And Yet, We Believe

What does it mean to love what is real, without giving up hope for what could be? In this episode, we explore acceptance not as approval or resignation, but as the honest seeing that makes love, grief, boundaries, and faithful hope possible — for our children, our ward members, ourselves, and the Church. This is the challenge we all face at one time or another: how do we stop loving the picture in...

We did an episode for Father's Day and it might be for you if you've ever felt some tension about how fatherhood gets talked about (or doesn't) at church. So many of the talks default into talking about the priesthood instead of the actual, lived experience of being a dad. We dig into that gap and what it might look like to talk about fatherhood on its own terms.

Pride Month has a way of bringing things to the surface... questions we've been quietly sitting with and a longing to show up better for people we love. We're believing members of the LDS church who don't have this all figured out yet, but we care deeply about the LGBTQ people in our lives and in our pews. If you have ever felt caught between your faith and allyship or you've wanted to do better b...

We’re taught that the gospel brings joy. So what do we do when we’re doing all the things and the joy isn’t there? In this episode, we sit with the quiet equation a lot of us absorbed — if I were really living the gospel, I’d be happy, so if I’m not, I must be doing it wrong — and ask what it costs us. We talk about joy and sorrow as companions rather than enemies, the costumes we wear to church,...

Most of us were taught to keep the commandments. Not all of us were taught a true why we should keep them. In this episode, we explore the difference between obedience -doing what's asked- and discipleship, which is the slower, harder work of actually becoming someone different. We look honestly at what fear-based obedience costs us and what it might mean to move from compliance toward genuine tra...

In the year 2000, President Hinckley taught that one set of earrings was enough. Lessons got built around it. Girls took out their second pair. And then it quietly stopped being talked about. Nobody announced the teaching was retired. It just went silent. The Church usually doesn’t say "this is no longer binding." Which means it’s up to every member to decide what still counts—and often we don't a...

Mother's Day at church is beautiful for some women, and really hard for others. This week we're having the honest conversation that doesn't always make it to the pulpit. We talk about the women who dread this Sunday, why LDS culture's love for motherhood can unintentionally leave people out, and what it would actually look like to honor every woman in the room. This one is for the women who have s...

The Family Proclamation is thirty years old, and the questions surrounding it have only gotten louder: Is it scripture? Is it policy? Is it a relic of the 1990s culture wars? We take an honest look at where this document came from, what it actually is, and—most importantly—what to do with the parts that don't feed us.

If you could add your own Beatitude to the list, what would it be? Watch/listen to the end to hear ours! We've heard the Beatitudes hundreds of times. In Sunday School, in sacrament meeting, and more. And yet, if we're really honest with ourselves, how many of us are actually striving to live them? When Jesus spoke these words, He was inviting us to live a deeper, more transformational gospel. In...

What if the thing you were warned away from is exactly what your faith needs? Many of us absorbed the idea that the fullness of the gospel means we don't need anything from anybody else — but Joseph Smith said the exact opposite. In this episode, we talk about the voices outside the Church that have shaped us most, and why gathering truth from everywhere turns out to be one of the most Latter-day...

Most of us grew up reading the scriptures one way. We read them as history, as fact, as events that had to have literally happened to matter. But what if that's only half the picture? In this episode, we sit down and explore what it looks like to read scripture literally, symbolically and everything in between. We talk about what the different approaches have to offer and what we might miss if we...

Why does General Conference feel inspiring to some and painful, alienating, or complicated to others? In this episode, we explore how communication theory and Brian McLaren’s stages of faith help explain why “general” counsel is always received specifically—through our histories, identities, wounds, hopes, and questions. We also make space for faithful, selective ways of engaging Conference, and a...

Sometimes the things we believe are shaping us for good are actually keeping us stuck. Not because we're insincere, but because some forms of "goodness" are rooted more in fear than in love. In this episode, we dig into the Buddhist concept of near and far enemies and how they show up in our lives. This conversation is an invitation, not to judge yourself or others, but to see more clearly and to...

What if doing *more* in the gospel is actually getting in the way of or experiencing God? There a big difference between our spiritual practices being checklist items, vs. being opportunities to be in communion with God. Sometimes showing down might be the most spiritual thing we can do.

What is Zion? And how do we build Zion? In this episode, we explore Zion as a community effort as well as an individual pursuit. Perhaps Zion is what happens when transformed people create transformed communities. Perhaps Zion is what naturally emerges when people actually start living what Jesus Christ taught.

Lowercase “p” prophets show up in ordinary places—Relief Society lessons, late-night texts with a friend, a neighbor who quietly tells the truth and protects the vulnerable. In this episode we talk about what “prophet” can look like beyond titles or offices, what lowercase “p” prophets have influenced us, and how the goal, as always, is a greater relationship with God.

The scriptures are full of stories of change—from Alma the Younger and Paul to Samuel and Peter. But it can be hard when we disagree with ward members or church leaders and wonder if they can change. None of us wants to be seen as a finished product, and we do other people a disservice when we look at them that way. Fortunately for all of us, God’s grace makes space for all of us to change.

We've been doing this podcast for almost a year! So we thought it was a good time to answer some questions about us. We hope you enjoy getting to know us a little bit better. And we really hope you find community and feel like you have a place with us.

What if the Adam and Eve story isn’t just about a historical event, but is instead an allegory for the spiritual coming-of-age we all have to go through? Whether you see Adam and Eve as literal, symbolic, or somewhere in between, in this conversation we explore what the story teaches us about relationships, shame, partnership, faith transitions, and the grace that clothes us when we feel exposed....

What if spirituality isn't something you're failing at? In this episode, we explore what spirituality is and what it isn't. Not a performance. Not a constant peace. But a lived, honest relationship with God that unfolds through real life, including the ordinary moments in life, doubt, and letting go. If you've ever felt life you're "doing spirituality wrong" this conversation is for you.

When it feels like the world is crumbling around you—and yeah, generally it does—it’s easy to retreat into a state of “us” and “them.” But viewing other people as animals or vermin or something less than human couldn’t be farther from what Jesus taught. The worth of souls is great in the sight of God… even the ones we really, really don’t agree with.

Have you ever been called a "cafeteria Mormon" in a derogatory way? It seems to have a history as a way to call someone out for not being good enough or not doing "it" right. But we are here to shed a new light on it. We think that all members are picking and choosing how to show up at church. And that's a good thing! Personalizing your spiritual life and connection to your Heavenly Parents is the...

All of us start in Stage 1—but that can be easy to forget when we’re caught up in later stages of faith. Instead of being dismissive and demeaning of those whose faith is simpler, maybe we can honor where they’re at. Easier said than done, I guess, but that’s what Jesus taught us to do. 

As nuanced members in the church, it is fairly common to need to interact with people who approach faith in a more binary or black and white way. How exactly do we do that? In this episode, we share some tips and ideas about interacting with Stage 1 or Stage 2 believers (see Brian McLaren's book Faith After Doubt for a deep dive into these stages).

It’s always been okay to use different Bible translations, but the Church’s recent change gives us a nudge toward using translations that are newer and based on better sources than the King James Version. We chat through our favorite translations, and how you should spend time with the version of the Bible that brings you closer to Christ… whether that’s the KJV or something that uses more modern...