LDS Podcast "Latter-Day Lights" - Inspirational LDS Stories

What if forgiveness goes beyond seeking justice—and actually becomes the path to healing? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Darla sit down with four-time New York Times bestselling author Roger Connors to explore the life-changing power of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Roger shares his remarkable conversion story—from secretly reading the Book of Mormon despite his parents...

Can the stories of the Restoration inspire your own story of faith? In this inspiring episode, Sandra Meaders shares how a lifelong love of books and a growing fascination with Church history led her on a journey that deepened her own faith in unexpected ways. Through countless visits to historic Church sites, studying the lives of early Saints, and immersing herself in the stories of the Restorat...

How does a fantasy author end up writing the autobiography of a music legend? In this inspiring episode, author Debbie Ihler Rasmussen shares her remarkable journey from writing stories as a young girl to becoming a published author, editor, writing instructor, and eventually the ghostwriter behind Alan Osmond's life story. Along the way, she discovers how a teacher's encouragement, unex...

 Can God use a difficult season to reveal your purpose? When COVID brought the world to a standstill, sisters Kandy, Kassidy, and Kalli found themselves searching for purpose, peace, and direction.  What began as a difficult season of uncertainty became a defining hinge point in their lives—one that ultimately led them to form the Christian music group Hinge Point and dedicate their talents to sha...

Can God still guide your life when your dreams seem to be on hold? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Darla sit down with author and Storymakers Winner, JoLynne Lyon, who shares how a lifelong passion for creativity and writing often took a backseat to raising children, building a career, and caring for her aging parents. As she navigated the demands of family life, the loss of...

Can God turn our darkest moments into the beginning of something greater? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Darla sit down with author and father Juan Panchano. Growing up in Colombia amid cartel violence, political unrest, and family instability, Juan carried deep wounds from abandonment, rejection, and loneliness. After moving to the United States as a child, those struggles...

How do we recognize the gifts God has given us, especially when fear, grief, or self-doubt make them hard to see? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, award-winning author and illustrator—Fay Klingler—shares a heartfelt conversation about creativity, spiritual promptings, and learning to trust the quiet ways Heavenly Father guides our lives. From writing bestselling books and raising a ble...

What do you do when the career you worked so hard for leaves you feeling burnt out? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Darla sit down with author and Praiseworthy Award Winner, Vanessa Thurgood, to share how stepping away from the career that caused her burnout, unexpectedly led her toward a new calling: writing epic fantasy novels filled with themes of courage, faith, and resi...

What happens when a forgotten piece of Church history becomes a personal calling? In this episode of Latter-Day Lights, Sherrie Dunford shares the story of her ancestor, Dr. Frederick G. Williams—early Church leader, counselor to Joseph Smith, physician, and one of the most misunderstood figures of the Restoration. Through spiritual promptings and years of research, Sherrie felt compelled to final...

What if a single moment could completely reshape how you see your life and your purpose within it? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Jerald Simon shares his remarkable journey as a composer, author, and lifelong student of faith and creativity. After surviving a traumatic fall from a 100-foot cliff as a child—an experience that erased his early memories and led to years of recovery—Jera...

What does it look like to step away from expectations and into a life of true purpose? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, mother, educator, and faith-driven humanitarian, Karen Bates, shares her powerful journey from people-pleasing and self-doubt to living with courage, intention, and deep devotion. As she began confronting lifelong patterns of overextending herself and losing sight of...

What happens when a creative prompting turns into something that can change one person’s life? In this week's episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Darla Brandley sit down with author and Praiseworthy Award winner Jason Jones, who shares his 8-year journey behind writing his debut novel, “One Day a Year.” From making simple screenplays with his coworkers to boost company morale, what began...

What role does music play in helping us feel closer to God and find peace in our everyday lives? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, we sit down with pianist, musical arranger, and father, Michael Boyd, whose lifelong love for music has become a powerful way to invite the Spirit into his heart, and strengthen his faith. From his early experiences in learning piano, to developing a deep ap...

