“Joy Through Covenant Discipleship”

Posted on by Mitch Peterson

Last updated on August 31st, 2025 at 06:27 pm

General Conference Applied

S5 E42 – Thursday, August 28, 2025 | “Joy Through Covenant Discipleship” by Elder John A. McCune; April 2025 General Conference

Listen on Amazon Music | Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen and/or Watch on Spotify | Watch on YouTube

Podcast Episode Social Media Posts

  • Episode
    • Facebook | Instagram | X
  • Highlight
    • Facebook | Instagram | X

Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

As we begin this podcast episode, if you have not recently listened to or read Elder McCune’s April 2025 General Conference address, please pause this podcast episode and go review his address.

Bio

  • “Elder John A. McCune was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 2019. At the time of his call, he had been serving as an Area Seventy and a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah South Area. He is currently serving in the Asia North Area Presidency.

    “Elder McCune has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Japan Fukuoka Mission, elders quorum president, counselor in a ward Young Men presidency, counselor in a branch presidency, counselor in a bishopric, bishop, stake president, and president of the Utah Provo Mission.

    “Elder McCune received a bachelor of science degree in finance from Brigham Young University. In 1992 he received a master of business administration in finance from the University of California Los Angeles. He worked as a senior vice president and managing director for Capitol Investment Advisors from 1997 to 2012, at which time he was called to serve as a mission president.

    “John Allen McCune was born in Santa Cruz, California, on June 20, 1963. He married Debbra Ellen Kingsbury in 1984. They are the parents of four children.”
  • This was Elder McCune’s second general conference address. His most recent address was “Come unto Christ—Living as Latter-day Saints” from the April 2020 General Conference.

Invitations

  1. “Jesus Christ declared, ‘I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn.’ Because of who He is and what He has done, we worship Him, we revere Him, we give glory to Him, and we follow Him. Christ has redeemed us, and we are forever grateful for His infinite and atoning sacrifice.”
    • In our own words: Worship, revere, give glory to, follow, and be grateful for Jesus Christ.
    • Application Idea #1: Learn the lyrics to Hymn number 1039 – “Because“. (Bonus points for learning how to play this new hymn on the organ or the piano).
    • Application Idea #2: Watch Special Witnesses of Christ (2000) and other testimonies of prophets and apostles. Read or listen to Jesus the Christ by Talmage or The Infinite Atonement by Callister.
  2. “In our quest to understand what we do not know, we might sometimes rely on our familiar mortal experiences, or things we do know. For example, we can learn somewhat of God the Father through our own parenthood and mortal family relationships. However, we should be careful in applying these comparisons too far in our attempt to understand our Heavenly Father. The attributes of God the Father transcend any less-than-perfect attributes of a fallen man.”
    • In our own words: We can learn some things about God the Father from mortal relationships, but should be careful not to take that too far, given human imperfection.
    • Application Idea #1: Study Elder Russell M. Nelson’s April 2009 General Conference address, “Lessons from the Lord’s Prayers“. In particular, focus on the “Enhancing Our Prayers” section where he talks about the “formal, proper language of prayer.”
    • Application Idea #2: Study “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”
  3. “God the Father is the perfect Father. He is perfectly loving, kind, patient, and understanding and is perfectly glorious. We can trust Him perfectly…. [T]rust God the Father and Jesus Christ because They are just and fair with all of us.”
    • In our own words: God and Jesus are perfect; trust Them completely.
    • Application Idea #1: Study Trust and Integrity in the Gospel Library app and external resources like The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey, The Integrity Advantage by Gostick and Telford, or Winners Never Cheat by John M. Huntsman.
    • Application Idea #2: Study the topics of “Justice” and “Mercy” in Gospel Topics and Questions side-by-side and teach someone you love about what you learned.
  4. “[W]e pondered this experience.” (the McCunes’ meeting with President Nelson without knowing he was suffering from his daughter’s death)
    • In our own words: Ponder your spiritual experiences
    • Application Idea #1: If you’re married and have had spiritual experiences together, have a quiet date where it’s easy to talk privately (I suggest a picnic, hike, paddle boarding, or going to the temple and walking around afterwards) with the express agenda of pondering and discussing these experiences. Make sure you journal this.
    • Application Idea #2: What was the last significant experience that you and your significant other had? Schedule private time with your significant other to ponder that experience.
  5. “As we make and keep covenants, we will naturally turn outward and have a desire to help others feel the measure of joy and love we feel in our covenantal relationships. We can be part of the greatest cause on the earth today—the gathering of Israel. We can help to bring God’s children to Christ.”
  6. “As we bind ourselves to act as covenant disciples, in whatever our level of capacity, our relationship with the Father and the Son is enriched, our joy enhanced, and our eternal perspective expanded. We then are endowed with power and can feel joy in a measure reserved for God’s true covenant disciples.”
    • In our own words: Don’t just make covenants to check boxes; bind yourself to act as covenant disciples. Some of the best blessings God wants to give you can’t be received any other way.
    • Application Idea #1: Teach an object lesson at home or in church about binding yourself as a covenant disciple. Give someone a rope and ask them to tie themself up. They might be able to partially do it, especially their legs, but to fully bind themselves including their hands will be awkward and not very effective with help. Don’t injure the person, but invite someone else to help bind them. Talk about how we don’t make covenants alone, but together with God. You could quote D&C 82:10 “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” You could also contrast Abraham binding Isaac to the alter (example of being willingly bound) with Nephi’s brothers binding him to the mast or the People of Ammon binding and removing Korihor.
    • Application Idea #2: Study Elder David A. Bednar’s November 3, 2024, Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults entitled “Things as They Really Are 2.0“. In particular, ponder the following phrase that Elder Bednar shared in four consecutive paragraphs in this devotional: “We must strive to become agents who exercise faith in the Savior and act and shun becoming objects that merely are acted upon.” Then, teach someone you love about what you learned, or share what you learned on social media.

