Not What I Prayed For – A Blog by Barry Poppleton

Tag: LDS

  • Faith Isn’t Always Pretty: 7 Things I’ve Learned When God Didn’t Answer My Prayers

    Barry

    Meta Description: Discover 7 powerful lessons about faith and unanswered prayers. Learn how to find hope, growth, and deeper trust in God even when He seems silent. Tags: unanswered prayers, faith lessons, trusting God, spiritual growth, Christian living I remember the night vividly. Tears streaming down my face, I knelt beside my bed, pleading with… Read more

  • Infertility in a Family-Centered Church

    Barry

    Unless you have infertility, I don’t think it would be very easy to understand it. For the first few years of our marriage, we were just waiting to have kids. Then we decided to start trying, and then we tried and tried and tried and tried, and we’re still trying. We haven’t given up. But… Read more

  • Engaging LDS Primary Children: Scripture Song Match Lesson Plan

    Barry

    Keywords: LDS Primary, singing time, scripture songs, gospel principles, children’s music education, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Meta Description: Discover an innovative LDS Primary singing time lesson plan featuring the Scripture Song Match activity. Learn how to engage children in connecting scriptures with gospel songs, enhancing their spiritual education. Introduction to LDS Primary… Read more

  • Five Years of Sacred Keys: Reflections of a Former Bishop

    Barry

    It’s been exactly one month since I was released as bishop of our ward. Tonight, as I prepare my singing time lesson about Joseph Smith’s First Vision (trying to figure out how to keep a dozen 3-11 year-olds engaged with a song with complicated words), I find myself reflecting on these past five years with… Read more

  • Erectile Dysfunction and Infertility: When Your ‘Lab Equipment’ Fails During Crucial Experiments

    Barry

    With infertility, there are many feelings: abandonment, loneliness, stress, feelings of inadequacy, feelings of not belonging to the church community, and many more. One of the craziest and least expected feelings I had was anxiety before baby dancing (the fertility world’s word for baby-making sex). When it is ovulation time, there’s a lot at stake.… Read more

  • Our Struggle with Infertility

    Barry

    My wife and I have infertility. People don’t want to talk about having infertility because, as soon as you do, that’s who you are: the couple with infertility. Then the advice and stories begin. Here are some words of wisdom i have been given:  Here are some comments I have gotten:  The best part has… Read more

  • Not What I Prayed For

    Barry

    Embracing the Unexpected: A Latter-day Saint’s Faith Journey In the digital age of curated perfection, where social media feeds and blog posts often showcase only the highlights of one’s life, I find myself compelled to share a more authentic narrative. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my faith journey… Read more