3 spiritual keys to discerning truth in a noisy world

What does practicing and living the gospel of Jesus Christ look like in real life? Well, if our stories on the This Is The Gospel podcast are any indication, the road of discipleship in these latter-days is as varied as our unique life experiences. But there is one thing that connects each of the 36 episodes and 85 stories we shared on the podcast in 2019 - a love for the Savior and the gifts of His atonement. We’re sure you’ll see that connection in the ten episodes you downloaded most:

I spent my formative teenage years in the nearly all-Latter-Day-Saint town of Rexburg, Idaho. In this highly sheltered setting my friends and I largely had shared experiences surrounding religion.

Depression can—and often does—seem like a mask overlying your loved one’s true and former self. Feeling that “this is not the person I know” is typical, but depression shouldn’t be allowed to also subvert a caregiver’s authentic self.

We live in a culture inundated by pornography. Talking to your teens about porn is no longer optional – it’s essential. The damaging impact of pornography can last for years. Preparing kids to confront this issue is a latter-day challenge.

Remember when the missionary age changed? Or when Mitt Romney ran for President? How about when then Elder M. Russell Ballard became the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to tweet?

Books, articles, and numerous Internet websites work to undermine faith in Joseph Smith’s first vision, but historically there have been just three main arguments against it. The minister to whom Joseph reported the event responded that there were no such things these days. More than a century later and in a literary style that masked her weakness in following the historical method, Fawn Brodie wrote that Joseph invented the vision years after he said it happened. A generation later, Wesley Walters charged Joseph with inventing revivalism when, Walters claimed, a lack of historical evidence proved that there was none and therefore there was no subsequent vision as a result. By now it has become a foregone conclusion for some that there are no such things as visions, that Joseph failed to mention his experience for years, and that he then gave conflicting accounts that failed to match historical facts. 1 But these three claims assume much more than they prove.

This past year has been full of both miracles and heartbreak for Latter-day Saints. And yet through the ups and downs, Church members have held resiliently to their faith and found support in their Savior, Jesus Christ. Here are the top 10 stories about Church members LDS Living has published in 2019. Take a moment to look through some of them and find yourself inspired and motivated to have a little more faith in 2020.

New temple announcements, site announcements, groundbreakings, dedications, rededications and renovation announcements filled 2019. In October 2019 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson spoke about the value of temples today.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have one year of Come, Follow Me under their belts but if you’re like us, you’re still looking for ways to enhance your study and to make this year of studying the Book of Mormon even better. This is where we would like to help. Drumroll please…Introducing the Sunday on Monday Study Group, a Bookshelf Plus Original podcast presented by LDS Living that is uniquely designed to allow listeners to experience the conversation all at once or in segments throughout the week. Host Tamara “Tammy” Uzelac Hall will bring a different group of friends together, each with unique life experiences, to dig into the scriptures. And the best part is that after you listen, you’ll be able to join in the discussion via the Sunday on Monday Instagram account and Facebook group.