All In

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.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell coined the phrase "disciple-scholar." But he said, "In the end all the hyphenated words come off. We are finally disciples—men and women of Christ." But what does that look like? Hal Boyd says it begins with being consistent and bringing our faith with us wherever we go. "When we walk out of our houses of worship and we walk into an academic environment, if we are being genuine, we are the same person and those beliefs inform the way that we read texts, the way that we articulate our views, the way that we approach our scholarship and it should inform all of those things for the better. It should make us better scholars, it should make us better advocates, it should make us better husbands and wives, and teachers and community members, and parents." Show Notes: 00:47- A Deliberate Decision to Stay 3:15- Religion and Academia 9:09- "A Divinity That Shapes Our Ends" 11:18- Different Kinds of Advocates 13:45- Elizabeth McCune and the Public Square 19:38- The Same Person at Church and Elsewhere 22:45- Shaping Public Virtues 26:18- How Jesus Taught Us to Articulate Our Faith 28:45- Finding Your Canvas and Your Voice 33:05- The Biggest Challenges Facing Saints Today? 37:53- Encounters With The Divine: From Agnostic to Advocate 43:53- What Does It Mean To You To Be "All In" the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following her parents' divorce, Courtney Rich experienced depression for the first time. Doctors called it situational but in the years since, depression has become an ever-present obstacle in her life. However, in recent years two things have transformed and aided her fight against mental illness. "I prayed at the beginning of that summer and said, 'I will do everything you need me to do. I am giving you my all because I need this from you. I need to know that you're there. I need to know that you see me when I'm going through these moments of trial and I don't feel you, I need to know that you're there…'" Show Notes 2:40- The Kelly Clarkson Show 5:00- Beginnings in Broadcast 9:31- A Child of Divorce 17:23- Depression- "The First Day I Felt Different" 23:15- The Guilt of Feeling Ungrateful 24:45- Coming to Christ Vs. Waiting for Him to Come to Us 32:04- Looking for His Hand 37:17- When You've Had Really Great Cake… 42:40- A Point of Desperation That Led to Light 45:26- What Does It Mean To Be "All In" the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over a decade has passed since Josh Pack made a swimmer's dive at a family reunion that left him paralyzed. While presently confined to a wheelchair, Pack maintains hope that he will someday be healed, whether in this life or the next. On today's episode, we talk about that hope and why he is determined to hold onto it. "Nobody's walked in our shoes perfectly, but Jesus Christ has. And He knows exactly what it's like for me, individually, personally, to climb into this wheelchair every day and push it around. And knowing that, knowing that there is somebody that knows what I'm going through and knows the tears that I've shed, and the thoughts that I've had, gives me strength to keep going no matter what." Show Notes: 1:55- Pre-Accident 4:05- A Swimmer's Dive 5:44- Life Support 9:26- Hope in Healing 10:04- The Importance of Family 12:54- Two Women on a Plane 16:50- A Legend in Mendoza, Argentina 22:24- Determined to Achieve Goals 27:25- "But If Not" 30:45- Spiritual Reservoir 37:30- A Do-Over 38:58- What Does It Mean to Be "All In" the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a 2017 BYU Devotional address, Eva Witesman testified, "Latter-day Saint women are courageous, particularly when they have been emboldened by the knowledge that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and that He will qualify us to do the work that lies before us. … We will seek every good gift in the service of our God. All we ask is that others not stand in our way as we pursue the Lord's errand." On today's episode, we talk with Eva about the importance of understanding our individual spiritual gifts as we seek to contribute to the world at large. "It's a complicated time and we can't always see the pathway by ourselves. We need these spiritual gifts to be able to see them. And these spiritual gifts are real. They're as real as any other thing that we've proven with science. ...And I think the more of us that talk about it, and the more of us that expect that and aspire to that, the more we will see that diversity of beautiful gifts and the more we will be able to develop those beautiful gifts, and share the development of those gifts with each other." Show Notes: 3:00- "Women and Education" 5:45- Why Seek to Understand Our Spiritual Gifts? 16:30- Eva's Story 23:30- Different Paths for Different People 35:25- Balance Vs. Harmonious 40:05- Timing is Everything 43:55- Men and Women 50:25- Imagining and Exploring Your Possibilities 56:30- What Does It Mean To Be "All In"? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leading in an 898-bed hospital, Britt Berrett learned that the care administered truly begins with the engagement and satisfaction of the hospital's employees. Leadership, he has learned, begins with recognizing a need to change and connecting to a higher purpose and he says that kind of leadership is exemplified in the gospel of Jesus Christ. "We claim we're Christians. . . . If you claim to be a Christian, that means you will become Christlike and that means you and I, we have got to change." Show Notes 3:16- The Fire of Experience 9:03- Patients Come Second 18:13- Your Calling in Life 20:40- Where Our Motivation Lies 23:00- Serving Others 25:01- A Different Kind of Healing 29:49- Like Jello 33:40- Working in the Temple 35:57- How a Love for the Gospel Grows 42:20- What Does It Mean To Be "All In" the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.