoming?

[LA Ute]

We are certainly hearing a lot about pornography these days. That really bothers some people, but whatever you think of the message it is significant that we are hearing so much about it.

[DrumNFeather]

Doubt your doubts. :p What is the gist/premise of Uchtdorf's talk? Is it just about following counsel of general authorities or that changes to the structure of the church may still be forthcoming?

His talk is based on this idea of "Are You Sleeping Through the Restoration" He offers three reasons as to why...which I want to get to in my lesson. I was just looking for some examples over the years of things we've heard over the pulpit in the way of counsel that we may have "slept" through (such as Getting out of Debt).

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

I would say that Oaks' talk in priesthood addressing the Ordain Women was one of the more direct talks given in some time.

I'm also teaching on Sunday. I got Epder Ballard's talk titled "Following Up." Such a boring talk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LA Ute]

His talk is based on this idea of "Are You Sleeping Through the Restoration" He offers three reasons as to why...which I want to get to in my lesson. I was just looking for some examples over the years of things we've heard over the pulpit in the way of counsel that we may have "slept" through (such as Getting out of Debt).

I am sitting on a boring conference call "just in case" I am needed. So I dug these up for you from the last two conferences:

Family history
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/topics/archive/2014/04?lang=eng&topic=family%20history&view=topics

Fellowshipping
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/topics/archive/2013/10?lang=eng&topic=fellowshipping&view=topics

Scripture study
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/topics/archive/2013/10?lang=eng&topic=scripture%20study&view=topics

Tithing
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-windows-of-heaven?lang=eng

Depression
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/like-a-broken-vessel?lang=eng

Home teaching (President Monson on this one!)
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/true-shepherds?lang=eng

[Sullyute]

Depression https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/like-a-broken-vessel?lang=eng

I used that talk (and the death of Robin Williams) as the premise of my lesson last week. It was a sober and somber lesson. :(

[DrumNFeather]

I used that talk (and the death of Robin Williams) as the premise of my lesson last week. It was a sober and somber lesson. :(

I'm definitely going to mention it in mine.

[LA Ute]

I used that talk (and the death of Robin Williams) as the premise of my lesson last week. It was a sober and somber lesson. :(

I thought it was as ground-breaking as Pres. Uchtdorf's "Come, Join with Us" talk was.

[arizonaute]

I spoke in church today . I was switched from 2nd counselor to 1st counselor. I was also the last speaker. I finished my talk with " to quote Joe Walsh: I cant complain but sometimes I still do. Lifes been good to me so far".

[Rocker Ute]

I spoke in church last week and had an impromptu joke. I was talking about spontaneous moments to teach your children and how one time I was walking into the grocery store with my daughter and there was a man outside smoking. She said to me outside of earshot, "Dad, that guy is bad, he is smoking!" I took that moment to lovingly correct her and said to her, "That man isn't bad because he is smoking, he is bad because he is wearing a BYU t-shirt."

Equal laughs and groans.

[mUUser]

Speaking of talks…..when the first speaker yesterday said he'd written many church talks in his life, but once reaching the podium had never used the prepared material, I had a bad feeling the wheels were gonna come flying off. I was right. Very, very right.

[UtahsMrSports]

Speaking of talks…..when the first speaker yesterday said he'd written many church talks in his life, but once reaching the podium had never used the prepared material, I had a bad feeling the wheels were gonna come flying off. I was right. Very, very right.

Do you have details? I absolutely love stories like this.

You know, I love going to church and learning from other people. But every now and again, a real trainwreck talk/testimony really makes my day.

[LA Ute]

Speaking of talks…..when the first speaker yesterday said he'd written many church talks in his life, but once reaching the podium had never used the prepared material, I had a bad feeling the wheels were gonna come flying off. I was right. Very, very right.

I'd love to see a photo of the bishopric members' faces at the moment he said that.

[DrumNFeather]

I taught my daughter's sunbeam class today, what a hoot those kids are.

[DrumNFeather]

Based on something Wally posted over on CS, I dug up BKP's "The Candle of The Lord" from 1982 and taught on that in EQ on Sunday. I very much enjoyed getting to read the talk and work through it in my lesson. We spent about 10 minutes alone discussing the concept of whether or not religion is a crutch and whether or not it is ok to use religion as a crutch.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience...it was nice to be able to teach Packer without it being any of his more controversial content of the past several years.

Thanks Wally!

[UtahsMrSports]

My lesson in the Teacher's quorum was about how adversity can make us stronger. As the basis of my lesson, I used the 1980 US Olympic Men's Hockey Team. In comparing the US-Soviet battle, I mentioned that the upset was on par with UVU beating Duke in basketball. One of the boys in the class then added........"or Like BYU beating Utah at anything!" I had to stop the lesson, walk over to him, and give him a fist bump. Best comment ive ever had in a lesson.

[NorthwestUteFan]

It's funny, but that is the story of the 'Rivalry' over the course of their lives (since 2000-2002). In a couple of more years, when those kids start college, they will certainly wonder what all the fuss is about.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Activity tools for today's primary lesson on Samuel the Lamanite. Take home message: the Nephites just needed more practice.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160822/c7857cc5f5a5e2a859199913b4012881.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Brian]

Activity tools for today's primary lesson on Samuel the Lamanite. Take home message: the Nephites just needed more practice.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160822/c7857cc5f5a5e2a859199913b4012881.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice!
Primary is the best.

[Brian]

A couple of weeks ago I got two new callings.
1. Teach sharing time in Primary once a month. SCORE!!!!
2. Teach GD every other week.

