Jump to content
Seriously No Politics ×

The Worst Kind Of Sunday


Recommended Posts

This is only my experience and mean no intent to generalize it to include anyone but myself.

I have decided that the worst kind of Sunday is Fast Sunday that somehow ends up being the combined meeting of Priesthood and Relief Society.

Fast Sunday drives me crazy because it is more like story telling hour and it's even worse if you heard the story earlier that week because you're friends with the person now sharing it in testimony meeting.

As for the combined meeting, I have yet to sit in on such a meeting where it wasn't mundane and the 45-50 minutes didn't feel like 2 hours of Stake Conference.

Just thought I'd share. I'll get off my soap box now.

For me it depends on what the combined meeting is about. If it's where they start lecturing us on doing our Home Teaching or Visiting Teaching, that's when I grab my art pad I bring with me for the boring moments and start working on a picture. Or I suddenly have to go to the bathroom. I don't like or feel a need to be chastised

Now if they are talking about an interesting topic, say Temple Experiences or something, then I will enjoy it.

Link to comment

... from the beach... cottage still standing sturdy and secure although trees down all around my neighborhood... mine thankfully did not fall though we sustained gusts 70-80 mph.

GG

I'm very glad you didn't blow away, Garden Girl! ;):D

Link to comment

Well this Sunday I bore my testimony... I usually do so once every couple of months... this time was a little different.

People had been going up to the podium to share their testimonies as usual, when suddenly a brother stood up where he was seated in the congregation instead of going to the podium.. Turns out he is the inactive son of one of our widowed former RS presidents. Of course this surprised people and most turned around to see who was speaking. He gave a testimony of how he is starting to reactivate after many years... how he had never really lost all of his testimony even though inactive... how thankful he is that his widowed mother is in our ward (we do take care of each other as I as a widow can attest). It was very moving to hear his testimony..

When he sat down, I then stood up where I was seated... Of course, everyone again turned to look at me... I turned toward him and told him, Brother, you remind me of me... I continued, remembering how it was in Sept 1995 that I walked through the back door of the chapel for the first time in over 30 years (except for the couple of weeks I took my dad to Church in So Cal after my mom died suddenly a few weeks previously). I told how it was a Fast Sunday... and how the last time I had attended a F&Tmeeting people just stood up where they were sitting and so that's what I did that day in 1995 as I stood to share my testimony. I told how through the years I had been prompted from time to time to return to Church but had not heeded those promptings for all those years... and how after starting all over studying, praying, fasting, pondering, my testimony came roaring back and so there I was, standing before them on Sunday, 17 years after that time when I found the courage to walk through those doors by myself into the Chapel.

from the beach on a blustery, rainy day... waiting for "high winds" to return tonight with gusts to 60+ mph.

GG

Thanks for sharing your testimony experience! :) (It's a long walk up to the podium! ;))

Edited by Kenngo1969
Link to comment

I think that's the hardest part about testimony meeting, and i think it's why so many people resort to telling stories or sharing scriptures-it's really hard to sound sincere and heartfelt when you are essentially going to say the exact same thing that the last 20 people just said.

We all want to express ourselves, but we also want our expressions to be unique in a way, because they are, after all, uniquely ours and we are trying to talk about things that are sacred and holy to us. But, most of us have also grown up and been 'taught' a cultural voice and cadence when speaking in sacrament meeting and if all we say is 'I know this and this and this are true' and sit down, it really can sound mechanical.

Perhaps, although I think there are as many reasons for knowing that the Gospel is true and ways of gaining that testimony that I seldom find testimonies boring or formulaic, despite commonalities in their expression. :)

Link to comment
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...