Speaking
Quick
I am sitting in my living room looking out the window at my swallows. I love those little birds. They’re darting this way and that, swooping, diving, circling, seemingly just for the fun of it. They’re quick. They change directions in an instant. They look happy, and I’m sure they are. They may look like they’re doing these aerobatics for sport, but they’re actually hard at work. They’re sweeping the air clean of mosquitoes and flying insects.
Read MoreHe Being Dead Yet Speaketh
Marjorie and I have been engaged for the past months in a very fun and interesting project. We’re reading all of the books that I’ve written. I read out loud, and make note of any corrections that need to be made. Marjorie listens. She’s afraid that we’re going to run out of articles. We read multiple articles each evening.
Read MoreWhy Would You Repeat Yourself?
As patriarch of the stake I get the blessing of an assignment to go to each unit to speak in their sacrament meetings once a year. I enjoy the assignment. I have lots of new ideas that come to me on a regular basis, and would prefer to give a new and unique talk in each ward and branch. I would prefer to give a talk tailored specifically to that unit, but I know that I would end up repeating stories that I’d already used in previous talks. Therefore, I use the same talk in each unit all year long.
Read MoreSpeak to Me
Nephi asked his brothers, “Have ye inquired of the Lord?”
And they answered, “We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.” (1 Nephi 15:8-9). Which demonstrates that if you know that the Lord won’t speak to you, you’re right The opposite is also true. If you purposely don’t speak to someone, what’s the chance that they’ll speak to you?
Teetering on a Precipice of Fear
We can overcome all of our fears, not all at once, but one at a time. As we do so we will grow in confidence. The following is the story of a young man who encountered a fear that each one of us has faced or will face at some time in our lives:
Read MoreSpeaking Tips
Last evening I attended a meeting on how not to give a talk. That wasn’t the real intent of the meeting, but it was the main message I came away with. The reason was the distractions that several of the speakers incorporated into their talks.
Read MoreOpen Your Mouths
Ezra Thayer and Northrup Sweet were told in the 33rd section of Doctrine and Covenants to “open your ears.” (D&C 33:1). Having done so, they were then commanded to “open your mouths.” (Verses 8, 9, and 10).
Read MoreMis-hearing and Mis-speaking
Mis-speaking and mis-hearing are two problems that everyone has, but especially so when you get older.
Read MoreDreams
Sometimes I have fun dreams. On such occasions I might come awake, and have been known to awaken Marjorie to share the experience with her.
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