I just want to take a minute to write down my testimony. To give you just a bit of background, I moved to Utah almost 2 years ago and since then, I have been in the same ward. I first started attending this ward because that's where one of my really good friends attended and I didn't know anyone else so I just went with her. We were only here together for a few months but I quickly became very attached to others living in the ward and had made too many friends to leave when she did. I know that part of that has to do with our bishop. I've been in a lot of wards and I've had a lot of bishops, but I've never felt as close or even as much love for any of those other guys than I have with Bishop Sheppard. We're talking about a 6'8" tall Englishman with the coolest accent who could legitimately be one of The Beatles. However, last year, he had some health problems that caused him to have both kidney's removed. He was absent from church for a few weeks bu...
I believe that shame is destructive and restricting. I have felt it bind me to sin and error and to hide myself from the everyone, including those closest to me. I believe it is the shame in my life that has stopped me from being the person I truly want to be. And I'm done living my life like that.