Although I’ve seen a few reports of the retreat in various Facebook groups, only one offered impressions of the opening session. I would like to share a few thoughts about what took place that night. As I write this first part on Saturday afternoon, the majority of the people attending the retreat are up on the Mesa. After prayer, I decided to not go up there with such a large group.
I was on the Mesa Friday in between storms. It was beautiful, quiet and peaceful. It felt sacred. The Mesa is under a three-day winter storm warning. As I look up there this afternoon I see dark storm clouds. I wonder if it’s snowing. The schedule called for the men to go up there to practice giving blessings to one another and, if lead, to prophecy, similar to the school of the prophets.
These are good things to do. My difficulty is with the weather. I’m an old man and am not sure I could stand in the snow for hours upon hours. I know the Mesa is a sacred place. You can read much about it on various sites, especially those that describe the Native American legends and myths of the mesa. For example, Google “Legend of Grand Mesa.” There are several good links.
Inspiring Speakers, Uplifting Music, Sacred Dance
The Friday night session was enjoyable. It was well attended. My estimate is there were well over a hundred and fifty adults present, perhaps as many as two hundred. Arrangements were made for the children to be cared for in another location. There were four speakers presenting, each one enjoyable and uplifting. There was also sacred music and yes, sacred dancing as well.
You may recall the kerfuffle about the idea of sacred dance. Marti Grobecker introduced it to us in a most delightful way. I was standing in the back of the room, next to Bret, when she began speaking. In the middle of her presentation she stopped, looked directly at me and said, “You can’t quote this on your blog, Tim.” Everyone laughed. I promised her I would not quote her.
However, I didn’t say anything about describing the dance. It was lovely. So many people came up to the stage she had to split them into two dances. It’s basically a circle dance – circles within circles, with each circle going in the opposite direction. She described the purpose of the dance is to move the angels to attend and to bless. Those in the center of the circle receive more energy.
Sacred Dance – Historical Precedence
In the packet each participant received upon arriving was a copy of Marti’s paper on dance, a copy of Bret and Samantha’s book, Unequally Yoked, the schedule, directions to venues and music we would be singing. Here is a link to a PDF of the handout. Marti was kind enough to provide the document in a PDF format for anyone to download.
From my point of view, the dancing was one of the highlights of the evening. It seems everyone wanted to participate. There were only a dozen or so left in their seats. I even went up there with the intention of dancing but it was simply too crowded. I stood by and clapped with the music, a sort of Jewish tune. It reminded me of a Jewish wedding, but the music was NOT Hava Nagila.
By the way, Rock was the first speaker. He gave a delightful talk on being born of the spirit and how it had influenced his and Connie’s lives. After Marti’s dance presentation and a wonderful rendition of Beautiful Savior, Jacqueline Olson, who had traveled from Arizona to attend my baptism last year, spoke about getting to know Christ, his personality and how he speaks with us.
Brought Together Through the Internet
Finally, Larry Winn spoke about his experiences in coming unto Christ. He sang for us and had us sing along toward the end. The feeling I got was similar to what happens in many missionary farewells as the audience sings, “God be With You.” I then offered the benediction, thanking the Lord for teaching us about sacred dance. I asked Him to bless Bret and Samantha for all they did.
At this point I’d like to refer you to Scott Stover’s account of the remainder of the conference. He came in just as we were singing Beautiful Savior. I agree with his observation that it sounded like angels, probably because of the high soprano descant. For me, the evening was a moving worship experience. The focus was Christ, hearing his voice, singing and dancing praise to Him.
I was happy to see so many familiar faces from the lectures last year or from their online profile pictures. Many of my favorite bloggers were there: Will (200 Words or Less), Joe (Just and True), Rock (Pure Mormonism), Adrian (To the Remnant), Jules (My Journey to the Fullness), Anonymous Bishop, Scott Stover (The Gospel according to Scoot) and Bret (77 Truths).
Protecting the Higher Elevations
I have to comment a bit more on the weather. Take a look at This short post on Bare Record of Truth on the weather forecast for the weekend of the retreat. A three-day winter storm warning in May on the same three exact days of the retreat seems quite the coincidence. The result was that the men were not able to go on the hike to the higher elevations of the Mesa.
Although I’ve only been up there once in my life, I felt like I was treading on sacred ground. I stopped at the visitor center, which was closed due to the snow and at the Grand Mesa lodge where I bought a gift for Carol. From what I understand, the men gathered in these two spots for their Saturday meetings up on the Mesa. They could go no higher because of the snow and mud.
