I believe that the most important thing that all of us are asked to do in our lives so that we can be prepared for the missions that Heavenly Father sent us here for is to respond to preparatory promptings.

And we all get them. We just don't recognize them when they come.

You'll have this little inclination that there's an article you ought to read,

or that's a person that you ought to reach out and call,

or here's a class you ought to take, or a person you ought to go to lunch with.

And these are educative opportunities that often prepare us for things 10, 15, 20 years down the road. And I have been far from perfect in my life, but one thing I think I've been decent at

is recognizing that stirring when it happens, that tap on the shoulder and honoring it,

and letting it sort of accumulate in my life shoebox.

And then what happens is when the crisis hits, you can often look back.

I think it was Thoreau who said that you have to live your life forward,

but you only understand it backward.

And in that moment, holding my son, I could start to look backward

and see how I had been prepared for that moment,

and to sort of lay the groundwork for what later became the Other Side Academy.

This is John Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News. Welcome to the Church News podcast.

Today we're taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the Life Help section on the website for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

we're reminded that everyone needs help sometimes.

Life is like that.

In fact, God planned it to be that way.

And for leading social scientist, New York Times best-selling author, and church member Joseph

Greney, helping others has become his career

...