Podcasts about lds bishop

Send us a Text Message.video podcast hereIn part 2 we get into asking the hard questions.  What do we do now?  Who has authority?  Should we be baptizing?  Can we take and serve sacrament?  Matt from   @MormonRescue    joins us along with Mark, former LDS Bishop, as we discuss authority from the RLDS/LDS perspective.   Does authority come from the person laying hands on you because someone laid hands on them that had hands laid on them back to Joseph Smith  Jr.?   Where did Lehi and Nephi get their "authority"?  What kind of baggage has been added to this word over the last 200 years and can we step out of our culture and look at this idea that permeates our church?   People refuse to speak with other people based on the curch sign on their door ,which goes back to authority.   Others are banned from participating in camps and reunions based on their authority and what church they go to.  In a lot of cases the major issue separating the saints is the priesthood offices they hold to.   Is priesthood even a thing as we have learned to see it today?   Restored Gospel - Scripture Search and Study Resources Contact us:restoredgospelpodcast@gmail.comMusic by Michael Barrett

Send us a Text Message.video podcast hereMatt from  @MormonRescue  joins us along with Mark, former LDS Bishop, as we discuss authority from the RLDS/LDS perspective.   Does authority come from the person laying hands on you because someone laid hands on them that had hands laid on them back to Joseph Smith  Jr.?   Where did Lehi and Nephi get their "authority"?  What kind of baggage has been added to this word over the last 200 years and can we step out of our culture and look at this idea that permeates our church?   People refuse to speak with other people based on the curch sign on their door ,which goes back to authority.   Others are banned from participating in camps and reunions based on their authority and what church they go to.  In a lot of cases the major issue separating the saints is the priesthood offices they hold to.   Is priesthood even a thing as we have learned to see it today?   Restored Gospel - Scripture Search and Study Resources Contact us:restoredgospelpodcast@gmail.comMusic by Michael Barrett

Send us a Text Message.VIDEO PODCAST HEREFormer LDS Bishop shares his testimony of Jesus and the Book of Mormon I was going to make this a 2 part episode but the flow and the spirit was such I just couldn't split it up.   Mark is a great story teller.  It only took a few minutes talking with him to realize he is my brother in Christ.  As he states he was on a path to serve in many positions in the LDS church.  Serving as bishop for a number of years he  pastored his local ward.    Hear testimonies of healings, a mysterious Book of Mormon  that appeared at just the right time,  the faith and miracles of his grandmother, his deep love for the people he served, and his undeniable testimony from the Book of Mormon .  His leaving the traditions of the LDS for the gospel in the Book of Mormon  is a very recent thing and as we see, the Holy Spirit has led him to many of the same conclusions others have been finding by returning to the Word.   We are truly blessed to be able to share Mark's story and the faithfulness of Jesus to answer and lead us to truth when we seek Him.  Restored Gospel - Scripture Search and Study Resources Contact us:restoredgospelpodcast@gmail.comMusic by Michael Barrett

Show Information Friday  Mar. 11, 2024 Greetings brothers and sisters! Welcome to the weekly MormonNewsRoundup. I am your host Dives, talent on loan from Kolob     My crew and I ruminate weekly on the great and spacious beehive! Thanks so much for joining us to discuss the latest current events in Mormondom. Full Title EP 111 - A high profile LDS Bishop has been arrested in Virginia, why are women boycotting the LDS church, and Mormons have declared war on AI Welcome to the MormonNewsRoundup! Get to know Shannon (5 minutes) Articles High profile, former Bishop arrested Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Z5-VtuEkY  Trip to Virginia https://tinyurl.com/4w5zp7bc  Take a look inside the newly renovated LDS Manti Utah Temple (Video) https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/take-a-look-inside-the-newly-renovated-lds-manti-utah-temple  Reaction https://www.facebook.com/share/r9trnKKEGN9xir57/?mibextid=WC7FNe  paintings https://tinyurl.com/4cbwzwfd  I guess the church learned their lesson? https://universe.byu.edu/2023/02/08/minerva-teichert-estate-sues-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints/  Why do Latter-Day saints care so much about their history? https://tinyurl.com/yem96tu6  Will LDS women boycott church Sunday? https://tinyurl.com/mr2x2c4k  Will LDS women boycott church Sunday? Some Latter-day Saint women have decided they are not going to take last year's removal of female leaders from the stand at worship services sitting down. How Do We Fix Poverty? ‘[We've] Got to Work Together,' Humanitarian Services Director Says https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/un-commission-status-women-sharon-eubank-poverty  What we actually need is just a big check drafted from EPA Elder Holland musket talk now required reading at BYU https://www.facebook.com/share/AzV8uw7M9KkKHNyo/?mibextid=WC7FNe  Video https://youtube.com/shorts/4g9nJkyeNh0?si=J69Qi417Lt6cmQvJ  Reaction https://x.com/jenn_nextdoor/status/1768677595980423621?s=46&t=Kn3MLSjDGf_9v6exU2J_Gg  Matt Easton weighs in https://x.com/matthewallen/status/1768766537249517990?s=46&t=Kn3MLSjDGf_9v6exU2J_Gg  Church warning members of AI and stepping into the field https://tinyurl.com/3fxk2xjj  Mormon News Roundup Poll of the week Why has the church of Jesus Christ of LDS declared war on AI? https://tinyurl.com/4a4yjeyc  MNRU Joke of the week Shannon Why did Russel M. Nelson need a chair at the last General Conference? Too many Knee-fights. Conclusion What projects are you working on and how can people get in touch with you? https://glassboxpodcast.com/  Please consider making a donation by joining our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MormonNewsRoundup  Connect with Dives! Email: kolob@mormonnewsroundup.org  Website: https://mormonnewsroundup.org/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonnewsroundup  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormon_news_roundup/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093511869924  X: https://twitter.com/NewsMormon  New MNRU episodes live on YouTube Sundays at 9:30pm EST New MMR episodes live on YouTube Mondays at 9:30pm EST Our next review Journey to Become https://youtu.be/pI9dW9LeZng  Please like and subscribe to this program. Shoutout to Weird Alma on bandcamp.com for this episode's music. Thanks so much for ruminating with me on the great and spacious beehive!  And remember, remember: No unhallowed hand can stop this podcast from progressing!  #lds, #mormon, #exmormon, #postmormon,#religion, #news, #ldschurch, #comeuntochrist, #churchofjesuschrist, #churchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints, #byu, #byui, #josephsmith, #comefollowme, #polygamy, #bookofmormon, #becauseofhim, #hearhim --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mormonnewsroundup/support

Daniela and her Family came to America when she was 15! When she first arrived, she stayed with her uncle who was, at the time a LDS Bishop! She was annoyed at first that her uncle made her, and her family come to church with them! "But I am Catholic!" she thought. Every year, they would visit Temple Square and each time the spirit was preparing her until 1 year ago everything changed! This is her story! Give it a listen!

“Can we love our neighbors if we don't even know them?” This question helped to kickstart a summertime series on interfaith conversations at Redeemer Church in La Mirada, CA, to engage people and leaders of different faiths in the community. On this segment of Reports From The Front, Greg Stump, executive pastor at Redeemer Church discusses these Redeemer Conversations with Tim and Rick. Greg shares stories and insights on how they host these conversations. This episode highlights the importance of the virtue of intellectual curiosity, the rule of reciprocation, and practical ideas you can do to converse with others who hold different core beliefs and values.Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Kevin Asher is the bishop of a young single adult ward in Far West, Missouri, and has previously served in an elders quorum presidency, Young Men presidency, as a ward mission leader, and as a counselor in a YSA bishopric. He holds a degree in Psychology from Menlo College, studied to be a Catholic priest in the Capuchin Franciscan Order, and has has traveled to numerous countries exploring culinary traditions and cultures. He and his wife own a business—The Asher Family Table—cultivating connection through food and experiences. Kevin won the Silos Baking Competition Holiday Cookie Episode in 2022. Highlights 02:40 Introduction to Kevin, the YSA Bishop and chef 07:40 Getting called as a YSA bishop. He refers to himself as Jesus Christ's nurse. Christ is the true physician. 13:30 The Savior is the perfect example of leadership. Being a servant leader. “To be a good leader is to be an even better servant.” 17:20 How do you offer servant leadership? Remember that it's not about you, it's about them. It's their journey. 19:40 Kevin shares a personal story on helping someone come to Christ. Questions to ask yourself when trying to help someone: What key can I be for this individual? What is binding them up or constricting them? How can I be a key for them to unlock that lock to feel the Savior more? 24:00 Stop talking at people. Stop going in as a fixer. That's not your job. What questions can we ask people to figure out where people are at? 27:20 Discovering God is at the root of all questions 28:20 Be careful with why questions because they invite the adversary. Ask questions with a sincere heart. 29:30 Compassion is sitting down with any person from any background and seeing them as a child of God. Even within our faith we all have different views and perspectives and we have to show compassion. 33:10 From Catholic to LDS Bishop. Kevin shares some of his spiritual journey. Links The Asher Family Table Silos Baking Competition: Holiday Edition Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Watch on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 600 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

Kevin Asher is the bishop of a young single adult ward in Far West, Missouri, and has previously served in an elders quorum presidency, Young Men presidency, as a ward mission leader, and as a counselor in a YSA bishopric. He holds a degree in Psychology from Menlo College, studied to be a Catholic priest in the Capuchin Franciscan Order, and has has traveled to numerous countries exploring culinary traditions and cultures. He and his wife own a business—The Asher Family Table—cultivating connection through food and experiences. Kevin won the Silos Baking Competition Holiday Cookie Episode in 2022. Highlights 02:40 Introduction to Kevin, the YSA Bishop and chef 07:40 Getting called as a YSA bishop. He refers to himself as Jesus Christ's nurse. Christ is the true physician. 13:30 The Savior is the perfect example of leadership. Being a servant leader. “To be a good leader is to be an even better servant.” 17:20 How do you offer servant leadership? Remember that it's not about you, it's about them. It's their journey. 19:40 Kevin shares a personal story on helping someone come to Christ. Questions to ask yourself when trying to help someone: What key can I be for this individual? What is binding them up or constricting them? How can I be a key for them to unlock that lock to feel the Savior more? 24:00 Stop talking at people. Stop going in as a fixer. That's not your job. What questions can we ask people to figure out where people are at? 27:20 Discovering God is at the root of all questions 28:20 Be careful with why questions because they invite the adversary. Ask questions with a sincere heart. 29:30 Compassion is sitting down with any person from any background and seeing them as a child of God. Even within our faith we all have different views and perspectives and we have to show compassion. 33:10 From Catholic to LDS Bishop. Kevin shares some of his spiritual journey. Links The Asher Family Table Silos Baking Competition: Holiday Edition TRANSCRIPT coming soon Watch on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 600 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

Brad Daw is an former bishop of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints and current advocate for plant medicines. Brad shares his experience with magic mushrooms. He is a previous guest on The Jimmy Rex Show (Episode #358) where he talked about his experience participating in an Ayahuasca Ceremony in Costa Rica last summer. Brad is also a former member of the Utah House of Representatives that served from 2004 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2021.*While Brad was a bishop for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and is a current member of that religion, his viewpoints and comments are his and do not represent the Church's viewpoints.

Welcome to Price, Utah!  Price is the seat of Carbon County and is located 120 miles south of Salt Lake City.  The town was founded in 1879 and was named after William Price, a LDS Bishop who explored the area a decade before.  The town struggled for the first few years until the completion of the railroad in 1883.  The town was soon the commercial hub of the area and brought many people from various backgrounds to work in the nearby coal mines.  The coal industry and agriculture continue to be important industries in the area.  Price is also home to Utah State University Eastern.  The university serves about 1,500 students and is located in the middle of town.  USU Eastern also has a Prehistoric Museum  which houses a number of exhibits including a full skeleton of a Utahraptor.  We hope you enjoy our visit to Price! 

Are psychedelic drugs harmful? Growing up, that was the message being told to us but in the past few years, studies have been saying otherwise and they are starting to be use for medicinal purposes. More and more are sharing their experiences with hallucinogenics and saying they found healing and a deeper connection with a higher power... Even an LDS Bishop claims the same.  Jimmy Rex joins Courtney this week to recount his own experiences with ayahuasca and psilocybin to give listeners a better understanding about what actually happens when you take these substances.  ** This content is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your medical professional before taking any substance mentioned in this episode.   Instagram:  @mrjimmyrex @courtneyspatrouve @spatrouve @theglowbosspodcast   TikTok:  @spatrouve   Website:  spatrouve.com  

Evan Smith met the intersection of sexuality and religion while serving as an LDS Bishop and eventually in a Stake Presidency. It didn't take long before Evan began to better understand the difficult and impossible restraints the Church's policies and doctrines place on LGBTQ Mormons. In the midst of these dichotomies, Evan, and his wife, Cheryl learned that their own son, Weston, was gay. The Smiths learned that understanding and advocating for LGBTQ people takes a sharp turn when someone close to you is directly impacted by this topic. As a result, Evan and Cheryl became allies and advocates for queer Mormons, and Evan used his position in his Stake Presidency to directly discuss this topic with General Authorities and Latter-day Saint congregations. In this episode, Evan candidly shares his discussions with Church leadership, what his family has learned having a gay son, his current membership status in the Mormon church, and what we can all do to better understand the LGBTQ experience. Evan Smith is also the author of Gay Latter-day Saint Crossroads, a book he acknowledges was written to explain, and hopefully do something productive with the pain that comes from the church's teachings about sexual orientation and gender identity. The book also explores whether the church's current position on gay sexual behavior is more reflective of human prejudice than it is of divine truth. Evan also uses the book to try to make amends for any harm he caused in the past as a leader in the church. Download the book for FREE by visiting www.GayLDSCrossroads.org #GayMormon #LatterGayStories #QueerLatterDaySaint #MormonLeader #GayLDSCrossroads

Evan Smith rose through the ranks of Mormon leadership ultimately becoming a Stake Presidency member. While serving as an LDS Bishop, Evan struggled with the Church's positions on LGBTQ+ issues and later found out that his son Weston was gay. Even after coming out, Weston decided to serve an LDS Mission as an openly gay man, leading him to high levels of depression and heartbreaking experiences during and after coming back early from his mission. Evan became an advocate for LGBTQ people in the Church. His position as a Stake Presidency Counselor led him to a few confrontations/discussions with General Authorities and a later meeting at Church Headquarters where they discussed Evan's progressive beliefs on LGBTQ matters. Join John and Gerardo as they interview Evan and his son Weston about their fascinating Mormon Story. This is part 1 of a 3-part story. Episode Show Notes ===== Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App  Our Platforms: Mormon Stories Blog Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com  Mormon Stories Podcast PO Box 171085 Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormstories Join the Discord

Here we go! It has taken over 100 episodes but we finally interview our first active, believing Latter-day Saint. We could not have conjured up a more genuine, loving human than Steve Hunter, a recent LDS Bishop who was featured in the RollingStone article on The Divine Assembly. Years ago, Steve was led to ayahuasca as an active, believing member of the church. We talk about so much in this episode, including:Steve's Ayahuasca experienceDifficulty putting transcendent experiences into wordsHow psychedelics found usThe intention you bring into a ceremony determines what you get out of itRollingStone articleAndrew Garfield and Under the Banner of HeavenMalcolm X - "When you take on step towards Allah, Allah takes 10 steps towards you"Paul Young and The ShackJesus as an attainable example of how we could live"God cannot use you unless you are at ZERO""You are the key; you are the thing you seek""You left in search of God, I stayed in search of God"And so much more!Steve's humility, authenticity and courage are inspiring and contagious. We can't wait for you to listen!Links:RollingStone Feature - These Mormons Have Found A New Faith in Magic MushroomsAbout MormonpaloozaWebsiteInstagram: @mormonpaloozaMormonpalooza is a reimagining and reclaiming of our Mormon culture and heritage. A full day of celebration, including:Fireside (11am - 3pm):  Discussions on healing, spirituality and the human connection will fill the day.Roadshow (4pm - 8pm):  Comedy and music featuring talented performers and live bands!Stake Dance (9pm - midnight): Dance, party, and play into the night with old friends and new connections. Be authentically who you are, dancing and playing in a way that feels right to you.Location will be at The Clubhouse in downtown SLC. Tickets onsale now! Hurry and get yours before they are all gone (limited to 400 guests).Mormons on Mushrooms – Ways to ContributeOur podcast is supported by our amazing listeners and magical community. If you'd like to energetically contribute to what we're creating, there are several ways to do so:Join our CommunityBecome a PatreonSend a Contribution (buy us a booch)!Purchase Mormons on Mushrooms Merchandise

We're back from our break with the legend that is Protect Every Child's founder, and former LDS Bishop, Sam Young. We're going to be talking about his work with Protect Every Child (formerly Protect LDS Children), his background in bringing safeguarding into news headlines around the world, ultimately leading to a change in church policy. What does Sam think about current church safeguarding practices and training? How has he seen the reports of abuse impact Latter-day Saint communities in the British Isles and around the world? You can find out more about Protect Every Child at https://protecteverychild.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jane-christie/message

We're back from our break with the legend that is Protect Every Child's founder, and former LDS Bishop, Sam Young. We're going to be talking about his work with Protect Every Child (formerly Protect LDS Children), his background in bringing safeguarding into news headlines around the world, ultimately leading to a change in church policy. What does Sam think about current church safeguarding practices and training? How has he seen the reports of abuse impact Latter-day Saint communities in the British Isles and around the world? You can find out more about Protect Every Child at https://protecteverychild.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jane-christie/message

Moto racer, marathoner, former LDS Bishop, current law practice owner, Harley rider and Las Vegas Rescue Mission volunteer Donald "Butch Williams" joins the Alph Quorum Show and speaks of the profound lessons taught to him by the mature men in his life. He shares experiences about struggles early in his marriage and how he and his wife partnered up to heal and build a beautiful life together. This humorous, wise, and gentle teacher, a man of pure masculine energy, shares some unforgettable stories, passing along bold and very charming bits of ALPHA wisdom. You're gonna love this conversation.

Please join us now as we interview Neville Rochow QC. Neville has served as an LDS Bishop, and in LDS Church Stake Presidencies and Mission Presidencies. Having served at the highest levels of the Mormon church in Australia, and being a truly delightful human, we believe that you will thoroughly enjoy this interview. ————— We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming! Click here to donate monthly: $10 $25 $50 —————

Casper has a remarkable story and we are honored to have him on our channel to share his story with you! Casper shares about growing up with a friend who was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and who seemed to have it all together. He didn't think much about his friend's religious affiliation until after his friend served a mission. He started playing basketball with his friend and continued to learn from each other. But it wasn't until Casper's dad had undergone some economic turmoil for him to really begin thinking about the Church (and even then, his parents were the first to really look into the Church). The rest of the story is AMAZING!!

Returning Mormon Stories Podcast guest, Roger Hendrix, is a former LDS Bishop, Mission President, and CES director, and was also called by Gorden B. Hinkley as a Trustee for the Deseret Trust Company for 18 years. And as if that weren't enough, Roger also worked as a business Management Consultant for 35 years, and did a syndicated daily radio commentary on social, political, and economic trends for nine years. Join Roger and myself today as we provide an analysis of the LDS church as a multi-billion-dollar corporation, and discuss "the future of Mormonism" - as Roger sees it. Books by Roger Hendrix: Bend, Create, and Plan Your Future, author Roger Hendrix Choosing the Dream, The future of Religion in American Public Life. Co- authored with Fred Gedicks Leverage Point, a novel written with Gerald Lund. The Idea Economy, Why your ideas will have to create personal wealth and hope in an age of uncertainty. Co- authored with Rob Brazell.

When the demand for potatoes plummeted during the outbreak of COVID-19, Ryan did something unthinkable. He dumped 2 million pounds of potatoes on his farm and, through a Facebook post, invited anyone to take what they needed. Little did he know that this post would reach a single mother in Kenya and give him the opportunity to act on the Savior's invitation to feed His sheep both physically and spiritually. Show Notes:  To see pictures and links for this episode, go to LDSLiving.com/thisisthegospel Transcript:  KaRyn  0:03  Welcome to This Is the Gospel, an LDS Living podcast where we feature real stories from real people who are practicing and living their faith every day. I'm your host, KaRyn Lay. At the time of this recording, I am currently in quarantine waiting for the results of my COVID-19 test. I'm okay. It's okay. But it is amazing how quickly a little under-the-weather feeling sends us into a downward spiral of brain frenzy. Where have I been? Who was I with? Did I take off my mask somewhere forget to wash my hands that one time? Who did I give this to? It's enough to drive you crazy, whether it's COVID or not. But it also has me thinking about this week's theme and story because in the midst of all the uncertainty and exhaustion I have been fed, literally and figuratively, a simple warm bowl of soup from Chick-fil-A on the porch from a neighbor, a just-checking-in text from a friend, an offer to take things off my work plate, bless you. And a well-timed scripture in my "Come, Follow Me" study that's bringing me a lot of hope. All of these things have helped me to know that I am not alone, even when I'm feeling really vulnerable. And they bring me a sense of safety of peace, and, like I said, hope. I think that regardless how we interpret or act on the Savior's charge after His resurrection to feed His sheep, the end result for those that we care about will be the same—a sense of safety, of peace, of fullness, and of hope. And in today's episode, we have one story from Ryan, a farmer in Idaho who thought he was being prompted to do what farmers do: feed people from the land. But it wasn't the potatoes that ultimately made the biggest difference. Here's Ryan. Ryan  1:47  We farm about 20,000 acres. We do a lot of potatoes and sugar beets, and a lot of other crops as well as cattle. We grow potatoes for both the process industry, which is companies that make french fries, that's our biggest customers is the french fry. And then we also do fresh pack where we're part-owners in the company that packs potatoes into boxes and bags that go to grocery stores and restaurants. This last year, was in 2019, was a great year. We were super excited at the end of the harvest, we had a great crop, things are looking very good and the economy was doing well. People were out in about, you know, eating and restaurants. And there actually was a really good demand for potatoes, specifically. And there also was a little bit of a tight supply of potatoes and so potato prices looked like they were going to be at record levels. So we were really excited about how things look for us. And so a lot of optimism going into the first part of 2020. And then, you know, sometime around, you know, the end of January, in the very first part of February, I started to hear a little bit about this virus. I remember, right at the very beginning having kind of a sick feeling in my gut, you know, this could be something very serious, both for the world but also for our company. And then we started talking about how are we going to control this, we're going to do shut downs and things like that, then the reality really start setting. So the first thing that we saw here was the food service side, the restaurants really took a beating as they began to close down. And so we saw our customers' demand go from very strong to almost a complete stop. I felt a sense of almost panic at the time. I felt like that, you know, we could be in financial jeopardy, that potentially it could take farms out of business. At this time, we were praying as a family that we would be able to sustain through this difficult time, asking for Heavenly Father's help to get through it. I also asked many times, "What is it we need to learn from this experience? What are the correct decisions might be that we continue to support our family here for generations to come?" So I guess April time is planting time, but it's also the time of the year where we have still have potatoes in storage from the previous year's harvest. Usually, we can either sell those to other farmers or we can take those to the dehydrated market make dehydrated flakes. And so I made the usual phone calls to the dehydrating companies. They just laughed at me, they're like, "We're not buying anything right now. We don't see anything opening up." You know, farmers were cutting back because of their contracts and what they were going to plant so there was no one to sell the potatoes to. They were beautiful potatoes. You know, I really struggled with what to do with them. And the other only option that we had was to be to feed them to cattle as we have some of our own cattle. So that's kind of what our initial intent would be to dump them on the ground, we could feed them later to our own cows. But as a as a dumped them there looked at how pretty the potatoes were. And when we were all said and done, we had about 2 million pounds of potatoes. And if you figure about, you know, a half pound is a potato, there's probably 4 million potatoes there. I'm like surely there's got to be something that would be a better use than cattle feed. So I pondered that over for a part of a day. And I had the distinct impression to give some of them away. I knew that people were, some people lost their jobs, maybe struggling financially. So I just made a post on Facebook or something along the lines of, "Due to COVID, we're gonna have to dump some potatoes, you're welcome to come get some if you'd like some." Really, I had no idea that people will take that as seriously as they did. I thought maybe a few friends, neighbors would come gather a few up and the rest would go to cattle feed. But I was wrong majorly wrong. The first day, people started to show up, you know, friends, neighbors, just car after car after car. And I would say hundreds of people the first day came. We were just blown away. We couldn't believe the amount of traffic and it was like a almost like a highway. So then, the next day, I thought things would be over and it would quiet down. But by early morning, this traffic started up again. And same thing, steady stream of traffic going by. And so during this whole time, the Facebook posts started to spread. And I started to get a lot of comments, but a lot of shares, ended up with over 10,000 shares when it was all said and done. So we started to see, after the first few days, people come from far away into you know, Utah, up into the Boise Valley, both a three, four hour drives. Then even brass even farther and I saw people come in from down into Nevada and Elko and Wells, you're starting to talk no more like a five or six hour drive. And then as far as way as Las Vegas and Moscow, Idaho, straight, you know, 10-hour drives. One lady called from Kansas, which is like an 18 hour drive. And after a day or two what really started to stand out to me was the reason why people were coming to get the potatoes. The gas money was way more than what the potatoes were worth in, all circumstances. But I started to get a glimpse of the people just wanted to come and do something good for somebody else. It was the beginning of the lockdown, they been locked in their home. And I think it was just a great way for people to have an opportunity to get a glimpse of something they could do, something kind for other people. And that's really what amazed me. I would say 95% of everyone that came came in for somebody else. You know, I made a connection with a man out of New York City and we shipped a full semi load of boxed potatoes to the Bronx. And they were just trying to do something good for their community. And that was really the story of what I saw. As people reached out, many people wanted to help. We'd get anonymous donations from as far away as New York and Canada. And they felt like, you know, with the potatoes that we were giving away, that was, you know, going to bankrupt us. That really wasn't the case. Initially, I refused that. I didn't want to take money for this. This was something we kind of talked about as a company that we would continue to just give them away. Somebody tried to slip envelopes here and there, but we'd give them back. But I really couldn't stop the money that was coming in from distant lands and anonymous money. So as the Facebook posts expanded, I started to hear from some news agencies. I did interviews with CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC, I do a little podcast with NPR. And then some of those stories ended up into the national or the world media. And so I started to have messages and comments and emails from people from all over the world. And one of the people that I noticed on one of the Facebook comments, was a lady named Susan. She's from Kenya, and, for whatever reason, I'll just remember, seeing her picture and this impression that I wanted to just see what she had to say. And so I clicked on her comment. And the comment was something along the lines, "I wish you could send some of those potatoes to me." But just, you know, shipping potatoes to Kenya or even other parts of countries, you know, it's cost prohibitive so it's not going to work. So I responded, "Well, I wish I could. What is it like in Kenya with COVID?" She just