Pioneering Paradox: A podcast for conflicted saints

Eschatology is a word I didn't know prior to this convo with Chad Ford. It deals with theology of end times and how that changes behavior . Chad makes a case that the Latter Day Saint theology dictates that we are co builders with God and we are not to just sit around and let the world collapse around us. How do we balance social ills with inner peace? What can the Latter Day Saints do with the call from President Oaks to "use the language and methods of peacemakers"? How do we help the next generation imagine a better future? These are all topics we discuss in this very important and timely episode. Thanks for listening.

One day Celestial Marriage (Polygamy) was considered the "Capstone" of our religion, and the next day anyone who continued the practice with a new marriage or even showed favor toward it were excommunicated. That stands still today. The church went from fighting for "the principle" to helping the US government root our fundamentalists in our midst. All the while we never full stopped polygamy, we simply deferred it to the next life. We discuss why in this episode. Also, in 2017 Melanie and Casey on a random chance ended up sleeping over at Warren Jeffs house for a weekend, you know the one that says "Pray and Obey" on the side of it! That one! In this episode tell Wil all about our experience and also the history or how Short Creek (Colorado City and Hildale) were founded and why.

MELANIE MCFARLAND of True Within You emotional wellness joins Wil Wood and Casey McFarland to have a discussion about how adults can model civility, hope and better communication for the next generation.

The paradox of Clark Gilbert is that he is both a preserver and a disruptor. He built his reputation on the logic of disruptive innovation arguing that institutions must be willing to dismantle parts of themselves to survive, yet his motivation has often been deeply conservative: to protect enduring values, faith communities, and long-term institutional purpose. He is willing to fire 40% of a newsroom or radically restructure an organization not out of iconoclasm, but out of stewardship. In Gilbert’s model, stability comes through change, and loyalty to a mission sometimes requires disloyalty to a model. That tension between conviction and adaptation, preservation and reinvention is the core of his leadership paradox.

In this episode, we’re joined by the marvelous McArthur Krishna. McArthur has been on the front lines reminding Latter-day Saints that Heavenly Mother is not a side note to our story but rather essential and that without Her, we will always be out of balance. She has co-written 14 books, primarily focused on Heavenly Mother and women in the scriptures and she is heavily involved in the world of Latter Day Saint art. In this conversation, we explore the importance of becoming sovereign. The paradox of being part of a very strong group identity while honoring one's own distinct voice can be a real challenge. Both are important and we discuss ways people can balance the two and that sometimes there can be costs when someone follows that very divine an individual call. We gained a lot from this conversation and hope you do too.That's Church March 7: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/becoming-sovereign-claiming-your-story-honoring-your-agency-and-building-the-beloved-communityMcArthur's Amazon Account: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMcArthur%2BKrishna&s=relevancerank&text=McArthur+Krishna&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

Many people know Patrick Mason as a scholar of Mormon and Christian history but not everyone knows he graduated also with a Masters in International Peace Studies at Notre Dame.Peacemaking is a topic that comes with baggage. It is often mistaken for passivity and a manipulative tool to keep people ifrom rocking the boat. Patrick argues the exact opposite. Peacemaking is anything but passive. We only scratch the surface on this topic. It might warrant a part 2 but we will see.

We loved our conversation with Orlando so much, we had to bring him back for a bonus episode. In this second part, Melanie McFarland (@truewithinyou) sits down with Orlando Tsosie to explore his Navajo spiritual tradition. Orlando shares stories of helping his mother, a medicine woman, and speaks about the gifts and experiences that shaped his path. He also touches on elements of the Diné Bahane' : the Navajo Creation Story and reflects on the similarities and differences between Navajo and Latter-day Saint worldviews.

From the earliest days of the Latter-day Saint movement, Native Americans have been part of our story—and, for better or worse, we have been part of theirs, especially in the American West. It’s not always an easy story to tell. It involves colonization, displacement, and at times even massacre. The full story may never be completely told, as it is often one-sided.But there are other stories—stories centered on individuals, not just groups or grand narratives. This is one of those stories.In this episode we interview Orlando Tsotsi, a Navajo and a Latter-day Saint, and how he came to find himself and is still finding himself while embodying parts of both of those identities. Orlando speaks about his journey to faith, the wisdom passed down from his Native people, and how his worldview expanded after living with five Latter-day Saint families through the Indian Student Placement Program ran by the LDS church from 1947-2000. We didn’t feel like we even scratched the surface with Orlando and plan to have him on for more discussion in the future. We hope you enjoy this conversation.

Melanie and I discuss the idea that religion is a tool that should lead to transformation, to becoming a "new creature" or "born again" . The Covenant Path does this for many people but what about the billions of people who don't feel a connection to the Latter Day Saint path. Are there other ways that can lead to transformation, even within the same home? We also discuss parenting kids outside of the covenant path and how families can be strengthened when we respect and honor spiritual paths different than ours.

Today, we’re joined by the incredible and multitalented Melissa Mason. Wil and I had a hard time staying on task because there was so much we wanted to ask her, from her therapy practice, which includes Ketamine-Assisted Therapy and Sex Therapy, to her talents as a modern quilter and presenter, her commitment to social justice, her political science background from Notre Dame, and her current participation in the Living School. And, of course, we were eager just to hear her thoughtful perspectives on current affairs.In this episode, Melissa shares her story of growing up Catholic, losing her faith, joining the Latter-day Saints, and eventually re-embracing elements of her original tradition. We deeply appreciated her candor, intellect, and insight and we hope you will too.

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Julie de Azevedo Hanks—and honestly, it quickly became one of our favorite conversations. We laughed, we cried, and we learned a lot. A quick content note: we dive into sensitive topics, including how we handle claims of abuse in the church, because we deeply wanted to hear Julie’s perspective. With over 30 years of experience as a social worker, psychotherapist, and founder of Wasatch Family Therapy, Julie brings wisdom and compassion that gave us a lot to think about.We asked her how we can raise boys to grow into good men in the church, what young women should look for in healthy relationships, and how we can all create more space for people to be heard in our community. This was a meaningful, moving discussion—and we can’t wait to share it with you.

I'm joined by my wife, Melanie McFarland who owns a non-traditonal practice helping people overcome trauma, abuse and heal childhood wounds. She is somewhat of a mystic. When I married into Melanie's family, I married into a world of naturalists, herbalists and neighborhood healers. My more traditional and skeptical family upbring was challenged in ways I couldn’t have ever imagined.Early in our marriage, Melanie was diagnosed with Graves disease. The leading experts told her that her condition was incurable and she would need to kill her thyroid. I plead with her to listen. Against my wishes, she turned to naturopaths and eventually a naturopathic MD, and within six months of treatment her bloodwork normalized—and has stayed that way since. My eyes were opened that maybe traditional medicine doesn’t always have the answers. But is that always the case? In this episode we discuss how the early Mormon history of magic, visions, and mysticism are alive and well in the underbelly of our culture for better or for worse. We get into everything from treasure digging to why we think women in particular gravitate to more non-traditional healing modalities. As usual it’s a paradox. Thank you for listening. You can find Melanie on Instagram at @TrueWithinYou.

In this episode, we invited social media influencer and latter day saint Phil Cowley onto the show. In 2021 Phil was about to close the doors on his pharmacy when he was approached to do a social media clip for a local gym. Soon after he started his own social media called Phil’s my pharmacist which now has over 3 million followers across his platforms. We discuss faith, parenting, critical thinking and raising kids with disabilities. Thank you for listening.