Magnify

If Mother’s Day is hard for you, know that you’re not alone! Mother’s Day is this week and while it’s a day to honor and celebrate moms—it’s not always a happy day. In an article from Sharon Eubank titled, "The Idea of 'Mothers in Zion' Made Me Mad—Until I Learned What It Meant" she said, “Mother’s Day … is often an emotional and spiritual minefield for almost everyone: Women who have no children, or who wanted more children, or maybe different children. Women who feel they are failing, or that someone failed them, or that failure is around the corner. Women who wished they were free to mother, or feel cut off from their mothers, or never had the mother they wanted, or can’t be the mother they want to be.”    "This life is practice mothering, not to perfect it."   Joining Kathryn in this episode is Lori Thurston. Lori and her husband Bob are preparing to serve a service mission in Pakistan.   Top takeaways from this episode: No matter the circumstance you are in--a mom with many children, no children, mixed families, single mothers--you can learn the lessons of motherhood. Mother is both a noun and an adjective. Whether or not you have birthed children, you are able to mother God's children as part of your divine role here on earth. Our Heavenly Parents see all of eternity before us, so we have all of eternity to perfect mothering. The Savior has many qualities of a mother, and we can become more like the Savior as we participate in this mother-work.   Small and simple challenge: Prayerfully consider who it is in your life that has helped to mother you or your community that isn’t already on your mother’s day list. Thank them for the mothering that they do that is unconventional. Let them know that they were helpful in mothering. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The call to parent in this life is one that Elder Uchtdorf said, “reflects the pattern of heaven.” The opportunity to help raise the rising generation—both as parents and leaders—can be a privilege and a responsibility. Elder Uchtdorf taught in his April 2023 General Conference message that Jesus Christ can be our strength and our guide as we try to parent and teach like Him.   "In the eternal perspective, it will all work out." - Shawni Pothier   This episode features two sisters—Saren Loosli and Shawni Pothier—and Kathryn discussing Elder Uchtdorf's recent message in General Conference, April 2023. They discuss this message and how small and simple efforts as parents and leaders can be magnified by the Lord.   Top takeaways from this episode: God has given us an enormous amount of trust as parents to raise his children, and we need to be able to trust our children as well as we follow the divine pattern of heaven. Look for miracles that happen as parents and celebrate our children's wins! God is a god of second chances, so when we feel like we've made a mistake in parenting, it's important to remember that he always gives us more chances. Life is long, and there is so much time to recover and repair relationships in this life. An apology for your child can go a long way.   Small and simple invitation: Pray very specifically for an act of love that you can do on a regular basis with your families. Search for what the mighty change of heart that we find in the scriptures might be for this love. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we figure out how to discover meaning in the most mundane of tasks, we can find opportunities to feel closer to Christ, even when doing something as simple as the dishes or the laundry. Routines can become rituals when we take ordinary tasks and look for ways to make them sacred, and we will see the Lord in unexpected ways.   "The intention is really easy when you want more Jesus in your life."   Today’s guest, Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt, wrote “Rather than performing our day-to-day routines with little thought or effort, the most ordinary event can become rich in meaning.” She’s and Kathryn discuss ways we can get closer to Christ when we learn to turn everyday tasks into opportunities to connect with, serve, and love each other better.   Top takeaways from this episode: You can take your everyday routines and turn them into rituals by putting intention behind what you're doing. The Savior is a great example of taking ordinary moments and turning them into sacred experiences, so look to him as the guide. If you're feeling overwhelmed by your routines, take one thing and simplify it to make it more sacred for you. Remember that intention can lead to desire, so just start with the intention to make your everyday mundaneness become more sacred.   Small and simple challenge: Consider your daily routines, and look for one thing you want to address. Whether it be something that really challenges you, or something you don't enjoy doing, look for ways to find the Savior in those moments.   Read Jennifer's Book here! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you had moments where you poured out your heart to God again and again and felt met with silence from heaven? When President Nelson told us that in the coming days we’ll need the guiding influence of the Holy Ghost, Emily Robison Adams took his counsel to heart. But while seeking to understand how God speaks to her through prayer, Emily didn't get any answers and, in her words, “God felt gone.” Through struggle, study, and with time, Emily came to understand that sometimes when we think heaven is silent, God is with us in a space of communion that she calls Divine Quiet.   "I don't always feel the Spirit, but I show up to show God."   Top takeaways from this episode: You're not alone in feeling like heaven is silent. It's important to share your struggles and feelings about getting answers to prayer. The moments in the silence can teach you lessons from heaven that you might not receive otherwise, but it still might feel difficult, so lean on these three things: Remember your past interactions and experiences with the Spirit. Drawing upon these moments will help you to recall that God has answered you before, and He will again. Change the way you look at the scriptures. The scriptures were written by imperfect people, and there are many different points of view within the scriptures, so embrace the differences and be okay not having an opinion about everything. Rethink prayer. You may just have to ask for God to be with you in the silence, even if you aren't feeling the divine revelation or answers you are seeking. Small and simple challenge: Find time to remember God this week. Look back on the moments and interactions you've already had with the scriptures and ponder on those moments as a strength to receive more guidance in God's timing.   Links: Emily's Book See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As women, we are asked to do a lot, and sometimes it feels like we aren’t doing enough. But President Nelson has said the Church and the world needs our strength. So, how do we act on this?  "Christ spent his time advocating for women." Today’s guest, Dr. Sarah Coyne, said in her BYU Devotional, "we are not placed on this earth to fall asleep." Our influence is needed as women in the Church, now more than ever! Our different experiences and talents and skills are what unite us and help us rise to that call. Today, Kathryn and Sarah discuss how we can do that.   Top Takeaways from this episode: As a woman in the gospel and the Church, you are valued and your influence is needed. Our differences bring us together and make us better. While some women are working, others are staying at home, but we need everyone to build a Zion community. Sometimes it takes time to figure out our roles and our divine identity as women. You don't need to be doing more than you're doing, but ask yourself what you need and find your voice when it matters.   Small and simple challenge: Get curious about how you can use your voice as a woman. Take five minutes to ponder on that, and then write it down and decide what your next step will be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is springtime one of your busiest seasons of the year? Sometimes it’s the small things that help us recenter our focus and find joy in Jesus. As we are nearing Easter, we want to celebrate the Savior and his resurrection. Spring is a time of renewal, rebirth, and reflection. It's a time that brings us joy. We often use the word “joy” around Christmastime, but it really deserves a place at Easter too.   "The truth that I am a Child of God brings me joy."   Today's guest is Nolong Bonner Bullock, the oldest of the musical Bonner family. Nolong is here to share small ways to joy in Jesus this holiday, even if you’re feeling busier than ever.   Top takeaways from this episode Look for simple ways to joy in Jesus during the springtime! As the weather warms up, this could be a good reminder to get outside and be with others, just as the Savior taught outside. We can joy in Jesus during small moments like hiking a mountain or going on a drive, but also by turning to him in our covenants. Easter is a time for new beginnings and to recenter on Christ.   Small and simple challenge: Before you start your day, take a moment to be still with the Lord. Before you open any app, or start any of your to-do's, or even read the scriptures, take 10 minutes to just be still and receive his revelation.   Links Listen to the Bonner Family music here! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The promised blessings in our life from the Lord are sure. So how do we learn to wait well as some of those blessings take more time to be fulfilled? We’re all waiting on something from the Lord in our lives: peace, patience, a promise that has not yet been fulfilled.   "Our worth is not determined by what we are waiting for."   Our guest Heather Johnson has been studying out why we have those waiting periods and what we are supposed to learn about ourselves while we wait for the Lord to fulfill his promises. She joins us today to help us understand what it means to “wait well.”   Top takeaways from this episode: Relying on moments we have already had with the spirit is how we get through the waiting periods of our lives. Our worth is not determined by what blessings we might be waiting for from the Lord. We are already worthy of His love. Learning to control our emotions while enduring our waiting periods will bring us peace and the ability to wait well. Growth and closeness to God are blessings of learning to wait well.   