When I was young, living in Texas with my parents, i have a vague memory of my mom making sauerkraut. My memory is really limited but I do remember all of us kids making a big fuss. She had this crock and food, and I remember thinking what she made was horrid. I have since linked it with the experience of my grandmother staying with us and making liver and onions. Both meals were awful. TO this day I have never eating liver and onions. I almost could say the same about sauerkraut. Yet a few Thursdays ago when we were grocery shopping and Kennedy was at dance, I was so hungry I had a headache. I stopped in at Arbys. I got a ruben on rye, in the middle was sauerkraut. The sandwich was the best experience from fast food that I had in a long long time. I groaned with pleasure at every bite.it was embarrassing, so I was glad I was in the car alone. I hoped the waiting parents in the next car couldn't hear me. but it was dark so maybe they can't recognize me.
I know that fast food places dumb down condiments and flavors: the spicy chicken at McD's is not so spicy, the salsa at sonic is chunky ketchup, the sauerkraut at arbys is not so strong. I usually mock the other fast food places for their bland flavors, yet now I realize how some feel about the spicy other places.
Missionary work for me is like sauerkraut. I'm sure Brother Uckdorf can really handle some strong sauerkraut and loves it. Me- not so much. Not that the canned is good, but bland fresh would probably work for me. We are really focusing on missionary work in our stake this year and I feel it is like strong sauerkraut. I can't hardly take it. I feel already burned out and pushed to my limit of sharing the gospel with others. I feel a clash in what I have always believed: that there are many paths back to Jesus, and some need to hear the good words of others, not just LDS to find that path. Like different sauerkraut recipes What would the world be like of all good works and good people were only LDS? Don't some people out there need "bland sauerkraut" when it comes to the gospel to learn to love and want the stronger version? I have been told many times this month that if we really feel we had the good news we would be so anxious for others to have it too. As if anything they currently believe is not good news. Yes I do believe we have the only correct ordinances and authority to get us through the gates of Heaven. (had a inactive friend ask me how do I know that we have the correct priesthood, and besides faith, I didn't have an answer and want to find one)** and did later to my own satisfaction and strengthening of my own beliefs.
Those who are talking of missionary work at every breath come off to me like there is no other way but to baptize them all NOW. I have never felt like this before with any other church idea. I usually find my spot, how much I can give and feel good about it too. While I believe and am told to carefully pray about who could benefit from my particular "recipe", I feel at the same time that I am being told that should included someone else s ideas. I feel guilty for not calling myself on a mission, for not giving 70 hours a week like a Jehovah's witness is ( I know i am exaggerating for a giggle) I am so focused on incidences like my student teacher being asked by the missionaries to give them names of all of us at the school he worked with so they could contact us. He told me they were really really persistent. 1. the missionaries should know our small town so well that they knew the school better, and 2. that is so inappropriate to ask for contact information from him on a professional level when he has not gotten to know any of us personally. Or when a sunday school teacher felt the need to take up 30 minutes talking about her current plan of promoting missionary work more in her life.
I really don't know what to do; I have tried to talk to my people around me and they are not struggling and can't bridge the gap to help me find my place. I don't feel my testimony shaken, nor do I want to quit going to church. I just don't think this is the WAY for me, and I can't find one nor can I ignore it.... ***at a loss ***
I heard a story about someone praying for a year over a particular problem before she got an answer; it wasn't the one she was looking for and it took a long time.
Hopefully as I keep working on this I will find my place my way and my recipe.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
harness the power of the peanut
I am sorry is a small but simple word. why people and I really mean teens can't harness the power of that word is beyond my grasp. As I sit scratching my head like a baboon over this word and what it means, I can't help but remits over and over the situation that makes my head itch-a two handed,10 nail head scratcher. a younger person that I encounter every day seems to think "I'm sorry" should cure all that he has done wrong. I think this week I have heard it a millions times. it seems as if he can't get the words out fast enough so he can do another thing wrong, free of guilt and worry. I am his priest and he just waits for 15 Hail Marys and 10 our fathers from me. grahhh, I am not sure I can take it much longer. the irritation that rise in me when I hear him say this over and over will take me over soon. or at least cause me to me to be bald. what what I do next? wear my irritated baldness like a badge or wear a solid wig so I could scratch more in frustration at this young man, free from the worry of creating the grand canyon in my skull.
I had enough this week of fake I'm sorry and so I blurted out" just stop, you need to find another word. I am sorry is wrong when you don't mean it and it makes me mad. it is insulting"
He smiled a sheepish crooked grin that gripped my stomach in a tight fist. I could feel the lid of patience pop off - mentos in diet coke, ready to spew a mile high. people have said they couldn't teach, days like this. I question why I do it too on days like this.
" My bad Mrs. Scarbrough"
I wanted to laugh and cry. so I snorted at him and turns away.
sigh, it doesn't change much, but that is better than a fake I am sorry...
I had enough this week of fake I'm sorry and so I blurted out" just stop, you need to find another word. I am sorry is wrong when you don't mean it and it makes me mad. it is insulting"
He smiled a sheepish crooked grin that gripped my stomach in a tight fist. I could feel the lid of patience pop off - mentos in diet coke, ready to spew a mile high. people have said they couldn't teach, days like this. I question why I do it too on days like this.
