Enjoy!!

Parable of the Spoons

Dating and Marriage Series

F. Burton Howard, “Eternal Marriage,” Ensign, May 2003, 92

If you haven’t read or heard the parable of the spoons, I think you’re in for a treat. Elder Howard does a beautiful job teaching that if you want something to last forever, you’ve got to treat it differently.
So get a date (spouse if applicable), pull up a chair, (or car, or chore, or whatever), pop up some corn, and listen to the last episode of our dating and marriage series. Next week we start the series on music, art, and media!

Jenni and I have had so much fun working on this podcast together that we decided to attempt to write a book together on the topic we’ve been discussing. We don’t dare to make any promises, because we don’t know all the ins and outs of preparing a book for publishing (especially with permission issues and copyrights, since we’ll share talks and quotes written by others), but we would like to try.

What do you think of our idea? Should we write a dating/marriage book? What would you like to see included in it?

P.S. Last week’s trivia was: what on earth is flotsam and jetsam? The answer is – in common use, a collection of miscellaneous items of little importance. But originally it meant little floating bits left over from a shipwreck. There’s more detail on Wikipedia, but I’ll let you go there on your own if you want.

Enjoy!!

Marriage and Dating Series

Gordon B. Hinckley, “What God Hath Joined Together,” Ensign, May 1991, 71

President Hinckley:

“I am satisfied that a happy marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion”

(From this talk)

We briefly mentioned Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages.  We highly recommend it.  It basically helps couples identify what makes their spouse feel most loved, and isn’t that one of our major goals?  Anyway, we enjoyed it and recommend it to everyone.

Enjoy!!

Dating and Marriage Series

Here’s a link to the talk we share:

Spencer W. Kimball, “Oneness in Marriage,” Ensign, Mar 1977, 3

Here’s a link to the talk Jenni mentioned – it’s a fun one, we recommend it!

Barbara Jacobson, “Granola Crumbs and Paint Cans,” Ensign, Jun 2009, 10–11

Here’s a link to the article Suzane Smith mentioned to us in an email: Top 50 Mormon/LDS Bloggers

Thanks, Suzane!

Enjoy!!

“Love”ly Quotes

Dating and Marriage Series

John H. Groberg:

Several months after I regained my strength [after starvation following a hurricane], we were caught in another violent storm, only this time at sea. The waves became so big they flipped our small boat over, throwing the three of us into the raging, churning ocean. When I found myself in the middle of a tumultuous sea, I was surprised, scared, and a little upset. “Why has this happened?” I thought. “I’m a missionary. Where is my protection? Missionaries aren’t supposed to swim.”
But swim I must if I wished to stay alive. Every time I complained I found myself underwater, so it didn’t take long to quit complaining. Things are how they are, and complaining doesn’t help. I needed every ounce of energy to keep my head above water and make it to shore. Having earned my Eagle Scout Award, I was a pretty confident swimmer, but over time the wind and the waves began to sap my strength. I never quit trying, but there came a time when my muscles simply would move no more.
I had a prayer in my heart, but still I began to sink. As I was going down for what could have been the last time, Read the rest of this entry »

Enjoy!!

The Parable of the Treasure

This is the last week to vote for the next series, so put in your votes before next Friday!

Marriage and Dating Series

Boyd K. Packer, “For Time and All Eternity,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 21

Boyd K. Packer:

The Parable of the Treasure

Once a man received as his inheritance two keys. The first key, he was told, would open a vault which he must protect at all cost. The second key was to a safe within the vault which contained a priceless treasure. He was to open this safe and freely use the precious things which were stored therein. He was warned that many would seek to rob him of his inheritance. He was promised that if he used the treasure worthily, it would be replenished and never be diminished, not in all eternity. He would be tested. If he used it to benefit others, his own blessings and joy would increase.The man went alone to the vault. His first key opened the door. He tried to unlock the treasure with the other key, but he could not, for there were two locks on the safe. His key alone would not open it. No matter how he tried, he could not open it. He was puzzled. He had been given the keys. He knew the treasure was rightfully his. He had obeyed instructions, but he could not open the safe.

