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Junior Ganymede: Peter’s Testimony

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:53:00 -0700

“Whom do you say that I am?” And Peter said unto him: Thou art very God of very God, the Ultimate Ground of our being.” And Jesus said unto him, “What?”

Link

I heartily recommend the linked work.

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Feast upon the Word Blog: _Believing Christ_ Revisited, 0 – Context

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:44:00 -0700

I want to begin this series with a few words about the context in which Believing Christ appeared. I’m not sure it makes a whole lot of sense to read this book apart from its original setting. It would, at any rate, be a bit uncharitable to criticize any part of Robinson’s book as “unscriptural” [...]
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Feast upon the Word Blog: Announcing a Series: _Believing Christ_ Revisited

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:03:00 -0700

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of Stephen Robinson’s Believing Christ, unquestionably the most widely read LDS book on the subject of atonement or grace. The book has had an enormous impact in American Mormonism—though in some ways not enormous enough—and I think it deserves a fresh look, particularly in light of [...]
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Keepapitchinin: Heart Room for Home: Chapter 2

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:00:00 -0700

By: Ardis E. Parshall - June 01, 2012 Heart Room for Home by Alice Morrey Bailey Previous chapter Chapter 2 Synopsis: Mary Ann and Kim Freeman take Kim’s father from his home in Mayville, Utah, to their home in Los Angeles to care for him after an accident, in which his hip has been broken. His coming will constitute an upheaval in their way of living, as Mary Ann will have to break her contract as a teacher in order to care for h...
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Mormon Game Design: National Game Development Month

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:28:00 -0700

The month of June is National Game Development Month!! Here's the general idea from the website (here):

Have you always wanted to make a game?
Do you already make games, but feel stuck in a rut?
Have you tried to make games before, but have no idea where to start?
Do you like the energy of game jams, but want more time to actually finish your work?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should participate in National Game Development Month in June!

We're building a community of game makers who can encourage you to start and help you finish the game that's been dancing in your imagination for years. Come give it a try.

So, by the end of June I am going to have a pretty well finished game, and I'm going to do the best that I can to document the process, even though I am traveling and on vacation. I've always wanted to design a deck-building game (here's an explanation of what that kind of game entails), so that is where I am starting. I'm also pretty excited about The Book of Jer3miah (here) online web series, recently released by Deseret Book on DVD, so I am thinking that will serve as the theme for the game.

The plan right now is to give quick updates via Facebook, with weekly updates popping up here on the blog. I'll do my best to document my thought processes, the methods I use to test the ideas, etc. I am very interested in getting others involved as playtesters, and am not completely opposed to the idea of collaborating with someone on the design itself. That being said, if you have any inkling to contribute, please let me know. I would also love to hear from others who are interested in participating by designing their own games during the National Game Development Month.
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A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman: Mormon Women, Priesthood and Equality

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:56:00 -0700

Among the strongest critiques levied against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) is that LDS women do not exercise priesthood, therefore they lack power -- or as the world terms it, equality. Feminist of all varieties, both inside and outside of the Church, often advocate that the Church needs to change its policy, in regard to this position, and allow women to be ordained to the Mormon priesthood.

In Mormonism, priesthood is defined as the power God gives to man to act in His Name. All official administrations in the Church are directed under and by priesthood authority - which 'authority' women in the LDS Church do not possess. However, as critical as one chooses to be with this arrangement, it is not unusual, nor primitive.

On March 17, 1844, Relief Society was established by the prophet Joseph Smith, to organize the women of the Church, under the hand of the priesthood. Their charge was to minister alongside the brethren to accomplish the work of the Lord. Relief Society was to be something quite different than what was popping up among other womens' groups of the time. Emma Smith caught her prophet-husband's vision and exclaimed these infamous words -- "We are going to do something extraordinary."

And indeed, that "something extraordinary" is evident more so today, than at any other time in the history of the world. Faithful Mormon women, who understand, cherish and value their role as Latter-day Saint women, with the help of technology, are having an increasing influence for good. Our ability to connect with each other to strengthen, teach and support is one of the great blessings of modern times, and most assuredly is part of God's plan to hasten His work. And in our desire to do so, we are touching the lives of many outside of our faith.

Mormon feminism is also broadening its influence, not only within the Church, but outside of her borders as well. With few exceptions mainstream media are much more interested in the minority, sensational agendas of LDS women who refer to themselves as progressive Mormon women, than with what the majority of faithful Latter-day Saint women think and feel about the same topics. And more importantly how faithful Mormon women resolve various issues, seen by outsiders of the Church as oppressive, in ways that strengthen their testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel.

