This is an open thread for you to share anything you'd like about this weekend's session of General Conference.
Don't forget to check out: Making General Conference Memorable.
This is an open thread for you to share anything you'd like about this weekend's session of General Conference.
Don't forget to check out: Making General Conference Memorable.
Provo Tabernacle is going to be a new temple! Two temples in Provo!
As soon as we heard the church bought the property where the old Hotel Roberts stood, he suspected a temple. I didn’t think they’d put two in the same city. He thinks Provo will become “the MTC temple.” First, it’s right by the MTC. Second, it’s ugly, so no one wants to get married there. π
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Budget Birthday Parties
Congo is cool; right in central Africa. I think Utah Valley needs another temple but every Conference I expect to hear they will build another one in Davis County and they never do. There are so many church members there and only the Bountiful Temple.
Also, temples announced for:
Barranquilla, Colombia
Durban, South Africa; Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of Congo
Star Valley, Wyoming
Congo? How cool is that?
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Investment for Dummies – or at Least Newbies
Tracy posted on Facebook that they announced one in Paris, France. Did I miss that one?
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Glass Tile on a Budget
Paris was announced a while ago. President Monson mentioned that they were moving forward with it, though. (I think I read a month or two ago about where exactly it was going to be built.)
Yup! Paris! Though a few of his comments afterwards made it sound like they are still in the “trying to get everything approved with the city” stage.
I loved President Monson’s lightheartedness. In fact, I’m starting to notice a trend– and I’d love to know if others have noticed the same thing.
It seems to me, that those giving conference addresses feel a great burden to give very mellow, serious and “spiritual” messages, filled with doctrine and scripture. But then the first presidency members get up and give much more lighthearted addresses, still spiritually uplifting and filled with testimony, just less “serious”– or at least the seriousness is broken up a bit with joking and more “everyday human-ness”. President Uchtdorf was cracking me up last week, President Monson did it today, and my son came back from the priesthood session telling us all about how funny President Monson’s address was tonight, as well.
President Uchtdorf is pretty much a rock star.
Can I say that? He is.
I thought President Packer’s talk was so great–particularly this statement, which perfectly describes what I’ve been feeling: “Youth today are being raised in enemy territory.”
Freaky. And deadly accurate. Kids today are warriors.
Ha I didn’t even catch that it was a done deal. KSL listed only five temples and a few hours later updated the story to show six. At least U wasn’t the on,y one who missed the boat!
I swear I had heard the Paris temple announced earlier – seems like my husband and I even joked about going to the dedication (he served his mission in France and Switzerland). Did I just dream that?
Tracey, my husband said the same thing about the first presidency being more light-hearted. I love the humor they bring, but I’m not sure it’s anything new. Remember President Hinckley’s addresses? Did he EVER give one without a joke?
I was listening rather than watching so didn’t quite catch who was speaking but I loved the story about the medical student. My husband is preparing for medical school right now, and we have a baby girl so it spoke to our hearts.
Amber Mae recently posted…looking back on the colic stage
Amber Mae, what school will he be going to? Best wishes. That’s a long haul! π
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Fabulous Budget Furniture
Loved Elder Eyring’s talk.
Did not even recognize Elder Hale’s voice Or his face! What is he suffering from?
I’m thnking Elaine Dalton’s talk is evidence that perhaps a female perspective would be good in the priesthood
session. Kind of like how the “keynote” in both the RS and YW general meetings are always men.
Ballard gives distinction between calling members “Mormons” and calling it the “Mormom church.” I understand why he’s trying to clarify, but allowing one and disallowing the other isn’t very reasonable. What is a “Mormon” if it isn’t about being part of a Mormon group?
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Investment for Dummies – or at Least Newbies
I agree – I was worried about Elder Hales. The physical change in him was remarkable. Elder Ballard, on the other hand, seems to never age!
I *LOVED* Sister Dalton’s talk!
jennycherie recently posted…Fear 101
“We’ve been spending our moral capital with the same reckless abandon as we’ve been spending our financial capital.”
~ Thomas S. Monson
Not to turn political, but I take this to mean that Monson thinks our current financial spending is reckless.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Investment for Dummies – or at Least Newbies
Agreed all around, jennycherie.