In due time, there came a woman into the vault. She, too, held a key. It was noticeably different from the key he held. Her key fit the other lock. It humbled him to learn that he could not obtain his rightful inheritance without her.
They made a covenant that together they would open the treasure and, as instructed, he would watch over the vault and protect it; she would watch over the treasure. She was not concerned that, as guardian of the vault, he held two keys, for his full purpose was to see that she was safe as she watched over that which was most precious to them both. Together they opened the safe and partook of their inheritance. They rejoiced for, as promised, it replenished itself.
With great joy they found that they could pass the treasure on to their children; each could receive a full measure, undiminished to the last generation.
Perhaps some few of their posterity would not find a companion who possessed the complementary key, or one worthy and willing to keep the covenants relating to the treasure. Nevertheless, if they kept the commandments, they would not be denied even the smallest blessing.
Because some tempted them to misuse their treasure, they were careful to teach their children about keys and covenants.
There came, in due time, among their posterity some few who were deceived or jealous or selfish because one was given two keys and another only one. “Why,” the selfish ones reasoned, “cannot the treasure be mine alone to use as I desire?”
Some tried to reshape the key they had been given to resemble the other key. Perhaps, they thought, it would then fit both locks. And so it was that the safe was closed to them. Their reshaped keys were useless, and their inheritance was lost.
Those who received the treasure with gratitude and obeyed the laws concerning it knew joy without bounds through time and all eternity.

Boyd K. Packer, “For Time and All Eternity,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 21

Enjoy!!

Interview with Engagees

Dating and Marriage Series

Special episode!  We got an interview with my brother, Jake, and his fiance, Robyn.  They’re getting married in two weeks, and we talk with them about how they met and how they decided to get married.

We did mention one scripture:

D&C 82:10

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

Enjoy!!

Love, Love, Love!

Dating and Marriage Series

Arianne B. Cope, “The Eight-Cow Ring,” New Era, Oct. 2004, 37

“And the Greatest of These Is Love”, Gordon B. Hinckley

Jeffrey R. Holland:

Husbands, you have been entrusted with the most sacred gift God can give you—a wife, a daughter of God, the mother of your children who has voluntarily given herself to you for love and joyful companionship. Think of the kind things you said when you were courting, think of the blessings you have given with hands placed lovingly upon her head, think of yourself and of her as the god and goddess you both inherently are

JRH, Ensign May 2007

Marvin J. Ashton:

After a night of intense pain and suffering, one morning a husband stricken with a terminal illness said to his wife with great feeling, “I am so thankful today.” “For what?” she asked, knowing well his difficult and trying situation. He replied, “For God giving me the privilege of one more day with you.”

Marvin J. Ashton, “A Voice of Gladness,” Ensign, May 1991, 18

Boyd K. Packer:

And if you suppose that the full-blown rapture of young romantic love is the sum of the possibilities which spring from the fountains of life, you have not yet lived to see the devotion and the comfort of longtime married love. Married couples are tried by temptation, misunderstandings, separation, financial problems, family crises, illness; and all the while love grows stronger, the mature love enjoys a bliss not even imagined by newlyweds.
Participation in the mating process offers an experience like nothing else in life. When entered into worthily, it combines the most exquisite and exalted physical, emotional, and spiritual feelings associated with the word love. Those feelings and the lifelong need for one another bind a husband and wife together in a marriage wherein all of the attributes of adult masculinity are complemented by the priceless feminine virtues of womanhood.
That part of life has no equal, no counterpart, in all human experience. It will, when covenants are made and kept, last eternally, “For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory” (D&C 124:34), “which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever” (D&C 132:19).
But romantic love is incomplete; it is a prelude. Love is nourished by the coming of children, who spring from that fountain of life entrusted to couples in marriage.

“The Fountain of Life,” Eternal Marriage Institute Student Manual.

Ezra Taft Benson:

Had Abraham loved Isaac more than God, would he have consented? As the Lord indicates in the Doctrine and Covenants, both Abraham and Isaac now sit as gods (see D&C 132:37). They were willing to offer or to be offered up as God required. They have a deeper love and respect for each other because both were willing to put God first.

(Ezra Taft Benson, “The Great Commandment  Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988, 4, emphasis added)

Enjoy!!

Dating and Marriage Series

Some Things we have Learned–Together, by Jeffrey R. and Patricia T. Holland

Joseph F. Smith:

“I want the young men of Zion to realize that this institution of marriage is not a man-made institution. It is of God. It is honorable. … It is not simply devised for the convenience alone of man, to suit his own notions, and his own ideas; to marry and then divorce, to adopt and then to discard, just as he pleases. There are great consequences connected with it, consequences which reach beyond this present time, into all eternity, for thereby souls are begotten into the world, and men and women obtain their being in the world. Marriage is the preserver of the human race. Without it, the purposes of God would be frustrated; virtue would be destroyed to give place to vice and corruption, and the earth would be void and empty.”

“Chapter 20: The Eternal Union of Husband and Wife,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 173

Elder Boyd K. Packer:

“The single purpose of Lucifer is to oppose the great plan of happiness, to corrupt the purist most beautiful and appealing experiences of life: romance, love, marriage, and parenthood.”