Certainly we could have a lively discussion here about LDS women and priesthood authority -- which unfortunately just fuels the fires of dissent. So we won't. The many injustices that particular women have experienced within the Church, if listed, often due to lack of understanding, could possibly fill volumes. Nevertheless, that would not address the way things are intended to be, as understood by probably hundreds of thousands of faithful women in the Church -- and which both men and women within the Church acknowledge.

In speaking to the sisters of the Church, Sheri Dew said this:

“Sisters, some will try to persuade you that because you are not ordained to the priesthood, you have been shortchanged. They are simply wrong, and they do not understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. The blessings of the priesthood are available to every righteous man and woman. We may all receive the Holy Ghost, obtain personal revelation, and be endowed in the temple, from which we emerge ‘armed’ with power. The power of the priesthood heals, protects, and inoculates all of the righteous against the powers of darkness. Most significantly, the fulness of the priesthood contained in the highest ordinances of the house of the Lord can be received only by a man and woman together.”

It's been my experience in speaking to and reading the thoughts of many progressive Mormon women, that they do not have a strong, LDS doctrinal understanding of priesthood and womanhood, in general -- or, that they are openly choosing to be in opposition to the direction and revelation received by those called of God to direct these affairs -- and whom are sustained regularly by the body of the Church as prophets, seers, and revelators. Thus the discomfort that I, and many other LDS members share, when their liberal ideas, philosophies and advocacies are broadcast as false representations of how the majority of active Mormon women think and feel.

Faithful, active Mormon women do not oppose the counsel and inspired direction of living prophets, called specifically to address our day and whom members of the Church, by covenant, sustain.

I greatly appreciate section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The Lord straight up exposes the tendency of every man, when given authority, to use unrighteous dominion in its administration. He also warned that to do so would be the end of a man's priesthood power. Sadly the natural man, in so many, choose to ignore this admonition, and the tender hearts of the Lord's daughters are the frequent recipients of such ignorance. However, this is not the way the Lord intended it to be, but rather, knowing full well this was going to be a problem, called it out. As a Mormon women this is comforting revelation, which enables me to trust in the Lord, and His decisions, on how His Church would be administered here upon the earth -- and confident that ultimately, regardless of human frailty, His power will only be manifest upon the principle of righteousness.

Said Jeffrey R. Holland, at a recent Harvard Conference covering Mormonism 101: "I would put the position of a woman in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints up against the dignity; and worth; and merit; and wonder of a woman anywhere on this planet. We just need to do better to to be able to convey that. We need to be able to make sure that everybody understands that -- including the women in our Church -- which I don't think we've done well enough yet."

Julie B. Beck, former general Relief Society president, eloquently instructed Mormon women on how to gain a better understanding of our own priesthood duty, as well as where and how we all obtain God's power to accomplish His work:

"I will say the priesthood duty of sisters is to create life, to nurture it, to prepare it for covenants of the Lord. Don’t confuse the power with the keys and the offices of the priesthood. God’s power is limitless and it is shared with those who make and keep covenants. Too much is said and misunderstood about what the brothers have and the sisters don’t have. This is Satan’s way of confusing both men and women so neither understands what they really have. . . . “Mine is a home where ev’ry hour is blessed by the strength of priesthood pow’r, With father and mother leading the way.” Mine is a home where every hour is blessed by the strength of priesthood power. That is your responsibility, sisters, to help your home be a home that is blessed every hour by priesthood power. It isn’t just when Dad is there. It’s not just when Mom is there. It’s not just when a priesthood ordinance or blessing is being performed. It’s every hour as ordinances, as covenants, are made and kept."

I think it is wrong to assume that simply because the majority of Mormon women do not choose to be critical of our brothers, or try to change what the Lord has established, that we don't see or acknowledge problems within the Church -- because many of us do. Personally, I prefer to go forward, with faith, trusting that as I better understand the doctrine of the priesthood, and how it is manifest in the different roles that men and women share in the Lord's Plan of Salvation, I will better appreciate how, together, we are united in this great work of saving souls, and not necessarily administering the Church -- or being politically correct.

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Read my latest article on The Washington Post's On Faith Blog: Mitt Romney's Mormon milestone

Read more of what Jeffrey R. Holland had to say about women in the Church: Woman: The Crowning Creation and Glory of the Human Experience

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Segullah: How Others Carry Their Universe

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:47:00 -0700

The beginning of Abraham Lincoln's autobiography, written in his own hand. Image from http://timestraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/07

I took my kids to the library this week (along with the rest of the moms in my city!), all of us eager to get going on the summer reading program. I was happy to see my seven-year-old toting around a few biographies along with her Junie B. Jones and Harry Potter books. I’ve always been enamored with biographies and even more so with autobiographies and memoirs. In fact, this love is probably one of the reasons why I keep reading friend’s blogs, even a few strangers’ blogs, and sites like Segullah. The Internet is full of the genre these days.

