I did not know that

fun fact: L. Tom Perry was on the team that won the 1940 ALL-CHURCH Volleyball tournament! A great man, and a great stake volleyball player! Forever in our hearts, may he rest in peace! 

MG high priests trivia

    What makes the date 25 Dec. so special????

You are right!   It IS both Doug Croft's and Hamish Macmillan's birthdays!

(I do think the world over does the celebration a bit)

Birthdays of interest

13 Dec.  Denny Ackerman

18'Dec.  Jill Brown

19 Dec. Lori Thomas

21 Dec.  Pat Mercado
               Drew Ableman
                Pat Trainer

24 Dec.   Rebecca Banks
                Eric Gardner
             
25 Dec.     Doug Croft
                  Hamish Macmillan
                   Jesus Christ

30 Dec.       Betsey Durant

5 Jan.         Anita Rodebak

7 Jan.         Max Turley

11 Jan.       Erick Olsen

MG high priests trivia 2

. What makes the date Dec. 21 so special?

You are right again,  our high priest "babies," Bro Drew Ableman and Pat Trainer both have Dec. 21 birthdays, and both  will be 34.  (It is also Pat Mercado's birthday she will be 29 or so)

Gospel teachers

IT’S TIME TO STOP UNDERVALUING THE ROLE OF A GOSPEL TEACHER

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I know were not supposed to rank callings in the church…but I’ve got to do it here. I think I’ll be justified in this case seeing as that Paul does the ranking for me when he’s addressing the Corinthians.

Have you ever asked someone what their calling was and noticed the difference in their reply depending on the perceived importance of that calling? “Oh…yeah…well…I’m just a Sunday School teacher…not much to it.”

Funny…that same person invited an entire posse to come and watch him take the stand when he was called in to the bishopric a few years back. “Congratulations brother so and so…”

Why are administrative callings sometimes treated as a public inauguration, but the ever important calling to teach the 14 and 15 year olds met with indifference? Why the lack of back-slapping for that new calling to teach the temple prep class? It’s a cultural thing…with no doctrinal justifications. The scriptures paint an entirely different picture of the importance of teachers.

Let me go back to Paul. “God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles…” (1 Cor 12:28) Elder McConkie said to “Note the order of propriety. In the true Church apostles are first; they hold the keys of the kingdom, receive revelation for the Church, and regulate all of its affairs in all the world as they are guided by the power of the Holy Ghost. Next to the apostles stand the prophets, every prophet ministering in his own place and sphere. After apostles and prophets come teachers. Every teacher is expected to be a prophet and to know for himself of the truth and divinity of the work. Indeed, in the true sense, a teacher is greater than a prophet, for a teacher not only has the testimony of Jesus himself, but bears that testimony by teaching the gospel.”

So why is it that when someone gets called as a gospel teacher, sometimes they begin to slack? Not too long ago I was called to serve as the Ward Sunday School president. Some of my friends joked with me that I had just become the official “bell-ringer,” “hall-monitor,” and “role-keeper.” Someone even came up to me and made a joke that the Ward Sunday School President was where they called “in-active men to serve in order to make them feel important.” We all had some good laughs and I dropped a few jokes on myself at my own expense in the process as well. No harm intended.

But through all of that, I realized that one of the most serious flaws in our church culture is the unspoken…and sometimes spoken devaluation of gospel teachers. Even if it’s just in jest, I realized that this feeling of unimportance manifested itself through the level of consistency shown among some of the teachers in their ward callings. It has become quite the regular thing for teachers to call regularly at 10 p.m. on Saturday night to bail on their class the next morning. Sometimes teachers just flat out never show up without letting anyone know. They figure that it’s no big deal and that “brother so and so can just put a movie on for the kids.” Meanwhile, the kids get used to a bunch of adults, “throwing something together” at the last minute to “keep them busy.” But these kids aren’t stupid!  They know when they’re being placated or babysat for. Their perception of the importance of their class was based on the consistency and preparation of their teacher.

