Strangest story ever told in a Sacrament Meeting?

 

WHAT’S the strangest story you’ve ever heard told in an LDS Sacrament Meeting?

For myself, it was hand’s down, “The Parable of the Push-Ups and Donuts.” And, that’s saying a lot, considering I’m drawing on some 50-plus years of hearing Sacrament meeting talks.

For starters, the story is way too long and very repetitive. (It took up about 15 minutes time to tell it in my Sacrament Meeting and this meant that the first speaker telling this tale, stole most of the time and left only about 5 minutes for the other and second speaker.)

Secondly, there are a few versions of this story and sadly, the version told in my Sacrament Meeting in the summer of 2025 wasn’t the more applicable version titled, “Parable of the Seminary Doughnuts.” (That version, at least, has a specific LDS Church context, whereas the version told in my Ward was as if everything happened in a regular, public school classroom).

The fact that the star of this story is always a needy student who doesn’t obey rules and who was kicked out of many other classes doesn’t bode well for such a person being idolized at the end of the tale as being compared to Jesus Christ himself and his Atonement for us.

Some versions of the tale imply that this story may have really happened, but it is doubtful, based on its extreme nature and how long such an experience of doing sets of pushups for an entire class would really take. (After all, it is listed as a "parable.")

In addition, once a person -- even a trained one on pushups -- reaches their physical limit, their arms would collapse – and no matter how slowly the exhausted person is doing the exercise, they will eventually collapse rather suddenly. A person who gets tired can limp and slow down a lot if they are walking or running, but one can’t do the same for pushups.

If one ever hears this story told in a church meeting, one isn’t likely to forget it.

-If one wants to read versions of this story, just search Google for pushup story and atonement.

 NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.

 

Attention Getter? The "Trump" Word Mentioned 20 times in Doctrine and Covenants 88...

 SCRIPTURES sometimes have multiple meanings and Doctrine and Covenants section 88 is just one example of this.

In section 88, the word "trump" is used 20 times, not trumpet, just trump.

Since this section examines the last days, before Christ's return, it doesn't seem impossible that with President Donald Trump in the news a lot these days, that "trump" is possibly an attention-getting word, with more meaning than just the musical instrument.

Hear the word "trump" a lot and one knows these are truly the latter-days.

At the least, the word trump stands out more in D&C 88 in the year 2025 than it did at any previous time.

 NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.

A Continuance of a Full-Time Mission in the Spirit World?

      Elder Lynn Arave, left, with 3 other members of the Bath, England Mission District in late 1973.

THERE is some evidence from my own family's history and at least one other -- that at least some former full-time missionaries now in the Spirit World are continuing to proselyte former members of the same nations where they served on Earth.

My Grandfather Ray Rigby was still teaching Canadians in the Spirit World, a few years after his passing. That was also where he served during the World War I time period -- in Canada -- on a full-time mission. (I know this because of a special spiritual experience my mother had in the Logan Temple.)

One of my sisters said a member of her ward told a similar tale in her sacrament meeting involving a continued missionary effort in the Spirit World.

                                   My grandfather, Ray Rigby, on his Canadian Mission in about 1918.

(Now, everyone apparently speaks the same, single language in the Spirit World-- Adamic Tongue -- and so no special language skills are needed there, but knowing more about the national orientation of Spirit World residents and having an extra special love for them, may help in the work there.)

So, for myself someday, I may find myself teaching Southwest England residents the Gospel when I arrive in the Spirit World ...

That would be Mission Part II.

 NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.