We will be ringing in the New Year in a very different way this year at Peer Help Groups. We are expecting to launch this next week all of the drastic changes that we have been discussing for the past few months. These changes will include the long-awaited implementation of moderators and the release of Recovery Groups Version 2. This will provide for a more peer run site and allow for the sites to grow to any size.
Moderators will serve the same purposes that we discussed in earlier posts and Recovery Groups will be run slightly different than Version One. These changes will also allow us to implement new programs much more easily.

What does this mean for the user? Well, when you submit a request for advice and receive responses to that request, the only change will be the number of responses you receive. Requests for advice will be sent to a randomly selected group of self-identified mentors who want to help. However, there will be much greater changes in the Goal Setting Program. You will be able to choose a mentor for the program based on their own profile, someone who has maybe experienced similar situations as yours and you will be able to interact confidentially with that mentor on the website. And, of course, these changes also mean a great deal in regards to the Recovery Program. The new Recovery Program will host a weekly discussion, run by a moderator, based on a reading or a topic applicable to the group's needs. You will be able to interact with each member of the group confidentially. This also means that all users will have to create a "nickname." As of now, we use first name and email addresses (even though email addresses are not usually shown). In order for all programs to remain confidential, users will need to create a username.

We are very excited about these changes and remind you that many of these came as suggestions from users. We constantly welcome suggestions and ideas on how to improve the site.

Thank you and Happy New Year

One of the most frustrating things for some people is dealing with other people. They wish that they could either do whatever it is that they are working on themselves and not have to rely on others or force others to understand the purposes and importance of what they are working on. It seems that with every new assignment in the church of which I am a member comes a new perspective and new understanding of the purposes for certain programs and decisions. I often wonder why I didn't understand before and how the previous individual ever managed to control his/her frustration in dealing with me. One of the most amazing things of successful communities, and from a religious perspective, the establishment of Zion, is that great, even perfect communities can be built with imperfect people. I'm sure that it can be the frustrating thing, but also one of the most miraculous, that through people like us, great things can happen and needs can be met. When we become easily frustrated with others who just don't seem to get it, let's slow down a little bit a remember just how many people have been frustrated with us over the years and probably are right now without our realizing it. And even in such conditions, the work goes on and great things happen. It really is a miracle.

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas Concert. Events like this make me incredibly grateful for a church that would put so many resources into such an organization. Relatives came from California to attend the concert and all left not only uplifted but awe struck. We then walked through Temple Square and saw the Christmas lights and visited the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The entire night was uplifting and helped one feel like a better person. Activities like these are the kind that are necessary to lift us from one realm of thinking and acting to another. In the Goal Setting Program, users are encouraged to "have a healthy, alternate activity that you can do at anytime and that you enjoy to help keep your mind focused on an eternal perspective." While you cannot go to a Tabernacle Choir performance anytime, there are ways to use these principles in an applicable manner. Buy a Tabernacle Choir CD or DVD that you can listen to or watch. Even have it playing in the background while you go about your daily routine. If you live near a temple, visit the temple often, even if you cannot go inside. Just go to be uplifted and think higher thoughts. There are so many resources available at lds.org and byubroadcasting.org and on our own websites, that you can be constantly uplifted with alternate activities. If you are getting a satelite dish, get BYU TV. Across the nation, even without BYUTV, most can listen to the Music and the Spoken word every Sunday morning. The Church has done so much to put resources into our hands and homes that will inspire a higher level of living. Let's take advantage of this and fill our homes with those beautiful things that help us remember our purpose and destination in this life. LDSAudio.com has four songs of the Tabernacle Choir available for 3.95. The CD is Sing, Choirs of Angels. I highly recommend it. All arranged by Mack Wilberg, which means it's really good and is very moving.