A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman

Round Up: Hot Mormon Topics in the News

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:20:00 +0000

It should come as no surprise to most members of the LDS Church that the closer a Mormon gets to the U.S. presidency the longer the claws of those who oppose such a thought will extend. In a matter of only a few days news headlines are covering our beliefs about tithing, baptism for the dead, temple garments, heaven and hell, etc. in the hopes of dissuading potential voters from a Mormon for President.

As Mormon beliefs and practices continue to be put under the public microscope, unfortunately and for the most part, it's not for a better understanding of what we believe but rather to create skepticism and distrust in persons that believe such seemingly odd things. Going with the premise that people tend to fear what they don't understand, those who oppose presidential candidate Mitt Romney are doing their best to present to the public what they believe will damage his chances in Florida this week -- his Mormon faith.

I've previously made it very clear, that here on WBMW, I will not promote a specific candidate. However, that does not mean I won't do my best to take opportunities to help clarify our Mormon beliefs and doctrines during this heightened scrutiny, which are often misrepresented.

So if you happen to come across this blog in hopes of gaining a better understanding of some of the Mormon beliefs that are being discussed in the news currently, I'd like to share some links with you in hopes of giving you credible information on a few of the topics mentioned above.

Mormons and Tithing:

On Faith - Mormons and the practice of tithing

"Tithing is not unique to Mormons, of course. Many churches practice it in one form or another. Jewish observance of tithing long predates Christian communities. But in Mormon practice it is understood to mean donating “one tenth of our increase” to the service of God. At the close of the Book of Malachi, the Old Testament prophet wrote:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)."

What is done with the tithing that Mormons pay?

"The principle of tithing, or voluntarily giving one tenth of one’s income to God’s work, has been known since Old Testament times. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-20).

The law of tithing is how the Lord funds His Church. Today all faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contribute one tenth of their income as tithing."

Deseret News - Mitt Romney hopes millions he tithes to LDS Church isn't politicized

"With the release of Mitt Romney's tax records on Tuesday, the world now knows what was previously known only by a select few: Mitt and Ann Romney pay 10 percent of their income in tithing to their faith.

Traditionally, tithing records are viewed as a confidential matter between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the lay leader of their church congregation, but for the Romneys in the midst of a presidential campaign, those charitable donations are now a matter of public record."

Temple Garments:

BuzzFeed - A Brief Guide To “Mormon Underwear”

"From the start of Romney's career as a public figure--and, in many ways, well before then--the special undergarment worn by many observant Mormon men and women had been a point of political curiosity, debate, and derision. While provocateurs and bloggers make jokes about "magic Mormon undies," anti-Mormons try to cast the garment as something more sinister--a bizarre symbol of its wearers' fealty to a scary, secretive cult. The reality is far less exciting."

What are Special Undergarments, LDS Temple Garments or Magic Underwear the Mormons Wear?

"If you were to ask nearly any Mormon what it is that they hear, or are personally asked about most often, it will no doubt be the wearing of our "secret, magic or funny - underwear" as many refer to them.

Of course, they are referring to the white temple garments which endowed members of the LDS Church wear every day. Adult members when they go to the temple for their first time, to receive their endowment, are given the garment ceremonially. In the temple endowment faithful members of the church make sacred covenants with God. The temple undergarment serves as a reminder to all endowed members of the church of the covenants that they have made with God."

Baptism for the Dead:

About Mormonism - Mormon Baptism for the Dead

"Many people have died without receiving a valid baptism, and they cannot undergo this precious ritual as mere spirits. "Because all on the earth do not have the opportunity to accept the gospel during mortality, the Lord has authorized baptisms performed by proxy for the dead. Therefore, those who accept the gospel in the spirit world may qualify for entrance into God's kingdom" (See Guide to the Scriptures).

One thing that should be made perfectly clear about Mormon baptisms for the dead is that each deceased soul has the personal choice to accept or reject it. There is nothing in Mormonism that states that the person who is being baptized by proxy must accept this ordinance; he or she is simply given the opportunity to choose."

Mormonism - Heaven and Hell:

What do Mormons believe about “eternal life?”

"Heaven is the place where God lives and the future home of those who do God’s will and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. The hope of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the purpose of life on this earth is to teach us and prepare us that we, along with our families, might live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ eternally."

What do Mormons believe happens to us after we die? What do Mormons believe about life after death?

"Death is not the end. Death is really a beginning—another step forward in Heavenly Father’s plan for His children. Someday, like everyone else, your physical body will die. But your spirit does not die, it goes to the spirit world, where you will continue to learn and progress and may be with loved ones who have passed on.

Death is a necessary step in your progression, just as your birth was. Sometime after your death, your spirit and your body will be reunited—never to be separated again. This is called resurrection, and it was made possible by the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-22)."

What Do Mormons Believe -- About Hell?

" Mormons believe in hell, but our conception of hell is different than the one that generally springs to mind, and we use the word to mean different things in different contexts. For us, there are two “hells”, really. One is a state of pain, guilt, and anguish where the spirits of the wicked will be after they die but before the final judgment (we often call this state spirit prison). The other is an everlasting state of hell reserved for a few truly wicked (we commonly refer to this one as outer darkness). Because the second state only applies to few, for the majority of people hell will not last forever: after the final judgment most people will receive some degree of glory."

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

To learn about other Mormon beliefs visit Mormon.org

Mormon Moment: Is Time Standing Still?

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:15:00 +0000

Highlights of results from a new Pew Forum survey on Mormons in America found that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are highly religious, dedicated to family, quite satisfied with their lives, describe themselves as Christian -- but are still somewhat apprehensive about being in the spotlight. Does this represent you? I suspect that for many it does.

The survey, first of its kind, was prompted by the insatiable desire of Americans wanting to know more about Mormon presidential candidates, Mitt Romney and John Huntsman. You may recall Newsweek's feature that dubbed the current interest in Mormonism as "The Mormon Moment". I had quite a bit to say that about that, here.

If there really is such a thing as "time standing still" this would definitely be it. Mormon voices of all varieties are being sought out by major news outlets, in a desire to better understand the minds of Mormons under such scrutiny. And in fact, I am one of those. I was approached a few days ago by The Washington Post, On Faith editor, Elizabeth Tenety. (who is absolutely as lovely as can be:) She extended an invitation to this WBMW to participate in a feature that would coincide with the release of the Pew survey -- along with "a number of prominent Mormon thinkers and cultural influencers". (And yes, she said that!)

Needless to say this has been a thrill! I've felt the hand of the Lord throughout this entire experience and feel that this was a unique opportunity to share, with many outside the Mormon faith, a voice that I sincerely hope resonates with the majority of LDS members. I say members because my voice is one of many at On Faith, representing what members are feeling right now. I was acutely aware of this fact as I was writing. It wasn't me writing, but 'us' and I wanted to share with others a genuine picture of how I believe most members are experiencing this "Mormon Moment".

After reading my post at On Faith, and IF you share a similar perspective, pleeeeease post a comment on the article page, and say so. (Now, this is not a plea for you to tell me how incredible I am;) It is my hope that The Washington Post will hear our voice as members of the Church, representative of results in Pew's study -- and perhaps in the future invite more of the like.

For Mormons, this moment is personal

By Kathryn Skaggs

Official statement of LDS Church on Pew Forum Survey:

"Mormons’ faith, beliefs and practices translate to satisfaction with their lives according to a report studying members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States released today by the Pew Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The study, a nationwide survey of 1,019 Latter-day Saints, sought to determine the levels of religiosity among Church members and found that 77% of members say they attend religious services at least once a week, 83% say they pray every day, 98% say they believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and 97% describe their faith as a Christian religion. The study confirms that Mormons exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than many other religious groups and believe firmly in the distinctive tenants of their faith."

Read the entire news release LDS Newsroom.

On Faith: Mormon in America - Polling the ‘Mormon moment’

Deseret News wrote a great article summarizing the Pew survey that I definitely recommend. It's the first in a series of five articles that will go into greater detail about the survey results.

'Mormons in America' Pew survey explores beliefs, attitudes of LDS Church members

And here's the second in the series just posted:

Mormon focus on marriage, family highlighted by Pew survey

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

LDS Teaching Resource for Parents and Primary Teachers

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Every teacher loves and needs good teaching resources, and for those of us who are privileged to teach children, The Friend now has a great LDS resource! If you're a parent, primary teacher or leader of children -- or grandparent, the Friend is now publishing an online resource of additional helps for instruction.

What you will find with this new online LDS Church resource are stories, activities and media that support the current year's Primary curriculum. Also provided will be an excellent index for ideas on various gospel topics that can be used both in the home and for teaching Primary. Best of all, these are approved resources for teaching in the LDS Church. Teachers can be completely confident that they are teaching from Church approved material, which maintain the standard of teaching true doctrine.

Currently, along with my Stake Public Affair's council assignment, I team teach the 8-11 year old girls in Primary -- which I really enjoy! So needless to say I'm very excited about this new resource as I really believe it is needed. As much as I appreciate the current Primary manuals, it is nice to have additional, approved resources for consideration.

I'm very pleased that a great resource for teaching primary is now available by the Church. A teacher may not always use these resources in the class, but perhaps even more important, or certainly as important, is helping teachers to understand the doctrine, in a simplified manner, themselves. Not to offend anyone, but I've too often been surprised at how many times teachers in the Church don't have LDS doctrine down themselves -- but they think they do. So this is a great tool to help ensure that teachers understand exactly what they should be teaching. I for one, plan on checking these additional resources on the week that I teach primary, to make sure I'm teaching our precious children according to Church standards, doctrinally.

While I'm on the subject of teaching doctrinally sound Primary lessons -- and yes, besides treat training your children Primary teachers teach doctrine -- can I just share with you one of my pet peeves of mis-taught doctrine in the Church, that I hear frequently and at all levels… it has to do with teaching the basic Plan of Salvation lesson. Maybe I should ask you a question before we proceed... And yes, this is a test. ; )

QUESTION: How many plans for our Salvation were presented in the pre-existence?

Now, this is just my experience, but more times than I can count teachers, speakers, leaders, etc... have taught that there were more than one plan and that we had to choose which plan we would follow. However, LDS doctrine teaches (meaning the scriptures) that there was only one plan presented, which was then opposed by Lucifer. We each had to make a choice, but it was not between two different plans. There was only one plan presented, Heavenly Father's, that would result in our Salvation. Jesus Christ did not have a plan -- He desired to be obedient to His Father and offered Himself as the required sacrifice to bring to pass the Father's Plan of Salvation. Lucifer did not have a plan for our Salvation, but opposed God's Plan by perpetuating alternatives that could never result in our Salvation. Just as we do in mortality, in the preexistence our choice was to follow God or Lucifer. And as in our first estate, progression continues for those who choose God's Plan...

LDS.org on the Plan of Salvation:

"Before we were born on the earth, we lived in the presence of our Heavenly Father as one of His spirit children. In this premortal existence, we attended a council with Heavenly Father's other spirit children. At that council, Heavenly Father presented His great plan of happiness (see Abraham 3:22–26).

In harmony with the plan of happiness, the premortal Jesus Christ, the Firstborn Son of the Father in the spirit, covenanted to be the Savior (see Moses 4:2; Abraham 3:27). Those who followed Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were permitted to come to the earth to experience mortality and progress toward eternal life. Lucifer, another spirit son of God, rebelled against the plan and "sought to destroy the agency of man" (Moses 4:3). He became Satan, and he and his followers were cast out of heaven and denied the privileges of receiving a physical body and experiencing mortality (see Moses 4:4; Abraham 3:27–28)."

And this from an Apostle of the Lord...

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said that it is “extremely important to get straight what happened in that premortal council. It was not an unstructured meeting, nor was it a discussion between plans, nor an idea-producing session, as to how to formulate the plan for salvation and carry it out. Our Father’s plan was known , and the actual question put was whom the Father should send to carry out the plan” Pearl of Great Price Student Manual

This may seem a bit picky to some, but I think it's important to understand and teach the doctrines of the Church in their purest form -- straight from scripture or modern revelation. But unless we take the time to really study the basic teachings of the Church it is easy to perpetuate seemingly small inconsistencies. But in reality, even the very smallest of revealed truth is important and connects with other truths taught within the gospel.

I really hope that this new teaching resource, The Friend: Children’s Lesson Helps for parents and Primary teachers will be a blessing in the lives of children as they develop their own firm testimonies of the truthfulness of the restored gospel.

Pin It

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Plan of Salvation, Plan of Redemption

Sister Beck is Doing Something Extraordinary!