Small and simple challenge: try to not make the waiting period be connected to your worth. Anytime you have a thought that you aren't good enough because you haven't received promised blessings, redirect your thoughts to better recognize your worth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever felt like reading and studying the scriptures is just another item to add to your to-do list instead of feeling like the spiritual highlight of your day? Well, perhaps you can find yourself an "SOS scripture." This is a verse or set of verses from the scriptures that you can turn to whenever you might need a moment of peace or strength from the Lord. Perhaps it’s one you’ve memorized or stuck to your bathroom mirror.    These SOS scriptures are a perfect example of how to get a lot out of a little, and that’s what today's guest Kristen Walker Smith is doing. She has made it a personal mission of hers to make scripture study the spiritual highlight of her day, and she has been sharing that mission with others!   "How scripture study feels is so much more important than how it looks."   Top takeaways: Having an "SOS scripture" can be helpful for us to have whenever we might need a moment of inspiration from the Lord, and it doesn't require reading an entire chapter to feel that spiritual nourishment! Even taking one minute a day to reflect on the scriptures can bring you closer to the Lord and feel the promises of scripture study. Opening up the scriptures is a way to receive personal revelation and learn how much God loves us. It's worth it to make a habit of scripture study, even when we don't feel like we're getting anything out of it, because those moments of peace will surely come.   Small and simple challenge: as you study the scriptures, even just one verse, look for 1) the point of the passage, 2) how you can make it personal, and then 3) add power to the verse by taking action on it.   Links The Power of Scripture by Elder Richard G. Scott Find Kristen's book here! Want more from Kristen? Listen and watch her Seek course! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are taught that we all have a personal light from God, so how do we best shine that light so it grows brighter and brighter? Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "ye are the light of the world," and as we come to know our divine selves, our light grows brighter and brighter. "The more we can see ourselves the way God see us, the more confident we will feel to be in their presence." Light is such an important part of Emily Orton’s life that she makes sure to always carry around a headlamp in case she finds herself somewhere without light. But it also carries a deeper, more spiritual meaning. She has studied out what the Savior is telling us when he says on the Sermon on the Mount, “ye are the light” and today, we are going to discuss how our personal light grows brighter as we discover our divine self.   Top takeaways from this episode By simply being our true selves and acknowledging our divine identity, our lights will shine. By seeing others as their true selves and divine children of God, we can see more of God's light in our lives. We've all felt our personal lights dull at times, so if we focus on making our Heavenly Parents and the Savior a central focus of our lives, that light will return. Light grows by gathering, so if we build a community of women who can rely on each other for spiritual matters of the heart, we will build a community of light.   Small and simple challenge: This week, focus on asking yourself, "what could go right?" as you are facing your everyday challenges. Write it down somewhere you can see it, and then be open to the answers that come.   Links Check out Emily's book Seven at Sea: Why a New York City Family Cast Off Convention for a Life-Changing Year On a Sailboat See Emily at TOFW: Vancouver or Lancaster See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does your world feel heavy and dark? We live in a world of commotion and noise, and sometimes we just need a reminder that there is more light than we think. We just have to turn to the Lord and see his light in the everyday moments.   "You are meant to feel God's love, so allow yourself to feel joy!"   Today’s guest, Artist Kate Lee understands how it feels to be in that darkness. She created a painting called, “Through His Light” that came from a place of recognizing that there was more light from Christ all around her. Today, Kathryn and Kate discuss God's light, and Kate shares three lessons she learned through the process of creating the painting.   Top takeaways from this episode: We have to consciously look for the positives in our lives and we will start to see God's light in those moments. Sometimes in order to see the light, we have to look back and see that there was a gradual increase of light as we reflect. Look for ways to have "everyday light" in your life including scripture study, turning to loved ones, and prayer. Accepting God's light takes action and accountability.   Small and simple challenge: Take the time to ask the question, "how can I let more of God's light into my life?" and consider what your answer is. Give yourself grace in all aspects of your life to see God's hand more fully.   Links See Kate's painting, "Through His Light" here! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.