All In

A study of the Doctrine and Covenants may feel a little bit daunting. There is no doubt that it reads a bit differently than other books of scripture. But could it be that this is because the Doctrine and Covenants tells an international story that is far from finished? And could the reason it feels a bit messy be because it is a story that is still being written? Could it be that we are all a part of its ending? “We read the Book of Mormon in black and white…we watch the Doctrine and Covenants in technicolor.” Show Notes 2:09- A Little Messy 4:42- Church History as a Missionary Tool 7:55- Context is Critical 11:44- Beauty in Complexity 16:38- “The Past is a Foreign Country” 19:47- Helpful Resources 22:44- People You Should Meet 28:12- Power of Knowing Church History 32:53- It’s Not Knowing Too Much, It’s Knowing Too Little 34:54- What Does It Mean To You 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.

What if there is power in a Christlike attribute we have heard about our entire lives but have barely scratched the surface of understanding? In his new book, “A Better Heart,” Tom Christofferson writes, “The gift of charity is enormous in conception, its effect and meaning eternal. And yet, it is also small and intimate and personal.” On this week’s episode, we explore charity and how it has the power to give us all better hearts. “It’s that opportunity to be able now to simply be an instrument in His hands—to transmit as purely as we possibly can His affection, His knowledge, His intimate awareness of every individual, and then to strengthen them in their faith and then help them have hope.” Show Notes 2:34- London with the Checketts and Missionaries 5:47- “Let It Be You” 9:31- Seeking to Understand 13:10- A Righteous Mother 17:06- The Powerful Gift of Seeing Someone 18:37- More Used Would I Be 23:24- The Connection Between Blessings and Commandments 28:53- Luxuriate in the Feeling of Christ’s Love 32:02- Rooting Out Discouragement and Despair 34:46- "Communal Salvation” 39:50- Personal Power to Endure 43:59- 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 2012, amidst cancer treatments, Rebecca Hirschi achieved her goal of running the Boston Marathon. But on New Year's Eve 2020, Hirschi approached another finish line as she was nearing the end of her battle with cancer and was on hospice. That night, she was carried up the stairs by her family. Her daughter and husband got her ready for bed, but when it was time for her evening prayers, Rebecca insisted on kneeling. She said she owed everything to God. Three days later, Rebecca returned to that God who gave her life. In this episode, recorded just a few weeks before she passed, Rebecca shares what she learned about the gift of life and living each day to its fullest. “The eternal today is what really becomes the focus…each and every day—and the moments within each day—can be lived to its fullest.” Show Notes:  1:57- Receiving a Diagnosis 5:06- Consciously Breathing 7:03- Fighting Cancer with Faith 8:31- Choosing to Run the Race 16:25- The Healing Power of Gratitude 20:21- Centering in Christ and Calming the Storm 23:50- “Build and Connect” 26:09- The Individual Gift of the Temple 29:45- “Only the Home Can Compare with the Temple in Sacredness.” 33:45- The Magnitude and Significance of Tiny Moments 36:50- “Mount Up With Wings as Eagles” 40:38- 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.

Eva Timothy describes growing up in Bulgaria as a place filled with darkness. But even amidst that darkness, she instantly recognized the light of Jesus Christ in art taped to the walls of a makeshift chapel. She felt His light through the words in the Book of Mormon—even through a pamphlet which only contained a handful of chapters in Bulgarian. She was drawn to His light then, and now she hopes to help others find that same light through her photography. “We all see Him in our own special way and that’s the beauty of it—that He is so dear to our heart.” Show Notes:  2:42- Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain 5:30- Finding Faith Above a Soccer Stadium 11:32- The Book of Mormon…Pamphlet 16:23- The Light of the Gospel 19:04- Coming to America and Serving a Mission in the Big Apple 24:51- Enduring Through Creating 28:10- Digital Painting Guided by God 30:02- Feeling Ourselves in the Art 35:59- Grateful for Opportunities and to Missionaries 37:37- 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.

Long before she won a Grammy, Lauren Daigle was a teenager homebound by sickness. But during this period of isolation, God gave her hope for a future through a dream of becoming a singer. Years later, the Christian music singer and songwriter has millions of fans but she isn't interested in having followers herself. Instead, she hopes to always direct people to the Savior of the World. Although the road certainly hasn't always been easy, Lauren can now look back and see that God was working in her all along. “The closer you draw to Him, He draws near to us and, in that exchange, He really does give us a mirror and let us see who we are. He stands in front of that mirror and we’re able to see ourselves through Him.” Show Notes:  3:00- “A place where you can watch souls come to life” 9:07- “Getting to Share Him” 11:51- Decision-making and criticism 18:04- Discovering identity through periods of isolation and incubation 25:01- What Does It Mean To You 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.

