All In

The complexities surrounding conversations of racism today are numberless but the root of the solution is the two great commandments: love God and love your neighbor as yourself. On this week’s episode, we talk with Abe Mills and Stephen Jones, two black Latter-day Saints, about their experiences with racism within Church culture, the faith of those who came before them, and why they don’t hesitate to share their faith in Jesus Christ. "Understanding what He did for us, it gives us hope, which we live in a world with a lot of people that have no hope or they’ve lost their hope—whether it’s hope in equality, hope in fairness, hope in whatever—they’ve lost their hope, but the gospel has taught us hope because we know what Jesus Christ did for us. It has taught us understanding because we know Christ was the example of understanding, and on top of that, it has taught us forgiveness, or how to forgive, in a time where forgiveness is needed greatly." Show Notes  3:40- Who Is Your Neighbor? 9:15- Mourn with Those That Mourn 14:33- Personal Experiences with Racism 30:14- The Body of Christ 41:06- Being a Diverse Voice in the Church 48:27- Pioneers 56:20- Peace and Hope in Troubled Times 1:02:16- 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.

BBC dubbed them “the Christmas present that could tear your family apart.” Family history DNA tests have been all the rage over the past several years and Randy Lindsay is one of millions who submitted his DNA in hopes of finding missing links in his family tree. However, like many others, Lindsey got more than he bargained for when he learned that the man he thought was his father was not actually his biological father. “Family is who we love and who loves us.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In February 2019, Charlie Bird published an op-ed through the Deseret News that revealed two secrets: 1. He was the man underneath the Cosmo the Cougar suit that made national headlines and led NBC Sports to dub 2017–2018 the “Year of the Mascot.” 2. He is a gay member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Next month, Charlie will release a book called “Without the Mask,” and on today’s episode we talk with Charlie about what the gospel continues to teach him as he embraces a life that is very different than the one he planned for himself. “Connecting with God has helped me see that my faith and my orientation are not mutually exclusive. They are both integral parts of who I am and if I try to reject either one of those, I’m not really me.”  Show Notes 2:31- Being Cosmo the Cougar 7:01- Coming Out to God 11:46- The Words We Use 14:55- The Joy of the Told Story 17:19- No One Right Way to Respond 22:12- “The Adversary Works Best in Darkness” 24:32- One Day at a Time 27:00- Daily Bread 28:58- “Bridle Your Passions” 31:59- Spiritual Work 34:09- Latter-day Saint and Gay—A Continual Effort 38:14- 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 asked if she sees incongruity between her career as the drummer of the rock band Neon Trees and her membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elaine Bradley has replied that she finds total incongruity between being a human and being a disciple of Jesus Christ. On today’s episode, Bradley shares the foundations of her belief, how she has maintained perspective, and how Christ fills in the gap between where we are and where we are meant to be. “We really struggle as humans to find that line where Christ wants us to live between accepting yourself too much and not accepting yourself enough. That, to me, is the essence of navigating faith.”  Show Notes 2:30- The Complexities of Faith 4:36- Incongruity and Hope in Christ 12:04- Evolution of Faith 18:02- Grounding Impact of Family  21:45- Relationships of Respect Despite Differences 25:53- Deliberately Maintaining Perspective 30:00- Sebastian 36:15- Fame 37:21- Knowing Who You Are 40:30- 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.

We live in a world that seems to be constantly asking the question we often sing, “Where Can I Turn For Peace?” Along with the age old concerns, our society faces additional new challenges as a result of living in a technology-centered, social media world. Slap a pandemic on top of that and, as we’ve learned in recent weeks, the world truly feels like it is in pandemonium. But John Hilton, an author and associate professor of Ancient Scripture, believes that help for even the most current challenges can be found through the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the pages of scripture. “If we can shift our mentality from ‘Okay, I’m going to pray and God’s going to bless me with exactly what I want when I want it,’ to ‘I’m going to keep my covenants no matter what,’ it’s a powerful shift in our lives— when we remember it’s okay if our kids don’t do everything that we hope they will. It’s okay if I lose this great opportunity. In the long run, Jesus Christ is going to wipe away all of my tears and I can focus my hope on Him.” Show Notes 2:10- Bullying, Kindness and Resilience 6:48-Balancing Professional Help and Spiritual Tools 8:44- Aiming for Perfection/Legalism 10:50- Fence Laws 13:43- Scrupulosity 15:56- Patterns of Peace 20:40- Peace Amidst Pandemic 23:52- “Know the Church is True” or “Know Christ” 26:18- Why Have a Relationship with Christ?  28:18- Turning the Hearts of the Children to the Fathers 29:34- Why Understanding Grace Matters in Mental Health 33:05- 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.

It was his love for God and country, that originally made Jennie Taylor fall in love with her husband, Brent. It was also that love and loyalty that took him from her as Maj. Brent Taylor was killed in Afghanistan in 2018. On this episode, Jennie shares the faith that has helped her through the loss of her husband and has given her hope that she will see him again. “My husband and thousands of others have died so that I have the opportunity to live. What I do every single day of my life decides whether or not his life was given in vain. What I do every single day of my life decides whether or not it's worth it that we keep sending soldiers into harm's way to defend freedom and liberty and justice for all around the world.” Show Notes 1:42- November 3, 2018 16:02- Meeting Brent 21:10- Three Great Loyalties 31:04- All Enlisted 44:07- Spiritual Preparation 51:16- Honoring the Sacrifjce of Heroes 57:40- 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.

At the 2019 BYU Marriott School Commencement, Qualtrics CEO and Co-Founder Ryan Smith said, “If you have one foot in and one foot out the door, you will never experience true happiness and fulfillment.” It is a simple sentence but it sums up the way Ryan and Ashley Smith seek to live their lives. On today’s episode, the couple shares the many byproducts they have discovered as a result of their decision to be "all in" their careers, "all in" their family, and "all in" their faith. "Nothing I've ever done has ever been great if I haven't gone all in." -Ryan Smith  Show Notes 2:14- The Uphill 8:46- A Contrast and a Decision 14:00- What It Takes 18:46- All In on Your Career 25:46- Decision to Discipleship 31:40- Teaching Others to Go All In 38:10- All In on Your Family 41:32- 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.

The daughter of a prophet’s wife, a young woman who recently adopted her first child, and a stepmother of teenagers—these are just three “kinds” of mothers highlighted in this week's "All In" episode. You may know many other types of mothers. There are those who are unable to have children of their own, single women, grandmothers, birth mothers who give someone else the opportunity of motherhood through adoption, and mothers who share their children with a stepparent. The world is full of women who are actively involved in mothering—for as Sheri Dew famously said, “Are we not all mothers?” "Nobody's mother is everything, and we find mothers all over. People who mother us and teach us and nurture us in ways that maybe our mother couldn't. And so when I look at single parents or even people who have both parents, I think we have an opportunity to mother wherever we go. I think it's a responsibility women have, is to reach out and mother and be mothered by others." -Virginia Pearce Show Notes 2:25- Put on Your Oxygen Mask First 4:47- Raised by the Hinckleys 10:36- Creating a Refuge 12:28- Nourish Yourself 13:22- A Mother of Adult Children 17:45- Mothering as a Widow 20:34- Supporting Your Children’s Interests 22:06- What Does It Mean to Virginia to be “All In” the gospel of Jesus Christ? 23:57- Miscarriage 28:00- Waiting in the Standby Line 33:30- Adoption 37:50- Learning about Love from Christ 39:25- A Birth Mother 40:37- What Does It Mean to Breaunna to be “All In” the gospel of Jesus Christ? 42:28- Expectations Vs. Reality 45:43- An Instant Love 47:35- Parenting Teenagers 50:03- The Magic of Family—Of All Kinds 52:04- Creating an Unlikely Friendship 58:11- What Does It Mean to KaRyn 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 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last published a multivolume history in 1930. Millions from across the globe have joined the Church in the 90 years that have passed since that history and “Saints” is the effort to preserve the story of the ongoing restoration. We are all a part of the story told in the Church’s new history—it is our story of becoming Saints "through the Atonement of Christ the Lord." On this week's episode, we talk with lead writer Scott Hales about the research that went into the book Church members around the world have fallen in love with. "I think the Lord knows the kind of book He wants. And I think He knows the kind of stories that the Saints need at this time, and makes sure that that happens in the process." Show Notes 1:30- A Lifelong Interest 4:21- The Beginnings of “Saints” 6:08- Transparency 8:14- Complexity 10:58- Writing Style 14:40- Tragic Beauty 16:01- The Writing Process 23:39- Getting to Know Someone 26:44- Spending Time With Joseph 32:30- Gathering the Saints 35:10- 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 studying Clayton Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation, Whitney Johnson developed the concept of "Disrupting Yourself"—a principle she has successfully taught in the business world for years. On this week’s episode, she teaches us how the model is demonstrated in our Heavenly Father’s plan and is founded on gospel principles. By continually evolving and developing, rather than competing with one another, Johnson says we can spend our time living in abundance. Additionally, when we focus our efforts on continually creating, we will recognize not only our own strengths, but others' strengths, as well. "When you think about taking the right risks from a gospel perspective, this is us thinking about ‘What am I going to create? What kind of future will I create?' This is God's plan. We have agency. So what can we create?" Show Notes  1:13- The Mentorship of Clayton Christensen 10:48- Disrupt Yourself Through Creation 17:34- Why Growth Matters in God’s Plan 20:47- Repentance as Another Word For Disruption 22:51- The Job to Be Done 25:09- Play to Your Distinctive Strengths 32:47- Avoiding Comparison 36:00- 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.