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Julie B. Beck, general president of the Relief Society, is doing something extraordinary and unprecedented... She is reaching out to LDS women via Mormon Mommy Blogs. Apparently she called an exclusive meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, to enlist their help, by asking them to invite their readers to ask her any question they want -- on their blog!

That's right! You have the opportunity to ask Sister Beck any question you have -- about anything!

And next week, Mormon Mommy Blogs will take these questions to a 90 minute taped interview, unscripted, with Sister Beck -- for The Mormon Channel.

Here are a few suggested questions, offered by MMB:

Why do only men hold the priesthood?

How do women really fit into the church? Do they have a place?

Why were Relief Society Meetings-- formerly known as Enrichment-- formerly known as Home, Family and Personal Enrichment--formerly known as Homemaking done away with?

When is it OK to say NO? Is it ever?

What are we supposed to do with that new book they just put out? (Daughters in my kingdom)

However, it shouldn't be surprising that Mormon women are taking this opportunity to go beyond these relatively easy questions and are going after the hard stuff. Check out some of the questions already left on MMB blog, requesting Sister Beck address...

"OOH! I have one! When I was getting a new calling, the bishopric had called my husband in advance and asked HIM if it was okay to extend me a calling. Which I thought was weird and archaic, but THEN when HE got a new calling, nobody called me to see if I was okay with it. Is that a normal church thing, or was that just my ward?" ~Sara

"I want to know what words of encouragement she would offer the sisters of the church who find themselves doing everything they have been asked to do-- callings, temple, reading scriptures, praying, tithing etc and their "happily ever after" hasn't been realized... or it isn't the version that they dreamed about in their youth." ~Erica

"Is she aware of the backlash from her talk "Mothers That Know" and does she care? Looking back, would she say anything differently? Change anything? I get what she was trying to say, but it didn't come off the way I think she intended... What are her feelings about that talk now?" ~Curious

"Why do we almost exclusively learn about male church leaders in our Relief Society classes, but the Priesthood classes don't ever study notable women in the church? What is the place of single women in the church--really--not just the cute and trite little things we hear all the time. Are single women just supposed to sit their lives out waiting for a family in the afterlife, or do we have a role in the church on earth that is other than simply caring for other women's children?... ~Confirmed Spinster

"To her knowledge has their ever been a serious, sustained effort by leadership including herself to study, research and petition the Lord for more knowledge about Heavenly Mother, understanding polygamy, and the divine role of women in the eternities? (Something like the process that led to the change in the Priesthood policies for blacks - multi-year, apostolic commissions, continual effort etc) If so can you tell us more about such efforts. If not why in your opinion has this not been a focus given the imbalance in knowledge about women's divine destiny? The most extensive information we have comes directly from teachings and the era of polygamy making this especially problematic for many. Is it reasonable to be hopeful as members that significant new information might be received on these issues in our lifetime or is it better for us to accept that we will only have existing cannon and history to work with?" ~Anonymous

"I would like to hear her opinion about the problematic language and sexism of the temple ceremony. While many aspects of the endowment are so beautiful, relegating women to secondary status (why is Eve created?) seems to underpin other sexist practices in the church. If the church no longer practices polygamy, why are men still allowed to be sealed to more than one woman in the temple? Does the church still consider polygamy a celestial law? Does church leadership understand that these practices leave many women feeling that our religion does not view men and women as equals before God?" ~Vinniecat

Heard enough? (there's more) Anyway, no doubt Sister Beck is well aware of these concerns that many LDS women have, and will not be surprised that they are taking this extraordinary opportunity to hear what she might have to say in this interview. And no doubt many of the questions that are being posted are coming from less than happy Mormon women, some of which most likely are somewhat distant from the Church. (but that's not to say that many very active women in the Church don't, on occasion, wonder some of the same things) However, I believe that Sister Beck knew when she decided to step out like this, that this would be the result. I love that about her. And I appreciate her willingness to connect with the women of the Church on such an intimate level.

I can't wait to listen to the interview -- and then come back and discuss some of her answers!

So, if you have a question that you've been dying to ask a Church leader, but never thought you'd have the chance, head on over to Mormon Mommy Blogs and post your question to Sister Beck... HERE!

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Update: I just heard this from a great FB friend...

Did you also know that you can email her questions for the RS program on the Mormon Channel at mormonchannel@ldschurch.org and they could be answered in an upcoming Relief Society question and answer episode (she records them monthly). You may also record your question by calling 1-877-MYLDS32 and leave your question.

Note: Make sure and share this info with other LDS women, so that as many as possible have a chance to ask Sister Beck a question. :)

Deseret News: Today in the Bloggernacle: Asking President Julie B. Beck questions, and visiting teaching handout

Deseret Book on Facebook - Ask Sister Beck

LDS Newsroom: Relief Society Presidency

Rewind 2011: Top Ten Most Popular Posts

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:29:00 +0000

I thought it would be both interesting and fun to rewind 2011 to find out what the Top Ten Most Popular Posts on A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman were! Then I decided to add some personal commentary alongside each of the winners, to give you a bit of information as to why I wrote it, and why it might be so popular. I'm thinking that this list says as much about who I am, as it does about who my readers are. And yes, that would be YOU!

Every Temple Marriage is a Royal Wedding

There's certainly been a lot of buzz over these past few weeks leading up to the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, better known as William and Kate. I've only watched a bit of the coverage but I will confess that I, too, find myself a little intrigued by the glamour and romance surrounding this hopeful fairytale.

What's most interesting about this particular post is, not only has it been read 10 times more than any other post on my blog in 2011, but it's probably the quickest blog post I've ever written. I was spending a week taking care of four of my grandchildren and in between the crazy I was watching coverage of the Royal Wedding. When these thoughts suddenly popped into my head, I just knew I needed to share them on my blog. I think it took me all of 30 minutes to write and publish these insights. Little did I know, that many of you were apparently thinking the same thing! Thanks to LDS Living Magazine for picking up on the post, as it's been a favorite all year long!

Are Mormons Offended by Book of Mormon Musical?

Are Mormons offended by the play The Book of Mormon Musical? In a nutshell, yes, most are. And in my opinion we should be. After all, I do believe God would be, too. But my concerns don't stop there... I can't say that these concerns would be classified as being offended, but rather a deep unhappiness with the distorted and misrepresentation of my Mormon faith -- which unfortunately many are being led to believe are accurate.

I'm really grateful that I felt compelled to address The Book of Mormon Musical on my blog, because thankfully when people who are wondering how LDS members feel about the play, Google has a credible search result. This post is particularly busy on the weekends when most people actually see the play. It's also been a great avenue for nonmembers to find a positive Mormon blog and blogger. Thanks to Deseret News for posting such a great article for me to send these curious folks!

Info: General Relief Society Meeting 2011

This Saturday, September 24, 2011, Mormon women around the globe will gather in various places for the general Relief Society meeting, broadcast live from the LDS Conference Center, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mormon women are encouraged to participate in this meeting from wherever they are. Information about about how to watch or listen can be found at LDS.org - HERE.

Oftentimes I feel that the Church does a such a great job of getting this type of general information out, especially as of late, that it's becoming less and less needful that Mormon bloggers help out. The popularity of this post and others like it this past year, have proven to me otherwise. I'll continue to help in this manner and would encourage others to do the same.

Highlights: General Relief Society Meeting 2011

I was pleasantly surprised to find that immediately after tweeting the general Relief Society meeting last night, LDS Church News already had up summaries from each of the members of the general presidency: Julie B. Beck, Sylvia H. Allred and Barbara Thompson. Each of these faithful LDS leaders gave inspired and uplifting talks to the women of the Mormon Church.

Another thing I've learned this year, is that not every member is able to watch our conferences in realtime or care to take notes themselves. So this is another important example of how we all need to help share information with each other. It's also emphasized to me just how much we Mormons love hearing the counsel of our leaders.

10 Tips for Tweeting #LDSConf on Twitter

This is big. I mean this is really reallyBIG! This weekend the unofficial #TwitterStake, who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , will once again gather to tweet and share General Conference -- using the hash tag #LDSConf. And for those of you who don't already know this, these Mormons are very good at what they do!

And if you don't believe me, check out what Deseret News had to say about the efforts of this amazing group of digital missionaries, HERE!

No surprise here, but I love helping members share the gospel online! And thanks to Deseret News, LDS Living Magazine and Mormon Times, our team effort helped to get the word out about what many members do online during our General Conferences -- and helped to enlist more to help out!

2011: What a Year for Mormons!

It would not be an overstatement to say that Mormons, or rather The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has had a BIG year in 2011! From a Mormon blogger's perspective, and as one who tries to keep up with everything 'Mormon', I finally reached a point where I had to say "uncle"! It didn't take long into 2011 before I realized that there was no way that one Well-Behaved Mormon Woman could possibly keep up with it all!

Now this post didn't take long to get into the Top Ten -- considering I wrote it on December 27, 2011! Right from the start it was well received by my own blog readers and was picked up a few days later by Deseret News! It was a really fun post to write and as I said in the post, I could have written a book about all the amazing things that have happened concerning Mormons and Mormonism in 2011!

Rock Star Brandon Flowers Shares His Mormon Faith

For many Brandon Flower's fans, finding out that this rock star is a Mormon, may comes as quite a surprise. In fact, Brandon is the latestI'm a Mormon profile at Mormon.org -- along with this inspiring video interview, sure to go viral!

Those of us online who enjoy promoting the LDS Church and helping to share the great social media that the Church creates, knew right away that this I'm A Mormon video was going to be a hit online. Sure glad I decided to post this one, as no doubt it's brought quite a few nonmembers to my blog -- and continues to do so...

X-Mormon Lead Writer Newsweek Mormon Minute

While many members of the LDS Church appear to be giving a pass on a series of controversial stories on Mormons in the current issue of Newsweek, I cannot. A closer examination of the content that is finely woven throughout this project, reveals a strong underpinning that is intended to create further skepticism about Mormonism. One cannot help but question why a ridiculous caricature of Mitt Romney suddenly appears only days after he announces his run for the highest office in the land. Nor can it be ignored that the the lead writer on the cover story, Mormons Rock, is a former Mormon who has made public remarks disparaging the Church in the past.

Well, this post speaks for itself about my feelings regarding politics, entertainment, and the media. I can't say that I've changed my mind about that, but I will say that the Church has done an excellent job in setting an example for members, and the world, about how we should respond to this type of attention. Like I said in this post about how things have gone in 2011, its generally been a positive. However, I'm not willing to be so naive as to think that "all is well in Zion" -- because 2012 will most likely have much more for us to respond to...

Saturday Morning General Conference Highlights and Favorite Quotes

What an exciting day to be here in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah, attending the October 2011 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were inspired messages presented throughout the day, with much to ponder and find personal application for in our lives. Being a Mormon means following living prophets and apostles. That's an amazing concept for people outside of our faith to wrap their heads around. But we do, and this is what our General Conferences are all about -- hearing and listening to living prophets of God!

This Well-Behaved Mormon Woman had the thrill of a lifetime this past General Conference! I had the opportunity, by invitation of LDS Public Affairs, to live tweet from the LDS Conference Center, all four sessions of Conference. This should give you some idea of how important social media has become to the LDS Church. I'm now hooked and will do my best to make it up there for future conferences. I'm already starting to make plans for April General Conference. Besides tweeting each session from the Conference Center, I did my best to follow-up with a blog post for each session. It was an exhausting but exhilarating experience -- filled with the spirit!

Prepare to Be Offended - The Book of Mormon Musical

As an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I think I have a pretty darn good sense of humor when it comes to being poked at for my "peculiar" beliefs. That being said, I think there are times when people actually mean to cross the line and offend. I think the producers of The Book of Mormon Musical are specifically of this type.

If you've noticed, there are three post in this list of 2011 Top Ten blog posts that have something to do with The Book of Mormon Musical! This tells me that my readers are very interested in what others are saying about Mormons and Mormonism -- and are interested in how we can respond.

Many posts that did not make the 2011 Top Ten Popular Post for A Well Behaved Mormon Woman, but came close, had much to do with how we can better discuss our Mormon beliefs and share the gospel online. I'm very proud of those posts, which are very close to my heart and what I do online. I'll be sharing with you some of my favorites of 2011 in an upcoming post.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have faithfully, not only read my blog in 2011, but have shared it with your friends and family. Currently I have over 1000 subscribers to my blog via my Facebook Page, NetworkedBlogs, Blogger Friend Connect, Google+, email, etc... and I expect to continue reaching out into 2012.

