New Years season is fraught. It can mark new beginnings with fresh energy and purpose. But for so many of us who have been making and trying to keep resolutions, it can quickly become a downer as our determination and drive flounders and our old physical and mental habits and patterns reassert their power, leaving us feeling like a failure. For this reason, some folks simply throw out the whole idea of resolution and goal-setting, which is very understandable!

But can this time of year be a boon for all of us if we refocus just a bit, becoming a time for renewal for our body, mind, and soul? We naturally want to (and it's good to) want to change and grow, but are we going about it in the wrong way? How do we act without falling into age-old traps? In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by two wonderful friends, board members, and occasional LDF hosts, Terri Peterson and Mark Crego to share ways to avoid seasons of “failure” and instead receive the boon that this season can bring. They each share their past experiences with goals and resolutions and the role they have played in their journeys, but also how they view such things now and how they approach New Years differently.  This episode is full of stories that we can each relate to in some way. They also share reflections on certain sayings of Jesus, wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita and mine from other sources as well as their own personal experiences things they come to understand more deeply.

Listen in!

Also, see if you can attend one of this month's virtual firesides (January 16th and 19th), with will be centered on these topics! Join as a listener or come and tell us your stories, past and present, about resolutions, goals, intentions, and renewal!

In this episode, Mark Crego and Terri Petersen explore the universal themes of light and fire as celebrated across diverse cultural, religious, and spiritual traditions. From the twinkling Christmas lights of Christianity to the lamps of Diwali in Hinduism, the menorah of Hanukkah in Judaism, and the kinara of Kwanzaa, light has long symbolized hope, renewal, and the triumph of good over adversity. We delve into how these traditions connect humanity to something greater—be it divine presence, communal unity, or the rhythm of the cosmos. Their conversation spans light and darkness throughout religious and cultural traditions, finding balance between them. Through personal reflections and a deep dive into these global traditions, they uncover shared truths: light as a source of inspiration, fire as a force of transformation, and both as symbols of connection and renewal. Yet, they also address concerns, such as the risks of dualism that pits light against darkness and the potential for hierarchical domination when institutions claim ownership of light. Closing with the warmth of Christmas, they tie these themes together, inviting listeners to embrace light—not to dominate darkness but to foster balance, understanding, and love. This holiday season, let the light you share illuminate not just your home but the lives of those around you!

In this terrific episode, Terri Petersen interviews someone that we guess many of you know: David Hayward, known best online as “The Naked Pastor.” David is an artist, blogger, leader of a community called “The Lasting Supper,” and has many books that are collections of his thoughts and cartoons.

During their conversation, we are privileged to get an overview of David’s faith journey, his decision to leave formal ministry and step into his current roles, and the focus of his spirituality now. The bulk of the discussion focuses on faith “deconstruction,” framing it in terms of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s stages of dying (and grief), 1) Denial; 2) Anger; 3) Bargaining; 4) Depression; and 5) Acceptance. A brief but very interesting segment also draws parallels between a faith crash and people being confronted with their addiction. When we first sense we must deal with it, we will stiffen up, get defensive, hold on with all we have, come up with excuses, etc. before finally yielding to the fact that we thought we had our faith and/or religious life together but really didn’t. 

Listen in! You’ll really enjoy it!

When we are feeling down and helpless in the face of frightening trends, events, and horrors, one of the possible causes is that we have become passive, possibly just throwing up our hands and retreating into our own cocoon to ride things out. Or perhaps, instead, we vent our frustrations to others, pointing out who is at fault, and calling for action that we rarely get involved with ourselves.This second way may not feel like depression but it can be just internally harmful as ineffective as hiding, fretting, and imagining things can’t change. But what if they can? What if we can help change things in ways that will help us recover our energy and optimism?

 In this terrific episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon chats with George Handley, a well-known and effective voice in LDS environmental theology, education, spirituality, about also through his getting involved groups, organizations, local government, and attaching to various causes. How might we find what it is we feel “called” to do and also become effective change agents? 

In this discussion, George tells his own story of his writing, thinking, and working with environmental groups before he felt called to also get involved in local government, where he is now serving now on the Provo, Utah, City Council. He also speaks about the wonderful, grounding, and fulfilling work of tackling practical issues (in ways that our particular gifts can be most effective) and seeing results. Though we can’t control the exact outcome from our work, our influence will still be felt. And by continuing even in the face of disappointment our efforts will help shape future iterations in these areas. Dan and George also speak about the ways involvement of this kind can help us spiritually.

The conversation here is dynamic and full of wisdom (grounded wisdom), and we think it will connect deeply with you.

Listen in! 

This wonderful episode features LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in conversation with two of his (and his wife Lorri's) great friends, Shauna and Roger Anderson. The idea of doing this episode was spurred by fantastic sacrament meeting remarks that Roger gave recently that the Wotherspoons found to be among the most moving and eye-opening talks they can remember. Certainly the ideas presented were wonderful, but it was remarkable for the way Roger was able to speak frankly about difficult things in a way that both disarmed audience members and helped them think in new ways.

In the episode, you will learn what some of the things he said, as well as about the effects the talk had on some, but mostly we want to highlight that it is possible to be powerful and effective when we speak from our hearts, our experiences, our hard-won truths. Both Shauna and Roger do this in remarkable ways.

We know you will enjoy meeting and learning from these brilliant but humble people (who had to be talked into doing the show)!

In this short episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon offers a few of his reactions to the recent presidential election. Without trying to demonize anyone who may have voted differently than he did, Dan speaks to the situation of just how evident it is (and has been for years, but perhaps never so completely clear) that instead of people choosing their politics based on their religious beliefs or core principles, so many of us now let politics alter our religious thinking and behavior. Through Bible passages and a reminder from the Book of Mormon, he offers a few thoughts about what he believes are core messages of Jesus and the way leaders should lead. 

