Mormon Bloggers

Yeah, been there, done that. Five times. Now we are enjoying the point of our lives where the FOMLs will reverently sit through sacrament meeting, only interrupted by the sound of fingernails on the backs of white shirts.  It was a long road. Mind you, our kids were really quite good, so I have no room to complain. I am grateful that the Lord sent relatively peaceful kids to our union. Unlike some of the kids at church today. Yikes! Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a tyrant about crying kids. I completely understand that it happens. What I don’t understand is why the parent doesn’t eventually take the kid out of the meeting. Do they keep thinking “almost there, almost there”? Let me reassure you: You are not “almost there”. You have lost this one. Go out, regroup, and try again later. I don’t say this out of harsh judgement, or out of spite. Which is how I would have said it in my younger years. As I have grown older, and much,... Read the rest of this entry »

I have remarkable children and grandchildren. This evening we had a video chat, then a story followed in an e-mail I eagerly share with all of you: My children have a mild obsession with the reenactment of ordinances. They can be found almost daily, filling their tool boxes with little bits of bread to gingerly pass to each member of the family. Then last week I found them “baptizing” each other on the front lawn. I don’t know where the fixation started, but I’ll take it over playing war or any other number of less-desirable make-believe games, so I have yet to discourage their rituals. This week has been hard on me. Last week I was an unshakable pillar of strength and patience. It seemed that nothing could get me down in the midst of lots of circumstances that could have. I don’t know what changed, but this week my patience and coping are nil. I don’t understand why sometimes we cope so much better than other times, but whatever the reasons, I have been... Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve enjoyed watching the deacons pass the sacrament in our ward. My youngest son is 14 now, so he often does not pass anymore. On a good week, the deacons quorum can do all the passing themselves without help from the teachers’ quorum. Our deacons are deacon-reverent: they aren’t particularly quiet on the bench, but they are pretty serious about passing efficiently and reverently. Occasionally there’s an issue of whether that half-row of congregants should pass the tray to the other end or pass it back to the deacon, but the boys take those things in stride. Our deacons are not overly formal. Some wear jackets, all wear white shirts and ties. Some sleeves are rolled up, most shirt-tales are tucked in. And only a few of the shirts look the deacons themselves are doing the ironing. (My son irons his white shirt each week, by the way.) They do line up and wait for the priests to stand before returning to the sacrament table. We have tall and short deacons; interestingly our... Read the rest of this entry »

Willing Sanctification ~by Marsha I am one of those women who never feels ‘good enough.’ It seems like no matter how much I try, no matter how many things I accomplish; it is never ‘enough.’ I always seem to see the flaws, the places I could and should have done better. That makes it difficult to receive compliments, and to be content with any accomplishment. When I was teaching Seminary [an LDS youth scripture study class for teens 14-18], we had the lesson on the sacrament. I knew all the typical Mormon answers about it. I was well aware of the lists of why and how and what. Suddenly however, as I was reading the prayers on the bread and water** aloud, I was struck by two words. 1) “sanctify” and 2) “willing.” Deep into my heart that first word settled. I heard myself telling the students what ‘sanctify’ meant: to ‘make holy.’ I could literally hear my voice, watch my hand writing on the chalkboard and feel the word like a tangible thing settle... Read the rest of this entry »

What a wonderful day it is to consider together our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  I’m grateful to partake of the sacrament with you and to renew my covenant to remember him and to follow him.  I’m not sure that I really understood the significance of that covenant when I first took it upon myself at age eight. I’m still trying to understand what it means to really keep that covenant each day.  Some days I do better than others.  Sundays are a joy to me because I spend them in activities that are centered on the mission of the church – to invite all to come unto Christ.  It’s during the week that I sometimes struggle to remember Him. I suppose it’s a life-long pursuit, isn’t it? – To figure out how to really come unto Christ as we have been commanded to do. As Moroni taught, “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness … love God with all your might, mind and strength …” – Moroni 10:32 Another Book of... Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 3:11  ”I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthyto bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire“ One of the reasons we don’t baptize infants is because, as the Bible says in both Matthew and Mark 1:4, we are to “baptize…unto repentance.”  Infants are not capable of the recognition required for the process of repentance.  Eight is the youngest a person may be for baptism in the LDS Church. Recently I was asked “why eight”?  For Mormons baptism is just a beginning, it’s the first ordinance and the first step.  It is the gateway for progression in the gospel.  Right after baptism comes the even more important ordinance, the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.  And from my own experiences, as well as those of my six children, 8-year olds are very... Read the rest of this entry »