I apologize to Bret for not being there Saturday. He had asked me to lead one of the groups, but in prayer that morning I had an unsettled feeling. I left early Sunday to meet Carol back in Provo but before I left I heard various reports that the meetings on the Mesa went well, even if all the participants were freezing their tail feathers off. I’m glad the experience went well for everyone.
Spiritual Experiences as a Group
As I finish this post it’s Monday afternoon. I’ve had some time to think about the retreat. In my estimation it was a success. It brought people together who had much in common. There was a sense of peace and unity, light and enlightenment, and a wonderful sense of worship and praise. But I keep thinking back to one of the six questions I didn’t get to ask of Denver on Wednesday.
“If an individual has met with the Lord, he will want to go out and bless his fellowman. So fellowships are important, yet it seems the actual rising up is an individual effort. Can you help me understand how the two work together?” It is similar to another question about fellowships he had answered previously so we skipped this one. What we did this weekend was a retreat.
I think Bret’s intent was to create a setting for people to have “spiritual experiences.” I put that in quotes because I have been pondering the idea of group spiritual experiences lately. Salvation is obtained from the Lord in repenting, receiving the ordinance of baptism and continuing to do all we possibly can to receive the Holy Ghost. These are individual efforts, but we serve in a group.
Individual Effort and Group Fellowship
About having asked the Lord about this and hearing Denver’s answer, I think the optimum size for a fellowship, or a church, is perhaps as few as fifty people, surely no more than one hundred. What we participated in this weekend was labeled a retreat. It was not a conference in the sense that although I heard there were some baptisms, nobody was ordained or sustained in the priesthood.
Correction: Sustainings did indeed take place as noted in the comments. I was not there Sunday because of my desire to be with my wife, who continues to struggle with this whole movement and my involvement in it. I obviously missed some wonderful experiences. I will be reading Bret’s book for ideas on how I can deal with this lack of unity in my marriage. Thanks to several readers for the correction.
The work of salvation is both an individual effort – prayer, gospel study, repentance – as well as a group effort – service, paying tithing and meeting each other’s needs. The Retreat was good, but I kept wondering what purpose it served. Bret said it was called by Christ and I believe him but what was accomplished to build up his people? Well, we enjoyed each other’s fellowship.
I believe there were several group sacrament services – remember, I left on Sunday morning. I hope they were sacred experiences for all those who participated. If you feel inspired to share, I would like to hear how things went with the Sunday services. Did you go away filled? Was the retreat worth your time and the travel expense involved? Were you uplifted by the experience?
The Ordinance of the Sacrament
Without providing too much detail I would like to share what I feel was one of the most sacred experiences of my life. By invitation, I stayed in the home of an individual there in Cedaredge Friday and Saturday night. I started a three-day fast Friday morning so did not participate in the wonderful barbeque that was provided on Saturday. After the barbeque we had the sacrament.
I would say there were twenty to twenty-five of us present for the first round of the sacrament. Just as we were finishing, another twenty individuals showed up. We had the sacrament again. This time I was honored to perform the ordinance. After this, we had a few short testimonies from a few individuals as requested by our host. I was one of them. It was, to me, very sacred.
From many, many years of serving as a gospel doctrine teacher, a high counselor, or primary teacher, I have learned there are times the Lord can use me as a conduit to express his feelings for the individuals in the class. The same thing has happened hundreds of times when setting someone apart or giving a priesthood blessing. The love of the Lord flows through me to others.
Expressing the Love of the Lord
This was one of those occasions. We each have different gifts. Some have one. Some have many. Some come naturally. Some must be developed. Some are given without much more than asking. Others are only given after years of preparation. For me, this was one of those times where I felt the Lord had prepared me for this moment. I am grateful for the inspiration of my host in asking.
Now I don’t know if anyone else felt it, and perhaps it was the wine talking, but my heart was glad and I felt to express the love of the Lord for all present. I opened my mouth to do so and it was filled with words from the Lord in blessing all those present. Again, perhaps I was the only one who felt it, but the Lord was with me as power in the priesthood flowed through me to them.
I know it doesn’t sound like much as I read it on my computer screen, but as I thanked the Lord later that evening in personal prayer, He let me know that is why I had been invited and why He had inspired me to go to the retreat – so I could express love to those who were present for their efforts to travel and to participate in this retreat that He directed Bret to organize at this time.
