Need Some Advice…Soon.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

I have been teaching Sunday school for nine years now, four years in Gospel Doctrine and five years in Gospel Essentials ever since serving in the Bishopric for three years. Prior too that I was teaching Priesthood for six years, this right after being HPGL at 32 for five years! Our Ward was dissolved and I got called to do the same in my “New Ward”. I am almost done for the 5^th time with the same class, same book. Is it time to quit, resign, die: what? I am almost done with the book and don’t know if I have anymore to say, I am also running out of ways to say it. There have been many baptisms and re-activations, but I am getting old and tired.

What would “you” do?

I also teach professionally and am getting so tired of hearing my own voice. I have a four hour seminar tonight, so really getting tired.

BTW, spoke too and got to see my son Elder Lee (via the internet) yesterday, it was a good day. Also despite the fact I am going to have a granddaughter in a couple of weeks (my son’s child) I was told my daughter is now going to have another. This will make 7 grandchildren when she has her baby. It was quite a day. Hopefully Caleb will be home before the next baby.

[bluebell]

I would talk to the bishop and lay it all out for him. Tell him you don't feel like you are growing anymore in the calling and that you feel like you need to spread your wings a bit.

Edited May 14, 2012 by bluebell

[Garden Girl]

I would talk to the bishop and lay it all out for him. Tell him you don't feel like you are growing anymore in the calling and that you feel like you need to spread your wings a bit.

Yes, there reaches a point where your spirit is not in it and it's best to take a break. I agree with Bluebell... lay it out for the Bishop.

GG

[Calm]

I asked to be released from teaching (in mainly junior Primary for over 20 years, two years in senior IIRC, by the end of it I just started teaching the topic straight from the scriptures for variation) when I got to the point where I felt being a teacher was hurting students more than helping them. It was due to my inconsistency in attending, about a third of the time they were having to have substitutes and the next year it would be much worse. I think there are many reasons to ask to be released from a specific calling. It can help if you have suggestions for ones that you can handle or you give them a specific time to take a break from a calling (or if not a time frame, a goal you are aiming for such as when I get _____ under control, I would like to start serving again in this way _____).

[KevinG]

Volunteer for Scouts. They never turn that down.

[Traela]

Yes, there reaches a point where your spirit is not in it and it's best to take a break. I agree with Bluebell... lay it out for the Bishop.

GG

I will add my agreement to Bluebell and GG.

There's a woman in our ward who always had music-related callings. Eventually she had to tell the bishop that she needed a break from music so she could grow in other ways.

I think it's pretty common for members to be put into a rut, so to speak. There's nothing wrong with saying you need to get out of yours.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Volunteer for Scouts. They never turn that down.

Pa Pa is too old for sleeping on the ground.

[Messenger]

Volunteer for Scouts. They never turn that down.

LOL - I tried that once..... OMG!

[Messenger]

Pa Pa,

I taught a lot in the past wards about emergency preparedness and I really enjoyed it. But, I never taught as much as you have by a long shot. I do know things can get boring in life. When there are things that we are really good at, it seems that we sort of get type cast into a role and everyone sees us as that and nothing else. This is true for some of the careers I have had. For years it was ATV performance for me. It was great in the beginning, then every time I tried to go to the dunes to relax for an ATV ride, I would get swarmed - They would say, "Hey what are you testing?", or "How about going on a group ride?", or "take a Photo of me on your quad" (grrrr). I usually never wore a helmet on the dunes, but when everyone started recognizing me, I wore it all the time. One weekend, I got up early and headed to the Oregon Dunes by myself with my quad loaded in the back of my truck. I must have left at 4am, and when I got there, the parking lot was empty. I unloaded, took the DS650 out and headed to the tallest dune I could find and parked it, and with my helmet on, I just enjoyed the view and the solitude. Then, 5 minutes later someone pulled up right next to me and started talking. He asked if I was broke down or needed help. With my helmet on, I said, "No, I'm just here to get away from life". We talked a bit more, and he wasn't too prying at all. For a while, we both sat there looking at the view, as more and more quad started filling up the dunes. I think he recognized that I needed my space, so he didn't fill the conversation with macho-guy quad talk, like most do. So, I told him who I was (my online name), and I could see he immediately did a retake on my quad and me, he said, you're website is Blank.com???? I said, "Yes" I then said, "Sometimes its really nice to get away from the business, and just enjoy the dunes like I used to". He respected that, and we sat there for another 1/2 hour just looking over the dunes. I leaned over my quad, took off my glove, shook his hand, and said thanks. I headed back to the parking lot, which was then filled with people, noise, quads and trucks, quickly loaded up mine and headed back home. My solace was achieved.

