What I Learned About Leadership When My 2nd Counselor Left the Church
In August of 2015 I was released as bishop, but my second counselor didn’t show up to be release. I was concerned about what he was going through.
How I Lead as Primary President | An Interview with Ladean Anderson
Ladean Anderson is a stake primary president in Ithica, Michigan. In this interview we discover how she approaches her calling in the unique area where she lives.
5 Prophets Overwhelmed by Their Call to Leadership
Has the “loneliness of leadership” gotten you down? Do you feel inadequate or unmotivated in your calling? In this episode brother Mark Grandstaff Ph.D reads and article that he wrote on the struggles that sometimes beset us as leaders. He provides us with wonderful examples of prophets who have felt the crushing weight of their stewardships as well. He also discusses with us his own version of a faith crisis in his life.
Brother Grandstaff was born in Detroit Michigan. He was raised Catholic and served in two different branches of the military, the Navy and the Air Force. It was during this period of his life when he was introduced to the Restored Gospel. He received a Ph.D in American history and was a professor at Brigham Young University for 17 years. Listen in as Brother Grandstaff also shares with us how he had the opportunity to team up with Bronco Mendenhall and mentor some of the BYU football players.
Connecting With Youth | How I Lead as Young Women President
Angie Young is a mother of 3 young girls and serves as a Young Women President, just outside of Ogden in Clinton, Utah. She was married in the Salt Lake Temple to her husband that she met online. When asked what makes her a unique Mormon, she says, “Her time away from the church in her early youth, gives her a unique perspective on the gospel.” She currently works from home in addition to being a mom, and has makeup line called, “Younique.”
The Secret to Keeping Sacrament Meeting on Time
Most bishoprics that have been set-apart longer than a few weeks will know the feeling of trying to read the mind of the speaker at the lectern that has gone over their allotted speaking time by a few minutes.
“Do they realize their time is up? It sort of sounds like they are concluding their remarks. But he said he would be sharing a list of 7 analogies and I think he is only on number 4. But look at the clock, I’m sure he realizes his time is up.”
Before the bishop knows it, the speaker has carried on and now the meeting is almost over, and there is still a 15 minute talk standing by. With only 5 minutes left in the meeting everything will feel rushed and there is little room for the Spirit to settle.
Baptized at 19, Bishop at 22 | How I Lead Interview with David Deford
David Deford has an amazing story. Born and raised in Indiana David became involved with various drugs that contributed to his leaving home during college (without telling his parents). He experienced glimmers of God’s love during this time and ultimately met his wife, Kathy, when he picked her up as she was hitchhiking. They were introduced to the Church while hitchhiking cross-country and through God’s grace received answers to their prayers and they chose to be baptized. After several months, they did exactly that.
Creating an Atmosphere to Share the Gospel | An Interview with Manoel Bezerra
Manoel Bezerra is a Brazilian cab driver who makes a habit of handing out copies of the Book of Mormon; especially when the Rio Summer Olympics were in town. He is passionate about missionary work because he remembers fondly his own conversion to the LDS Church in New York after honest prayer and meeting the missionaries. He now serves as a member of his stake’s high council.
What are the Most Popular Hymns Sung in Sacrament Meeting? | An Interview with Samuel Bradshaw
Samuel Bradshaw is a Church employee and a part-time student. His interest in music and statistic led him to creating a project called SingPraises.net where he analyses how the hymns are sung in the LDS Church. He gathers hundreds of data points from wards around the world and then organizes the data to see which hymns are being sung the most and which hymns are being neglected.
A bishopric or ward music chair would find this interview helpful as you seek to better use all the hymns in some way to invite the spirit into your meetings.
The Why of Your Calling | An Interview with Wendy Ulrich
Wendy Ulrich, Ph.D., M.B.A., was a psychologist in private practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan for almost fifteen years before moving with her husband to Montreal (where he presided over the Canada Montreal Mission), then Alpine, Utah. She founded Sixteen Stones Center for Growth, which offers seminar-retreats for LDS women (sixteenstones.net). She is a mother and grandmother, a columnist for Deseret News, a former president of the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapist, and a business consultant with The RBL Group. Her books include Forgiving Ourselves, Weakness Is Not Sin, and national best seller The Why of Work, co-authored with her husband, Dave Ulrich.
Leading as Bishop on a 1-2-1 Level | How I Lead: Mark Sieverkropp
Mark & Lacie Sieverkropp live in Ephrata, Washington where they both grew up as non-members. Examples of LDS friends started their interest in the gospel which led to their conversion. Mark helped fellowship Lacie and they later got married after her baptism. They have now been married 9 years and have two children.