The Retreat Was Pleasing to the Lord
That’s it. The post is open for discussion. You can argue what we did and what we experienced could have been felt within the confines of the LDS Church. I disagree. You can argue we are all apostates who partook of the sacrament without it being authorized by a local bishop. I also disagree with that. Say what you want. I was there. I know what I felt. It was a good thing.
Thank you Bret and Samantha, Rock and Connie, Marti, Jacqueline, Scott, Adrian and all those who helped out in the child care, the youth activities, the music, the venues, the sound system, the contributions to help those travelling from long distances and all the behind the scenes stuff. I know we didn’t get up to the higher elevations, but I believe the hand of the Lord was in that too.
Thanks Bret for letting me offer the prayer, for letting me help with the editing of the book and for helping this California native feel welcome so far from home. And to my unnamed host who allowed me to sleep on his couch, as I said privately, I don’t think I’ve had such a good night’s sleep – two nights in a row, as I did in your home. Truly, you are a man blessed of the Lord.
Tim,
The Sunday services were what I would call a sweet experience. We met down at Confluence Park in Delta. The weather was fair to warm. I felt as if I was in a grove in Nauvoo listening to the Saints during a Sunday service in times of old. A couple from Arizona shared their experiences about coming to Christ through their tribulation of an automobile accident that should have ended all their lives, but they were all spared. Then we had testimonies. There were some songs sung as well, a heartfelt alteration of “How Great Thou Art,”
Adrian Larsen finished up. It was quite possible the best thing shared during the retreat. It was sort of the why and now what talk. I think it helped me answer that question you posed about the purpose. He quoted scripture about the repentance Gentiles in 3 Nephi 16 and our mission “to the remnant” of the House of Israel. He talked about what we need to, and NOT do. One of my associated recorded it, and I think it should be posted when we can get it and process it.
But I think salvation is an individual effort, as you have expressed. The best experiences I had were when I was all by myself pondering things with the Lord or praying for His blessings upon me. The aftermath of the trip has been as rewarding as the trip.
I never engaged in the controversy over the trip. I simply decided to go down to meet you all and frankly, to have a vacation with my wife. I was stunned at what happened with me and my wife. In the coming days, it may not be too much to say that it was a life-changing event. For me, it had nothing to do with the mesa. I feel like I could have had the same things happen in a retreat outside of Las Vegas. It was the Spirit I took with me and what I decided to do as I met people and partook of sacred ordinances and communed with the Lord.
Towardzion, here is a link to the pdf of that song. It is free for anyone to copy and share.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8zSKqS5aT2MaG1hMng5akpVaWc/view?usp=sharing
I was not at the Sunday meeting, but was told that the song had been sung. I think the Lord would like anyone who desires it to have copies of it.
I’m not going to give a summary of anything in particular, although I will report that a number of men did indeed receive sustainings from various women on that beautiful and warm Sunday.
This is what I would like to say about the retreat. I felt so much love, light and inspiration while in attendance. And while I may not have put my finger on that while I was there, when I came home Sunday evening I immediately noticed the deficit.
Yes, I really did. I do believe I felt more light and strength from the totality of that group than I ever have felt before. So that on my return–association with the people of my life whether family or people at work–I felt a loss in comparison. I guess I would describe the feeling as dull.
All day long today, I prayed to be able to lift my own energy up to feel as good as I had felt on the weekend. I wanted to return and be with those people again to feel the light and strength of the people there. But since that’s not possible, I realized what I had to do to recover that feeling.
Of course, I have to go to the source of that energy and light, which is Christ. For it is from Him that the energy came from to begin with. And it’s not like I haven’t been trying to increase my light with Him. But I believe the group together did indeed have more light and power than anyone alone.
So that tells me something. When you can have a group of people together who are “one-ish” with the Lord, then there is power in that group.
Imagine Zion then. Just imagine the power and love that will be in the real Zion when people are really “ONE” with the Lord.
Being one with the Lord in Zion would be worth the sacrifice to get there. I know that because I had a taste of what that would feel like.
Resolve: More work with the Lord. A better relationship with Him to build. More love to share. More gifts to give. More gifts to receive. Try more. Try harder. Try all day. Try all night. Try with all my might to trust in the Lord, to be in the Lord, and to open up my heart to the Lord.
I’m so glad I was able to go. I loved being there, whatever it was that happened.
