How Every Calling Builds Confidence in Christ with Kyle Black

Do you ever play the "what-if" game? It’s that spiral of worst-case scenarios that feeds our anxiety and drains our confidence. In this episode of Temple Bound, host Will Humphreys welcomes back Kyle Black—a devoted father, Bishop, and physical therapy leader—to discuss the tactical, scripture-rooted power of "lifting where you stand."

Inspired by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s iconic address, Will and Kyle dive deep into why there are no "small" callings in the Kingdom of God. They explore how responsibility acts as an invitation to exercise agency, why the "mantle" of leadership is actually a gift of love, and how our service in local wards directly mirrors the life-giving work we do within the walls of the Temple. Whether you are leading a family, a business, or a Sunbeam class, this episode will help you trade fear for the "forces of confidence" found in the Savior.

Key Takeaways

• The Piano Principle: Why "lifting where you stand" is the only way to move the heavy "gravity-defying" obstacles in our lives.
• The Anatomy of a Calling: Why a responsibility is more than a chore—it’s a divine invitation to exercise faith and receive personal revelation.
• The Power of Being "Set Apart": Kyle explains the spiritual significance of priesthood keys and how they empower us to perform tasks beyond our natural talents.
• Leadership as Love: How the best leaders aren't the most "efficient," but the ones who love the most.
• The Temple Connection: How our work for the dead is the ultimate act of "lifting where we stand" for our ancestors and descendants.
• The Legacy of John Rowe Moyle: The incredible story of the man who carved "Holiness to the Lord" on the Salt Lake Temple after a brutal personal tragedy.

Links & Resources

• Talk Referenced: "Lift Where You Stand" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
• Book Mentioned: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

Connect with Kyle Black

• Instagram: @kyleblack12 | @dr.kyleblackpt
• LinkedIn: Kyle Black, PT, DPT

Connect with Temple Bound

• Instagram: @TempleBoundPodcast
• Host: Will Humphreys

Enjoyed the show? Please leave us a review and share this episode with someone who needs a boost of confidence today!

Transcript

Choosing To Lift Where You Stand

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Do you ever play the what if game? That's the game that we play when we're thinking about something negative or we're worried about something and we start imagining all the possible worst-case scenarios, then this episode is for you. Because the entire focus of the episode is confidence in Christ. And this isn't some like light-hearted discussion. This is a tactical, tried and true approach found in the scriptures and rooted in some incredible talks that are going to help you leave feeling more confident. So if you would like more confidence, have less fear, or you'd like to learn how to teach somebody else to have more confidence, this episode is for you. And if you stay till the end, we're going through the four C's of confidence that you can teach to your kids or anyone else that you love to help them take life by the reins with the help of the Savior. Enjoy the show. All right. Well, Kyle, welcome back to Temple Bound. I'm so excited to talk about Lift Where You Stand by President Dieter F. Ookdorf. Why did you pick this talk?

SPEAKER_01 1:02

I I love President Ookdorf. I've always loved his stories and uh just the way that he connects with me personally, but just with I think the the general church as a whole. And um just thinking about um where I'm at in my life right now and um you know trying to be a good leader at home, at church, and everything else that I'm doing at work. Um I think this this uh concept of lifting where you stand rings true. Of that we need to be where we're at and we need to um lift where we are and not necessarily try to lift for other people, but lift where we are, and then that's gonna help others to help us do what we need to do and do what God wants us to do.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

I agreed, agreed. I I thought this talk was a powerful lesson on leadership. How leadership is this thing that feeds through the church. And you you are, you're a leader in multiple aspects of your life. You're a father, you're a bishop, and uh in the physical therapy world, you're over all the mentorship of of a of a group of people. Like there's a lot of leadership in in your world, and I think that's true for most people. There's a lot of leadership going on. So this is an interesting talk because he talks a lot about leadership. Is that what attracted you to it? Was the the concepts on leadership? For sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yeah. And I mean, that's my day-to-day. I I'm a leader every seven days out of the week in some form or fashion. And so uh that's just been something that that I've been trying to learn more about is how to be a more effective leader, how to, how to help others around me to lead as well. And so, yeah, that's definitely what drew me to the topic in the talk.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

I love this. Um, quick question. Who is a leader in your life that has had a significant impact on you?

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Uh I mean, one of the people that comes to my mind is you.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

Oh, I did not set it up like that on purpose. I did not pay in for that.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

I did not pay in paying me for that.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

I was thinking like when you were a kid or whatever, but that means a lot because we were used to work together.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Yeah, we've worked together, and and uh, you know, you've been a really great example to me. And so, yeah, you're a leader in my eyes. But um, another person that comes to my mind is my dad. Um, my dad was always growing up uh present for me um every day. And he was one that was always a coach for me. I was huge into sports growing up, and so he was always my coach. And he sacrificed a lot of time uh to be in the backyard with me at night, playing catch or uh at night at the ball field, going to practices or on weekends at games, things like that. Um, and he was always willing to sacrifice that time. And now being a parent and having kids that play sports, I'm realizing more of the sacrifice that it takes to lead that way. Um, and he also served in church and was busy with his job. So he he sacrificed a lot of time uh then and he still does now to lead our family.

