Summary
In this 2024 FAIR Conference talk, Becky Squire addresses common fears about sharing the gospel online—including the fear of offending, sounding preachy, or not knowing enough. She provides actionable, simple ways for anyone—whether timid or bold—to participate in Elder Bednar’s prophetic call to “sweep the earth as with a flood.” By focusing on kindness, authenticity, and spiritual gifts, Becky helps listeners embrace their unique role in digital missionary work.
Becky Squire is passionate about helping others share the gospel of Jesus Christ online in simple, authentic, and effective ways. She believes that social media, when used with intention and faith, can be a powerful tool inspired by God to spread light and truth across the world.
Becky has been creating Latter-day Saint–focused content for over six years, offering practical tips and faith-promoting resources through her blog. Her work has been featured in the Liahona, LDS Living, and The Today Show.
In addition to her writing, Becky enjoys jump-roping, playing the piano, and teaching seminary. She and her family live in Northern Utah—except for her oldest son, who is currently serving as a missionary in Indiana.
This talk was given at the 2024 FAIR Annual Conference at the American Heritage School, Salt Lake City, Utah on August 8, 2024.
Becky Squire is a writer and speaker who helps others share the gospel online with simplicity and authenticity. Her work has been featured in the Liahona, LDS Living, and The Today Show.
Transcript
Becky Squire
Thank you. Thank you so much for coming here and taking your whole day to be here and receive faithful answers.
Introducing Becky Squire
I wanted to just introduce myself first. My name is Becky Squire. I live up in Davis County, north of here, and I have a wonderful husband of 21 years.
We have four kids. My oldest is serving a mission in Indianapolis, Indiana. He hits his one-year mark next week—so all downhill from there. Then I have a 17-year-old daughter, a 15-year-old son, and a 13-year-old son.
That’s just a little bit about me. I enjoy playing piano, I enjoy spending time with my family, and I enjoy sharing goodness online.
How I Got Started
I wanted to talk a little bit about how I got started doing that. That’s actually a question that I get a lot. But before I do that, I wanted to excuse my voice because I’m just getting over a sickness that I had last week and my voice is still a little bit raspy. Hopefully it doesn’t go all the way away, and hopefully you can hear me okay.
How I Got Started Sharing Goodness Online
Let’s talk about why I started sharing goodness online and how that came to be.
It kind of starts with the fact that I did not get the opportunity to serve a mission. I really wanted to serve a mission. That was always something that I was excited to do—to serve a full-time mission.
The reason is because, in person, I actually think it’s really scary to talk about my beliefs and to share my testimony. That’s something that’s really scary. I thought, you know, when I’m on a mission, it kind of gives you an excuse, right? To put on that badge and to share the gospel and to share your testimony. Not that you can’t do it without it, but I thought that might give me a little bit more courage.
I Started a Family and a Blog
Well, I met my husband and we got married. I didn’t serve that mission. I started having children. And back in, like, 2007 or 2008, blogging started to be a really big thing. So I started a family blog—just would share pictures of my kids, funny stories that would happen, no big deal.
Then I came across this quote from Elder Ballard that he gave during a talk. It wasn’t a general conference talk, but it was a talk that I came across. I really liked this quote. He says:
“Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration.”
That really hit me because I realized that I could use my little platform of a blog to share the gospel. Even if the only people that saw it were my family, I was still doing my part, right? I could influence them. I never, ever forgot that quote. I keep it up. I read it all the time.
The Power and Purpose of Using the Internet to Share Goodness
You might be thinking, well, why does he say that it’s so important to use the internet?
I’m sure that you’ve all been on the internet and seen the scary, horrible things. Some person earlier today—maybe it was Emma—said it was gross. Was it you? Somebody was talking to me about what’s online. “It’s gross.” And it’s so true. There’s a lot of negative stuff out there.
The Internet Isn’t Going Away
But the truth is, the internet is not going away. It is a very powerful tool in what we can do to share the gospel. I believe that it’s from God and that we have a responsibility to use it to share goodness. I think it was Elder Corbitt today who said that there’s opposition in all things, right? There’s good and there’s bad. You’re going to find both. So what are we going to focus on, and what are we going to share? I want to share goodness.
