SeekerB

The apostles are busy, but they do get out and do other things. One of our ward members and President Hinckley shared a common ancestor. He attended their family reunions every once in a while. Just because they are apostles doesn't mean they have forgotten how to be parents. Also, they are Grandpa to lots of their posterity.

Jesus said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." I thought gates served one purpose, to keep things on one side from getting to the other side. They don't attack. It is the church that rends asunder the gates, at some future time. I see nothing there to counter an apostasy.

That's almost exactly what I was going to say, but you beat me to it.

The recovery room nurses must hear lots of strange comments. A few years ago I was coming to after surgery. I looked at my nurse, who was very attractive and said, "Wow, you're awful pretty for a space alien." She smiled. Probably hadn't heard that one before.

Tithing has never bled me dry. It has always been a blessing of great abundance.

As a sole-proprietorship business owner, I pay tithing on the money that I take out for personal use.

We got a new EQ President who is a High Priest from being in the Bishopric a few years ago, and a High Council member after that. We all met together and I didn't hear any grumbling, but I don't hear well anyway. We'll see what happens next week when the Counselors are called. I guess I am released as 4th Sunday HP instructor, though. That's fine with me. The wife and I are on a Stake Mission for the next two years and she got released from teaching Primary.

You're exactly right about the DNA. So many people don't seem to get that.

is cutting corners

One evening when my son was about seven he blessed the food, saying, "please bless this food that no harm or accident may befall us." We had a good laugh afterwards.

Don't feel bad. I've been teaching the fourth Sunday lesson for several years and this past Sunday I felt like I was winging it. I probably spent twice the time putting this one together. It turned out well, and there was some good discussion. But I was sweating it.

Heavenly Father is not so rigid that he doesn't allow for reality situations. For example, a couple of weeks ago we drove 120 miles to visit my son for a baby blessing, his third child. As usual, we prayed before leaving home. As we drove into the parking lot of the church steam started coming from under the hood. We parked, I popped it open and water was pouring out from somewhere down in the engine compartment. There was nothing I could do then, so we went in for Sacrament meeting and the blessing. After the meeting I used a pitcher from the kitchen and filled the overflow tank up, then drove the short distance to his house. Lots of his wife's family were there so we ate, then had family time. I wasn't quite sure what I would do, but I wasn't going to mess up his family time. Well, after about three hours, everybody else left. No mechanic was available on Sunday, so we pulled the car into his garage and tried to diagnose the problem. A neighbor and friend of his, also a member, came over to help. We weren't prepared to spend the night, but I had brought a change of clothes. After determining it was the water pump, he and I went to an open parts store and picked up a new one. Then we found a youtube video on how to change a water pump on exactly the same vehicle: year, make, and model. His friend had to leave for a couple of hours for some church related meetings, but came back and the three of us repaired it, finishing at 11 pm. It was too late to drive home, but at least it was fixed. We referred to it as an "ox in the mire" situation.

Ours was OK. It will get better with time. I teach the fourth Sunday lesson in HP group and don't know what I'm supposed to do, though.

This didn't seem to bother the saints here in Utah. In the early days, it was common to have themselves sealed to Joseph Smith. Eventually church leaders decided the practice should be stopped.