The Best Day of the Year
My kids were playing another scintillating game of "Would you rather?". It's actually pretty disgusting. Example: Would you rather be stung by one hundred bees or have to sleep in cat litter your whole life? The questions getting weirder and more disgusting. I decided to adjust the game slightly. My version: "Would you rather have two Christmas' or two birthdays". It definitely made for a more breakfast-friendly conversation.
This got me thinking about my favorite time of the year. What day is it? Not my birthday. Not Christmas. Not the Fourth of July. It's any Sunday there is a new bishop called in our ward! (A bishop holds one of the key ecclesiastical positions within the
Mormon Church. He is the leader of a local congregation, known as a ward.) It's pretty exciting to think about who will be the new bishop, though all wonder and inquisitiveness goes out the window once you step inside the chapel. Why's that? Well, knowing who will be in the new bishopric (comprised of the bishop and two helpers called counselors) is pretty easy to discover. It seemed such a mystery when I was younger, but as I told my kids yesterday, there are three easy ways to pick out the new members of the Bishopric.
"Daddy, daddy! Do you know who the new bishopric will be?"
"No, but I know how we can find out."
"How?! How?!"
"Here's how."
First, they will be surrounded by family members you've never seen before. From great grandpa Smith who needs help to his seat, to nephew Bill who reeks of cigarette smoke, they'll be take up two pews. Uncle Rico might even make an appearance.
Second, they will be dressed in a nice new suit. It's easiest to determine when people who only come in shirts and ties suddenly have a suit on.
Third, if there was any facial hair before, it will all be gone. No more of this.
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| Sorry Brother, this has to come off before Sunday. |
The funny end to this story is yesterday we walked to church and I was lagging behind with the younger kids. My wife had time to enter the chapel, scope out the field, find our seat and come back to me and say, "Brother X,Y, and Z". She was DEAD ON!
As the good brother who was sitting behind me said yesterday, "We might not know who the bishop will be, but we know who the players are!".
Labels: bishop, calling, lds, mormons
Why Missionary Age was Changed
The response to the announcement by President Monson that missionaries could now begin service at 18/19 definitely has made a big ripple in the Mormon community. I was posting on Twitter with #ldsconf and it was interesting to see people's response. All were generally excited, but I followed a link to the Salt Lake Tribune where Peggy Fletcher Stack had given some analysis on the possible impact. I was more interested in the comments of the readers, as they just blew my mind. For those who are not aware, the Salt Lake Tribune is the dark side of Utah. Most things posted about the church are controversial and the readership are generally Mormon-haters, at least those who comment.
What I found amazing was the reasons these people believe the change to missionary age was made.
Some of the comments:
"I guess the church is more concerned about quantity rather than quality."
"Finally women are treated as more equal."
"They just want the football team to improve."
Really? Really? I love Elder Neal L. Andersen's reference to the scripture:
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:9.
When the prophets implement a change, let's not assume it was because they are finally in touch with reality. Blacks weren't given the priesthood because one day the prophets realized they were behind the times. God isn't waiting for his prophets to "get it", he's waiting for the world and the members of the church to be ready for things before he grants them to us. Line upon line, precept on precept.
Elder Holland had a magnificent quote in General Conference a few years back and he said this:
"As the least of those who have been sustained by you to witness the guidance of this Church firsthand, I say with all the fervor of my soul that never in my personal or professional life have I ever associated with any group who are so in touch, who know so profoundly the issues facing us, who look so deeply into the old, stay so open to the new, and weigh so carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully everything in between. I testify that the grasp this body of men and women have of moral and societal issues exceeds that of any think tank or brain trust of comparable endeavor of which I know anywhere on the earth. I bear personal witness of how thoroughly good they are, of how hard they work, and how humbly they live. It is no trivial matter for this Church to declare to the world prophecy, seership, and revelation, but we do declare it. It is true light shining in a dark world, and it shines from these proceedings."
Was that POWERFUL or what?
For those who missed the press conference, you can hear from the prophets themselves as to why the church implemented the change they did.
Labels: age change, lds, missionary, mormon
LDS Missionary Service
When President Thomas S. Monson announced the eligibility of 18-year old men and 19-year old women to serve missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there was definitely a charge of emotion and reaction that swept through the Conference Center and throught the world.
On television, they showed one young man sitting next to his mother who looked stunned and paralyzed.
They then showed a group of young women after the announcement and they were looking at each other giddy, as if Justin Bieber had just given them a peck on the forhead.
Women are so much better than men. So more willing to serve and so much happier to do it. Thank you for being the way you are.
Labels: age change, lds, missionary, mormon
Call Me Maybe (After Conference is Over)
This might be the best thing since the last Call Me Maybe video.
When Gina and I went to the BYU game a few weeks ago, they played this song over the speakers. The guy behind us was telling his brother, "I want to hate this song, but I just can't - it's too good!". Funny.
Labels: call me maybe, general conference, lds
