Carrie Sheffield vividly remembers finding her father’s writings and realizing something was wrong. Up until that point, she and her family were convinced her dad was a prophet in the LDS church. They traveled around the country, living in tents and motorhomes.

The abuse she encountered was her “normal.”

However, shortly after finding her father’s letters she found the courage to leave the cult her family had created. Not surprisingly, those she loved told her she was “stupid.” But that’s just the beginning: her father quickly “prophesied” that she would be raped for leaving.

What happened after? How did she end up becoming a Harvard-educated pundit that now appears on cable new? Well, that’s Episode 16 of “That Was Stupid.”

In this episode, Carrie talks about:

• What her family cult experience looked like

• The abuse she endured

• How her family reacted when she left

• What motivated her to rise above her circumstances

• The decision to forgive her father

• Her other “stupid” decision

• Her new book about her life, “Motorhome Prophecies”

• And more!

Be sure to read pick up Carrie’s new book, “Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness.”

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.

Sarah Matzke was your typical, young, married, suburban woman. Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, she was just starting out her life with her husband. Except, she had a secret.

She was secretly having an affair with her husband’s best friend.

That secret was eating away at her, until she eventually came clean. But was it too late for her marriage to be saved? What did she need to realize about herself? And what small compromises years earlier lead to a full-blown affair?

In Episode 15 of “That Was Stupid,” Sarah joins to talk about:

• The lies she believed

• How an eating disorder at a young age set the stage for more compromises later

• How she overcame an eating disorder

• The moment she confessed to her husband her affair with his best friend

• The journey back to restoration

• The truth she needed to replace the lies she believed for years

• Her new book detailing it all, “Desert Vineyards”

• And more!

Be sure to read pick up Sarah’s new book, “Desert Vineyards: A Story of Bulimia, Adultery, and Infertility Redeemed by Truth.”

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.

Brandon Moore had a dream. A dream he was so dedicated to that even when everything was pointing to an unhealthy obsession, he ignored it.

Until he couldn’t.

From a young age, Brandon wanted to be a professional baseball player. And as a young man, that dreamed seemed like it was going to come true. For a moment, it did. After playing college ball at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers to be a pitcher.

But the dream soon turned into an unhealthy obsession. Despite injuries and all signs pointing to moving on, Brandon kept going. Eventually, that revealed what an idol he had made out of sports and how he was finding his identity in all the wrong things.

So what did he do? Well, he eventually made a drastic move: he became a pastor. Today, Brandon is the Dean of Spiritual Development and a 10th grade Bible teacher. Talk about a change! And talk about “stupid.”

In Episode 14 of “That Was Stupid,” Brandon joins to talk about:

Growing up with the dream of playing professional baseball

What it’s like to be drafted

• How something can be both good and end

• The way God showed him baseball was an idol

• Why he became a “paper boy” as an adult

• His skills as a “midwife”

• His advice to parents about youth sports

• His clinical depression

• How he ended up choosing ministry and becoming a pastor

• What it looks like to believe lies

• And more!

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.