commented that she lived in Nairobi, Kenya, and it's a city of about 4 million people. We're talking dirt floor, tin shack, cardboard-type homes, and she just explained how they were living hand to mouth as it was, you know, trying to feed her family. She's a single mother of three children. And then with the lockdowns that the government had put on, imposed upon them in Kenya, you know, they really didn't have an opportunity to go into work and, you know, bring food home to the family. And so as I thought about a little bit, I come back and asked her a little bit later, you know, if there's nothing I can do to help? She really says, "Well, I don't think there's much you can do to help. But we just need something to eat." So I think I thought about that a little bit and in my pickup, I've had $100 bill that had been floating around in the center console of my truck for almost a year. And I'm like, "I'll just, I'm just gonna send her this money." And it's really not that easy to send money to Kenya. We finally figured out how to do it. And so I ended up sending the money over there to Susan. And a couple days later, I think it was over the weekend, so I think on Monday, she sent me a little picture of her family as they come back from the store with their groceries. And she brought back, you know, a big bag of flour, rice, and cooking oil and sugar, and just the staples, beans. And right on the very top a little there's one little teeny pack of cookies. It just struck me funny as we eat here in our country and go shopping, you know, you bring home for frozen pizzas and Snickers bars and ice cream and just things that didn't even cross her mind. And she wrote me back and she sent a picture and just saying, "Thank you. This will fit our family for months." So I continue to have money come into the company to help us. I've been thinking about you know, "Is there something I could do with this money, or something I could leverage to make this something bigger?" And in one of my conversations with Susan, she said, "My dream and prayer is to educate my children and to see them go to the university. I don't want them to raise their children in the ghetto like I have raised them." I don't know, there's something that really struck a chord with me on that. And so almost immediately, I had an idea, I'm like, "That's what I want to do. I'm gonna, I'm gonna help her children receive an education." And so I had the thought, "Okay, I'm gonna take the money that have already been given and put that toward the cause. I'm going to do a GoFundMe and I'll send this out to everyone that was wrote these nice comments and things on my Facebook page, I linked that to it. And so I pondered over it on a Sunday, all day. I started to do a little video to put that out and asking people for help. And I thought people responded really well to it. So we were able to raise more than enough, I think, to put most her kids through college. I think some people felt like maybe it could be a scam, or something like that. But I really felt in my heart, I knew that it was not. I had big, long conversations with Susan. I knew her heart. And so I was so excited about it. I'd share it with the family every day, we sit around the dinner table discussing where we're at what to do, and we've decided that even if we come up short, we as a family, we're gonna pitch in and make the dream happen for them one way or the other. And about then I kind of lost contact with Susan. At first, I was, I was a little bit wary. I'm like, okay, you know, what if something happened to her or. . .  But then I saw a post, and I think she had maybe even posted it herself, on Facebook and of like bulldozers bulldozing buildings and stuff down. And so I clicked on it and it was following that a little bit. And so I looked it up on the news and there was an article on it in the Kenyan news about how the goverment was working on a big waterworks project and this sewer plan, so they decided to knock those homes down. And, and so, as that was all demolished and twisted up in the metal and some of the belongings, and that, you know, I know that it was probably very devastating for, for her. And so the excitement of raising, you know, the money to help her children was kind of overcome with, we just needed to survive the next while. I was very nervous about how they were. Prior to and during this process, I made another friend in Kenya in Nairobi, his name was Titus. And he's a member of the Church there was in the bishopric in one of the wards and he seen an article on LDS Living that had been done about the story. So he reached out to me and just asked if there's something you could do to help. So I asked him if he'd go see if you could find Susan. And I had her phone number, but he was able to track her down and to check in on her. She found some shelter in a church, somewhere in the city for a few nights. And she had family nearby. And so her one sister let her stay with her for a shorter period of time while she got her feet back under underneath her. And so eventually, I heard back from her, and she, you know, she told me what had happened. They were safe. They were sound, they just needed somewhere to stay. She's was very discouraged, and in quite a bit of despair, I would say. So it was about this time that we started to have a little bits of discussions on occasion about God, talking about faith. And I asked her if she'd be willing to meet with the missionaries from my church, and that they would have a message that they would share with her that potentially changed her life, for the better – forever. She willingly accepted. And said she'd be happy to meet with the missionaries. So how do you get in contact with missionaries in a foreign country? Our friend, good friend, Titus, connected us with the missionaries and was able to get her phone number, make the connection, and so the missionaries like right away, they started to teach the first discussion. She'd come over to the church where they met and did a discussion and gave her a little tour of the church, and  . . . But as I've seen before, as I served on my own mission is, you know, sometimes as people start to learn and hear about the gospel, life can get really complicated for them pretty fast. And so, again, I couldn't make contact with Susan for quite some time. Finally, Titus, I think was able to track her down, and she's been robbed, and had been her – had her phone stolen. And I just thought, Well, yeah, this is – she's starting to learn about something that really can have life changing meaning in her life as she prepares to learn about the Savior and the Gospel. And then she's robbed. Like, what else could possibly go wrong? Again, an impression come to me that, you know, sometimes during our darkest hour comes – next comes the light. I really felt like that was going to be the case that Susan would soon see light in her life. And I didn't know exactly what that meant. I really wasn't that optimistic that things would go far with the missionaries, but I knew that there was going to be something good that happened in her life. In all our discussions with Susan, she never asked me for a single thing, and one day, she sent me a little message. And she said, "I feel like that I'm becoming a burden to you." She wanted to become more self–reliant and to be able to take care of her family. She expressed her concern in doing that. She didn't want to be a burden to others. She said that her doctor had told her that she needed to quit doing what she has done for an occupation to help feed her family, and that was doing construction. I have pictures of her packing these huge concrete blocks on her shoulders into the construction sites. And she talked about how how little money that paid how hard it was, and it had done damage to her back. Many times the women over there were taken advantage of and sometimes not even paid for their work. She said that she has an opportunity, that something she knows, to start her own business. And so she asked me the first time for something, and that was "Would you loan me some money so that I'll be able to start this business?" It was just a few hundred dollars, a very small amount. So I told her, "Yeah, I'd be, I'd be thrilled to help you start your own business." And so it had come to me the thought about the self–reliance course on how to start your business. And so I reached out to Titus and asked him if he could come up with the manuals and the books. And he did. And he took them to Susan and gave it to her. And so a week or so later, I asked her, "How's the business start–up going?" And she says, "No, I'm not, I'm not doing any of that, I  want to finish reading the self-reliance manual first." And so she was like, really into it, you know, reading the self-reliance program and how it can help her, and then Susan was able to start her own fruit stand business. So it's about this time that she was pretty quiet about things. And Titus actually told me first that she made a decision to be baptized, her and her daughter. But then the next day, in the conversation with Susan, she told me that she decided to be baptized and become a member of the Church. I was thrilled. I expressed to her that I wish that I could be there for it, because I really wanted it to be. I wish I could just jump on an airplane, fly out there, but I knew that wouldn't be realistic. I asked, "Could you make sure you send me pictures?" And so I asked her that, and she – and they did, they sent lots of pictures. And Titus was there too and he sent me pictures. It was a really special day, just to see the smiles on her face and see them all dressed in white. It was kind of surreal, but