Interesting info re Pres. Monson
 

I was talking with my business partner last night. He mentioned that there is some recent instruction from the first presidency regarding confirmations - that there shouldn't be the big circles anymore - there should be no more than 3 or 4 in the circle for a confirmation.

I brought up the other recent First Presidency communications - the one about sacrament talks, and the one about gay marriage - and said that it seems like maybe Pres. Monson has turned over that sort of thing to Elder Packer.

He said his son-in-law is involved somehow in the general conference broadcasts, and so he has really good access to the general authorities in non-official capacities (i.e., he's able to roam around the tunnels under the conference center before conference starts). His comment was that the sacrament talk letter was classic Boyd K. Packer.

But the interesting insight to me was what the SIL said about Pres. Monson. I had mentioned that he seems so laid back, that maybe he shies away from the stuff like in the recent letters, relying on Elder Packer. He said that he'd had a conversation with the SIL that suggests something else. The SIL commented that Pres. Monson has a huge temper - he said he'd seen him, in the few minutes before conference started, just screaming, red-faced and all, at someone about something.

That's the complete opposite of the impression I'd had of him from his conference talks. It seems I've got him pegged completely wrong. I'd always considered him more of a teddy bear, and not the grizzly bear that we've heard Elder Packer described as. But maybe he's as much a grizzly as Elder Packer. The things that have been happening since Pres. Hinckley passed away would seem to bear that out.

The church seems to be going from The Love Boat to the USS Monson.

I'm of the opinion that there are rarely, if ever, Teddy Bears who make it to those heights of leadership in any organization.

Some people that know me think I am a teddy bear. FYI.

Climbing the ladder in the LDS church is not like another organization. The climbing the ladder part is over when you're called as apostle, and 50 years ago when he was called, it was a small regional organization.

I can see that. Honestly, I can see that.

You're doing God's work with those boys.

As a psychiatrist, you really know how to pull the wool over their eyes don't you.

Pres Monson might have a temper but he's just always come across as the opposite of a micromanager/policy wonk kind of guy. I don't know if this is a trend yet, but if it is, I'm going to blame it on Packer and Eyring.

This makes me want to bring in about 20 people for the next ordination or confirmation we have.

My exaggeration-ometer just struck a 10.

That is exactly what I thought, there is no way that Pres. Monson could go around screaming red faced at someone before General Conf. and there is no one who would pick up on that and report it, or at least make mention of it.

Methinks this one goes down on the BS meter as pegged at 10+