Oaks is reflecting Callister’s talk, reaffirming that Christ’s divinity is central. Christ is not just a great teacher.
Has this been a question any of you have dealt with?
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Investment for Dummies – or at Least Newbies
Hearing the talks by Monson and Cornish just killed me. So God cares enough about general authorities to help them save $5 and 25ΓΒ’, but not enough about me to help with actually important things.
I know. I’m not “in tune” enough to get help. I just need to try harder and then God will answer me, too.
Marta,
It’s hard when the ‘big’ things in life take time to get answers to. I think He does give us little things like that once in a while to let us know He is there, though. I use the little things as anchors when the bigger things are taking longer than I would like.
Just listened to Elder Hales and how he talked about how that is often the case — answers come line upon line, little by little. Waiting upon the Lord is where our souls really stretch. It’s hard.
Don’t give up hope. God is very aware of you. Us. All. But I know how it can feel to not feel that sometimes, or to wonder when the answers will come, and how they will unfold. Faith can be hard work!
Michelle recently posted…New Mormon Temples Announced
Michelle thank you for responding.
I like your answer, but it’s just not true. It’s true sometimes but it’s not true as a rule. God doesn’t answer millions of questions EVER. Maybe I should say he doesn’t HELP with problems EVER.
I don’t find money when I REALLY need it, to feed my kids. Why does Cornish find it when he’s just too crabby to go home (to a house full of food) to face the kids? Innocent kids starve every day. Why don’t they find chicken drumsticks on the side of the road? Monson gets back the $5 that he was careless with just because it was so important, even though he can’t remember why it was so important. I got mugged just after cashing my paycheck and I didn’t get it back and couldn’t make rent.
I don’t know why God would toy with people that way. Why would he give us a quarter for a drumstick “just so we know he’s there”, but NOT be there when we need food for our kids? If he won’t help me with important things, why do I care if he will help with trivial stuff? I can get lots of people to help with trivial stuff anyways.
Thanks Allison π He’s finishing up nursing school and prepping for the GMAT right now, and yes it is a long haul!
Marta,
It seems to me that if you really believed that God doesn’t care you wouldn’t be posting here. It’s as if you’re pleading with us to tell you that he does care.
I recently wrote a blog post about how I got through my baby’s SEVERE colic. To you it may seem to be trivial compared with whatever you’re dealing with, but I invite you to visit my site and read through a few of my colic stage posts. They’re all in the featured section right now.
Also, I would invite you to soften your heart for what I’m about to tell you.
I KNOW God knows you. He IS aware of your pain and suffering and while he may not be answering your prayers when and how you want him to he WILL answer them. You are his daughter, and just as your earthly mother wouldn’t give you a stone for bread, neither will he. Think about everything he has done for you already.
He sent his only begotten Son to die for you, and to bleed from every pore so that you can someday enter into his rest… so that your sins can be forgiven. What more proof could you need? Many are asked to undergo trial and tribulation in this life, but none are asked to go it alone. Even when he doesn’t take away the pain he will always offer us his comfort, if we are willing to receive it.
God bless you Marta, I’ll pray for you to find that comfort.
Amber Mae recently posted…Hope in Humanity
I am really surprised that no one here mentioned Elder Anderson’s talk. It was so great to hear a General Authority say that when to have children and how many to have is between the husband, the wife, and God, and no one ought to be judging anybody on this subject.
I was also really encouraged by Elder Scott’s suggestion to memorize scriptures. It is something that our Primary Presidency has been been encouraging the children to do, and we have been trying to incorporate it into our daily lives.
Tracy Polyak recently posted…Speech Therapy: What We Have Learned
Marta,
I just got through all of the comments, and yours really spoke to my heart. One of my biggest struggles in the Church has been acknowledging God’s hand in my life. If this is something that you struggle with when things are difficult, it is not going to get easier to see Him in your life just because those trials are in the past. Faith is believing that God is ever-present, even though you don’t see Him there. Every time I utter a desperate prayer and do not see the hoped-for results, I have to consciously choose faith.
Marta – when we can’t find answers, it is often because we don’t want the answer we are getting. It sounds like you are in a tough spot. Have you been to visit with your bishop? It is hard to find the way out form a really dark place, but it is possible.
