5th Sunday

We have a member of our branch who has been the inspiration for the last three 5th Sunday lessons. The first lesson topic was: As head of the family, a man should make some financial contribution to the household. This topic was received with much trepidation and wonder from the male sector of the branch. The lesson didn't say that men should be the sole financial support, that would be asking a lot from this culture, just that if his wife is providing the apartment he lives in and all the money he spends, he maybe think about getting an actual job and helping out a little. This lesson procured a lot of philosophical remarks about how "support" is a broad term that encompasses all aspects of a relationship, especially emotional and spiritual support, and how spiritual and emotional support are actually more important than mere financial support. Ironically, the member who inspired the lesson made the last comment along these lines. The second lesson topic was: If you've seen Jesus or an angel, you should keep that information to yourself. Again, the topic was received with surprise. Unfortunately, my russian isn't good enough to know if these experiences are still being widely shared in our branch. The third lesson topic was: If you've ever been clinically dead for any amount of time, please try not to use your experiences from the other side to speculate about the doctrine of spirit prison. You might think that a member with these sorts of issues would be an outlyer-- not in our branch. He's one of the most active and stalwart members, and these attributes certainly don't make him unique from the other members.