The son of converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jason Deere has lived most of his life in Oklahoma or Tennessee. After finding success in the music industry, Deere took his love for country music and combined it with a love for the gospel. The result, The Nashville Tribute Band, has inspired thousands and redefined Deere’s career. "The heartbeat [of the Church] is family by family and it’s when you put a bunch of heartbeats together that you have something that really starts to sound like thunder.” Show Notes: 2:46- The Son of Converts 6:50- A Bishop’s Encouragement 9:08- Driven by a Love for Music 12:38- “Too Stupid to Know I Couldn’t Do It” 15:30- Secular Taking a Backseat to the Spiritual 18:43- Beginning of Nashville Tribute Band 21:40- What You’re Known For 24:20- Respect of Other Artists 26:27- Two Songs About Women 29:20- Don’t Miss This 33:53- Miracles That Brought Us Here 38:04- Soundtrack 39:35- The Power of Families 43:03- 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.

A lot goes on in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in the midst of cooking and shopping, are we taking time to reflect on the cause for our celebrations or the source of joy that we feel? Do we stop to think about the Christ child who became the Savior of the world? On this week’s episode, John Bytheway explores the miracle of Jesus Christ and why that miracle can bring us joy regardless of our age—and even in the midst of a pandemic. "We know the source of joy. We know where to go for that. And that's why we're all in." Show Notes:  1:58- Young Men general board 3:28- Why a Christmas book? 4:50- Covid and Christmas 7:11- The Three Levels of Christmas 11:29- Allowing Christ to Grow With Us 13:15- “That They ‘Might’ Have Joy” 19:55- Joseph- A Nearly Anonymous Giver 23:18- “It’s a Wonderful Life” 28:23- “All Is Well” 31:03- Christmas Memories 36:19- What Does It Mean To You 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.

Through the lens of his camera, Devin Graham has witnessed some pretty incredible things—things he never could’ve imagined as a shy young man. But his time as a missionary in Jamaica taught him to step out of his comfort zone and today, he has worked with some of the most successful companies in the world, including Google and Disney. Although there have been key moments in Graham’s career where his standards have been called into question, he has remained true to a standard he set for himself and his channel long before those moments of decision arose. "Even though we may be quiet or a little bit quirky or a little bit weird, each of us have these really awesome, amazing, unique talents, that are going to help inspire somebody else." Show Notes 1:38- A Little Thing Called YouTube 4:55- Failure 24/7 7:39- Overcoming Shyness 12:59- Adjusting with Algorithms 16:26- The Emails That Make It Worth It 19:08- Decide in Advance 24:04- Sharing the Gospel Through Video 28:30- What the Best Filmmakers Do 32:38- Sharing a Video, Sharing Faith 35:10- Are We Not All Influencers 37:16- What Does It Mean To You 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.

As a college student, Tara Bench saw pictures of beautiful food spreads in magazines and knew what she wanted to be: the person who made that food. It took awhile to figure out what that job would look like, but eventually she landed a dream job as a food editor at Martha Stewart Living. From there, Bench rose to senior food editor and became the food director of Ladies' Home Journal magazine. Now, Bench—perhaps best known as Tara Teaspoon—is living the New York dream, having just published her first cookbook. “He knows what we can handle. We aren’t exposed to anything that He’s not aware of, that we can’t deal with, with His help.” Show Notes 2:33- Culinary beginnings and Light Bulb Experiences 12:12- Martha Stewart 19:36- Taking Every Opportunity to Learn 22:31- Standing Out Because of Beliefs 24:54- Embracing Change 29:00- A Fly Wheel 36:10- Timing 38:24- Choosing How We View Opportunities 41:55- The Unexpected 44:58- 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.

Our understanding of religion, whether it be scripture or history, is greatly influenced by art. The depictions we see impact not only how we picture certain passages, but also which passages we know at all. In his new book, "Repicturing the Restoration," artist Anthony Sweat felt a desire to capture some of the lesser-known parts of our Church history in hopes of expanding our understanding of the Church’s founding. Today, we talk with him about how Restoration art can change our perspective of this pivotal period. "Let's embrace all good, all truth. Let's learn. Let's grow line upon line, precept upon precept. Let's maybe alter some ideas we have that may not hold up under the test of time, that need to be rearranged or remodeled. Let's tackle difficult issues and celebrate the glorious achievements." Show Notes 2:55- Passions Combined 5:24- Role of Art in Religion and Christianity 8:33- The Influence of Art on How We Picture Scripture Stories 11:58- Why Representation in Art Matters? 14:45- Serving Two Masters 18:30- Source Amnesia 31:33- First Baptism for the Dead 25:40- Portraying What We Didn't Experience Firsthand 29:19- Process in Painting 34:40- "No John Trumbull" 42:48- Things as They Really Are 45:20- 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.