Piano Story And Being Needed

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Yeah, I love leaders. And because people are listening, I just want to ask you, as you listeners, as you're hearing this conversation about leadership, who is someone in your life? The way I asked Kyle, who is someone in your life that has had a significant impact on you as a leader? It could be a parent, a grandparent, maybe it's a coach, maybe it was someone that you worked with. And I just want you to keep that person in mind as we're having this discussion today, because one of the most powerful things that I feel is relevant to the gospel of Jesus Christ is understanding how leadership plays into this. Leadership is like a rising tide. And as we start to step into our roles as leaders, and we'll talk about that in a little bit, because you can't be a member of the church in the latter days and not be a leader by default, by by revelation and by prophecy. So these things called leadership, oftentimes on LinkedIn gets a little bit flowery and a little bit like promote. But what we're talking about is the core nature of who we are as human beings. And I think that's so important for everyone who's listening. So think about the people who've been leaders in your life and we talk about these concepts, and I think you'll be um a little bit more connected to these principles. So let's get right into the talk. Where does this whole thing begin?

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Uh, it starts with uh President Ughrov talking about uh a group of people in his home um needing to move a piano for a concert. Yes. Um and how they were struggling. I liked how he he used the phrase gravity-defying instrument. And just how um uh they were struggling to move this piano where it needed to go for this concert. And then one of his friends, uh, who I would butcher his name if I had tried to say that. Oh, sure. These are all German names, yes. Um, but one of his really good friends uh just just simply said, Brethren, lift where you stand. And they all came together and they they picked up that piano where they each of them stood, and they were able to move the piano where it needed to go. And so um President Ukdorf uh then just teaches us that all of us have a responsibility and a role in the gospel and in our lives, and we just need to be humble enough. He uses that that phrase, humility and and being humble, um, to recognize where we're at and lift from there. And as everyone else around us is doing the same thing, that we can all do a great work.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

There's something so beautiful about the idea of people collaborating and working together as a team. Team, like where everyone's lifting together. You know, the many hands makes light lifting is a real true concept, especially as it pertains to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days. And so um, you know, what the first thought that came to mind during this, Kyle, was this idea about how this new generation that's coming through and they're just really struggling with self-worth and identity and anxiety, how how wonderful it is that they are needed. Just this desire of like, hey, you are you matter so much, not just because you exist, but because of what you're capable of in helping this work progress in the latter days. I I really think that there's a couple of really powerful concepts here that stuck out to me around this idea of how it's a call because it's also like us fulfilling our our our reason for being and for existing. So I I love that that story began like that. And sure enough, they were able to do something that seemed impossible. What seemed impossible was very doable if everyone just lived it right where they were together.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Yeah. I I love what you said there, that um it's so important in these days to just let everyone know that they're needed. Um and it in my opportunities to serve right now as the bishop, and hopefully I can continue to do that moving forward. That uh especially with working with the youth, trying to let them know as often as I can that they are needed, that they are loved, whether it's just bearing my testimony in a class, or if I have to give one of them a blessing if I'm setting them apart, I always make it a point to in some form or fashion let them know that they're loved, that they're needed, that God's aware of them. And I think that empowers them to do better and to know that they are needed in the gospel to do the work that God needs us to all to do.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

As a as a bishop, you know, I you obviously are very mindful of callings, giving people something to lift, right? And from your perspective, we're gonna get in a little bit about the you know aspirations of callings and these elements, but right now, um, I've always heard that the two things every member of the church needs is a friend and a responsibility. I wonder why, from your experience, what you've learned about that. Like, why is a responsibility so vital as members of the church? You know, behind the scenes, usually there's a lot of complaining. Like, not everyone, but I've had my moments where it's like, man, I don't know about this and I'm so busy. But like, why is that so important?

SPEAKER_01 8:28

I think a responsibility gives gives members of the church uh an opportunity to exercise their faith. Um, and faith is a principle of action. And so when we're giving someone a responsibility, whether it's a calling or just an assignment, we're inviting them to exercise faith and to use their agency to act. Um, and they then are able to receive revelation to know what to do with that. And and it's up to them to to magnify that calling. Um, and President Ukdorf talks a little bit about people that kind of hide in the shadows a little bit, but um, God's expectation and and ask of us is that we are doing our best to magnify our callings and to seek the spirit and to do our best with that. And so um when we are doing that, I think that's the important part that that a responsibility and a calling gives us those opportunities to act and change. And as we're doing that consistent consistently, that's when we receive that true change in our lives.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Yeah, I love how you said that. It's an opportunity to use your agency to express faith. I don't think people, at least I haven't thought of it like that before. I've always just thought, well, we're all volunteers and everyone needs to chip in. And I there's something beautiful about that. But having it be an actual invitation for me to exercise faith, Elder Ukdorf goes on to say in this talk about how there are no small callings because every one of them are essential in the body of Christ. And so it's interesting in the book Um Man Search for Meaning by Victor Frankel. Uh, he was a Holocaust survivor who documented his journey and afterwards wrote one of the greatest books about helping people understand like the power of having meaning in life. And he's found that when people were in the concentration camps, there were two groups basically that occurred where some people obviously were so overwhelmed by the horror that they were facing that they never really overcame it. Like they were so fixated on it understandably. But the other group of people were able to find um meaning in the suffering. They were able to see the beauty of a sunrise or do microacts of service here and there that gave them purpose. And so I think I think as you were talking about faith, it really hit me how when we are given callings, it's an opportunity for us to find purpose and meaning in our faith. And it's so true. Whenever I've served with other people, Kyle, those are usually my closest relationships personally, are the people I end up getting called to serve with.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Absolutely. Yeah, and I think that's a beauty of the gospel as well, is it it does bring us people, it brings people closer together to us. Um, and it it gives us an opportunity to work with people that we probably wouldn't work with or or associate with or maybe hang out with um outside of those opportunities to serve. Um and I think about that with people that I've served with over the years as a bishop. Like I probably wouldn't just go uh to a movie with some of them, but um I love being with them on Sundays and serving with them. And um to your point from what you said earlier, I can't do it without them. And Elder Utdorff talks about it a little bit as well that when he talks about President Monson and how President Monson was so good at ministering, especially to the widows, and how we would all love him to do it for everybody to do it for everybody. Um, but fully acknowledging that he can't. And and no one in the church can do their calling alone. We all have to lift where we are. Um, we rely on so many different people to to make the work go forward.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Yes. And it's so interesting because it always seems to come back to connection, doesn't it? When we are lifting with people, we can't help but connect and bond with those people. And it's not that every time it's perfect. I know sometimes people can get in callings and have some, like any human experience, have some outpoints and frustrations. Yeah. Well, and by say that I mean we all are imperfect and all of us could do better at our callings. So we're going to frustrate somebody at some point. Yep. But the overall impact is that we have these connections. And in a world where Satan is trying so desperately to disconnect all of us from each other, because we are brothers and sisters, it's almost like we are the only physical, tangible connection to God we have outside the temple. So if we're with each other, it's it's almost like being with God in a in a in a way. And so if we can be isolated from the other members of the church and be on our phones, man, that's where the adversary really takes control for sure.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Yeah. Yeah. Well, and uh in my experience too, that even when we do have those periods of disconnection with someone in the church, because we know what the purpose of our service is, I think it helps us to reconnect faster, it helps us to repent faster, it helps us to forgive each other faster, as long as we are moving towards those same purposes of helping others come closer to Christ.

Seeking To Lead Or Hide

SPEAKER_00 13:08

I love that. Well, all right. So let's talk about the uh the people who seek to lead, and then we'll talk about the people who seek to hide. So uh let's talk. What what was your what can you explain to the people listening what he meant in this talk when he was talking about those who seek to lead?

SPEAKER_01 13:24

Yeah, so uh essentially he was just talking about how in service in the church, um, there are uh occasions where people are gonna want to to seek to lead. He gave an example of, you know, if I was called as the bishop, I'd be able to do this so much better or something like that. Like then I would get engaged uh in in serving. And truthfully, I've been there. Like I've I've felt that in the past. Like, oh man, if I just had this bigger calling, I think I'd be so much more engaged. Um and uh on the flip side, uh um what's the phrase that he used for the other one?

SPEAKER_00 14:01

Oh, the uh seeking to hide might be uh might be how he said it.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Um that he talks about how um there are people as well that um are too busy, too busy, or um they're avoiding an interview to get a calling, or um they get a calling, but then they're not magnifying the calling. And um I think in today's day and age with how busy life is, uh priorities are super important. And when other things get more important than than your calling or or the desire to have a calling, it can be easy to then let that calling slip away or to avoid that phone call to get a calling or something like that. And so, and truthfully, I've been on that side of it too. Um just finding excuses uh to not do something in the church. Um but um I think as we are trying to be strive to be as much like the savior as we can, we're gonna find that happy medium where we're we're pointing towards the savior the best that we can so that we can serve effectively and faithfully how he wants us to do it.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

