A big day at church
Today was a big day for me church wise.
Last week I was asked if I would prepare a talk for today on the rather vague topic of "the priesthood". I was also told that all but one member of the bishopric would be out of town, so I should sit on the stand as one of the presiding authorities in attendance.
Through out the week I read old conferance talks on the priesthood. I prayed about what I should say. I created mentally a direction I wanted to go. I highlighted sections of the talks I had looked at. I woke up this morning and still didn't have a talk writen. I cut down the thirty five page of talks to a hand full of clipped and color coded paragraphs and a half dozen sheets.
When services began I still didn't have a writen talk. I had been told by Brother Starks, the conducting member of the bishopric, that I was the last talk and would either need to cut short or extened my talk depending on how much the other speaker said. No problem.
Presiding was no big deal. In this case all it really ment was that I sat on the stand where I could see how painfully small the ward is and I saw the back of the speakers head rather then their faces.
Both speakers kept their remarks brief. It looked like I had thirty plus minutes to use when the hyme preceding me ended. I started by asking my father, who had come to listen to me, share his testimony. I enjoyed his words but they left me a bit emotional as I began. I talked on the differant meanings of priesthood to start and then the history of the priesthood from before the world upto today. I also shared a large excerpt from a talk by Robert D. Hales where he lists the blessing of the peisthood in a persons life from birth to parenthood, and of course, my experiances with the priesthood and it's role in my testimony of the gosple.
I think the talk went fine but I second guess my decision to spend so much time on the history of the priesthood, not everyone like history as much as I do. I was emotional several time while on the stand and a bit more nervous than normal while speaking. It just now occured to me that this is the first time since my home coming that I have spoken at church and the longest talk I have ever had to give. (this paragraph is disjointed and hard to read but this is my journal and it doesn't have to make sence to antbody else)
After Sacrament meeting Brother Starks left, meaning that I was "in charge" I didn't find this out for an hour when he was supposed to be conducting joint preishood and relief sociaty. Conducting that was not hard at all but knowing that I was the presiding figure in that meeting disconcerted me some. It is not that I have never presided over anything before but some how this is just different.
Last week I was asked if I would prepare a talk for today on the rather vague topic of "the priesthood". I was also told that all but one member of the bishopric would be out of town, so I should sit on the stand as one of the presiding authorities in attendance.
Through out the week I read old conferance talks on the priesthood. I prayed about what I should say. I created mentally a direction I wanted to go. I highlighted sections of the talks I had looked at. I woke up this morning and still didn't have a talk writen. I cut down the thirty five page of talks to a hand full of clipped and color coded paragraphs and a half dozen sheets.
When services began I still didn't have a writen talk. I had been told by Brother Starks, the conducting member of the bishopric, that I was the last talk and would either need to cut short or extened my talk depending on how much the other speaker said. No problem.
Presiding was no big deal. In this case all it really ment was that I sat on the stand where I could see how painfully small the ward is and I saw the back of the speakers head rather then their faces.
Both speakers kept their remarks brief. It looked like I had thirty plus minutes to use when the hyme preceding me ended. I started by asking my father, who had come to listen to me, share his testimony. I enjoyed his words but they left me a bit emotional as I began. I talked on the differant meanings of priesthood to start and then the history of the priesthood from before the world upto today. I also shared a large excerpt from a talk by Robert D. Hales where he lists the blessing of the peisthood in a persons life from birth to parenthood, and of course, my experiances with the priesthood and it's role in my testimony of the gosple.
I think the talk went fine but I second guess my decision to spend so much time on the history of the priesthood, not everyone like history as much as I do. I was emotional several time while on the stand and a bit more nervous than normal while speaking. It just now occured to me that this is the first time since my home coming that I have spoken at church and the longest talk I have ever had to give. (this paragraph is disjointed and hard to read but this is my journal and it doesn't have to make sence to antbody else)
After Sacrament meeting Brother Starks left, meaning that I was "in charge" I didn't find this out for an hour when he was supposed to be conducting joint preishood and relief sociaty. Conducting that was not hard at all but knowing that I was the presiding figure in that meeting disconcerted me some. It is not that I have never presided over anything before but some how this is just different.
posted by a.lost.boy | 9:41 PM
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