Blog Tag: testimony
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A Spiritual Hiatus
“Will you be moving your records into the branch?”
“….Maybe.”
The YSA Branch Relief Society President was happy and cheerful enough–– not yet jaded by New York City (for now). With a pleasant grin on her face and sincerity in her voice, she asked if I would be joining their motley YSA crew here in New York. I told her an honest “maybe”. I attended my local Young Single Adult branch this past Sunday, made new friends, and felt pretty much at home. It didn’t hurt that the Relief Society lesson was not from the Ezra Taft Benson manual, but instead,...
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Sacred Music: Simple Song
http://youtu.be/4a4naYEHUZs
I had the opportunity to sing in the chorus for a performance of Leonard Bernstein's MASS when I was a senior in high school. As a young person I had no idea what a big deal this was--Bernstein's MASS is hugely controversial and rarely performed because of its enormity. And while this was all lost on me, I found that the music spoke to a part of me that I could not articulate. This piece of music and theater is joyful in its celebration of life and God. But MASS does not shy away from the cognitive dissonance of an ostensibly loving God...
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An (Out)Burst
Three Sundays ago in Relief Society we had lesson 1 in the Joseph Fielding Smith manual. It was the lesson on Heavenly Father. I had ended up on the front row with my knitting and my baby. The first discussion in the class included listing the traits of God on the board. I sat there wondering if I had something to add while everyone else put up all the phrases I was already thinking about: all the omni-stuff, loving, merciful, etc. And then,
"Male."
Male? Really? When "we are sons and daughters of Heavenly Parents" God is still male? Is Heavenly...
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Relief Society Lesson 1: Our Father in Heaven
In the Book of Mormon, Alma debated Korihor about the existence of God:
Alma 30:43-44
43 And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me aasign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.
44 But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of aall these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and...
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Young Women Lesson: How Can I Find Solutions to My Challenges...
The overall theme in November is “self reliance.” Spunky did an excellent introduction last week here, and you can look up the Aaronic priesthood lessons here; they have additional ideas that I thought were helpful for the Young Women.
When I was in high school, I read Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay, "Self Reliance." That essay gave me confidence and made me feel like I was capable of handling anything that came my way. I was determined to be self-reliant. So, I would start with my favorite part of the essay:
Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the...
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Come Follow Me: Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13 “In Remembrance”
How Can I Develop Christlike Love?
As I was reading through the lesson, I was very excited about the focus on Christ and love. The lessons on the Come Follow Me website are very good. In this lesson, I tried to get away from the cerebral aspects of "we need to love everyone" and go into the "how" to love everyone.
Lesson Prep/Intro
The week before the lesson, I think it would be good to ask the students to spend time thinking of their favorite story of Jesus. You could ask some of the older girls who studied New Testament last year...
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Seeing Through The Veil
"Each soul walks this earth clothed not only in mortal flesh, but also in accoutrements of hardship, disability, distortion and corruption of truth . . . the veil of mortality separates us not only from the presence of God, but also from ourselves and from each other."
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Suddenly a Light Descended
One of the things I like to do when I read scriptures is to add Heavenly Mother in. Where it says "God" I add "and Goddess," where it says "Father" I read it as "Parents," and where it says "Lord" I add "and Lady."
Because we are studying Doctrine and Covenants in Sunday School this year, I thought it would be interesting to re-imagine the First Vision with God the Mother introducing Christ. So I opened up my scriptures and read,
When the light rested upon me Isaw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake...
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Tobacco, Milk, Fact-checking & Testimony
When I was very new in my career, I wrote a pamphlet. If I were to rewrite this particular pamphlet today, I would delete a quote I took from a reputable source that stated, “You would have to gain 100 pounds to equal the health risks of smoking.”
I had the best of intentions when I included that quote. Smoking is extremely damaging to the human body and I sincerely believe people should not smoke. Some people are afraid to quit smoking because they might gain weight. The “fact” I included in the pamphlet could encourage them to make the...
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Keeping it Real in Relief Society
A few weeks ago, a teacher in Relief Society asked me to prepare a few remarks on my experience with conversion and testimony for her lesson on that topic. I asked her if she was ok with an unconventional conversion story, and she said she was. So I got up and said the following. I was worried that I would make some people uncomfortable, and no doubt I did, but it felt good to be honest about (some of) my struggles.
"I have a very unconventional conversion story for you. Despite having been raised and married in the church, I...
What is Exponent II?
Exponent II provides Mormon feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.
Exponent II was founded in 1974 by a group of Mormon women in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These women were inspired by the original periodical, “The Woman’s Exponent,” to create a forum “posed on the dual platforms of Mormonism and Feminism.”
For 50+ years, Exponent II has shared women’s voices in its quarterly magazine, and members of the community have convened at an annual retreat. Our reach has expanded as technology has advanced: the blog, founded in January 2006, has reached millions. As we look to the future, we are focused on growth and building a more inclusive community.