What if the path Jesus walked to the cross was something you could actually walk today — and what would it teach you about Him? On this week's special Easter episode, we bring back Dr. Trina Boyce to share more about the Via Dolorosa — an ancient 2,000-foot path winding through the Old City of Jerusalem that traces the final hours of Christ's life, from His condemnation by Pontius Pilate...

What if your hardest moments are actually preparing you to help uplift others? In todays episode of Latter-Day Lights, Christine Maynor shares a powerful journey of faith shaped through both quiet growth and deep personal trials. From a childhood rooted in strong values to discovering her voice through faith-centered poetry, she’s learned to turn life’s experiences—both joyful and painful—into mea...

How does Jesus Christ make up the difference when life feels unfair, overwhelming, or beyond our ability to fix? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Darla Brandley sit down with BYU professor and author, BJ Allen, to explore the concept of “the compensating power of Christ,” and how these unique revelations led him to write and publish his Praiseworthy Award-winning book. What s...

How can small acts of understanding make a big difference in someone’s spiritual journey? In this week’s episode of Latter-day Lights, Scott Brandley sits down with father-daughter duo — Robert Johnson and Liberty Kepford — to share the inspiration behind their book, “Autism in Christ’s Church.” Drawing from their extensive experience working with, interviewing, and studying the behaviors of indiv...

What do you do when God’s plan for your life looks completely different from the one you carefully mapped out? In this week’s episode of Latter-day Lights, Scott and Emily sit down with author and special guest — Tayma Johnson — to share her journey from never planning to serve a mission, to feeling unmistakably called by the Lord to step into the unknown. Through moments of prayer, spiritual prom...

What have we learned after four years and nearly 200 stories of faith? As the show passes the four-year mark, long-time co-host Alicia Coakley shares why she is reluctantly stepping away, and together she and Scott revisit several moments of hope, healing, and inspiration that have changed their lives and those of the Latter-Day Lights community. From heart-wrenching accounts of pain, loss, and di...

How do you keep pursuing your dreams when rejection, discouragement, and life’s responsibilities seem to stand in the way? In this week’s episode of Latter-day Lights, Scott and Darla Brandley sit down with U.S. Today’s bestselling author, Heather B. Moore, to hear how she built a full-time writing career through perseverance, prayer, and years of steady effort, despite the mountain of rejections...

What happens when everything you’ve built your life on falls apart in the blink of an eye? In this week’s episode of Latter-day Lights, special guest Clint Huston shares his deeply personal journey from being raised in the Church and appearing to do everything “right” on the outside, to an affair that led to divorce, a battle with pornography addiction, excommunication, and the painful loss of ide...

What opportunities are possible like when faith, creativity, and technology collide later in life? In this week’s episode of Latter-day Lights, Scott and Emily sit down once again with former Bering Sea Captain and guest, Jake Jacobsen, to explore a life-changing chapter of his journey—using AI and modern technology to bring decades-old lyrics, spiritual reflections, and life stories to life throu...

How do we build spiritual resilience and encourage the youth of today to do the same? To celebrate the anticipated release of her latest book, “Covenant Power,” Scott and Emily sit down with author, seminary teacher, and temple ordinance worker Sharla Goettl to explore what spiritual resilience really means, and how it’s formed over time. Drawing from her first book, “Spiritual Resilience,” and le...

How do you keep your faith in God when grief keeps rewriting the life you always dreamed of? In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Emily sit down with author, mother, and Praiseworthy Award Winner Anneka Walker, to explore how faith, loss, and creativity brought about healing and renewed purpose into her journey as a writer. When multiple miscarriages and high-risk pregnancies cru...

When life feels uncertain and stakes are high on the operating table, how do we learn to trust in the Lord’s plan? On this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Emily sit down with Dr. Mark T. Saunders, a semi-retired OB/GYN whose quiet, faithful listening opened the door to dozens of sacred and miraculous stories. While conducting his routinely in-home medical visits, Mark found that his...