I had a little conversation on Twitter today with a handful of people. It started when one person said that he was looking for a 1000 sq ft home he could fit his family into. Knowing his family is the same size as mine, I replied that my family of six lives in a 798 sq ft home. He responded to this by saying that we must really like being with each other.

When I said that of course we like being with each other, two others jumped in saying I am in the minority and most families hate being with each other.

Is our family an anomoly? Is it really true that families can’t stand being around one another?

If what they claim is true, then I think it is very sad. I truly believe families should want to spend rime together.

As I write this, I am reminded of a Bloggernacle post not so long ago discussing the idea of “menrichment”, when men get together to bond without any wives or children. As the discussion progressed in the comments of this post, I began to feel that I was in the minority when I claimed that I have no desire to attend an elders quorum social without Mary, my wife.

Is it wrong to want to spend time with one’s family? I mean, I am away from them for over 8 hours every weekday. Why wouldn’t I want to spend as much time as I can with my children during the 2-3 hours between when I get home and they go to bed?

Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with Mary during the 5 waking hours I see her each day?

How will a man manage to live forever with his family,if he can’t stand being with them now?

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Our Sacrament hymn today was “I Stand All Amazed.”

It’s not one of my favourite hymns; I don’t find the melody catch, nor do I find the lyrics poetic. Nevertheless, it often touches me; it rather than enlightening my mind, it often pierces my heart.

Today, I noticed at the top of the page in the hymnal, it suggests singing the hymn thoughtfully. I tried to do just that today. A few thing stuck out to me.

At times, I do seem confused at how unconditionally Jesus extends his grace to me despite my ongoing effort to conduct myself in a way that distances me from the Spirit. I do marvel that he rescues a soul so rebellious and proud as mine.

I doubt I praise and adore at the mercy seat. I doubt I sing of his goodness and mercy.

Thinking about this hymn while singing it really underscored how far I still have to go.

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Mary and I were talking about someone we know who is having marital problems. Her husband befriended someone online and a short time later asked for a divorce. Some people are saying the website where her husband met this person is at fault. But I wonder.

I wonder whether this situation could have unfolded as it did if the husband did not already have a reason to want to leave the marriage.

I wonder whether the husband would have just found someone else some other way if the website didn’t exist.

I wonder if there is a correlation between the divorce rate and the fact that no one can be taken on his/her word anymore.

After all, doesn’t divorce come down to people going back on their word? Their word to love and cherish through sickness and health, through rich and poor, through better and worse? Their word to stay married for the rest of their lives?

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Please feel free to share your thoughts regarding this weekend’s General Conference.

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During the Saturday morning session of last April’s conference, Sister Lifferth of the Genereal Primary Presidency said:

Texting or reading e-mails in a Church meeting is not only irreverent, it is distracting and signals a lack of respect for those around us.

Yesterday, Mary was called as a Relief Society instructor. Unfortunately, the bishopric counsellor conducting failed to put her name forward for sustaining. After failing to catch his attention for several minutes, I finally texted the bishop to let him know about the omission. They took care of it right before the closing hymn.

I hope Sister Lifferth forgives me.

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Mary told me yesterday she loves me so much that the universe couldn’t hold that love.

Assuming the universe is infinite, that means the size of her love is infinite. Does that mean it never grows?

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I attended a baptism last Saturday for an eight-year-old. One of the speakers made the comment that baptism will wash this child’s sins away.

In Moro. 8:8, Mormon told Moroni that the Lord said the following:

Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them

If little children are whole and not capable of committing sin, how can baptism wash away their sins?

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Earlier this week, I was reading in Jacob 2, and I came across something I thought was poignant.

Jacob was teaching the Nephites in the temple. The record is unclear whether this was a regular occurrence, or if this was a specific occasion when Jacob had called everyone together.

In verses 15 and 16 of Jacob 1, we learn that the Nephites “began to grow hard in their hearts,” “indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices,” “began to search much gold and silver, and began to be lifted up somewhat in pride.”

I found this interesting in itself. Jacob wasn’t concerned for the Nephites because they were hard in their hearts, indulged in wicked practices, searched for gold and silver, and were lifted up in pride. He was concerned they were starting to do these things.

In verse 7 of chapter 2, Jacob says that he grieves to have to rebuke the fathers/husbands in front of their wives and children.

In verse 8, he suggests that many of the women and children had come hoping “to hear the pleasing word of God; the word which healeth the wounded soul.” Presumably, many of them had wounded hearts that needed healing.

Despite this, according to verse 9, God gave specific instruction to Jacob to not “[console] and [heal] their wounds” or allow them to “[feast] upon the pleasing word of God.” Rather he was “to admonish [the men],” “to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded,” and to place daggers ”to pierce [the] souls and wound [the] delicate minds” of those who have not been wounded.

What a burden indeed.

Who, in their right mind, would rather enlarge the wounds of the wounded rather than offer them healing? Who would rather pierce the souls of the unwounded than allow them to feast on the pleasing word of God?

I can just imagine Jacob pacing his bedroom the night before grieving at this great and burdensome task (see verse 10).

I do not envy the role of the prophet.

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If Wal-Mart decided to use nickels as its lowest denomination, would it encourage the elimination of the penny?

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While reading my scriptures last night, I came across this in Jacob 2:6:

It grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God

Reading this caused me to question something: is God pleased with these women and children for having exceedingly tender, chaste and delicate feelings, or is he pleased with exceedingly tender, chaste and delicate feelings from anyone.

Related to that, what does Jacob mean by tender, chaste, and delicate feelings?

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