I See... The Homeless Problem in the Church

With this post, no one can accuse the Mormon Third Eye of being a lightweight blog that avoids facing head-on the hard-hitting and controversial challenges facing today's church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, living prophets and apostles have warned us, is no stranger to dangerous trends that plague society. Rates of divorce, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and abortion, etc. are much lower among members of the church than in the general population, but while we enjoy temple covenants that hold out the promise of eternal marriage and increase, any degree of deviance from righteousness is too much for the Lord. The most rampant problem, however, is the increasing rates of home less in the church.

Yes, I said home less. It is carefully hidden in the Mormon culture of service and often misunderstood, especially among men of the church, although lately our Releif Society women are also falling prey to this destructive practice. In too many corners of the church, Priesthood brethren are “home less” than their Gentile counterparts. I've personally been caught up in this web of wanton and superficial service more than once. Monday night was spent in the office because worked piled up over the weekend; Tuesday night was the Stake YSA Committee Meeting; Wednesday, home teaching; Thursday, Stake High Council; Friday was Ward Temple night; and Saturday night was spent at home ignoring the family while preparing for Sunday's talk in the Hampstead Second Ward on a father's divine role in the home.

There are pockets of home less men scattered all over the Priesthood quorums of the church. Our only hope is to heed the inspired counsel of President David O. McKay, who warned us over 40 years ago that “no success can compensate for failure in the home.” The Mormon Third Eye sees beyond stereotypical assumptions that most of us falsely assign to this proclamation. It sees beyond the late days at the office and past the all-night Xbox parties, and right into the well-meaning lives of priesthood servants driven by a misplaced sense of dedication to what is better, while what is best suffers.

Brethren, I plead with you to not join the legion of men home less in the church. I urge you to be home more. Your children, your wife, and your God need you there.

Stay tuned. Brace yourself. This is only the first of two parts. This is deep enough to chew on for now. You'll see the rest of it next week.