教義和聖約​ 20:77 Current 神​啊，​永恆​的​父，​我們​奉​您​子​耶穌基督​的​名，​祈求​您​為​所有​領受​此​​餅​之​人​的​靈魂，​祝福​並​聖化​此​餅，​讓​他們​食用，​以​記得​您​子​的​身體，​並​向​您，​神​啊，​永恆​的​父，​證明​他們​願意​​承受​您​子​的​名，​一直​記得​祂，​並​​遵守​祂​賜給​他們的​誡命，​使​他們​能​一直​有​祂​的​​靈​與​他們​同在。​阿們。 1st Edition 1974 上帝，​永恆​的​父，​我們​奉​祢​子​耶穌基督​的​名，​祈求​祢​​為​所有​領受​此​​餅​之​人​的​靈魂，​祝福此​餅​並使之成​聖，​使​他們得食之，以​紀念祢子​的​身體；​並​向​祢，​上帝，​永恆​的​父，​證明​他們​願意​​承受​祢​子​的​名，​常常記念祂，​並​​遵守​祂​賜給​他們的​誡命，​使​他們​得以常有祂​的​​靈​與​他們​同在。​阿們。 Gospel... Read the rest of this entry »

 In the Church we repeat the same series of lessons every four years in Sunday School based upon the scriptures. In prieshood quourms and Relief Society meetings we are studying the updated version of the Gospel Principles manual.  Today in our priesthood lesson we reviewed the organization of the Church. Too often, I fear, we who have been in the Church most of our adult lives discount the power of repeating the lesson material, claiming it’s all been done before, we’ve heard it all our lives, and there is nothing new under the sun. For these reasons, many absent themselves first from the temples (that never changes much either), then their absence at stake meetings follows.  Eventually, because of indifference it becomes easier to be absent at Sunday meetings.  Weeks stretch into months, months into years and soon they find themselves losing interest all together in the ongoing miracles of the Restoration. “Because of indifference, one... Read the rest of this entry »

On this Pioneer day, I decided to answer all the personal questions that you are asked when you fill out the profile on Mormon.org.  There are a whole lot more under the FAQ section (about 80) but that will have to wait for another day when I have more time.  I thoroughly enjoyed the process of answering these questions and felt like I was being interviewed, thus the title of this blog post. 01. Please explain the part prayer plays in your life? Having grown up with daily prayer, I can’t imagine a day go by in which I don’t communicate with my Heavenly Father in prayer.  We start the day in prayer as a family asking for the Lord’s blessing upon us as we work.  We end the day in prayer the same way, usually kneeling by the bed, reporting our activities to God and thanking him for his help.  We give thanks for the food we eat at mealtimes and participate in public prayers in our weekly worship service.  It is through prayer and reading scriptures that I feel close to God and directed... Read the rest of this entry »

Why do we serve? ­Everything in this life, within the gospel, the church, and all the creations of the earth are provided for one reason. And that reason is to have infinite happiness by becoming increasingly like our Heavenly Father. We see this in the scriptures: 2 Ne. 2:25, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy,” That’s the infinite happiness part. Moses 1:39, “For behold this is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” What does that mean, eternal life of man? John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Eternal life is more than just living forever; it is the kind of life God has and He wants us to have it. He wants us to become like Him, to think as He thinks, to act as He does, to know what He knows, and be able to do many things He can do. We find that eternal life is to live like Heavenly Father. We are to become like... Read the rest of this entry »

Truth to be told, we were running late this (mid)morning, to church. We hastily found seats close to the front, and were immediately involved in the Sacrament song. I shushed chatty children and focused on this most sacred of ordinances. As my hurried spirit quieted, I noticed a few things. I noted that today, two brothers shared, for the first time together, the duty of offering up the Sacrament prayers. They did so with reverence and respect. And as I watched the teenaged boys passing the bread and water to the congregation, I counted 6 pairs of brothers sharing that Priesthood duty of offering the emblems of the Savior’s flesh and blood to the Ward members. And one word came to mind: “Family.” The first Sacrament meeting speaker was a 13-year-old boy, who shared examples from his home, of learning and living the gospel. He paid tribute to his mother, who teaches by example, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through service to others. And I might add that this... Read the rest of this entry »

There are experiences I had as a child that absolutely mortified me, but now that I am an adult I can look back at them and laugh. Why do so many of those experiences involve an LDS chapel and a man named Mr. Lucius? Mr. Lucius was a family friend who often accompanied my Grandmother when she attended church with my family. He was a retired school bus driver, with a mouth full of dentures, who spoke like he was constantly chewing on a biscuit. No one could ever understand what Mr. Lucius was saying. Unless of course the speech was going to be so embarrassing that you would slump so far down into the pew, that you hoped you might disappear. Those were the times when he spoke ever so clearly. Mr. Lucius was a Bible thumpin, foot stompin, Southern Baptist. My siblings and I had long ceased to be phased by the Amen’s and Hallelujahs he enthusiastically shouted to the confused Sacrament Meeting speakers. In fact we often coaxed him into a few, but on this particular Sunday…oh boy! During... Read the rest of this entry »