We must claim and care for each other for God to care for and claim us–King Benjamin makes the connection very clear. Yet order of operations is essential, as is wisdom. We don’t improve so we can be loved; we improve because we love ourselves and God. This sermon maps our path to a virtuous cycle that leads to rebirth and the desire to “do good continually”. Reading: Mosiah 4-6 Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can access my Lesson Notes here. Access the Annotated Readin ..read more

King Benjamin begins his sermon emphasizing the condescension of God, the depravity of human nature (less than dust and an enemy to God), and urges us to be grateful as we serve God and our fellow humans. These chapters invite reflection on the relationship between the human and divine, the role of Jesus, and how we are all connected. Reading: Mosiah 1-3 Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can access my Lesson Notes here You can access my Annotated Reading here. Related Epi ..read more

Celebrating Easter and resurrection is incomplete if we do not also celebrate the Holy Week, which is full of not just life and resurrection, but also disappointment, betrayal, and death. Easter invites us to increase our acceptance of death, which allows us to increase our engagement with life. We, like the women at the tomb, must learn to prepare both for death and for new life that can come powerfully and unexpectedly. Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can access my Lesson Notes here. Resources and Related Episodes 328: Easte ..read more

Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon… never before have I so appreciated these short books that take up so much room in the Primary song. Not only does Enos provide a powerful example of spiritual devotion and transformation, but his descendants hint at cataclysmic cultural shifts among their people. I place this discussion in a House Church context between a discussion of the Corona pandemic, ideas for isolation, and devotion. God can transform our hardest moments, and we are in such a time. Reading: Enos-Words of Mormon Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10 ..read more

Covid-19 has disrupted our lives both personally and globally. I hope we are all taking care of ourselves and each other as best as we can. The secret to disruption is that it can be an invitation to lasting change and nurturing of relationships. I have issued this special episode to provide resources to support Church leaders’ suspending of all Church meetings. I will therefore upgrade Engaging Gospel Doctrine from a Sunday School podcast to a House Church podcast. Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can access my Lesson Notes here ..read more

Nephi maps out our path from here to God: faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. He also emphasizes that God speaks unto us as we are, which brings up important questions about the relationship between revelation and reality. And sensitive, anxious Jacob praises the Lamanites and condemns the Nephites relating to family love and fidelity. Reading: 2 Nephi 31-33; Jacob 1-4 Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can access the Lesson Notes here. You can access the annotated reading in the linked ..read more

The Isaiah chapters baffle most of us, but they really do come down to a few fundamental questions that all of us grapple with: How do we deal with loss? Specifically, how do we deal with loss when it feels as if our promises and hopes are shattered and burning? How do we move forward after failure and devastation? The promise of the the gospel is that God will claim and comfort us. Reading: 2 Nephi 11-25 (Feb. 23); 2 Nephi 26-30 (March 1) Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can access my Lesson Notes here You can access the Annot ..read more

The Book of Mormon is a story about dysfunctional families and intergenerational trauma. These masterful chapters at the beginning of 2 Nephi teach us about the importance of agency and the quest for joy. Our reading will be most constructive as we take seriously the fact that the Book of Mormon is about and shaped by the human experience. Reading: 2 Nephi 1-5 (Feb. 9); 2 Nephi 6-10 (Feb. 16) Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can access the Lesson Notes here. The Annotated Readings are in the linked lessons. Related epis ..read more

As a rule, it is the most difficult experiences that shape us the most. We don’t like that fact, but we can’t avoid it! The story of Lehi’s family in the wilderness provides a model (positive and negative!) of our own lives and relationships. Everything is an opportunity to grow closer to God and salvation. Reading: 1 Nephi 11-15 (Jan. 26); 1 Nephi 16-22 (Feb. 2) Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can access the Lesson Notes here. You can access the Annotated reading for 1 Ne. 12-14 here and for 1 Ne. 16-18 here. Related episo ..read more

One of the most interesting thing about Lehi’s dream is what he notices and when. These first chapters of the Book of Mormon teach us a great deal about the power of attention and follow through. Recurring Donation: $5   $10   $25   $50 One Time Donation: $10   $25   $50   $100 You can find the Lesson Notes here. Find the Annotated Reading here. Related Episodes and Resources 175: God’s Will (1 Ne. 1-5; 7) 176: The Tree of Life (1 Nephi 8–11; 12:16–18; 15) Lehi’s Dream, Church Video Obedience: Submitting to the Will of the Father, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Tree of Life as Heavenly ..read more