The Good Word Podcast

Nearly every one of Krista Lynne Jensen’s elementary school teachers noted on her report card that she was a “day-dreamer”. That was not a compliment. So, when Krista grew up, she put those daydreams down on paper for others to enjoy. When she’s not writing she enjoys reading, hiking, her family, and sunshine. But not laundry. She never day-dreams about laundry. Krista writes LDS romance, and fantasy. She is the author of OF GRACE AND CHOCOLATE (2012 Whitney Award Finalist), THE ORCHARD (2013 Whitney Award Finalist), and FALLING FOR YOU (2014) through Covenant Communications. She is a member of LDStorymakers. Visit her blog at kristalynnejensen.blogspot.com.

Pamela R. Jensen was born into a family of 10 children, she was the oldest girl and second child. She spent a majority of her childhood entertaining her younger siblings. Drawing has always been apart of who she is, always sketching anything and everything. Pamela now lives with her husband a retired farmer and miner in Grantsville, UT. They have five children, and ten grandchildren who love to draw with grandma. She has made some pretty impressive doodles in her time. With that in mind, Pamela is a doodle expert and LDS to boot. She is here to talk about her book Reverently, Quiely, a collection of Sacrament meeting appropriate activities. Purchase Pamela’s Book here.

Unlike Mowgli from the Jungle Book, MICHAEL BAST was not raised by a den of wolves… it was a mob of meerkats. This has proven to be both problematic and beneficial later in life. A problem because he has an insatiable desire to tunnel in his backyard, costing him thousands of dollars in sprinkler repair. A benefit because he can scratch behind both ears with either foot. Michael lives in the deserts of Arizona with his wife and four kids. Each day between Cinco de Mayo and Halloween he curses his decision to live in 110-degree heat. To learn more about Michael and Death’s Academy go to www.deathsacademy.com

Michael R. Ash was born in Rockledge, Florida but currently lives in Utah. Michael R. Ash is a veteran staff member of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR), a former weekly columnist for the Mormon Times and has presented several papers at LDS-related symposiums. Ash is the author of  Of Faith and Reason: 80 Evidences Supporting the Prophet Joseph Smith, as well as, Shaken Faith Syndrome: Strengthening One’s Testimony In the Face of Criticism and Doubt. Ash has written more than 100 articles defending the faith which have been published by FAIR, FARMS, Sunstone, Dialogue, and on several LDS websites. To purchase a copy of Michael R. Ash’s book’s, click here. For a signed copy, of Shaken Faith Syndrome: Click here.

Michelle Wilson writes light speculative fiction and inspirational non-fiction…but her first love is teaching and speaking. She likes to infuse humor and simple truths in what she writes and speaks about. Michelle has a passion for empowering women through humor and education. She is a stay at home mom, and finds joy in her faith, family, laughter and anything chocolate. And she really, really love ice cream. Michelle blogs at www.michellewilsonatlarge.com and is the author of the book Does This Insecurity Make Me Look Fat? To purchase a copy of Michelle Wilson’s book, click here.

Ty Mansfield is a marriage and family therapist currently living in Provo, Utah, with his wife and their two kids. He chronicled his own spiritual journey with same-sex attraction as co-author of In Quiet Desperation: Understanding the Challenge of Same-Gender Attraction (released by Deseret Book, in 2004) and later compiled Voices of Hope: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on Same-Gender Attraction—An Anthology of Gospel Teachings and Personal Essays (also released by Deseret Book in 2011). He also co-directs the Voices of Hope Project, a website extension of the book, and has been featured in the May/June 2013 issue of LDS Living magazine and on the Church website mormonsandgays.org. Ty is a co-founder and the current president of the nonprofit organization North Star, a faith-affirming support organization for LDS individuals and families affected by homosexuality and who desire to live within the framework of the doctrines and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Visit Voices of Hope here. For more on the NorthStar organization click here.

L.R.W. Lee was a previous guest on The Good Word, Episode 163. Lee was married in 1992 and a few years later started her first business, an accounting practice. Later she would start and grow a multi-million dollar retail company in Texas. After selling the business in January of 2012 she wrote the book, “ANDY SMITHSON: BLAST OF THE DRAGONS’ FURY.” She is back to talk about her next book, Book 2 in the Andy Smithson series. Andy Smithson: Venom of the Seprent’s Cunning.

Amy Wilcox was born and raised in Salt Lake City, UT. Her “day job” is a medical sales representative and business owner. She enjoys reading, sewing, organizing, baking, hiking, camping, rock climbing and almost anything outdoors.  She is married and has 2 children; a daughter 22 who is in the psychology field, and a son 20 who is serving a mission in Philadelphia, PA. Amy or A.K. Wilcox is the author of The Wedding Bed: A Virgin’s Guide. To win a copy of Amy’s book, leave your email in the comments section of this post along with Amy’s “Good Word” describing her book The Wedding Bed! Good Luck! (You comments may not post live. They will go into moderation, but your entry is still valid.)  

Studio C is a sketch comedy television show produced by BYUtv. The show traces its roots to the BYU sketch comedy troupe Divine Comedy, from which all cast members are current or former members. The show aims to produce clean, family-oriented comedy for a national audience. Our guests on this episode are two of the shows main writers and actors, Mallory Everton and Matt Meese. Mallory Everton is a Portland, Oregon native, as demonstrated by her hippie-ish, grunge-loving hair and the fact that she sometimes cries when she sees especially tall trees. She owes any good qualities she possesses to her incredible family; all her other qualities were acquired from watching too much television and listening to boy band music before we knew what it would do to our brains. She studied film at Brigham Young University where she emphasized in screenwriting, editing, and directing. She’s also an avid distance-runner, music-lover, and pizza-eater. 