Here's the first draft of my outline for lesson 33, 'a firm foundation' Hel 1-5
Suggestions, comments and ideas are always appreciated.


I like to write on the board an outline of the material to be covered, but then spend the lesson talking about 2 or 3 themes.
Outline:


1:1-13: Conflict over judgment seat, beginning of Gadianton Robbers
1:14-34: Initial victory by Lamanites and their eventual defeat at a high cost
2: Detailed account and commentary regarding the beginning of the Gadianton Robbers
3:1-17 Nephite migrations northward, Mormon’s commentary on number of Nephite records
3:18-37 Mormon’s commentary on righteous leaders and pride of the people
4:1-10 Gains and losses by Lamanites
4:11-26 Mormon’s commentary on the decline of the Nephites
5:1-4, 14-52: Miraculous ministry of Nephi and Lehi
5:5-13: Lessons from Helaman


Theme 1: War and Peace
Hel 4:8. Lamanites (and dissenting Nephites) take all of southern lands.
Hel 4:9-10: Moronihah wins half back through wars.
Why did all this happen?
Hel 4:11 Wickedness and abominations (which are defined in vs 12)


Pride. (Source of them all)
Treatment of the poor (first one listed!) Plug for the muslim refugee meeting on 9/9
Spirituality
Murder, stealing, lying, infidelity

Is the order of this list relevant?

War doesn’t fully work.
Hel 4:15-16 Preached to the Nephites, repented, continued battle regained ½ of the lands.
Hel 4:18-19 No more. Spent energies on maintaining the status quo.

But something else does work.
Hel 5:45-52
Hel 5:52. Lamanites gave all the land back. Why?
Hel 5:51 Gave up their hatred and weapons. Why?
Hel 5:50 The evidence had convinced them. Why?
Hel 5:45 Nephi and Lehi gave up the seats and taught them, and it changed them.
When people learn to lay down their hate, they lay down their weapons.
What changed them? Evidence convinced them. What evidence?


Leaders taking time to minister to other people, people who hated them.

War is sometimes required, but let’s not forget the power of love.


Theme 2: Lessons from the Gadianton Robbers
​Movies about things not being what they appear


Fight Club, Shutter Island, Planet of the Apes, Psycho
Why do we not see reality? How is reality hidden from us?

Need some examples….


Helaman is a pretty dark book. It’s the beginning of the end.
The people sin, there are wars, they lose their land, and struggle to regain and maintain ½ of it.
What is the natural human tendency? Natural man. And it's hard to be un-natural.

Hel 2:8 Purpose of Gadianton was get power, by any means necessary (sounds like base human nature)
What if we could be natural, and sin and plunder and murder, but not suffer the consequences?

Or more subtle: What if:


We could pretend that everything was ok?
We pretend that our life was a Pinterest page?
Or that facebook was accurate portrayal of reality?
That our children were perfect?
That we didn’t have any problems?
That we have no doubts?
That all was well in Zion?
Or we believe all the pretending people around us?

How different is this from what Gadianton was trying to do?


Hel 6:22-24. Elaborate system of agreements and oaths so that none of the “dirt” would be made public.

Do we have an internal system to maintain this appearance?
Are there systems in place around us? (families, work, ward, church, etc)?

Hemingway: “We are all broken. That’s how the light gets in”

[DrumNFeather]

I nearly got through my entire GD lesson yesterday without an election comment, but someone finally mentioned the protests, I pivoted away from that as quickly as I could.

[UtahsMrSports]

I nearly got through my entire GD lesson yesterday without an election comment, but someone finally mentioned the protests, I pivoted away from that as quickly as I could.

Hahahaha! Im glad you were able to get out of it.

Every ward seems to have at least one of those folks who assume that everyone else shares their political views and bringing politics into a sunday school lesson is just the same as if you used Noah or Alma the Younger in a comment.

Ill never forget one guy just going off one time about the liberals and how they wanted to 'kill off all the old people'. He was almost in tears he was so upset. Thankfully, the teacher was able to make him feel important and appreciated and at the same time say that rant was the end of the political discussion for that day and it was time to move on.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

I've been asked to speak in Sacrament meeting a week from tomorrow. My "topic" is "The Righteous Judge" talk by Elder Robbins from last conference. As of now, I think my focus is going to be with the "Visitors Welcome" sign in front of every LDS chapel and if we implement that invitation in our own lives. Do we use judgement to advocate for people or ostracize them. I'd like to spend some time on the refugee movement. Now building a collection of interesting examples and anecdotes. Feel free to contribute.


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[Mormon Red Death]

No church tomorrow. We got 2 inches of snow.

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[chrisrenrut]

I've been asked to speak in Sacrament meeting a week from tomorrow. My "topic" is "The Righteous Judge" talk by Elder Robbins from last conference. As of now, I think my focus is going to be with the "Visitors Welcome" sign in front of every LDS chapel and if we implement that invitation in our own lives. Do we use judgement to advocate for people or ostracize them. I'd like to spend some time on the refugee movement. Now building a collection of interesting examples and anecdotes. Feel free to contribute.


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My wife and I had a brief conversation about judgement today. I doubt any of it will be helpful, but it has been bouncing around in my head today, so writing it out feels a bit cathartic.

We were reading about the shooter in the Ft Lauderdale airport, including his background and apparent battles with mental illness. She asked, "can he ever be forgiven for what he has done"?