I also want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Deseret News, LDS Living Magazine and Mormon Times for featuring various blog posts of mine throughout this past year. That too, has been a thrill! I love being part of a team that works together, online, to inspire and share our gospel message with others. Needless to say, 2011 has been a great year for this Well-Behaved Mormon Woman! For the most part I've stayed out of trouble and have made some wonderful friends. You might also be interested to know that this blog is also featured on LDS Living Magazine - Mormon Report as a Best of LDS Blogs! Their mission: "Scouring the web for all things Mormon. We sort through it all (so you don't have to) and handpick the best (so you don't miss it)." :)

I think it's important to look back to see what has interested readers most, so that I will know best where to take A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman into the future. I'm excited about the future and what that means to be a Mormon, online -- and how we can better share our beliefs with others, while at the same time strengthening the faith of each other, as members. I feel extremely blessed to have each one of you in my life. To me, this blog is personal, although I don't often write about much of my personal life. However, I may change that up a bit this year, as there's so much I'd like to write about and discuss.

May this New Year be filled with the Lord's choicest blessing for each of you, and your families...

tDMg

Kathryn Skaggs

Rewind 2011 Photo Credit

2011: What a Year for Mormons!

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:07:00 +0000

It would not be an overstatement to say that Mormons, or rather The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has had a BIG year in 2011! From a Mormon blogger's perspective, and as one who tries to keep up with everything 'Mormon', I finally reached a point where I had to say "uncle"! It didn't take long into 2011 before I realized that there was no way that one Well-Behaved Mormon Woman could possibly keep up with it all!

From this year's Mormon Social Media explosion to Mormons in politics, the LDS Church has definitely been having what is currently being referred to as a "Mormon Minute" -- or more like 525,600 of them! I'll confess, that with some things I was thrilled from the onset, but when it came to other things, such as what happened on Broadway with The Book of Mormon Musical, I was concerned how it would reflect on the Church. I will now admit, that overall, its gone pretty well -- as it seems nearly everyone that has seen the play is curious to know if Mormons are offended, and many of them have landed here on my blog to find out!

Having two Mormon candidates running for President has turned out to be relatively good for the Church as well, -- so far as an increase of attention to our beliefs goes. Although, we have had to spend quite a bit of time responding to accusations that we are a cult. Sigh...

I say "good" because due to the increased interest in Mormonism, Mormons have had more opportunity than ever before to share their beliefs with those outside of the LDS faith -- and not because I think everything that has garnered attention is necessarily "good". Most notable is that the Church has been right there to support member's responses by continually creating excellent resources, about Mormonism and our beliefs, for members to share via social media. Be sure to follow LDS Media Talk to keep up on new LDS products. And let me give a huge nod to the team over at LDS Public Affairs who run the LDS Newsroom! The Church has a number of behind the scene teams, who work diligently on everything related to helping people learn about the LDS Church and our beliefs, on the Internet -- and they are doing an exceptional job!

There are now more ways than ever before to share the gospel, online, that it nearly boggles the mind -- well at least mine! Almost weekly the LDS Church is launching new media projects that are easily shared by members. And if I do say so myself, we've been doing a pretty good job of doing just that!

If you haven't realized it yet, LDS members are very involved, and I believe, partially responsible for what is happening with the type of attention the Church is receiving -- particularly during this past year. Your voice and how you are using it, is making a difference in how the Church is perceived by the general public. Just this last week Inc. Magazine named The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and more specifically the Book of Mormon as one of the 10 Surprising Brand Winners of 2011. Check this out...

"When South Park creators Parker and Stone launched an obscene musical entitled The Book of Mormon, officials at the Church of the Latter Day Saints could have gotten their magical underwear in a twist. Instead, they made a simple statement that the musical was "entertaining" and directed people to read the book itself. Such mature restraint is unusual for a religious brand. (Imagine if the musical had been named The Koran!)

Lesson: People like brands that don't take themselves too seriously."

Well, little does Inc. Magazine know but we do take ourselves very seriously, and that is precisely why we respond very thoughtfully to much of what is considered controversial -- staying focused on what actually matters. Everyday now, I see members online sharing LDS media on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ just to name a few. It's inspiring to see members learning how to respond in a positive manner to what might be perceived as negatives toward their beliefs! We're learning that being defensive never works, but taking these opportunities to share our beliefs is the win!

I could probably write a book about all the awesome things that happened with the LDS Church and its members, online, during 2011, but since I've blogged about many of them I'll leave it at that... But don't you think it was so cool that President Monson blogged! We now officially can call him 'Prophet, Seer and Blogger'! Who could have predicted that? Certainly not me!

And what about our digital army of online missionaries that actively share the gospel online, over on Twitter -- every General Conference! Even Deseret News picked up on that story!

A highlight of 2011 for the Church, in my opinion, was the launch of the new LDS website: The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos.

Here's a little bit of what I shared about this new website, over on a post I wrote on Hubpages last week:

One thing I particularly appreciate in the making of each of these Bible videos is that no liberties were taken in how they might be interpreted. In fact, there is much more visual than audio in the videos – which enables the ability of each individual to reflect personally, on what the account means. Each short video is with integrity produced, in that it is true to the text of the King James Version of the Bible. Meaning that regardless of what Christian denomination you belong, you will feel the spirit of the actual scriptural account, through the Holy Spirit. And this is exactly as the videos are intended to be.

You can read my entire article/review HERE!

Over the last few days as I've been reflecting on what has happened with the LDS Church, particularly online, over this past year of 2011. I'm really proud to have been a part of it all -- even if only observing from the sidelines. Whether the Church and its members were responding to critics on various issues, creating new media, helping in our communities, building temples, reaching out to give humanitarian aid, etc... they are doing it in a manner, that I believe, is befitting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I look forward to 2012 and what that inevitably will bring. No doubt it will be that that which will take us take us all out of our comfort zones. What were you, as a Mormon, most surprised by in 2011 -- or feel was most significant for the Church?

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

UPDATE 12/28: Well, this year is surely going out with a BIG BANG... Our dear Mormon Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, made the list of the Top Ten Most Admired Men living in the world, for 2011!

"These results are based on a Dec. 15-18 USA Today/Gallup poll. In 1946, Gallup first asked Americans to name, without prompting, the person they most admire living in any part of the world. Since 1948, Gallup has asked Americans to name separately the Most Admired Man and Most Admired Woman, and has done so each year except in 1967 (when only Most Admired Man was asked) and 1976."

Read more about it here...

Church News: President Monson is listed among Gallup Poll's ten most admired men

Deseret News: President Thomas S. Monson one of Americans' 10 'Most Admired Men,' Gallup poll says

LDS Newsroom: Year in Review: 2011 Another Year of Progress for the Church
"In 2011 new temples were announced and others dedicated, and increased public attention was focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in what many journalists have called the “Mormon Moment.”

Deseret News best of 2011: The family

"This year the Deseret News shifted its focus to six core areas of editorial emphasis:the family, financial responsibility, care for the poor and needy, education, values in the media and faith."

Looking forward to 2012

"We wind down from Christmas festivities and look back on what the old year has brought. At the same time, we start gearing up for what the new year might bring."

By Common Consent: 2011: The Year of the Mormon
"What a wild year it’s been. Never has Mormonism been so culturally relevant, and never has the undulating curve of popular opinion shifted so wildly, so quickly. "

Without CHRIST there would be NO Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 07:25:00 +0000

I couldn't let Christmas pass without taking the time to share some of my feelings about Jesus Christ, and wish each of you a very Merry Christmas! It's late Christmas Eve as I'm writing this post, and for the first time in nearly 30 years, I am not home for Christmas. (although most of you probably won't read this until Christmas day) When my husband and I realized that we would be alone come Christmas morning, the decision was quickly made that we would spend this Christmas with our oldest daughter and her family. Christmas without children, for me, was not an option.

It was a real treat to see how my daughter has taken traditions that we developed in our home as she was growing up, and then added some new ones. My favorite was how they light a candle representing Jesus Christ -- He being the light of the world, and then one by one we each got to light our own little candle from His. We then went around, by candlelight, and shared our testimonies with each other. It was a sweet memory that I will cherish for years to come.

The best part about not being home for Christmas, is that someone else gets to do all the cooking! Which leaves me with a little more time for pondering the true meaning of Christmas. Earlier today I heard this... Without CHRIST there would be no Christmas. That struck me when I heard it, because it is so true! Without the mission of Jesus Christ, the giving of gifts would not have the meaning behind it that it represents. It would be simply shopping for others. In fact, everything that we think of when we think of Christmas probably wouldn't exist. Evergreen Christmas trees that remind us of eternal life -- His greatest gift! Or the star atop the tree that reminds us of the great Light that came into the world on that first Christmas night -- The Light of the World! And Christmas lights, too! Think of all the beautiful Christmas carols that we sing each year, such as "Oh Holy Night", "Silent Night", "Oh Come All Ye Faithful", "Joy to the World", "The First Noel"! Each of these songs are songs of praise and joy at His coming! Christmas music fills our hearts with the Spirit of Him. Why, without Christmas carols -- these songs of the heart -- who can even imagine Christmas? I could go on, but I think you get what I'm trying to convey here. For the most part, the majority of our traditions point to Jesus Christ and what He means to the Christian world.

To me, Jesus Christ means eternal families -- my eternal family. I've said it before, but without the possibility to be with my family beyond this life, nothing else has much meaning. I have a deep testimony of the mission of Jesus Christ -- Who He Is, what His mission here upon the earth accomplished, and His perfect love for each one of us. That great love is part of the greatest love story ever told, which resulted in the greatest gift to all mankind! And that is what CHRISTmas is all about. It is the celebration of His birth -- of Him who came into the world to save us from our sins and make it possible for us, through Him, to overcome this world and be lifted to greater heights!

Christmas is so much more than what commercialism and the world has done with it -- even with the many attempts to ignore its origins. And what I love most, is that even with all the modern-day commercialism of Christmas, it is still impossible to ignore the true meaning of Christmas! It's all around us, in all the symbolism that is CHRISTmas!

Christmas Video: A Gift to the World

This video is from the new LDS website: The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos

Without CHRIST, truly there would be no Christmas!

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Thanksgiving: A Time to Give

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:46:00 +0000

Just a few weeks ago I told you about a wonderful fundraiser for LDS Business College, to help single moms get an education. It's been lovingly named "Give Oh Give"! You can read the details HERE. I also told you that I would update you on how things are going, and introduce you to another very deserving single mother. (remember Megan?) You may also recall that LDS Philanthropies has partnered with Mormon bloggers to help raise money to provide scholarships to single LDS moms. I'm thrilled to lend my voice in this shared cause.

Meet Sarah and her sweet family. (pictured above) But don't let the smiles on their faces fool you. Sarah is a single mom, evident in this family portrait, and has been through a lot, with continued challenges before her. But her future has been greatly blessed by her scholarship from LDS Business College. Read more about Sarah's story at LDS Philanthropies. But let me share just a little bit here of what Sarah had to say about attending the college and benefiting by the generosity of others...

My biggest challenge at LDSBC has been overcoming my initial stumbling block of thinking that, as an almost 40 year old single mother of 4 young kids, I would not be able to do well at school after a 20+ year absence from formal education. I didn't believe it was in me to be 'smart enough' or had the confidence that I could do well. The thought of studying, exams, and so much required reading was very intimidating. Added to that, I didn't know how I'd pay for it.

The boost of confidence I needed came when I found out that the LDSBC offered a Scholarship for single parents, and that I qualified for it. I remember when the email arrived that I had been granted the Scholarship, I cried from feeling overwhelmed with appreciation and joy. I decided right there and then that if the people who donated the funds for the Scholarship and faculty of the College believed I was worth the investment, then I would give my all to my studies and do my absolute best to ensure that those precious funds were not wasted on me.

The donors may never fully understand how their gift has blessed my life. Within a few days of attending classes, delving into the textbooks, and getting to know my teachers, a feeling swelled within me that has grown and grown ever since. It was a feeling that distilled on me that 'I can do hard things'. Learning has become a joy - I've learned to love learning. Now in my fourth semester, I've averaged a 3.98 GPA. Those feelings of inadequacy and intimidation are gone and I see what I've accomplished in the past and have full confidence that my children and I have a bright future ahead of us.

Here's what Sarah had to say when asked how she would express her gratitude to those who have donated to make her education possible, and what she would say to those who might be considering making a donation to assist other single moms...

Anyone who has heard me speak of my gratitude to the donors who have made it possible for me to attend the College know it is a topic very close to my heart, and usually accompanied by tears. I look forward to the day when I know the names of the individuals who have donated the funds, to look into their eyes, and thank them personally for allowing me the means to have my life transformed. I don’t expect if I were to meet them that I would have the words to describe my gratitude. A simple “Thank You”, though sincere and heart-felt, is so inadequate to really express my feelings of gratitude. When granted the Scholarship, I promised the donors I’d do my very best and assured them that their precious funds would not be wasted on me. I have kept that promise to them and will continue to do so. I too would like to donate to the Scholarship fund, so that other people in similar situations have the opportunities that have been afforded to me.