A couple years ago, I attended a CES training in which a young stake president, who also happened to be an institute director, stood up to give some remarks about the calling to be a teacher. He said that “it’s hard for me to call new bishops…but I lose sleep over the responsibility to call a new seminary teacher. You are that important.”  I loved hearing this…

There is no doubt that administrative positions such as an Elder’s Quorum President, Relief Society President, or Bishop is important as indicated by this stake president. But think about it. How often does the general population of the ward really and truly interact with those leaders? Many of those callings are focused on the temporal welfare of members of the ward, but the teachers of the ward are are literally responsible for the spiritual nourishment of every man, woman, and child in that ward. If the teachers slack, or view their calling a ancillary…what do we have? Without dedicated and effective teachers, the general body of the church would diminish and crumble from a lack of spiritual enthusiasm and doctrinal understanding. We won’t need administrative callings if church members testimonies don’t stay strong.

Consider the seminary teacher who is with the youth every single morning of their high school life. Is there any greater influencer for the youth of this church than their regular weekday and Sunday teachers!? As much as we’d like to hope that parents spend a dedicated 45 minutes a day in gospel instruction…do you think that is an actual reality? No. Probably not. It would be nice…but probably not.

The teachers of this church have a duty, a responsibility, and an opportunity that is unparalleled in this church. Sometimes that fact gets lost in the cultural hoopla of other callings and their associated importance. The gospel teacher has got to be on their game, and the rest of the church has got to back them up and give them the support they need. This is especially true for the teachers of the youth.

There was a day when it was cool to be a master teacher. We should do whatever we can as a church to make it cool again.

Movie anyone?

   I went to a sneaky good movie last night.

"Woodlawn"

 I truly left feeling inspired, and uplifted,
It is based on a true story and is about family, faith and football, and demonstrated how Jesus  united a racially divided community.

I give it 4 stars.
g

P.S.  It is appropriate for any age.

Question.... How many movies can you go to and hear church hymns played? :-)

WHAT I WOULD HAVE MISSED IF I HADN’T READ THE BOOK OF MORMON

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Asking someone to read a 532 page small print book in the day of digital media is a tall order. We’ve become so accustomed to 140 characters, entertaining short videos, and animated GIF’s that sitting down to study and ponder a complex book seems like torture.

Back in the day, people got as excited about a new book as they did about finding a wifi hotspot to check their Instagram feed. About a couple hundred years ago, a guy by the name of Parley Pratt was given a copy of the Book of Mormon. He said “I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.” I wonder if Parley knew he was going to be describing every teenager with a cell phone in the 21st century?

Very few people truly know what is buried on those pages within the Book of Mormon. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I had not taken the time to read those pages in between surf sessions as a 21 year old punk. I can’t imagine all of the things I would have missed.

The very first verse in that book opens up by talking about the importance of good parenting. Go figure. As if that’s not needed in our day more than ever. That verse wasn’t even supposed to be there, and yet through a series of events, it landed as the first verse of the entire book. 

As I read further, I learned of this guy named Nephi who was completely obedient to his parents. He honored them and supported them. But we live in a day where kids rule over parents and disrespect adults. 

Just the other day, I had to act as security for a swim meet to protect an area from kids entering into it. As one kid tried to enter the area, I nicely let him know that this area was closed. He ignored me at first and then got in my face and said, “don’t ever talk smack to me again.” This 11 year old kid might be completely different having learned from Nephi instead of his favorite pop star or TV show. I hope he reads the Book of Mormon someday. 

Personally, I learned from Nephi that I need to hold on to the scriptures and keep them close. That doing so will lead me through thick fog and loud voices to the tree which is Christ, and that once I’ve partaken of the fruit of Christ’s love, that I should never drop that fruit.

I learned that “the guilty taketh the truth be hard” and that “by small means, the Lord can bring about great things.” I learned that God doesn’t remove trials from my life but that if I keep the commandments, He’ll “nourish me, and strengthen me, and provide means whereby I can accomplish the things I’m supposed to accomplish.”

I learned that this great land was chosen to be a land of freedom and that the only thing that can bring that freedom down is the overwhelming voice of the majority choosing wickedness instead of righteousness.

I learned that there is most definitely opposition in all things but that each of us are ultimately here on this earth to experience “joy.”

I learned that through our agency, we choose liberty or captivity being free to act for ourselves.  These choices are what make us happy or miserable.

