Last Sunday, I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. I tend not to speak from notes. when I have a talk written out, I tend to bow my head to read from the page rather than speaking to the congregation. That leads to droning rather than speaking and I feel my message gets lost. So, my method for preparing is to firt think through an outline, to think of scriptures that fit the outline, and to practice in my head the outline before I get to church. If I know the outline, I can easily fill in the rest.

My assignment was to speak on President Thomas S. Monson’s October 2007 address to the General Relief Society meeting entitled, “Three Goals to Guide You.” Following, as best as I can recall, is the talk I delivered. I will probably be writing things in that I intended to say as well as things I did say, and may be leaving out some things I did say. It may even be out of order. As I said, I’m doing it from memory. (more…)

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I was sexually and physically abused as a child. It is something that has always been difficult to bear. It happened over a period of several years and only ended when the abuser moved away from the area where I lived. (more…)

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On the back cover of Jonathan Langford’s novel, No Going Back, there is my name as an endorser. Despite the embarassing mixed metaphor I used, I have no regrets endorsing this book. I have read in places about fears that this book will damage the youth of the Church. If tha were true, I would be complicit. Thankfully, it is not true.

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Since my days in Seminary a very long time ago, I’ve been able to quote this scripture:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).

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I first saw heard the old song, “Don’t Fence Me In”, on The Muppet Show with the immortal Bob Hope. It’s a great song, a great video, and possibly even a great message. (more…)

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On Friday, I went on a day trip with some good friends. We visited a site near Mount St. Helens called the Ape Caves. Back in my Scouting days, I took a lot of Scouts there. It is one of my favorite destinations. (more…)

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Believe me, I really do understand how difficult it can be to be gay, Mormon, and married to a woman. In fact, I think men like me who stick it out are possibly even in a better position to speak to the difficulty. You can’t know how hard it can be to get to the finish line if you leave the race early. (more…)

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I’m one who has always believed that truth is absolute, that our task in life is to discover the truth and then change to conform to that truth. I don’t buy that individuals have their own truth, though I am willing to accept that each person possesses a different understanding of the truth based on experience and learning. (more…)

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In the fifth grade, at Lakeview Elementary School in Santa Fe Springs, California, I felt like I was outclassed. The school served a large population. Each of the elementary grades had three classes and they were separated by some measurement of ability. I came to Laveview when I was in the fourth grade. I wound up in Mrs. Nickerson’s class, which was for average students. The next fall, I was put in the above average class, taught by Mrs. DuPuis. (more…)

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If you are involved in a support group meeting, especially one based on the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, you will likely be familiar with the term, “crosstalk”. You’ll find a wide a varied definition of what it is, almost as varied as there are individuals who use the word. (more…)

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I’m unavoidably alone tonight on Monday. It being Family Home Evening, I figure that if I’m going to write, it should be something about family. That’s easy today given the three days I’ve just experienced. (more…)

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Warning: If you are triggered or otherwise bothered by frank discussions about childhood sexual abuse, pass this post by.

Nothing annoys me more than being told I can’t talk. Being talked over or any other form of suppressing my self-expression has the same negative effect on me. I recently cam to understand not only where this comes from but why it is still bothers me so much. (more…)

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Here are a few interesting posts from other Mormon blogs relevant to this site:

• What should I do? My husband is homosexual.
• What should I do? My husband is homosexual – part 2.
• Why is no one addressing the issue of women watching pornography?
• More Data On Anti-Depressant Use In Utah

Feel free to respond to any topics at these other sites or even here. Let me know if you run across anything relevant to anything that Mormons might struggle with.

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I was reading today in the Book of Mormon Nephi says:

Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul (2 Nephi 4:28). (more…)

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We all remember the story of the three little pigs, don’t we? They were being stalked by the big, bad wolf and each little pig built himself a house to keep the wolf out. The first one built his house out of straw. The wolf blew it over with a breath. The second one built it out of sticks. It took the wolf a little more effort, but he blew it over too. The third little pig used bricks, and, of course, mortar. The wolf could not blow it down. He and his brothers were safe. (more…)

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