Go Sarah!

I continue to be amazed at the challenges that single mothers have to parent their children, and provide for them. Sadly, 26 percent of children now live with just one parent, and 27 percent of single mothers live in poverty. Those are stunning statistics! These moms need our help to create a positive future for them and their children. Most single moms that I've talked to were not the ones who chose their circumstances. Many of them have had their dreams of the fairytale family that every little girl dreams of, now turned into a nightmare. Single mothers spend much of their time lying awake at night wondering how they are going to pay their bills and take care of their children. Education is the key to helping these women, and that's what this project is all about.

As of Sunday evening, 11/20/2011, people have given a total of $8,907. I wish that I could give a hug to every person who has given the widow's mite on behalf of these, our sisters. You can donate HERE or use the widget on my sidebar. Every donation, no matter the size, is helpful and needed. Won't you please consider making a contribution?

As President Hinckley once said,

"You never can foretell the consequences of a dollar invested in education. It goes on multiplying itself. It becomes not an expenditure but an investment that pays returns far and wide and through generations to come."

At this Thanksgiving time, as we consider the many blessings that God has given to us, may our hearts be touched on behalf of those in need of our help, and may we do what we can to help, however small that may be...

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Other ways YOU can GIVE:

Place the donation widget on the sidebar of your blog.

Pass this information along on your own blog.

Share the link to this post on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc...
(please use the hash tag #GiveOhGive when posting on Twitter)

LDS Business College: Give Oh Give

As you can see by this list, there are many AWESOME Mormon Bloggers working hard to get the word out to their readers, to HELP single moms:

Modern Molly Mormon: Give Hope, Give Help

Raising Memories: Give Oh Give

11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven: Can You Help?

Food Storage Made Easy: Spreading the Word for a Good Cause

Technology for Moms: Give Oh Give Away

Is this REALLY my life?: Single parent shout-out: Let’s #GiveOhGive

Cute Girls Hairstyles:
Single Parenting | A Time to Give
Lady Gaga Hair Bow - Give Oh Give Plug

Feminist Mormon Housewives: Opening a Door for Single Mothers

formerly phread: Bloggers Helping Single Parents

Perry's Plate: Giving Hope to Single Parents

We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ: Things I Will Spend (my husband's) Hard-Earned Money On

Chocolate on my Cranium:
Give, Oh, Give
Educating Women: Sarah's Story

Welcome to the Madness: Give Oh Give

Mormon Women: Who We Are: Give Hope: Help Single Parents Get an Education

My Real Life Was Backordered:
Tricks, Treats, and All the Saints at Home
A Dreamy Family Christmas Letter
This Just In!

The Lyon's Tale: WNW: Providing Education and a Future

Cute Culture Chick: LDS BLOGGERS GIVE BACK – SINGLE PARENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Divergent Pathways: Because I have been given

Mormon Moms Who Blog:
Your Financial HELP Strongly Requested
Your Help Needed

Budget Gourmet Mom:
Give, Oh Give and Apple Crisp Pancakes
Three 30 Minute Meals and A Chance to Give Hope

Fruit Height Friends: Campaign: Scholarships for Single Moms

The Jet Set: Single Parent Scholarships

Making Today Memorable: give oh give

Happy Meets Crazy: By Small and Simple Things...

georgia leigh: Achieving the Impossible

Women in the Scriptures: Give, Oh Give

gracious rain: All The Single Ladies

Super Healthy Kids: Meal Plans and Opportunities

Modern Mormon Men: Opening Doors For Single Mothers

NOTE: Although I've focused my blog posts on single moms, certainly these scholarships are available to single fathers, too.

Nothing Feels as Good as Gratitude!

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:38:00 +0000

When I think of all the different feelings that we as humans experience, throughout our entire lives, I'm convinced that gratitude is the most wonderful and important of them all! And I also believe that every other positive feeling that we experience is directly related to being thankful. For instance, you might say that love is the greatest feeling of all, but in reality it is the gratitude we feel for that person, place, creation, service, and even experience, that cause us to love. One of my favorite scriptures, John 4:19, teaches us this principle...

"We love him, because he loved us first!"

That's gratitude! We love what we are most grateful for, and above all, we are grateful for the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ and what that means to us now, and more importantly, eternally! Love is made perfect through the process of gratitude. We tend to love that which blesses us, in ways that benefit us in one way or another. Think about it...

I also believe that gratitude is learned. It is oppositional to the natural man. Therefore it is inherent in the Ten Commandments, wherein God has commanded that we first and foremost love Him. And again, we love Him because of His great love for us, and what He has made possible through the great Plan of Happiness!

One of the great challenges in life is to learn how to be grateful when bad things happen, or seemingly bad things happen. And yet, this is the very key to coming through the adversities of life -- strengthened. I can't say that I've always had a thankful heart when I'm in the thick of a trial. However, I've been fortunate enough to have found my way to that place, eventually. I hope I'm getting better at getting to the thankful place sooner. I say this, because inevitably my personal trials will become greater. That's the plan, right? Not that I'm saying bring it on, but trials and adversity are part of the plan. For instance, not one of us escapes the loss of those we love. No matter how good life is, death, illness and loss are with us.

Thankfully, life in general is good, because God intends for us to have joy in the process. The process of either learning to be grateful, or spontaneous feelings of gratitude for immediate blessings, is most always associated with family. And for me, that is what I am most thankful for as I consider my personal blessings. Every lesson I've learned that has helped me to know God better, and every joy I've experienced, have everything to do with my family!

I thank God for my family, and for His wonderful plan designed to create and build eternal families!

Happy Thanksgiving!

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Gratitude - The Power in Being Thankful!

LDS Newsroom: A Thanksgiving for Religious Freedom

Is Gay Mormon Conference Getting Unwarranted Attention?

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:12:00 +0000

Clearly there is an intense interest from the public at large, to understand the relationship of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its gay members. This past weekend, Salt Lake City was host to the Circling the Wagons conference for LGBT and SGA Mormons, sponsored by Mormon Stories. The conference focused on the relationship of gay LDS members with the Church.

Surprisingly, with an estimated attendance of only 300 at the conference, media outlets such as the Huffington Post, have picked up on the event as news worthy. But some have a very interesting reason for this, and I'm not sure that it's necessarily focused on the true content and purpose of the conference... at least I hope not.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune (SLT), an LDS bishop from Illinois, a featured speaker at the conference on Sunday, reportedly said that "the way gays are treated and perceived by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an "atrocity"". The bishop also said that "If you leave here not remembering what I have to say, remember this: I'm sorry". He then went so far as to say that " The straight members of the church have a lot of repenting to do".

However, conference sponsor and friend of sponsor are defending that what was reported by the SLT was not really what was said, or intended. They feel the bishop's talk was wrongly interpreted and have concerns that the bishop's message is being misrepresented. I've included video of the LDS bishop's talk below.

From my perspective this is really unfortunate, because in the end, this confusion only lends itself to a further communication breakdown between gay Mormons and the official LDS Church's position on homosexuality. In my opinion, a local bishop has no authority to ever speak in such a way that his words or personal position might be mistaken as official -- even if he covers himself by saying that they are not. This seems to be one of those situations where a decision was made to allow his opinion to be made public, knowing full well that the possibility of misrepresentation existed. One can only speculate as to the real reasons and motives this acting LDS bishop was allowed to address the conference. A recent blog post over on the LDS Newsroom comes to mind, titled: Informed Reading in This "Mormon Moment"

I think it's important to know, if you don't already, that there is an ongoing conversation amongst gay advocates, both inside and outside of the LDS Church, in regard to the responsibility that the Church should officially assume for the unfortunate suicides of young gay Mormons. It is a sad and sensitive issue -- one that easily incites extremely passionate feelings. There has been for sometime now, a call for the Church to officially apologize for its perceived mistreatment of gay Mormon members. Also, the position that the LDS Church takes, in particular the involvement of California's Prop 8, on same-sex marriage -- hotly debated as being anti-gay.

These are only two of the hot button issues that continue to fuel the chasm between gay Mormons and the LDS Church, and continue to create a divide that to many seems insurmountable. And yet, it is my understanding that conferences such as this one, hosted by Mormon Stories, is intended to help bridge this great divide and encourage healing for gay Mormons and their families. So it makes me sad when the purported focus of such an event is overshadowed by a potential misrepresentation that will only continue to fuel the fire.

I'm a firm believer that education creates understanding, and that as we come to understand others, our ability to love and accept increases. I believe that this principle works both ways. If we continue to find fault with each other, we will never find healing for those things that divide us. I also believe that intention is at the heart of all action. It is my opinion that the intentions of the LDS Church in relation to those with same-gender attraction has never been oppositional to individuals personally -- only toward the act.

Certainly I am aware of the 'history of homosexuality' in the Church, and its ongoing and unfortunate misrepresentation. I also know that much has been done and is currently being done to heal those wounds and create greater respect for those, within the Church, who struggle with same-gender attraction.

There is no question, in my experience, that members of the LDS Church are growing in their ability to better understand, love and accept gay members. And I believe that this is happening in direct relation to our embracing the official position of the Church, on the issue of same-gender attraction, and putting those principles into action.

Personally, I have a very tender place in my heart for faithful and active gay Mormons, who truly desire to be included in the gospel family. I am confident that there are many just waiting to feel confident enough, that members will embrace them with open arms, without judgement, truly emulating the love of Jesus Christ -- to safely welcome them back home.

I also believe that the majority of 'straight' members of the Church, sincerely desire to do just that...

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Deseret News: Conference explores unique challenges of gay Mormons

Birthdays are for Celebrating!

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:02:00 +0000

Yesterday was my birthday! Happy Birthday to ME! Another year has speedily passed and another is before me... I'm not as young as I once was, but not as old as I hope to be -- someday. For now, I'm happy to be in the middle of it all. I'm fortunate to not have too big an issue with aging. My mother is doing it with grace, which inspires me to embrace it without fear. Although I'd prefer to not wrinkle, or have the need of frequent trips to the hair salon!

One thing I've been noticing about my birthdays over the last few years, is that I'm becoming more reflective about my life, and realizing or acknowledging what a great life I have birthed through my own birth!

In my youth I looked forward to my birthdays, because I knew I could count on receiving special presents that I had hinted about leading up to the date. Or particular milestones like becoming a teen, driving a car, becoming legal -- as if that really mattered considering I'm a Mormon. And for me, that's what birthdays were all about -- then. And then my birthdays changed...

Once I started having children, my own birthday didn't seem quite as important, and the focus became their birthdays -- making them special in the ways that I had previously felt important. Dont' get me wrong, I still like the excuse of presents in order to acquire those important things that need justification -- like the new iPhone 4S! But since then I haven't felt the need to be the center of celebration simply because I was born.

It's funny how things tend to come full circle even when we dont' realize we're in such a cycle. Yesterday as I was reflecting on just how lucky and blessed I am to have such a wonderful life, my personal birth felt very significant to me. Because I had been born, I've been blessed with a beautiful life wherein I've made the choice to give birth to the blessings that surround my life daily and are now my hope for eternity!

Life is about giving birth -- by making choices. Examples... My decision to follow the Savior, by keeping His commandments and laws, has been accompanied with a peace and joy in this life, not known to the world at large. I am aware of this daily. And the decision I made 33 years ago to marry my husband, when I was such a young girl of 18, gave birth to my eternal family -- that I now enjoy beyond words!

So yes, birthdays are important because they are the beginnings of life and the creation of what we enjoy and experience daily! And so this year, my own birth-day feels very significant when I am able to reflect with a perspective that allows me to look back and forward, to how birth has been and will continue to be a significant part of my eternal journey...

Suddenly my own birthday, once again and with a new perspective, is great reason to CELEBRATE!

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Reaching Out to Help Single Moms: Give Oh Give!

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:41:00 +0000

I love November, and not just because it's my birthday month, but because I love this time of the year when we focus specifically on the things that we are grateful for in our lives. I'm convinced that if we want to feel the spirit, one of the easiest ways to do this is to simply count your many blessings! Like you, I am filled with gratitude for so many of the wonderful blessings in my life. But there was a time when I didn't feel this way…

Many who read this blog are aware that I am a child of divorce, thus my passion for defending traditional marriage and strengthening families. I mention this, because it is so much of who I am today, and what drives me to do much of what I do -- and particularly this blog.

