I realized that I need to introduce myself since Ive been rather - TopicsExpress

I realized that I need to introduce myself since Ive been rather ... um ... active ... on a few threads the last few days.So here we go .... Hi! I am Sister Tarver but you can call me Colleen. I am outspoken and irreverent. I will attempt to make you think and I will shake up the status quo. If you have an issue with that, stop reading now and block me. But before you go, while you are your knees praying for my soul and enlightenment, ask God why you feel you have any right to judge any other person on this planet. I converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at the age of 41. I was baptized 9/15/12 and sealed to my eternal partner on 10/12/13. I took me over 20 yrs from the first time I met a missionary until I opened my doors to an incredibly awesome pair of Elders who both carried the Spirit with them wherever they go. For most of the 41 yrs before my conversion, my motto was, Trust in God, question religion. I still question religion. Thankfully, the LDS church encourages questions. Dont believe me? Ask the missionaries how they finish their first lesson. Every time I read something new or hear someone say something Im not aware of, my first question is Is this true? Followed quickly by, What is the source? and Is the source true? I love and respect our church leaders from the Ward Bishop thru the Stake and Area Authorities on up to our beloved Prophet and his Counselors. I look to them for spiritual guidance. After all, they have more knowledge and experience than me when it comes to church matters.For things outside the church, I take their words under advisement but I also get info from other sources including my own experience. The truth is that as much as I love our Bishops - both the current one and the recent one - Im sure their wives will be the first to tell you that not every word that falls out of their mouths is divinely inspired. I suspect Sister Uchtdorf and Sister Monson, if she was still with us, would tell you the same thing about their husbands. I realize that may come as a shock to some of you but even Brigham Young admitted to being fallible. Again, ask the missionaries if you dont believe me. I know that I must be doing something right. Soon after my baptism I was called to teach Sunday school to the 14 and 15 yr olds with a brand new curriculum. In case you are not aware, that new curriculum is Come, Follow Me and it is meant to be taught in the manner Christ taught. I am expected to love the students (which I do) and ask them leading questions to help them build their own testimony. At least once a month I have to remind them that I do not care what they learned in primary or at their mothers knee. I want to know what they personally know and believe. Yep, I must be doing something right since there were students fighting to get into my class which has now been expanded to include all teens 14 thru 18 and everyone else who decides to sit in with us. Even though I am having health issues that keep me home on Sunday way more than I like, they still wont release me from my calling. So when I challenge your beliefs and ask you why, I am just doing what I was called to do. Of course it will be up to you to determine which challenge is divinely inspired and which challenge is simply because I feel a little bit rambunctious that day. Probably safest to lean towards rambunctious but occasionally I know the Lord guides my thoughts and therefore, my words.