Out of the Best Books

The need to feel seen and heard is something we can all relate to. It’s what gives us assurance, love, and even sometimes the endurance to keep going. It’s how the Savior ministered. And, it’s something Joseph Smith learned to do well.  A few examples of Joseph Smith’s abilities to notice others are captured by historian Matt Godfrey in his new book God Knows You: Getting Real About Spiritual Challenges. This episode is chapter 7 where you’ll hear about some of those examples from Joseph’s life. If you want to hear the entirety of this book, download Bookshelf+

Joseph Smith lamented in Doctrine and Covenants section 121 “Oh God where art thou?” It is a universal experience to have times where you feel like you can’t see God or He doesn’t see you. And it can make our experience at church complicated when it seems like everyone else talks about miraculous answers when you don’t feel like you can get any direction at all. Matt Godfrey is the author of a new book God Knows You: Getting Real About Spiritual Challenges and he joins us today to share some of his real experiences, and most of all remind us that God is there when we seek Him. Listen to or read to the ebook on Deseret Bookshelf+ or head to your local Deseret Book store to pick up your own copy today!

You’ve heard the phrase “you do you.” Now, author Terryl Givens points out that Latter-day Saint theology on Agency elevates our thinking to something like the phrase “you choose you.” This discussion is an invitation to consider deeply how we are empowered in Gods plan to make choices that make us very individual, move us forward in everyday life and over time, lift us to a higher version of ourselves. Terryl's book Agency: Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants illuminates the ways we choose and use God‘s great gift of agency. He is a senior research fellow at the Maxwell Institute and an accomplished author of many books. Terryl shares that at the center of this pursuit of agency is Christ's love. Download the Bookshelf+ app today where you can read the entirety of Terryl's book plus the rest of his catalog of books. Or head to deseretbook.com or your local Deseret Book today!    

Perhaps as curious believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we may have all had this question: what is truth? It's a wrestle that many of us have felt, and it's one that is soul-deep as we're seeking to grow closer to Jesus Christ. How do we navigate the quiet and simple truth that comes from God against the noisy onslaught of “untruth” that comes from the world?  It's something that this episode faces head-on. Dr. Aaron Franklin joins the podcast. He is a scientist, professor, and author of a new book What is Truth? Navigating a World of Faith, Science, and Noise. Dr. Franklin promises strategies for discovering, holding on to, and cherishing the most powerful and sacred truth. Listen to or read Aaron's ebook on Deseret Bookshelf+ or head to your local Deseret Book store to pick up your own copy today!

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!