All In

Calee Reed and her husband, Jon Adams, have experienced a lot over the course of their young lives: divorce, loss and the blending of families to name a few. In our first-ever live recording of “All In,” they share the reason for the hope that carries them through times of great joy and sadness. Special thanks to Derek Campbell at mixat6studios for all of his help in making this live episode happen. "Every day you have that choice. And it's my belief that as I turned towards God, and every time I took a step towards the light, more and more light came into my life, peace, more understanding, more hope, more faith..." Show Notes:  2:04- Christmas Memories 5:51- "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" 9:24- Rebirth After Suffering/Loss of a Parent 14:10- Coping With Divorce During the Holidays 18:33- Differences in Grief/The Passing of a Spouse 23:37- "Lead Kindly Light" 25:49- Single in the Church 29:29- Jon and Calee's Story 37:43- Blending Families 40:02- "Do You Know Where My Mommy Is?" 44:30- A God Who Knows Us 48:10- Earth Angels 54:49- What Does It Mean To You To Be "All In" the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 57:40- "Heaven's Here" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From an ophthalmologist to a classmate’s scripture reference in a high school yearbook, and from a nanny’s gift to a Star Valley, Wyoming, information booth employee, R. William Bennett describes his path to finding the gospel of Jesus Christ as a relay race of sorts—a baton that was passed from one person to the next. “We were driving home, all of us packed in the car, and I was leaning against my mom in the front seat and this thought occurred to me, 'If this is all real, if Jesus really is the Son of God, if being a Christian is that important, there must be more . . . '" Show Notes: 2:35 - Growing Up 4:50 - Temple Square Tour 5:37 - Learning About the Church 9:43 - The Summer Road Trip 12:28 - Meeting Lori 15:30 - Visiting the Church 21:57 - Contacting the Missionaries 23:45 - Visiting Salt Lake City 27:19 - Fasting 28:56 - The Priesthood 32:51 - Bill’s Family’s Example 35:29 - Finding Those Who Played a Part in Bill’s Conversion 41:45 - How Christ Has Blessed Bill’s Life 43:20 - What Does It Mean To You To Be “All In?” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of thousands have been touched by the mission experiences of John Groberg, but have they heard it straight from the source? Listen to John and his wife, Jean, open up about their real-life love story and lessons they learned in Tonga that inspired the beloved The Other Side of Heaven movies. “I said, ’So you’re the lucky girl who gets to play the part of my wife' . . . and her first comment, she just looked for a while and said, ‘You really love her, don’t you?’ I said, ‘I sure do.’ And I think she felt that and tried to convey that.” Show Notes: 1:25- Your Life in a Movie 2:14- Heeding a Prophet’s Voice 4:00- Memories in Living Color 5:45- Jean’s Life While John was Gone 7:40- Anne Hathaway and Christopher Gorham 11:44- Feki 14:33- Tonga Comes to Life for Jean 17:25- A Tongan Way of Life 29:19- The Fire of Polynesian Faith 33:35- A Light That Draws People to Jesus Christ 37:20- What Does It Mean To You To Be “All In”? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Feb. 9, 2007, Chris Williams and his family were driving home from a night out together when their vehicle was struck by a 17-year-old drunk driver. That night, Chris lost his wife, Michelle, who was pregnant with their fifth child; his son Ben; and his daughter, Anna. Three days later, Chris Williams spoke publicly for the first time following the accident and extended unconditional forgiveness to that 17-year-old young man, a decision he has stood by for more than 12 years. "Yes, He was there to help me. Yes, He was there to make everything okay and to start to heal me. But the next invitation after I let it go was, would I help Him in bringing this young man home?" Show Notes: 2:29- Life Before the Accident 7:00- Life After the Accident 8:28- Blending Families 10:14- “What She Would Do” 13:46- Having Walked In Those Shoes 17:43- Lessons Learned on the Scene of the Accident 23:34- “I’m Sorry” 25:45- Conversations with God 30:46- Meeting Cameron 33:36- Forgiveness- A Source of Power 37:08- Invitation to Act 38:38- The Atonement Covers Every Type of Situation 42:02- On the Other Side 46:56- What Does It Mean To Be “All In” the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Lindsay Ricks first heard that her son William would be born with Down Syndrome, her mind was flooded with questions. Nearly seven years later, she has found growth, purpose and strength in her son’s special needs. William has led her to step out of her comfort zone and to find a new identity in a journey she firmly believes she chose.  “As I’ve come to understand who He is, I’ve come to understand who I am and who I’ve always been, and how I’ve been prepared and trained and schooled for this moment my whole life. And I think with His help I will glory in it…” Show Notes:  2:16- Expecting the Unexpected 11:54- A Changed Relationship with God 15:20- The School Bus, Haircuts and a Service Dog 25:30- Advice for New Parents of Children with Special Needs 28:36- Greater Joy 33:04- Unanswered Prayers 37:09- “That We Might Not Shrink” 40:22- “God Confidence” 42:36- What Does It Mean To You To Be “All In”?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Faith is a gift and a precious commodity in any age, but an increasingly rare one in our modern world,” Patrick Mason writes in his book, “Planted.” It is for this reason that Mason also states that, “How we deal with doubt in the Church today is one of the most pressing tests of our collective discipleship.” That is not limited to how we approach our own doubts but also how we seek to be compassionate toward others as they face their own doubts.  