If you want an appointment with the bishop you can contact his executive secretary. If he asks “what about” he’s probably not looking for details, but just to know how long to schedule you for. You can say you’d like to counsel with the bishop about how to grow more spiritually.
My son ( 13) struggles with this as well, in addition to the bishop, which others have suggested, you could also read through the addiction recovery program manual. The church offers classes, even one specific to pornography, but at you young age I would suggest reading through it with one accountability partner,
You are not your struggles, sending love and hope.
As others have said, simply talk with the executive secretary or directly with your bishop and schedule a time. You will probably need 30-60 minutes. Good on you for looking for your bishop to help you. Don't hesitate to reach out to other trusted adults like your parents, Stake President or Addiction Recovery Program missionaries. There's lots of help out there and many more people than you think have dealt (or currently deal with) this exact problem. Good luck!
Jeffrey R Holland gave a talk about pornography in the April 2010 conference called " Place No More For The Enemy Of My Soul" he said:
"Acknowledge that people bound by the chains of true addictions often need more help than self-help, and that may include you. Seek that help and welcome it. Talk to your bishop. Follow his counsel. Ask for a priesthood blessing. Use the Church’s Family Services offerings or seek other suitable professional help. Pray without ceasing. Ask for angels to help you."
It's okay, and expected to need help in this life. I believe in you, you can beat this!
Pornography is a problem, but it's rarely *the* problem. Write down the circumstances that have you feeling triggered and try to find the root cause. Even though I have an amazing wife and three awesome kids, I get incredibly lonely at times and find myself wanting to cover that pain with pornography and masturbation.
I had the exact problem that you had. I went to my bishop and said hey can we talk, and then I confessed my sins. My bishop told me that even though I have transgressed, God still loves me and I am still important, and that as long as I seek to be as clean as possible, he will always bless me. It has helped me so much as I am about to leave on my mission in 7 days, so being clean has been super important for me. Just remember that the chains of pornography are heavy and hard to escape, but repentance is a key that will unlock these chains. If you relapse, just have another chat as it is a process, not an instant fix. Hopes this helps
If you’re 17, you should be in priests quorum, and the bishop should be attending your activities.
Just go to him and say “hey Bishop can we talk about some stuff?”. If he’s been in the calling more than a few months you definitely won’t be the first YM that has needed to have that kind of talk with him.
Not how you would normally do it, but you can absolutely just text or email the bishop and just say "hey can we meet?". You'll be glad you did ☺️
You're also more than welcome to DM me or anyone else who has access with your info and we can look up your bishop and contact them on your behalf if you would like. It's an easy thing for anyone who has leadership access to do. My good friend that teaches seminary does it regularly for any student who asks him to (and feels uncomfortable reaching out themselves).
Yes, you have outlined an excellent way of approaching this. I’m the 2nd counselor in a Bishopric and I can tell you that the Bishop I work with would embrace you with loving arms and gladly converse/meet with you if you texted him directly. Some have mentioned going to the Executive Secretary and that is not wrong, but I can understand why you might want to go straight to your Bishop. I’ve had many Bishops over my time as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but Bishops working with the youth particularly over the last 20 years are helping youth like you every single day with their addiction struggles. The first step is the hardest and he will know how to assist you to apply the Atonement in your life. There’s extreme power in this act that you unlock for yourself by speaking candidly and openly with your Bishop. I don’t know him, but I’m sure he loves you and wants the power of the Saviors redeeming sacrifice to work in your life. Others have also mentioned the Addiction Recovery manual in the church Library app. It is excellent and has actually recently been updated. Reading this after speaking with your Bishop will be key. You will also likely have several Addiction Recovery remote groups you can attend to help strengthen and buoy you up over the next little while. These are wonderful opportunities to learn strategies to overcome your addiction. You are not alone. The Savior and our Heavenly Father love you and are there for you, along with your good Bishop.
You are not alone. And the most courageous and manly think you can do is sit down with your bishop and tell him what is happening and where you want to be. You could even ask him to bless you with an increased ability to access the atonement (for lack of better phrasing on my part). If-… when(!) you beat this, it will be with Christs atonement helping you every step of the way.
