In Ep. 58., their first (published) episode since 2022, Todd & Amber explore the pushback they regularly hear from those who seem to have the idea that following counsel from God should only make life smooth.
They also talk about the blessings they have seen as they continue to take their lives one step at a time through prayerful counsel with the Lord, and some of the lessons learned last year while letting their focus slip.
This episode is rated G, which is more than we can say for any Netflix watch list.
Some folks seem to never acknowledge their blessings. Other folks seem to never admit when they're struggling. What if both extremes were equally lame? In this episode Todd & Amber talk about the value of admitting when you're stressed and acknowledging when you're blessed and how the two aren't mutually exclusive. They also relate their own recent blessings and stresses and how openly talking about both has brought their family closer to God. This episode is rated G, which means it definitely won't make you stressed and may even helped you feel blessed.
With their rudimentary understanding of how "computer and video games" worked in the mid to late 90's, Todd and Amber give their unsolicited and unqualified opinions on the pros and cons of letting your kids play video games. They discuss the pros and cons of erring on the side of being too restrictive, as well as the pros and cons of erring on the side of being too permissive with gaming. After realizing there's not really one right approach for everyone, they ultimately realize that the key is being intentional and monitoring how things play out (pun appreciated) as you go. This episode is rated B for boomer, which is what you will feel like once you begin to try to understand the appeal of the metaverse.
What do folks mean when they offer their "thoughts and prayers" to others? What are some examples of how people use that phrase vainly? What are some examples of why some people take issue with it being said publicly? If you use the phrase, what do you mean when you say it? Are there multiple applications of it? What is the relationship between offering thoughts and offering prayers? In this episode Todd & Amber talk about this commonly uttered phrase, and how we can all make it more meaningful, or at least enhance our ability to explore the intent behind it. This episode is rated G, which means you can listen to it while thinking and praying.
It seems that when it comes to talking about dating, women usually talk to other women, men talk to other men, and nobody seems to learn much of anything about "the other side." As for couples, they either don't feel compelled (or qualified) to comment, or they give overly generalized advice that doesn't actually apply to most situations. This week Todd and Amber do something they wish more adults would do, and that is have an honest conversation about the dating world and some of the common challenges thereof, as well as some ideas to make dating more enjoyable. If you hate dating, think you suck at it, or aren't even sure where to start, this episode might help you. If you've ever been on a date, and even if you haven't, this episode will likely entertain you. This episode is, however, rated PG, because Todd mentions NCMO and creepers trying to grope their dates.
What is your default response to being met with opposition? What about facing a trial of faith? How about a faith crisis? And a tragedy? Or an opportunity to take offense? In this week's episode Todd & Amber talk about the difference between turning challenging experiences into millstones that drive us farther from God and milestones that draw us closer to God. This episode is rated G, which means if you turn listening to it into a millstone...that's you, pal.
What does religious freedom look like in practice? How do we support the religious freedom of other religions? What are some of the most common ways Latter-day Saints interact with those of other faiths? What are some of the pitfalls of how we usually go about it? This week Todd and Amber dive into these and other questions relating to the article of faith that has as much to do with how we intent to defend the rights of others as it does our assertion of our own rights as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This episode is rated G, which means you can share it how, where, or in what manner you may.
Now that Todd no longer works for a public school district, and now that Amber has more homeschooling experience, they give further thoughts on the pros of homeschooling and weigh in on some of the most common concerns and misconceptions. What if you're bad at a particular subject? Will your kids be socially awkward? How do you know what to teach? This episode is rated G, which means you can listen to it with your kids during homeschool.
According to the Family Proclamation, mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children, but where does that leave dads? Is there anything precluding dads from taking an active role in the care and nurture of their children? What constitutes providing the necessities of life, and what causes some men to get wrapped up in working to make more money than is needful at the expense of time with their families? How can husbands and wives support each other in their divinely appointed roles and responsibilities? In this episode Todd and Amber discuss some of the ways their family dynamic has changed for the better now that Todd has been working from home, how they each support the other in their respective roles, and what aspects of parenting are intended to be a shared responsibility. They also talk about ways families can make their time together more meaningful even when other responsibilities take the majority of their time. This episode is rated G, which means you can put it on when you don't "babysit" your children.
How do you invite God into your marriage? What habits, mindset, and goals contribute to a marriage that lives up to its purpose as being ordained of God? How does your relationship with your spouse change when you have kids? How does your relationship with your spouse change over time? What are some of the obstacles to finding unity in marriage? In this power packed episode Amber and Todd welcome IRL friends and Twitter frens Keilani and Bob Allen to give another perspective on cultivating a godly marriage. This episode is rated PG, because Todd makes a joke about making out in front of extended family members. `
Is the Tenth Article of Faith to be taken literally? Will there really be a New Jerusalem? Will Christ really be a spiritual and governmental leader? How will the earth be transformed at the start of the millennium? How can we prepare to be a Zion people? What role do converts have in gathering Israel? What does the tenth article of faith have to do with Patriarchal blessings? What will the Millennium be like? Amber and Todd discuss all this and how wasting our time looking forward to the building of Zion can actually rob us of being prepared to be a Zion people. This episode is rated G, which means you can listen to it as you literally help gather Israel.