I am *so* sorry you were mugged. Dealing with criminals and thugs is awful! It seems like they get off scott-free and all the victim ever gets is pain and late bills! And there is no way to recover what you’ve lost! The only time we ever recovered anything that was stolen was when our van was stolen – and that was only because my parents went on a drive, combing through our neighborhood, and found it dumped on the side of the road. So, we got it back, but it still cost us money – had to fix the ignition and the window they broke to get it out of our driveway.
jennycherie recently posted…Fear 101
Dear Marta, my all-time favorite spiritual (even surpassing Ain’t Got Time to Die!) is Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel. I’ve had a half-formed post about it for almost two years. In a nutshell, the song asks why God saved Daniel by “not every man.”
Frankly, I think it is THE question of humanity. I don’t think it’s about your lack of faith, your lack of willingness to hear, your lack of humility, your lack of _______________. At least not necessarily.
God’s reasons simply don’t make sense to us all of the time. God’s timing doesn’t make sense all of the time. And you are spot on that sometimes God doesn’t answer us at all. I’ll see if I can dig up my sources, but that has been stated authoritatively many times. While I have faith that prayers are always heard, It’s really false to say that God always answers prayers Γ’β¬β unless you accept the idea that sometimes the “answer” is NOT to answer. (Which means we’re playing with semantics.)
Tracy said it beautifully:
From personal experience I’ll modify that a bit: Every time I utter a desperate prayer and do not see the hoped-for results Γ’β¬β or any results at all Γ’β¬β I have to consciously choose faith.
Personally, I’d rather get a resounding NO than to feel abandoned. It takes a lot to feel abandoned and continue on with trying to be obedient. Sometimes more than I have.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Budget Birthday Parties
It may be playing with Semantics, but according to Richard G. Scott, God answers every prayer, and sometimes not answering is an answer. It may not be easy to swallow, but there it is.
“He hears every prayer and answers in His way.”
http://lds.org/new-era/2003/08/recognizing-answers-to-prayer?lang=eng&query=answers+prayers
“When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act.
Most often what we have chosen to do is right. He will confirm the correctness of our choices His way. That confirmation generally comes through packets of help found along the way. We discover them by being spiritually sensitive. They are like notes from a loving Father as evidence of His approval. If, in trust, we begin something which is not right, He will let us know before we have gone too far. We sense that help by recognizing troubled or uneasy feelings.”
Amber Mae recently posted…Hope in Humanity
If we’re going to insist (particularly to people in despair) that God “answers every prayer” Γ’β¬β when we already acknowledge that he doesn’t Γ’β¬β then we need to be very clear (every time) that we mean “not answering prayers is a way of answering prayers.”
In my opinion it’s a harmful (and nonsensical) way to use words. Better to be clear about what we mean. For example:
I also think we also need to be very clear about what we mean by “confirmation.” I don’t believe that “confirmation” means that “everything will turn out all right” or that “this is a good thing” or “this is what God wants you to do.” Rather, I think God’s confirmation means that our choice will not condemn us (is not sinful) and/or will not thwart God’s plan.
I know far too many righteous, spiritual, deeply good women who fasted and prayed over whom to marry, who had a spiritual confirmation about their decision, married worthily in the temple, only to have their marriages crumble, their lives torn apart, their children devastated by men who did evil things Γ’β¬β things that God certainly knew would happen. (Not to be unfair to men. I know a couple of men in similar circumstances, but I personally know far more women in this situation.)
I don’t believe that necessarily means that God “confirmed” that he “wanted” them to have miserable lives. Or that having their families decimated was “the lesson they needed to learn.” Rather, I think it means that their choices were acceptable on a moral level and he let agency move forward.
Even though it’s utterly non-doctrinal, we have a tendency to look at others who are in dire circumstances and assume that if they had only been more prayerful or more “in tune” or more whatever, they wouldn’t have ended up in the dire circumstances. As if God would always warn them about impending evil or harm and/or always protect them or prevent it. That’s simply not true.
And it’s also not true that every time something bad happens to good people, it’s because God is intentionally testing them for some great thing to come. (Ala Job. Hint: what about Job’s wife and kids?)
