All In

Latter-day Saints around the world make significant sacrifices to believe. For Roohina Arya, a desire to follow Jesus Christ meant risking her life. Local laws forbade her conversion to Christianity and simply desiring to believe meant subjecting herself to physical abuse as well as a loss of security for her and her loved ones. Yet, she says that the hope of finding light was worth any risk. On this week’s episode, we talk with Roohina about her quest to come unto Christ and how her journey of faith transformed her life. “For me, it was like I die or I get to that light.” Show Notes 1:46- Born in Iran 7:31- A Miraculous Gift and a Friend 12:04- Arrested 22:43- Worth the Risk 27:15- Searching for a Church 30:20- “Expedient” 33:02- Called to Serve 36:34- Led By The Hand of God 37:57- What Does It Mean to Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A thread of complexity is woven throughout the life of Emma Smith. Her love for her husband, the Prophet Joseph Smith, was enduring despite her struggles to understand his participation in polygamy. Her family was the most important thing to her, yet she suffered familial losses over and over again. She gave her all for the gospel of Jesus Christ but chose not to go west with the Saints. Many have asked, “Did Emma fall short?" This week, we talk with Jennifer Reeder, the author of the new biography, “First: The Life and Faith of Emma Smith," about why the answer to that question is no—Emma gave all that was asked of her. “The very thing that tears you to pieces is often the thing that means the most to you.” Show Notes 3:47- “I Think She Is Speaking to Me” 11:33- A Life of Loss and Starting Over 17:13- Did Emma Fall Short? 19:45- “Joseph, Joseph, Joseph” 21:54- Complementary Partners 27:36- Polygamy 37:04- Emma’s Family’s Concerns 41:41- Stories of Ongoing Restoration 46:57- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like many young couples, Nate and Vanessa Quigley had big dreams and a firm vision for their little family after getting married. They had read the Book of Mormon scripture that promises if you keep the commandments, you will prosper in the land (2 Nephi 4:4). Over a quarter of a century later, they believe the Lord has blessed them in their efforts to raise their children in the gospel of Jesus Christ—those blessings just look a little different than they imagined. On today’s episode, the Quigleys share the challenges they've encountered as parents and why they are convinced their family is perfect for them. “As a parent, you just jump in the lake and you swim. You can’t possibly help yourself. ...It’s unsafe to be a parent because you love your children so desperately.” Show Notes  1:43- Family Narratives 6:48- The Perfect Family? 9:25- Watching a Child Struggle 13:22- The Pandemic of Pandemics 17:47- No More Sweeping Under the Rug 22:57- The Price Paid To Be Someone’s Angel 26:19- Trust God and Do Your Best 31:30- Talking About Mental Challenges 36:09- The Wheel of Wellness and Safe Love 42:30- The Perfect Family Learning Together 45:58- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to put ourselves in the shoes of the people we read about in Church history or in the scriptures. We live in such a different world today that their experiences can be hard for us to grasp. But stepping into others’ shoes is what Casey Elliott often does on stage, and the experience has changed him. From playing Joseph Smith in the upcoming film “Green Flake” to Peter in the concert film of the oratorio “Lamb of God,” Elliott captures the humanity of these people and brings them to life. In this week’s episode, we explore what this humanity means to Elliott and how his perception of history has deepened through acting. “Creative ideas in a very real sense are bits of intelligence, bits of spiritual stuff that wasn’t created, it just is there and, as creatives, we have the immense blessing and opportunity to take that and to form it into an identity. And that identity, once formed, almost takes on a life of its own.” Show Notes 2:54- “Resist Playing to the Icon” 9:18- Imperfect but Utilized 12:08- Being Present 15:07- “The Spirit of Christ is in the Music” 21:50- Putting Ourselves in Their Shoes 24:03- Peter, Our Brother 30:27- “Reaches My Reaching” 32:24- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Turley has spent his career facing history head-on because he believes the more we know, the better we can answer questions. When it comes to Church history, there are an abundance of examples worth emulating, but there are also cautionary tales we can learn from. On this week’s episode, Turley looks back on his takeaways from writing books about two dark moments in Church history: the Mark Hofmann trial and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He then contrasts that to the uplifting lessons he learned from writing a biography about the exemplary life of President Dallin H. Oaks. “We tend to ignore the lessons we can learn from the past and we don’t look very far into the future.” Show Notes 1:39- Cold-called 6:46- Mark Hofmann 13:46- Lingering Misperceptions and What We Should Know 16:30- Mountain Meadows Massacre 21:27- Distinguish Between the Mental and the Spiritual 23:11- Cautionary Tales and Transparency Through the Big Picture 27:18- This Moment in Church History 29:19- A Full Circle Moment 30:45- 'In the Hands of the Lord’ 33:34- Documenting Someone Else’s Life 34:44- President Oaks—'A Very Balanced Human Being’ 38:48- Work, a Sense of Humor, and Letter Writing 43:08- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last decade, Fiona and Terryl Givens have brought to light wonderful and expansive doctrines in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ by drawing upon literature and other faith traditions. Their work