I’m fascinated by the blurry line between memory and imagination, by what people choose to reveal and not reveal, what their writing style tells us about their character, what they feel entitled to speak about, how they achieve an air of legitimacy, how they draw on others’ identities—others who write in the genre (especially blogs) to form their own identities, and so on.

Plus, I think there’s something important about trying to see how the world looks from inside another’s experience. Perhaps reading autobiographies can help us understand each other better. As Henry Adams said, “Every one must bear his own universe, and most persons are moderately interested in learning how their neighbors have managed to carry theirs.”

What about you—are you interested in how others “have managed to carry” their universe? Why or why not? Why do or don’t you read blogs and sites like Segullah? What genres do you prefer and why?

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LDS Media Talk: Videos: Daughters in My Kingdom

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:43:00 -0700

In this video, three Relief Society presidents talk about how to inspire others to read the book Daughters in My Kingdom as they share examples that have inspired them.

Here’s a video, that discusses ways to incorporate Daughters in My Kingdom into Relief Society.

Watch more videos about Daughters in My Kingdom on the Mormon Channel.

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Keepapitchinin: I Have More Questions, 1899

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:30:00 -0700

By: Ardis E. Parshall - June 01, 2012 Q. We have received communications at different times asking questions about raffling, and the propriety of the practice. A. In answering them, we do not wish to make any application to any particular case or to any association or society that may have gotten up raffles or that may be engaged in doing so for the frequently good purposes with which such proceedings are associated. But speaking in...
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Zarahemla Times: YM v YW

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:03:00 -0700

Yeah, there's a difference in how the two groups approach camp.

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Rachel's Latter-day Saints Blog: My Last Day as Your Guide

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 02:07:00 -0700

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that I will no longer be the About.com Guide of this topic about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This July would have been my 10 year anniversary as your guide and it has been a wonderful blessing and journey. I have loved writing and sharing about the gospel of Jesus Christ and all the other aspects related to it and the Church. Everything on this site will stay live until a new gu...
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(Gay) Mormon Guy: Blessings (video)

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:45:00 -0700

I was listening to Pandora the other day when a song came on that I had never heard. The words struck me because they seemed to fit my life so well... in so many ways. The song is called "Blessings" by Laura Story.

I went online to see why she had written it, and found that it came from a period of turmoil in her life while her husband battled brain cancer. Laura isn't Mormon, and even though the song suggests that perhaps God can bless us through trials, she really isn't sure if that is true... only that there is a power in trusting in the Lord during difficult times.

I decided to make a video response to her story and post it here. I've had my own conversion story... and I definitely feel that my own trials and sorrows have made me who I am today - more faithful, kinder, and a better man overall. The Lord has blessed me with blessings, talents, trials, and everything I've needed to return to Him... and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

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MORMON SOPRANO: These Guys Know How To Rock A Wedding

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Thu, 31 May 2012 23:45:00 -0700

Pachelbel Canon thème et couplet 1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Admit it. You’ve been there. Crammed into a narrow church bench, trying to make small talk with the man identified only as “former room-mate of the groom” who is currently regaling you with tales you could have happily gone your entire life never hearing. You discreetly check your watch, and then sneak a peek up the aisle for any sign of taffeta or lace. You attempt once more ...
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Mormon Women: From Catholic to Mormon – Karen’s Conversion Story

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Thu, 31 May 2012 22:43:00 -0700

(Karen, a Mormon convert, is pictured above in a video (part 1 of 2) where she shares her Mormon conversion story.)

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A reader, Mandy, recently asked the following question:

Do you know of any Mormons who converted from Catholicism? What are their reasons for converting?

Immediately, my friend Karen came to mind. Following is her conversion story in her own words (in two parts). You can also read more of her story at Mormon Scholars Testify.

We’ll be linking to a few more stories of Catholics who converted to Mormonism tomorrow.

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The Millennial Star: Sexists are happier

noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:45:00 -0700

This study makes the claim that so-called “benevolent sexists” (BS) are happier. What this means is that what we Mormons would see as “traditional family roles,” ie men work and are responsible for making money, women take care of the kids and home, actually makes people happier. To quote from the description of the study: [...]

Sexists are happier is a post from: The Millennial Star

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