Mallory stumbled into sketch comedy as a freshman in college when she went to see Whitney Call (a good friend from her childhood; also a Portlander, also emotional about trees) audition for Divine Comedy at BYU. She quickly realized that nothing could be more fun than sketch comedy, and it’s all been downhill from there. And by downhill, she means awesome. Matt is probably best known for his work with Divine Comedy, BYU’s premiere sketch comedy troupe. It was there that he met fellow Studio C cast members Jason Gray, Mallory Everton, and Whitney Call. The four became fast friends, and began writing sketches together. When the time came to assemble a writing/performing team for Studio C, Matt was an obvious choice. 

Born in New Jersey, and raised in Phoenix, Matt graduated from BYU with a B.S. in Psychology. Given the vast amount of time he spent writing and performing, however, he feels that what he really studied in college was sketch comedy. Greatest achievement to date: having a proud mother. Visit Studio C or watch episodes online here.

Adam White was born and raised in Gilbert, AZ. Adam started making movies when his Dad bought a VHS camcorder all the way back when he was 11 or 12 not ever considering it a possible career path. He dreamed of one day playing in the NBA played college basketball at Eastern Arizona college which is where he met his wife. Later he went to BYU and graduated from ASU with a degree in Business Administration. Adam now lives in Lehi Utah with his wife and 5 children. He enjoys creating. Writing movies, writing songs on the piano, creating businesses. Adam White also started several online businesses and sold them all to pursue his dream of being a filmmaker. Adam secretly wishes we could go back to the olden days where one could wear a cloak and have a sword strapped on their back and no one would think anything of it. Adam is now the writer and director of the movie, Inspired Guns hitting theaters January 24th 2014.

Rod Meldrum is a researcher, author, and national lecturer on the Book of Mormon, its historical efficacy as well as the scriptural and physical findings that have been discovered. Rod shares his research in live presentations on his “Heartland model” in what has been described by the University of Chicago Divinity School as creating a “swelling movement within the Church.” Rod began his study of issues surrounding the controversy over DNA and the Book of Mormon in 2003 which lead to questioning the origins of proposed geographical settings of the Book of Mormon. In addition he has completed intensive studies of the Book of Mormon itself and the historical background and documents associated with it. In 2007 he began sharing his research. Rod has produced two documentaries, DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography, and the 5 disc DVD series, Book of Mormon Evidence. Rod is also the author of Exploring the Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland. To purchase Rod Meldrum’s book Exploring the Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland, click here. The post Episode 107 – Interview with Rod Meldrum appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.The post Episode 107 – Interview with Rod Meldrum appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.

Bonnie Atkinson works with the non-profit organizations, Springville Community Alliance and 
MotherHope. Bonnie has a Bachelor of Arts from Kansas State University with a dual major in creative writing and history, and is 12 weeks from a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Brigham Young University. Bonnie is passionate about what she refers to as the four spheres of influence: children, church, community, and career. As an avid blogger for the past five years, Bonnie now is the founder, administrator, and a contributor to the multi-author blog community RealIntent.org – a site dedicated to Growing Faith, Strengthening Families, & Building Community. In her spare time, she’s also a really good Realtor. The post Episode 106 – Interview with Bonnie Atkinson appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.The post Episode 106 – Interview with Bonnie Atkinson appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.

Nick Galieti interviews author and historian Timothy Ballard, author of The American Covenant  series. Timothy Ballard received his BA in Spanish and Politics Cum Laude from Brigham Young University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a MA in International Politics from Middlebury College—Monterey Institute of International Studies. Tim has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and as a Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security, where he has spent much time overseas battling criminal organizations involved in the kidnapping and trafficking of children. He has also worked as an adjunct professor of American and International Politics at Imperial Valley College and at San Diego State University. Tim is very active in his church and volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America. He lives in Southern California with his wife and six children. To buy your copy of The American Covenant or The Covenant click here. For more information on Timothy Ballard, visit his website by clicking here. This is the trailer for the documentary being made based on Timothy Ballard’s works. The post Episode 105 – Interview with Timothy Ballard appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.The post Episode 105 – Interview with Timothy Ballard appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.

Trina Boice studied at the University of Salamanca in Spain and later returned there to serve an LDS mission in Madrid for 1 ½ years. Trina has earned two Bachelor’s degrees from BYU where she competed on the Speech and Debate team and the Ballroom Dance Team. She teaches online for BYU-I and currently serves as the Co-Chair for the BYU Las Vegas Alumni Board. Some of Trina’s writing experience includes writing a column called “The Boice Box” for a newspaper in Georgia, where she lived for 15 years. She now writes for The Answer Newspaper, 702events.com, Homemaking-Cottage.com, BigWorldNetwork.com and is the Entertainment News Editor for BellaOnline.com. She currently works as a corporate trainer on the famous Las Vegas Strip. She’s the author of 15 books, with more on the way! FOR A LIMITED TIME — Trina is giving away copies of her book, How to Stay Up in a Down Economy visit www.trinaboice.com for more info.   The post Episode 104 – Interview with Trina Boice appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.The post Episode 104 – Interview with Trina Boice appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.

In part two of our shows featuring the works on the writings and life of President Lorenzo Snow, Nick Galieti interviews Dennis Horne. Dennis is a well respected biographer, gospel doctrine and devotional writer. His latest work is a biography entitled “Latter Leaves in the Life of Lorenzo Snow.” Co-written and compiled from the writings of Orson F. Whitney, this volume provides some valuable supplemental material and history that will aid in augment one’s study of the Priesthood and Relief Society Manual for 2013. To purchase a copy of “Latter Leaves in the Life of Lorenzo Snow” click here. The post Episode 103 – Interview with Dennis Horne appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.The post Episode 103 – Interview with Dennis Horne appeared first on The Good Word Podcast.