Sometimes the world is so loud, so fast paced that I feel I can hardly stand it. I suppose it has a lot to do with my ADHD. I never knew the name of that person who allowed me to enjoy the view of the dunes, but I realize that the people I enjoy the most are those that let me have the space I need, when I needed it. Since I have moved away to Idaho, my life is not at all like that now, and nobody knows the ATV side of me here. People do occasionally invite me to the dunes on Holiday Weekends where I show up as sort of a novelty, but that's about it. So its nice. But even when I go to the St Anthony Dunes, I would occasionally see a custom part that I designed on an ATV and just smile and walk a way realizing that I had a much greater influence than I realized. I can live with that.

Lately I've had the privilege of growing into my calling, in a ward that knows absolutely nothing about my talents. I do miss the respect I had from years of service from my past Emergency Preparedness calling and even miss a little (just a little) of the popularity of ATV dune performance, but I don't miss the people recognizing me while out shopping. I know that sounds mean, but its nice to have some alone time - but its difficult to be really good at what you do, and have some alone time as well. Don't get me wrong, I love to serve others, but I really like my personal time to write poetry and shoot photos. I find I gain a lot of inspiration in that time I am alone with Heavenly Father and things are a lot less loud.

I bet that Heavenly Father knows you are ready for a break. I would take it to him and let him try to influence your bishop. Be careful of what you ask for, and be ready for the downside of what you ask for.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Messenger

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Yes, there reaches a point where your spirit is not in it and it's best to take a break. I agree with Bluebell... lay it out for the Bishop.

GG

I just feel like at times i am the easy choice, but like I said sometimes I feel like my sig line written by Joni Mitchell. I truly would like to be student for a while, and I am just tired of any callings, I have either been in leadership or teaching for 33 years now. I can't serve at the Temple because of the hair on my face (which BTW is the natural state of man), and as a result of surgery 20 years ago it is to painful to shave from nerve damage. I would love to give the Temple a try, but "no exceptions", I have asked.

[Messenger]

I just feel like at times i am the easy choice, but like I said sometimes I feel like my sig line written by Joni Mitchell. I truly would like to be student for a while, and I am just tired of any callings, I have either been in leadership or teaching for 33 years now. I can't serve at the Temple because of the hair on my face (which BTW is the natural state of man), and as a result of surgery 20 years ago it is to painful to shave from nerve damage. I would love to give the Temple a try, but "no exceptions", I have asked.

Looks like I will never serve either. Funny, I bet they let Brigham Young, George Albert Smith and others serve in the temple. Don't we love our modern human stereotypes? HAHA!

Edited May 15, 2012 by Messenger

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Looks like I will never serve either.

Yes, I don't get that policy. It is not like I look like "Grizzly Adams".

[Messenger]

Yes, I don't get that policy. It is not like I look like "Grizzly Adams".

I know me too. I'm pretty sure that there are some good role models, depicted in the temple, with beards.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Looks like I will never serve either. Funny, I bet they let Brigham Young, George Albert Smith and others serve in the temple. Don't we love our modern human stereotypes? HAHA!

Yes these great men could not serve today...started with David O. I am also see the "white shirt" thing in Church as a little "cultist". In the Temple I get it. I seldom wear white unless speaking or blessing a baby.

[rpn]

You could ask Heavenly Father to inspire the bishop to release you and find something else for you to do if it is His will, because that is what you want. If you do, be sure to ask Him to help you catch a second wind if He wants you to keep doing it. But it doesn't hurt to tell the bishop that you feel you are all tapped out since you have done it so long and you are praying for another assignment in His service. Offer to teach the 11 year old boys in primary? Or be a cubmaster (no camping required for cubs --- all of that is done with families and there isn't any in a typical LDS program).