The primary purpose of this short episode, however, is for him to share a few of his "what now?" hints for helping ourselves manage angst in our souls and be able to return to spiritual equilibrium and a clear vision that nothing about what happens anywhere should take us away from our core calling to return good for evil, love and compassion whenever we see hate and "othering," openness when we see smallness, etc. The episode is pretty raw and recorded on very little sleep, but we hope you will forgive that and listen in. Enjoy!

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives as it is now enhancing the way businesses and health care providers work, as well as assisting in financial fraud detection, cybersecurity, and much more. Its contributions in those areas are mostly invisible to us. But now with the rise of informational/conversational programs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and others, more and more of us are including AI-based chatbots more directly in our daily lives--including our spiritual lives. In this episode, Mark Crego and Jeff Pratt join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in a conversation about integrating ChatGPT in our  spiritual journeys, as both guests use it regularly for this purpose but in quite different ways.The discussion first provides an orientation to what ChatGPT and other chatbot programs do, the sources of information they draw on, and how their security provisions make them "safe" for us to use even as our chats inevitably involve us sharing personal information about ourselves (though not things like bank account, social security, passwords, or other protected info like that). Following this basic information, Mark and Jeff share the way they have been using ChatGPT to enhance their understanding of scriptural texts, as well as in their spiritual journeys. In sharing about these, they actually play snippets (in the computer voice they have chosen) parts of conversations they have had, and they also demonstrate in real time how they query it. They even did a real-time request that asked for a prayer that includes words of encouragement for a project Dan is working on.

It is all quite fascinating, and its likely many of us will warm to the idea that AI can, indeed, assist us in our spiritual walks. Listen in! 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has just announced changes to LDS garment styles, including options that don’t require shoulders to be covered, along with the option to wear a garment “shift” that doesn’t require women to have their legs covered but instead can wear the bottoms under a dress or skirt. Several of the changes relate to women’s health issues that often arise in garment wearers who live in tropical or high-humidity areas of the world. It also noted that there were going to be more choices for garment fabrics. A Salt Lake Tribune article about the announcement raised several other issues that are pertinent to the change. One is that it “will make it harder for others to judge who is or is not wearing garments.” It goes on to mention a 2023 survey that found 59 percent of women saying they felt judged about how they wear them. A broader issue that was raised is that these new styles still feel “like church leaders are trying to control women’s clothing choices.” Another piece of the change is interesting for its timing. It was only in April of this year that LDS leaders were emphasizing the importance of wearing garments “as instructed in the temple” and it is “not left to members’ individual inspiration and interpretation.” That emphasis also added to worthiness to enter the temple new wording about how individuals are keeping their covenant to wear garments, along with a statement to be read by the ecclesiastical leader conducting the temple recommend interview.

Many ask what led up to this very quick turnaround of that emphasis. It now seems that the church is now emphasizing “the symbolism of the garment” as “more important than the style.” Was it activism by women, surveys that showed how Millennials and Generation Z wear their garments (or don't wear them), or something else?

Listen into the great discussion in this episode between LDS podcast host Cynthia Winward, Latter-day Faith board member and frequent guest Terri Petersen, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. It’s terrific!

In the October 2024 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ, Church president Russell M. Nelson indicated that the reason the Church is building so many new temples is related to preparations for Christ's Second Coming. "Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!" Throughout the talk he mentions several times and in different ways how we can prepare to that great event through temple worship, and declares: "The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work... 

I bear my solemn witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I am His disciple. I am honored to be His servant. At His Second Coming, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” That day will be filled with joy for the righteous! Through the power of the sacred priesthood keys I hold, I declare this truth to you and to all the world!

With such strong language, which many Latter-day Saints will hold to as direct prophecy of things to come (and that it will come soon!), we will hear in our wards and stakes, and perhaps in our gatherings with LDS family members and groups echoes of President Nelson's message of a soon-approaching return of Jesus Christ to the world where he "will govern from both old Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem 'built upon the American continent.' From these two centers, He will direct the affairs of His Church." Many Latter-day Saints have already begun to share their thoughts on this new emphasis, and in this podcast episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon speaks about his own reactions to President Nelson's message and what it means going forward even if we might be skeptical an imminent Second Coming. He also offers a framing about why he thinks this emphasis is happening now. He then suggests ways that we "fellow travelers" who are actively sorting through so much related to our spiritual and church lives might be able to share our thoughts effectively on those occasions we might not agree with  how the Second Coming is being spoken about. Listen in!

So many of us stumble through life without a genuine sense of who we are and what we should do. One of things that brings us the greatest joy and peace is when we finally connect with what our soul seems to be calling us toward. What are our gifts? What are the through-lines that seem to be showing up again and again in most things we do? Are there practices we can undertake that might help us drill down and name exactly what that those are?

This episode is about discernment, especially in relation to our careers, as well as when we meet forks in the road or in some other way are forced to make decisions about what's next. It features LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in conversation with his friend and fellow spiritual traveler, Megan Popa about discerning ways to match what we do in the world with what we sense might be our life's calling. It's a difficult process, and it usually only truly discovered over the course of a lifetime. Still, it is helpful to be able to recognize as early as we can the outline of what that might be. Megan shares about her life path and the various types of work she has done and is doing now, and through this telling we meet a woman continually narrowing down options in search of discovering that which truly matches her soul's calling. Dan speaks a bit about this, too, but also presents several possible exercises we might do in an effort to clarify who we are at our cores and ways we might find a path that is in harmony with what we discover.