Tribe of Testimonies

Creation. Shiloh Mahgwees and I talk about creating all kinds of things in this episode. We talk creating families, educations, stories, art, love, bridges, and more. And we talk about The Creator, the One who knows us perfectly and loves us perfectly because He is perfect. Shiloh is so grateful for parents who have loved her fiercely even in their imperfections because she sees how they have give...

This conversation was so delightful. I learned so much about Hopi. I loved learning a little about the parallels between Jesus and Satan and some of the Hopi traditions. I loved learning about titles that we use in our church:  elder ,  brother ,  sister . I loved learning about a sacred family role we can all aspire: the legacy period of our life when we make truths and family history and family...

Yes--it's me! Rachel Crouse (episode #46) interviews me. We talk about my family--both the one that I grew up with and the family I have now. We talk about one of the hardest things I've ever gone through--the first 18 months of my daughter's life. We talk about the ideal "tribe" to us. And we talk about covenants and coming closer to the Savior--even if it's only by...

Another one of my BYU friends, Corey Smallcanyon definitely studied a different topic than I did. He has learned that even though history can be ugly or confusing, that the "basics" of the Gospel will always help through those murky questions and that having a witness about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon will always keep us grounded. He basically challenges each of...

Linda Azure (way before becoming a Big Day) was raised by her grandmother. She learned from Grandmother how to pray and recognize blessings and direction from the Creator.  As her life has progressed, she joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, attended BYU, earned multiple degrees, and became somewhat disassociated with the Church. Her church family and friends always just loved h...

There's a part in our conversation where Janice Clemmer gives an analogy of life as preparing for an exam. This has been an analogy I have envisioned myself. She said that we work really hard in this life so that when the "test" comes, we'll be prepared for it. How do we prepare? She talks of associating with good people, of serving those around us, of learning to forgive, of w...

One of my friends was feeling kind of down--so I retold Cynthia Connell's amazing stories to bring a smile to my friend's face. It totally worked. Actually, I can almost guarantee you're going to smile through these stories too. Really, her life should be a miniseries (a movie isn't enough time!). I laughed. I cried. I thought deep thoughts. Cynthia's story about feeling t...

Learning about how Matthew Azure's father influenced his life was wonderful. Truth is truth--whether or not you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Matt's father taught him so much truth and life wisdom that now it just seeps from Matt. Treat others with respect--whether you know them or not. Use the right tool for the job. And keep your commitments. These an...

Doing hard things definitely gives a person confidence. Brother Anthony Rivera has done a lot of hard things, and you can feel his confidence. He is also very confident that the Book of Mormon is true. (I'm confident of that myself, by the way.) He has learned through testing it and through the language and structure of it. And he has learned that he can be confident in the Plan of Salvation...

This lady is a soul mate of mine! Well, except maybe for the fact that she wants to get a PhD in English. But she tries so hard to follow what the Spirit prompts her to do. And she loves to laugh. She's served as a Relief Society president for six years. Six! But she has come to love all the sisters that she serves and serves with. That is a blessing! She now recognizes something her grandmot...

There were so many surprises with Erlene Brown's interview.  First off, she originally told me that she didn't know what to talk about regarding what she loves about her heritage as it relates to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But her pioneer story is right on point! Then she is so humble and vulnerable about her addictions and crimes--and how she overcame them. (Thank you, Jesus!) And fina...

Trigger warning: Sheila Taysom shares about how she went, as an adult, to a counseling group for those who were abused as children. But because of that, she has learned how much Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love her. Much of the rest of our conversation was joyful. She talks about her sweet Downs Syndrome son. She praises bringing families together. She shares testimony of family history. And...

This guy! This guy is a go-go-go guy. Adam Conte is busy doing good works. As a child, his parents started him on the right path. As a youth he found his own testimony. As a young adult he participated in many performing groups that helped him firm his identity. And as a more mature adult, he has seen the value of good mentors, good family, and the good news (Gospel). He now is doing his best to h...

This summer our family did a whirlwind road trip to see some Church History sites. We spent one day in Nauvoo. I figured that was the place of the highest concentration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that therefore it would be the highest chance for me to find someone amazing to interview. Score! Gary Rogers was the man I met. He and our family "bumped"...

Dani Palmer is a woman who has learned how to stand up for the truths that she believes in. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's unclear how to do it. There have been so many times when she has just put her faith in Heavenly Father and given Him her will. Countless blessings have come because she's practiced this. She's been led with family decisions, career decisions, and churc...

There's a part in this conversation with Erin Campbell where she talks about having a tumor on one of her glands. She had to have surgery. Surgery stinks. But she also talks about how she and her relationships grew and strengthened. She talks about how one day, we'll be able to look back on our lives and recognize that growth requires challenge--and she's grateful that she's be...

There is one that Marlin Kingi shares with us where the trickster teaches us that we need not let the world tell us who we are. Marlin has learned through is personal experiences how to let the Lord tell him who he is. That divine heritage has helped him be able to share to others their divine heritage. He has danced, worked, sang, and served showing that we are all children of God. President Nels...

Not everyone has full support when they join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Benjamin Lee had partial support. That was enough, though, for him to not only join but to also become a missionary. He thanks his parents and grandparents for teaching him to be true to the truths he has learned and to live the good values we preach in our Gospel. He also is able to see the connections a...

While I was talking with Brother Ron Begay, I was so moved with the missionary spirit. His mission stories are inspiring--not because literal mountains were moved. But because multiple tiny "mountains" were moved to show God's handiwork in his life. So missionary work has been on my mind since we visited. How am I doing the Lord's missionary work? How are you doing the Lord&apo...

When I reached out to Junior Pinto about possibly being a guest, he said, "Let me pray about this.... I knew this day was coming but didn’t think it would be this soon." His connection with Heavenly Father and our Savior is profound and wide open. President Nelson and pretty much every prophet before has promised us that we can have that connection if we feed our faith and commune with i...

One of the gifts of the Spirit that I never thought about until someone pointed it out to me is "being vulnerable." Yah, yah, I know there's this whole vulnerable thing that a famous Ms. Brown talks about. But actually being vulnerable is an act of courage, and in Cindy Quinney's case, an act of love for the Savior. She talks multiple times about different ways she has learned...

This interview had me smiling almost the entire time. Like from ear to ear. When Brooks Shotgunn really found The Book of Mormon, it came to life to him. And it seems like life bloomed. He went on a mission. He found his soulmate. He has a satisfying career. He's a father. And he just finds joy in all the little things. I'm not sure if he realized how easily gospel topics poured from him...

Formerly "Bishop" Tyler Youngbull has made a lot of changes in his lifetime. While he was raised with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a part of his life, it wasn't the center of his youth. But prayer was. And remains so today. He has grown from being told when and how to pray to learning to love prayer as a personal and powerful connection with the Lord. Prayer was the catalyst for a...

Not long ago, my guest was simply called "Sister Begaye" most of the time. She was still Ason, but she rarely used that name. "Sister" is a lovely title when you think about how those who truly live up to its meaning treat other people. Ason talks about how she wants to continue to be part of the gathering of Israel because it's the culture of Christ. She talks about how i...

For some people, knowing exactly what they want to do with their life is easy. For most of us, we have to work at it. We have to be willing to be led by the Spirit. We have to be willing to take twists and turns that we didn't expect. And we have to be willing to use the gifts that God has given to us individually to "get there." Tyler doesn't know exactly what he wants to do a...