" My bad Mrs. Scarbrough"
I wanted to laugh and cry. so I snorted at him and turns away.
sigh, it doesn't change much, but that is better than a fake I am sorry...
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Origins of the Priesthood
I was at a friend's house the other day and we were talking about Jesus. I could tell sh had a long way to go before she came back to our church and she was searching in a lot of places for her testimony and relationship with Jesus. Her study is focused on the bible and books from random people who have thoughts on the subject. I think she wanted me to agree with their words; and they weren't wrong, they just didn't have the total package. However, I could tell she needed to start from ground 0, even though she had been raised in the church, she never got the good news of the gospel and so many of her thoughts were twisted and her testimony of Christ was non existent.
One thing we talked about was that every religion believed that they had the true priesthood. This got me to thinking was there a way I could trace the authority of the priesthood through the ages. I think I did after a few days of looking. I was going to write her a letter, but I don't know how in that it may be too deep for her and not what she is looking for right now anyway.
As the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he found mention of baptism for the remission of sins. On May 15, 1829, he and his scribe Oliver Cowdery went into the woods to inquire of the Lord concerning baptism. As they prayed, “a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light.” This messenger was John the Baptist, the prophet who had baptized Jesus Christ centuries earlier. John the Baptist, now a resurrected being, laid his hands on Joseph and on Oliver and conferred upon each of them the Aaronic Priesthood, which had been taken from the earth during the Great Apostasy. With this authority, Joseph and Oliver were able to baptize one another. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:68-72.),
Now I knew how the priesthood got to this time after being off the earth for so long, but I wated to trace it back as far as I could. I searched more. Later in JSH and in DC they tell of Peter, James, and John giving them more keys to the priesthood. I wanted to know where they got it so I went to the new testament. PJ &J were given the priesthood by Jesus directly right before the end of his ministry. Peter, James and John were translated in the same set of passages. Later those men gave it to Joesph smith and oliver cowdry
How did Christ get the priesthood?
The keys of the priesthood are the right to preside and direct the affairs of the Church within a jurisdiction. Jesus Christ holds all the keys of the priesthood pertaining to His Church. He has conferred upon each of His Apostles all the keys that pertain to the kingdom of God on earth. The senior living Apostle, the President of the Church, is the only person on earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys.
In the old testament in Numbers it records the lord giving special duties to the Levites and the Aaronites. They were also held to different standards and punishments.
he also called someone to be a prophet to lead and guide his people as in Amos 3:7 During Old Testament times, God followed this pattern by appointing prophets such as Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses to establish His Church among the people. As part of this pattern, the prophets gave priesthood authority to additional worthy men as priests and teachers to help in the Church.
Exodus28-29, Hebrews, and Article faith 1: 5 all tell how a man is called to the priesthood. I found a seminary lesson that teachers about it.
One thing we talked about was that every religion believed that they had the true priesthood. This got me to thinking was there a way I could trace the authority of the priesthood through the ages. I think I did after a few days of looking. I was going to write her a letter, but I don't know how in that it may be too deep for her and not what she is looking for right now anyway.
As the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he found mention of baptism for the remission of sins. On May 15, 1829, he and his scribe Oliver Cowdery went into the woods to inquire of the Lord concerning baptism. As they prayed, “a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light.” This messenger was John the Baptist, the prophet who had baptized Jesus Christ centuries earlier. John the Baptist, now a resurrected being, laid his hands on Joseph and on Oliver and conferred upon each of them the Aaronic Priesthood, which had been taken from the earth during the Great Apostasy. With this authority, Joseph and Oliver were able to baptize one another. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:68-72.),
Now I knew how the priesthood got to this time after being off the earth for so long, but I wated to trace it back as far as I could. I searched more. Later in JSH and in DC they tell of Peter, James, and John giving them more keys to the priesthood. I wanted to know where they got it so I went to the new testament. PJ &J were given the priesthood by Jesus directly right before the end of his ministry. Peter, James and John were translated in the same set of passages. Later those men gave it to Joesph smith and oliver cowdry
How did Christ get the priesthood?
The keys of the priesthood are the right to preside and direct the affairs of the Church within a jurisdiction. Jesus Christ holds all the keys of the priesthood pertaining to His Church. He has conferred upon each of His Apostles all the keys that pertain to the kingdom of God on earth. The senior living Apostle, the President of the Church, is the only person on earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys.
In the old testament in Numbers it records the lord giving special duties to the Levites and the Aaronites. They were also held to different standards and punishments.
he also called someone to be a prophet to lead and guide his people as in Amos 3:7 During Old Testament times, God followed this pattern by appointing prophets such as Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses to establish His Church among the people. As part of this pattern, the prophets gave priesthood authority to additional worthy men as priests and teachers to help in the Church.
Exodus28-29, Hebrews, and Article faith 1: 5 all tell how a man is called to the priesthood. I found a seminary lesson that teachers about it.
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