helps Latter-day Saints appreciate the beauty of what we believe. On this week’s episode, we talk with these scholars about many of their books, how those books are influenced by their life experiences, and how their studies have brought us greater appreciation for our faith tradition and the faith traditions of others. “If something harrows the mind and constricts the heart, that I don’t think is of God—that is not of the Spirit. But if something—an idea, a thought, a song, a book—enlarges your mind and awakens your heart to joy then we can know that that is true.” Show Notes 1:52- Fiona’s Story 8:47- Terryl’s Story 11:21- The Influence of Life Experiences 14:58- What the Restoration Brings to the Table 21:10- Doubt as a Catalyst 26:23- “The Greatest Act of Self-Revelation” 30:10- The Atonement is Not a Back-up Plan 38:17- Approach to Questions 41:40- “An All-Embracing Gospel” 47:41- Remorse Vs. Guilt 51:48- Desires in Doctrine and Covenants 54:42- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For four years, John Beck lined up under center at BYU as quarterback of the football team. He is likely best remembered for a winning play in a rivalry game against Utah that is often referred to as “The Answered Prayer,” but in the years since his collegiate career, Beck has learned a lot about seemingly unanswered prayers and perceived failure. On this week’s episode, Beck discusses the refiner’s fire as well as the delicate balance between putting in the work to achieve success while allowing space for recovery and rehabilitation—both mentally and physically. He believes this begins with being centered in Jesus Christ. "To achieve the most difficult things, failure and fear is something you have to look straight in the face and be okay with." Show Notes 2:07- Beck to Harline 6:09- A Good Little Arm 8:52- Favorite Cougar? 12:56- Missions and Sports 17:53- Working On Our Sculpture 22:28- A Father’s Love and a Refiner’s Fire 27:18- Perceived Failure 33:34- The Master Teacher 38:01- Work: A Delicate Balance 40:42- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcus Martins never planned to serve a mission, to be sealed in the temple, or to serve as a bishop. These things would require him to receive the priesthood, and there was a restriction in place that precluded him from doing so. But Martins’s life changed forever on June 8, 1978, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a revelation extending the priesthood to all worthy male members ages 12 and older. Since that day, Martins has served not only as a missionary, but as a bishop, a temple officiator, a Book of Mormon translator, and a mission president. On this week's episode, Martins explains how he developed a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ even before 1978 and why he has never looked back in the nearly 50 years since he joined the Church. “I’m very optimistic about the future and the fact that because of the testimony of Jesus Christ, we will come eventually to a point, even before the millennium, in which this will be for most people a thing of the past because, since we are always receiving new converts, we will always have to be revisiting these lessons but it won’t hurt as much." Show Notes  1:44- Hearing the Gospel Message for the First Time 8:05- Priesthood Ban and Baptism 13:30- Attempts at Explaining the Ban 19:28- Racism, Human Nature, and a Crossroads in History 26:11- Serving a Mission 34:20- Knowing the Significance of the Priesthood 38:02- Small Things Accumulate Over Time 44:00- Optimistic for the Future 48:39- Expanding the Horizon of Our Understanding Through Diversity 54:05- Representation 57:28- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 25 years of documenting the ministry of prophets, apostles, and general officers of the Church, Sarah Jane Weaver reflects on the lessons she has learned not only from Church leaders, but from members of the Church throughout the world. On this week’s episode, Weaver, the editor of Church News, looks back on a career that has taken her places she never dreamed of, both literally and figuratively. “I always say that I look at the church through the Church News window. …I’m certainly not doing anything different than any other member of the Church is, I just have a unique view into what our Church leaders do, how they act, how they minister, what they teach. And that view from the Church News window is profound and it’s beautiful.” Show Notes 2:37- A Teacher’s Promise 5:53- Coming to the Church News 7:24- Evolution of Media in 25 Years 13:36- When Questions Require More Information 21:38- The Hallmark of Church Leaders? 28:40- The Support of Those Around Us 34:01- How the Gospel Brings Us Together 38:55- A Prophet and Compensatory Blessings in a Pandemic 43:15- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In February 2020, Dr. Candace Mcnaughton participated in her first conversations about coronavirus at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. While she has been on the frontlines of COVID-19, she has witnessed the toll the virus has taken on patients and their families, tirelessly researching how to bring about the end of the pandemic with her colleagues. On this week’s episode, she graciously answers our questions surrounding COVID-19 and shares what the experience has taught her about discipleship. "They talk about this...resistance training or high intensity training. That's kind of what we're all getting spiritually this year. It's like one extended, very long series of repetitions of patience." Show Notes 5:41- Witnesses of a Miracle 10:48- How Does a Vaccine Work? 15:09- Real Humans Battling COVID-19 23:05- The Parable of the Lost Sheep 32:17- How Will We Respond? 37:40- Misinformation 41:34- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.