Leading Saints Podcast Leading Saints

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in March 2020.



Jacob Hess, Carrie Skarda, Kyle Anderson, and Ty Mansfield are the authors of The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints. In this interview they discuss where mindfulness and meditation fit into the gospel and how we can better approach our service and our practices with the balance of mindfulness.



Jacob Hess, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) instructor trained through the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.



Carrie Skarda, PsyD, is a psychologist in private practice. She has provided individual and couples therapy with particular interest in attachment trauma and mindfulness, and has studied and practiced mindfulness and formal meditation for over ten years.



Kyle Anderson, PhD, is a professor of Chinese and Asian Studies, currently an administrator in Global Learning, International Partnerships and Initiatives at Clemson University, and came to mindfulness meditation through his studies in Asian literature.



Ty Mansfield, PhD, is a practicing marriage and family therapist, an adjunct instructor in Religious Education at Brigham Young University, and is in the process of certification with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach in their Mindfulness Meditation Teacher training program.

Links



The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints

Jesus: The Perfect Leader, by Spencer W. Kimball

The Council for Sustainable Healing

Transcript coming soon

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Highlights

5:40 Jacob was exposed to meditation in graduate school and began to see where it fit into the gospel tradition



7:00 Backgrounds of the authors



9:00 Definitions of mindfulness and what it means to Christians and to Latter-day Saints: compassionate presence in the moment



11:10 Christ was meditative and present in the moment



12:25 Being busy vs. mindfulness 14:00 Looking for words in our own tradition: reverence, peace, stillness, pondering



15:45 Advice for a busy leader: Christ had a practice of punctuating his doing with non-doing; the rhythm of action and pausing is already built in to our practices



19:40 It’s not the gospel that people struggle with, but an impoverished experience of it



20:55 David O. McKay quote: “I think we pay too little attention to the value of meditation, a principle of devotion. In our worship there are two elements: One is spiritual communion arising from our own meditation; the other, instruction from others, particularly from those who have authority to guide and instruct us. Of the two, the more profitable introspectively is meditation. Meditation is the language of the soul.”



22:10 Example in a ward council: not praying as a to-do, but sitting with the Savior



23:30 Clarity and priority come through pausing between action



24:25 Centering the attention on the inspiration in the moment and not on the calendar: Am I interruptable?



26:20 The Savior was interruptable in his task at hand and could pivot to what was most needful in the moment



28:35 The Savior was willing to build in his time with His Father, the foundation of His work

In this podcast, Kurt Francom sits down with four Evangelical Protestant pastors, Jeff McCullough of Hello Saints, Curtis Gilbert—a senior pastor in Shiloh, Illinois, Kyle Beshears, —pastor of a nondenominational church in Mobile, Alabama, and Nate Fox—pastor of Lightstone Church in Herriman, Utah. This conversation is part of the Hello Saints Summit, happening June 11-20, 2024, which involves two dozen Latter-day Saint and Protestant presenters—all FREE to watch!

Links

Watch the Hello Saints Summit



Transcript coming soon

Highlights

00:02:06 - Introductions of the four evangelical pastors

00:07:11 - Unexpected call to serve as a bishop

00:15:38 - Pastors sharing their unique stories of being called into ministry

00:26:08 - Typical week in the life of a pastor

00:28:40 - Discussion on burnout and validation in pastoral roles

00:35:49 - Importance of humility and avoiding self-validation in ministry

00:43:46 - Involving and supporting pastors' spouses in ministry



The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, a href="https://leadingsaints.

Maria Duncan was raised in the San Francisco East Bay area where she learned the gospel from sister missionaries and joined the Church as she entered her teens. She moved to Cache Valley, Utah for high school and college, graduating from Utah State with a bachelor's degree in Technology Systems, then worked in the professional media market and has since transitioned to project work.



In the Church, Maria has served in Young Women and Relief Society, worked with the stake youth, and been a Public Affairs (now Communication) director for the most recent six years. She serves on boards for non-profit organizations in her community while coaching middle school sports and raising seven children with her loving husband, Tom.





Links



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Highlights

3:10 Intro to Maria and an explanation of the role of a stake communications director



6:30 Misconceptions about the role of a stake communications director



8:50 The Global Communication Network site requires a special login. The purpose of a private site is for a private way to access marketing and PR materials before they're released to the public.



9:15 A good starting point when you are called as stake communications director



10:50 Maria’s stake’s focus is interfaith work. Bringing the church out of obscurity and serving your fellow man. It’s about getting to know your community and building connections and relationships with people from other faiths.



12:20 Maria shares some of the things that she does in her calling and the time commitment. She attends different churches in the community and builds relationships with them.



15:40 Involving youth in stake communications activities. Maria shares an experience she had taking some of the youth to a food giveaway and to another local church.



19:10 Are other pastors or church leaders skeptical when you want to work with them?



21:00 When visiting other churches cater to your audience. Dress as they dress, join them, sing with them.



