The Worst Thing in the World

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by Ben Johnson (bio)

In the book 1984 the protagonist is arrested and taken to the Ministry of Love to be tortured. Although he is subjected to all manner of physical and mental horrors he remains defiant. In the end, however, his spirit is broken when he is taken to Room 101. His torturer explains why Room 101 is so effective: "The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world." You see, the reason Room 101 is the worst thing in the world is because there you are subject to your own greatest fear.

I know exactly what I would be confronted with in Room 101. Unemployment. Even before I was married and had kids I shuddered at the thought that I someday might be a husband and a father and unemployed. Now, with a family of my own, I am even more acutely aware of the possibility.

On Saturday during the priesthood session the topic of unemployment was mentioned. The following quote was shared and it was like a punch to my chest:

A man out of work is of special moment to the Church because, deprived of his inheritance, he is on trial as Job was on trial—for his integrity. As days lengthen into weeks and months and even years of adversity, the hurt grows deeper, and he is sorely tempted to "curse God and die." ... The Church cannot hope to save a man on Sunday if during the week it is a complacent witness to the crucifixion of his soul.

Two days after priesthood I saw this video. It hurt me. The thought of that scene playing out around my own dinner table shook me.

I've never been unemployed, but I have seen first-hand what can happen. My brother lost his job once. It was a good job with excellent benefits and he loved it. Then one day the word came down that he was on the cut list. Even with months of advance of notice, even with a generous severance package, and even with many job prospects, my brother was crushed. He lost something like 30 pounds because his mind was frenzied. He was in a bad way. Eventually he found another great job but that span of unemployment was rough.

I hope none of you reading this are unemployed, but if you are I want to help. I don't claim to know any great networking secrets, nor do I have big business hookups. My circle of friends is small and my professional success is meager. But I do work for a pretty big company and we always have job openings. I also have an email account, a phone, and some time. Maybe, just maybe, I might be able to help. If nothing else you can at least know someone is willing to listen if you want to vent. Perhaps among all the good folks on MMM we could do something? I sincerely hope I am not out of line here. I don't mean to be. I'm just offering to help in my own puny way.

From the depths of my soul I'm asking you not to give up. I feel for my unemployed brothers out there and I pray that I can help.

Here is my contact info:
benjohnson3478 [at] gmail dot com
(eight oh one) four four eight-seven one seven two

MMM Quotes 12: Legacies of Jesus by L. Bennion

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

The following quotes come from Lowell Bennion's Legacies of Jesus, a great little book on the Savior I recently finished. If you have a chance to read or buy the book, you should.

"For me, four aspects of religion are significant: the Church, ordinances and rituals, religious and ethical principles, and a religious orientation toward other human beings. But the most important of the four is other people – what happens to individuals as the result of a religion. The Church is not an end in itself, but a means of making gospel principles like faith and humility functional in the lives of people. Yes, even gospel principles are not the things of ultimate worth. Their value lies in how they bless human lives."

"Many people are disturbed when they find doubts intruding into their faith, particularly young people who, as a natural stage in their maturation, are questioning the simple faith of their childhood. I try to point out to them two facts: Jesus did not rebuke the father for his unbelief, and the father confessed his unbelief to the Savior in the context of asking for help. I believe that our Heavenly Father is pleased with such confession. What could make for healthier growth than expressing doubts in a context of faith? Indifference, it seems to me, is far deadlier to faith than doubt."

MMM Sermons: Good, Better, Best

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by Saint Mark (bio)

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call them "talks," but most non-Christians call them sermons. This is a series of sermons that many Latter-day Saints love and believe. I hope these sermons promote and perfect your faith as they do mine. Read previous MMM Sermons here or watch this specific sermon here.

If you have ever struggled to make a choice between good and good choices, then you will appreciate this sermon.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles delivered this memorable sermon in General Conference of October 2007. Good, Better, Best is a revealing window into Elder Oaks' approach to preaching and analyzing the gospel. An attorney and former judge, Elder Oaks knows how to make obeying the commandments of God a rational, logical decision.

Here are some golden acorns from Elder Oaks (sorry, couldn't help it):

In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best. A friend took his young family on a series of summer vacation trips, including visits to memorable historic sites. At the end of the summer he asked his teenage son which of these good summer activities he enjoyed most. The father learned from the reply, and so did those he told of it. "The thing I liked best this summer," the boy replied, "was the night you and I laid on the lawn and looked at the stars and talked." Super family activities may be good for children, but they are not always better than one-on-one time with a loving parent ...

The number of those who report that their "whole family usually eats dinner together" has declined 33 percent. This is most concerning because the time a family spends together "eating meals at home [is] the strongest predictor of children's academic achievement and psychological adjustment." Family mealtimes have also been shown to be a strong bulwark against children's smoking, drinking, or using drugs. There is inspired wisdom in this advice to parents: what your children really want for dinner is you ...

In general conference last year, Elder M. Russell Ballard warned against the deterioration of family relationships that can result when we spend excess time on ineffective activities that yield little spiritual sustenance. He cautioned against complicating our Church service "with needless frills and embellishments that occupy too much time, cost too much money, and sap too much energy. … The instruction to magnify our callings is not a command to embellish and complicate them. To innovate does not necessarily mean to expand; very often it means to simplify. … What is most important in our Church responsibilities," he said, "is not the statistics that are reported or the meetings that are held but whether or not individual people—ministered to one at a time just as the Savior did—have been lifted and encouraged and ultimately changed."

This Mormon Moment Isn't For Us

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by brettmerritt (bio)

via Salt Lake Tribune

Regardless of how you'll vote in this election, wasn't it sort of cool to see Mitt Romney on stage for the first 2012 Presidential Debate? There he was. Mitt Romney the Mormon candidate for POTUS.

Is it really our Mormon Moment? The term is so catchy. So encompassing. I love, love C. Jane Kendrick's opinion on the Mormon Moment. She, rightly, expresses a wariness of the term and the more I read about this exciting if not controversial Moment, the more I think we're missing a potentially golden opportunity.

I think the press that the Church has gotten is helpful. The interviews that many of our Brothers and Sisters have done in the public eye have been, for the most part, wonderful to read and watch. But ...

The Mormon Moment isn't about us. It's for them.

This isn't our time to finally talk about ourselves, dutifully police website comments, and share inspirational videos, although that's fine if you have the time to do that. Rather, I think it’s a chance for each of us to really be authentic, let the world observe, and enjoy their moment with us.

We need to be ourselves. Let that do the talking, even if that means letting people see our flaws, ecclesiastical and personal.

Guest Post: Real Home Teaching

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Kurt is the author of LeadingLDS, a website focused on cracking the code on home teaching, visiting teaching and church leadership in general. Kurt served a mission in Sacramento, California. He is married to a massage therapist (which means he never gets a massage) and has a new baby girl that thinks he is Superman. He tweets too!

The home teaching checklist:

Set the appointment ... check.
Knock on their door ... check.
Ask the "How's work?" question ... check.
Be the children's punching bag ... check.
Pet the family dog ... check.
Share brief Ensign lesson ... check.

Then comes the dreaded closing question. Near the end of the visit 99.3% of home teachers and visiting teachers ask the same question. (official study ... okay, not really)

IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO FOR YOU?

These words have a long history in the church. A separate unofficial study (that never happened) found that 99.4% of home teachees responded with the words, "No, we're fine." The reality is, this question makes the home teacher feel good but doesn't really bring a need to the surface.

I'm right there with you. I am the president of the Is-There-Anything-We-Can-Do-For-You Club. I have been whipping out that question since my mission ... until I changed my ways a few weeks ago when I read an article by Joseph Grenny called Coping with the Loss of a Loved One.

When we’re at a loss for what to say we often end with, “If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.” If you really want to do something, stop and think. Stop and think about everything you know about their lives. Where do they live? What little chores do they have to do to make it through the day? If they have experienced a loss, like the article suggests, what extra tasks will now fall on them because of the loss? Empathize as best you can until you find some proactive task you can do to communicate real compassion. It won’t matter if what you do isn't perfect; it just matters that you take initiative rather than assign them to involve you. They rarely will, so the offer rings hollow.

I now catch myself before blurting out the (in)famous question and really analyze the situation of the individuals I'm home teaching. What do they really need? What can I offer them that would lighten their load? Or I don't even ask. Imagine if they walked by their front window and realized you are already half-way done with mowing their lawn. A late afternoon phone call letting them know you have already made ravioli and are bring some over for their family. This is where home teaching begins -- real ministering.

Never state the words again: Is there anything we can do for you?

The Sustaining of Church Officer Wives

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

It is proposed that we sustain Frances Johnson Monson as the wife of our prophet, seer, and revelator and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Kathleen Johnson Eyring as the wife of our First Counselor in the First Presidency; and Harriett Reich Uchtdorf as the wife of our Second Counselor in the First Presidency.

Those in favor may manifest it. Those opposed, if any, may manifest it.

It is proposed that we sustain Donna Smith Packer as the wife of the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the following as wives of members of that quorum:

Virginia Lee Perry (deceased), Barbara Taylor Dayton Perry, Dantzel White Nelson (deceased), Wendy Watson Nelson, June Dixon Oaks (deceased), Kristen McMain Oaks, Barbara Bowen Ballard, Jeanene Watkins Scott (deceased), Mary Crandall Hales, Patricia Terry Holland, Susan Kae Robinson Bednar, Mary Gaddie Cook, Katherine Jacob Christofferson, Kathy Williams Andersen.

Those in favor, please manifest it. Any opposed may so indicate.

It is proposed that we sustain the wives of the counselors in the First Presidency and the wives of the Twelve Apostles as women of dedication, perseverance, and faithfulness.

All in favor, please manifest it. Contrary, if there be any, by the same sign.

Prayer Roll

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by Bishop Higgins (bio)

Image via annrkiszt

Our world is going to hell in a hand-basket, but that's no reason why we should stop going boating or learning a new skill, like whittling. But it is a reason why we should increase our prayers and give the people that need our help a gentle push from angels above.

I know what you're thinking. But Bishop, after we've asked for these donuts to nourish and strengthen our bodies, what else should we pray for? I'm so glad you asked because I have a mighty good list for you to consider.

1. Anyone who has fallen down a well and is still down there.
2. Not often, but every once in a while, you'll meet someone that still says, "You go girl." Let us pray for them.
3. I'm constantly praying that mosquitoes will become less "stingy." Won't you please join me in that prayer.
4. Let us pray that the U.S. continues to stockpile weapons just like Porter Rockwell and Jesus would want us to do.
5. Lazy people.
6. It's not a serious problem, but probably forgotten, so let us pray that very tall people (6 foot 5 inches and up) will be able to find attractive slacks -- without pleats -- without having to drive around to four different stores.
7. Let us pray for people that put sweaters on tiny dogs. They need our help.
8. Mitt Romney.
9. I think we should pray for limerick writers to come up with other things that rhyme with Nan Tucket.
10. Mitt Romney.