Note: “Planted” was published prior to the emphasis on using the full name of the Church. Please excuse any reference to “Mormonism” as a result.  “This is one of the reasons why God restored the Church in the modern age, because he knew precisely the ways that our social bonds would erode in the 20th and 21st centuries, and the Church is one of the great answers for that. So is it hard sometimes? Yeah, but I think one of the great aspects of the restoration is the we’re put in wards that are geographically defined, we do not choose who we go to church with. And that puts us in company with people of different classes, different races, certainly different genders. People have different life experiences, people that we would never choose to associate with. That's the laboratory of love. That is the school of discipleship. That's what's going to make us as Christians.” Show Notes: 2:42- Why Address Doubt? 4:40- Faith: An Individual Experience 8:00- Fortifications 11:46- Faith That Grows With Us 16:00- Hanging On To What We Do Know 18:32- Peaks and Valleys 21:37- A Test of our Collective Discipleship 28:44- Creating Space For Honesty 33:40- Fallibility 39:15- A Church That Hangs On To Us 41:53- Different Disciples 45:05- The Holiest Thing That Presents Itself To Our View 47:30- Grateful To Be A Latter-day Saint 48:48- What Does It Mean To You To Be “All In” the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a young mother, Karalynne Call found herself battling suicidal depression. As she sought medical help, she longed for healing. It was the belief that God is able to heal us that led her to begin a health journey she anticipates will last for the rest of her life. She has since helped many others improve their health by raising awareness of the impact of the ingredients found in the food we consume and the products we use on a daily basis.  "If you believe in a God who's going to come again, and we know that the times are going to be hard before the Second Coming, then we need to do all that we can, like President Nelson has asked us to, to gather in...the house of Israel. And that takes work, and work takes energy, and we need that energy through the good foods that we can eat and by taking care of our bodies." Show Notes: 2:44- Seeking Solace From Depression 5:00- Healing 6:39- A Deep Dive Into Ingredients 9:16- Education 10:41- What's In Your Food?  12:45- A Healthy Relationship With Food 17:24- Don't Live in Extremes 20:11-  The Cost of Healthy Living 24:32- The Word of Wisdom 27:28- Food As Medicine 34:27- Showing Gratitude for our Bodies 36:41- What Does It Mean To Be "All In" the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kristin Chenoweth walked out onto the Conference Center stage the first time, she pretended to faint. But at that point she didn’t know what it would feel like to sing songs about the Savior’s birth with and to other like-minded believers. On today’s episode, she looks back on that experience and shares what it means to her to be “all in” the gospel of Jesus Christ.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Best-selling author Jason F. Wright is a fan of people. It is apparent in the way his face lights up when he talks about those who have impacted his life, some of them strangers he met only briefly. On today’s episode, he explains how his passion for people and their stories began in his childhood home, thanks in large part to the example of his parents who taught him to believe in the goodness of others.  "Open your eyes. When you walk out your front door every morning, open your eyes as wide as you can. Look left, look right, look in front of you and make sure you're seeing the people that the Lord is putting in your path. Because if you see them, you can serve them." Show Notes:  2:57- The Beginning of the "Christmas Jars" Tradition 11:08- Restoration 12:11- Stories of the Jars 16:27- Belief in Humanity 20:45- Help Getting Home 24:45- Giving a Lift 27:46- Fiction Vs. Non-Fiction 31:33- The Power of Stories 33:48- The Importance of Authenticity 38:39- What Does It Mean To Be "All In" the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly two years ago, Marilee Killpack gave birth to a baby boy. That baby boy was diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a life-threatening genetic syndrome that affects just one in 250,000 children and is only symptomatic in boys. The life expectancy was 3-5 years. There was, however, one possible way to save his life: He could receive a bone marrow transplant and his 7-year-old brother was a perfect match.  "I can't articulate it well, but I came to love Abram as a mom because he was saved and needed saving. And I think of our Heavenly Parents who have this Son, who is perfect and they know He's going to do it and they know He's going to be awesome and then to look at us, like I look at Abram and realize he needs saving. He's not going to make it and there's just such a love that I can't explain for him for fighting, and for being saved by his older brother." Show Notes:  2:15- Abram's Story 7:19- Finding Peace 9:35- The Lord's Preparations 12:11- A Perfect Match 15:46- The Saving Power Between Siblings 19:41- "Witness What the Lord Has Done" 24:32- Feeding the Soul 26:25- Promises of the Temple 28:32- "The Family That Prays Together" 33:02- The Faith Not To Be Healed 36:32- "All Is Well" 40:20- "The Lessons We Came to Earth to Learn" 43:55- What Does It Mean To Be "All In" the Gospel of Jesus Christ?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.