"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."
-C.S. Lewis, to Lucy Barfield
“It is a very silly thing to shut oneself into a wardrobe.”
-The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
My testimony grew on a cherry tree. The dappled light of the orchard behind my home was alive with buzzes and breezes, and it was here that I read The Chronicles of Narnia that summer, sitting on the thick, waist-high bough of my favorite tree. I couldn't tell you exactly how old I was, nor even if it was my first reading of the series in whole. But it is my earliest memory of feeling changed by something I read. Is "changed" even the right word? Perhaps more than changed I was illuminated...made aware of what already existed inside my soul because someone had turned on the light. I felt wonder that transceded time and space, and it told me to look for the world's magic, even in silly places like a wardrobe.
Perhaps this is why I was such a willing Mormon. Mormonism began with the fantastic: a divine vision, spiritual gifts, and an outpouring from the heavens. Believing in Mormonism felt like drinking from living water. It took something mundane and made it magical.
The primary trademark of fantasy is that the boundaries aren't what we think they are; the whole point is to bend the rules. And isn't that what Jesus taught? That the rules aren't what we think they are? The wind and the waves can submit. Death is not the end. An eye for an eye is not the ultimate way. Have we stopped looking for the fantastic? I fear somewhere along the line we told ourselves that we had arrived at the truth, and so the goal became endurance at the expense of exploration. We walked into Narnia, then proceeded to watch from the wardrobe.
I invite you today to venture in a little deeper and embrace the unknown. The thrill of disovery doesn't live soley between the pages of a book, nor did it die on the cross. We are all living the heroic journey and a call has been extended to each of us. It comes in many tongues and phrases, but among my favorites is Article of Faith #13:
We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
May we all be seekers of the fantastic, the divine, the beautiful, and the good. God's power is greater than we can imagine, but that shouldn't stop us from trying. Journey with me as we go further up and further in.
Announcements and News
- Expect to see some new resources for nuanced members available on my website. I will be publishing a series of guides to help initiate difficult conversations, beginning with my Baptism Questions for Parents and Children. Be on the lookout for new guides in the coming weeks, and let me know what topics you want to hear about!
The four pillars of Spiritual Sovereignty
mental awareness • EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE • value affirmation • spiritual nourishment
Receiving Criticism
You admit to being imperfect, but that doesn't make it easy when criticisms arise. Any given instance of correction is an opportunity for defense, a chance to point out why your way is the right way. It is also an opportunity to listen. If you can admit that sometimes you get it wrong, can you also admit that there is a proper way for someone to correct you? Do you allow space for this reality to exist? When you are offered insight to your behavior, do you ever allow people the benefit of believing their perspective, or do you immediately question their validity? What are you worried will happen if you truly consider their perspective?
Is the friction between you and church wearing you down spiritually? It doesn't have to. Register to be a beta user in "Spiritual Sovereignty", my course for nuanced Latter-day Saints who want to make peace with church without sacrificing their personal values. You get all of my materials—videos, guides, and weekly one-on-one calls— for a fraction of the cost. In exchange, your feedback will help improve the course for future clients.
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