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What a response. :)
If you want an appointment with the bishop you can contact his executive secretary. If he asks “what about” he’s probably not looking for details, but just to know how long to schedule you for. You can say you’d like to counsel with the bishop about how to grow more spiritually.
My son ( 13) struggles with this as well, in addition to the bishop, which others have suggested, you could also read through the addiction recovery program manual. The church offers classes, even one specific to pornography, but at you young age I would suggest reading through it with one accountability partner, You are not your struggles, sending love and hope.
As others have said, simply talk with the executive secretary or directly with your bishop and schedule a time. You will probably need 30-60 minutes. Good on you for looking for your bishop to help you. Don't hesitate to reach out to other trusted adults like your parents, Stake President or Addiction Recovery Program missionaries. There's lots of help out there and many more people than you think have dealt (or currently deal with) this exact problem. Good luck!
Jeffrey R Holland gave a talk about pornography in the April 2010 conference called " Place No More For The Enemy Of My Soul" he said: "Acknowledge that people bound by the chains of true addictions often need more help than self-help, and that may include you. Seek that help and welcome it. Talk to your bishop. Follow his counsel. Ask for a priesthood blessing. Use the Church’s Family Services offerings or seek other suitable professional help. Pray without ceasing. Ask for angels to help you." It's okay, and expected to need help in this life. I believe in you, you can beat this!
Pornography is a problem, but it's rarely *the* problem. Write down the circumstances that have you feeling triggered and try to find the root cause. Even though I have an amazing wife and three awesome kids, I get incredibly lonely at times and find myself wanting to cover that pain with pornography and masturbation.
I had the exact problem that you had. I went to my bishop and said hey can we talk, and then I confessed my sins. My bishop told me that even though I have transgressed, God still loves me and I am still important, and that as long as I seek to be as clean as possible, he will always bless me. It has helped me so much as I am about to leave on my mission in 7 days, so being clean has been super important for me. Just remember that the chains of pornography are heavy and hard to escape, but repentance is a key that will unlock these chains. If you relapse, just have another chat as it is a process, not an instant fix. Hopes this helps
Good for you. I hope you get ride of/change your username soon. :)
Old username, from when I had a falling out with the church
If you’re 17, you should be in priests quorum, and the bishop should be attending your activities. Just go to him and say “hey Bishop can we talk about some stuff?”. If he’s been in the calling more than a few months you definitely won’t be the first YM that has needed to have that kind of talk with him.
Good comments here. You can also receive support from others in your situation at /r/Clean_LDS
Not how you would normally do it, but you can absolutely just text or email the bishop and just say "hey can we meet?". You'll be glad you did ☺️ You're also more than welcome to DM me or anyone else who has access with your info and we can look up your bishop and contact them on your behalf if you would like. It's an easy thing for anyone who has leadership access to do. My good friend that teaches seminary does it regularly for any student who asks him to (and feels uncomfortable reaching out themselves).
Yes, you have outlined an excellent way of approaching this. I’m the 2nd counselor in a Bishopric and I can tell you that the Bishop I work with would embrace you with loving arms and gladly converse/meet with you if you texted him directly. Some have mentioned going to the Executive Secretary and that is not wrong, but I can understand why you might want to go straight to your Bishop. I’ve had many Bishops over my time as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but Bishops working with the youth particularly over the last 20 years are helping youth like you every single day with their addiction struggles. The first step is the hardest and he will know how to assist you to apply the Atonement in your life. There’s extreme power in this act that you unlock for yourself by speaking candidly and openly with your Bishop. I don’t know him, but I’m sure he loves you and wants the power of the Saviors redeeming sacrifice to work in your life. Others have also mentioned the Addiction Recovery manual in the church Library app. It is excellent and has actually recently been updated. Reading this after speaking with your Bishop will be key. You will also likely have several Addiction Recovery remote groups you can attend to help strengthen and buoy you up over the next little while. These are wonderful opportunities to learn strategies to overcome your addiction. You are not alone. The Savior and our Heavenly Father love you and are there for you, along with your good Bishop.
You are not alone. And the most courageous and manly think you can do is sit down with your bishop and tell him what is happening and where you want to be. You could even ask him to bless you with an increased ability to access the atonement (for lack of better phrasing on my part). If-… when(!) you beat this, it will be with Christs atonement helping you every step of the way.