The Raising Family Podcast

How can we speak truth with compassion for those who disagree? Benjamin Pacini, host of the “Radical Civility” podcast, joins the team to talk about living and loving those who disagree with us, without becoming disagreeable.

Christopher Cunningham is the managing editor for Public Square Magazine, a faith and research based online editorial discussing various issues of the day. He joins us to discuss his most recent article, “When Therapy Subverts Change.”

Sharing our testimony can sometimes be a little intimidating, but does it really need to be? In this episode we sit down with Mimi Bascom, a Latter-Day Saint Content Creator who has partnered with us for the knew #HowIKnow campaign.

Social media is a large part of our world and, for better or worse, our main source of information. Our guest, Priscilla Davis started her Instagram account, SheSharesGoodness, to encourage anyone struggling with depression or anxiety and to help bring more light and truth to the world.

Elder Neil L. Andersen once said that “spiritually defining memories from our book of life are like luminous stones that help brighten the road ahead.” How do spiritually defining memories act like luminous stones and what can we do to make sure we have them in times of need? Professional storyteller Teresa Clark joins the podcast today to discuss stories and why they matter.

In this second part of Jeff’s two-part episode, he clarifies that not subscribing to a gay label does not and should not mean going “back in the closet.” He talks about the three aspects of the gay label, what they mean, and why they make it difficult to remain “all in” to the gospel.

Jeff Bennion is a real estate and property manager, a part time marriage and family therapist, and one of the co-founders of North Star International. North Star is a faith-affirming resource for Latter-day Saints addressing sexual orientation and gender identity, and who desire to live in harmony with the doctrines and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Dennis Schleicher is the author of “Is He Nuts?: Why a Gay Man Would Become a Member of the Church of Jesus”. He joins the podcast to share his conversion story and what drew him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Many families have trouble addressing the topics of gender and identity. This episode is a recording of a speech given by Carol Rice (one of the contributors of thefamilyproclomation.org) about how to address these topics and how to combat the enticing narratives of the world.

The Family Proclamation “calls upon responsible citizens… everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family.” Andrew Young joins the podcast to share his experience as a DreamWorks animator and how he was forced to decide between answering the call to strengthen the family or keep his job.

Blake Fisher is an Inclusion Advisor at BYU with the Office of Student Success. Helping students navigate being in the LGBTQ community while at BYU has given him a unique perspective on labels and how to identify when labels are helping us or hurting us.

Nathan and Jelaire Richardson are some of the creators of the new curriculum on thefamilyproclamation.org. This curriculum is designed to be a resource for parents and church teachers who need extra tools when approaching difficult topics such as Identity, Gender, and Truth.

When Michelle Pollard moved from Australia to the US a few months ahead of her husband Steve, they had no idea that a pandemic was about to change a planned few months away into nearly a year and a half of separation.

“Our culture provides us with a way of looking out at the world… Kids get this from lots of different directions. On TV there’s a glamorization of a hedonistic and rebellious lifestyle. Specifically with respect to sex, while there is an emphasis on consent and some information about safe sex, there’s a strong emphasis on ‘you do you’ and ‘whatever feels good to you.’ That’s a recipe for confusion and heartache in many ways.”

When Lauren Colemere became a single mother she realized she wanted to make a course correction for her life and the life of her daughter. That course correction pointed them towards the Temple.

In this follow-up episode, Collette Blackwelder shares the story of her husband’s kidney transplant and the sacred moments they shared with the family of the donor. His miraculous story teaches us to live a full life in return for the great gifts we’ve been given.

Collette Blackwelder became a first time mom at the age of 50 after a miraculous adoption. On this episode she shared her thoughts on infertility and how one can still be a parent though they may not have children of their own

The Family Proclamation teaches that each soul has a divine nature and destiny. Jeff Carney works to uncover those divine natures in others by teaching Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits” to prison inmates.

Logan Wilkes remembers what it was like to be a 30 year-old, unmarried “menace to society” and shares what NOT to say to those in the dating phase. “Too often we want to preach at people the importance of marriage and the importance of [parenthood], when it’s their individual journey we should be focused on.”

Like many others, Olivia was brought down by the Covid-19 pandemic and found herself feeling disconnected and depressed. One night she felt prompted to do three things: Complete Sister Nelson’s 21 day family history challenge, invite her friends to do it as well, and then measure the psychological benefits from participating in the challenge. Less than two weeks later, Connections-Experiment.com was launched.

What’s the impact of what we call ourselves – and allow others to name us as well? Listen in to our guest Cameron Maddox as he explains how he thinks everyone is trying to put a label onto someone else … whether it’s true or not.

“Whether you’re in ancient Israel or in the early Christian church or today, the role of prophets has not been to offer guidelines. We have other folks who do that. [Prophet’s] sacred mission, by their own report, is to deliver messages with life and death importance… [The proclamation] is far more than a set of guidelines and good ideas… it is a document that is centered on commandments and covenants.”

During Amanda’s time at the UN, her eyes were opened to the calculated efforts that are being made to undermine the family and the roles of fathers and mothers. Deciding that she couldn’t let her children go into the world unprepared, she and her husband made a few drastic changes to the way they parented.

“If your child fails an assignment, that’s okay. Failing right now is the best learning experience for a child. But if a parent doesn’t ever let their child experience that failure, they never learn how to deal with it and progress onward.”

“The law is a teacher. I think the unintended consequence of pushing these laws is that we teach there are no differences between men and women. We all know stealing is bad—it’s the rule and the law. If we pass laws that don’t promote the family as the central unit of society, that’s what we’re teaching, and we’ll start seeing things fall apart.”

“Some, in their efforts to love others, feel it necessary to abandon the teachings and commandments of God or to advocate for a change of His doctrine. But to love God is to accept His teachings, commandments, and doctrine… Please guard against this increasingly popular and potentially spiritually fatal deception by remembering that sometimes the best way to love your neighbor is actually to advocate and stand for the teachings of the Master.”

“So many times when we’re feeling a hole in our hearts, especially with infertility, we try to fill it with the world and it doesn’t fit. We try to fill it with feminism, post-modern relativism, secular ideologies, activism… it’s never sustainable and it’s never full empowerment. He is the only one who can fill those holes.”

“As you think about the way that God teaches His children, you can see that He uses family rituals often… If God uses rituals to be closer to us, He must be anxious to get these outcomes in His eternal family.”

“I would encourage anybody to go back and watch the video of President Hinckley introducing [the proclamation]… and then take the challenge he issues at the end to carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully consider [it]. And I promise anyone who does that will feel the truth of it, and have their own revelation as to what’s in that proclamation.”

Hosts David Steele and Linda Hill introduce themselves and talk about their “why” behind the podcast and what it means to them to promote the family.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect family. But there are perfect principles, and doctrine and truths that can help anyone at any stage of life.”