Feb. 3 – Feb. 9

Option 1: Elder Jorg Klebingat: The Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Judgement Day and You (36 minutes)

Summary:  If we rely on God’s love by repenting and seeking costly grace, then we can have covenant confidence as we prepare for judgment day. Jörg Klebingat, a General Authority Seventy, delivered this devotional address on October 22, 2024.

Option 2: The Science of Speaking in Sacrament Meeting: An Interview with Stephan Taeger (52 minutes)

Summary: Stephan Taeger is an assistant professor in Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. He received a PhD from BYU in Instructional Design and Technology in 2018. Stephan’s research focuses on homiletics (the study of preaching), narrative instruction, and ancient scripture. He is also an author and co-host of the RVVL podcast with David Butler.

Option 3: Come Back Podcast;  Oliver Cowdery’s come back story told by historian Casey Griffiths (49 minutes)

Summary: “Before Oliver passes away, he goes out of his way on several occasions to publicly and ardently bear testimony of the restoration of the Book of Mormon. One of the more well -known accounts is a guy named Jacob Gates. He’s on his way to his mission and he stops in Richmond to visit Oliver Cowdery. Jacob Gates asks Oliver, ‘Is it all true? Can you tell me if it’s true?’ Oliver Cowdery says, ‘Jacob, I want you to remember what I say to you. I am a dying man. What would it profit me to tell you a lie? I know that this Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God. My eyes saw, my ears heard, and my understanding was touched. I know that whereof I testified is true. It was no dream, no vain imagination of the mind. It was real.’ I think this was recorded two or three months before Oliver passed away. And he says, he doesn’t have any reason to lie at this point. In fact, he wants to tell the truth because he knows he’s about to meet his maker. And he still bears his testimony on the Book of Mormon.”

Option 4: The Art of Dating:  Let’s Talk About Getting Out There and Dating More (44 minutes)

Summary: As you transition to a more enjoyable dating experience, the next step is going on more dates. In this week’s episode, Ryan, Kayla, and Sarah talk about the two things that get you on more dates: proximity and attractiveness. Get yourself to locations where you can be social. Go to the institute building, your school, the library, the gym, or the skating rink where you can meet individuals who are like-minded. The idea is that you get yourself to where like-minded individuals will be so you can interact with them. The next step is to enhance your attractiveness, the things that draw people to you. We dive into the importance of spiritual, social, emotional, and physical attractiveness. In the next couple of episodes following this one, we will explore what actions one can take to actually enhance those desired attractive qualities.

Option 5: Faith Matters: When Church is Hard – A Conversation with Tyler Johnson.

Summary: Tyler Johnson is intimately familiar with suffering. He’s an oncologist who has sat with countless people in some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and in the final moments before their deaths. He’s been there as people have received life-changing news, and as they’ve grappled with their deepest questions: “What has my life meant? What should I prioritize if my time is limited? Have I given enough attention to what truly matters?”

It’s that perspective that Tyler brings to the project we brought him on to talk about: a new book, published by Deseret Book, called When Church is Hard. In addition to his work as an oncologist, Tyler has been a bishop who has worked with many who have found their experience at church, for any of a number of reasons, deeply hard. And in a way that we feel like he is uniquely qualified to do, Tyler has approached both of these situations with the type of response they both call for: listening, validation, empathy, and humbly-offered insight.

In our conversation with him, we explored how doubt and uncertainty, rather than being a flaw or something to “fix,” can be a natural part of faith that leads to deeper growth and integrity. We also explored the parallels between the existential questions his patients face and those that arise during faith crises —and how both might invite us to re-evaluate priorities in a way we couldn’t otherwise. And finally, we looked at what belonging looks like, on both sides, when someone is sitting in pain and perplexity.

Option 6: This week’s Come Follow Me study lesson.

Summary: Hank Smith and John Bytheway with special guests discuss this week’s Come Follow Me lesson.