[blackstrap]

Ask to be a temple president,then set a new rule! Actually,I recommend PFR.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Ask to be a temple president,then set a new rule! Actually,I recommend PFR.

It is every Temple I think, so I would need to be President of Church...I'll pass. No sane man would ever ask for that!

[Messenger]

It is every Temple I think, so I would need to be President of Church...I'll pass. No sane man would ever ask for that!

Temple presidents have been known to rebel - Manti rebelled when they were asked to stop live sessions in favor of a movie. Of course, that was years a go. Idaho Falls tried to rebel, but they were not successful like Manti.

[Messenger]

Yes these great men could not serve today...started with David O. I am also see the "white shirt" thing in Church as a little "cultist". In the Temple I get it. I seldom wear white unless speaking or blessing a baby.

I know, I wore a blue shirt when making high priest visits, and everyone kept saying, "my, that's a really blue shirt you have". LOL - I just smiled, and said, "why thank you, yes, it is blue isn't it?"

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

I know, I wore a blue shirt when making high priest visits, and everyone kept saying, "my, that's a really blue shirt you have". LOL - I just smiled, and said, "why thank you, yes, it is blue isn't it?"

I just don't know why many think everyone needs to look alike. I wore a black turtleneck once and I though people were going to have heart attack.

[Garden Girl]

Temple presidents have been known to rebel - Manti rebelled when they were asked to stop live sessions in favor of a movie. Of course, that was years a go. Idaho Falls tried to rebel, but they were not successful like Manti.

As a side note, years ago when I was still inactive and my folks said they had changed from live sessions to a movie, I thought ewww... but when I reactivated and started attending Portland temple, I viewed the movie and thought it was fine (but had nothing to compare it to). Then I attended conference a couple years ago and took the opportunity to attend a session in the Salt Lake temple with their live session. I was surprised... I actually prefer the movie. Many of the workers in SL were quite old and it was hard to understand them, etc.

GG

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

As a side note, years ago when I was still inactive and my folks said they had changed from live sessions to a movie, I thought ewww... but when I reactivated and started attending Portland temple, I viewed the movie and thought it was fine (but had nothing to compare it to). Then I attended conference a couple years ago and took the opportunity to attend a session in the Salt Lake temple with their live session. I was surprised... I actually prefer the movie. Many of the workers in SL were quite old and it was hard to understand them, etc.

GG

So do I (video I mean) I actually have almost perfect recall of things that interest me. When I went to SL Temple I noticed a number of mistakes. But it was cool to do it once. I could (though not allowed) type out every word said in the Temple that is the memory or curse I have. I hate repetition.

[blackstrap]

We used to have live sessions.I found it more interesting because different people would bring their own personalities to the roles.Some of the Satans really could put the light into Lucifer.

Edited May 17, 2012 by blackstrap

[CASteinman]

I am getting old and tired.

I don't know how to give you any advice. But this phrase gives me cause to pause and think.

Maybe you have too much going on.

Maybe you need more exercise and better diet.

As far as teaching lessons -- I think everyone is different in what they can endure and do. We are not all the same. I think I could teach Gospel Doctrine and Gospel Essentials forever -- mainly because of how I go about teaching. I think its always interesting and sometimes a huge struggle to get right.

But you are different in that regard and I agree with the people who say "Talk it over with the Bishop".

But I also think you should look into how much stress you are enduring and how your physical health is holding up.

God bless you.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

I don't know how to give you any advice. But this phrase gives me cause to pause and think.

Maybe you have too much going on.

Maybe you need more exercise and better diet.

As far as teaching lessons -- I think everyone is different in what they can endure and do. We are not all the same. I think I could teach Gospel Doctrine and Gospel Essentials forever -- mainly because of how I go about teaching. I think its always interesting and sometimes a huge struggle to get right.

But you are different in that regard and I agree with the people who say "Talk it over with the Bishop".

But I also think you should look into how much stress you are enduring and how your physical health is holding up.

God bless you.

I speak so much at Universities and Colleges and Corporations, it just feels like Sunday has just become an extension of work.