If you have a desire to share goodness online—or even if you don’t—there are really, really simple ways that we can do that. Whether you have 100,000 followers or whether you just share little family pictures to your closest family and friends, you can share goodness online.
Common Fears About Sharing the Gospel Online
Let’s think about what may be holding you back from sharing the gospel online. It can be a really scary thing.
A couple of years ago, I actually asked my followers what was holding them back from sharing the gospel online, and these were the most common responses. These aren’t all of the reasons, but these were the ones I heard the most.
Fear #1: The Fear of Offending Others
The fear of offending others is probably the number one reason that we don’t share our testimonies online. We don’t want to offend anybody.
In fact, I just shared—I don’t have this up or anything because I just shared it yesterday—but this is a quote that said:
“If you are silent about your beliefs because you are afraid of offending others, then what’s more important—your beliefs or what people think of you?”
Now, there are a lot of reasons why we might not share. But if that’s the reason, then I invite you to think about what’s more important. I would bet that your beliefs are more important. We’re going to talk a little bit about how we can get over those fears.
Fear #2: The Fear of Sounding Preachy
The next one is the fear of sounding preachy. We don’t want to sound like we know all the truth and they don’t know anything, or we just don’t want to seem like we’re trying to put ourselves higher than anybody else.
That can be a tricky spot. That might be something that is holding you back from sharing the gospel.
Fear #3: Lack of Knowledge
The third most common thing is a lack of knowledge. I have felt that myself. I have felt in the past that I don’t know enough to share the gospel online.
Using Spiritual Gifts
One of the things that I actually share about a lot is how to use our spiritual gifts—and how, when we do discover our spiritual gifts, that can give us power to share goodness and to have confidence. To have that divine confidence that can only come from God.
I want to tell you a little story about that.
Seeking the Gift of Knowledge
Several years ago—probably about seven years ago now—I decided to pray for a certain spiritual gift. I wanted the spiritual gift of knowing the scriptures—of knowledge, right? I wanted to know the scriptures as well as my mom knew the scriptures because she could apply scriptures to anything.
I would come home from school with a boy problem, and she would have a scripture ready for me. I would come home with anything, and she would have a scripture. She just knew them off the top of her head, and I always admired that.
Scriptures do not come easy to me. I don’t remember them. I don’t remember where to find them. I don’t remember what they said. I don’t remember how to apply them to my life. But that was some knowledge that I wanted. That was a spiritual gift I wanted.
So I decided to pray and ask Heavenly Father for that specific spiritual gift. I will testify that Heavenly Father—He wants to give you spiritual gifts that you sincerely desire.
My Prayer Was Answered
But also—be careful what you ask for! Because when I prayed for that spiritual gift, not even a week later, I was called to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher in my ward. That is the most terrifying calling for me.
I was Young Women’s president at 20 years old—no problem. I was Primary chorister with a million kids—no problem. But teaching adults the gospel? That terrified me.
Heavenly Father Knows Us
Because Heavenly Father knew that I was going to be so terrified, He answered my prayer in this way because He knew that I would be forced to study the gospel like I had never studied before. I didn’t want to get up there in front of my class and look like an idiot, right? I wanted to know what I was teaching.
So it kind of forced me to learn the scriptures and to learn more of the gospel. That was just kind of a side story. But lack of knowledge might be one thing that is holding you back. That’s definitely something that holds me back—I want to know what I’m sharing, and I want to have a strong testimony of it.
A Call to Share Goodness: “Sweep the Earth”
I love this quote from Elder Bednar about sharing the gospel—especially when it comes to using the internet. He says:
“I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth, messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy, and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.”
I want you to think about that. What does “sweep the earth” look like to you?
Everyone Shares Differently
I think it will look different for everybody—but I think that’s what makes it amazing. We all have our unique ways of sharing the gospel, and we can even have our own unique ways of sharing the gospel online.
