Fellowship and Disjointed thoughts

http://rachellemiller.files.wordpress.com/2011/05

There are maybe a million things on my mind presently. That is an overstated dozen actually. However, a few weeks back for sunday school, I taught a lesson on marriage. I have so many many thoughts on marriage. Everyone I know has so. many. thoughts. on marriage. I am the least qualified of everyone to speak on marriage. Actually, I take that back, just because I'm single doesn't mean I know nothing about relationships. I hope I remember this when I am married.

A few sundays back, while in the middle of a talk about missionary work, the women in my congregation received some counsel that seemed to suggest we needed to date non-members in order to find a spouse since there were so few good men. I'll let that sink in while I move on to say that this only got me thinking about missionary work and how come we don't do a better job of supporting, reaching out to, building up, keeping, those current active members of the congregation. Within a given location, there are often a good 1/2 of the members who are not coming to church on a regular basis, with maybe another 15-20% who are there struggling with some aspect of testimony, doctrine, or lifestyle, or just generally feeling isolated.

I'm glad missionary work is starting to change to incorporate the missionaries into the ward. I'm glad we are starting to do a better job of actually caring for and reaching out to those that are here, instead of the never-ending pursuit to find more people. Not that there isn't a time and place for preaching the gospel and introducing more people to the truth that we have, but this is to say, that we can all do a better job of strengthening and loving those that are already here and feeling either unloved or shaky. 

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