“Why I Stay” Essay and Podcast Episodes
This year (2020) I was invited to share my thoughts in Sunstone's “Why I Stay” plenary session for their conference.
1 min read
faith
Faith is Cherry-picking
If we are to follow the Mormon creed to seek out “anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy” or to accept “one of the grand fundamental principles of 'Mormonism'... to receive truth, let it come from whence it may” then we'll need to develop the ability to prayerfully cherry-pick.
9 min read
Faith and Magnolia Trees
I'm learning that conversion is not a one-time event. It's cyclical. Season by season, hour by hour, I have to let go of what I'm holding on to.
3 min read
Elijah and the Faith of Generations
I believe the spirit of Elijah can not only heal hearts and challenge minds across generations separated by the grave, but it can also do so across the generations of the living.
15 min read
14 Keys to Sustaining Prophets
My hope is that we can strengthen our sustaining in ways which can weather the storms of life, acknowledge one another’s humanity, turn our hearts to God, and avoid the brittleness of counterfeits to sustaining.
1 min read
Translating Mormonism
I believe that much of effectively communicating beliefs involves translating our assumptions into the language of the other.
4 min read
Helping Children Plant Lasting Seeds of Faith
I recently did an interview for the Mormon Matters podcast on the topic of how we can give our children seeds of faith that can grow with them into and throughout adulthood.
27 min read
Faith, Creation, and Programming
The Mormon narrative on divine creation has interesting parallels with creative process described by Fred Brooks. In Mormonism, the creative process is itself a symbol of Eternity.
6 min read
"After All We Can Do" – Balancing Grace and Works
Our walking in the gospel towards Christ is far more important than the particular gait with which we walk.
5 min read
What is the Solution to “The Problem of Evil”?
Understanding the will of the Lord and the problem of evil is probably the most challenging obstacle we will face on a daily basis because it often comes into direct conflict with our notions of right and wrong, mercy and justice.
8 min read
The Gospel in One Tweet
The gospel of Jesus Christ certainly is simple, but its application is complex and robust enough to address the diversity of everyone who applies it.
5 min read
The Miracle of Faith
This year I am focusing my personal scripture study on the Book of Mormon, but instead of reading it from cover to cover I have created a topics list and I'm trying to study the principles the Book of Mormon teaches by topic.
6 min read
Some of the most powerful gospel lessons I've learned, I learned while serving in primary
I learned that some of the deepest and most powerful witnesses of the Spirit may be happening the far corner of your church building on Sunday.
4 min read
Rethinking the “crisis” in “faith crisis”
Sometimes I wonder if the language we use when our faith develops or changes biases the possibilities we see.
4 min read