So, Marta, here’s the deal. I think our job is to mourn with you. I don’t know why God isn’t answering you. I know how that feels. It’s so hard and I’m sorry. Maybe we can help solve the problems you are facing? Maybe we can just be here to listen? Maybe we can think of some resources that would be helpful?
In any case, please know that we love you. Also note that there’s an LDS forum where you can post anything you want, any time. π
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Baked Chicken Taquitos
beautifully stated Alison – great points all around.
jennycherie recently posted…Fear 101
Well, you can’t win for losing.
In no way was I trying to be “harmful or nonsensical” (I doubt Richard G. Scott was either). Merely, pointing out what I consider to be official doctrine on whether or not the Lord is answering our prayers.
Honestly, the only reason I posted in the first place was to try and help give Marta some hope and to bear testimony to her that God does love her and whether or not she gets the answer she is looking for she can receive comfort.
Amber Mae recently posted…Hope in Humanity
amber mae dont get your panties in a wad because someone disagrees with you a little bit. no one did anything mean and you werent attacked. in fact you were the one who disagreed with allison first, not the other way.
it doesnt make sense to say that you always get answers even when you dont. whether its an apostle or you doesnt matter.
i like what you wrote but think you should be mature to say what you think and let others do the same without getting all hurt and defensive. just join in the conversation and tell what you think. everyone is welcome and everyone should allow other points as well.
Oregonian,
I was explaining my position, not stopping Alison from expressing hers.
I’m glad you liked what I wrote, but it’s too bad you misinterpreted my further explanation and really lamentation that what I wrote could be considered harmful or nonsensical since that wasn’t the intention. Please, explain to me what my undies have to do with maturity? π
Amber Mae recently posted…Hope in Humanity
Amber Mae, not to worry. π I’ll let Oregonian explain the panties bit. π
I do think the statement is nonsensical and harmful, no consideration of who said it. I think the nonsensical part of “God answers prayers even when he doesn’t answer prayers” is obvious. The harmful part is that when we say, “God always answers prayers” and include an unstated “even when he doesn’t answer them” it is likely to be misunderstood. It’s very likely (and I say this because I’ve seen it over and over and over again) to leave people feeling that they must, absolutely be deficient because (a) they didn’t get an answer or (b) the answer they swear they got lead to a terrible outcome, so must not have been an answer.
Given the propensity for misunderstanding such a nonintuitive statement, I think we should simply make it intuitive. For example:
“God doesn’t always answer prayers, but it’s not because he doesn’t hear them. It’s because it’s the best thing to do, for some reason.”
We know, for example, that sometimes God is “slow to answer” prayers because the prayers have been slow to hear. So, sometimes he DOES ignore us. For a while.
We know that sometimes he let’s us work through our own troubles.
We know that sometimes he let’s evil happen to allow agency.
We know that he allows nature to take it’s course. We age, we get sick, we die, we get hurt.
For the most part, the “faith” we talk about isn’t really faith to avoid pain or problems or evil or anything. It’s not a genie lamp to get blessings we want. It’s faith IN CHRIST. It’s faith that he is who he said he is and he did what he said he did. It’s faith that makes an ETERNAL difference, but sometimes, in some circumstances, it makes no difference at all on earth.
Sometimes we’re Daniel. Sometimes we’re Abinadi. (And let’s remember, they were both really good guys.)
Amber Mae – I’m not sure what you mean about agency in relation to Sister Dalton’s suggestion. I thought she was just saying – make sure she knows you notice and you care enough to come after her and make sure she is safe. When a child is late for curfew, it could be a simple matter of not watching the clock . . . or getting into mischief . . . or being in a bad situation and needing help. There are many reasons for curfews, but I don’t think going to get them in anyway interferes with agency.
jennycherie recently posted…Fear 101
Alison,
I see what you’re saying, and I’ve been there. Somehow we seem to keep chugging along π
On another note, what did everyone think about Sister Dalton’s statement to go get daughters when they’re late coming home? I thought that it could easily be misinterpreted by some crazy dad’s who will go get their daughters when they’re five minutes late. Doubt, that’s what she meant but… it brings up the agency question again doesn’t it?
Amber Mae recently posted…Hope in Humanity
I agree with Jenny – I don’t really see it as an agency thing. It’s more of a consequence.
