Thank goodness this was before the consolidated schedule.

His first words to us were: “Brethren, there is no meeting in the Church so unimportant that it cannot begin on time, and there is no meeting in the Church so important that it cannot end on time.”

Now if we could only add this phrase to the Articles of Faith and make primary children learn it, as well as add it to the temple recommend interview in some fashion, then we might see some real change. Until then . . .

#24: I’m quite confident that there is no element of church activity; no aspect of church history; no idiosyncrasy of church membership that has been more of a challenge to my faith and patience than the tendency in the church for unnecessarily-long meetings. It drives me crazy! Nuts! Berserk! I literally had to ask to be released as the stake exec secretary because I realized that if I remained in the calling even one more month I was going to go utterly bonkers. It was the call or my continued activity in the church.

Some 30+ years ago, when I was an EQ President in a BYU ward, we were holding its ward conference and had a ward PEC meeting that was to take place before the church meetings themselves. Our stake president representative for that meeting was J. Reuben Clark III. We were late getting started for some reason — I think that one or more bishopric members might have been late showing up — and after the opening prayer, our bishop turned the time over to Pres. Clark.

His first words to us were: “Brethren, there is no meeting in the Church so unimportant that it cannot begin on time, and there is no meeting in the Church so important that it cannot end on time.”

I’ve done my best to live by those words ever since. And Lou Hampton probably did as fine a job as bishop to implement that philosophy as I have ever seen. ..bruce..

My first movie out of the mission was Saving Private Ryan. My mom took me, and didn’t prepare me at all. I was so traumatized that I covered my eyes after the one guy starts looking for his arm, and then left the theater. I think that was about 10 minutes into the movie. It’s not my best memory. Except for the 17-year old that came over to me in the lobby and hit on me, until part of the conversation led to when and where I’d gone to high school. His retreat was quite abrupt.

Not too long after that, the first post-mission movie I saw *in the theater* was Saving Private Ryan. No joke. It was quite disturbing to clearly understand every word of the German guy as he slowly lulled the American to death.

And yet, I’d sooner choose to watch Saving Private Ryan again before that nasty Wedding Singer.

Jon

P.S. I have a 3-year-old boy, whom I just know is going to be *that* kid in the Primary program. I can’t wait. LOL.