My parents divorced when I was 10, and it left my mother single with three young daughters to provide for -- with no education, and no help. The years between my mother's first marriage and her remarriage are the worst of my life -- so sad, that I rarely discuss it. Much of this had to do with the fact that because my father was not around, my mother was left to do her best to put food in our mouths, and shelter over our heads. During these four years of my childhood we had many moves from apartment to apartment (literal dives) and very little in our cupboards. We were not active in the LDS Church, and so we did not benefit by any kind of available assistance. Because my mother was always working at a low paying job, we rarely saw her and were little cared for, to put it mildly.

When I became aware of this month's sponsored service project to give back to single moms, through the LDS Philanthropies Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it touched my heart deeply, and I just knew I had to get involved. And I knew that many of you would, too. So, let me tell you a little bit about this wonderful project to give back, to those currently less fortunate than you and I…

During the month of November, the LDS Philanthropies Department of the Church is partnering with LDS Business College, to provide four full-tuition (and books) scholarships for single parents. And LDS Philanthropies is partnering with Mormon Bloggers to accomplish this goal! Through the use of Social Media we intend to assist in getting the word out to as many as possible, to help in the collecting of donations, via our blogs, etc..

Over the next few weeks I'll introduce you to some of these well deserving students/parents from LDS Business College -- to help give you a better feel for how what we are doing to give back, will bless these families tremendously!

A few statistics about single moms (and some dads):

• 28 percent of children now live with just one parent.
• 40% of children under 18 experience a parental breakup.
• 90% of single parent families are headed by females.
• Single moms with children have the highest poverty rates.
• 60% of children living in mother-only families are impoverished.
• Single moms are more likely to be poor because of lower earning capacity.
• Single moms median income is only about 25% what a married couple make.

Why LDS Business College:

• LDS Business College has developed an approach to help single parents, especially
women, improve their earning potential.
• Single parents at LDSBC use scholarship funds to pay tuition, books and other fees.
• Students enroll in one of six career-oriented programs: accounting, business,
computers, medical careers, interior design, or office technology.
• LDSBC has placed 90% of its graduates.
• Each students is assigned a faculty mentor.

How can YOU help?

Donate (whatever you can) via the widget in this post or use the one on the right-hand side bar.

Listen to Megan's story...

Pass this information along on your own blog.

Share the link to this post on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc...
(please use the hash tag #GiveOhGive when posting on Twitter)

You will hear more about this fundraising project throughout this coming month. I'll update you on the fundraising details and progress, as well continue to encourage you to help share this information. As I said previously, counting our blessings is a wonderful way to instantly feel the spirit, but helping those less fortunate than ourselves, brings a spirit into our lives that is constant. I feel sure that for those of us who will do whatever we can to help give back to these struggling parents, and ultimately their children, an extra special spirit of the season is sure to attend our lives.

Give Oh Give! (if everyone that is able were to give even just $5.00, imagine the good we could do together! :)

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Mormon Prophet Speaks: BYU Devotional November 2011

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:41:00 +0000

The last time that Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, addressed students at a BYU Devotional, it was back in 2009, where over 20,000 were in attendance. Apparently students have been known to line up or even camp out in front of the Marriott Center hoping to get a seat inside. I suspect that if I had been a student there, I would have done such a thing myself -- to hear a prophet speak. Thankfully, when a prophet of God speaks, today, technology allows any and all who desire to listen, hear -- and that's just what I did via BYUtv.

The principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are timeless, and have value to individuals at anytime during our lives. Today, President Monson's message, although delivered to BYU students, is one that I took personally and I know you will, too. That's why I'd like to share my notes and a few excerpts from his talk -- to hopefully encourage each of you to take the time to listen to his entire address...

I loved that President Monson began by expressing the tremendous weight of responsibility that he felt in coming to address the students. Certainly I have no idea what that must feel like, only to liken it to how, as a parent, have at times desired to impress upon my own children that which I felt so passionately. He told them that they were the most marvelous audience in the world! I loved that!

Each of us are one of a kind, having unique experiences that are ours alone. Each of us come from various places and backgrounds. And yet, common to all of us is the knowledge of who we are, why we are here, and where we are going -- the Plan of Happiness. What we do and don't do is of utmost importance. The Savior provided the precious gift of the atonement. We can be forgiven. We have in common the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the responsibility to share the gospel, and as Paul taught -- be thou an example. A righteous example.

Followers of Jesus Christ are lights to the world. What is light? Webster includes 15 definitions - President Monson prefers this one, "something that illuminates". The world is increasing in darkness and needs our light. He quoted Harold B. Lee:

"Every soul who walks the earth, wherever he lives, in whatever nation he may have been born, no matter whether he be in riches or in poverty, had at birth an endowment of that first light which is called the Light of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, or the Spirit of God--that universal light of intelligence with which every soul is blessed."

Each one of us has the light of Christ and are blessed. Moroni taught:

"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God."

Unfortunately for many that light has dimmed and in some cases almost to the point of being extinguished.

"Ours is the responsibility to keep our lights aflame and burning brightly that they might shine for others to see and follow."

"With the decline of religion in our society many people have come to feel that they are sufficient unto themselves, have no need of higher power. Wrong. A loss of religious faith implies a loss of faith in anyone greater than oneself."

Quoted 2 Nephi 28 (scripture mastery):

"O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish."

All vulnerable to such an attitude….

Remember on Whom we are reliant. To be examples we must believe.

Each of us has a testimony of differing degrees. We are responsible to develop a testimony that will sustain us. Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.

Among the most effective ways to gain and keep the faith -- is to read, study and pray -- consistently.

Harold B. Lee wrote this on the inside of his daughter's scriptures when he gave them to her...

"To my dear Maureen Lee Wilkins -- that you may have a constant measure by which to judge between truth and the errors of man's philosophies and thus grow in spirituality as you increase in knowledge… I give you this sacred book to read frequently and cherish throughout your life. Lovingly your father, Harold B. Lee"

President Monson - Brothers and Sisters, have you read the Book of Mormon? Have you put to the test the promise found in Moroni, chapter 10 verse 4-- asking your Heavenly Father, with a sincere heart, with real intent, and having faith in Christ, whether or not that which is found in that book is truth?

Shared Clayton M. Christensen's experience of coming to find out for himself, if Book of Mormon was really true. You can read the entire account on Mormon Scholars Testify.

Summary:

Christensen questioned his testimony of the Book of Mormon, although he had read it seven times, but realized that each time he had read it previously, it had been some type of assignment. This was a time in his life that he desperately needed to know if it was true, and so committed himself to reading it for one hour late each night. He had been sustained up to this time by the testimony of others, such as his parents. But now, he needed to know for himself in order to go forward in his life and with his higher education -- as he knew that conflicts would arise.

Each night that he read, he would begin with a prayer -- out loud. He told God he was desperate to know if the Book of Mormon was true, and if it was true he would dedicate his life to the gospel. If not, he needed to know that as well...

He read and he pondered... Could this have been written by a charlatan trying to deceive or is it from God? Prayed constantly to know IF it was true, every night…. toward the end of the book he got his answer!

President Monson then paraphrased Ezra Taft Benson: "When you choose to follow Christ, you choose to be changed". He went on to say, "The world will shape human nature, but Christ can change human nature, and changed men and women can change the world."

"I use applied econometrics maybe once a year, but I use my knowledge that the Book of Mormon is the word of God many times, every day of my life. In all of the education that I've pursued, that is the single most useful piece of knowledge that I have ever gained." Clayton M. Christensen

President Monson's challenge…

"Set aside time everyday to find out for yourself if the Book of Mormon is a true book -- for it will change your heart and change your life. If you seek this knowledge with a sincere heart, with real intent and having faith in Christ --- I promise that you will receive an answer -- and once you know that the Book of Mormon is true then will follow that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. You will have that burning testimony and knowledge that this Church is true. Such a personal testimony is essential if we are to safely navigate the sometimes treacherous paths through life, with the adversary attempting to deceive us at every turn. As you keep the flame of testimony burning brightly, you will become a beacon of righteousness, even a light for all to see."

President Monson then shared two beautiful examples of individuals who let their light's shine….

"My friends, may we be as the apostle Paul admonished, an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. May we always be known as followers of Christ and as such become as lights in the world. "

He closed his talk by quoting from the movie, The Lion King...

Look inside yourself, you are more, remember who you are…. a child of God, come at this time to live in such a way that you are an example of the believers and a true light in the world….

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Watch BYU Devotional - November: Thomas S. Monson

LDS Newsroom: President Monson: To Follow Christ, You Choose to Change

Photo Gallery: President Monson Devotional

Rock Star Brandon Flowers Shares His Mormon Faith

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:23:00 +0000

For many Brandon Flowers fans, finding out that this rock star is a Mormon, may comes as quite a surprise. In fact, Brandon is the latest I'm a Mormon profile at Mormon.org -- along with this inspiring video interview, sure to go viral!

For the few of you who don't know who Brandon Flowers is, he is best known as the frontman in the Las Vegas-based rock band, The Killers. He recently released his first solo album titled Flamingo. But what Brandon also wants people to know about him, is the importance of faith and family, in his life.

Brandon was raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and recalls his mother taking him to church each Sunday, which left an indelible impression on him as to the importance of family values. His parents have been married 44 years, of which Brandon said "there was always a happiness in my home, and that's what I want".

My name is Brandon Flowers. I'm a father, a husband and I'm a Mormon.

I love that Brandon Flowers is sharing his Mormon faith, via the I'm a Mormon campaign. I also appreciate his blunt response about never outgrowing his faith, regardless of worldly success. That takes courage. In my book, this is one Well-Behaved Mormon Guy!

I'm a fan!

tDMg

Kathryn Skaggs

To learn more about the Mormon faith, visit Mormon.org

Mormon Beliefs: Sharing versus Standing

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:53:00 +0000

My news feeds across all of my social networks, online, have been permeated over these last few days, with various responses to the recent claims that Mormons are not Christian and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a cult. I blogged about how Mormons should respond, here.

I've never seen anything like this! Four years ago when the same Mormon was running for President, as much publicity as that received, the online response was not the same. There's a reason for this, too. And that is, that most likely you were not active online.

Everyday Mormons are starting to come out of the woodwork, so to speak, and are beginning to stand for what they believe. For the most part, it is Mormons that are sharing the many responses, from the multitudes of media outlets, on Facebook, Twitter, etc... about our Christianity and what we believe.

I've observed both family members and friends, for the first time ever, sharing various articles, videos, etc.. and even update their online status with bold statements like this one:

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, A Mormon and Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. That makes me a Christian!

This is awesome! However, I do have some concerns... Currently we are standing up for our Mormon beliefs in response to a media storm of false accusations, which is right now a hot topic in the news -- and so everyone has something to say about it. So basically, we've jumped on the bandwagon and are taking the opportunity to spread what others are saying about us. Not that this is necessarily a negative thing, particularly, when happily, many outside of our faith have been willing to speak out against this type of religious bigotry. And of course, this is what we all find so appealing and obviously want to share with others. I've done plenty of it myself. After all, it's always good to feel validated for what and how we believe, by those who most often are perceived as critical toward us. And certainly, in general, the liberal media is that!

Please don't misunderstand what I am trying to say here, because I do see the good in what is happening. My hope, is that in all the excitement about what others are saying and writing about our Mormon beliefs, that we don't miss the opportunity to speak up ourselves. As good as I believe it is to stand, I honestly feel that our greater power to share the gospel online, will come when we as members are actually saying and writing, ourselves, what and how we believe.

Sharing the gospel means sharing not only what we believe, but how and why we believe it -- personally. We are most effective when we not only take opportunities to share, but actually create those opportunities.

I really like the above photo/visual that a member created, and is currently being shared by many Mormons, online. (Sure wish I knew who to give credit.) What I really like about this unofficial "I am a Christian" campaign, is that when we share this type of social media on our social networks, either as a link or even your profile picture, it gives us, the individual, the opportunity to share what we believe -- versus discussing what someone else has said. I posted it over on Google Plus last night -- you can check out how that's going here. It's always a wonderful opportunity when someone invites an individual member of the Mormon faith, to share their testimony of Jesus Christ. It is in the sharing of our individual testimonies of Jesus Christ, that we will soften hearts toward our faith.

I also really like this powerful video that features Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland, who teaches with clarity the Mormon doctrine of the Godhead, and what we believe about the Divinity of Jesus Christ. I probably like it best for what members can actually learn, which helps us better discuss our faith with others. The more comfortable we are with understanding our doctrine, the more confidence we will have to actually step out and share what we believe -- and ultimately bear testimony of such.

