Search Results for: blog what did the members of the early church do

The Older Couple at Church

When my mom was living with us, Wayne and I made it a point to take her to church on Sundays. She was Catholic, we’re not, but the Sunday after she died, we made a point of going to her church anyway. It was part of our own private memorial to her. We arrived a little early and took a seat in one of the back pews where we’d sit with my mom. I immediately started looking for them –the older couple Wayne had spotted the first Sunday we’d gone with my mom. “Aren’t they cute?” he’d leaned over and … Continue reading →

The Church’s Program on Adoption

The wards and stakes of the Church have been asked to hold a program once every other year to talk to ward members about teen pregnancy and adoption. It’s estimated that every ward in the Church will have one teen pregnancy per year. While I’m not sure how that matches up with statistics from other organizations, I have to say I was pretty surprised to hear such a high number. A representative from our stake came and spoke to us this last Sunday, and I was overwhelmed with the message she brought. She spoke no words of condemnation, was not … Continue reading →

What Do You Do on Sunday Afternoons?

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Sunday afternoons are one of my favorite times during the week. Do I go somewhere exciting? Do I enjoy my favorite hobbies or sports? Not really. Sunday afternoons are for rigorously structured laziness. Our family doesn’t make plans, we don’t take trips, we use them instead, for rest and relaxation. In a society that sees church attendance as less and less of a priority, Sundays have become simply another Saturday. People go to the malls, meet with friends, work on their houses, go to parties and stay out late. In our family, Sundays are a day in which we avoid … Continue reading →

What Did the Members of the Early Church Do?

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In the book of Acts, Luke gives us wonderful insight into what life was like for the early church. It is fascinating to study what these first Christians did when they came together to fellowship. We can learn much and evaluate our own worship by considering their example. 1. Teaching– The apostles had a large role in the beginnings of the church. As new believers were added to the church, they took the responsibility of telling everyone about Jesus’ life. They undoubtedly passed on everything they had heard Christ say and saw Him do. They likely took the Old Testament … Continue reading →

Families – Do We HAVE To Be Together Forever?

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I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve never been so grateful to have the holidays end as I was this year. For many, Christmas goes hand in hand with family. With that intent, we packed up our recently moved (about a month) selves and traveled from Pennsylvania back to Georgia to spend nearly two weeks, most of which time was spent with my husband’s parents and grandparents. Let me take the opportunity to say that I am very grateful to my husband’s grandparents for putting us up in their home for almost that entire time. However, two weeks … Continue reading →

Pioneer Day Celebrations

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As I mentioned before, Pioneer day is a big day here in Utah. It is a state holiday. Yesterday was the observance of Pioneer day since it fell on a Sunday. I actually spent a lot of time this past weekend thinking about the pioneers and being grateful for their trek into Utah. We started off the celebration on the actual day, in Primary. The children got up and sang two songs in Sacrament meeting. And, the talks were about some of our ward members’ ancestors that were pioneers. I couldn’t help but be grateful for these men and women … Continue reading →

Pioneer Appreciation

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I am not a history buff. In fact, I claim to hate history and want nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, this tends to encompass the history of my own church as well. I am not like many people that I have met that love to learn about church history, but give me a good fiction book to read, and I’m there! Growing up in Texas as a child, I was vaguely reminded of the pioneers and what they did for church history. And, when I say vaguely reminded I mean that I was probably given a lesson about the … Continue reading →

Debunking the Sensitive Child Myth

When my daughter was a toddler she would sob the second I altered the tone or volume of my voice. I once shouted over a noisy lawnmower and the kid cried as though she was being dangled over a pit of fire. “Oh, she’s just a sweet, sensitive girl,” the other mothers would coo when I shared my tales of frustration. To this day, my “sweet, sensitive girl” still covers her ears when she encounters loud or unexpected noises, but at least she doesn’t break down in tears. While many people are quick to label my child as “sensitive” I … Continue reading →

Making it Meaningful

We had a friend some years back who applied to be a marriage celebrant. His aim was to be able to marry people who wanted a service but didn’t necessarily want it in a church but who still wanted something meaningful. If you and you intended are both members of the same church, then it makes sense to want to be married in that church. If you attend two different churches, then you are going to have to reach a compromise unless you decide to marry somewhere else entirely like a garden or a beach. It doesn’t have to make … Continue reading →

The Ward Christmas Party- An Idea

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For some reason, the Bishop thinks I should be the one to head up the ward Christmas party this year. Why? I’m not sure, but I guess I should be happy that he has the confidence in me to do it. I’ve never planned anything like this before, and I’m a little nervous. But, alas, I have an idea and he approved it, so we are ready to start planning. I live in UT, so you would think I live in a bustling, large ward full of many cute little families, and lots of members. Not really. Our ward is … Continue reading →