Yeah, I think that's such a great point, Kyle, because at the end of the day, I think it's important to acknowledge the human in us around all of these things. When it comes to callings, oftentimes we are gonna feel that we might be able to do something better than somebody else, or we may wish to avoid the responsibilities associated with a certain calling. I think that I think there's a big disc difference between feeling that way versus choosing to act on those feelings. And it was funny when I was reading this, I was going on a walk. The first time I I read this, I was listening to it. And in it, Elder Ukdorf says, Some people aspire to be bishop. And out loud, it was a knee-jerk. I said, Who wants that? I literally like it was so loud, people looked over at me. I'm like, sorry, I just had a visceral reaction to something because we all tend to lean one way more than another, probably on this, but at the end of the day, it's what we choose to do. So if the person who hides, uh who tends to want to hide, who calls, who steps forward in that calling the Lord will bless them, the person who's wishing they could do it differently, when they support the person anyway, the Lord chooses to bless them. And I just think recognizing those feelings is is important. Um, because at the end of the day, we're all inhuman, we're gonna have those experiences around it. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Yeah. And I think uh for members of the church, all of us have varying degrees of a foundation of a testimony. Um, and some people might be struggling with their testimony, some people might not have their roots dug super deep, some people have their roots uh deep enough that they could accept that calling. But I I think one thing I've learned is that everyone is in such a different place. And when when we as leaders or as members of the church can see people as as who they who who God sees them as, as a child of God, and we're just extending invitations to say, hey, like I have this calling for you or I have this assignment for you, will you accept it? Or hey, I need to go minister to this person. Can you come with me? Or something like that. And even whether they say yes or no, if we're extending those invitations to to act and serve on our end, we're lifting our part, it's up to them whether they want to lift too. And hopefully they're gonna lift with us, um, which is gonna help the work to progress faster. But regardless, there's gonna be someone else that can lift with us too.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Yes. And how do you, Kyle, uh navigate in a calling like a bishop, like you have, how do you navigate it when you have felt inspiration that someone should be lifting and they're not? And it creates an additional burden for you, maybe. Like, how do you navigate those waters when you know that if everyone just chipped in at the end of at an event or whatever it is, and just not very few stick around in hand, like how do you navigate those waters and and remain Christ-like in those those times?

SPEAKER_01 17:55

Well, I mean, I think regardless of the calling, if if you are called to be a leader, and um, I think it can it you can get frustrated if you want to get frustrated, if so if you're doing something within the church and trying to serve your best um and something's not going right. Yeah. Um, and so I think the best way to do that is is to just do your best to lift where you are and to even if you are frustrated, say I just need to do what I'm doing and focus on doing my best. And if that means that I have to put up 10 more chairs because someone else didn't show up, then that's okay. Um, but I just need to do my part and um hopefully someone else will have an opportunity to pick me up later on.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

I love that example. I have a really cool story to share that really highlights that point. I was uh serving as the temple, the the stake temple family, the temple and family history leader. And so uh in that I was working with the ward leaders, and there was a member of one of the wards who was really cool individual, but wouldn't show up to different meetings or participate in different functions and those elements. It never offended me. It wasn't something that bothered me. It was just something that I was aware of as I was going through that piece of it. But I had the chance to work with a member of our state presidency, and I told him about the situation. I said, you know, he said, so how are the ward leaders doing? Like, well, here's I was giving him a rundown. I said, This one individual, I haven't seen him. And he goes, we should go visit him. And in my mind, this is a very this particular member of the state presidency is a very like assertive, highly like type A personality that I actually love. And when I was going over there, I thought there would be, I don't know, some loving correction or something. And it was just the opposite. I will never forget this because this is where the gospel of Jesus Christ stands out from an organization as like like a company. Because it was, this is the tactic that I've never would have ever seen work in a in a corporate setting is that we went into this man's home. He was a young man, he had a couple of younger kids, again, really nice individual. And we sat down and and uh this state presidency member was just like, Hey, we just wanted to come over and tell you we loved you. That's the whole reason we're here. And just to thank you for anything that you you have been able to do. And it was so amazing to see this man tear up and be like, I'm not doing anything. I'm not doing anything. I can't. I'm I'm drowning in these different things. And and I will never forget. I was like, oh, well, I wonder if he's gonna get released now because he's you know, it's just not a good fit for him, and this this calling is too much pressure for him. Like I remember thinking, oh, this I felt so connected to this brother. But the state presidency member didn't take that route. He didn't release, he didn't like go down the road, he just showed mercy and grace and from like representing the savior and just going like it's okay. We all get callings, we all fall short. And I want you to know that you're supposed to be in this calling and that whatever you can do is exactly what you what the Lord wants you to do. And that I love you. And I'm I'm getting emotional thinking about it because I just had never seen that kind of approach to to like someone who is isn't necessarily lifting where they stand. But maybe sometimes we forget that the people who are who aren't lifting where they stand is because they need to be lifted themselves.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

