One of my favorite gospel stories is about the father who brings his possessed son unto the Savior to be healed (Mark 9). After pleading with the Savior’s disciples “that they should cast him out; and they could not,” the Savior quickly rebuked His disciples. He then turns to the father and says, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” The father’s response has lead me to hours of pondering, the father says, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
In the same sentence it seem that the father proclaims his faith in the Savior and then has a crisis of faith. In the beginning I can hear the conviction in his voice stating an unwavering testimony as he says, “Lord, I believe!” Then doubt snatches that conviction and turns the tone into a plead, “help thou mine unbelief.”
Chris Kittle lives in Leesville, Louisiana and works as an oral maxillofacial surgeon (a really awesome dentist). He has been bishop for 2+ years for a military ward. In this episode he shares with us his Catholic background, joining the LDS Church at 19 and then serving a mission in Brazil at the age of 22.
Bishop Kittle’s 5 Leadership Principles
Be Flexible
Use Your Counselors
Communication, Communication, COMMUNICATION
Follow the Spirit
Listen to Leading Saints
Warwick & Samantha Allen live on the east coast of Australia in beautiful city of Brisbane. Warwick is currently serving as the bishop or his ward and his wife Samantha is a great support and has many years of leadership service herself. In this episode we learn about their unique background of gaining a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ while dealing with growing up in a home impacted by divorce. We talked with Samantha about how her single-parent family was supported by her ward. Warwick talks about his awkward experience in the youth program and how it lead him to go inactive in the church for more than 14 years. His story of returning to the gospel will inspire all who listen to it and then how he has developed his leadership ability to lead his ward for the past six years.
The Allen’s 6 Principles of Leadership:
Lead from Behind
Love Your Counselors
Embrace Your Sisters
Show the Members Your Heart
Impart Confidence and Optimism
Tomorrow is Another Day
From time to time church leaders will counsel with someone in their flock that has concerns and confusion related to how science relates to the Book of Mormon; more specifically how DNA relates to the people talked about in the Book of Mormon.
It would be beneficial for all leaders to listen to this podcast interview and also review the links below. This will help leaders to have more confidence when counseling with someone that is having a faith struggle because of a scientific perspectives.
Dr. Ugo Perego is currently Director of the Rome Italy LDS Institute. He is a Population Geneticist and has consulted with the LDS Church related to the Book of Mormon and DNA. He contributed to the research mentioned in the Church’s Essay about this topic. Dr. Perego is also a bishop in Rome, Italy.
We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
—Joseph Smith, D&C 121:39
In the history of the world, we’re hard-pressed to find more George Washington’s. That’s part of why he’s so revered and even deified. He could have taken a lot more power after the war, like Bonaparte and Cromwell. He didn’t. Not only did he not amass power to himself, but he even rejected consolidating too much power in the office of POTUS. The most enduring example of this is probably his refusal to put himself up for re-election for a third term. It set a precedent that was honored for well over a century afterward, and then made law in the 22nd Amendment in 1947.
This was a fun interview! I had the chance to chat with Kalee and Neal Mortensen, both Arizona natives, who have been living in São Paulo, Brazil for the last 2 years. They have had a unique experience as newly weds in a foreign country while also attending a familiar church. Neal, who served his mission in Brazil, has served as ward clerk and is currently in the bishopric. Kalee is the Young Women president and has learned Portuguese since she has been there.
As we learn about their leadership experience we also learn about the status of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil and how their culture influences the day-to-day life of a Latter-day Saint in Brazil. We talk about some of the ramifications sensitive policy changes has had in Brazil, what apps are helpful for Brazilian leadership, and what it’s like speaking in stake conference in a 2nd language.
A few years ago a close friend was over at my house visiting with my wife (we will call her Ashley). As I entered the room Ashley said she wanted to tell us about a conversation she had with one of her longtime friends. Ashley’s friend called the day before to let her know she experiences same-sex attraction. They had a good talk about the gospel and what this means for her spiritual journey going forward. Ashley was touched that this person felt comfortable enough to share this information with her. Ashley said it was remarkable how much compassion she felt towards her friend because she cared about her so much.
Greg Trimble is a very popular blogger that produces great content around LDS culture (see gregtrimble.com). Part of that content includes leadership articles, teaching articles, and some inspiring words for those serving full-time missions. I had the opportunity to interview him for the Leading Saints podcast about leadership and what inspires him to write about leadership. It turned out to be a great discussion and I look forward to sharing with you his perspectives about being a stake Sunday School president (spoiler alert: it’s more than ringing the bell).
Adult leaders probably feel pretty hip now that they have their own Facebook account. Sorry to tell you this, but that was totally last decade! Facebook has a problem, and they know it. The youth are bored with Facebook and many don’t even bother to check their feed regularly. Apps like Snapchat provide a more dynamic experience that appeals to the youth. So if you only have a Facebook account to stay in touch with your youth, it might be time to join the world of 2016.
Like any Mormon boy who was raised going to a church with an indoor gymnasium, I love playing basketball. It was one of the focuses of my teenage years and it taught me many life lessons. One of the great things about basketball is you can learn so much about the character and personality of individuals that are on the court. A manager would have an easier decision about whom to hire by watching them play a pick-up basketball game compared to a sit-down interview. The only problem is, this would require each person you interview to have fundamental basketball skills. Many would look like confused rodeo clowns if you pushed them onto the hardwood.
