Ministering to Those Who Don’t Hear God Anymore | An Interview with Emily Robison Adams

Emily Robison Adams is married with three children and is a
practicing appellate attorney. She received her undergraduate
degree in linguistics from Brigham Young University and her JD from
the University of Minnesota Law School. She worked for judges on
the Minnesota Court of Appeals and the Federal District Court for
the District of Minnesota before returning to Utah. She is a
partner at The Appellate Group, a boutique law firm focusing on
appeals. Emily has served in Relief Society and Young Women
presidencies, taught Relief Society, and currently serves as the
Primary chorister. Highlights 02:00 Kurt introduces Emily and her
story. 04:00 Emily shares her background. 06:00 Emily’s faith
crisis. She felt like she couldn’t get answers from God. 09:10 A
crisis dismantles your framework and the story you’ve built your
life on. 11:20 The shame that comes from feeling like you can’t
connect with the divine. 15:25 How leaders can help with a faith
crisis. 17:50 Emily shares that she dealt with bitterness and
doubts and didn't know what to do with her doubts. 20:40 How
leaders can use the tool of rethinking to help an individual
struggling with their faith. 23:30 Emily shares how she was able to
rethink. She did this by finding people that were feeling the same
way. She found books from other religions and perspectives that
really helped her. 28:45 There are moments where scripture study
feels empty. Find new ways to connect with God. It could be a hike,
a walk, ten minutes of quiet. 31:50 Leaders are there to mourn with
those that mourn. Be careful about preaching to someone that is in
the tender stage of their faith crisis. Try to gauge where the
person is at and what they need at the moment. 35:00 Leaders should
resist the urge to fix everyone’s problems. Listen to their story.
Show empathy for their difficulty. 37:15 Spencer Fluhman talks
about how you answer gospel questions by not answering gospel
questions but by connecting to the person who is asking you the
question. 38:15 How to spot if someone is having a faith crisis or
mental health issue. 43:00 Emily talks about sending smoke signals
to people when she started struggling with her faith. 45:15 Leaders
need to create safety in their wards. Safety to share. “There is no
such thing as resistance, only lack of safety.” 48:00 Where Emily
is at now in her faith journey. 53:00 Emily talks about how she is
grateful for the quietness. How her faith has grown. Links Divine
Quietness: Finding Meaning When Heaven is Silent Faith After Doubt
Stages of Faith The Dark Night of the Soul What Every Leader Needs
to Know About Faith Crisis | An Interview with Scott Braithwaite
“Answering Sincere Gospel Questions,” with Spencer Fluhman Read the
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