There are so many here who are my friends, and we share the gospel online—but we all do it in such different ways. We need to reach those individual people in different ways.
So I want you to think about what it might look like for you to “sweep the earth as with the flood.”
The Share Goodness Challenge
One thing that I started doing a couple of years ago is something called the Share Goodness Challenge. (My formatting is a little bit messed up. It’s supposed to say, “the Share Goodness challenge.”) And this was something I decided to kind of host, to get others who were afraid to share goodness online to start doing it themselves.
So if you’re feeling timid to share the gospel online, if you’re feeling maybe a little bit more comfortable in sharing the gospel online and maybe here you’re feeling bold in sharing the gospel online, there are ways for whatever you are feeling.
Share With Social Media
We’ll go with this. This quote by Elder Stevenson before we go into those, he says:
In our digital age, members often share messages through social media. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of uplifting things you might find worthy of sharing. This content offers invitations to “come and see,” “come and serve,” and “come and belong.”
And so if you listen – if you pay attention – to Elder Stevenson, he actually talks about sharing goodness online all the time – he has many talks. But the reason we do it is so that we can show others and we can invite them to come and see, come and serve and come and belong.
For the Timid
Okay, so for the timid, if you’re feeling a little bit timid, here are some ideas that you can do to share goodness online. Again, it does not matter whether you have a lot of people who are your followers or if you just share things with your family and friends.
Follow the Prophet
You can follow the prophet and apostles on social media. Super easy, right? All you have to do is follow the prophet. Another idea is to share a post from the prophet or apostles – just share something that they’ve posted. You might send it to people who wouldn’t have seen it otherwise, and it’s making that ripple effect.
Share a Scripture
Post your favorite scripture verse. There are a lot of different ways you can do this. You can take a screenshot of your scriptures or take a picture of your paper copy of your scriptures. You can just type up your favorite verse. There’s so many different ways. Just post your favorite scripture, maybe even talk about why it’s your favorite scripture.
Make Positive Comments
And then this one I love. We all need more goodness in the comment section. So the last one says ‘comment compliments’, right? When you’re online, whether it’s on a controversial post or not, it doesn’t matter. Just comment compliments, comment goodness, comment a happy face, comment a heart. It’s all goodness, right? It doesn’t matter – it doesn’t have to be lengthy. It doesn’t have to be long. It can be simple.
Comfortable Sharing Online
Okay, so if you’re feeling a little bit more comfortable about sharing the gospel, here are some ideas. Post your favorite scripture and why it’s your favorite scripture. Share a link to a Book of Mormon video. (Those new Book of Mormon videos that are on YouTube, post a link.) You could even post the video that kind of goes along with Come, Follow Me for this week.
Show Your Local Mission Some Love
Another one is to invite your friends to follow your local mission page. This is actually something that the church is really wanting to do, to spread throughout the world. A year or two ago, one of my callings (I don’t remember the name of it) was like a social media missionary for the state, and it took me a good six months to actually figure out what that meant.
But the church wants every stake to have a social media missionary, and one of the purposes is to get everybody to follow their local mission page. So, whatever mission you live in, go to Facebook and find their page. I think most of them are trying to start with followers of whatever the mission is, so you can look for that.
You can even ask your stake president – he will probably know. But, when we follow our local mission page, they share a lot of goodness on those pages. The missionaries are trying to share things. When we share it, it goes even further.
Share Your Testimony
And then the last one says to write a short testimony and post a screenshot. Okay, so maybe write down a sentence or two of what you believe or what you know, and post that a little bit scarier. But you can do it.
For Those Who Are Bold
If you’re feeling bold about sharing the gospel, post a video of you talking about why you love the gospel. If you don’t want to show your face, you can just do an audio. There’s lots of different ways you can do this – like posting a beautiful view of the sunset and talking over it. Lots of different ways!
Invite Others
Invite your friends to follow the prophet on social media. Okay, so you’re already following the prophet on social media. Invite your friends to do it. You can invite them through social media. You can invite them in person.
Create a Reel
The next one says to create a real or a video of you sharing your favorite scripture. Again, sharing, showing our faith, that can be scary. But I will say in my experience online, when people can see your face, it becomes much more relatable and personable.
