Search Results for: blog are you looking for the perfect church

Your Typical American Mormon Family

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So, I was watching the Today show this morning and there was a lot of focus on Mitt Romney and the Republican Convention. Big surprise there, I know. The story also included the subject of MItt Romney’s faith because apparently he is going to speak about it in his speech tomorrow night. So, once again, Mormonism is in the spotlight. But, one thing that surprised me was that they said that most people don’t know a lot about our faith. And, I thought, really? Sure, maybe you don’t know a lot about specific theology, like the fact that we do … Continue reading →

Picture Perfect

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The other day in church, a woman came up to me and told me that she loved sitting behind my little family. “Really?”, I thought. What I wanted to say was, “It doesn’t distract you to have my kids crying, thrashing around, wrestling with each other, making their toys talk to each other as loud as possible, and having to get up with them 5 times in the middle of the meeting?” She was trying to give me a compliment, so I took it. She said that we looked like such a “normal mormon family” and that my husband and … Continue reading →

Celebrate Your Irish Heritage This Week

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March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, a day that is a big deal if you have Irish heritage. If you are like me, then you grew up very aware that some of your ancestors came to America from Ireland. Perhaps your genealogy research was how you first discovered your Irish roots. Either way, this week is a good time to explore more about the Irish side of your family tree. St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th every year. This week is the perfect time to check out some bagpipe and drum bands in a parade, or in an Irish … Continue reading →

Visiting Church

Visiting another church can be a fun and interesting time or it can turn into a nightmare. Last Sunday Mick and I were going to visit our son and his family in Sydney, so we wanted a church that was on the way. Our first step was finding one that was evangelical and at a convenient time. But it’s always a bit of a risk going to another church. Some churches are just not good at welcoming strangers. We know we‘ve encountered it before. Friendliness is something many people have commented on in regard to our church, so it’s something … Continue reading →

What Stops You from Talking to Someone

What stops you from talking to someone at church, a party of some other social gathering? We’ve been looking at this question in the forum recently. I had two incidents recently, where I tried to be friendly and the other person shut the conversation effectively down by their one word or terse answer. In each case I ended up feeling foolish for even trying to be friendly and initiate conversation. One was a complete stranger I tried to talk to at a party. Her sharp reply and the look she gave me made me fee like a bug under her … Continue reading →

When Should You Leave a Church?

The other day we looked at the impossibility of finding a perfect church. In that blog and another one I suggested what to me, are the essential points to look for in a church. But when should you leave a church and move on to look for another spiritual home? It is a problem we have come up against several times in our lives. In our home bible study group we’ve been studying John’s letters. Last week we looked at 2 John and John’s love for those who were ‘walking in truth’ verse 4, as some in the church were. … Continue reading →

Are You Looking for the Perfect Church?

Are you looking for the perfect church? You won’t find it. At least not this side of heaven. Why? Because the church is made up of people- each of us with our idiosyncrasies, personality traits and foibles. In any church there will be people who will grate on you. Similarly you might annoy them. There will be people you will have difficulty getting alongside and working with you because of personality clashes and differences. At this point you can one of several options. You can leave the church and look for another one. But of course it won’t be perfect … Continue reading →

Senior Missionary Series: Your Farewell

The time has come for you to pack up and leave home. Perhaps it’s still a week or two out from your departure. But sooner or later, you will get the phone call from your bishop, asking you to speak in sacrament meeting before you go. In years past, whole sacrament meetings were devoted to the young man or woman who was leaving. The program was made up entirely of members of their family, their mothers often told funny stories about their childhoods, and the missionary’s favorite musical numbers were performed. Afterwards, the ward would converge on the missionary’s house … Continue reading →

Building Your Own Community

When I wrote earlier today about how our friends and support systems can change and evolve as we move through the challenges and journey of parenting, it inspired me to think about the process of building an evolving support system for our families. Most of us have heard how important it is to have a support system and to have a good, supportive community around our families, but many of us have no idea how to go about creating that. We might think that we should be able to walk out the door, find a “community” and settle in for … Continue reading →

Finding the Right Church – Part 2

Yesterday I started a blog about criteria for finding the right church -what it should be like. This is for us how it worked out in practice. When I left you yesterday, my husband and I had just walked into a church in an area where we thought we might possibly move to. It wasn’t the only area we were considering but one of several that we could afford. I found it daunting walking into a new church, where we knew no-one. But God provided. We were warmly welcomed by several people. We sat down. One of the first songs … Continue reading →