Bless The Refreshments

Today we sit down for our third session with Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife to talk about divorce. We discuss the factors leading to the decision to, or not to get a divorce and how we can best help those we care about to navigate that difficult event.

This is our last episode for the summer while we take some time with family, vacations, etc. We look forward to being back with you in the fall for more great gospel discussions. 

This week we get some new reviews, thanks to all of you who are listening and interacting with us, we really appreciate it! We also take a few minutes on the whistleblower 60 minutes interview and share our thoughts. Finally, we devote the balance of the show to the last, but not least of the Three Witnesses, David Whitmer. His life, the part he played in the restoration of the gospel and his legacy in the church today. Hope you enjoy!

This week Xander Clark joins us to discuss his experience with addiction and describes his journey to recovery as well as healing his relationship with God. He talks a lot about both Alcoholics Anonymous and the Addiction Recovery Program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as instrumental in helping him attain his sobriety that he has sustained for the last ten years. He also tells some amazing stories about the people within those programs that helped him to heal. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction of any kind, please visit www.addictionrecovery.churchofjesuschrist.org to find meeting times for support groups that can help.

This week we each talk about what our favorite secular books are that also contain a gospel theme. Come join us and see if we pick some of your favorites too!

This week we break our own rules and talk about a recent Come Follow Me topic - the Parables of Jesus. We go over some of the parables that speak to us and discuss why Jesus taught in parables. We also get a really fun call from a listener...

This week we do our much anticipated General Conference fantasy draft! Join us as we select the general conference talks that spoke to us. They may not be the talks that you think... Spoiler alert, Jeffrey R. Holland is not chosen ;)

This week we discuss the beauty of the earth. How does care and stewardship over the earth relate to the gospel plan? What is the divine destiny of the earth and how can we show more reverence and appreciation for this wonderful gift? We talk about all the reasons why our earthly home is awesome!

In today's episode we discuss the life and legacy of one of the elect ladies of the church, Emma Smith. We talk about many of the events in her life surrounding the restoration of the gospel and the sacrifices she made in order that the work could roll forth, including the translation of the Book of Mormon and the first hymnal. Hope you enjoy!

This week we talk about our thoughts on this past General Conference. We discuss the major themes of the talks as well as the messages that resonated more with each of us. We also talk about our takeaways and what we want to work on for the next six months. Hope you enjoy!

After much anticipation, we get to our episode on Sacrifice. What has the Lord's people been required to give historically for the gospel sake? What are we required to give today? We discuss some personal examples of sacrifice and the blessings we have received. Hope you'll come join us!

Our best laid plans were derailed this week and we departed from our planned topic (sacrifice) to talk about the fall. Jon and Tyson have an interesting disagreement about Eve in the garden. A very good discussion about all aspects of the fall ensues and we have a very fun episode. Hope you enjoy!

This week we discuss The Chosen: Season 3. Spoilers abound, come join us for a fun chat.

This week we talk about Apostasy. We start out with the 'Great Apostasy' and continue into more general apostasy as we see it in the church today. We discuss patterns of apostasy in church history as well as some examples of people who have succumbed to apostasy in our own lives.

This week we guest host the This Week in Mormons podcast. We talk about the past week of news that includes controversy involving Heather Gay of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City being sued by the church. We also talk about the recent earthquake in Turkey, saving the Great Salt Lake and the Super Bowl. It's a fun one, come and enjoy!

This week we welcome back to the show Bonnie Young! Bonnie is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author of the book Sex Educated: Letters from a Latter-day Saint Therapist to Her Younger Self. In the book, Bonnie gives insights and advice to her younger self about things she wishes she understood about sexuality at various times throughout her life. We have a great conversation about many of the issues she discusses in her book as well as some 'bonus material' you'll only get here. 

This week we discuss the 2023 changes to the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. We compare it to previous versions and talk about the ways it improves on the efforts of the church to safeguard youth development in the gospel. We also discuss some of our favorite sections.

This week Burgess and Tyson discuss lost scriptures. Books that are referenced in standard works that we don't currently have access to. We delve into what that means to our gospel understanding and how knowing about these books impacts our faith. We also get into a side tangent about movies, surprise? Ironically Tyson is uploading this episode from Paris...

This week we discuss the second of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon - Oliver Cowdery. Where did he come from, how did he come to be involved with the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how do we remember him in the church. It turns out to be a pretty complex issue, hope you enjoy!

This week we prepare to start studying the New Testament in Come Follow Me by drafting our favorite New Testament stories. Join us as we review our most beloved events from the life of Jesus Christ and His apostles.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! This week we take a look back on 2022, talk about our favorite moments on the podcast and discuss some of the things we're all looking forward to in the new year.