Jeffrey R. Holland: True Doctrine of Godhead

Not surprising, the Church has received a barrage of inquiries, by various media outlets, to comment on the Christianity of the Mormon faith. And also not surprising is this response titled, A Christ-Centered Faith:

“We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Nephi 25:26)

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in, study and seek to live by the teachings found in the Old and New Testaments. We also believe the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. As the verse above plainly teaches, Christ is at the center of our worship, study, service and faith, and we believe this is clearly demonstrated in the lives of more than 14 million members in over 130 countries around the globe.

You and I are those members that this statement is referring to, and we are the ones that can create opportunities to share these beliefs with others. We can do this, online, by using our social networks to share either created social media by the Church, ourselves or others, that will help you share what you personally believe.

Have you had the opportunity to share your beliefs online, over the last week, because of the recent media attention? I'd love to hear about it...

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

“On Faith” Blog: How Do Mormons Answer “Not Christian” Claims?

“Research shows that people have a far better view of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when they know a member personally,” Otterson says. “There is a point when those people who have seen Mormons caricatured in their Sunday School classes realize that the second-hand prejudices they have learned don’t fit with their first-hand experiences with faithful Latter-day Saints.”

Responding to Claims: Mormonism a Cult - Church of Jesus Christ not Christianity

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:33:00 +0000

What do we as Mormons do, when someone refers to us as a cult, or claims that Mormons are not Christian? I'll tell you what we do, we educate! Yup, that's all. You and I both know that going on the defense, or becoming offended, rarely works. Take for example, the recent claims of a baptist minister who pronounced that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not Christianity. Unfortunately, he has a large and very public audience of which he is able to broadcast his opinion. So once again, the distortions about what Mormons believe and how we believe becomes a media firestorm. And that's what's happening right now. The beliefs of Mormonism are once again, high on the radar of mainstream America.

In response, or actually not in response, the Church made this statement on the LDS Newsroom blog:

"In response to media calls regarding comments made by a Baptist minister at a political event stating that Mormons are not Christians, the Church issued the following statement today:

"We really don’t want to comment on a statement made at a political event, but those who want to understand the centrality of Christ to our faith can learn more about us and what we believe by going to mormon.org."

So here's the good news... It gives you and I another chance to teach those interested how we feel about Jesus Christ, and His central roll in our personal religious beliefs. Have you noticed that these opportunities seem to be coming with greater frequency? It's not any wonder that LDS leaders continue to urge members to share what we believe with others -- and are especially encouraging this online.

If you have not yet created your own profile on Mormon.org, I'd like to challenge you to do so. The most powerful tool we have for sharing the gospel is our own personal testimony of its truthfulness. When creating your own personal profile on Mormon.org you have the opportunity to share with others your feelings, thoughts and testimony on many different topics of Mormonism. As an example, you can check out mine, here.

I love that the Church responded to the question of our Christianity by directing those interested in learning more, to members of the Church. We are the ones that will have the greatest impact on those who are searching to know for themselves -- what and how Mormons believe.

This video that highlights some of the recent teachings from the October 2011 General Conference, does an excellent job of sharing with others what Mormonism teaches, believes and how we are counseled to live. Jesus Christ is at the very center of Mormon beliefs. We can share our testimonies of Jesus Christ with others, so that they may know for themselves, from a Mormon, that we truly are Christians.

I really loved the counsel that L. Tom Perry gave to members of the Church, on the importance of sharing the gospel...

"If you will respond to the invitation to share your beliefs and feelings about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, a spirit of love and a spirit of courage will be your constant companion."

Instead of becoming defensive or offended when we hear of those who make false claims toward the Church, we should consider it an invitation to share. Elder Perry explained it this way...

"While the Church is becoming more visible, there are still many people who do not understand it. Some have been taught to be suspicious of the Church, to operate under negative stereotypes about the Church without questioning their source and validity. There is also a great deal of misinformation and confusion about what the Church is and what it stands for."

Elder Perry, on the part we as members can have to help correct distortions...

"The growing visibility and reputation of the Church presents some remarkable opportunities to us as its members. We can help “disabuse the public mind” and correct misinformation when we are portrayed as something we are not. More important, though, we can share who we are.

There are a number of things that we can do—that you can do—to advance an understanding of the Church. "

Elder Perry goes on to list a number of suggested way that we can share our faith with others, online, here.

I particularly appreciated this counsel on how we should communicate with others, when discussing our Mormon beliefs...

"We should appreciate and approach such conversations with Christlike love. Our tone, whether speaking or writing, should be respectful and civil, regardless of the response of others. We should be honest and open and try to be clear in what we say. We want to avoid arguing or becoming defensive in any way.

Today’s “manner of conversation” seems to involve the Internet more and more. We encourage people, young and old, to use the Internet and the social media to reach out and share their religious beliefs.

As you utilize the Internet, you may come across ongoing conversations about the Church. When directed by the Spirit, do not hesitate to add your voice to these conversations.

The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is unlike anything else you will share with others. In the information age, it is the most valuable information in all the world. There is no question about its worth. It is a pearl of great price."

I'd just like to reemphasize the counsel of Elder Perry, by restating that this truly is a time of opportunity to share the gospel with others. So instead of getting upset when we hear something unfavorable about what and how we believe, lets get excited that people are more apt to listen to what we have to say, because we are Mormon. And then, say something!

tMDg
Kathryn Skaggs

Here are a couple articles that I wrote over on Hubpages, a few years ago, that are getting quite a few hits over these last few days...

Is Mormonism A Cult?

Beliefs: Mormonism vs Christianity - Can a Comparison be Made?

Mormons Are Christians - No Doubt About It

Video: The Good We Can Do for Each Other

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:43:00 +0000

Opportunities to DO MORE good are all around us -- if we just look. I wasn't planning on blogging today, until I saw this new Mormon Messages video: Opportunities to Do Good. How easy it is for us as individuals, in our own simples ways, to help carry the burdens of others, who simply cannot do it alone.

So much of what the Savior's life exemplified, had everything to do with caring for others. His mission is to rescue His brothers and sisters, and to heal them -- both physically and spiritually.

Here in mortality we become more like Him, as we reach out to bear one another's burdens. We have a covenant relationship with God, to do so. Perhaps personally, I needed to be reminded of this -- but I've decided to start praying each day to have my eyes opened, just a little bit wider, that I might truly see...

Please consider sharing this video with your family and friends.

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Sunday Afternoon General Conference Highlights and Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:16:00 +0000

I'm finally back home in California, after traveling to Utah for General Conference. I am exhausted. Totally spent. But it's the really good kind of exhaustion, where you find yourself easily brought to tears, by a simple memory. I have so many treasured memories from this one trip, that most likely, I'll be a basket case for a good week -- at least!

But I'm filled with peace -- the peace that only He can give to us. The peace that confirms that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly His Church upon the earth, today. And the work that is done to share it with others, is His work. I love that. And knowing it with a surety, is my favorite thing.

I'm not one to frequently request a priesthood blessing for personal reasons. But I felt impressed to do so, before I left for Utah. And of course, my sweet husband kindly obliged. It was precise and I felt comfort. I'm now thinking that I need to start making such requests more often. I feel confident that my weekend was what it was, because I reached out to my Heavenly Father. I need to be more humble.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference...

Elder Nelson - Covenants:

"Through the ages, God has made covenants with His children. His covenants occur throughout the entire plan of salvation and are therefore part of the fulness of His gospel." Russell M. Nelson

"Ours is the responsibility to help fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant. Ours is the seed foreordained and prepared to bless all people of the world. That is why priesthood duty includes missionary work. After some 4,000 years of anticipation and preparation, this is the appointed day when the gospel is to be taken to the kindred of the earth. This is the time of the promised gathering of Israel. And we get to participate! Isn't that exciting?" Russell M. Nelson

"The Book of Mormon is a tangible sign that the Lord has commenced to gather His children of covenant Israel. This book, written for our day, states as one of its purposes that "ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel...is already beginning to be fulfilled....For behold the Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house of Israel."

"When we realize that we are children of the covenant, we know who we are and what God expects of us. His law is written in our hearts. He is our God and we are His people." Russell M. Nelson

"The greatest compliment that can be earned here in this life is to be known as a "covenant keeper". The rewards for a covenant keeper will be realized both here and hereafter." Russell M. Nelson

Elder Cook - Tragedy:

"While we do not know all the answers, we do know important principles that allow us to face tragedies with faith and confidence that there is a bright future planned for each of us." Quentin L. Cook

"Many do not understand that under His loving and comprehensive plan those who appear to be disadvantaged, through no fault of their own, are not ultimately penalized." Quentin L. Cook

"Righteousness, prayer and faithfulness will not always result in happy endings in mortality. Many will experience severe trials. When this happen the very act of having faith and seeking priesthood blessings is approved by God." Quentin L. Cook

"There are many kinds of challenges. Some give us necessary experiences. Adverse results in this mortal life are not evidence of lack of faith or of an imperfection in our Father in Heaven's overall plan. The refiner's fire is real, and qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace of affliction perfect and purify us and prepare us to meet God." Quentin L. Cook

"Some challenges result from the agency of others. Agency is essential for individual spiritual growth and development. Evil conduct is an element of agency." Quentin L. Cook

Elder Oaks - Jesus Christ:

"Some who call themselves Christians praise Jesus as a great teacher, but refrain from affirming His divinity... We should all consider what He himself taught about who He was and what He was sent to earth to do." Dallin H. Oaks

"He is the life of the world because He is our creator and because through His resurrection we are all assured that we will live again. And the life He gives us is not merely mortal life." Dallin H. Oaks

"He is the way and He is the light because His teachings light our path in mortal life and show us the way back to the Father." Dallin H. Oaks

"Who then will enter the kingdom of heaven? Not those who merely do wonderful works using the name of the Lord, Jesus taught, but only "he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Dallin H. Oaks

"He also challenges us to focus on Him, not on the things of the world." Dallin H. Oaks

"The culmination of our Savior's mortal ministry was His resurrection and His atonement for the sins of the world." Dallin H. Oaks

"And so we understand that the atonement of Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity to overcome spiritual death that results from sin, and, through making and keeping sacred covenants, to have the blessings of eternal life." Dallin H. Oaks

"There is no middle ground. We are followers of Jesus Christ. Our citizenship is in His Church and His gospel, and we should not use a visa to visit Babylon or act like one of its citizens." Dallin H. Oaks

"Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten and Beloved Son of God. He is our Creator. He is the light of the world. He is our Savior from sin and death. This is the most important knowledge on earth, and you can know this for yourself, as I know for myself." Dallin H. Oaks

President Monson - Until We Meet Again:

"We are all here because we love the Lord and want to serve Him. I testify to you that our Heavenly Father is mindful of us. I acknowledge His hand in all things." Thomas S. Monson

"Brothers and Sisters, I assure you that our Heavenly Father is mindful of the challenges we face in the world today. He loves each of us and will bless us as we strive to keep His commandments and seek Him through prayer.

"May heaven's blessings be with you. May your homes be filled with harmony and love. May you constantly nourish your testimonies, that they may be a protection for you against the adversary." Thomas S. Monson

"We are one with you in moving forward this marvelous work. I testify to you that we are all in this together and that every man, woman and child has a part to play. May God give us the strength and the ability and the determination to play our part well.

I bear my testimony to you that this work is true, that our Savior lives, and that He guides and directs His Church here upon the earth. I leave you with my witness and and my testimony that God our Eternal Father lives and loves us. He is indeed our Father, and He is personal and real. May we realize and understand how close to us He is willing to come, how far He is willing to go to help us, how much He loves us and how much He does and is willing to do for us." Thomas S. Monson

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

When Conference Materials Will Be Available

Sunday Morning General Conference Highlights and Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:26:00 +0000

As I walked to General Conference this morning, from my hotel, I was struck by the string of people trying to obtain a last minute ticket. It was clearly about those who had, and those who did not. I had to walk about a mile, and this was the scene all the way leading up to the Conference Center. Most were holding up some type of makeshift sign, that would perhaps catch the eye of someone who held an extra, coveted ticket!

Upon first notice, I simply saw it as a novelty of attending the conference - just like the presence of the many do-gooders, on the corners, crying repentance to all the Mormons. But as I got closer to the Conference Center, their numbers increased and their desperation to attend became more apparent. One sweet, wide-eyed little girl, stood with her mom and dad holding a sign that said "Just turned 8". I'm pretty sure they were from out of the country. I so wished that I had a few hundred tickets that I could hand out along the way. I thought of how happy this would make so many people. When I realized that such a fantasy was not to be, and that the sincere desires of those wanting to see living prophets was not going to happen for most, I became overwhelmed with sadness. You can imagine all the many metaphors that one could apply to such a scenario...

