For her forthcoming memoir, Flunking Sainthood, Jana Riess tackled twelve different spiritual practices in a quest to become more saintly, including fasting, fixed-hour prayer, gratitude, Sabbathkeeping, and generosity. although she began with great plans for success (“Really, how hard could that be?” she asked at the start of her saintmaking year), she found to her growing humiliation that she was failing—not just at some of the practices, but at every single one. in this session, Jana will share her funny yet vulnerable story of the quest for spiritual perfection and the reality of spiritual failure, which turned out to be a valuable practice in itself. She will also discuss ways Mormons can combat legalism in favor of a more holistic and lifegiving approach to spiritual practices.

Jana Riess