We Talked In Church last Sunday (Aug24)

It's a funny story. So Sun, Aug 10, the 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric asks me to speak in church. Ample time to prepare!! But he didn't give me a topic, said he'd give to me during the week, I accepted.

Whole week goes. Sun, Aug 17, he gives April the topic so we think, oh, OK he wants both of us to speak...The topic is great!! Thoughts from President Monson's Priesthood Session talk: Examples of Righteousness--yeah, the one where he wiggled his ears!! CLASSIC!!

Sun, Aug 24 April and I had a great week exchanging ideas. We came to church totally prepared. When we came into the chapel--nice and early, set our camp on the stand, and noticed that the program for the day's services rendered no names for speakers. April and I are like, uh? After a while, the 2nd Counselor came up to me and said, "hey you're off the hook, there was an error in the High Council yakyak schedule, even though they droned us last week, we get the same counselors again!! They were supposed to speak in the Spanish Branch last week!! This week in ours, so they're going to speak to us again!" I'm overjoyed at this point, oh yeah, blessed Sunday of peace in the congreg!! I tell April the good news after she came back from the potty with a little one, she's like k whatever.

Next thing I know the 2nd counselor in the bispado (port. for bishopric, not sacrilege at all) came up to me and April at our new camp in the congreg. And he's all, "uh Bro Strickland, can you speak today, the counselors left." You gotta understand here, the 2nd counselor is an awesome man, i love him to death. But he looked stressed and needed help. I said, "no problem, we're both prepared as you requested to knock 'em dead this morning."

He did a double take at me. "What? You mean you both prepared talks?" I said, "yeah, me and her." And he's all "WOW!! That saves me!!" Turns out, as you probably guessed, he wanted just me out of our family to speak that day. He had lined up another brother to speak with me. This other brother works at a hospital in town and had to leave all-of-the-sudden to an emergency. After this news, the 2nd counselor was informed the High Council was going to talk again. He thought that saved him. Then 5min before Sacrament Meeting began, they had agreed with the Bishop that since they spoke last week in our Ward, and were supposed to speak in the Spanish Branch last week, that they would go to the Spanish Branch this week....Somehow the 2nd counselor did not get the memo. 2+2=4. You see the Bishop knew his Counselor had things all square for that day.

Long story short. We talk, we don't talk, we talk anyway. It all turned out very well. April shared some very good thoughts about how the women of the church are the best "protrayers" of the image of the true church. As long as the women are modest and doing what they should and are showing happy countenances, others will know the church is different. After all one of the synonyms in the Topical Dictionary for Example is "peculiar people." I approached my message with thoughts based on how we can keep ourselves worthy to build boys and mend men. And I, of course urged everyone to buy the DVD so they can see the Prophet of Our Day wiggle his ears....Yes I was a little irreverent as usual--well not irreverent, let's call it conducive with personality....Amen