There were several men sustained to the priesthood in the Sunday morning meeting. It was an odd feeling for me not being permitted to raise my hand to sustain a brother….it was also a delight to see the women conduct/vote to sustain….and for the men to ask for their sustaining vote… I was also pleased to see my wife prompted to go forward and sign certificates of sustaining for a couple of the brethren. It was really remarkable in my opinion.
Please note my correction to the original post. Sustainings did take place, apparently on Sunday. But since I am not worthy, I did not stick around for this part of the retreat. I obviously missed out and am grateful for those who added their details of what took place on Saturday and Sunday. Please forgive the misinformation in the original post.
Amen, Amen, and Amen!
I really wanted to go! And feel so sad to have missed it. And yet, we had things going on that prevented us from going, and we have been experiencing things that we need to go through to grow. It has been extremely difficult, and I have had to rely on the Lord so profoundly just to get through it. So, I guess everything happens the way it’s supposed to. But if there is another retreat, I definitely want to be there!
I agree with lizzievalentina. I felt such love and unity while at the retreat, then when I crossed the Colorado boarder, I noticed an immediate change. However, I still carry with me a renewed effort/energy to press forward and seek my Lord.
Overall, the Retreat was amazing! I can’t exaplin my thoughts right now like I would want to, but it changed my life. There were many folks I didn’t get to know like I would have wanted, but I am grateful for those I did meet.
I can’t wait to meet again 🙂
Tim, if you haven’t read Bret and Samantha’s marriage book already, you’ll love it!
Tim asked what the purpose of the retreat was. I think it was to change lives. It changed my wife and it changed me. As I sat through the meetings and talks I realized that all these people were my brothers and sisters. I asked the Lord to open my eyes and ears to hear the words; not just hear, but understand.
I had a few very peculiar things happen to me over the weekend. For some time I have asked the Lord what it was that was holding me back from greater spritual experiences. I got my answer as I was sitting in the community center Saturday morning during Scots brilliant talk. The spirit registered so strongly to me that pride was the basis of the obstructing beam in my eye. I felt so uncomfortable (ashamed?) being there in the company of all those humble people. I felt exposed and naked as if I were standing before the Lord and being judged. I wanted to leave and hide.
As the day wore on, the Lord showered an increase of love in my direction and my eyes were opened. I saw such love and heard things that I had yearned to see and hear for some time. I came to understand that I am on the right path….I am where I should be. There are actually people in this world that feel and believe as I do! I have come to believe now in a world of possibilities I had not considered before.
Kim and I had a wonderful experience and felt love for and from everyone – no exceptions. I feel a great peace and familiarity with those of like minds, as if we have known each other for a very long time, perhaps eternities. Some have suggested the Lord was in the storm that discouraged hiking further up the Mesa. If that is the case, to my knowledge no one pushed the issue or had any desire to go beyond those limits. I attribute this to the Spirit of love, harmony and desire to please and obey God, which prevailed the entire weekend. Thanks again to all who volunteered to make this happen.
Hi all … the retreat was awesome … and I learned so much and felt such a unifying force. For whenever people are gathered to worship our Lord, there is power. The greatest power being love. I was struck with the diversity of the group yet we all were there to honor and love our Jesus. And we were all blessed because of it.
Though I asked Tim not to quote me – I was not specific enough about what not to quote me on – it was just the name of the person who shared with me about the City of Enoch. The raising of the City of Enoch to a terrestrial sphere was a group effort — It was done through worship, praising, singing and yes, even movement (some would call it circle dances, circle prayers, etc.). It was done 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week in shifts. You cannot have a stirring above until there is a stirring below … and heaven was definitely involved in the effort of translation. There is power in groups. And talk about joy and awe when we move and focus on Him.
Tim, I would forward you the pdf of the article but I don’t have your email address. Therefore I will send to Bret for him to forward to you. The article has scriptural evidence for those unbelievers or naysayers – LOL. God bless you all.
Tim,
I second, third, fourth … all that has been said so far about the retreat. The highlight for me was the Sunday morning worship; it was glorious!!! No suits and dresses, no evidence of loftiness, piety, “presiding authority”; only lovely sisters and brothers, families, happy children. The natural meeting place permeated with the Spirit of Christ. Every word spoken was pure, genuine, and loving. Afterward, I spoke with a young man carrying a military duffle-bag and learned he had been hitchhiking along the highway and was picked up by a family coming to the retreat. They invited him to come along and promised to aid him during and after the event. He said to me “I am among Angels” and then teared up (D&C 18: 10, 15-16 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!).
