I am so grateful for the changes made this year to the temple ceremonies. I have hated the temple since the first time I attended over 40 years ago. I studied and attended but always left feeling the Lord saw me as a woman as less valuable than his sons. My Relief Society President, who was single, said she was always grateful to be single after attending the temple. Hardly the message we want people to get.
CW2SADSeptember 21, 2019
It’s funny that there’s a message at the end of the article about the temple not taking Visa. My Eternal Companion and I went to our local temple last week and she tried to pay for her rental clothing with cash. Imagine her surprise when she was told they don’t take cash anymore! Visa is accepted though...
PaulSeptember 21, 2019
This is a fantastic article! I too struggled with the temple at first. The biggest thing that helped was my mom who told me that she didn't understand everything either and keep going back. It was reassuring to know that as long as I continued to go back that I would learn powerful truths that would help me. I found that to be the case. My current issue is the new film. I get motion sickness if I watch it for too long. I try to listen to what they are saying and close my eyes and fall asleep! It is so difficult.
ScottHSeptember 20, 2019
Thank you. Great article. Good suggestions. I had a bishop who said that your visit to the temple could be a deeply sacred experience or it could be no more spiritually significant than visiting the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. It's really up to you.
I was fascinated by a comment Richard Bushman made to a group of seasoned journalists about how Latter-day Saints create sacred space. The temple may be sacred to the Lord, but it only becomes sacred to ourselves as individuals as we take deliberate action to make it so. Your GPPPG formula is the perfect approach to doing so.
More than a decade ago, I had a stake president who counseled stake members to attend the temple weekly or as often as circumstances allowed. To be frank, I was chagrined by his counsel. Weren't we already busy enough? To top it off, our local temple closed for 3½ years for extensive renovation.
The first year of so of my weekly temple visits were tainted by my attitude. But you know what? Week after week, the Lord softened my heart a little bit. Eventually my weekly time in the temple became deeply sacred. I learned more and more, and I had many hallowed experiences. So I know that your suggestion to keep attending the temple really works.
DL AndersonSeptember 20, 2019
What a lovely reminder on the day I'm returning to "my" Temple. It hasn't been long; nor is temple attendance unusual for me. Regardless, these sweet reminders added so much to my work day that will melt into my "temple trip" day (I live a distance and so will stay at Temple Patron apts).
To others reading this, I add my witness that it is indeed our attitude, not our knowledge, that prepares us (along with personal worthiness!) for receiving the gifts our Savior, Heavenly Parents, and the Holy Ghost would LOVE to give us - IF we would just slow down; listen, then hearken.
Temple LoverSeptember 20, 2019
Loved this article —it mirrors my own experiences and feelings in many ways and expresses them better than I ever could. I receive my endowment many many years ago— completely unprepared as far as temple preparation classes or anything except negative and bewildering comments from others. Fortunately, and I will be grateful for this eternally, I fell in love with the temple from the very first words spoken during in the first ordinance— I am sure it was because I was already in love with the Lord and somehow trusted and knew that whatever happened that day was from Him, and was what He wanted me to know and feel. I feel the same way 50+years later as I administer these ordinances to my sisters in the temple. If we go to the temple loving Him and always remembering Him, and trusting Him, I can promise He will fill us with reverent joy —if we will only be still and know that He is God.
Lee HillSeptember 20, 2019
Thank you so much for this wonderful article! My wife and I are the temple preparation instructors for our ward and we have had many wonderful discussions with young people preparing for missions and couples who are going to the temple for the first time or returning after many years of being absent from temple attendance. We teach our lessons one-on-one with each individual or family and love the intimacy of that setting. The points made in this article will be helpful to us in explaining the importance of regular temple attendance and listening carefully to the whisperings of the Spirit while there. Thank you again!
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LindaSeptember 25, 2019
I am so grateful for the changes made this year to the temple ceremonies. I have hated the temple since the first time I attended over 40 years ago. I studied and attended but always left feeling the Lord saw me as a woman as less valuable than his sons. My Relief Society President, who was single, said she was always grateful to be single after attending the temple. Hardly the message we want people to get.
CW2SADSeptember 21, 2019
It’s funny that there’s a message at the end of the article about the temple not taking Visa. My Eternal Companion and I went to our local temple last week and she tried to pay for her rental clothing with cash. Imagine her surprise when she was told they don’t take cash anymore! Visa is accepted though...
PaulSeptember 21, 2019
This is a fantastic article! I too struggled with the temple at first. The biggest thing that helped was my mom who told me that she didn't understand everything either and keep going back. It was reassuring to know that as long as I continued to go back that I would learn powerful truths that would help me. I found that to be the case. My current issue is the new film. I get motion sickness if I watch it for too long. I try to listen to what they are saying and close my eyes and fall asleep! It is so difficult.
ScottHSeptember 20, 2019
Thank you. Great article. Good suggestions. I had a bishop who said that your visit to the temple could be a deeply sacred experience or it could be no more spiritually significant than visiting the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. It's really up to you. I was fascinated by a comment Richard Bushman made to a group of seasoned journalists about how Latter-day Saints create sacred space. The temple may be sacred to the Lord, but it only becomes sacred to ourselves as individuals as we take deliberate action to make it so. Your GPPPG formula is the perfect approach to doing so. More than a decade ago, I had a stake president who counseled stake members to attend the temple weekly or as often as circumstances allowed. To be frank, I was chagrined by his counsel. Weren't we already busy enough? To top it off, our local temple closed for 3½ years for extensive renovation. The first year of so of my weekly temple visits were tainted by my attitude. But you know what? Week after week, the Lord softened my heart a little bit. Eventually my weekly time in the temple became deeply sacred. I learned more and more, and I had many hallowed experiences. So I know that your suggestion to keep attending the temple really works.
DL AndersonSeptember 20, 2019
What a lovely reminder on the day I'm returning to "my" Temple. It hasn't been long; nor is temple attendance unusual for me. Regardless, these sweet reminders added so much to my work day that will melt into my "temple trip" day (I live a distance and so will stay at Temple Patron apts). To others reading this, I add my witness that it is indeed our attitude, not our knowledge, that prepares us (along with personal worthiness!) for receiving the gifts our Savior, Heavenly Parents, and the Holy Ghost would LOVE to give us - IF we would just slow down; listen, then hearken.
Temple LoverSeptember 20, 2019
Loved this article —it mirrors my own experiences and feelings in many ways and expresses them better than I ever could. I receive my endowment many many years ago— completely unprepared as far as temple preparation classes or anything except negative and bewildering comments from others. Fortunately, and I will be grateful for this eternally, I fell in love with the temple from the very first words spoken during in the first ordinance— I am sure it was because I was already in love with the Lord and somehow trusted and knew that whatever happened that day was from Him, and was what He wanted me to know and feel. I feel the same way 50+years later as I administer these ordinances to my sisters in the temple. If we go to the temple loving Him and always remembering Him, and trusting Him, I can promise He will fill us with reverent joy —if we will only be still and know that He is God.
Lee HillSeptember 20, 2019
Thank you so much for this wonderful article! My wife and I are the temple preparation instructors for our ward and we have had many wonderful discussions with young people preparing for missions and couples who are going to the temple for the first time or returning after many years of being absent from temple attendance. We teach our lessons one-on-one with each individual or family and love the intimacy of that setting. The points made in this article will be helpful to us in explaining the importance of regular temple attendance and listening carefully to the whisperings of the Spirit while there. Thank you again!
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