it was something that really touched me and our family was in celebration for the whole day. It was just a great experience to see. And I knew this could be a great beginning, that could really change her life and the lives of her children. She's expressed to me many times about her testimony and God and His desire to help her and that she's recognized that things will come in their own due time, in God's own time. We've since taken some of the education fund, and we've got her kids enrolled in private school. Public school in downtown Nairobi, you know it's a very difficult circumstance – 150 kids shoved into one classroom, there's not a lot of learning going and so we felt like if they're gonna have a chance at the university, that private school is going to be the best for them. And it's not a lot of money, a small amount. She sent me a pictures of her boys on the first day of school all dressed in their little uniforms and their books. It was the cutest thing you've ever seen. Her daughter, Serena just enrolled in school, but because of COVID her schools are still shut down, and so we haven't been able to get her in yet. At times in our life, when we think times are the most difficult, and are the most challenges it's really something that can end up being our greatest blessings. And I've seen that many times in my life. It's something that we see on the farm all the time, if the rain comes for 30 days straight – at the time it seems like the worst possible thing in the world because we can't get the work done, can't get it done timely. But six months later, when we're harvesting our crop and we have record crops – then comes the blessing that we see the law of the harvest, of how what seemed like the most difficult thing really ended up being something great. And I think we're seeing that in, in this circumstance with, you know, having to dump potatoes, you know, what seemed like a total disaster ended up being such a wonderful blessing, lead to a family in Kenya, on the other side of the world that could potentially have their lives changed forever. I just couldn't envision that at first. But I knew that as they had prayed, what could we experience, what could we learn from this COVID and from the whole tailored experience of being patient and waiting on the Lord's time for that to come to pass. I really feel like that has come to fruition and really just see somebody's live blessed as we learn to listen to the promptings of our Heavenly Father that come to us and follow them. It's really how we accomplish going about doing God's work that He would do if He was here Himself, to do our Heavenly Father's work. And I really want to envision and look just to see if Susan's family, a decade from now, a generation or two from now, to see what kind of difference that made. Something little, a little thing like dumping a few potatoes out in a, in a pile on the edge of a field, how that can lead to change the lives of many generations to come and really to see great things come to pass. That's really a testament to me of really how God works. We have to have trust in Him and what He allows us to go through and the trials that we have that that He – iti is maybe be what's best for us and really can be our greatest blessing.   KaRyn  26:28  That was Ryan Cranney. LDS Living first shared Ryan and Susan's story in a written article this past spring, and we loved that we could get it in Ryan's own words here on the podcast. And because you know that we love to have all sides of the story here at This Is the Gospel, we did reach out to Susan to see if we could make that happen. But the time differences from Kenya to the US and technological challenges made it impossible right now. We're so grateful for her willingness to be part of the story and we will have more of her own words in our show notes as soon as we possibly can. You know, when story producer Katie Lambert was working on this story, she remarked to me several times, pretty much every time we talked about it, how much she enjoyed Ryan's unassuming demeanor. She is well acquainted with the Idaho farmer life and said that he is an Idaho farmer through and through. Matter of fact about the loss of a major part of his income for the year, and matter of fact about his decisions to give the potatoes away and matter of fact about his prompting to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with Susan and her family. I'm in awe of Ryan solid faith in God's timing and His plan for each of us. He understands something that I feel like I'm still trying to learn every single day. The loss of the potatoes and the money that those potatoes represented was a temporary and temporal setback. But the joy in feeding thousands or helping one soul come home to the Savior's fold, that's an eternal and everlasting joy, nothing temporal about it. And that kind of perspective is exactly what Elder Holland was talking about when he gave his beautiful 2012 General Conference address titled: "The First Great Commandment." There isn't time here to recount the entire address, we'll put it in our show notes, you really need to go and reread it. It's so good, and so important. But Elder Holland shares the story of the resurrected Savior coming to His apostles who have turned back to the work they did before they were first called to leave their nets and follow Him. And after showing them his power to feed the world, physically, by filling their empty fishing nets, He implores Peter three times, "Do you love me?" And when Peter answers have after each question with "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee." The Savior responds with these words, "Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. Feed my sheep." Elder Holland goes on to say, quote, "I am not certain just what our experience will be on judgement day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter, 'Did you love me?' I think he will want to know if in our very mortal, very inadequate and sometimes childish grasp of things. Did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all? Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and with all thy mind. And if at such a moment, we can stammer out, 'Yeah, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee,' then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty. 'If ye love me, keep my commandments, 'Jesus said. So, we have neighbors to bless. Children to protect. The poor to lift up, the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right and truth to share and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can't quit and we can't go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before." End quote. When I think of Ryan's story, I think of this kind of love. This kind of loyalty. The kind of love that started with a pile of potatoes in an attempt to feed a hungry world. The kind of love that presented a willing heart that some may have seen as naive, ready to engage with someone very different from himself and his circumstances. And finally, the kind of love that knows that the true soul food of this sometimes treacherous, and confusing earth life, the real sustenance for those of us who hunger and thirst looks a lot less like potatoes, and much more like the making and keeping of sacred covenant as disciples of Jesus Christ. So this week, my friends, regardless of what your test results say, or a relentless year flings at you, I pray with all of my heart that we will seek to be filled with that kind of love. And as Elder Holland invites us to do, that we'll move forward, ever forward, to show that love by feeding His sheep. That's it for this episode of This Is the Gospel thank you to our storyteller Ryan Cranney and Susan. We'll have more information about them and their story including pictures, as well as the link to Elder Holland's talk in our show notes at LDS living.com/Thisisthegospel. You can also get more good stuff by following us on Instagram or Facebook at Thisisthegospel_podcast. The story in this episode is true and accurate as affirmed by our storyteller. And of course, if you have a story to share about living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, please call or pitchline and leave us a story pitch. We're currently looking for Christmas stories. Stories about getting it right, getting Christmas right. The best pitches will be short, they'll be sweet and they'll have a clear sense of the focus of your story. So call 515-519-6179 and leave us a message. Did you know that when you leave a review of this podcast on Apple, stitcher or wherever you listen, it makes it so that more people can find the podcast? If you can't figure out how to leave a review, which I totally get, check out our highlights on our Instagram page for some tips. This episode was produced by me KaRyn Lay with help from Sarah Blak – bless you Sarah – and story production and editing from Katie Lambert. It was scored, mixed and mastered by Mix at Six studios and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. You can find past episodes of this podcast and other LDS Living podcasts at LDSliving.com/podcasts. Be well everybody! Stay safe.     Show Notes + Transcripts: http://ldsliving.com/thisisthegospel See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a third-generation Latter-day Saint, returned missionary and now bishop of his ward, Jon's Mormon life was unraveling fast. Jesus was pursuing him and the truth of what he was finding about the LDS church was rocking his world. Now he has to tell his wife and Mormon leadership why he's not wearing his garments. God showed up in amazing ways and today they rejoice the whole family found grace, hope and renewed faith.

