Ann

Many of the other Come Follow Me lessons cover sections of text that have distinct stories from Jesus’ ministry or parables. That’s not the case with John 14-17. This week’s reading is three chapters of doctrine. There is so much beauty packed into these three chapters.

As things are currently organized I cannot serve as a Ward Financial Clerk. I can't help prepare a deposit of tithing money. I can't process reimbursement checks. I can't help distribute fast offering funds. I can't help prepare the ward budget.

We'd been talking about the Holy Spirit for almost an hour when we came upon a huge theological rift - one that we hadn't realized existed. Keep in mind I'd read nearly 35 pages about Pneumatology and hadn't picked up on this.

I started to hear that the temple ceremony had been updated - again. My friends were saying that Christ was more prominently featured and that things were explained more clearly.  I heard an older woman in my ward saying, “I wish we’d had this all along. Everything would have been so much easier to understand.

It seems the church wants me to act as a buffer to keep my children in the safe, shallow end. But I would rather train my children to safely navigate the deep end - to be prepared to meet the dangers with skill and confidence.

I don’t regret paying tithing - even during tight financial times. But I do regret that I was misled about where my money was going. I just blindly donated to the church and assumed that my money was being put to good use.

The various passages of Matthew 6-7 are some of the most well known parts of scripture. They are also packed full of things you can discuss.

I had to go on this bus ride to marry my husband. That’s what everyone told me. I couldn’t know the route ahead of time. I took classes that vaguely hinted at what the bus ride would be like. I looked at pictures of what the inside of the bus looked like. I still didn’t know much.