MaeLyn's Musings

(Here is the talk that I gave today in church.) Image by ChatGPT, a person using instructions to build a model airplane. I love to make things. I like to sew, knit, crochet, bake bread, put together puzzles and LEGO sets. Some of you may like to do similar things. Maybe you like to do carpentry or make fly fishing lures, or build models or whatever. Something that I have learned over the years is that when I make something new and complicated for the very first time, it is a good idea to follow the instructions. Some instructions, patterns, recipes, blueprints, and tutorials are better and easier to follow than others.… but the best instructions are made by an expert: someone who has experience. They’ve done it before, they’ve done the measuring, they know what materials and tools are needed, they’ve experimented with different ingredients to get the best flavors and textures. They’ve figured out the best way to get the best result. And then these experts kindly made the instructions t...

 How long is the ideal length of time between when you are asked to give a talk in church, and the day that you give the talk?  3 days? 5 days? A week? Two weeks? A month? On Tuesday evening I received a text from a member of the bishopric asking if I would be willing to give a talk in church this Sunday. I said yes. I don't mind giving talks, and our ward has so few active members that those of us who are willing get asked about once a year. What I do mind, however, is the short notice. For me, the ideal amount of time is closer to two weeks than the 5 days or less that I've been given the last few times I've been asked to speak.  Imagine a world famous chef is asked to cater a dinner party. Imagine the exquisite meal he could prepare - the freshest vegetables, the tenderest meats, everything perfectly seasoned, and each dish complimenting the others in a feast for the eyes as well as the palette.  Now imagine that same chef is asked to cater a dinner party - that e...

 Peter gave a youth talk in sacrament meeting this last Sunday. Here are the notes he used to give his talk: The Importance of Temple Work (Introduction) I have been asked to give a talk on the importance of temple work. Obviously, temples are closed right now, but that doesn't mean we can't prepare for them to open again. So why are temples important? In the April 2020 general conference, Elder David A Bednar explained. "We do not build or enter holy temples solely to have a memorable individual or family experience. Rather the covenants received and the ordinances performed in temples are essential to the sanctifying of our hearts and for the ultimate exaltation of God's sons and daughters." This means that the things we do in the temple are important for us and the people we do the ordinances for. When we do baptisms for the dead, we give these people an opportunity they didn't have when they were alive. While temples are temporarily closed, we can still pr...

I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting on Easter Sunday. Here is my talk, as I wrote it out (which is always slightly different from how I actually give it): I. The Plan   Once upon a time, we lived with our loving Father in Heaven. There was nothing we wanted more than to be like our Father. Not only did he know everything there was to know, not only was he perfectly good, not only did he love all his children totally and unconditionally, but he also had a perfect body – one that would never get sick or injured, one that would live forever. And we, well, we didn’t have bodies at all yet. We were just little spirit children, and we didn’t have much experience yet. But we loved our wonderful Father dearly and we wanted to grow up to become like him. Father, being wise and loving, made it his work to help us obtain what we desired – bodies that would live forever, and also a chance to gain experience, to learn and grow so we could eventually have the kind of life that our F...