When she said that I had to smile, because I found great comfort when I was a teenager in knowing that my parents would be out looking for me if I wasn’t home by curfew (within reason of course). This was the days before cell phones, and I knew if I was in trouble, they would be there. They only had to come looking for me once, and that was a long story and I wasn’t actually even late yet – but I was not where I said I would be and they found out, and that was of concern for them so they came looking. I will have to blog about that sometime because it’s a funny story. Anyway, with most kids today having cell phones I don’t think it is as much of an issue – most parents will be able to text or call their kids and find out where they are and tell them to scoot on home.
My favorite line, ever, in the history of movies is from New in Town. (It’s a fun movie, but worth the price of admission just to hear this line and to hear the brilliant Siobhan Fallon Hogan put on a dead on Minnesota accent. I kid you not.) A boy comes to pick up Ted’s (Harry Connick, Jr.) daughter for a date. He leans into the boy and in a menacing tone says, “Whatever you do to my daughterΓ’β¬Β¦I do to you.”
Anyway, dependent teens have no agency. π
Seriously, this is agency for a dependent child, in my book: you have the freedom to do all sorts of things if you keep your commitments and if we can trust you. Otherwise you don’t. Choice and accountability. Consequences.
To be honest, I want my kids to be able to do anything they want to do. But that’s entirely dependent on trust and how mature their judgment is. If they are going to do things that are stupid and dangerous, they aren’t going to do it while I’m providing the car and the gas and the roof over their heads. If they are “mature” enough to make epically bad decisions, they are mature enough to take on the responsibilities of adulthood Γ’β¬β not just the accouterments. Rights go right along with responsibilities.
To date, I have never even set a curfew for any of my kids. (True! And I have three adult kids.) But that’s because not one of the (yet, knock on wood) has been stupid about coming in at night. Alana (my third, now 18) had a self-imposed midnight curfew on weekends through high school that she DILIGENTLY kept. And it wasn’t until about the last four months of high school that she realized it was self-imposed. π
She asked about it once last year and I said, “We never set a curfew for you.”
She said, “WHAT!???” π
But, if she hadn’t made a reasonable decision, we would have done it for her.
Agency at the level of accountability.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Affordable Garage Cabinets
P.S. Personally, I did not “take great comfort” in knowing my parents would come after me and/or wait up with the evil eye. But it did help keep me out of trouble. Most of the time.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Affordable Garage Cabinets
I guess my comfort was more of a safety issue than anything else. We lived 10 miles outside of the main town in Hickville, Utah π and I knew that if I broke down or something, my dad would be out there to help me before long. Then again, I never had to test it other than that one time – I just knew he’d come, and that felt safe to me.
P.S. I never had a curfew really, and don’t plan to have one with my kids. My “curfew” was totally based on the activity of the evening. My parents would ask me what I was going to be doing and when I would be home. It was always within reason so they never challenged it, but I did know that if I wasn’t home by the time I said I would be, my parents would be worried and probably within the hour would be out looking for me. Now, I’m sure if I would have said, “oh, I’ll be home around 4:00 a.m. and I’m not telling you where I’ll be” that would have stopped our system – but they always let me do what I want as long as I communicated with them what it was and I always kept my word, and I knew I could count on them if I was in trouble.
They raised 5 other children and as far as I know (I’m the oldest) they did the same thing with the others. Their philosophy was pretty much as mine is now – teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves. It worked in their case – they raised 6 kids who were married in the temple and 5 of whom served missions. They did something right and I hope it works for me too. π
Alison – I love that movie! I agree – Siobahn is great! But that line from Harry Connick Jr is the best!
jennycherie recently posted…Fear 101
2nd witness! π
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Affordable Garage Cabinets
I like those viewpoints, I just remember a friend from high school who would be literally running to be home by her ten-o-clock curfew so she wouldn’t be in trouble. These were the same parents who wouldn’t let the boys wear jell in their hair because some random mission president didn’t allow it.
Sounds like another case of me over thinking things. I sure hope my kids are like yours when they grow up Alison, because I would rather not set a curfew. I’d rather have that whole trust and wise choices thing. It’s silly with my daughter so young, but I’m already worrying… meh, maybe it’s just post-partum crap rearing it’s ugly head.
Amber Mae recently posted…What have you got?