Share Your Studies
And then the last one is to share your best Come, Follow Me tip. I think we all have our own unique ways of doing Come, Follow Me. Share what works for you. And that is a way of sharing goodness.
There’s Always a Way to Share
So whether you’re timid, comfortable, or feeling bold, there’s always a way to share goodness online. And we all need it.
If you’re going to be on social media anyway, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, maybe you’re just on YouTube looking at videos, maybe you are looking at your family’s blogs. Whatever you’re on, there is a way to share goodness.
We Can Change the World
And I believe that with the world literally at our fingertips, we have the power and responsibility to share goodness and to change the world.
And I know that as we do share goodness, that we will change the world.
Audience Q&A
Not available.
Endnotes & Summary
In this inspiring 2024 FAIR Conference talk, Becky Squire addresses common fears about sharing the gospel online—including the fear of offending, sounding preachy, or not knowing enough. She provides actionable, simple ways for anyone—whether timid or bold—to participate in Elder Bednar’s prophetic call to “sweep the earth as with a flood.” By focusing on kindness, authenticity, and spiritual gifts, Becky helps listeners embrace their unique role in digital missionary work.
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Talk Details
- Date Presented: August 8, 2024
- Duration: 16:46 minutes
- Event/Conference: 2024 FAIR Annual Conference
- Topics Covered:
sharing the gospel online, spiritual gifts, testimony, sweep the earth, Elder Bednar, Elder Ballard, Elder Stevenson, digital missionary work, fear of offending, social media sharing, come and see, gospel sharing tips, apologetics, covenant responsibility, overcoming fear
Common Concerns Addressed
Fear of offending others when sharing religious beliefs
Concern:
Many hesitate to share their faith online because they worry their words might offend or alienate friends, family, or acquaintances who do not share their beliefs.
Response:
Becky Squire addresses this concern directly by reminding listeners to evaluate what matters most—their beliefs or the opinions of others. She encourages respectful sharing that focuses on personal testimony and goodness rather than argument or confrontation. Gospel sharing, when done with kindness and sincerity, invites rather than demands. Elder Ballard and Elder Stevenson both emphasize the power of clear, loving invitations like “come and see.”
Fear of sounding preachy or self-righteous when expressing faith online
Concern:
Some avoid sharing gospel messages because they don’t want to appear as though they’re claiming moral superiority or acting as if they “know better.”
Response:
Becky explains that sharing goodness doesn’t have to mean delivering sermons. Instead, it can be as simple as sharing a favorite scripture, a personal insight, or reposting uplifting messages from prophets and apostles. When faith-sharing is framed as personal experience rather than declaration of authority, it becomes relatable rather than preachy. The goal is to connect, not to condemn.
Feelings of inadequacy or lack of knowledge when discussing the gospel
Concern:
Some feel they aren’t “spiritual enough” or don’t know enough about doctrine or scripture to share the gospel confidently.
Response:
Becky vulnerably shares her own experience of praying for the spiritual gift of knowledge and how God helped her grow through that desire—even leading her to a Gospel Doctrine teaching calling that stretched her. She reminds listeners that gospel-sharing is not about being an expert but about being willing. Spiritual gifts grow through effort, study, and sincere desire. As Elder Bednar teaches, authenticity and personal experience are powerful tools for inviting the Spirit into these conversations.
Questions about whether sharing testimony online is effective or appropriate
Concern:
Some wonder if social media posts or online efforts actually make a difference, or if they come across as performative or insincere.
Response:
Becky shares the prophetic invitation from Elder Ballard and Elder Bednar to “sweep the earth as with a flood” through digital testimony. The effectiveness of sharing doesn’t depend on numbers of followers but on faithfulness to the prompting to witness of Christ. Even small posts seen by just a few people can inspire change or strengthen faith. The Lord magnifies sincere efforts, whether seen by many or few.
