Offering Transformation Through Jesus to Those You Lead

Dr. Derwin L. Gray and his wife Vicki Gray are the co-founders of Transformation Church, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, where he serves as Lead Pastor. They met at Brigham Young University where he played football and she threw the javelin on the track team. They have two adult children. After graduating from BYU, Pastor Derwin played professional football in the NFL—five years with the Indianapolis Colts and one year with the Carolina Panthers. During that time, he and Vicki began their journey with Christ. Pastor Derwin went on to graduate magna cum laude from Southern Evangelical Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Apologetics, and was mentored by renowned theologian and philosopher, Dr. Norman Geisler. He was later awarded an honorary doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary, and he received his Doctor of Ministry in the New Testament in Context at Northern Seminary under Dr. Scot McKnight. Pastor Derwin speaks at conferences nationwide and is the author of several books, including How to Heal Our Racial Divide: What the Bible Says, and What the First Century Christians Knew about Racial Reconciliation. Highlights

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Book Club: Ch 10 & 11 – No Need to Call

As Lisa and her sister Gina James dive into the next two chapters of Sherry Turkle’s book Alone Together, they discuss how the way we communicate on our phones has changed over time, from calling to texting to Facetime and Snapchat. Lisa and Gina also discuss how we explore and construct our identities online. In a world where streamers make real money playing video games and influencers post about their personal lives, the lines between online life and real life have never been more blurry. How does online life overlap with real life— and where do we draw the line?

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Improving Media Literacy

Do you remember the last time you read a headline or a post online, and later found out it wasn’t true? How did you feel? How did it change the way you see the world? The internet is filled with people sharing information, whether they’re journalists breaking a big story, or influencers talking about their favorite skincare products, or even just family members talking about things that interest them. And no matter what your personal beliefs are, it can be hard to always spot incorrect or completely false information when it comes up. So what can we do? And what difference can media literacy make in our lives? Lisa talks to cybersecurity expert Amanda Hughes, media literacy professor Julia Smith, as well as her producer McKay to find out.

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Luke 22; John 18

In this episode we'll talk about Luke 22 and John 18. We'll talk about the ordinance of the sacrament and what makes it unique from other gospel ordinances. We'll discuss the idea of being "willing" to do something and how that impacts the process of change. We'll further address how being willing to change is a necessary element in making mental health progress. We'll also talk about the Savior's power and how He has the ability to heal us from our mental and emotional issues. This healing usually takes place by Him providing needed supports in our lives, encouraging our diligence, and having us walk a path that ultimately leads to a better situation.

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Reckoning with Mountain Meadows

In September of 1857, one of the greatest atrocities in the history of Mormonism was carried out. Now known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a group of Latter-day Saints led a siege in Southern Utah against a wagon train of emigrants on their way from Arkansas to California. After the siege had dragged on for several days, and under the guise of a truce, leaders of the Mormon party lured the emigrants out of their protective circle of wagons and marched them a short distance across the valley before turning on them in surprise and slaughtering at least 120 unarmed men, women, and children.

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When Being Released Hurts: Part 1

Kurt Francom is the founder and executive director of Leading Saints, manages the day-to-day efforts of Leading Saints, and is the host of the podcast. Kurt graduated from the University of Utah in 2008 with a degree in Business Marketing. He ran a web development company for five years before focusing on Leading Saints full time. Kurt currently lives in Stansbury Park, Utah with his lovely wife Alanna. They are blessed to have three children. Kurt has served as a full-time missionary (California Sacramento), as a bishop, first counselor in a stake presidency, and elders quorum president. This is Part 1 of a 2-part podcast. Listen to Part 2 HERE. Highlights

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“He Will Magnify Your Efforts”

Bonnie Oscarson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah but her family moved and lived in several different states as she was growing up. She attended Brigham Young University and majored in commercial art. Bonnie met her husband, Paul Oscarson, when her family lived in St. Louis, Missouri. They are the parents of seven children and have 29 fascinating grandchildren. Paul and Bonnie served as mission president and companion in the Sweden Gothenburg Mission as a young couple and then returned to Sweden in 2009 to serve as president and matron of the Stockholm Sweden Temple. She finally finished her bachelor’s degree from BYU in British and American Literature 41 years after she first began. (She is glad she did it but doesn’t recommend that educational plan.) Bonnie was called to serve as the Young Women general president in April 2013 and released in April 2018. Since her release she is enjoying spending time with those grandchildren and catching up on her reading. Bonnie and Paul recently moved to Provo where they serve as ordinance workers in the Provo Temple and as ecclesiastical leaders in the Provo Missionary Training Center. Highlights

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