Spiritually Minded Women Podcast

Episode 62 shares the perspectives of 6 different people who have experience with a loved one who doesn’t share their faith. I am so grateful for each of these people who called in to share their thoughts and perspectives on a topic that isn’t always easy to talk about.

In addition to hearing from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have had families members who have struggled with their faith, you will also hear the perspective of someone who left the church. She shares her advice for loving unconditionally and preserving the relationship no matter what someone else believes.

All the people who called in shared the overarching message that unconditional love, love like the Savior shared, is the most important thing we can give.

If you are someone who struggles with similar situations I hope you this episode will show you that you are not alone. I also hope you will listen to each of these perspectives and gain what you need from their words.

I am so grateful to the women who called in and were willing to be featured on this episode. Sharing our stories binds us together. I learned so much from each of them.

Read or listen to the entire talk by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf from October 2013 General Conference, Come, Join with Us.

Full quote by Gretchen Rubin: “It’s a Secret of Adulthood: I can’t make people change, but when I change, others may change; and when others change, I may change.”

John 11 – Story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead

Blog: spirituallymindedmom.com Instagram: @spirituallymindedmom Facebook: spirituallymindedmom Podcast: Spiritually Minded Mom on iTunes

Today I am doing a solo episode talking about how to eliminate distractions and always have the Spirit. This content was originally a devotional I wrote and presented at a recent girls camp. Feel free to use this episode as a resource to help you teach your older children or other youth.

I shared a story told by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf about a violinist dressed in jeans who plays in a busy subway. Elder Uchtdorf uses this story to illustrate how we might miss the spirit in our life. The story shows why it’s important to slow down, eliminate distractions and always have the spirit with us.

These three scriptures help paint the picture of what the still small voice sounds like:

• 1 Kings 19:11-12 – Elijah hears the voice of the Lord as he hiding because Jezebel wants to kill him.
• 3 Nephi 11:3 – The Nephites have just gone through great destruction. They hear God’s voice introducing the Savior.
• Helaman 5:30 – Nephi and Lehi are imprisoned and fire encircles them. The earth shakes and the people hear a voice.

I shared 9 possible ways (and there are many more) you might feel the Spirit. You can read the accompanying scriptures and ponder on whether you feel the Spirit in this way.

• Feelings of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faith, meekness (see Galatians 5:22–23)
• Thoughts that occupy the mind or press on your feelings (see D&C 128:1)
• A desire to do good and obey the commandments (see Mosiah 5:2)
• A feeling that something is right (see D&C 9:8)
• Feelings of comfort (see John 14:26)
• Feelings that “enlarge [your] soul” (Alma 32:28)
• Thoughts that “enlighten [your] understanding” (Alma 32:28)
• A hunger for more truth (see Alma 32:28)
• Feeling constrained (encouraged) to take an action or restrained (held back) from doing something (see 1 Nephi 7:15; 2 Nephi 32:7)

(This article for youth on the church website that was the source for this list.)

In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

I talked about a time in my life where I learned the importance of eliminating distractions that were keeping me from the influence of the Holy Ghost.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself.

What are the distractions that are keeping me from the still small voice in my life?

How can I eliminate those distractions?

The sacrament prayers give us clues of how we can eliminate distractions in our life.

See the prayers in D&C 20 verses 77 and 79.

“Always” is a promise we are given. I looked up the definition in the dictionary and it said this: “at all times, forever, at any rate, in any event.” Then the dictionary...

I first interviewed Cheryl Cardall in episode 23 about overcoming weakness and using humor in motherhood. Cheryl is back and we are diving in to talk about what Cheryl has learned in 20 years of motherhood. You’ll also hear why Cheryl believes you should be the expert and advocate for your child.

Cheryl talks about a recent moment when she realized she was doing better as a mom than she thought she was. She shares how motherhood refines us and makes us better. Cheryl believes you can do more than just survive in motherhood. You can thrive.

We also have a discussion about why a mother’s worth isn’t determined by what her kids do. Cheryl has learned to be good with herself no matter what her kids do. “Their behavior has no reflection on me.”

Cheryl also discusses her recent experiences learning how to be an expert and advocate for one of her children struggling with mental health issues.