What new year resolutions do you usually make? How often do you remember them throughout the year? How often do they have to do with your spiritual progression? How often do you involve God when setting and working on your resolutions? What are some temporal strategies you can use to craft more tangible goals? What spiritual strength can you draw upon to actually improve yourself throughout the year? In this timely episode Amber and Todd explore all this as well as the concept of praying for help even in the small and simple aspects of your life. This episode is rated G, which means you can listen to it without breaking your resolution to avoid profanity.
With their very first guest, Shandy Cortes, Amber and Todd dive into the many precious and timeless doctrines contained in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Concepts they discuss include: What truths are often overlooked? What role should the Family Proclamation have in each member's life? Who does the proclamation apply to? What role does the family play in the Plan of Salvation? Is there such a thing as godly masculinity and godly femininity? What aspects of your home are delineated in the Proclamation? What aspects are not? What was the impetus of the Proclamation? What was the process with which it was crafted? What warnings does it contain? What evidence of calamities do we see today? How do the teachings on the family contained in the Proclamation compare with the teachings of the world? What is meant by individual adaptions? What blessings can come from upholding and defending the family as the fundamental unit of society? This episode is rated G, which means you can listen to it with your family. A huge thank you to Shandy Cortes for making this episode possible!
What has God revealed? What does He now reveal? What might He yet reveal? How can we work to accept current revelations? How might we prepare to receive future revelations? What is our responsibility when it comes to revelations that we don't understand, or revelations that we don't agree with or particularly like? How do we know when something is from God? What role should personal revelation play in our lives? In this the second take of discussing the ninth article of faith (the first attempt had to be scrapped due to poor audio quality), Amber and Todd discuss all these questions, and a tangential rant about rich people not covering their windows at night. This episode is rated G, which means you can enjoy listening to it in your mansion while all of your neighbors presumably watch you from their curtain free windows.
What Christmas traditions does your family have? What ones do you remember from growing up? How many of them were Christ centered? Were there any that you only realized had significance after the fact? What symbolism is already embedded in our common Christmas traditions? What traditions can you adopt to help your family focus on Christ? Todd and Amber share some that they've added in recent years, some they look forward to adding, and ask for ideas for more that listeners enjoy. This episode is rated G, because Todd went back and deleted his rant about Santa Claus.
What do Home Teaching, Visiting Teaching, #LightTheWorld, #GiveThanks, #LetGodPrevail, #HearHim, and Love, Share, Invite all have in common? How are all of these foci functioning as scaffolding for what the Lord actually wants us to build? Is "foci" really a word? How can we make ministering a fully integrated part of our daily lives? Who are we expected to minister to? What is meant by "ministering in a higher and holier way?" How can acting on promptings to minister open up further opportunities to minister? All this, and some discussion of some sitcom level small talk we recently enjoyed. This episode is rated G, even though Todd refers to "our own nudity" at one point, which means you can share it with everyone to whom you minister!
After ten years of carrying debt and finding themselves in way too many tight financial spots, Todd and Amber received an unexpected blessing this week. What lessons have they learned through this experience? What hope can others find in learning of their experience? How can we hear the Lord's voice through small moments in our lives, and not just the large, more obvious ones? This episode is rated G, and it's free to listen to, which means it will only have a positive impact on your debt.
What kind of unity do you have in your home? Who else do you live with? Do you live alone? With roommates? Do you live with extended family members? Do you live with your parents, or with your kids, or both? What impacts the unity you do or don't feel in your home? How consistent is it? How can you go about improving it? Are there situations where the only thing that can be done is to cut your losses? In this week's episode Amber and Todd talk about these questions, as well as share some stories from college and mission life that illustrate some of the lessons they've had to learn the hard way. This episode is rated PG because Todd accidentally makes some mild innuendo, and says the D word, so listening may actually disrupt the unity in your home.
Have you ever met someone who seems to have no problem saying yes to so many commitments and serving in so many ways that you could never see yourself living up to that level? What if the ability to say yes to reasonable invitations increases as you...wait for it...say yes to invitations. In this episode Amber and Todd explore the connection between their approach to parenting and their approach to their new ward and community. Is it possible to get to a general authority level of community involvement in your own life? Is it a steady trajectory, or more of a trend with plenty of ups and downs? How can one start to challenge one's current capacity to help it grow? All this and a report on the fallout from being honest about the podcast. We invite you to apply what you learn here. Will you apply it (say yes)? This episode is rated G, which means you can quote it in #GeneralConference when you reach the optimal level of saying yes to reasonable invitations as a result of our amazing advice.
In this week's episode, Todd and Amber come clean about honesty and why they have made a more concerted effort to be honest in every area of their lives. As this will be the first episode they share with their friends and family, they also talk about why they started out anonymous, their formerly anonymous Twitter accounts, and what made them decide to share this podcast with more people in their lives. If you're new to the show, feel free to jump around to other episodes. Most episodes are not sequential unless otherwise noted. If you like what you hear, please leave us a positive review, it helps the show and brightens our day! This episode is rated G, which means you can honestly listen to it anywhere.