And how much love they might need. And maybe that maybe we're the people in our callings that need to be lovingly lifted from someone just giving us the benefit of the doubt, man.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

When you thank you for sharing and for your authenticity with that. But um as you were talking, my my my thoughts went to oftentimes if if someone is struggling with that or or just things aren't getting done, it's likely that they need to get ministered to. Um that and that we can step up and minister to them and and not necessarily say, Hey, I noticed that you. weren't at XYZ activity or that that this assignment fell through, but it's saying, hey, I feel like I just need to check in and see how you're doing. How can I help you? Um what does your family need? Can I bring you a dinner? Whatever that looks like. Um, because if we're doing those things, if we're extending that, that um that hand of fellowship um and showing that, hey, even though this thing didn't get done, but I'm showing you as as your leader or even just as your brother in Christ, that that I'm there for you and I love you, and I I I want you to be happy and I want you to be with us, that they're likely going to want to step up the next time they have that opportunity.

Setting Apart And Quiet Sacrifice

SPEAKER_00 22:44

Yeah. And most importantly, they just feel loved. And that's the biggest thing. Like it's so cool how you describe that piece of it because I I, again, that's just um such a powerful thing. One of my favorite things I've heard that I repeat as if I created it was uh that the the best leader in any group is always the person who loves the most. And I've say I say that in a corporate setting on stage, and it's interesting because I get a lot of eyes rolled. But I want everyone who's listening, I want you to think back on that person, like you and your dad, or whoever that person was that everyone thought of as their or having this discussion is like, what is it about them? Well, they it was expressions of love. It was calling them forward, like we give callings in the church. It's supporting them when they're down, it's loving them and giving them benefit of the doubt, and truly encouraging them just to become their best, as best as they can become their best. Yeah. You know, and meeting them where they are. So let's get into some of the quotes that you loved about this talk. What were some of the things that you heard Alder Ukdorf say that really resonated with you?

SPEAKER_01 23:49

Uh well, you you alluded to a little bit earlier, but uh in in terms of talking about callings and lifting where you stand, uh, one of the things you said is no, no calling is beneath us. Every calling provides an opportunity to serve and grow. Uh, the Lord organized the church in a way that offers each member an opportunity for service, which in turn leads to personal spiritual growth. Whatever your calling, I urge you to see it as an opportunity not only to strengthen and bless others, but also to become what Heavenly Father wants you to become.

SPEAKER_00 24:19

That's a beautiful quote.

SPEAKER_01 24:20

Yeah. And how true that is. Um, that, you know, there are callings in the church that require more, more time and more sacrifice and and things like that. But um a primary Sunbeam teacher is so important. Um, you know, I think about my four-year, almost four-year-old daughter, that her Sunbeam teachers love her so much and she loves them. And what's gonna like who's teaching her if those Sunbeam teachers don't show up that day? Like we all have to lift where we stand. Um and one thing with callings, too, that that binds every calling together, no matter what calling that is, is that every person that receives a calling is set apart. Set apart by someone that has keys or that has keys delegated to them to set them apart. Um, and so they receive a blessing that comes from God for them to do that calling. And um through the power of the priesthood, we're all able to do these callings. And so in God's eyes, every calling is so important, and he's giving us all the power to do that.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

You know, since I have you in on this topic of setting apart, it's something culturally I've obviously been a part of, and I understand that there's a value of receiving a blessing for it. But what is the significance of being set apart? Why do we do that?

SPEAKER_01 25:43

I to me, the biggest part of it is is to get that blessing. Um, and we are we are depending on the calling, some some callings are given specific keys and power and authority to perform that calling. Um, but all callings are are everyone is given authority and rights and privileges and blessings to do that calling um through priesthood keys. And so we are receiving authorization from God through his servants to do his work um and to share his gospel and to teach his children. And we receive and then we receive a personal blessing through those delegated servants, those set-apart servants that have those keys. Um, and so we have this this special ability when we receive a calling to receive a special, specific blessing for us to do that calling. Um and so as we are faithful in that calling, we receive true spiritual power to do that calling. And then our our own spiritual capacity grows from that.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

I've never really understood that to that level until you explained it. Kyle, that was really useful for me. You know, it's almost like being empowered through the priesthood, and in the cases being given actual keys to operate within. It's when we say being set apart, I almost wonder if it's it's a better way of saying, not better, a way for me to think about it would be being set up for that part. Because we all, going back to lifting where we stand, we all have a part on the piano that we're lifting. And so I'm being set up to be successful for that part of which I'm lifting. And so, in that being set apart language, we understand that it's really about the authority and the power being administered through the priesthood so that we can effectively represent the savior in whatever, whatever that role is, and show love and mercy and empower others. And it's, you know, we experience this all the time in the corporate world where, you know, I've have you ever been through like a drive-thru with, you know, just a regular drive-thru, and and that person behind the counter actually cares. Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A, they've got it mastered. This is a I feel like we should be sponsored by Chick-fil-A. Because, you know, literally, most of the time you have people who are like, hi, how are you doing today? And you can tell they actually mean it. The same kind of energy can be administered from any calling, you know, within the church. And if we're in a position where we really understand and own our role as a leader in that place, we can really impact lives, especially if you're doing things like greeting people as they're walking in, or something that doesn't seem as administratively heavy like being a bishop, right? But those opportunities to lift where you are, that doesn't mean you're not lifting someone up dramatically. It may seem like the part of your piano is small, but you are lifting someone up maybe higher than you could ever imagine through the spirit.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