We discussed that when we see something happen (or a person), we have a limited perspective. The amount of information we don't have far outweighs the information we do have. But that doesn't stop us from making an initial judgement. For instance, she texted me about the shooting when it first hit the news, and my first question was, do they think it was a terrorist, or someone with mental illness? My experience tells me that it is likely one of those two things. Others from different perspectives may have had different thoughts on the cause or motive.

My wife had a brother who committed suicide a few years back due to depression. I mentioned to her that if she felt that he could be forgiven for taking his own life due to mental illness issues, then wouldn't that apply to this shooter as well? It's not an apples to apples comparison, but it is similar in that in both cases, we assume the person was not fully in control of their decision making or actions. But her emotions differ between her brother and this mass killer, so it was difficult for her to see the similarity.

I guess we are all guilty of judging others in similar ways as well. We see their appearance, or hear of something they said or did, and ascribe the quality of person they are based on what little we see or know about them. Our emotions about the situation can magnify the judgement as well (if we feel threatened, injury, flattered, superior, etc.). I think it is natural to do this. It takes a higher level of emotional and intellectual control to reserve judgement until more information is available.

I like the quote in SeattleUte's signature- "Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle". We can't see the battles that most people are fighting, we usually only see the scars they have incurred.

[Utebiquitous]

Chrisrenrut and Dwight,
Chrisrenrut's post on judgement brought to mind a description Dostoevsky writes in "The Brothers Karamazov" of Alyosha. He writes, "...throughout his life he seemed to believe in people and trust them, and yet no one ever thought him simple-minded or naive. There was something in him that made people realize that he refused to sit in judgement on others, that he felt he had no right to, and that, whatever happened, he would never condemn anyone. He gave the impression that he could witness anything without feeling in the least outraged, although he might be deeply saddened.

That struck me. I find myself aspiring to that kind of description - refraining from judgement, seeking understanding, practicing empathy and love for all.

[LA Ute]

Alsyosha is one of my favorite literary characters.


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[DrumNFeather]

I've been asked to speak in Sacrament meeting a week from tomorrow. My "topic" is "The Righteous Judge" talk by Elder Robbins from last conference. As of now, I think my focus is going to be with the "Visitors Welcome" sign in front of every LDS chapel and if we implement that invitation in our own lives. Do we use judgement to advocate for people or ostracize them. I'd like to spend some time on the refugee movement. Now building a collection of interesting examples and anecdotes. Feel free to contribute.


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One thing I focused on during my last lesson of 2016 in Gospel Doctrine was the idea that we often consider charity to be a physical act of donating time, money, etc. But I think it goes deeper than that, and if we are truly charitable, we seek to better understand where someone might be coming from, not fully understanding their circumstances. In any event, I think that is a possible angle that could be used in terms of judging others etc.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

My wife and I had a brief conversation about judgement today. I doubt any of it will be helpful, but it has been bouncing around in my head today, so writing it out feels a bit cathartic.

We were reading about the shooter in the Ft Lauderdale airport, including his background and apparent battles with mental illness. She asked, "can he ever be forgiven for what he has done"?

We discussed that when we see something happen (or a person), we have a limited perspective. The amount of information we don't have far outweighs the information we do have. But that doesn't stop us from making an initial judgement. For instance, she texted me about the shooting when it first hit the news, and my first question was, do they think it was a terrorist, or someone with mental illness? My experience tells me that it is likely one of those two things. Others from different perspectives may have had different thoughts on the cause or motive.

My wife had a brother who committed suicide a few years back due to depression. I mentioned to her that if she felt that he could be forgiven for taking his own life due to mental illness issues, then wouldn't that apply to this shooter as well? It's not an apples to apples comparison, but it is similar in that in both cases, we assume the person was not fully in control of their decision making or actions. But her emotions differ between her brother and this mass killer, so it was difficult for her to see the similarity.

I guess we are all guilty of judging others in similar ways as well. We see their appearance, or hear of something they said or did, and ascribe the quality of person they are based on what little we see or know about them. Our emotions about the situation can magnify the judgement as well (if we feel threatened, injury, flattered, superior, etc.). I think it is natural to do this. It takes a higher level of emotional and intellectual control to reserve judgement until more information is available.

I like the quote in SeattleUte's signature- "Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle". We can't see the battles that most people are fighting, we usually only see the scars they have incurred.


Chrisrenrut and Dwight,
Chrisrenrut's post on judgement brought to mind a description Dostoevsky writes in "The Brothers Karamazov" of Alyosha. He writes, "...throughout his life he seemed to believe in people and trust them, and yet no one ever thought him simple-minded or naive. There was something in him that made people realize that he refused to sit in judgement on others, that he felt he had no right to, and that, whatever happened, he would never condemn anyone. He gave the impression that he could witness anything without feeling in the least outraged, although he might be deeply saddened.

That struck me. I find myself aspiring to that kind of description - refraining from judgement, seeking understanding, practicing empathy and love for all.

I listened to a fascinating podcast last week. The podcast starts with a daughter interviewing her mother. 20 years after a traumatic event in the mother's life. One evening, 20 years ago, this woman was assaulting in her back yard by a man. She was taking into her home, raped repeatedly, held against her will, and eventually forced to go to several ATMs and withdraw much of her savings and robbed. The whole ordeal lasted 5 hours. This man was eventually arrested. Turns out this attacker had previously been convicted of being involved in a murder and served 20 years in a Pennsylvania prison before his sentence was commuted and he was released. In the 92 days he wasn't in prison, he managed the aforementioned attack, as well as two additional and similar attacks in which the women were both murdered.