Recently, both Cheryl and her husband were prompted to get a dog for their family. She talks about how they trusted this prompting and how having a dog has been a huge blessing for their whole family. Her story illustrates so well that God cares about everything in our lives and why you can trust and act on the promptings you get.

Cheryl has seen and felt God the most when she has felt she isn’t enough. She discusses how a common answer from God for her has been to “Love them through it.”

“Motherhood is the perfect way to learn about the atonement. We are not enough on our own but when we use God and our Savior as our partner, somehow we are.”

Here is the quote Cheryl shared by Dr. Christina Hibbert: “The fruit of motherhood isn’t how your kids turn out. It’s how you turn out.”

See the Instagram post by @reflectionsofchrist about the parenting advice to repent fast and frequently I mentioned in the episode. (I think I said it was about forgiveness in the episode, but it’s about repentance.)

This is the quote Cheryl shared by Janet Lansbury: “It can be really tough to remember how emotionally immature children are because they can be so impressively intelligent, capable, and aware. When they seem deliberately bratty or downright mean, we’ll need to remind ourselves: These are tiny people with incredibly low impulse control who are very easily overwhelmed. In the moment, it may feel like our kids are out to get us, but it is actually that their impulses have gotten the better of them.”

Books Cheryl recommends: The Whole Brain Child by Dr. Dan Siegel The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults by Frances E. Jensen

Instagram: @supermamas4real

Blog: spirituallymindedmom.com Instagram: @spirituallymindedmom Facebook: spirituallymindedmom Podcast: Spiritually Minded Mom on iTunes

My guest today is Kristin Brown. After experiencing 5 years of infertility, Kristin and her husband were excited to welcome boy/girl twins to their home. Kristin and her best friend, Laura, have a podcast called The Progress Project, a personal growth podcast with conversations on how to improve little by little, while giving ourselves plenty of grace.

In the interview, Kristin shares how she learned through the trial of infertility that challenges help us learn exactly what we need to learn. She talks about how she was able to find peace and contentment even before she became a mother.

Kristin discusses how she learned her purpose is not totally wrapped up in motherhood and that she has worth whether she is a mother or not.

You’ll hear why Kristin turned to writing as a form of prayer and a way to recognize themes in her life. Kristin talks about how writing has became personal scripture just for her and a conduit to God.

Writing also led Kristin to visualization and she shares what she learned and how this practice has evolved for her.

Finally, Kristin and I discussed how hearing how others communicate with God helps us to explore and find our own methods of communications.

Kristin knows God is her partner in motherhood. She has gained confidence to do what she needs to do as a mom because she knows He is walking beside her.

For more about Kristin’s experiences with visualization, listen to episode 61 of Kristin’s podcast, The Progress Project.

Listen to more episodes of the Spiritually Minded Mom podcast about communication with God:

Episode 6: Growing into Motherhood + Learning How God Speaks to You || Monica Packer

Episode 14: How to Recognize God in Simple Ways + Battle Loneliness and Negative Thoughts || Michelle Garfield

Episode 42: Seek a Relationship with God

Episode 44: Use God as a Guide

Instagram: @kristinbrown Instagram: @jointheprogressproject Website: jointheprogressproject.com Podcast: The Progress Project

Blog: spirituallymindedmom.com Instagram: @spirituallymindedmom Facebook: spirituallymindedmom Podcast: Spiritually Minded Mom on iTunes

Do you feel disengaged in motherhood and wish you could be “anywhere but here?” Hear how Brittney Smart, a mom of five, went from being apathetic and dispassionate about motherhood to a re-engaged mother her kids actually wanted to confide in and be around. Brittney shares how she changed her motherhood story with charity and five intentional minutes a day.

Read Brittney’s book The Five-Minute Time In

Scripture Brittney shared about charity – 1 Corinthians 13:1

SMM 047: Finding Beauty in the Hard of Motherhood || Melinda Peterson

SMM 049: How to Pursue What Will Really Make You Happy in Motherhood|| Richard and Linda Eyre

Facebook: Brittney Smart, Mother-Author Ordinaire Book: The Five-Minute Time In: Effectively Re-Engaging with Your Child(ren) in Just Five Minutes a Day

Website: spirituallymindedmom.com Instagram: @spirituallymindedmom Facebook: spirituallymindedmom Podcast: Spiritually Minded Mom on Apple Podcasts YouTube: Spiritually Minded Mom