All In

What happens when an eternal marriage doesn't end up lasting for eternity? Like many children in the Church, Scott Sonnenberg grew up singing “I Love to See the Temple,” and “Families Can Be Together Forever.” That treasured ideal was shattered shortly after Scott returned home from his mission and his parents went through a divorce. He promised himself at the time that divorce would never ravage his own marriage—but, as he explains on this week’s podcast, that is exactly what happened. On this week's episode, Sonnenberg shares how he's navigated being a member of the Church when a forever family seems out of reach, and how the Atonement has given him hope through his trial. “I think when we teach about how families are central to everything that we believe in, it’s about your family—whatever that family may be.” Show Notes  2:51- Faith and Family Centerstage in Athlete’s Life 13:07- When Your World is Rocked 15:18- Others’ Perception 16:51- Challenges Associated with Divorce 18:36- Meeting Childrens’ Needs Along with Your Own 21:31- Why Doesn’t God Stop Us? 26:13- Lessons Learned 29:33- The Trauma of Losing Your Eternal Marriage 32:36- Balance in Sharing 37:40- New Hope 41:02- Blending Families and Shared Custody 45:57- 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.

After having her baby, Brooke Snow's health started declining and she was life-flighted in a helicopter. But when the reserve of oxygen on the helicopter ran out, Snow recalls feeling a distinct prompting that literally saved her life. On today’s episode, Snow shares how this moment has forever turned her heart to Jesus Christ and made her determined to help others draw upon the lifesaving power of the Savior in every single breath. "The amazing thing about the gospel is that the framework is there—we can just do a lot to improve upon how well we receive the revelation in those moments." Show Notes 1:50- A Life or Death Situation 8:00- PTSD 11:58- Christian Meditation—An Oxymoron? 14:38- Can Prayer Be Silence? 17:31- The Transformative Power of Meditation in Our Prayers 22:07- Prayers of Fear? 25:30- Prone to Wander 28:01- Visualization and Hope 34:35- In the Same Room 37:35- The Many Ways We #HearHim 41:37- 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.

How do you follow the Savior's example if your child has left the Church or is struggling with their faith? What's the balance between giving your child room to use his or her agency while showing your love for them? In this week's "All In" episode, parenting guru Justin Coulson explains how the Savior's teachings about love, compassion, and mourning with those that mourn apply to the family. Whether we're a parent or not, we can all learn from the Savior's example of how to "Suffer the little children to come unto me" (Mark 10:14). "Sometimes in our angry moments, or in our tired moments, or, let's be honest, in our selfish moments, we might be less loving than we could be towards our children. Sometimes we feel inclined to hurt rather than to help, or...we're neutral or ambivalent, or we shrug our shoulders and say ‘Whatever'. But He doesn't. The scriptures tell us again and again, His hand, His arm is stretched out still." Show Notes  4:47- #GirlDad  7:00- God’s Example of Parenting  11:08- Compassion  16:55- Respect for Agency  20:59- If Your Child Leaves the Church  34:06- If Your Child Doesn’t Want to Go to Church  44:16- If You, As a Parent, Feel It’s Too Late  49:27- Blurred Lines  54:51- Encouraging Gospel Discussion in the Home  1:00:06- 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.

What has Spencer McBride, host of "The First Vision: A Joseph Smith Papers Podcast," learned from devoting years of his life to studying the Prophet's personal letters and journals? On today’s episode, McBride shares what led Joseph to the grove, how studying the First Vision can teach us about personal revelation, and how the farm boy's life has forever changed his own. “When you look back on Church history and you see what God can do with ordinary people back then, it reminds you of what He can do with ordinary people in our own time.” Show Notes  3:25- A Once in a Lifetime Project 5:39- The Context of the Vision 8:05- “To Him, It Was About Salvation” 10:45- Shining Moments and Mistakes 13:50- An Ordinary Man Doing Something Incredible 17:46- An Intellectual and Emotional Pursuit 19:56- What the Restoration Is 21:38- Everyone Is At Some Point A Convert 25:40- How Teenage Worries and Anxieties Led To The Grove 27:25- “For good and evil among all nations” 29:27- Maintaining Faith While Exploring History 35:38- A Prolonged Process Vs. A Miraculous Moment 40:24- 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.