I hope events like this will spring up again, especially for those who couldn’t make this one. Let’s not leave all the work to Bret and Samantha (etal), who deserve our deepest heartfelt thanks. We are the “Church” (D&C 10: 67); may we build on this wonderful example and strengthen one another I pray, Amen.
I leave my simple and humble but true witness that indeed as Tim witnessed: the Lord literally was with [Tim and other men & women chosen by the Lord] as power in the priesthood flowed through [willing servants] to them.”
This gathering was inspired by God.
God gave to those who were seeking, precisely what was needed at this time.
I will never be the same.
I am made new through the blood and Atonement of Christ, which is sufficient.
This could have happened in no other combination of place, people and circumstances, for me.
All praise and glory to God!!
Tim, I just want to say “Thank You” for your attendance and honest reporting of your impressions. It was a pleasure to meet you, though it was brief. Thank you for all the good you’re doing by giving voice to what so many feel, think, and wonder.
Like others who have commented here, I’ll state that this was a life-changing event for me, and was a meaningful step in my efforts to seek the face of the Lord. It surpassed my expectations in every way.
Thank you to all involved in any way. Thank you to all my brothers and sisters who brought their love and light with them. Thank you for the truths shared and relationships formed. And thank you to God above all, for all that is good, including the events this past weekend.
Oh my word. This was absolutely fantastic. I’ve never connected with so many beautiful people in such a short amount of time before. For me, this was far more than a mere fellowship, these were eternal bonds and blessings. I dare not say too much publicly, but folks, this is it. This is what it’s all about.
Tim, it was marvelous to stay in our friends home. He is truly a man of God, and his wife a woman of God! It was great getting to know you better. I was sad to go, but also happy about this new beginning of my existence. I love you, brother!
I thank God for every beautiful soul that attended. This event was orchestrated by God. I am a witness. There were so many things learned through each other and through the spirit. Thanks to everyone that made the sacrifice to come. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
One thing is for sure, I will never be the same person again for as long as I live. Hallelujah! Praise our God — Father and Mother of Eternity! All glory, and honor, and praise be to HIM!
Katie Haney
Hi Tim, it was a lovely weekend and I am glad you were able to come and enjoy the Spirit.
I was unclear, though, about your comment on individual salvation/worship and group worship. I think we all know that you must come to Christ individually. However, we are told numerous times in the Scriptures to gather together to hear the word of God and fellowship one with another. Bret billed this as a gathering – that’s what it was. A gathering of those seeking to know Christ and the Father and Mother more fully. Encouragement, edification, enlightenment, and fun was had by many, if not all. The Spirit was there. The Sunday Sacrament Meeting was wonderful.
It was a good experience with the opportunity to meet others with similar mind set and fellowship with each other.
Hope you got safely home.
Ruth
Part Two. (Refer to my post above for Part 1.)
So something happened today. The spirit of the Lord came back to my heart today, filling the emptiness that I felt on Sunday night and Monday. I learned a couple of things.
As many of you know, it’s hard to share something intimate like this. I don’t want to share really, but it may be of worth to some of you. So I will share.
First of all, the sudden deficit I felt after returning home from the retreat was meant to show the contrast between what the love in Zion would be like and the coldness of what the world is now. Do people just dread the thought of living in Zion? Like having all things in common and what you may be asked to give up? This is not the experience of Zion at all that really matters. Sharing in love alike is what matters. Sharing concerns, and worries and fun and joy with one another is really the thing that matters about having all things in common. With that love in common, sharing material things alike is of no concern. It’s not the focal point, but just a detail.
Second of all, I will relate an experience I had right as I was leaving. Of course, I have mentioned how full of love and joy the whole experience had been. Being among the people was so comfortable as it seemed truly that we were all there for the same purpose–to learn truth and to worship our God in the way we understand from scriptures, not traditions of men. To be among people of like mind was just such a relief to me–as I don’t have that experience where I live.
It was near the end of the Sunday meeting. Adrian’s talk was nearly over and I moved to the back of the area so that I could take off right away as soon as the meeting was over. As I was sitting there, I recognized a man from the forums that I had wanted to meet for quite a while. He walked in front of me as he returned to his seat–just a few feet in front of mine. I wondered if it would be stupid to jump up and introduce myself. I would be disappointed if I didn’t, because I didn’t know when I would get a chance again. It was now or never, since I had to make a hasty departure. So I did jump up and mention my name to him, and then I quickly sat back down. There, I did it.