Yeah, absolutely. A little backstory. Um, John Roe Moyle, uh, so over 200 years ago, convert to the church living in Utah, was asked to help with the building of the Salt Lake City Temple. Um, he lived several hours walking distance away from the temple. I think it's 22 miles. 22 miles. Yeah. Lots of miles, almost a marathon, in fact. Wow. That uh that he would wake up Monday morning at 2 a.m. and and walk to the temple 22 miles, and he'd work all day, and uh he'd work for the whole week, and then Friday afternoon he'd walk back home. And he did that for years and years and years.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

He'd get he'd leave at 5 p.m. and get home at midnight on Friday. Yeah. Leave at two Monday morning, leave at 2 in the morning and get there just in time for a shift to start.

SPEAKER_01 29:28

Yeah. And then he gets kicked by an animal in his farm, and they have to pretty brutally amputate his leg.

SPEAKER_00 29:37

Yeah, it's almost like I can't even feel like we can talk about it the way he describes it in the talk, but it was like it was, it was, yeah. They didn't have anesthetic, it was it was a stick and a saw.

SPEAKER_01 29:47

Yeah. Um, and so to just think about the anguish and the pain that he went through for that is uh I can't even fathom that. Sure. Um, but then for him to still be mindful of I need to get back to the temple, I need to go build this temple. God wants me there. Um, and for him to then you know work to heal on his own and fabricate his own wooden leg that even when he was walking on it was incredibly painful, and then for him to build back up enough that he could do that walk again with a wooden leg so that he could go do that again, and then for him to be the one that etched, engraved holiness to the Lord, house of the Lord on the Salt Lake City Temple, pretty incredible.

SPEAKER_00 30:31

Unbelievable. And it's interesting because this is a perfect example of someone who did it without fanfare. He he did it because he loved. Yeah, and you know, the first thing I think of, Kyle, when I think about people like that are service missionaries. I think of service missionaries as the roe moyels of our day, who um, although the stigma is changing, thank goodness, but for the longest time have gone and served missions only because they love. And members of a ward who see service missionaries come present on a Sunday, it's hard to go to those sacrament meetings and not be in, you know, in tears because their authentic, wholesome, pure love of serving and leading changes you forever. It's just so powerful. So John Moyle, he had um a grandson that became a general of an apostle.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Yeah.

unknown 31:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:24

And what what did Ulier Ukdev say about that? He was he was making some sort of statement around.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

Yeah, so he he just said that, you know, uh Henry D. Moyle was the apostle. Um he served in the Corum of the Twelve, served in the first presidency. And, you know, he said, he said, President Moyle's service in these callings was honorable, but his grandfather John's service, though somewhat less public, is just as pleasing to the Lord. John's character, his legacy of sacrifice serves as a banner of faithfulness and an enzyme of duty to his family and to the church. John Row Moyle understood the meaning of lift where you stand.

SPEAKER_00 32:00

Yeah. And I think it's powerful to think about as best you can, whatever that looks like. And with the Lord, it can look so much more than we could imagine. I will tell you, if someone cuts off my leg, I am not, I'm not gonna lift in that way, but I'm gonna lift the best way that I can. Yeah. And and for him to have done that, and now every time I see that, you know, that engraving on the Salt Lake Temple, I'll never forget the passion and commitment. Because he didn't, there was no fanfare when he did that. There were probably some some surprise and appreciation, but to think about how his name has has carried through for the centuries now for us as an inspiration of leadership, it's just powerful.

SPEAKER_01 32:36

Yeah. Well, I think of so many people in my ward and and in my stake, and just people that I've served with throughout the years that have struggles and trials, whether it's physical struggles like like this case, or uh emotional struggles or or financial struggles, whatever it is that's crippling them in their own lives. Wow. That they're they're still willing to serve. Um you know, and and coming to me and saying, Hey, I can't do this like I used to, but I still want to help. Let me know how I can help.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

Um, and I think that's a perfect example of showing that humility, but still having that faith to say, I need to serve, um, and I want to serve the best that I can, and I'm gonna live to where I stand.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

