All In

When someone sees our potential it can make all the difference in what we become. But what has that looked like in the life of former NBA player Thurl Bailey? It meant his mother believing that she was not raising average kids, and therefore Cs were not acceptable. It meant not making the middle school basketball team again and again until a coach finally offered to put in some extra work with the 6'10" 9th grader. And it meant overcoming obstacles in marrying his wife when the odds were against them. But perhaps most important, it has looked like Heavenly Father knowing Thurl's potential as a disciple of Jesus Christ. On this week's episode, we talk with Thurl about potential in all its forms and what we can learn from it. "God also has a way of making things really right." Show Notes 2:33- Taking Full Advantage of Education 6:45- "I Have a Dream" 8:30- Religion as a Child 12:06- Dr. J 22:15- Influence of a Coach Who Cared 25:47- Cultural Implications of Coming to Utah 30:24- Conquering the Odds 38:34- Asking the Right Person 45:17- 25 Years Later 48:43- 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.

On June 5, 2020, Christopher Clark passed away after a four-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Just days before, he and his wife, Lisa Valentine Clark, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Now, she feels her husband's absence every day. How can Lisa move forward from here? Is it possible to put the pieces back together when a key piece is missing? On this week's episode, Lisa discusses what she has learned from caregiving, the process of grief, and why she cannot deny the existence of God and his ability to answer our prayers. "Grief is love with nowhere to go." Show Notes 2:10- Love for Others, Love for Each Other 6:00- What Is This Person Trying to Communicate Right Now? 9:20- ALS and Loss 13:40- A Time to Grieve, A Time to Connect 20:19- Caregiving 25:50- Living In Every Ordinary Day 32:10- "The Comfort of God is a Miracle" 38:36- Feeling God's Awareness of Us 45:36- It's All About Love 49:42- 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.

"Can you imagine"—these three words, found in Alma 5, were used many times by Elder Edward Dube in this week's podcast. But what do these words mean in our lives? From our approach in sharing the Book of Mormon to how we participate in family reunions, Elder Dube invites us to imagine how we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, could improve the little things and better appreciate the blessings of the gospel. "To find true happiness requires us to place our faith and total commitment on the Lord Jesus Christ—to fully do His will." Show Notes 3:30- A Temple in Zimbabwe 5:49- Elder Dube's Mother 8:27- Childhood in the Catholic Church and Falling Away 12:37- To Parents of the Rising Generation 14:28- Studying the Gospel of Jesus Christ 18:21- Helping Others Open the Book of Mormon 23:05- A Nudge to Get Married from a Living Prophet 26:05- A Universally Applicable Gospel 28:26- Special Witnesses of Jesus Christ 31:05- Traditions—Letting Go of Some and Embracing Others 34:35- A Love for the Lord—More Than Going to Church 39:45- The Lord's Promises in the Sacrament 44:11- Going Beyond the Things that Hold Us Back 48:04- 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.

Samuel Brown is an academic, a shock trauma ICU doctor, and a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. He has achieved much professionally, but it was not until his wife, Kate Holbrook, was diagnosed with cancer in her eye and he faced the risk of losing his beloved that Sam realized he had neglected things in his home. This realization was painful and required work to undo the hurt of the past, but together, he and his wife have rebuilt a home and a marriage they are grateful for and proud of. "You can't introspect your way into another person if you don't spend a lot of time with them." Show Notes 2:32-Authenticity or Repentance? 5:23- The Natural Sam 9:55- From Atheist to Believer 22:44- Kate 26:10- Confronting Selfishness in Marriage 32:46- Forgetting Ourselves to See Others Clearly 43:10- Cheering Each Other On In Being Useful to God 48:55- "Holy" Food Deliveries and Reverence for One's Spouse 53:23- 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.

When Liz Darger, a senior associate athletic director at BYU, was a young girl, her mother taught a home evening lesson that made a deep impression on her. Liz's mother spoke of creating a home-court advantage for each member of their family. This meant celebrating one another's successes, being patient when a family member is struggling, and protecting their home from negative influences. On this week's episode, we talk with Liz about how that concept of home court advantage changed her life and how it extends outside the walls of her home. "These are souls we're dealing with…precious, precious souls to our Heavenly Parents." Show Notes 2:19- Creating Home-Court Advantage for Everyone 5:23- Cultivated in the Home, Carried Into the World 8:43- Finding Identity as a Daughter of God 11:28- A Wonderful Integration 14:48- A Sense of Belonging 17:38- Investing in Relationships—A Two-Way Thing 24:45- Both Sides of the Bridge Together 27:00- Showing Up…With Cake 32:00- Listening—The Bedrock of Respect 36:52- Trusted Receivers of People in Our Path 40:18- 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.

