Episode 97: The Power of Stillness (Ty Mansfield)

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BYU Religious Education

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4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2024

⏱️ 55 minutes

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Summary

Elder M. Russell Ballard expressed, “It is important to be still and listen and follow the Spirit. We simply have too many distractions to capture our attention, unlike any time in the history of the world.” The Restoration began with a young boy who sought stillness in a sacred grove, and President David O. McKay taught that meditation is one of the “most secret, most sacred doors” through which we come to know God. How can more stillness and mindful presence deepen our experience of intimacy with God, ourselves, and one another? In this episode, Professor Ty Mansfield discusses his book The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints, coauthored with Jacob Z. Hess, Carrie Skarda, and Kyle Anderson, and outlines ways we might balance anxious engagement with intentional stillness. Dr. Mansfield discusses methods for implementing mindfulness into our daily lives and how such practices can deepen our conversion to the gospel and prepare us to receive more of the healing and enabling power of Jesus Christ.

Publications:

· The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints (Deseret Book, 2019)

· In the Image of our Heavenly Parents: A Couple’s Guide to Creating a More Divine Marriage (D Street Press, 2022)

· Voices of Hope: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on Same-Gender Attraction—An Anthology of Gospel Teachings and Personal Essays (Deseret Book, 2011)

· In Quiet Desperation: Understanding the Challenge of Same-Gender Attraction (Deseret Book, 2004)

· “Homosexuality and the Gospel” (in A Reason for Faith, Religious Studies Center, 2016)

Click here to learn more about Ty Mansfield

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, why religion friends. John Hilton here. I'd like us to do a brief meditation together on the topic of vanilla ice cream.
0:08.0	So for the next 15 seconds, we're just going to have silence. Take a moment to breathe, relax, and think about
0:15.6	nothing but vanilla ice cream. How is your 15 seconds of silence? Did your mind start to wander? If you're like me, you probably thought to yourself, 15 seconds is a long time.
0:41.0	Wow. Well, at least I'm listening on two time speed.
0:45.0	Okay I guess he really is going to be quiet for 15 seconds. I'd better start thinking
0:49.7	about vanilla ice cream. Okay vanilla ice cream. vanilla ice. Hey, wasn't there a rapper named Vanilla Ice?
0:55.2	Whatever happened to him?
0:56.6	He's probably hanging out with MC Hammer.
0:58.4	Oh, Hammer Time. Yeah, Hammer's and where's my hammer?
1:01.3	I need to hang up a picture.
1:02.4	Oh, yeah, vanilla ice cream.
1:04.7	I learned this little object lesson from my dear friend Anthony Sweat years ago.
1:08.7	It shows us that it can be very hard to be still, to just focus on our thoughts and commuting with God.
1:16.6	But as we'll see today, there are enormous physical, mental, and spiritual benefits that come
1:22.2	into our lives as we learn to push pause and take time to
1:26.0	in the words of the Psalmist, stand in awe, commune with our own heart and be still.
1:35.0	Unfortunately, these moments of stillness are increasingly rare in the modern world.
1:40.0	In overabundance of possessions, activities, and digital distractions often interfere with
1:46.2	our opportunities for stillness.
1:49.1	For too many of us, myself included, we can wear being busy as a badge of honor, not realizing that our
1:56.1	busyness may be keeping us from what matters most. The Chinese character for busy
2:02.0	means heart killer, right, or death or loss of heart.
	...

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