Twelve years ago Adam Hughes was serving as a Mormon bishop in Northern Arizona and Marlana was a stay-at-home Mormon mother of four. Last year, Adam and Marlana were still active, believing, orthodox Mormons living in Tucson, Arizona. Only a few months ago, Adam and Marlana lost their faith in Mormonism, while their son was preparing to leave on his mission. This is their story.

As a third-generation Latter-day Saint, Jon's Mormon life was on-track. Successful foreign mission, married in the temple, multiple callings, an offer to become a full-time LDS church employee, and then a call to be bishop of his local congregation. But all that was on the outside. Inside things were unraveling and there was no one to tell, especially not his LDS leaders nor his wife. Jon found grace in an unexpected place, but will he regain his faith after losing it?

Most bishops of a Latter-day Saint congregation give the church five years of their lives as they shepherd the spiritual and even temporal well-being of hundreds of families and individuals in their area. Because they are volunteers, that means they do this while holding a full-time job as well as taking care of the needs of their own families and loved ones. Ross Trewhella, however, served his Latter-day Saint parishioners in Cornwall, United Kingdom, for 12 years — almost unheard of for a bishop in modern Mormonism. In this week’s podcast, he reflects on the highs and the lows, the challenges and the rewards, the members and the memories after more than a decade of service — and how he feels now about relinquishing his seat at the front of the chapel.

Paul & Susie Augenstein tell their story of being inspired to find out more about our LGBTQ community. They had no children or family members in this community, but still felt a strong desire to take part in giving this group a community to gather in. Paul was serving as an LDS Bishop, and opened his church meeting to allow his congregation get to know their LGBTQ brothers and sisters a little more. The meeting was a huge success, for the congregation and those within the LGBTQ community. Hear how this amazing couples prompting led to strengthening the understanding of how we can come together with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

Jason Mount, older brother to Allan and current LDS Bishop, sits down with Kattie and Allan to discuss faith transitions and mixed faith marriage. Become a Premium Subscriber: Monthy:  $3 Yearly:  $25  $50  $100  $250Support the podcast by purchasing from Amazon HERE. The post Marriage on a Tightrope: 078: Jason Mount (Brother and Bishop) appeared first on Marriage on a Tightrope.

Jason Mount, older brother to Allan and current LDS Bishop, sits down with Kattie and Allan to discuss faith transitions and mixed faith marriage. Become a Premium Subscriber: Monthy:  $3 Yearly:  $25  $50  $100  $250Support the podcast by purchasing from Amazon HERE. The post Marriage on a Tightrope: 078: Jason Mount (Brother and Bishop) appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

My friend Darren Bush, a Bishop in Madison Wisconsin, talks about making his ward safe for everyone, helping his ward members focus on Christ, creating an atmosphere that's safe and unconditional loving, so when Ward members need spiritual guidance, they'll feel comfortable knowing he will "judge without being judgmental." Thanks for being on the podcast my friend Darren and all you are doing to help people truly understand the Atonement and come unto Christ through our restored Church.

David Ostler is a former LDS Bishop, a Stake President and a Mission President.  David has been kept awake at night by questions of what good pastoral care or ministry to those who question and doubt might look like. But, rather than guess (as is often the case), he went to both those in faith crisis and to those in leadership and he collected data.  From that data his book ‘Bridges; Ministering to those who Question' emerged, and the results are fascinating. This episode is co-hosted with Nathan McCluskey.

Mormon Missionaries were shocked to find out that Joseph Smith is not a true prophet! This was a debate with 2 Christians vs. 3 LDS Missionaries, 1 LDS Bishop and 1 LDS who was a lawyer. Have you ever asked what to say to Mormon Missionaries when they are knocking on my door? What are … Continue reading →

David Eccles Hardy lived as an orthodox Mormon for years, serving as an LDS Bishop and raising his family "in the covenant." While serving as a Mormon bishop, David learned of his son's homosexuality and the difficulty/pain his son experienced being raised in the LDS church as a gay youth.  This experience led David to re-evaluate his faith, and ultimately to resign as bishop. Soon thereafter, David launched a campaign to convince the Mormon church to eliminate several pamphlets for youth and adults that he felt sent damaging messages regarding sexuality. In a 1999 letter to Boyd K. Packer, David outlined the heartache and damage these publications caused his son and countless others. In our interview, David outlines his careers in music and law, his interactions with prominent LDS leaders, as well as his involvement in helping to secure Salt Lake City's bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. He also treats us to how he would have born his testimony in French as an LDS missionary in France.

David Eccles Hardy lived as an orthodox Mormon for years, serving as an LDS Bishop and raising his family "in the covenant." While serving as a Mormon bishop, David learned of his son's homosexuality and the difficulty/pain his son experienced being raised in the LDS church as a gay youth.  This experience led David to re-evaluate his faith, and ultimately to resign as bishop. Soon thereafter, David launched a campaign to convince the Mormon church to eliminate several pamphlets for youth and adults that he felt sent damaging messages regarding sexuality. In a 1999 letter to Boyd K. Packer, David outlined the heartache and damage these publications caused his son and countless others. In our interview, David outlines his careers in music and law, his interactions with prominent LDS leaders, as well as his involvement in helping to secure Salt Lake City's bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. He also treats us to how he would have born his testimony in French as an LDS missionary in France.

David Eccles Hardy lived as an orthodox Mormon for years, serving as an LDS Bishop and raising his family "in the covenant." While serving as a Mormon bishop, David learned of his son's homosexuality and the difficulty/pain his son experienced being raised in the LDS church as a gay youth.  This experience led David to re-evaluate his faith, and ultimately to resign as bishop. Soon thereafter, David launched a campaign to convince the Mormon church to eliminate several pamphlets for youth and adults that he felt sent damaging messages regarding sexuality. In a 1999 letter to Boyd K. Packer, David outlined the heartache and damage these publications caused his son and countless others. In our interview, David outlines his careers in music and law, his interactions with prominent LDS leaders, as well as his involvement in helping to secure Salt Lake City's bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. He also treats us to how he would have born his testimony in French as an LDS missionary in France.