David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery. Those are the well-known names of three men whose witnesses of the Book of Mormon stood the test of time, even if their loyalty to the Church sometimes wavered. But who were they? What about these men enabled God to use them in Restoration? Why did they all, at various points, step away from the Church? And why did two of them come back? On this week's episode, Daniel Peterson, an executive producer of the new movie "Witnesses," discusses the significance of these men's roles in Church history and why we should hold gratitude in our hearts for their lives. "The Lord gave us the witnesses—the three and the eight—and I think He expects us to use them and to tell their story." Show Notes 3:43- "A Witness to the Witnesses" 8:09- Becoming Converted 9:38- Seer Stones 13:28- Relationships in Church History 17:57- Sidney Rigdon and the Salt Sermon 23:10- Strong Personalities 30:15- All Left, Two Came Back, All Stood By Their Testimonies 40:10- Witnesses of Women 46:58- 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.

Could a greater understanding of the physical properties of light allow us to better radiate God's light—spiritual light—to those around us? How can our hope and trust in God increase when we more fully appreciate the ability of God's light to reach us? On this week's episode, we speak with Aaron Franklin, an engineer, chemist, and a professor at Duke University about how an increased grasp of principles of light could open our eyes to the gospel truths associated with spiritual light. "How does God working by natural laws make Him any less divine? To me, it doesn't. If anything, it makes what God has done and continues to do more majestic." Show Notes 3:12- A Catalytic Study of Light 5:38- Scientific Light and Spiritual Light 12:02- A Joseph Smith Seed 14:17- What the Doctrine and Covenants Adds 17:35- Why Equations? 22:01- Four Principles of Physics of Light 23:58- Encoded Information 28:00- Influence and Radiating Light 32:34- Samuel the Lamanite 38:42- What God Can Do 43:23- Retention of "An Indelible Impression" 48:26- "Jesus Found Him" 53:34- 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.

In October 2015, President Russell M. Nelson, then-President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, issued a plea to the women of the Church: "We need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices." Since becoming prophet, President Nelson has reiterated similar pleas and has said that the women of the Church have "the spiritual power to change the world." So, how do we make space for female voices in today's world? Ally Isom, former head of global branding for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has a few ideas. "If it's about my errand on the Lord's behalf, then I can do it. I get all kinds of confidence and courage knowing God asked me to do this and I will do anything. I put my career and my life on the alter long ago and I will do whatever God asks me to do." Show Notes 2:06- A Prophet's Invitation 3:55- Overcoming Hesitancy to Speak Up 6:59- Passion for Women's Voices 10:36- A Seat at the Table 13:29- Encouraging Women to Speak and Participate 20:34- Increasing Confidence 22:53- Finding Your Message 26:40- Turning Outward 30:00- The Spirit Knows Your Audience 36:27- Coming Into Our Voice 38:03- 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 1830, the same year the Church was organized, a former slave named Peter became the first documented Black member of the Church. Nearly 200 years later, Mauli Bonner first heard Peter's story when he started exploring his own faith as a Black member of the Church. This journey led him to Paul Reeve, a professor at the University of Utah who has studied Blacks in Church history extensively. On today's episode, Mauli and Paul explain not only the importance of the stories of early Black Latter-day Saints, but also how their stories can strengthen our faith and our testimonies of the restored gospel. "The beauty of it all is that we are here now and have an opportunity to learn and do something good. That's what we have control over. We can't change what was, we were not there. But we are here now. " -Mauli Bonner Show Notes 3:24- Blacks in the Early Days of the Church 8:50- Legislation with Theological Implications 12:00- Learning the History as a Black Latter-day Saint 15:22- Green Flake and Brigham Young 25:28- Strengthening Testimony Rather Than Weakening 31:44- Historical Accuracy 37:12- What Needed to Change? 44:22- Why Monuments Matter 51:22- 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.

Harvard recently held a symposium entitled "Faith and Flourishing: Strategies for Preventing and Healing Child Sexual Abuse." Latter-day Saint Sage Williams was one of the organizers of the symposium. On today's episode, she shares how her faith has influenced her to advocate for the prevention of sexual abuse. She also explains why she believes this work is a sacred one. "God loves His children. Any work caring for them and meeting their needs and nurturing and ministering to them is His work." Show Notes 3:34- A Witness to Suffering 5:45- Restoration Through Our Advocate 8:54- Repairing the Breach 11:18- Prevalence 13:10- Opening the Conversation at Church 17:38- What to Say and What Not to Say 21:40- Reporting—An Act of Mercy 27:27- Healing and Generational Impact 33:54- A Sacred Work 41:35- 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.