Out of the Best Books

We have been given the gift of curiosity and discovery, and something all of us as Latter-day Saints share is the desire to know truth. It started with Joseph Smith asking that very question, and perhaps we've all had our sacred grove moments. If you've found yourself asking, “what is truth? How do we cut through the noise of the world and the many “untruths” that are out there and find the true peace and rest that comes from placing Christ at the center of all our seeking?" You're not alone. That’s the question that Dr. Aaron Franklin set out to break open in his book What is Truth? Navigating a World of Faith, Science, and Noise. He’s a scientist, so in his book, he approaches and offers strategies on discovering, holding on to, and cherishing the most powerful and sacred truths—all that come from keeping Christ at the center of his pursuit.  In this chapters episode, you'll hear chapter 6, “Discerning Truth amid the Noise.” Dr. Franklin shares strategies for developing discernment, trusting in ourselves, having patience with the Lord, and a few other strategies to help us find peace and calm in today’s world.  Download Bookshelf+ now to listen to the entirety of this book, or head to deseretbook.com or your local Deseret Book store!

Finding a reliable source to learn about the temple can be difficult. We know the temple is meant to bring us closer to God, but how do we study what we learn there? Anthony Sweat’s book The Holy Covenants explains the motivations of Covenants in a matter of fact way. For anyone preparing to go to the temple for the first time, or finally looking to analyze what we learn about God in those walls, it is a great companion. Today we are playing an excerpt from Chapter 3: The Why of Covenants. You can pick up your copy of The Holy Covenants at your local Deseret Book store or listen along with Professor Sweat as he reads the audiobook on Deseret Bookshelf Plus. And watch out for a follow up to this book in the fall co-authored by Anthony and Cindy Sweat titled The Holy Sealing: Uniting the Eternal Family of God.

Since it’s founding more than 150 years ago, the Young Women organization of the Church has influenced millions of women across the globe. And at the center of their mission is to draw from and contribute to the good things of the world.  Carry On provides an incredible history of the creation and development of the Church’s Young Women’s program. Lisa Olsen Tait is a co-author on this history and she is the managing historian for women’s history at the Church history department. She was also the general editor and historical advisor on the Saints series. You can find more information about this project by visiting the Church Historian's Press website at https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/young-women?lang=eng.  And pick up your copy of Carry On: The Latter-Day Saint Young Women Organization, 1870–2024 at your local Deseret Book store. Or check it out on the new Deseret Bookshelf Plus App.

In our restored gospel, it’s crucial to understand the doctrine of the priesthood. And it’s something that matters to all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fact that women are not ordained to the priesthood has been a wrestle for many, but we also have trusted teachings from apostles and prophets that help us better understand and explore this topic. In Women and the Priesthood, Sheri Dew discusses these eternal truths: women are vital to the success of the Lord’s Church, God expects women to receive revelations, and both men and women have access to God’s highest spiritual blessings. In this episode, Sheri Dew herself reads chapter 5 called, “Women Are Vital to the Success of the Lord’s Church.” If you want to order a copy of Women and the Priesthood: What One Latter-day Saint Woman Believes, head to your local Deseret Book or download the Bookshelf+ app and find the audiobook or ebook today!

When the scriptures tell us that “men are that they might have joy”, do we believe it? Learning and growing from trials are a part of life and today we are focusing on the intersection between joy and the hard things. Sunny Mahe has seen her fair share of tough moments and has kept her sunny disposition throughout it all. She shared some of her experiences in a message captured in Made for This. It’s a compilation of talks for women by women including words from Sheri Dew, Patricia Holland, Melissa Inouye and more.  You can pick up your own copy of Made for This: Inspiring Messages for Women now! Or download the Deseret Bookshelf Plus app for more podcasts, audiobooks, and ebooks from these authors and more.

The house of the Lord is just that, His house. In her new book An Endowment of Love, author Mindy Brown talks about the temple, our attitudes toward it, and the sacred covenants we make there, with that mindset. Reminding us all that we have Heavenly Parents that will welcome us lovingly back home.  We introduce that idea with Chapter 1: Feeling at Home in the House of the Lord. You can find An Endowment of Love at your local Deseret Book store or on the Deseret Bookshelf Plus App!

We often look at the temple as sort of a finish line, but can we reframe our temple experience so that it feels like a starting point? In this episode, you'll hear a fresh approach to the temple experience. Melinda Brown, author of An Endowment of Love joins and shares this revolutionary message: "if the temple is making your life better now, then the concerns for the eternities will figure themself out." Melinda is an author, teacher, speaker, mother, friend, and recently got her Masters degree from Duke Divinity School in Christian education. She wrote this book because she saw a need for young people to better understand the temple when she started teaching a class called Temple Plus when she was called to serve in a YSA down in Provo. You can pick up your own copy of An Endowment of Love today! Also head to LDS Living's YouTube to hear more from Melinda and deepen your understanding of the temple!

In the whole of the Doctrine and Covenants there are only two women mentioned by name. The first being Emma Smith, whose story most of us are familiar with. But the second is a woman provides an insight into what life was like as a saint in the early Church. Today's conversation is all about Vienna Jaques. And her story will help illuminate our study of the Doctrine and Covenants this year. Joining in this episoe is Brent Rogers, a historian and the author of The Lord Spoke Her Name: The Remarkable Story of Vienna Jaques in the Restoration. Brent shares how Vienna's story has helped his testimony of the restoration, and why it matters to learn of the everyday saint. Order your copy of The Lord Spoke Her Name today or head to Deseret Bookshelf+ to listen to the audiobook!  

In preparation for the Easter Season we are spending this episode learning about the Atonement of Christ. Elder Cook said in this weekend’s General Conference that “The Atonement of Jesus Christ provides the ultimate rescue from the trials we face in life.” And doesn’t that sound like the kind of saving we all need. Tad R. Callister’s book The Infinite Atonement teaches about many principles of the Atonement. In this episode you'll hear chapter 16 titled "The Blessing of the Resurrection." Order your copy of The Infinite Atonement today! Or head to your local Deseret Book store or download Deseret Bookshelf+ to listen to the audiobook with your family this Easter.

We might have all at one point asked ourselves, “Why do we have prophets? Why should we listen to them?” In the restored gospel, we believe that the counsel we receive from prophets prepares us for all that lies ahead. The revelation they receive is for us today—revelation that takes into account the unique circumstances in the world now. In Prophets See Around Corners, Sheri Dew shares from her own experience working closely with prophets, seers, and revelators throughout her life and career. She answers common questions about prophets and affirms the myriad ways they point us to Jesus Christ. In this episode, you'll hear chapter 6, "Why Follow Prophets?" which helps answer one of those common questions and in it we see that God prepares us when we listen. Order your copy of Prophets See Around Corners now! Or head to your local Deseret Book store or download Deseret Bookshelf+ to listen to Sheri Dew read the entirety of her book.