One thing I've noticed, uh, Kyle, as you said that, it came to mind a number of friends of mine who've gone through horrific experiences losing children. And it's amazing to me in those three cases that I'm thinking of specifically, how it wasn't that long afterwards that they were called to serve in in the church in some capacity, in in some very meaningful way, whether it was the temple or whether it was in the high council. And I might that go so counterintuitive for me as to what I would think, you know, people would need. But I do think there's some again, going finding purpose in exercising faith, being able to tap in using our agency to that spirit is such a powerful thing. So for us, I just think it's reshaped how I think about the callings I receive, you know, and as we're talking about this, the way that I could do a better job of looking at these callings as an opportunity. And it this isn't the talk where he where he says this, but I want to say it was him, or at least I'm imagining his wonderful accent saying this in my mind, where he talks about how more recently in a general conference, how when we are called to something that we don't have a talent for or don't particularly like doing, what an extra blessing and opportunity this is to show our faith to the God by saying, you know what, this isn't something I have a natural tendency to do. I don't have a gift in this area, but I'm gonna apply it as best I can to let you know what I feel about how I feel about you.

SPEAKER_01 34:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:48

Yeah. I mean, uh in the church, we definitely don't get to pick what callings we have. No, right? But the Lord uh He He trusts us to do what what He needs us to do. Um and sometimes that's not according to our strength, sometimes that's completely against our strengths.

SPEAKER_00 35:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

Um and we really have to lean in and go outside of our comfort zone and and just rely upon the Lord to do them. Um, I think about when I was uh fresh off my mission going to BYU and the first like three callings I had in three different wards, FAG coordinator. And I'm like, I I don't throw parties, like I don't do any, like I don't know, I'm not super social in in that way. I can't throw parties like Will Humphreys, but um but but I I still leaned in and said, leaned on the the the co-chair person that um I was assigned to to serve with and said, Hey, like how can we make this work? Um and just doing it, it wasn't necessarily the most fun thing for me, and it definitely forced me to be uncomfortable, but um it was something that ended up being fun and I met people that way. And uh I mean, in the long run, through service in that area, I ended up meeting and serving with my wife. So is that right? That worked out, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:12

Yeah, I would say that's a that's a pretty powerful example of being blessed for doing something that you don't naturally want to do.

SPEAKER_01 36:18

Yeah, yeah.

The Temple As Collective Lifting

SPEAKER_00 36:19

Yeah, so that's amazing. Well, listen, this has been a fantastic talk. I I can hear people listening to this going, like, yeah, but what does this have to do with the temple? And we're about to tell you it has everything to do to the temple. When we're talking about leadership, when we're talking about callings, it has so much to do with the temple. Um, Kyle, from your perspective, what does all this have to do with the temple?

SPEAKER_01 36:41

All of us go to the temple first for ourselves. We have to help ourselves in the temple to be to be taught and instructed and to act uh according to our own faith, um, to receive our own endowment and blessings in the temple and to make covenants with God. Um, but then we have to lift where we stand to help others, um, which means we have to be in the temple. Um, and when we're there, no matter what ordinance we're performing, we are lifting where we stand um to perform work for our ancestors or for others who have passed on. Um but like you mentioned earlier, we're we're lifting others up as we're lifting uh where we stand. Um and so, and it's a it's a collective thing that we are, you know, there's it's not we're not the only ones in the temple. There's hundreds of thousands of people in the temple every day. And so, as all of us are lifting where we stand to perform individual ordinances, um, we are we are lifting to prepare for the second coming and to help all of God's children to receive those ordinances that they need to receive.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

I love that. You know, it's that the visual of the piano, except instead of the piano, it's it's your family. It's being the fortunate one to be in a sacred space where you're uplifting your lineage, the people who come before who came before you and the people are coming after you. My one of my favorite favorite temple scriptures is found in the book of Ezekiel when he has this dream, and it's the life-giving waters that flow to and from the temple. And this is hundreds, thousands of years ago when he has this vision. But at the Gilbert Temple, there is this river water that that is passing through to Rim. And that's where it's that's that's what it's a wink at is that vision of every time we go in that space, what we do, every action, every ordinance, everything is lifting the people who were our our ancestors, who are our ancestors and the people who are and will be our descendants. It's healing that goes down both lines. And one thing, Kyle, I thought about this when we were reading the talk. Like I always think about these types of talks that aren't specifically just talking about temple. This is one of my favorite temple adjacent talks because the most powerful concept that I believe about what we were doing in those temples is that we were called. We were called in the latter days. And this isn't my belief, by the way. I said it like I came up with it. This is this has been foretold by the prophets. President Nelson was huge on this, is that we in in the in the tribes of Israel, we were and are the people that were meant to come at the very end to be the ones that connect everybody else. We are the leader of leaders. I tell the youth when I when I teach them this concept that they are the tip of the spear of the Lord's army. Because it's never going to get harder than it is now. The world has never been through what they are going through in terms of the mental, emotional attacks, spiritual attacks. And they are the ones who are who are meant to overcome. And it's funny because when I first got called to the youth programs, Kyle, I remember thinking, really? When I first got to be in those spaces, I'm like, really? Because they seem like they're just so suppressed and sometimes. But I have been in awe when I've watched these men and women who rise the occasion. And now they are completely changing the architecture of temples because they have to accommodate multiple baptismal fonts, because the way the youth of this world are leading the way and lifting where they stand in Gilbert, Arizona, in Queen Creek, in Utah, in Africa, wherever they are, they lift. And it is the light on the earth that is making the whole world shine in preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And so I just want to really highlight for everyone who's listening, there is no small calling. Whatever you are doing is meant to serve people on this planet and those who are on the other side of the veil, especially when we can pursue and take that kind of attitude to the temple. Kyle, um, who is someone that you have served with that has had a leadership impact on you in the church? Can you think of a church leader, someone that has had a profound impact on you? And who are they and why?