Anxiety about standing as a witness of Christ in the digital age
Concern:
In a time when religious belief is often criticized or mocked online, many feel anxious about standing up publicly as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Response:
Becky acknowledges this fear but testifies that standing as a witness is part of our covenant responsibility, whether in person or online. Small acts of goodness, shared consistently, can fulfill this call. She emphasizes that sharing with love, authenticity, and gentleness is both effective and faithful. Instead of engaging in contention, she encourages focusing on invitations to “come and see, come and serve, and come and belong.”
Apologetic Focus
Becky Squire’s talk provides significant apologetic value by reinforcing the doctrine that members of the Church have a covenantal responsibility to stand as witnesses of Christ in all settings, including online. She corrects common misconceptions that sharing faith must be confrontational or preachy, emphasizing instead the Christlike pattern of invitation and personal testimony. Drawing on scriptural teachings about spiritual gifts, she shows how even feelings of fear and inadequacy can be overcome through divine help. Her message is anchored in the prophetic calls of Elder Ballard, Elder Bednar, and Elder Stevenson to use digital platforms to spread the gospel and flood the earth with goodness. Through her practical examples and testimony, Becky helps members feel empowered to share their faith authentically, building confidence, charity, and a broader defense of discipleship in a digital world.
1. Covenant responsibility to stand as witnesses of Christ (Mosiah 18:9)
Concern:
Some wonder if sharing testimony online is optional or unnecessary.
How This Talk Answers It:
Becky roots her invitation to share goodness in the broader covenant responsibility that members take upon themselves at baptism—to “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.” She emphasizes that the digital world is one of those “places.” Sharing online is an extension of fulfilling that sacred promise, not an optional extra.
2. Misconceptions about sharing testimony being pushy or aggressive
Concern:
Critics and hesitant members often worry that bearing testimony online appears arrogant, preachy, or disrespectful.
How This Talk Answers It:
Becky normalizes these concerns but reframes gospel-sharing as an act of invitation, not confrontation. She stresses that goodness can be shared in simple, sincere ways—like reposting a prophet’s words or sharing a meaningful scripture—without forcing beliefs or creating conflict. This clarifies that effective testimony is relational and Spirit-driven, not argumentative.
3. Clarification that effective gospel sharing is about invitation, not argument
Concern:
Some assume that sharing the gospel online means engaging in debates or trying to “win” arguments.
How This Talk Answers It:
Becky draws on prophetic examples, particularly Elder Stevenson’s emphasis on invitations to “come and see, come and serve, and come and belong.” She teaches that our responsibility is to offer truth lovingly and to invite others, without contention. Gospel sharing becomes an act of kindness rather than confrontation, aligning with Christ’s example.
4. Doctrine of spiritual gifts (D&C 46:11–26) as a source of strength and confidence
Concern:
Members often feel unqualified to share because they lack confidence or doctrinal knowledge.
How This Talk Answers It:
Becky shares her personal story of praying for the gift of knowledge, reinforcing that spiritual gifts are available to those who seek them earnestly. Her example reassures members that feelings of inadequacy are normal—and that strength, confidence, and effectiveness in sharing the gospel come through spiritual growth, not through natural charisma or expertise.
5. Prophetic endorsement of digital missionary work (Elder Ballard, Elder Bednar, Elder Stevenson)
Concern:
Some members may be unaware that using the internet to share testimony is a prophetic priority.
How This Talk Answers It:
Becky cites direct invitations from Elder Ballard, Elder Bednar, and Elder Stevenson to participate in gospel-sharing online. By grounding her message in prophetic calls, she validates digital missionary work as an inspired and necessary part of modern discipleship, not merely a cultural trend or optional hobby.
6. Application of Elder Bednar’s call to “sweep the earth as with a flood”
Concern:
Skeptics might question whether small acts of goodness online actually fulfill prophetic vision.
How This Talk Answers It:
Becky explains that each small, sincere act—whether sharing a scripture, posting a testimony, or commenting kindness—contributes to the flood of righteousness Elder Bednar envisioned. Sweeping the earth does not require a massive audience; it requires faithful, cumulative effort. Every voice matters in building the spiritual flood that prophets have called for.
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