Conversion- Jon Linford devotional address

·22 min·2 clips

John Linford, retiring after 22 years, shares his final devotional on conversion at BYU-Idaho.

The episode is a devotional address by John Linford, marking his retirement after 22 years at BYU-Idaho and 40 years in higher education. It opens with an introduction highlighting his career, including roles as the first online vice president at BYU-Idaho and a vice president at BYU-Pathway. A video message from Elder Clark G. Gilbert praises Linford's impact on the Church Educational System. Linford begins by expressing gratitude to university leaders and his family. He frames his talk around the theme of 'becoming' and 'conversion,' citing President Dallin H. Oaks' distinction between testimony and conversion. Linford references the biblical account of Peter and Jesus to illustrate this point. He then delves into a detailed examination of Romans 8, encouraged by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's counsel. Linford reads and interprets several verses, discussing concepts like walking after the Spirit, carnal versus spiritual minds, and the spirit of adoption. He shares a personal story from tenth grade about overcoming paralyzing shyness through fervent prayer, describing it as his first experience asking God for help on the covenant path. Linford emphasizes that Christ provides a godly power for change beyond human capability. He explains that glory comes through suffering, referencing President Oaks' teachings on affliction. Linford recounts a moment of personal despair where crying out to Jesus brought immediate hope through the Spirit's intercession. He concludes with a testimony of God, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and living prophets like Dallin H. Oaks and Russell M. Nelson, ending with a quote from Romans 8 about God's inseparable love.

As heard by us

A steady devotional that joins Romans 8, covenant life, and a quietly useful story about courage.

John Linford's devotional treats conversion as a continuing work rather than a one-time credential. It moves from Romans 8 to President Russell M. Nelson's covenant path, then settles into a memory of a tenth-grade crush and the slower lesson of asking God for courage.

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Why you'd press play

A quiet devotional for the part of you that still needs courage on command.

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