In the hour long podcast, the daughter spends 2 1/2 years trying to come to terms with all of the details involved. It addresses the decision to commute the original life sentence, it addresses the political careers that were destroyed and launched (Tom Ridge) due to this decision to commute, this daughter's decision to be involved in a special session to address crime which made future commutes nearly impossible, and now her decision and struggle to forgive.

This story was originally posted to transom.org but it was really nicely packaged together on This American Life. It's not Sacrament talk friendly, but a fascinating picture of many consequences, intended and unintended, of passing judgement. I highly recommend taking a listen.

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/604/20-years-later

[Rocker Ute]

I listened to a fascinating podcast last week. The podcast starts with a daughter interviewing her mother. 20 years after a traumatic event in the mother's life. One evening, 20 years ago, this woman was assaulting in her back yard by a man. She was taking into her home, raped repeatedly, held against her will, and eventually forced to go to several ATMs and withdraw much of her savings and robbed. The whole ordeal lasted 5 hours. This man was eventually arrested. Turns out this attacker had previously been convicted of being involved in a murder and served 20 years in a Pennsylvania prison before his sentence was commuted and he was released. In the 92 days he wasn't in prison, he managed the aforementioned attack, as well as two additional and similar attacks in which the women were both murdered.

In the hour long podcast, the daughter spends 2 1/2 years trying to come to terms with all of the details involved. It addresses the decision to commute the original life sentence, it addresses the political careers that were destroyed and launched (Tom Ridge) due to this decision to commute, this daughter's decision to be involved in a special session to address crime which made future commutes nearly impossible, and now her decision and struggle to forgive.

This story was originally posted to transom.org but it was really nicely packaged together on This American Life. It's not Sacrament talk friendly, but a fascinating picture of many consequences, intended and unintended, of passing judgement. I highly recommend taking a listen.

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/604/20-years-later

A while back I mentioned a woman I know who was raped and the DAs office opted not to prosecute and so the dude went free. Turns out he has not attacked a couple of other women and so now they want to prosecute. Terrible situation for her because now she is feeling guilt about the other women and wondering if she could have done more that would have protected them. She is also having to pick at these wounds she has worked hard to come to peace with. Terrible situation all around. Unfortunately that seems to be the pattern with rape.

I can't imagine being the people involved in the commutation of the situation above, or the inept prosecutor in the SL DA's office having to manage and deal with those sort of situations and the guilt around them.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Thanks for all of the shared thoughts. I ended up at a different spot than I expected to, but I think that I managed to organize the chaos in my head fairly coherently. It seemed to be received well enough. I was even approached by a gentleman after the meeting who asked for a copy of it. He and his family were just visiting but his ward needed to hear the message. Pretty flattering. I cleaned it up a bit this morning so it better fit what I spoke and figured that I'd post it here, if anyone was interested. So at the risk of repelling the hundreds of bots trying to spam the site, here you go:


Fifteen years ago, in a show of determined irresponsibility, I embarked on a journey. A two-month solo bicycle trip from Washington to Maine. The only goal was to watch the sun set over the Pacific and rise over the Atlantic. Everything in-between was TBD. To be determined.

Before beginning my adventure, I did something that dumb people tend to do. I made a deal with God. The deal went something along the lines of, I will make every reasonable effort to not ride on Sunday, if God somehow made that possible. Over the next eight weeks, regardless of what small town along the US/Canadian border I found myself in on Saturday evening, there was an LDS chapel in every single one of them. Each one of those chapels had a sign, predominately placed to state two great truths: it was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints AND that visitors welcomed. Without any assistance, all of my resources for the trip were contained in the 40-liter dry bag that I pulled behind me in a small trailer. Can you imagine the sight that I was after a week on the road?! But every Sunday morning, as I wandered in wearing cargo pants and a casual polo shirt, overly hairy and marginally disheveled, (can you imagine?) the questions were always the same: where are you from, where did you start, where will you finish, what can we do to help? I was offered a place to eat, a place to sleep, a place to refresh for the upcoming week. I triggered my own stranger danger and always wanted to reply, “are you sure that’s a good idea?” But I never felt judged for not meeting their cultural norms and I never cynically questioned the statement of visitors welcomed.

As a social species, being part of a group is one of our most basic and strongest needs. In the anthropological record, man’s exit from the wilderness to till the fields changed the course of history. No longer were groups required to follow the herd nor limited in size due to caloric availability or the ability to keep up. We were now able to settle, develop and invest in the community. As these communities expanded from families to villages and beyond, a strange phenomenon began to take place. As our reach got wider and extended further, it started to incorporate those that weren’t quite like us. The birth of tribalism and eventually the protectionism of us vs them.

As a biologist, I was trained in the process of phylogenetics: using physical and genetic traits to categorize and separate species and sub-species. The length of the primary feathers in a bird; the number of spines in the dorsal fin in a fish; the proportion of ear length to snout in bats. This is how we catalog the world. Too often, this is also how we catalog each other. The kind of car we drive, the color of our skin, our tax bracket, the party we vote for, the team we root for, the commandments we keep. These things connect us with our tribes, while simultaneously drawing the boundaries that keep the Other out. The things that make me a pretty good biologist also tend to make me a pretty lousy human being.

