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Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part V of VIII]

For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God.

To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com.

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Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part IV of VIII]

For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God.

To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com

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SUBSCRIBE: All Friday episodes of Latter Day Struggles can be accessed through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠a paid subscription ($9.99/month)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you for supporting Valerie’s professional commitment to your LDS Faith expansion journey!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

     ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to subscribe to all Friday Latter Day Struggles Episodes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

     ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to support the podcast and subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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SUPPORT: Like what you’re hearing at Latter Day Struggles Podcast? You can support Valerie’s efforts by becoming a recurring donor on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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SUPPORT GROUPS: You are invited to join one of Valerie’s space-limited ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Faith Crisis and Expansion Support and Processing Groups⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!  As a trauma therapist, she continues to help our LDS faith expansion community become psychologically healthier and spiritually well in and around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Details about availability on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠latterdaystruggles.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  These groups ALWAYS FILL UP, so jump in asap!

     ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to join a support group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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COURSES: Now available! “⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Couple’s Guide to Faith Crisis and Expansion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠” parts I and II. See what else is offered on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠latterdaystruggles.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

     ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to purchase a course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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CONSULTING: Interested in doing individual or couples work with Valerie or a member of her trained team? Time-limited packages with Valerie and extended work with her team of coaches and therapists are available! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to learn more⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part III of VIII]

For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God. 

To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com

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Support the show

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Friday Episodes Monthly Access $10

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Gift a Scholarship

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Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part II of VIII]

For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God.  To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com

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Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part I of VIII]

Carol Lynn Pearson said,  "maybe the worst thing that could have happened for the Brethren of the Mormon church was the moment I was given the role to play "Joan of Arc" in a theatrical production at BYU 60+ years ago!" The rest was history.  And luckily for us, our own Mormon "Joan of Arc" has not been burned at the stake (center) thus far!! And in this series, she does not disappoint.

In this episode with Valerie, Carol Lynn opens up about her childhood, life with Gerald, her own process of becoming the beautiful combination of bravery, grace, and straight-talking badassery that defines her work to this day. She shares specific stories about her experiences writing and speaking about all of the toughest and touchiest of topics, all hovering around issues of gender, sexuality, and power.

Carol Lynn concludes with a lovely teaser into her newest book that will give YOU a map for how to grow in the very flavor of love that empowers her to do the inspiring work that she does. Just in time for Christmas, buy "The Love Map" (and many other of her books) at carolynnpearson.com. PLEASE share this episode.  Once you listen, you'll know why this one is a POWERFUL episode packed with bravery, wisdom, and truth. 

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Following the recent Salt Lake Tribune article titled "BYU-I Instructors fired for failing 'ecclesiastical clearance.' They can't find out why", and on the heels of this podcast's last episode coincidentally on a similar topic, Valerie was connected with a BYU-I faculty member who was willing--anonymously--to share their experience as a current faculty member and one who clearly sees many deeply troubling dynamics surrounding culture, messaging, and practices at BYU-I, not the least of which is the very troubling issue around the recent confidentiality lost for new and adjunct faculty members.

Other topics discussed in this episode:

1. Initial benefits for working at this university
2. Evolving and heightened struggles with issues of professionalism due to changes of administration where it has become less and less acceptable to have open and honest conversations about legitimate concerns had among faculty members on their own and their students behalf
3. A culture of silence around very relevant issues involving race, gender, sexuality, and mental health concerns within the university community
4. Heightened fear of the risk that some faculty members feel in simply being "themselves" in even benign ways while in connection with students and others
5. The noticing that some hurting students have formed an "underground network" where they seek to find safe people with whom to talk about their struggles with issues deeply important to their spiritual and psychological development and
6. A growing trend or "wave" of students leaving the church as soon as they graduate. 

