Beneath the Wraps

            In the Church of Jesus Christ there is a meeting in which members of the congregation are encouraged to make their way to the stand to bear their testimonies.   This meeting takes place once a month – usually the first Sunday of each month.   General Conference also falls on the first Sunday of the month and so testimony meeting gets moved to either the last week of the month prior or to the second week (depending on the ward or stake).   In the South Umpqua ward we have held testimony meeting the week prior – except this year. On March 26 we had stake conference – which is a geographical boundary made of up several wards April 1 and 2 was General Conference (which is when the meetings are broadcast world wide) April 9 Easter program Thus our testimony meeting was not until the 16 th of this month.            I recall sitting through a many of sacrament meetings as a you...

           Once a month, the church holds a sacrament meeting known as “fast and testimony meeting”.   This meeting is normally held at the first Sunday of the month.   The exceptions are just prior to or after General Conference.   Conferences take place the first weekend in April and October.   The ward I reside in has always done the testimony meeting the last Sunday in March and September.   This gives members of the congregation the opportunity of standing at the pulpit to express their understanding of the gospel and to share their testimonies.         Yesterday’s meeting was quite powerful and the Spirit was delivered in such reverent manner.   I had worn a clean mask which was no longer clean as it was filled with moist emotion. It had started before the bishop had invited the congregation to come and speak.  The sacrament hymn was "I Stand All Amazed" ( here ) which I have memo...

                 When we are baptized we take upon ourselves the name of Christ – which means we will do our best to follow his example. The purpose of the sacrament is that it allows renewal of covenants made at baptism.  We have sacrament meetings so that we can partake of the bread and water – which in itself does not require the entire time we are at sacrament meeting but rather a fraction. Every sacrament meeting which I have personally attended has had an opening song, opening prayer and announcements followed by a song for the sacrament, the sacramental prayers and the passing of the sacrament.  That is until yesterday.  Because the ward had decided to broadcast the meeting for those unable to attend in person, the sacrament was held at the end of the meeting. Once a month the congregation are invited to bear their testimonies – express their gratitude for the gospel, share their faith, etc.  Yesterday j...

          It was the third week of Church for the ward I ’ m in.  My sister Kayla said her ward had returned last month – or possibly in July.  She said that the members will attend every other week in order to allow social distancing.  I think that ’ s great that there are that many in attendance as the last time I had gone to her ward the attendance seemed even less than what this ward has been – a lot of empty pews and much social distancing – even before it was a thing.           Wearing a mask can be bothersome, but it ’ s not a tremendous sacrifice on my part nor am I too proud to wear one.  I appreciate surgeons and dentists wearing masks, all the frontline workers required to wear a mask all day.  Surely if they can do it for 4 – 10 hour shifts, a few minutes to a few hours shouldn ’ t be a big deal for me.  The mask is not the problem.  It ’ s not being able to connect in the way that we ...

All of my life I have heard about the signs of the times and what will take place in the last days – the speculations and the truth.   I hadn’t questioned a lot of it as I planned on being on the other side long before the majority of the signs came to pass – which I still might.   Things will only get worse before they start to get better.   I don’t say that to be morbid or because I’m pessimistic.   It is fact. One of the things I was taught was that the people may choose one of two leaders.   In today’s case it would be either the words of a prophet or the leader of the country, state, whatever a person feels.   There are Trump supporters.   There are those who know that Pres. Nelson is a mouthpiece for God.   Not all people are in favor of Trump.   Not all people recognize Pres. Nelson as a prophet.   Not everybody has a testimony of God’s love.   I am choosing to follow the counsel of the prophet.   Regardless of...

  There is a great difference between Black and white Day and night Sunshine and Rain Happiness and Emotional Pain There is also a tremendous difference Between the church and the gospel of Jesus Christ Sadly there are those who base their testimony upon historical figures or other members of the church, and when imperfection is revealed there are many that have gone astray.   There appears to have been some big hoopla lately about the plural marriage among some of the brethren in Church history – particularly Joseph Smith who doesn’t appear to have been honest with how it was done. Joseph Smith was the first prophet in this dispensation.   The Church of Jesus Christ had not been on the earth for 15 centuries.   Cut the guy a break.   What example did he have to follow?   God had given him instructions.   Sometimes he followed them to the letter.   Sometimes, unfortunately, he felt that he knew better than God...

           When I was younger I remember having only two meetings on Sunday then.   There were three for priesthood holders – but for the first fifteen plus years of my life I recall there being only two meetings.             I don’t recall the specific times or the length of time that took place between the two meetings.  I remember Sunday School being first, coming home to have dinner and returning to the church at a later time for Sacrament meeting.             The other meetings were spread out during the week.  (e.g. Relief Society was on Tuesday nights, Mutual on Wednesday nights and Primary was on Thursdays after school.) but as the growth of the membership had taken place outside of Utah , the meetings were changed so that all meetings would take place on Sunday.        ...

           Shortly after Roland was called to the bishopric, he was asked to summarize a talk that had been given about the conformity of testimonies and submit it to the monthly newsletter – which actually didn’t exist before this particular bishopric.  Now there are a few people in the ward who tend to drone on and on until the gratitude that is felt in their hearts turns into penetrating boredom on the part of the audience.  Every ward has them.  They start off by expressing what it is that brought them to the podium – and then they take us on a stroll down memory lane, or into their health, or into their entire week.  Gradually the testimony gets lost in their words.  And all eyes turn to the clock and you can almost hear a chorus of silent groans. Sometimes there is a dead silence and often times the droner just feels it’s his (or her) duty to fill the silence while the audience wonders which is worse: the sil...

          Before Roland and I moved from our first house, he introduced me to the reality show “Chopped” a one hour show that gives four chefs the opportunity to create appetizers, entrees, and desserts using four specific ingredients – most I haven’t been familiar with or think of as too bizarre to belong with  either the rest of the ingredients or in the particular round.           I would think that there is more than eight hours of footage for each episode of “Chopped” – thus it is not just the chefs competing who get “chopped” but the editing as well.  It sickens me to know that all this wasted footage exists – that so much tape ends up on the floor.  The expense that goes into these reality series (Wife Swap is another example) and all the waste.  I could really use the money that is spent on wasted film.  So many Americans could – especially in this econ...