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I am reading a book called,The Amish Way, they hold one 3 hour Sacrament Type meeting every 2 weeks. From the reading I gather even we would find ours more fun, inspiring, uplifting than theirs. Every one in the family attends. Small children learn the discipline of sitting quietly. There is no Sunday School session or other break out time. They sing very long German hymns – slowly. No piano or organ to accompany them. Their prayers are also long and often deep recitations of prayers they’ve been trained on. The sermons are on the bible, and given extemporaneously, then the other elders each get up and support or correct the speaker. Yet they love their worship services.
I don’t struggle with our services as much as others, but when I read about the Amish I took a look at myself and why I worship or what I expect to gain from it. Tomorrow will be the first day I get to try living my chosen reason for Sabbath Day Worship. I am hoping it makes the day more glorified toward God as it should be.
Roy- I really loved your whole response but your final paragraph was very instructive to me. I have trouble not having the last word. And it wasn’t till I read your post that I realized this need I have “to make sure I am heard” . I had never seen that side of myself before. I can not thank you enough for showing me this. I head forth into life to see if I can watch the trait and use it more effectively.
I’d agree with you ihilani. No where in the scriptures does it say “and when these things happen please ignore the suffering.” But scripture does mention that mens hearts will grow cold. Maybe you watched that yesterday. And as Ray pointed out that didn’t appear to be the Saviors response to things. I also love the story of the Hiding Place, and the lessons we learn from it wouldn’t have happened if a Christian family wasn’t charitable to Jews. They saw beyond the boundaries to the people. I guess my hope is that I will try to relief suffering and help where I can. Reading your post I am guessing you’ll be there too.
Featherina- I love your sun analogy.
I live in an area where it rains ten months out of the year. We really don’t see sun for a long time. We envy people with snow, because even if it’s cold, they still see sun. And if it’s too cold to go out. Just to have it stream through a window is miraculous. Living here has been a great lesson in the analogy of God, the spirit, whatever you choose to equate it with. Because even when it’s raining and we see no sun, the day is lighter than the night, but not light enough to make you feel as warm and energized as when it’s fully sunny. Shining sun also effects the way something looks, even the tree in your yard looks different when the sun shines on it or through it. It’s still the same tree, same branches, same leaves or bareness, but it changes. You see it differently.
It’s very hard to explain it unless you have lived in it. I grew up in a very sunny place and had no idea what constant clouds and rain felt like or looked like. Or how it affected the world. Now I do. And as lonely and dreary and enduring as it seems it has taught me a metaphor for my relationship with God and the spirit. So great job Featherina.
I am reading a fascinating book that was written in 1774 by an American to an Englishman about the Native Americans. It is non-fiction and his insights. My daughter is reading it for college. It makes me think about the Book of Mormon all the time. Especially parts where he explains that the Native Americans were not from China but from the Isrealites. I will post more when I finish reading it. Anyway – thanks for letting me thread jack. I don’t know if I’d call it a brick, but I concluded that all the stuff, especially the history and even the BOM actuality, had occurred almost 200 years before my life. Yet in that time, in all innocence I had experienced wonderful spiritual, life sustaining experiences through lessons I had learned in the church and in reading the BOM. So I let myself keep using those tools to keep building. If they were so wrong wouldn’t I have been blocked from the experiences. I don’t know. I’m not really going to puzzle it, but I chose to keep pressing on. I guess then that was my first brick – pressing on, relying on the experiences that were my own in connection to the church, it’s history, it’s unique scripture. I like your post. Good luck brick making
Thanks for the additional insights Hawkgrrl. I don’t know that my mom was advocating all of that either I believe her more supportive point in the process was fact that school age children had an adult family member at home to take the on the traditional stay at home parent role. And that though it wasn’t the direct biological mom, but a grandparent, the family was still abiding by the prophets encouragement “to be at the crossroads of their lives.” All the other details they may have learned in time. Again thanks for the adding to my understanding. Now I’m in a very international ward in Asia. Our bishop specifically tells new members that Utah Mormonism is not “true” and to get with local culture. I couldn’t agree more. :thumbup: My mom was the Stake RS pres in her ward in California. More and more Asian families are living in their stake. As I understand it, correct me if I’m wrong, but in a typical Asian home the grandparents are the stay at home parents. They live with the family, and take over traditional parenting duties, getting homework complete, fixing dinner, etc. The parents both work at good jobs and provide the income. As each generation moves on this method is repeated. The present parents will someday be the stay at home leaders while their kids are breadwinners.
This cultural change really challenged the standard LDS vision, a great deal of the ward presidents were very concerned even agitated that the biological moms weren’t following the rules and staying home. My mom finally had to explain to the ward Presidents that the families were not in “violation” of any rules, but that they actually had a great system. Moreover the request for mothers to be home was so children could be nurtured – what better nurture than loving, able grandparents. I never heard if she got any flack for her take on it, but I agreed with it.
I do believe that Bishops or Bishoprics influence Sacrament Meetings. I have attended wards (not many I will admit) that have more uplifting or stimulating meetings. Those wards change the programs up at times. They have music and the spoken word days – like a readers theater with narrators. My parents ward is less strict on talk presentations. Meaning tasteful light heartedness comes up when it applies or more memorable stories. In one of the wards I lived in I was YW Pres. and we got permission to be the main event at Sacrament Meeting. We made it an all hymn/music meeting. There are still people I bump into who remembered it.
My guess is most Bishops are busy. Other than picking a topic for the meeting they just let it go along, unless something horrible goes awry. Ironically this maybe one of those moments when the age old joke about Relief Society with table cloths and doilies comes in. Not that doilies are needed, but women are more presentation oriented. Where as the men open the book, set it on the desk and go.
This is a tricky one to change if you aren’t in a capacity to do so. However I’ve attended Evangelical services and though they have more trained pastors who can stir a crowd they too have deficits. Bands maybe great, but some of their hymns sound like the accompaniment is the same no matter what the words are.
My final thought on boring meetings comes from Ronald Reagan “One thing I do know-all the hours in the old church in Dixon (which I didn’t appreciate at the time) and all of Nellie’s faith have come together in a kind of inheritance without which I’d be lost and helpless.”
This may be a thread jack of sorts, one of my favorite Mormon lifestyle stories happened in Kaui. My husband and I read about a road side flea market. It was located near a hiking trail. We decided to take a look. The location was deeply hidden past pineapple fields, but it existed. At the end of the road was cul-de-sac the vendors just opened the trunks of their cars or laid things on blankets in the road. As we looked around I noticed a Liahona magazine on the back dashboard of a car. I looked closer and it was the conference issue. Sitting on the ground weaving or whittling was a large happy Hawaiian man. He was leaning against a metal post with an official sign attached that read, “No loitering, bartering, or selling.” (Similar to a no parking sign). While I was standing there he looked up and smiled. My curiosity got the better of me and I pointed to the magazine and asked if he was a member. He beamed, nodded his head and said, “Yes I keep dat in de car. When its slow I read from the Brethren. I so love them.” It was the perfect oxy-moron. A man clearly disobeying the law with his holy scripture nearby. I grinned all the way back to our house.
“One man I knew who was studying ethics said that as soon as you claim to be ethical in some way, you become a target.” Not to drag politics into this, but that is the key method Alinsky uses in Rules for Radicals. You look at what the person or organization aspires to or claims to believe and you target their failings. They shrink and have no footings. Truth is we all live that way. Each of us aspire to things that we can’t fully achieve. So yes – if you have no boundaries or principles you cherish you should be safe.