This professor offers deep love for their students and fellow faculty members and expresses both grief and some frustration at the valuable losses they are seeing in the waves of wonderful and good students and other faculty leaving the university and church due to issues of fear, the mandate for silence, and the community's inability to hear the legitimate concerns of so many earnest people seeking a place, safety, and a voice in their home religion.  

This podcast is intended to help shine a light on issues that perhaps are invisible to those too close to the situation and offer a loving but direct first hand perspective that might be valuable in healing some of the wounds of the CES and the church that many of us care so much about.

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In this episode Valerie interviews former BYU professor and current lover of people, education, music, truth, and personal integrity.  In this conversation, Jason shares his journey from his teen years as a convert to the LDS church, through years of rewarding orthodoxy (box checking like the best of them) that led him to a position at BYU.  

His faith expansion journey began during those tenuous weeks when the university temporarily allowed LGBTQ students protection for openly expressing themselves under the same standards as straight cis-gendered students and then reversed their decision. 

Other key moments of awakening occurred while confronting struggles with an on-campus speech referencing muskets [you probably know the one…] and dissonance related to the new policy related to BYU faculty’s lack of confidentiality in temple recommend interviewing protocols. While painful, this transformative journey led Jason to his present job, but more importantly, to a deepening ability to love, serve, and worship according to his clear conscience.

Join Val and Jason as they explore his expanding faith in God and Christ and his new way of participating in the LDS church as a result of this intensely challenging and life expanding 4 year detour as a BYU faculty member. 

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Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part VII of VII]

This episode rounds out the complete analysis of the 2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet AND explores the wisdom of the great thinker and theologian Francis Menlove's writings, proposing that unity of doctrine is greatly overrated in this [and every] church and that the idea of needing to have a set standard of beliefs [aka: documents such as the For the Strength of the Youth Pamphlet] represents a departure from Christ’s vision and slowly evolved but not until over 200 years after the death of Jesus Christ.  

Menlove proposes that humans have always been drawn to want to gather, worship, love, and support each other [independent of what each person 'believes'] and due to their combination of humanity, fear, ego, and desires to help and/or control others, power figures [in all churches] have been inclined to warp “church" into a place that  dictates and then disciplines believe rather than allowing "church" to be a place to gather, share, explore, love, nurture, and be seen, known, and loved. She proposes that we awaken to this reality and each learn to allow church to be what Jesus intended.

Book referenced:

• The Challenge of Honesty: Essays for Latter-day Saints, by Frances Lee Menlove❤️❤️

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Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part VI of VII]

Join Val and Nathan in this deep dive into the Church's current positions on the human body, sexual thought, speech, expression, and relationship, the Word of Wisdom, tattoos, piercings, grooming issues, and a word to those who have been abused in any way.

Main points discussed include conversations about the following

1. Our bodies are created in "their" image, male and female
2. How our body's as temples has much deeper meaning than often understood
3. The prescriptive nature of the word of wisdom and its meandering origins
4. A more healthy way to talk about addiction that addresses the pain that is being medicated rather than forbidding the use (or overuse) of any particular substance
5. A healthier way to talk about sexual maturation that encourages youth to better integrate their emerging sexuality rather than forbidding or discouraging them from contact with these parts of themselves
6. And more!

Please SHARE this episode with anyone who has influence over the youth of our church!

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Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part V of VII]

In this episode Val and Nathan break down the section "Walk in God's Light", a section of the manual used to offer direction on issues such as media use, word of wisdom, and issues around the use of pornography. 

They love the guidance to cultivate our own offspring-of-God abilities to discern what brings us closer to our potential and what gets in the way and a focus on how the spirit is available to each of us to help us. 

They dig deeper into ways that this section seems to overgeneralize the many reasons why people have a complex array of strong feelings (which are not always connected to having the spirit) and also how important it is that we learn to navigate the complexity of social media, variously rated movies, and other technology.  

Val and Nathan also begin to talk about pornography and more and less helpful and healthy ways to address this issue with our youth (this conversation will continue in the next episode fully committed to the theology of the body).

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