Just two weeks ago, Matt Jones was released as an LDS bishop. How he came to be someone who might be called to that position includes a fun and twisting story. Beginning as somewhat of a precocious youth (an "idiot" in Matt's telling about this period, along with examples!), he didn't take Mormonism too seriously. But with goodly parents who knew how to guide without crushing his fun-loving nature, he eventually made it to a mission, which he loved, marriage to the wonderful Kristie Jones (whom everyone loves!), schooling, and then a successful business career. But soon enough, life brought forth stresses and disappointments, and certain nagging church questions he had as a missionary and genuinely thoughtful began to take center stage a bit more. He details some of these in this interview, but also shares an extremely powerful spiritual experience that left him unable to ever deny (or forget) that there is a powerful God who knows him intimately. You'll never guess what led to it! It's wonderful. As the conversation continues, we learn about where he "was" in his faith journey when the call came for him to serve as the bishop of the Bothell Ward in Bothell, Washington, and how he approached his service there. (Hint: He was an amazing bishop who urged ward members to focus on the right things: love, kindness, trust, faith, God's desire to be in relationship with us, etc. rather than meeting troubles primarily through our minds or with fears about being judged harshly.) Toward the end of the conversation, Matt shares about another wonderful spiritual experience he had just recently. All in all, this is a great, fun (and, at times, funny) and rich conversation with a truly delightful person. We know you'll enjoy spending time with Matt Jones in your ears! And we bet he'll find a way into your heart, as well. 

The northern Utah mother at the heart of a spat about public breastfeeding has reached a “compromise” with her LDS bishop: She’ll now wear two tops to help hide her breast from above and below while nursing her 19-month-old daughter at her Mormon meetinghouse. But the dispute isn’t dead. The woman is “not quite ready,” she said in her first audio interview on the matter, to meet with the LDS leader who denied her a “temple recommend” unless she covered up. “I would like to see [LDS authorities] put out a policy worldwide, throughout the whole church, to protect mothers, to make it so that women can breastfeed their babies however is comfortable for mom and baby — whether that’s covered or not covered,” the woman said Wednesday on The Salt Lake Tribune’s “Mormon Land” podcast. The woman, who agreed to go by the initials S.D. because she hopes to resolve the impasse with her clergy, also addressed misinformation that has sprung up in the viral venting since her story surfaced. “[One misperception] is that … as soon as [my daughter] is done nursing, I leave my breast hanging out for the world to see, which is, again, completely inaccurate,” she said. “As soon as my daughter unlatches, I put it away immediately because I don’t want people seeing my breast. The only person I want seeing my breast is my husband.” Carrie Stoddard Salisbury, the Exponent II blogger who exposed the controversy, said on “Mormon Land” that hundreds of women have agreed to write letters to the faith’s top female leaders calling for a consistent, female-friendly policy on breastfeeding.

Guest Bio:Richard Ostler is a Utah Native that currently resides in South Salt Lake City. Richard attended both BYU and the University of Utah with a focus on Business Managment. Richard currently resides with his wife and their 6 children.Richard has become very popular via Social Media recently because of his different outlook on life-based on different theories than a lot of his peers that are of the same religion. Richard or better known by his Social Media following as "Papa Ostler" is an active LDS member and a former Singles Ward Bishop. During his time as an LDS Bishop, he realized that a lot of the members in his ward were leaning one way versus the other. That is when Richard decided to take things into his own matters by learning more about the other side and being a great person. Richard now is known as a loving Mormon who is very accepting of all ways of life and communities. His goal is to be able to teach people why he thinks the way he does and what truly drives him to be a loving person.

Paul currently serves as an LDS Bishop of his local Ward in Riverton Utah. On January 28, 2018 Bishop and Sister Augenstein held a meeting in their LDS Ward Building where LGBTQ people and family members spoke. They share their journey to listen, learn and love God’s LGBTQ which led to having LGBTQ people their home and the meeting in their Ward to talk about LGBTQ. LDS Living wrote about this meeting: http://www.ldsliving.com/Inactive-Gay-Mormon-Shares-Powerful-Insights-After-Attending-Church-for-the-First-Time-in-Years/s/87741 Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/richard.ostler.5/posts/10213797070994128

Earl Erskine: His story as a former LDS Bishop

In this two-part episode we interview Stephen Bloor. Stephen discusses his experiences growing up as a Mormon in the U.K. including serving an LDS mission and being married in the Frankfurt, Germany temple. Eventually Stephen served as an LDS Bishop in the U.K. for 7 years.  While serving as bishop Stephen learned of troubling issues with LDS Church history including Joseph Smith's polygamy, his marriage to other men's wives (polyandry), and his sexual relationships with underaged girls. Unable to reconcile these problems, Stephen eventually resigned from his position as LDS bishop. After resigning as bishop, Stephen was told by his LDS leaders that he was not allowed to return to church, and would not be allowed to discuss any of his issues or concerns with other LDS church members (by threat of excommunication). Through these actions, Stephen was effectively cut off from the community he served for decades.   Over time, Stephen became involved in former U.K. Stake President Top Phillips's law suit against the LDS church for fraud. Within the past year Stephen was excommunicated from the LDS church without his knowledge/participation - in violation of the LDS church's own requirement to hold a disciplinary council prior to a member's excommunication. Stephen's continued interest in the LDS Church is to raise awareness about issues in the LDS narrative and to promote openness, honesty, transparency and acceptance of those who question. This is Stephen's story.

In this two-part episode we interview Stephen Bloor. Stephen discusses his experiences growing up as a Mormon in the U.K. including serving an LDS mission and being married in the Frankfurt, Germany temple. Eventually Stephen served as an LDS Bishop in the U.K. for 7 years.  While serving as bishop Stephen learned of troubling issues with LDS Church history including Joseph Smith's polygamy, his marriage to other men's wives (polyandry), and his sexual relationships with underaged girls. Unable to reconcile these problems, Stephen eventually resigned from his position as LDS bishop. After resigning as bishop, Stephen was told by his LDS leaders that he was not allowed to return to church, and would not be allowed to discuss any of his issues or concerns with other LDS church members (by threat of excommunication). Through these actions, Stephen was effectively cut off from the community he served for decades.   Over time, Stephen became involved in former U.K. Stake President Top Phillips's law suit against the LDS church for fraud. Within the past year Stephen was excommunicated from the LDS church without his knowledge/participation - in violation of the LDS church's own requirement to hold a disciplinary council prior to a member's excommunication. Stephen's continued interest in the LDS Church is to raise awareness about issues in the LDS narrative and to promote openness, honesty, transparency and acceptance of those who question. This is Stephen's story.

This is LDS Bishop Kevin Kloosterman's talk on homosexuals in the LDS Church that was given on 11/6/2011 during the Mormon Stories"Circling the Wagons" conference in Salt Lake City, UT in support of our LDS LGBT brothers and sisters.