Summary: This short episode announces two projects I’d love to work on with collaborators from the Mormon Matters listening community. The first is for stories that would become part of a podcast episode, or a series of episodes, and possibly also a book (or series of books). Right now I want to call this project "Good Shepherds." It will be stories of LDS leaders--bishops or bishopric members, Relief Society presidents/presidencies, Young Women’s and Young Men’s presidencies and advisors, visiting teachers, home teachers, stake leaders, others--who in the capacity of their callings have been amazingly open, creative, loving, welcoming, concentrating on building community and fellowship rather than being narrow in doctrine or policies that can divide and make folks feel unwelcome, unwanted, or somehow "less than." Listen to the podcast for more details, but, in short, if you have a story of someone like this you’d love to share about, please write me, Dan Wotherspoon, at mormonmatters at gmail dot com and we will set up a time to record with you. I’ll then gather yours and other stories together for release as a podcast episode or series. And I’ll later talk with contributors about possibly writing up their stories as essays for a book. The second project does not yet have a name, and it is also far more complex but really exciting, I think! It is a call for collaborators who would like to be part of a team to contribute to a book(s) and smart-devices app that would help open up Sunday or other church-related discussions to greater depth, life, insight, spirit, and that might help us find ways we can share our insights in discussions that often feel like they are operating on a different wavelength than we are, using language and speaking from frameworks that perhaps don’t match where our spiritual journeys have taken us. It is too complex an idea and project to write up here, so please listen to here, so please listen to the episode and then write me if you would like to be in on the fun and (I think, rewarding) work it would entail.