Eventually, gratitude for the miracles of technology filled my heart! Even though these good people, with their truly righteous desires, could not physically attend the meeting, they were here and would hear the words of living prophets and apostles -- if they were willing to simply listen.

This morning we all listened, once again, to living prophets and apostles of the Lord. No matter our physical location, what was most important is that we listened and heard, and are ready to now act...

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the Sunday morning session of General Conference...

President Eyring - What We Promise:

"First we have promised to become charitable. Second, we promised to become witnesses of God. And third we promised to endure. The Book of Mormon is the best guide to learn how well we are doing and how to do better." Henry B. Eyring

"The Lord is keeping His promises to you as you keep yours." Henry B. Eyring

"Prayerful study of the Book of Mormon will build faith in God the Father, in His Beloved Son, and in His gospel. It will build faith in God's prophets, ancient and modern.

It can draw you closer to God than any other book. It can change a life for the better." Henry B. Eyring

Elder Hales - The Savior's Example, for Us, of Waiting Upon the Lord:

"I have had the opportunity to study and learn more about our Savior's atoning sacrifice and how He prepared Himself to make that eternal offering for each of us. His preparation began in the pre-mortal life as he waited upon His Father, saying "Thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. Beginning in that moment and continuing today, he exercises His agency to accept and carry out our Heavenly Father's plan." Robert D. Hales

"As we wait upon the Lord we are "immovable in keeping the commandments," knowing that we will "one day rest from [all] afflictions." Robert D. Hales

"Waiting upon the Lord gives us a priceless opportunity to discover that there are many who wait upon us. Our children wait upon us to show patience, love, and understanding toward them. Our parents wait upon us to show gratitude and compassion. Our brothers and sisters wait upon us to be tolerant, merciful, and forgiving. Our spouses wait upon us to love them as the Savior has loved each one of us." Robert D. Hales

Elder Ballard - The Importance of a Name:

"The name the Savior has given to His Church tells us exactly wo we are and what we believe. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior and the Redeemer of all mankind. He atoned for all who would repent of their sins, and He broke the bands of death and provided resurrection from the dead. We follow Jesus Christ." M. Russell Ballard

"While Mormon is not the full and correct name of the Church, and even though it was originally given by our detractors during our early years of persecution, it has become an acceptable nickname when applied to members rather than the institution. We do not need to stop using the name Mormon, when appropriate, but we should continue to give emphasis to the full and correct name of the Church itself. In other words, we should avoid and discourage the term "Mormon Church". M. Russell Ballard

President Monson - Prayer:

"Also evolving at a rapid rate has been the moral compass of society. Behaviors which once were considered inappropriate and immoral are now not only tolerated but also viewed by ever so many as acceptable." Thomas S. Monson

"Although the world has changed, the laws of God remain constant. They have not changed; they will not change. The ten commandments are just that -- commandments. They are not suggestions. They are every bit as requisite today as they were when God gave them to the children of Israel." Thomas S. Monson

"My brothers and sisters, I declare to you, however, that there is nothing which can bring more joy into our lives or more peace to our souls than the spirit which can come to us as we follow the Savior and keep the commandments." Thomas S. Monson

"As a means of being in the world but not of the world, it is necessary that we communicate with our Heavenly Father through prayer. He wants us to do so; He'll answer our prayers." Thomas S. Monson

"Not a day has gone by that I have not communicated with my Father in Heaven through prayer. It is a relationship that I cherish -- one I would literally be lost without." Thomas S. Monson

"My beloved brothers and sisters, communication with our Father in Heaven -- including our prayers to Him and His inspiration to us -- is necessary in order for us to weather the storms and trials of life." Thomas S. Monson

"As the winds of change swirl around us and the moral fiber of society continues to disintegrate before our very eyes, may we remember the Lord's precious promises to those who trust in Him: "Fear thou not; I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yeah, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Thomas S. Monson

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Watch or listen, online, to all sessions of the October 2011 General Conference now!

Saturday Afternoon General Conference Highlights and Favorite Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:15:00 +0000

As I reflect over this past week, I'm absolutely blown away by the many blessings that I'm experiencing in my life! I absolutely love blogging and writing about my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what I believe, and encouraging others to do the same. Doing this has brought opportunities into my life, that I never could have possibly imagined. Since this post is about more General Conference highlights, specifically Saturday afternoon, it must include the overwhelming feelings of gratitude that being here to attend Conference has caused me to feel. It has to be the Spirit, because I am completely filled with love... Love for my Father in Heaven who clearly knows my heart. Love for dear members of this Church who share the same passion as I do -- to share the gospel online. And love for eternal principles and doctrines, taught with clarity, by living prophets of God!

So, lets get to those highlights... Being here in Salt Lake City this weekend, to attend General Conference, is allowing me to finally meet a handful of the wonderful members that I have gotten to know, online, in person. And really, it's been an absolute thrill! Pictured with me in the above photo, are Elyse Hawks and David Horan. These are two of the most amazing young people I know, who fearlessly and with delightful enthusiasm, share their Mormon beliefs, online!

As I met each person today, that I've known for quiet a while, online - it was reconfirmed to me just how powerful the Spirit can be, and is, in developing these types of friendships. On occasion I'll run into people who are very doubtful that you can actually form meaningful relationships online. I'm here to tell you that you can. We all felt it today, and it was powerful. There was nothing foreign about our meetings. Our hearts were one spiritually, before we ever met physically. Why am I telling you this? Because, you can develop meaningful online friendships with those not of our faith, and have wonderful experiences sharing the gospel -- particularly when the Spirit is a part of the development of that relationship.

I'd also like to share my favorite quotes from the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference...

Elder Bednar on the Spirit of Elijah:

"The Spirit of Elijah affects people inside and outside of the Church. However, as members of Christ's restored Church, we have the covenant responsibility to search out our ancestors and provide for them the saving ordinances of the gospel." David A. Bednar

Elder Christofferson - Divine Gift of Repentance:

"As in the days of Nehor and Korihor, we live in a time not long before the advent of Jesus Christ -- in our case the time of preparation for His Second Coming. And similarly, the message of repentance is often not welcomed. Some profess that if there is a God, He makes no real demands upon us. Others today maintain that a loving God forgives all sin based upon simple confession, or if there actually is a punishment for sin." D. Todd Christofferson

"Repentance exists as an option only because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ." D. Todd Christofferson

Elder Andersen - Children:

"It is a crowning privilege of a husband and wife who are able to bear children, to provide mortal bodies for these spirit children of God. We believe in families and we believe in children." Neil L. Andersen

"Many voices in the world today marginalize the importance of having children or suggest delaying or limiting children in the family." Neil L. Andersen

Quoting a Christian mother who said: "Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for."

"The bearing of children is a sensitive subject that can be very painful for righteous women who do not have the opportunity to marry and have a family. To you noble women, our Heavenly Father knows your prayers and desires. How grateful we are for your remarkable influence, including reaching out with loving arms to children who need your faith and strength." Neil L. Andersen

Elder Perry - Share Who We Are:

"At all times of day across the entire world, the Church and its teachings are being discussed on the internet, on blogs and social networks by people who have never written for a newspaper or magazine. They are making videos and sharing them online. These are ordinary people -- both members of our faith and other faiths -- who are talking about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." L. Tom Perry

"The growing visibility and reputation of the Church presents a remarkable opportunity to us as its members. We can help to "disabuse the public mind, " and correct misinformation when we are portrayed as something we are not. More importantly, though, we can share who we are." L. Tom Perry

"How we speak about the Church is as important as what we say. We should approach such conversations with Christ-like love. Our tone, whether speaking or writing, should be respectful and civil, regardless of the responses from others. We should be honest and open and try to be clear in what we say. We want to avoid becoming defensive or argue in any way." L. Tom Perry

"As you utilize the internet you may come across ongoing conversations about the Church. When directed by the Spirit, don't hesitate to add your voice to these conversations." L. Tom Perry

You can probably guess which of the afternoon talks really resonated with me, eh? I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the work we are doing to share it with others, is among the greatest of which we can be engaged. Using the internet to assist in this work is truly a modern miracle, and the possibilities are endless...

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

When Conference Materials Will Be Available

New Youth Site Announced to Help Teens Start Family History

Saturday Morning General Conference Highlights and Favorite Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 04:05:00 +0000

What an exciting day to be here in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah, attending the October 2011 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were inspired messages presented throughout the day, with much to ponder and find personal application for in our lives. Being a Mormon means following living prophets and apostles. That's an amazing concept for people outside of our faith to wrap their heads around. But we do, and this is what our General Conferences are all about -- hearing and listening to living prophets of God!

BTW, I hope some of you are shooting video of your own conference experiences this weekend, for the Come Listen campaign. I can't wait to see that project evolve and how it will literally bless people on a global scale.

Two events that stand out from the Saturday morning session -- the absence of President Monson at the commencement of the session, and the announcement of five new temples; France - Africa - Columbia - Utah - Wyoming! Amongst the online community of LDS members who were sharing #LDSConf, there was particular enthusiasm for the new Provo temple. I still have no concrete information about why President Monson was late this morning, so I won't even attempt a speculation about that. LDS Church spokesman, Cody Craynor, told Deseret News that President Monson was "delayed en route". All I know is that he was is excellent spirits when he stood to speak. One thing for sure, we were all grateful!

I do however, have some information about the Prove, Utah Tabernacle:

"The Converted Provo Tabernacle will become the second temple in Provo and the sixteenth in the state. The Tabernacle was originally constructed from 1883 to 1898. it is located on University Avenue between Center Street and 100 South.

Historically, the tabernacle was used for church meetings and cultural events. Since the 2010 fire, Church leaders have worked with architects, engineers and historical exerts to determine the future of the building. The project will include a complete restoration of the original exterior. To facilitate these plans the Church has recently acquired additional property near the tabernacle.

This will be the second time the Church has converted an historic tabernacle into a temple. The Vernal Utah Temple, which was dedicated in 1997, was constructed within the brick exterior of the 1907 Uintah Stake Tabernacle." LDS Newsroom

Here are my favorite quotes from the Saturday morning session of General Conference...

President Monson on Temples:

"No Church-built facility is more important that a temple. Temples are places where relationships are sealed together to last through eternity." President Thomas S. Monson

Elder Scott on the Power of Scriptures:

"Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high. They can become the key to open the channel to communion with our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ". Richard G. Scott

"Pondering a passage of scripture can be a key to unlock revelation and the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Scriptures can calm an agitated soul, giving peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one's ability to overcome the challenges of life. They have potent power to heal emotional challenges when there is faith in the Savior. They can accelerate physical healing." Richard G. Scott

Presidents Packer - Counsel to Youth:

"Perhaps the single greatest thing I learned from reading the Book of Mormon is that the voice of the spirit comes as a feeling rather than a sound. You will learn, as I have learned, to "listen" for that voice that is felt rather than heard." Boyd K. Packer

"It is not expected that you go through life without making mistakes, but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Holy Spirit." Boyd K. Packer

"Youth today are being raised in enemy territory with a declining standard of morality. But as a servant of the Lord, I promise that you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Spirit." Boyd K. Packer

President Uchtdorf - You Matter to Him:

"Disciples of Jesus Christ understand that compared to eternity, our existence in this mortal sphere is only "a small moment" in space and time." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The Lord doesn't care at all if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls. he knows where we are, no matter how humble our circumstances. He will use -- in His own way, and for His holy purposes -- those who incline their hearts to Him." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"It may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember -- you matter to Him!" Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"God sees you not only as mortal beings on a small planet who lives for a brief season -- He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

As always, I look forward to studying the inspired words of these living prophets over the next few months...

tDMg

Kathryn Skaggs

When Conference Materials will Be Available

Information: October 2011 LDS General Conference

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:43:00 +0000

Information for October 2011 general Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This much anticipated meeting will be held in the LDS Conference Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. This is an exciting time for Mormons worldwide! We have the opportunity to hear from our Prophet and President of the Mormon Church, Thomas S. Monson, as well as many other prominent Church leaders. We receive relevant counsel and direction to help strengthen us as individuals, and as a people committed to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

About General Conference:

"General conference is a semiannual gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During general conference weekend, Church members and others who are interested gather worldwide in a series of two-hour sessions to receive inspiration and instruction from Church leaders.

Information for viewing and listening to The 181st General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.

General Conference sessions will be held Oct 1-2 at 10am and 2pm MST.

You can also watch, online, all sessions of the LDS General Conference, live -- HERE . The first session of General Conference will be streamed live at 10:00 am MDT on Saturday, October 1, 2011. (excluding the 5pm MST priesthood session)

It just keeps getting better because NOW you can watch LDS General Conference on FACEBOOK and share it with all your friends!

You can also follow the Twitter hashtag #LDSConf HERE.