Discussion Questions

  1. What is the Lord, through Elder McCune, inviting us to do? And how do we intend to take action?
  2. What do we learn from Elder McCune’s statement that “Jesus Christ is both the example and the means”?
  3. Elder McCune stated: “[H]ow can God have a fulness of joy when some of His children are suffering so much? The answer lies in God’s perfect perspective and in His perfect plan.” What are practical ways that we can improve our perspective?
  4. What stands out to you the most from Elder and Sister McCune’s personal experience with President Russell M. Nelson?
  5. Why is it so important to “bind ourselves to act as covenant disciples”?

External Resources Referenced In This Episode

  1. Church News, “What Elder John A. McCune learned from praying for his father, sharing the gospel and trusting in God“
  2. Latter-day Saint Philanthropies
  3. 2019 Ensign College devotional, “Living a Life of Purpose”
  4. Hymn 1039 – “Because.” About the Hymns: “Because”
  5. Trust and Integrity in the Gospel library
  6. The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey
  7. The Integrity Advantage by Gostick and Telford
  8. Winners Never Cheat by John M. Huntsman
  9. Elder Vargas GCA episode
  10. Abraham binding Isaac
    • Genesis 22:9 “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.”
  11. Laman and Lemuel bind Nephi (on the ship)
    • 1 Nephi 18:11 “And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness….”
    • It wasn’t the first time. See also 1 Nephi 7:16-20
  12. The People of Ammon bind Korihor
    • Alma 30:19-20 “Now this man went over to the land of Jershon also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, who were once the people of the Lamanites. But behold they were more wise than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, who was a high priest over that people.”
  13. Korihor thinks it’s wrong of the people to bind themselves down by ordinances. (Alma 30:22-24)
    • Alma 30:23 “I do not teach the foolish traditions of your fathers, and … I do not teach this people to bind themselves down under the foolish ordinances and performances which are laid down by ancient priests, to usurp power and authority over them, to keep them in ignorance, that they may not lift up their heads, but be brought down according to thy words. Ye say that this people is a free people. Behold, I say they are in bondage.”
  14. “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
  15. Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Children of the Covenant“, April 1995 General Conference
  16. Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Now Is the Time to Prepare“, April 2005 General Conference
  17. President Russell M. Nelson, “‘Come, Follow Me’“, April 2019 General Conference
  18. Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Lessons from the Lord’s Prayers,” April 2009 General Conference
  19. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert by John M. Gottman, PhD.
  20. D&C 82:10 “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”

What will you do?

How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

Conclusion

The focus of our next podcast episode will be the April 2025 General Conference address that was delivered by Elder Michael B. Strong and was entitled “Charity—a Sign of True Discipleship.”

As we conclude this episode, we would invite you to refer to the podcast episode details for this podcast episode where we have provided important information for connecting with us and further supporting the General Conference Applied Podcast. The best ways to help us are to like and subscribe to the podcast, to share the podcast with others, to like and share our content on social media, to share your own experiences with us on social media, and especially to contact us on our website.

Please remember that General Conference Applied is meant to be a supplement for your review of General Conference Addresses. We promise that you will get more out of each General Conference Applied episode when you study the General Conference address first.

Thank you for joining us in this effort to become doers of the word and to take action on general conference invitations.

Tags

Covenants | Discipleship | God the Father | Jesus Christ | Joy | Love

Additional Content

Previous Podcast Episode (Sacrament on a Submarine – April 2025 General Conference Applications – Return and Report: Elder Palmer, Bishop Caussé, and President Lund)

Next Podcast Episode (“Charity — A Sign of True Discipleship” by Elder Michael B. Strong)

All Podcast Episodes

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial