Gospel Chats

Belonging is a beautiful thing, but in some ways we were never meant to belong in this fallen world. In this chat we wrestle with the scriptural concept of “pilgrims” and their journey not to belong. 

Inspired teachers do some things before, during, and after class that can make a huge difference. We continue to share a few principles that have profoundly affected our teaching. 

People want to feel inspired and motivated in gospel classrooms, so how do we teach in a way that is real, powerful, and relevant? That’s our wrestle in this episode. 

For our 100th episode we wanted to talk about 100 different sheep. We wrestle with who the real Shepherd is, the Lord’s awareness of the 99 and the one, and how we really gather other sheep. 

How does the Jesus we read about in scripture become, as Nephi once wrote, “my Jesus”? In this episode we chat about bridging the gap between believing in Jesus Christ and really having an intimate connection to Him. 

Understanding the doctrine of the Light of Christ can and should change us. This universal influence gives life, light and law to the universe. 

The is a difference between worthiness and godliness. In this episode we chat about the danger in thinking some sins are not a big deal, and how we can more fully in live in a way where we deeply need Jesus Christ. 

Discomfort can feel like anything but a gift; but the Lord seems to do some of His best work in our discomfort. So how do we embrace the idea of discomfort in a humble and positive way? 

In this episode we discuss the gift of discernment and how it helps us detect hidden evil and hidden good within others and within ourselves. 

Words matter…a lot! In this episode we wrestle with the topics of vulgarity, gossip, and the spiritual gift of speaking with the tongue of angels. 

Must of us know that charity is extremely important, but struggle to show “the pure love of Christ” in all that we do. In this episode we explore charity as love we feel FROM Christ, love we develop FOR Christ, and then a gift we receive to love others LIKE Christ. When charity flows in that order everything starts to change. 

In this episode we wrestle with a question from the parable of the ten virgins: Do we know both “the bride” (Christ’s church) and “the bridegroom” (Jesus Christ)? Coming to know the Savior seems to be the major point of the parable, and the Church is meant to serve that purpose. 

Revelation is beautiful, and, revelation can be tricky. In this episode we chat about deceptive spirits, emotions being mistaken as revelation, and overinterpreting promptings. If we’ll ask the right questions, we can find our way through these pitfalls and into God’s light. 

In a fast-paced world, and in a Church that wants to help “hasten the work,” it’s hard to slow down, be still and rest. But in this episode we chat about the divine principle of rest and how it can enhance our ability to connect with God. 

The Liahona was a miraculous tool God used to guide, bless, and teach Lehi’s family. In this episode we chat about how we could more fully use a Patriarchal Blessing just like the Liahona to receive guidance, confidence, and understanding throughout our entire lives. 

Because God loves us, He asks us to let go of things, and some of those things are not necessarily sins. In this episode we chat about the souvenirs from hell, reality, joy, and really coming to know God. 

Elder Uchtdorf said that “faith is our loyalty to Jesus Christ”. In this episode we lean into that definition more fully to try and discover what changes when faith is about faithfulness and loyalty not just beliefs. 

There is so much going on in Abraham and Sarah’s story that we could almost miss the messy and beautiful story of Hagar. In this episode we chat about a woman who is broken, covenants available to all, and The God Who Sees

Restoration scripture like the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon add so much to our understanding of the Spirit World, yet, there is still so much we don’t know. In this episode we wrestle with what we know, what we don’t know, and how the Spirit World testifies of God’s perfect, relentless love. 

Throughout scripture we encounter references to God’s wrath and anger. In this episode we wrestle with questions about the meaning of “righteous anger” and how it applies to both God and us. 

Is temptation a bad thing? How should I feel about being tempted? What can a perfect Savior teach me about temptation? Could temptation be a catalyst to turn me to Christ? These were some of our questions in this episode about temptation and fire. 

The spiritual and emotional wounds we experience in mortality can be filled with bitterness and anger or healed by the balm of Christ’s grace. In this episode we try to better understand the healing and compensating grace of Jesus Christ. 

So many of our struggles in life come in the form of weakness—not sin—but the limitations and frustrations that come with being mortal. In this episode we explore the strengthening and enabling grace of Jesus Christ, and how to better access it day by day. 

The justifying grace of Jesus Christ saves us from sin, and His sanctifying grace can then purify us of sinfulness. The Savior doesn’t just want to SAVE us, He also wants to CHANGE us. To access this dimension of grace we need “to offer our whole souls” piece by piece. 

This is the first episode in a four-part series on the Grace of Jesus Christ. We start with justifying grace which allows us to be clean, forgiven, worthy, and perfect IN Christ every single day IF make and remain in the baptismal covenant.