LDS Newsroom Blog: Thousands to Attend 181st Semiannual General Conference

Following the 2011 General Conference, you can watch, listen or read, as well as download all sessions -- HERE.

Here are some great links that will inspire and help you and your family better prepare for General Conference:

Why Conference Matter? Watch this new video produced by the Church, where President Monson and members of the LDS Church explain the importance of General Conference.

Preparing Our Children for General Conference You can help your children - whatever their age - learn from conference.

Conference Participation Brings Blessings, First Presidency Says
"Why is it important to participate in general conference? The First Presidency, sustained as prophets and apostles, have repeatedly given reasons why it is important to attend, listen to, or watch the broadcasts of all general conference sessions and then, following conference, to review the messages during the ensuing months and live according to the inspiration received."

Behind the Scenes of General Conference
"An extraordinary amount of work requiring the coordination of many Church departments and hundreds of people around the world goes into preparing for general conference. The five sessions of conference draw a total of about 100,000 people to the Conference Center every six months and are broadcast to millions more around the world."

General Conference Activities for Children
Fun activities from the Friend and other LDS resources.

LDS Conference has something for you

Learning to Love General Conference
"When I was young, I did not look forward to general conference like I do now."

Conference has changed since 1911, but the message hasn't
"The world was different a century year ago. Automobiles and motion pictures were relatively new inventions. A man could buy a nicely tailored wool suit for less than $30 dollars, and a bottle of Sarsaparilla made all of a person’s aches and pains go away."

General Conference Recipes
"As the family gathers for general conference, it's a time to be prepared to be spiritually filled. But there still are three meals that a family expects to be fed. From breakfast to desserts, here are a few recipes from LDS cookbooks that can help."

Mormon Mommy Blogs: Preparing Yourself for General Conference
"Most people who know me know how I feel about General Conference. Love. It is my semi-annual recharging of the spiritual batteries. General Conference weekend makes me happy. I have found that I get so much more out of conference when I intentionally prepare for it. Here are a few quotes and ideas to help you get in the General Conference mindset."

April 2011 Conference Packet from Sugardoodle
If you have wiggle worms in your house, this is a must click!

You might also enjoy watching this video of highlights from the most recent General Conference...

Through whatever means that have available to you, make sure and share this information about our upcoming General Conference, with your family and friends.

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

10 Tips for Tweeting #LDSConf on Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:34:00 +0000

This is big. I mean this is really really BIG! This weekend the unofficial #TwitterStake, who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , will once again gather to tweet and share General Conference -- using the hash tag #LDSConf. And for those of you who don't already know this, these Mormons are very good at what they do! And if you don't believe me, check out what Deseret News had to say about the efforts of this amazing group of digital missionaries, HERE!

I really enjoy tweeting #LDSConf, and over the last few months I've given some thought about how we can do it more effectively. We want to create the most positive experience we can, for those not of our faith, who follow our online conversations when we share the gospel. Because frankly, that's why most of us do it.

One of the fun things about tweeting General Conference on Twitter, is getting noticed by the larger online community, referred to as trending. This is accomplished by sending out a huge number of 140 character tweets, accompanied by the hash tag #LDSConf. As the number of Mormons tweeting the conference increases, we need to make sure that the tweets that go out with the hash tag #ldsconf attached, are quality. With that in mind, here are some tips and suggestion for tweeting #LDSConf on Twitter...

10 Tips for Tweeting #LDSConf on Twitter

(try saying that 10 times - dare ya!)

1. For those following the hash tag #LDSConf let's try to keep the stream loaded with quality content specific to the conference.

2. Avoid excessive idle chatter using the #LDSConf hash tag.

3. If you must chat, drop the #LDSConf hash tag. That way, for those who decide to check out what #LDSConf is all about, they will find an amazing stream of inspired content that makes sense!

4. DO use the hash tag #TwitterStake to chat with other Mormons on Twitter!

5. Tweet #LDSConf with a purpose -- to share the gospel with those outside of our faith.

6. If you tweet over 120 characters it makes retweeting difficult.

7. Resist urge to tweet every six seconds... ; )

8. Share personal feelings about #LDSConf alongside tweeting the conference message.

9. Consider sharing LDS resources throughout the conference, i.e. LDS.org, Mormon.org, Mormon Messages, etc...

10. Have fun!

And when I say have fun, I mean it. I'll be the first to admit that I'm just as guilty as the next tweep for adding to the chatter on Twitter, but I also see the need to try and better focus on the overall purpose that we tweet #LDSConf. I also love the connection that we as members develop as we go about this work, and in particular, the humor that we toss back and forth. It's a balance really. We want to accomplish our purpose, while at the same time connect and have fun with each other. I think we can do both, if we just keep the BIG picture in mind as we tweet...

tDMg

Kathryn Skaggs

a.k.a. @LDSNana

Thanks to these great members on Twitter for their input on this post: @JDanielRollins, @ihenpecked, @starmile83, @ladyozma, @downrightdave and be sure to follow them!

Mormons on Twitter and What We Do

LDS Twitter Stake Gathering for #LDSCONF

Mormons on Twitter

General Conference: Inside Look at What Mormons Believe...

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:08:00 +0000

This weekend Mormons have an opportunity to invite those outside of the faith, to take a sneak peek into what Mormons believe. And for many, this could be an intriguing opportunity. Today's technology allows people, in the comfort and privacy of their own home, to learn about other's beliefs, without ever having to step inside a church. With the barrage of recent public attention about Mormonism, I think it's only fair, that at the very least, we let our friends and family know about this weekend's General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

What people will learn about Mormons when they watch or listen to General Conference:

One of the very first things that people will learn, is that we follow living prophets and apostles. Just as in the days of Moses, we believe that God still speaks to man through holy prophets. We love our prophets and honor their sacred calling to serve, lead and counsel the membership of the Church.

The fundamental responsibility of prophets, seers, and revelators, all of whom bear apostolic authority, is to bear certain testimony of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world. This basic call to be a special witness of His name has remained constant whenever Apostles have been on the earth. This testimony, borne of the Holy Ghost through revelation, was the heart of the New Testament Church and is the heart of the Church today. On the day of Pentecost, Peter bore pure testimony that Jesus of Nazareth was “taken, … crucified and slain” and that He was “raised up, having loosed the pains of death,” of which they, the Apostles, were all witnesses. So powerful was this testimony of Jesus Christ, spoken by a living Apostle, that hearts were changed and about 3,000 people were baptized for the remission of their sins. We read that these new converts “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” This account in the book of Acts gives deep spiritual meaning to the words Paul later wrote to the Ephesians, that those who embrace the gospel become the household of God “and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” LDS.org

Sacred music invites the Spirit of God. In every session of General Conference, music is presented by a choir, and hymns are sung by the entire congregation. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir usually presents the music during the Sunday morning session of the conference.

“Inspirational music is an essential part of our church meetings. The hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members, and provide a way for us to offer praises to the Lord.

“Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end”. The First Presidency

Prayer is an essential part of our lives. We pray to God, in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.

"Prayer is a supernal gift of our Father in Heaven to every soul. Think of it: the absolute Supreme Being, the most all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful personage, encourages you and me, as insignificant as we are, to converse with Him as our Father. Actually, because He knows how desperately we need His guidance, He commands, “Thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private.”" Richard G. Scott

We are a mindful people who care about the welfare of all of God's children -- whom we consider our brothers and sisters. Service is at the very heart of our discipleship.

It is only when we love God and Christ with all of our hearts, souls, and minds that we are able to share this love with our neighbors through acts of kindness and service—the way that the Savior would love and serve all of us if He were among us today.

When this pure love of Christ—or charity—envelops us, we think, feel, and act more like Heavenly Father and Jesus would think, feel, and act. Our motivation and heartfelt desire are like unto that of the Savior. M. Russel Ballard

We are a happy people that love being together. We gather to strengthen our faith, and be encouraged to better live the teachings of Jesus Christ. As members of Christ's Church in the last days, we consider ourselves Latter-day Saints -- thus the formal name of the Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The roadmap to our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ is outlined in the restored gospel and taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It starts with being baptized into Christ’s fold and participating in His sacred ordinances and the fellowship of His Church. The journey continues with a loving congregation whose purpose is to lift and be lifted—and ultimately be saved in the Kingdom of God. Learn More at Mormon.org

Jesus Christ is at the very center of our lives and religious beliefs. He is our Savior and Redeemer. The power of the atonement is what saves us, and will heal and make right the afflictions of mortality. We have a deep desire to follow Him, and emulate His work in these latter-days.

An Apostle of the Lord, Robert D. Hales, shares his testimony of Jesus Christ:

I testify that our Savior lives. He is the Only Begotten of the Father, and He will come again on this earth to reign. He is Jesus Christ, the Holy One of Israel, “full of grace, and mercy, and truth. … It is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name.” He is the literal Son of God, who rose from the dead on the third day, bringing the reality of resurrection to all who will come to earth. I also testify that God our Eternal Father lives and loves each of us, for we are His children. So great is His love that He sent His Only Begotten Son into the world “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Mormons believe that the family is ordained of God, and its purpose is eternal. Through family relationships, we are better able to learn how to love as God loves us. Learning how to better love and minister to our families, brings us closer to Jesus Christ.

"Individual progression is fostered in the family, which is “central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” The home is to be God’s laboratory of love and service. There a husband is to love his wife, a wife is to love her husband, and parents and children are to love one another.

Throughout the world, the family is increasingly under attack. If families fail, many of our political, economic, and social systems will also fail. And if families fail, their glorious eternal potential cannot be realized.

Our Heavenly Father wants husbands and wives to be faithful to each other and to esteem and treat their children as an heritage from the Lord. In such a family we study the scriptures and pray together. And we fix our focus on the temple. There we receive the highest blessings that God has in store for His faithful children." Russell M. Nelson

Learn more about the importance of the family, in this official statement, The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Now, this next one might comes as a huge surprise, but Mormons love to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and what we believe! Okay, it's not a surprise. In fact, the missionary efforts of the Mormon Church are active around the globe, with over 50,000 fulltime missionaries currently serving. You've also, no doubt, noticed the social media efforts of the LDS Church, to better help the public understand the Mormon faith, and its members.

"Imagine you found a cure for cancer. How urgently would you spread the news of your discovery? Who would you tell? The gospel of Jesus Christ is the cure for so many of life's ills that Mormons want to share the good news of eternal life with the same urgency.

The Lord's Church has always been a missionary church. Jesus Christ's life was the perfect example of missionary work. During His ministry on earth, he taught the gospel at all times, in all places, and to all kinds of people. Jesus taught the educated men in the temple, the sinners, the faithful and the unbelieving. He also called apostles and other disciples to preach the gospel so more people could hear about the blessings of His gospel. Most of their preaching during Christ's life was to their own people, the Jews. After Jesus was resurrected, He visited His apostles and sent them to preach to the gentiles. He commanded them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)." Mormon.org

These are just a few of the things that people will learn about Mormons, when they tune in to a General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you're thinking that you'd like to invite someone you know to check things out this weekend, here are a few great links that you could share...

How to watch or listen to General Conference

LDS Newsroom -- General Conference Information

On Faith Blog -- Why Do Mormons Hold General Conference

Ways you and your family can better prepare to watch and experience General Conference:

General Conference -- No Ordinary Blessing

Thomas S. Monson -- Why Conference Matters

General Conference Has Something For You

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

New Video: The Gift of Daughters in My Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:46:00 +0000

I'm not sure why this video wasn't presented in the recent general Relief Society meeting, nevertheless Daughters in My Kingdom truly is a gift! And that's exactly how I described it, weeks ago, when I received my own personal copy!

For me, Daughters in My Kingdom is many things... It is a resource first and foremost, an introduction to Relief Society, a compilation of personal accounts/stories, a testimony, a lesson manual (although I know we're not supposed to refer to it as such) -- it's magazine-like in parts, historical at times, inspirational, as well as instructive. I could go on.... Ultimately, to me, it is truly a gift!

You can read my entire post here: Initial Impressions of Daughters in My Kingdom.

By now, sisters in the Mormon Church either have a copy, or have the ability to read it, online, at the new Daughters in My Kingdom website HERE.

"Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society has been written for you. We hope you unwrap it, we hope you open it, we hope you read it. This gift is a record of the legacy of women in the Church. It also tells about how Relief Society is truly the restoration of an eternal pattern of discipleship. It is a witness of the divine identity of our Heavenly Father's daughters. Daughters in My Kingdom contains inspiring examples and timeless truths, and we hope you have a profound personal experience with it." ~ Julie B. Beck

Open the Gift: Daughters in My Kingdom

tDMg

Kathryn Skaggs