I learned that Jesus not only atoned for my sins, but that he took upon himself every mental, emotional, and physical issue I’ve ever experienced.

I learned that it’s good to be “learned” and smart and approach things intellectually…but only while I am also keeping the commandments of God.

I learned from Nephi’s little brother Jacob to never let “treasure” become my God. That if I’m going to seek after riches in this life…that I should seek them with the intent to do good for others. What good is an accumulation of wealth if it’s not to bless others through that abundance? To not bless others through our abundance is to do the exact opposite of what God does for each of us by blessing us with his abundance. 

I learned that about a thousand years of tedious and laborious etching in metal plates had one underlying motivation; “that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

I learned that there would be priestcraft established for the purpose of getting gain through the means of customizing Christ to fit the lifestyles of the day. 

I learned that the only way I’ll ever really be able to get to know Christ and speak with the tongues of angels is to “feast upon” His words. I learned that when I don’t feel like praying…that this is a time when I should pray more, “and not faint.”

I learned that there is no way in my mind that Joseph Smith comes up with the 77 long verses of complex allegorical olive tree horticulture out of thin air. 

I learned from a King named Benjamin that good leaders are always serving others first. That by serving others, we are actually serving God.

I learned from Abinadi that it’s not all that easy to be a disciple of Christ. A guy that was a little caught up in the world named Alma learned that same lesson from Abinadi and it changed his life. I learned from Alma’s son years later that even if you haven’t been that great of a person in the past, that the power of Christ is able to change your nature and that it’s never too late to come back. That even bad dudes can become giants in the kingdom.

I learned that once you’ve had the gospel change your heart, you immediately have a desire is to reach out and share that knowledge with others…even your enemies.

I learned from a few repentant soldiers, (friends of Ammon) and a bunch of faithful mothers that through the keeping of their covenants, 2,000 of the most righteous youth this world has ever seen were able to confidently fight the battles of the future.

I learned from a guy named Shiblon that it doesn’t matter where you serve, but how you serve. That there are “Shiblons” everywhere who are “low maintenance – high yield members of the church.” Shiblon taught me that you can lead from anywhere and that stability, reliability, and consistency are some of God’s most important attributes.

I learned from the actions of a spiritually immature boy named Corianton that “wickedness never was happiness” and that your actions, good or bad, could affect generations to come.

I learned from a great captain named Moroni that we should always be prepared. That we should recognize and fortify our “places of weakness” because that’s where the enemy will strike.

I learned that Christ came to this continent once…and that He’s on His way back, and that I should be humble as I anticipate His return. If I’m humble, I’m promised that weak things will become strong for me.

I learned in this book that these prophets “saw our day” and now having read it…know that they must have been telling the truth.

At the end of this book, I learned that in a world of chaos, I can pray to ask God for answers to the questions of my soul.

But one of the things I learned most of all is that “our lives passed away as it were unto us a dream.” I cannot believe how fast my life has gone by. I was a child…and now I’m old. The time goes by and you hope you’ve been good for something in this world as did the people who wrote in this book.

These are some of the things I would have missed if I hadn’t given the Book of Mormon a fair shake. I haven’t even scratched the surface of what I’ve really learned from this book. I’ve read lots of books. But never have I seen one book contain such an endless supply of wisdom as I do in this book.

Regardless of whether or not someone chooses to be a member of the Church that produces the book or not, I hope that every single person on this earth will read it at least one time. It might change your life as it did mine.

Strengthening Faith in God & Families

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Interesting"

    A couple weeks ago I did some painting for Cheryl and Kent Baker who is the  St. Paul stake president.
   Talking to Sister Baker I asked is she had any "church big wigs". Stay at her house she said yes, and listed off a bunch of general authorities, I said I bet that puts pressure on you to keep your house nice and clean, she said you would not believe.....
I asked any Apostles? She said Elder Hollands, I asked did you learn anything interesting from him? She said yes, she asked him what was his favorite thing about conference?
   To her surprise he said " I love the times I get to take conference off!"  Than he explained that for possible terrorism reasons they always have two apostles skip conference and stay off sight, one senior and one more junior Apostle. And he said he really loves it when he can just stay home and watch conference in his pj's.  Imagine that he is just like us!
g
 

Ten Commandments Minnesota style