While visiting the Nephites following his crucifixion, Christ counseled His newly called twelve that “Ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Ne. 27:27) Perfect judgment requires perfect perspective. A high bar. Last General Conference, Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy taught that “the natural man and woman in each of us has a tendency to condemn others and to judge un-righteously, or self-righteously.” Our natural man uses judgment to isolate and ostracize. Christ-like judgement is used to advocate for. Christ’s judgement was beautifully captured in His words to the woman at the temple, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” (John 8:11)

Our judgment and condemnation of others is a reflection of our understanding of the gospel. We may understand the letters of the law, but overlook the spirit forgetting that by the law, we are all condemned. The scribes and Pharisees used the law as a weapon to protect themselves from the Other. We unqualify ourselves the moment we start keeping score.

Christ wants us to celebrate all that come unto him, regardless of their history. I can't think of a lesson that he teaches more often. The parable of the lost sheep, the lost piece of silver, the prodigal son, the hired laborers. Each of these parables highlight the joy of the redeemed soul. The peace and happiness of the gospel can not be found when we constantly compare the statistics of our supplication to those around us. Do we turn our backs on the lost sheep and log in to social media to complain to the ninty-nine that "These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day?" (Matt. 20:12) or do we use it to send e-vites to the celebration?

Even worse than the judgements that we place on others, is the truth that we’re even more susceptible to overly criticize and judge ourselves. In the Pearl of Great Price, we read of the moment when Moses was “caught up into an exceedingly high mountain.”

And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence.

And God spake unto Moses, saying : Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name;

And behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands;

And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; (Moses 1:1-6)

As soon as Moses was "left unto himself" and had a moment to collect himself, he concludes that "for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed." (v. 10) I will forever fixate on the word "nothing" here. Our current definition for "nothing" undermines and conflicts the whole experience Moses had just endured. "I am God; You are my son; and there is a work for you to do." Moses was shown the whole history of the world. Nothing about that vision would indicate that Moses was insignificant. "Nothing" almost becomes the unspeakable everything. "Which thing I never had supposed." Moses was not perfect, but that did not change his divine genealogy. The same holds true for us. There is a God; we are His sons and daughters; He has a work for us.

This church is 15 million plus members strong and reaches every corner of the globe. We live in a world full of conflict that has left millions of people without a home. People who may not sound like us, who may not look like us, who may be overly hairy and marginally disheveled. Refugees looking for refuge. It is certainly an overwhelming task, but we can make ourselves available. In April General Conference, Elder Patrick Kearon testified that "being a refugee may be a defining moment in the lives of those who are refugees, but being a refugee does not define them. Like countless thousands before them, this will be a period - we hope a short period - in their lives. Some of them will go on to be Nobel laureates, public servants, physicians, scientists, musicians, artists, religious leaders, and contributors in other fields. Indeed, many of them were these things before they lost everything. This moment does not define them, but our response will help define us." "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Too often, we resist reaching out in fear that doing so will somehow take away from us. Pollute our perspective. But just as Christ described himself as living water, these lost sheep bring new experiences and new life to our stale homogeneity.

Tomorrow we recognize the birth of the great Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. I would be remiss to speak on the importance of inclusion without including his words. In a slight paraphrase, when awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, he spoke in part “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of [judgement] that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” Christ knew the value of the lost sheep. The value of the Other. Until we understand these things perfectly - the way that Christ understood them - then it is our duty to welcome the visitor. Welcome them into our wards, into our homes and into our hearts.

The saddest words in the history of the world were, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) A moment of absolute isolation at the apex of the atonement. It is our calling to ensure that they’re never uttered again.


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[chrisrenrut]

Thanks for all of the shared thoughts. I ended up at a different spot than I expected to, but I think that I managed to organize the chaos in my head fairly coherently. It seemed to be received well enough. I was even approached by a gentleman after the meeting who asked for a copy of it. He and his family were just visiting but his ward needed to hear the message. Pretty flattering. I cleaned it up a bit this morning so it better fit what I spoke and figured that I'd post it here, if anyone was interested. So at the risk of repelling the hundreds of bots trying to spam the site, here you go:




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Small world. Your talk just showed up in my Facebook feed. It is at least 4 people removed. But the 3rd person in the line had nice things to say about it:

"Thanks to (name removed) for sharing this. I don't know the author, but he speaks beautifully with inspiration."

edit: I really liked it as well. I was trying to figure out how I could plagiarize it without pretending to be a biologist.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Small world. Your talk just showed up in my Facebook feed. It is at least 4 people removed. But the 3rd person in the line had nice things to say about it:

"Thanks to (name removed) for sharing this. I don't know the author, but he speaks beautifully with inspiration."

edit: I really liked it as well. I was trying to figure out how I could plagiarize it without pretending to be a biologist.

That blows my mind. My wife asked me to post it on FB with all the crazy refugee stuff in the news and I've been taken back by the number of people that have responded to it.

This last Sunday at church, I even had a gentleman stop me in the hall, thank me for the talk and introduce himself to me. Which was weird since we've been in the same ward for more than five years now and he acted like he'd never seen me before. I'm not exactly easy to miss.


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[LA Ute]

That blows my mind. My wife asked me to post it on FB with all the crazy refugee stuff in the news and I've been taken back by the number of people that have responded to it.

This last Sunday at church, I even had a gentleman stop me in the hall, thank me for the talk and introduce himself to me. Which was weird since we've been in the same ward for more than five years now and he acted like he'd never seen me before. I'm not exactly easy to miss.

I am pretty sure that this bit from Elder Kearon was discomfiting to many LDS members:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yToEXgpCSR8

[Scorcho]

I am pretty sure that this bit from Elder Kearon was discomfiting to many LDS members:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yToEXgpCSR8

very inspiring

[midnightversion]

*dictated

[DrumNFeather]

I was teaching on Liberty Jail today and somehow someone managed to take a swipe at climate change during the lesson...that was a first.