Then Adrian finished up in the front and I packed up my chair in the back and turned to walk away to my car. I don’t remember if he called my name, or if he just touched me on the back and I turned around, but I turned around to see the man I had just met standing right in front of me. I mean, he’s a large man, and he could be kind of intimidating. I was a little intimidated by him on the forum to be honest–and that was even without his size looming above me. What struck me immediately was the gentleness of his countenance, and the impression of an aura of love emanating from his face and around his body. I was kind of speechless as he said it was too bad I had to leave and that we didn’t have time to talk. And that was it.
In total, I had the example of Zion the community. And then I had the example of Zion the individual and how Zion the community could form. One at a time. One of a person. Self-selected of course, by the way a person would…not really live…but more importantly, the way a person would love so that it emanated from their very person.
I realize now that I have to be that person. The person who will testify of Zion by my actions and words. I have to be that person with that warmth and aura of love around me flowing out to others.
As I read somewhere yesterday, “Who is out there really testifying in church of Zion today? There is no one.”
It’s time for living the testimony of Zion.
That had to be Daryl. He’s a mountain of a man and as gentle and loving as a teddy bear.
I have been filled with the Holy Ghost since the retreat. My body is burning from head to foot. It leaves at times, but as soon as I turn my focus back to Christ, I am filled again. I know this is the physical effects of the Holy Ghost. The last time I experienced this was after Denver’s eight and ninth lectures. It lasted for about 2 weeks. Then life and the world took over again, and I lost some of my connection with heaven.
Praise be to God for speaking to Bret and to organize this retreat. I had an entire weekend filled with association with the most loving and Christ like people I have ever known. You all give me greater desire to rise up and become more like Christ, so I can be with you all in Zion.
Thank you Tim for your comments and for providing a forum for us to leave our thoughts and feelings about the retreat. I appreciate your blog so much.
I was commenting to my husband Adrian yesterday that I am so glad that we brought our children to the retreat. It was so good for them to realize that there are other children in this movement besides our good friends in Boise. They experienced the talks, the love, the unity, the testimonies, the sacrament, and a group of believers getting together to come to Christ and praise the Lord. There is something about meeting together that is powerful. I am so pleased they were part of it.
There were many beautiful souls in attendance. I’m so glad to have met and associated with you. May God be with us til we meet again!
When you say “head to foot,” do you mean that literally?
I’ve never experienced anything like that.
And if you mean “burning” literally, I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced anything like that either.
I’ve experienced an overall calm peaceful feeling I couldn’t explain, at a time when I should have felt the exact opposite (given the circumstances), and I believe that was of God.
And I’ve felt a kind of thrill, or tingling at times.
But I’ve never felt my whole body burning from head to foot.
Do you mean that literally?
Is this something like what you’ve been experiencing since the retreat?
As soon as I finished that short prayer, all of a sudden I felt a warmth that started at the top of my head and began moving slowly down my body all the way to my feet. An amazing love and joy immediately welled up inside of me, inside my heart, and my eyes teared up.
http://www.spiritual-experiences.com/real-spiritual-story.php?story=220
When you say “My body is burning from head to foot. It leaves at times, but as soon as I turn my focus back to Christ, I am filled again” do you mean it literally feels like it’s burning, or are you trying to express how good, or exciting, or powerful the feeling is?
Tim, since you asked, “I would like to hear how things went with the Sunday services. Did you go away filled? Was the retreat worth your time and the travel expense involved? Were you uplifted by the experience?”
My feelings are on my blog. Here is the link.
http://ljnsvoice.blogspot.com/2015/05/remnant-family-reunion-report.html
I sat near you at the sacrament/testimony meeting. Also, I did not go up to the mesa, either. I did not feel any “push” to go and am a bit of a wuss about freezing. (By the way, I don’t think you’re old, because if you are, then I am.) Your words here helped me feel better about not going up there. Thank you for that.
My bad. You said SUNDAY services. I did not attend. I was on my way home by that time. But, my feelings about Friday and Saturday are at the link I posted.
Tim, would you please express our love to Carol and how very sad we are for her? There are others of us out here that are in the same boat. We feel sad and betrayed lke her about this movement. Every time you mention how much she is hurting, I cry, because we are hurting too. We pray for Carol that she will be sustained through this trial.
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