BKP Ensign Nov 1993

and…

I love this…

Joseph Smith:

“There has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation.  It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beetle . Even the Saints are slow to understand”

(History of the Church,  6:184)

Enjoy!!

Dating and Marriage Series

“Of All Things,” New Era, Oct. 2004, 42

Be sure your courtship reflects the patterns you want in your eternal marriage.
—President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985), “Live for the Future,” New Era, Nov. 2002, 12.

A Prophet’s Love Story

As a boy, President Gordon B. Hinckley lived across the street from Marjorie Pay. She first caught his eye at a ward social when she gave a reading. Their first date was to the Gold and Green Ball, a Church dance. At that time, Gordon went to the University of Utah and Marjorie was a senior in high school. They became good friends, and their friendship later turned to courtship.

When the time came, Marjorie supported Gordon in his decision to Read the rest of this entry »

Enjoy!!

Dating and Marriage Series

So now that you’re deep in the dating game, how do you decide WHO to marry?  As mentioned again and again by prophets, this is likely the most important decision you will make in your life!  So how do you decide?  Leave your thoughts in the comments, or email us at popcornandpodcasting@gmail.com

Thomas S. Monson, “Whom Shall I Marry?,” New Era, Oct 2004, 4

Spencer W. Kimball:

“Soul mates” are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.
In selecting a companion for life and for eternity, certainly the most careful planning and thinking and praying and fasting should be done to be sure that of all the decisions, this one must not be wrong. In true marriage there must be a union of minds as well as of hearts. Emotions must not wholly determine decisions, but the mind and the heart, strengthened by fasting and prayer and serious consideration, will give one a maximum chance of marital happiness. It brings with it sacrifice, sharing, and a demand for great selflessness.

Many of the TV screen shows and stories of fiction end with marriage: “They lived happily ever after.” We have come to realize that the mere performance of a ceremony does not bring happiness and a successful marriage. Happiness does not come by pressing a button, as does the electric light; happiness is a state of mind and comes from within. It must be earned. It cannot be purchased with money; it cannot be taken for nothing.

Some think of happiness as a glamorous life of ease, luxury, and constant thrills; but true marriage is based on a happiness which is more than that, one which comes from giving, serving, sharing, sacrificing, and selflessness.

First Presidency Message,    Oneness in Marriage, By President Spencer W. Kimball

Ezra Taft Benson:

Remember, young men, the importance of proper dating. President Kimball gave some wise counsel on this subject:
“Clearly, right marriage begins with right dating. … Therefore, this warning comes with great emphasis. Do not take the chance of dating nonmembers, or members who are untrained and faithless. [You] may say, ‘Oh I do not intend to marry this person. It is just a “fun” date.’ But one cannot afford to take a chance on falling in love with someone who may never accept the gospel.” (Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 241–42.)
Our Heavenly Father wants you to date young women who are faithful members of the Church, who encourage you to serve a full-time mission and to magnify your priesthood.

Ezra Taft Benson, “To the ‘Youth of the Noble Birthright’,” Ensign, May 1986,  43

Enjoy!!

Dating and Marriage Series

Love: is it a NOUN, or a VERB?  You choose.

Lynn G. Robbins, “Agency and Love in Marriage,” Ensign, Oct 2000, 16 – be sure to go to this one so you can see the nifty charity chart.  And while you’re there, read the whole thing!

And here’s the little sampler:

Ryan Carr, “At the Top of My List,” New Era, Oct. 2004, 48

So what’s on your list?  Share, comment, tell us what you want in a spouse …and no, this isn’t intended as a dating classifieds site

Enjoy!!

Dating and Marriage Series

In this episode we finish the talk Agency or Inspiration–Which? by Elder Bruce R. McConkie.  Also, we answer last episode’s trivia question: “How many years was it from the time in the Book of Mormon where “There was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets,” until the storms came at Christ’s death?

Enjoy!!

Dating and Marriage Series

Don’t we all wish it were that easy?  Wouldn’t it be nice to just be told “That’s the one!  Now go ask him/her out!”

So how much of this decision comes from revelation, and how much comes from preference?  In this episode, we continue discussing the talk by Elder Bruce R. McConkie called Agency or Inspiration–Which?

So get a date, pop some corn, and enjoy!

Enjoy!!

Dating and Marriage Series

Agency is an essential part of love – not only in the choice of who to love, but the choice whether or not to love.  This subject will take a few podcasts to cover, but there are some great quotes and talks here.  Dating is filled with so many choices… so choose wisely!

Agency or Inspiration–Which? by Bruce R. McConkie

Here’s the Tom Anderson Story we shared.  This story is also read on a talk by Barbara W. Winder.

I made a vow to myself on the drive down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a Read the rest of this entry »

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