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[LA Ute]

I was teaching on Liberty Jail today and somehow someone managed to take a swipe at climate change during the lesson...that was a first.

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Our HPG lesson last Sunday (topic: "Home --The Basis of a Righteous Life") veered into a brief discussion of US immigration issues.

[Rocker Ute]

Our HPG lesson last Sunday (topic: "Home --The Basis of a Righteous Life") veered into a brief discussion of US immigration issues.

You can't hope to teach HPs anything, you can only hope to entertain them.


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[Dwight Schr-Ute]

My lesson was about the Brother of Jared last week and before I knew it, we were talking about the new "titty pool" in town. Of course, my class if full of 5 year olds, one of which has trouble with his k's, so we're off topic more than we are on topic.

[Scorcho]

I've gone rogue with the Come follow me, youth lessons. I've taught the same Sunday School class since the new program came about, and some of these lessons are simply too dry.

Can we get some revelation from above that 13-14 year olds aren't all that interested in how they can become a better youth council member? Try filling 45 minutes of time in with that topic.

[sancho]

I've gone rogue with the Come follow me, youth lessons. I've taught the same Sunday School class since the new program came about, and some of these lessons are simply too dry.

Can we get some revelation from above that 13-14 year olds aren't all that interested in how they can become a better youth council member? Try filling 45 minutes of time in with that topic.

Going rogue is what it's all about. Feel free to adjust to their needs.

[tooblue]

I've gone rogue with the Come follow me, youth lessons. I've taught the same Sunday School class since the new program came about, and some of these lessons are simply too dry.

Can we get some revelation from above that 13-14 year olds aren't all that interested in how they can become a better youth council member? Try filling 45 minutes of time in with that topic.

I teach the same age group also (some of the rebellious 15 - 18 years join us each week). I look over all of the lesson plans at once, which I quite like, and come up with a plan for the whole month—figuring out how to create one continuous message over four to five weeks with each week building on the next. This last month was pretty dry subject matter, so I tied in some current events happening in the Ward to hammer home the importance of making covenants. Spending an entire hour last week talking about the two YSA couples recently married in the temple, culminating this past week with the idea that ultimately, covenants are the means by which the Lord blesses us, and helps us find lasting happiness as opposed to temporary moments of happiness.

I cited a Harvard study on the benefits of expressing gratitude. Another study on the benefits of strong relationships and then another study espousing the idea that a life a service leads to a fulfilling and mostly happy life. We talked about how the world is searching for the same things we are. Of course, we can be blessed to learn these truths without the benefit of such studies and simply by attending church, starting with primary where we learned about gratitude in the first place. I really like, as did my class, the following Chinese saying taken from Time magazine (don't know how legit it is):

“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

[UBlender]

As fate would have it, I'm speaking in sacrament meeting on Sunday, something like 9-10 hours after the conclusion of the game. My ward has more BYU fans than Utah fans, although as is often the case many of them are very casual fans ("Is that guy with the weird name still the coach???") but there are some season ticket holders as well. The topic is "Enduring Well" so it's like a perfect storm for some hidden messages about the BYU fans have to endure some more Ute dominance....as long as we can win this thing.

Anyway, post some good potshots for me to include in my talk. (Lest we tempt fate you may post some self-deprecating "I can't believe Utah lost" jokes as well).

[sancho]

If we win, I'd take the high road and say/wear nothing.

If we lose, I'd consider just not showing up.

[Rocker Ute]

I'll share with you a story I shared once in a talk, including the impromptu joke I made...

The topic was covenants and I was speaking about how the covenants we make with God are personal and we shouldn't judge others poorly because they haven't made the same covenants that we have. So I shared the true story of me walking into Smith's with my then 4yo daughter. There was a man who was standing outside smoking and she said loudly enough for him to hear, "Dad, that guy is really bad, he is smoking." Embarrassed I stooped down to talk to her and said (here was the impromptu joke), "Sweetie, he isn't bad because he is smoking... he is bad because he is wearing a BYU shirt." Equal parts groans and laughter. I hadn't planned to say that in my talk it just came out.

What really happened was I did stop her and explain that him smoking wasn't bad because he hadn't made those promises to God like we had, and it didn't make him a bad person anyway even if it is bad for his health. I told her how my grandpa smoked and he was a very good man. And how covenants are gifts for us, not reasons to look down on others.


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[Scratch]

As fate would have it, I'm speaking in sacrament meeting on Sunday, something like 9-10 hours after the conclusion of the game. My ward has more BYU fans than Utah fans, although as is often the case many of them are very casual fans ("Is that guy with the weird name still the coach???") but there are some season ticket holders as well. The topic is "Enduring Well" so it's like a perfect storm for some hidden messages about the BYU fans have to endure some more Ute dominance....as long as we can win this thing.

Anyway, post some good potshots for me to include in my talk. (Lest we tempt fate you may post some self-deprecating "I can't believe Utah lost" jokes as well).

I'm fine with a few general comments and jokes from the pulpit (for example, one time I was describing my brother-in-law, who was covered in tattoos, as having so many tattoos that even Rafael Araujo would have felt it was a little excessive), and I'm fine with them going both ways. However, I think if Utah manages to win then the loss will be just a little too fresh to even bring it up. If it were two weeks down the road I'd say fine, but I would probably leave it alone the following day.

