In this episode, I dive into the Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2 and talk about what they teach us about revelation, change, and trusting living prophets. I share how the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, help us sort truth from noise, why repentance and faith in Christ are so central, and how we can honor others' right to worship while holding fast to our own beliefs. In the end, I come back to Nephi's "nevertheless": we don't know the meaning of all things, but we do know that God loves His children—and that truth is enough to keep us on the covenant path.

Don't forget to read the extra resources linked in this lesson. There was a lot of interesting stuff there!

The Wentworth Letter

The Messenger and the Manifesto

Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah

This episode is about Joseph Smith. This episode includes testimonies from many different people.

From the manual:

The afternoon of June 27, 1844, found Joseph and Hyrum Smith in jail once again, accompanied by John Taylor and Willard Richards. They believed they were innocent of any crime, but they submitted to arrest, hoping to prevent violence against the Saints in Nauvoo. This wasn't the first time that enemies of the Church had put the Prophet Joseph in prison, but this time he seemed to know that he would not return alive. He and his friends tried to comfort each other by reading from the Book of Mormon and singing hymns. Then gunshots were heard, and within a few minutes the mortal lives of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum had come to an end.

And yet it was not the end of the divine cause they had embraced. And it was not the end of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There was more work to do and more revelation that would guide the Church forward. Killing the Prophet could not kill the work of God.

Please also watch this, I forgot to mention it on the podcast but it's one of my all time favorite talks about the Prophet Joseph Smith. It's called, "Safety for the Soul" by Jeffrey R Holland.

Safety for the Soul - Jeffrey R. Holland

In this week's episode covering Doctrine and Covenants 133–134, I talk about preparing for the coming of the Bridegroom—fleeing Babylon, building Zion, and finding joy in doing God's work. From threshing wheat to sharing the gospel on an airplane, this episode reminds us that even the weak can do great things with God's help.

Preparing for the Lord's Return

To sign up to have this sent directly to your inbox with the transcript, please subscribe to my Substack