SPEAKER_01 41:02

That's a great question. Um, I think of of the two mission presidents that I had when I was a missionary, um, President Pew and President Summer Hayes, um, that they were both just spiritual giants of men and uh helped me to realize my true potential. Um as a as a leader, as a as a son of God, as a missionary, um, that I think some of my most formative years came as they were leading me. Um and so I love them and and um I'm grateful for all that they taught me for sure. And coming more recently, the um the stake president that called me to be a bishop, um an amazing man who's getting ready to be a mission president himself.

SPEAKER_00 41:55

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 41:56

And um he uh he when he called me to be a bishop uh you know he was just so loving and just instilled so much faith and trust in me to to do that calling to serve as a bishop. And you know, I was so scared. I was so scared.

SPEAKER_00 42:17

I can uh uh only imagine, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:19

And um, you know, he he talked with my wife and I and just really uh again just instilled that trust and faith that that we could do it together. Um and as I served in those first couple years that he was still the stake president, um, always seeing how I was doing and helping me and caring for me. And so I think those first formative couple years of of serving under his uh leadership as a bishop really really um led to some great years after he was released.

Rapid Fire Kids And Closing

SPEAKER_00 42:52

Amazing. Yeah. Well, Kyle this has been phenomenal. I'd love this discussion. I would love to finish with some rapid fire questions if you're up for it. Okay, okay. So what is what are three words you would use to describe the leadership of your father?

SPEAKER_01 43:10

Caring? Patient and encouraging.

SPEAKER_00 43:20

Love that. All right, more on the fun side. Yeah. What's your where's your favorite temple?

SPEAKER_01 43:27

Ooh. Can I give you three answers?

SPEAKER_00 43:30

You can.

SPEAKER_01 43:31

Um, I always loved San Diego Temple growing up. Um so beautiful, just set on right on the freeway. You know, you drive on the freeway and it just lights up right there. Yeah. Um, super pretty. Um Mesa Temple is where I received my own endowment, so that's a special place for me. Oakland Temple is where my wife and I got married, and that's another just very beautiful temple. If you go to the hill right on top, right behind the temple, you can see the entire San Francisco Bay Area right there. It's just super pretty. And now Gilbert Temple is where I go most often.

SPEAKER_00 44:03

So love that answer. Very cool. All right. Well, you've been bishop for five years. No one knows when that release is coming, except probably there's a chance it's it's coming. What are you gonna miss most about being bishop as you as you consider the last five years of lifting where you stood?

SPEAKER_01 44:23

Um being able to just be with the people. And um I was thinking about this recently that I think the capacity to love your ward members is is a spiritual gift that comes with the mantle of being a bishop. And I think that that's I mean, I think it's going to be there to a degree, but I think it's also gonna change to a degree. Yeah. And so I think that's what I'm gonna miss the most.

SPEAKER_00 44:54

I love that answer. Final question. You know, you've got these wonderful kids that are you and Callie are raising and and turning into wonderful human beings. They're gonna see and hear this one day. What do you want them to know about love and leadership and and lifting where they stand?

SPEAKER_01 45:11

Um well, each of them in their own individual ways in their their young ages, they love so much already. And um, they love in different ways, though, too. Um, each of them are special and individual children of God, and they they all know that so incredibly well. Um, and they sing about it all the time. And so I would just say that as they get older to continue to remember that and um to express that love to people around them and to help other people to know that they're children of God too.

SPEAKER_00 45:47

I love that. Well, Kyle, thank you so much for your time on Temple Bound. It's been wonderful talking with you. It's been great.

SPEAKER_01 45:52

Thanks for having me back.

SPEAKER_00 45:53

Thanks again for listening to today's episode of Temple Bound. If you enjoyed today's show, make sure to join us over on Instagram at Temple Bound Podcast to receive additional information as well as previews of our upcoming episodes. See you over there.