23:00 How Maria involves the youth and the importance of taking youth to other churches



25:10 Attending different churches in the community and building relationships



28:40 Importance of networking and building relationships with other faith communities



30:10 Focusing on connections and relationships rather than conversion. Maria’s calling doesn’t allow her to talk about the church so her main focus is just building a relationship.



33:20 Reflection on the experience of temple open houses



36:10 Maria has 14 people that work with her on the stake communications team. There is a graphic designer, newspaper writer, youth specialist, social media manager, JustServe leaders, education specialist, interfaith leadership, a member of the stake presidency.



38:20 Advice and tips for doing a temple open house.



41:40 Gratitude for the stake communications work and its impact



42:30 How leadership in stake communications has enhanced following Jesus Christ



The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at a href="...

Dan Gray is an author, licensed psychotherapist, and lecturer. He co-founded the LifeStar Network, an internationally-known program designed to help individuals, couples, and families who have been impacted by a family member’s unwanted compulsive or addictive behaviors. Dan mostly loves being a husband, dad and grandpa, while helping other men become stronger and more loving leaders and mentors in their homes.



Dave Gray has an entrepreneurial spirit and has enjoyed careers in the real estate and mental health fields. He believes in the symbiotic connection between the relationships we have with those around us, and the choices we make in our lives. He passionately cherishes his relationships with others, especially his close family and friends and specifically with his kids. Dave couldn’t be more excited to create powerful and unique opportunities for parents and their kids to make deep and meaningful connections with one another through Bridgecamp.



Links



Bridgecamp.com

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Highlights

4:30 Introduction to father and son Dan and Dave Gray



7:15 Dan mostly works with people struggling with pornography and other addictive behaviors.



9:24 Dan's therapy work and the genesis of Bridgecamp



13:45 Overview of Bridgecamp. A place for parents and their kids to connect.



16:01 Components of Bridgecamp: Adventuring, learning, and serving



18:45 The power of experiential activities



19:30 Dan shares how experiential activities with his dad created a strong relationship between them. These activities also gave his dad opportunities to teach him.



23:15 Experiential activities for the youth and church leaders. These activities help leaders connect with the youth and give opportunities for the kids to grow in different areas.



24:50 Bridgecamp is a one-on-one experience for kids 12 to 17. Now that the Church isn’t associated with Boy Scouts it's a great opportunity to get out and camp and be mentored.



28:00 The best way to describe Bridgecamp is that it’s a relationship-, trust-, and connection-building program. It’s not a therapy program but it is a therapeutic environment.



29:00 Bridgecamp can be an alternative to therapy for a struggling teen. An opportunity for parents to break down their teen’s walls and connect with them.



32:00 How can we be more intentional when it comes to girls camp, high adventure, or doing parent and child activities?



35:00 When you are self aware you are also aware of what’s going on in your relationships and building them.



39:20 Addressing parental issues at Bridgecamp



42:35 Discussion and learning components at Bridgecamp



45:30 The mentoring aspect of the camp is important also. The staff are there to mentor, and give examples of healthy interactions.



46:00 We were created to connect. In Genesis it says that it’s not good for man to be alone. We all long for bonding and the love and connection with others. The camp plants the seeds to create a better relationship that you can continue to develop when you go back home.



The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Lead...

See Summit Details Here: https://hellocreative.life/summit-2024

Sierra Larson serves as a stake Relief Society president in Brandon, Florida, and previously served as a ward Relief Society president. She served a mission in Santiago, Dominican Republic, earned a master's degree in Social Work, and is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma. She recently joined the Chaplain Corp in the United States Air Force and graduated with a second master's in Divinity, with a focus in spiritual leadership. Sierra and her husband Joe Larson have three children.





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Highlights

4:40 Sierra's background, how she met her husband, and military experience



9:45 Day to day responsibilities of a chaplain in the military



12:30 Sierra's leadership roles. She served as ward Relief Society president and then stake Relief Society president.



14:30 Praying to have a vision for the ward Relief Society and creating a vision statement. This statement has helped Sierra have a focus and communicate what they need to do and why.



17:00 When beginning a new calling, Sierra suggests that the most important things are seeking revelation and reading the handbook. She then created templates to make sure that she was covering all her bases.



18:20 Sierra’s ward and stake demographics



19:30 Sierra’s routine as a stake Relief Society president and how she works with her counselors



23:00 Sierra's stake Relief Society conference. Their conference with focus on 3 values:



* Authenticity and vulnerability

* Inclusion and loving everyone when we are all so different

* Women’s strength and drawing down power from heaven to do God’s work



25:40 Getting together all the Relief Society presidents for an informal gathering just to get to know each other and minister to them



27:40 * Leadership principle: Lead yourself to Christ and rely on Him to accomplish His work



29:10 * Leadership principle: Be a servant leader



29:45 Sierra shares an experience she had and how she applies the leadership principle of being a servant leader. Serving in the way that Christ would and being humble enough to do anything that’s needed.



33:20 * Leadership principle: Have an inspired vision and plan



36:00 Sierra’s final thoughts on being a leader and the way she leads



The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, a href="https://leadingsaints.org/what-to-do-when-the-bishop-is-an-accidental-diminishe...