Many people want to offer love and support to their LGBTQ friends and neighbors but aren't sure how. Bird’s unique position as a gay Latter-day Saint has given him valuable insight. In this book, he authentically details the blessings and challenges faced by gay members of the Church and provides readers with the perspective, understanding, and tools they need to more effectively minister to those who identity as LGBTQ. Expanding the Borders of Zion bridges the gap between religion and the LGBTQ community in a way that is both bold and inviting. It will undoubtedly inspire you to love deeper, grow closer to Christ, and expand your heart to more fully embrace all of God’s children.
Read MoreCome As You Are - Creating Space for the Rising Generation - Samuel Norton
With faith and testimony under increasing attack, parents can often be left wondering what they can do to help their children remain faithfully on the covenant path. Come as You Are by Samuel Norton, looks at some of the cultural aspects of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and questions if those aspects of our lives are helping connect our youth and young adults to the Source of Redeeming Love. With the notion of creating “space,” listeners will understand that the opportunities to connect with Jesus are limitless, if we will give our youth and young adults the tools and the “space” to do so their way.
Listeners will understand that the “space” needed to connect with our Savior can be encroached upon by the language we use, the lessons we teach, our discomfort with not having the answers, and our binary approach to life.
Giving the rising generation the opportunity to connect with Jesus Christ isn’t about just making sure that they show up at church and attend activities every week. It’s about making sure they understand Christ stands willing to welcome them as they are. It’s about recognizing that He will perfect them in the process of time. It’s about helping them see that everyone can Come as They Are.
Read MoreThat We May Be One - A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith & Family - Tom Christofferson
"A happy gay Mormon." That's the shorthand I often use to describe myself," writes Tom Christofferson. "Some of my gay friends--as well as some of my LDS friends--are a little surprised that I think it's possible to be a gay Mormon." In That We May Be One, Tom Christofferson shares perspectives gained from his life's journey as a gay man who left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then returned to it. After having asked to be excommunicated from the faith he was raised in, Tom spent two decades in a loving relationship with a committed partner. But gradually, the love of family, friends, and strangers and the Spirit of the Lord worked on him until he found himself one night sitting in his car in front of the bishop's house....
This book is about the lessons Tom, his family, and his fellow Saints learned while trying to love as God loves. It is about the scope and strength of this circle of love and about how learning the truth of our relationship with God draws us to Him For anyone who has wondered how to keep moving forward in the face of difficult decisions and feelings of ambiguity; for anyone who needs to better understand the redeeming power of our Savior, Jesus Christ; for anyone who seeks to love more fully; this book offers reassurance and testimony of God's love for all
Read MoreListen, Learn, & Love - Embracing LGBTQ Latter-day Saints - Richard Ostler
Through the power of storytelling, former YSA bishop Richard Ostler brings to life the experiences of LGBTQ Latter-day Saints, fulfilling President M. Russell Ballard's 2017 challenge to “listen to and understand what our LGBT brothers and sisters are feeling and experiencing”. (BYU Nov 2017 Devotional). Richard is supportive of the Church, its leaders, and doctrine. This book is for all Latter-day Saints and is an extension of the Listen, Learn & Love podcast. It brings together hundreds of stories in a comprehensive review of the many topics around being LGBTQ and a Latter-day Saint. This book is for all Latter-day Saints and is an extension of the Listen, Learn & Love podcast. It brings together hundreds of stories in a comprehensive review of the many topics around being LGBTQ and a Latter-day Saint.
Read MoreThe Law of Love - by Steve Young
THE LAW OF LOVE―loving as God loves, seeking another’s healing, expecting nothing in return―is a simple principle with profound, life-changing implications. How can we live the law of love? Steve Young shares insights from his own multifaceted life as well as from others who are scientists, fellow Latter-day Saints, Anglican, atheist, Baptist, Catholic, Confucian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and secular people of wisdom, as well as from the scriptures. This practical book may shift your mindset to a more expansive worldview that just might change everything. Whether in football, work, church, or family, the law of love is undefeated.
Read MoreWithout the Mask: Coming Out and Coming Into God's Light - Charlie Bird
Charlie Bird—the viral face of BYU during his years as Cosmo the Cougar—made waves across the nation in February when he came out and revealed to BYU fans that he is gay. Now, in Without the Mask, Bird reflects on how his identity has strengthened his testimony and how he views his sexual orientation in conjunction with his faith in Jesus Christ.
Alternating between memoir and teaching chapters, Bird's touching and authentic prose chronicles his decision to openly share that he is gay and to remain active in the faith. Highlighting the challenges Bird has faced along the way, the book also shares the blessings he's learned to recognize through his sexual orientation. Charlie feels deeply the importance of maintaining a relationship with God and hopes this message will "spark healing, bridge gaps of understanding and inspire hope" for other LGBTQ readers and those who love them.
Read MoreA Walk in My Shoes: Questions I'm Often Asked as a Gay Latter-day Saint
President M. Russell Ballard counseled, "We need to listen to and understand what our LGBT brothers and sisters are feeling and experiencing. Certainly, we must do better than we have done in the past so that all members feel they have a spiritual home where their brothers and sisters love them and where they have a place to worship and serve the Lord" (BYU devotional, November 14, 2017). A Walk in My Shoes: Questions I'm Often Asked as a Gay Latter-day Saint invites readers to act upon that counsel by following the journey of Ben Schilaty, a licensed therapist and BYU Honor Code administrator, as he works to reconcile his faith with his sexual orientation. Each chapter in the book focuses on a question that the author is often asked, such as, "Were you born gay?" "Why do you stay in the Church?" "Why don't you marry a woman if marriage is about more than sex?" A Walk in My Shoes allows readers a glimpse into the life of a single, gay, active Latter-day Saint and provides guidance for how they can support and minister to their LGBTQ loved ones.
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