“Fruitful in the Land of My Affliction”   Joseph’s story has a bit of a fairy tale happy ending, but how do we apply it to our own stories, which have not yet ended? How do we put ourselves in the path of Providence, so to speak? This update reviews lessons from both Joseph and… Continue Reading

“How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?”   In this segment we return to the narratives from a literary and historical perspective, discuss LDS approaches to sexuality from a more critical perspective, confront difficult issues such as rape and sexual abuse, and get into more detail about sexual morality.   Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25 … Continue Reading

“How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?”   Sexuality is an aspect of life universally experienced but difficult to talk about. And the assigned readings are no exception. This episode  engages with the stories of Dinah, Tamar, and Potiphar’s wife and models a constructive approach to talking about sexuality in a Church context. We also discuss… Continue Reading

“How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?”   All of us are deeply impacted by sex… it’s why we exist, afterall, but we are often reluctant to discuss it. The challenging and terrible stories about Dinah, Tamar, and Joseph invite, even demand us to grapple with the important topic of sexuality in our lives. This… Continue Reading

Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant The episode continues by reviewing Jewish practices of endogamy (marrying within one’s culture), wrestles with challenging or even harmful aspects of LDS approaches to marriage and children, and concludes with a discussion of healthy approaches to relationships.   Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $25    … Continue Reading

Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant What difference does preparing for marriage in the temple make? And how does that relate to the stories of Rebekah and Isaac and Jacob and his wives? This episode reviews these narratives, discusses the relationship between a temple marriage and successful marriage, and reviews the principles of healthy relationships.… Continue Reading

Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant   The dramatic story of Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau may seem extreme… but all of us need to wrestle not just with God, but with our families of origin! This update explores the relationship between our families and our romantic relationships, and reveals the paradox that leads… Continue Reading

“God Will Provide Himself a Lamb”   In Part 2 we touch on the place of Isaac in history and then delve into the terrible but widespread practice of human sacrifice in the Ancient Near East. In Part 3 we wrestle further with the issues of God’s goodness and healthy approaches to obedience. The importance… Continue Reading

“God Will Provide Himself a Lamb”   Is the story of a parent attempting to kill his child an appropriate way to teach obedience and sacrifice? Familiarity can be comforting, but also dangerous. This episode wrestles with one of the most disturbing stories of the Bible, when God commands Abraham to kill his beloved son… Continue Reading

“God Will Provide Himself a Lamb”   Abraham believed that God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac, but was he right? Did he fail this test? And perhaps we can get to the most important lessons by looking at the story from Isaac’s perspective. There is no doubt that in this story, Abraham failed… Continue Reading