[Applejack]

As fate would have it, I'm speaking in sacrament meeting on Sunday, something like 9-10 hours after the conclusion of the game. My ward has more BYU fans than Utah fans, although as is often the case many of them are very casual fans ("Is that guy with the weird name still the coach???") but there are some season ticket holders as well. The topic is "Enduring Well" so it's like a perfect storm for some hidden messages about the BYU fans have to endure some more Ute dominance....as long as we can win this thing.

Anyway, post some good potshots for me to include in my talk. (Lest we tempt fate you may post some self-deprecating "I can't believe Utah lost" jokes as well).

nothing overt about the game; always a sore topic the day after.

But you might base the talk around the 7 habits of highly effective people; or the 7 deadly sins; or the 7 wonders of the ancient world; etc.

[LA Ute]

If we win, I'd take the high road and say/wear nothing.

If we lose, I'd consider just not showing up.

Be a gracious winner. We're better at that than they are.

(In my ward when I was in the bishopric, during priesthood meeting opening announcements the day after a rivalry game, I always invited everyone to a "gloating session" out in the foyer after the block ended, regardless of who won. Everyone laughed about it and it was fun. No one really gloated. I stopped doing it when Utah kept winning game after game because it stopped being fun.)

[Scorcho]

I don't gloat out of empathy. I grew up during the 70's and 80's. Being a Ute fan then was brutal and lonely. I feel bad for the young BYU kids today, some of them are too young to ever remember a BYU victory in football.

[Applejack]

I don't gloat out of empathy. I grew up during the 70's and 80's. Being a Ute fan then was brutal and lonely. I feel bad for the young BYU kids today, some of them are too young to ever remember a BYU victory in football.

http://www.riseandshout.net/

[UBlender]

nothing overt about the game; always a sore topic the day after.

But you might base the talk around the 7 habits of highly effective people; or the 7 deadly sins; or the 7 wonders of the ancient world; etc.

Yes, anything I say that references the game would be subtle, like only the people who are really listening (all four of them) would even notice and even then they'd have to be football fans to get the joke. It's not my style to bring up the rivalry with BYU fans at church very much. Having been on both sides of it I know how uncomfortable it can be so I usually keep it to myself at church.

[LA Ute]

My beloved late FIL was a world-class organist. When he played in church the day after a Ute win (including in stake meetings) he would play "Utah Man" as the prelude music. He dressed the tune up in classical-sounding organ arrangements, but if you listened closely it was unmistakable and it was hilarious.

[Solon]

My beloved late FIL was a world-class organist. When he played in church the day after a Ute win (including in stake meetings) he would play "Utah Man" as the prelude music. He dressed the tune up in classical-sounding organ arrangements, but if you listened closely it was unmistakable and it was hilarious.

This is starting to tempt the Football gods.
Let's take UBlender's suggestion and put in some self-deprecating material so as not to appear over-confident.

[sancho]

This is starting to tempt the Football gods.

No kidding. We are going into our first real game of the season - on the road - with a green QB and offensive line. I think we can win, but this is not North Dakota.

[LA Ute]

This is starting to tempt the Football gods.
Let's take UBlender's suggestion and put in some self-deprecating material so as not to appear over-confident.

I plead innocent. I was just sharing a story about my father-in-law. I think the game is close to a tossup. Utah has the speed and athleticism advantage, but they have to execute. We had the same advantage last year, although to a lesser extent, and no one predicted we'd have six turnovers. I'm excited to see the game, and to see what happens.

[Solon]

As fate would have it, I'm speaking in sacrament meeting on Sunday, something like 9-10 hours after the conclusion of the game. My ward has more BYU fans than Utah fans, although as is often the case many of them are very casual fans ("Is that guy with the weird name still the coach???") but there are some season ticket holders as well. The topic is "Enduring Well" so it's like a perfect storm for some hidden messages about the BYU fans have to endure some more Ute dominance....as long as we can win this thing.

Anyway, post some good potshots for me to include in my talk. (Lest we tempt fate you may post some self-deprecating "I can't believe Utah lost" jokes as well).
Alright, I have been waiting all week. Seven is an easy lds and bible number to incorporate. Seven dispensations, seven seals in Revelation, seven minute abs.

but I think you go with Jacob working for seven years to marry Rachel, and then coming up empty. Bitter disappointment for seven years. It must be hard going seven straight years with so much disappointment and heartache.
He then had to endure seven more hard years before he got what he wanted.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Tomorrow’s lesson is The Creation. Going to blow some 8 year old minds.


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[LA Ute]

Tomorrow’s lesson is The Creation. Going to blow some 8 year old minds.


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I hope you taught them that the T-Rex was created spiritually before it was naturally on the face of the earth.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

I hope you taught them that the T-Rex was created spiritually before it was naturally on the face of the earth.

I did teach them that the fossil record shows that the T-Rex existed closer to the arrival of humans than it did to the stegosaurus. Does that count?


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[Dwight Schr-Ute]

I finished off my two week two-fer yesterday. Spoke in Sacrament meeting last Sunday and then in Stake Conference yesterday. I was given an 8 minute slot, which was challenging to limit myself to, which also meant that I had to write it out word for word to insure that I kept to the script, but I was pretty happy with how it worked out.


If you’ve been anywhere near the Internet this past week, there’s a strong probability that you’ve seen the video footage out of France of a young Malian man, scaling the outer five floors of an apartment complex, to the aid of a toddler dangling precariously from a high balcony. In a follow up meeting with the President of France, Mr. Gassama described the experience as a pure instinctive reaction and one he never thought twice about. “When I started to climb, it gave me courage to keep climbing.” President Macron vowed to reward his heroism by beginning the naturalization process. To give this young migrant a home.