The Sacrament, temple worship, and prayer are all aspects of Latter-day Saint doctrine. But have you ever considered that they are also exercises in mindfulness? On this week’s episode, we discuss everything from what it means to set an intention focused on Jesus Christ to what the story of Joseph Smith teaches us about being still long enough for answers to unfold. "One of the downsides of approaching our spiritual life and our religious faith with this sort of instant microwave mentality is that the gospel, a lot of aspects of the gospel, just don't work that way. You can't get personal revelation by asking Siri a question. And you can't order your testimony to be delivered by Amazon... these things by definition, take time to grow." Show Notes 2:54- An Emotional Burn Victim 6:42- Latter-day Saint Practice of Mindfulness 9:21- Setting an Intention 10:21- Creating Space to Calm Down 16:24- President Nelson’s Invitation to Women 22:09- Stigmas 27:33- A Place to Begin 34:04- Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness 37:46- Sitting with Christ 40:06- 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 the box office numbers from opening weekend roll in following a big Disney release, Brigham Taylor says the top few movie theaters tend to have something in common: they’re located in Utah. Of course, Latter-day Saints live all over the world but if the state with the highest concentration of Latter-day Saints is any indication, Disney is a hit among members of the Church.  "Looking back on it now, I think one of the reasons I was kept around and was able to succeed to whatever degree was that I really leaned into it. I loved it and I never had to feel like I was stooping to make a family film because I loved family films. I was raising a family and I felt a kinship and responsibility there."  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carrying a television with a VHS player to school every day became second nature for Tshoper Kabambi. He and his classmates studied film by watching movies on that little TV, discussing everything from lighting to plot. Kabambi believed that if he could learn to tell a story through film, he could finally tell the story of the Congo through the eyes of someone who has lived it. "What I want is to show my people how beautiful they are—to show them how they can change their situation.”  Show Notes: 1:40- Life in the Congo 4:37- Conversion Through Dreams 13:02- A Latter-day Saint 15:07- A Big Ticket Premiere 18:20- The Power of Film 24:39- The Significance of Your Story 27:00- Challenges and Blessings as a New Member of the Church 29:34- What Does It Mean To Be “All In” the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  31:00- Testimony in French Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How has the world’s perception of Eve affected women throughout history and what is the cost of misunderstanding her choice in the garden? Can the restored gospel help us make sense of Eve’s choice? Could adopting Eve’s perspective of mortality bring increased joy into our own lives? Melinda Wheelwright Brown seeks to address these questions and more on this week’s episode of “All In.” “…it isn’t a story about sin. The transgression involved is very different. It’s not your typical sin by any means. It was a crossing of a threshold that was done by choice because of the beautiful gift of agency.” Show Notes: 2:11- Jane Eyre 5:08- "Eve, Can You Help Me?" 11:24- Research 15:12- Doctrinal Differences 17:25- The Cost of Misunderstanding Eve's Choice 23:24- "Fruit" 24:37- The Transformative Power of Their Story For All 30:55- A Decision to Trust God 38:58- Eve's Role in the Restored Gospel 41:55- The Need for a Savior 46:18- What Does it Mean To Be “All In” the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born in Nigeria, raised in London and currently residing in Beijing, Lola Ogunbote is a lawyer-turned-soccer coach who has learned how to prioritize joy in life. It is her belief that true fulfillment is found as we seek our acceptance from God and celebrate each individual for the many things that make them who they are. "I don’t purport to know the mind of God but I don’t imagine that God meant for everyone to be the same. I think that in his wisdom and love, He gave us things that make us unique. He loves us equally.”  Show Notes: 2:11- The Daughter of Immigrants 5:39- Born in Nigeria 8:33- A Latter-day Saint 12:13- Temporary Happiness Vs. Joy 13:49- Living, Working and Worshiping in China 17:32- Where You Need Church and the Church Needs You 22:34- Following Your Passion 27:36- The Color of My Skin 37:05- What Makes a Good Coach? 41:34- What He Had in Mind When He Created Me 44:45- What Does it Mean To Be “All In” the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Piano Guys' Steven Sharp Nelson has lived many people’s dream as he has traveled the world playing the cello. And yet, his journey has been one with many highs and lows that have taught him to trust God and to consecrate each and every performance to Him. “As incredible as all the views are, as incredible as Carnegie Hall’s stage is, as incomparably sublime as playing in front of the Christ Redeemer statue is, nothing out there is better than being a dad and being a committed husband. Nothing is better than that and I remember that every time I come home from tour and my 7-year-old locks me in this hug I want to live in and says, 'Daddy.’” Show Notes: 1:30- So You Want Your Kid to Play an Instrument? 10:05- A Tribute to Julie 12:53- Why Teach Your Children to Love Music? 16:00- Unseen Sacrifices and Challenges 19:52- An Opportunity to Trust God 24:18- Witnessing a Mother’s Battle with Cancer 31:19- Attributing Success to the Grace of God 35:58- The People You’ve Prayed Into Your Life 39:18- Annie Schmidt 43:00- “Consecrate Thy Performance” 47:57- What Does It Mean To You To Be “All In” the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.