In 1967, a man named George Price, came up with a mathematical equation that calculated the evolutionary concept of natural selection. This equation, essentially proved that there is no such thing as true altruism, but that any decision made to provide assistance to another entity was based on genetic self-preservation. A duty literally woven into our DNA. Interestingly enough, shortly after establishing himself in the world of evolutionary genetics with his equation, Price walked away from his comfort, dedicating himself to the needs of the downtrodden, giving away everything he had, and eventually his life, in an attempt to contradict his calculation.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we are deluged in duty. This sworn service begins with baptism. Speaking to a gathered group of believers on the shores of Mormon, Alma impresses: Mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and stand as witnesses of God. In today’s church, we accept our own assignments. Temple service. Genealogical submissions. And now monthly ministering. Our scriptures read: Trek with those that trek. Conduct those primary kids to hopefully stand in unison during the primary program to be conducted. And stand as witnesses at Saturday morning’s move that one more thing will fit inside the moving truck. Irreverence aside, our opportunities to magnify our duty are numerous and intentional. Gathering together oft provides us with the care and cultivation of the congregation. And we, it. A sacred symbiosis of service.

But who are we when outside the chapel doors, absent of assignment? As a biologist, I have spent a career immersed in the natural world of endangered species. Whether it be for a project proposal or a curious onlooker, throughout that time, I’ve frequently faced the inquisitive “why?” Can I eat it? Can it be cultivated? What’s the value of a four-inch fish? If every fish could be a five-foot salmon, my abilities of persuasion would improve significantly. As with animals, our opinions of others can be strongly influenced by our bias. We like to group ourselves by an assortment of familiar attributes. By our faith, by our team, by our tax bracket, even by the amount of our melanin. Are these people any less deserving of our endorsement? Do we question the value of the vulnerable when they don’t quite fit our measurement of membership? There have been times when driving down a freeway, I’ve passed a vehicle pulled to the side, stranded triggering an impression to stop. An impression I’ve too often tried to ignore. With eyes aimed at the mirror watching as the vehicle shrinks into the distance while the impression expands. I’ve come to coin these moments as “rearview repentance.” I’ve found the next exit, turned around in an attempt to redeem myself, only to find another party to the rescue or the vehicle gone altogether. In attempt to assuage myself, I am grateful that the need has been met but remorseful in my hesitation. Eliminating myself from the edification.

In the New Testament, we read the story of a certain man who fell upon thieves on his way to Jericho. The man was beaten, robbed of his purse, and left for dead. As he lay in his need, Luke tells us that “By chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.” A priest and a Levite. Two believers and holders of the priesthood. The Levite, a worker in the temple. Constrained of compassion because of calling. Both parties, the priest even refusing to pause, cross to the other side and travel on. I’m pretty sure they didn’t even have rear view mirrors in their day.

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him…” The telling of this story was Christ’s response to the question, “who is my neighbor?” The answer: a foreigner in a strange land, with no cultural obligation. I’d like to highlight two additional terms. In the example of the priest, Christ emphasizes that the encounter was “by chance.” Conversely, the Samaritan “journeyed.” Happenstance compared to having a purpose. I have known people in life that happen upon. Sometimes they stop, frequently they move to pass on the other side. I’ve also been blessed to know people that journey. That search for service and when encountering any need, a response of reliability. The Samaritan was a servant of assertiveness.

Who is my neighbor? As a young adult, I once chastised my father one evening after watching him struggle out of bed for the first time that day to put on his suit and tie to be a bishop for a handful of hours. His body was riddled with cancer and I felt strongly that he could do better at prioritizing his prescriptions. “How can you expend so much energy listening to people’s trivial problems?” He took the opportunity to instruct me on the axiom of the atonement. “Obedience requires that we bring all that we have to the altar. It’s not up to us to pick and choose. The question shouldn’t be what are we willing to give, only what is needed?”

In General Conference a few years ago, Elder Patrick Kearon testified that “being a refugee may be a defining moment in the lives of those who are refugees, but being a refugee does not define them. Some of them will go on to be Nobel laureates, public servants, physicians, scientists, musicians, artists, religious leaders, and contributors in other fields. Indeed, many of them were these things before they lost everything. This moment does not define them, but our response will help define us.”

We live in a world saturated in need and surrounded by physical and emotional refugees. And it can be overwhelming. Who is my neighbor? I can’t tell you what to give, when or to whom. That is a message reserved for the still small voice. But I will promise, that when we stop and we listen, it will guide us. True altruism is not arithmetic. Let us leave our lives of chance behind us and begin our journeys. When that spirit speaks, let us use the words of Isaac and Jacob. Moses and Samuel. “Here am I.” Let us leap into action knowing that when we start to climb, we will be given courage to keep climbing. Dedicating ourselves to unassigned service will lead to our Samaritan Savior to heal our own hurt, grant us peace and eventual citizenship to His eternal kingdom.

[Scorcho]

I finished off my two week two-fer yesterday. Spoke in Sacrament meeting last Sunday and then in Stake Conference yesterday. I was given an 8 minute slot, which was challenging to limit myself to, which also meant that I had to write it out word for word to insure that I kept to the script, but I was pretty happy with how it worked out.

my Sunday School class has an 8 minute opening, what are you doing next Sunday :)