Do you hear the story of the prodigal son and relate a little too much to feeling like there is no way back? What if we thought about the covenant path being something exciting?   "Even if we aren't all the way there, the Father will run to meet us where we are."   Magnify contributor Cristi Brazao is here to discuss Elder Uchtdorf’s recent General Conference Address “The Prodigal and the Road that Leads Home.” Cristi’s busy schedule with her four children as well as assistant professor duties has led her to some interesting spiritual reminders that she shares in this episode.   Cristi's three spiritual takeaways: His love is everlasting: The Savior and His atonement can help us wipe away the feeling that we don't deserve His love. The Lord will follow us as far as we wander, and he will rejoice when we are back. His love is bountiful for both those who have wandered, and those who strive to stay on the path. The path is exciting: In the story of the prodigal son, there are two different people who experience the path. Perhaps we can find ourselves as both the brother who leaves all behind, and the brother who stays. At different points in the story, they each felt that the path was difficult or not worth it. But the part that is exciting is that at the end, there is a feast, and it's a celebration for both! I can rejoice with angels: There are people on both sides of the veil here to cheer us on as we walk the covenant path. We need each other on the path, and by sharing our stories, we will find that we are rejoicing with angels.   Order the General Conference Journal Edition and study along with us on Magnify! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever felt like the blessings you were praying for didn’t come in the way you wanted or even at all? Perhaps in those moments, we could ask for Heavenly Father to bless us with contentment in our situation. It takes a lot of faith to find this kind of peace, but God loves us more than we can even comprehend. So how do we tap into that love?   "Hold on to those little moments of contentment and remember to do the work with gratitude and forgiveness."   Magnify contributor Hilary Craner joins Kathryn on this episode to chat about some spiritual reminders that she heard from Elder Anderson’s recent General Conference address, “Opening the Windows of Heaven.”   Hilary's three takeaways: The Lord loves us and wants to bless us more than we can even comprehend. Hilary shares how Elder Anderson talks about tithing and that the scriptures say there won't even be enough room to receive the blessings that God has in store for us. He requires so little, and He blesses us so much. She shares a story of her stillborn son and how there were many moments when the blessings were overflowing. Blessings come in different ways. We start to see that overflow of love when we recognize that not all blessings look the same. Hilary shares a story of when her husband lost his job right before Christmas, but that turned out to to be one of the greatest Christmases they had ever shared as a family. The key? Gratitude. This is God's work. God's work is to show his love for and bless His children. He asks that we sacrifice just a little for Him and share that love with others. What we receive in return is tenfold.   Order the General Conference Journal Edition and study along with us! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever switch between feeling like you’re either not doing enough or that you’re doing too much when it comes to the gospel? Both burnout and boredom can come with their own challenges, so what can we do to find the balance and feel assured in whatever step of the journey we are in?   "Let go of resentment and replace it with gratitude."   Joining the podcast in this episode is Magnify contributor, Mindy Brown. Mindy is squeezing in today's conversation between her divinity school studies. Kathryn and Mindy discuss spiritual reminders from Elder Bednar’s message from General Conference "In the Path of their Duty."   Mindy's three spiritual reminders: Whether you are struggling with overwhelm or underwhelm, the message is the same: More Jesus! There is a fine line between being too busy or too bored, and it can be difficult to balance. Mindy shares how both situations require a lot of patience, and turning to the Lord to help pay more attention to what others might be going through around you. Don't compare, consecrate Everyone is comparing themselves to others all the time. But when we serve and remind ourselves why we serve, we can remember that the hierarchies don't exist except on paper. Go overboard on the gratitude, and you'll feel that resentment being replaced! Everyone has something valuable to add based on their place in line Elder Bednar shares a story of how the different pioneers crossing the plains would have had different experiences based on where they were in line. Those in the front would not have dealt with the dust and the fatigue that might have been experienced in the back. But each place in line can teach us something that can only be learned through that position, so humble yourself and ask what you can learn from others who are in different places in line.   Order the General Conference Journal Edition to study along with us on Magnify! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever felt like you have to earn God’s love? Or maybe like you’re not sure if he really knows you? We've all been there, and it can often keep us from feeling the love God is always offering us. So how do we learn to really recognize the Savior and receive His love?   "His promises are throughout the love note of His word."   In today's episode, Magnify contributor Eme Martin joins Kathryn as they discuss the spiritually saving reminders from Elder Robert Daines' General Conference address, "Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus," and Kathryn gives us some behind-the-scene details about her brother's process for writing this talk.   Eme's three spiritual reminders: Learn of Him The gospel is not an exclusive thing where only some people deserve the love, forgiveness, and mercy that Jesus offers, but it sometimes feels like we are isolated in that way. Eme shares that when we learn who Jesus Christ really is, we will feel the love that he has for us. Lean into His love Elder Daines said, "covenants are the shape of God's embrace," and that is the love that Eme describes she feels she needs to lean into. Sometimes we have to find others who embody that love and lean on them to help us grow closer to the Savior. Love like He loved The Lord personifies love. His every invitation is to love God and love people, and when we serve and "stand in the river of God's love" like Elder Daines described, we will find that we are filled with more and more of His love.   Order the General Conference Journal Edition now! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who is someone who knows you best? Our closest friends, a spouse, or a parent come to mind. Elder Phillips said in his October 2023 General Conference address "God Knows and Loves You" that we are not “cosmic orphans” so what does that mean and how do we lean into the confidence that God knows and loves us as a perfect parent?   "One of my mistakes coming into that week was thinking I could do things by myself, but this simple reassurance that He loves me was what I needed to hear."   Kathryn is joined this week by Reyna Aburto as she shares three spiritual reminders that she found from studying out Elder Alan T. Phillips's address, "God Knows and Loves You."   Reyna's three spiritual reminders: God loves me more than I will ever know Sometimes we are looking for messages about how we can do more, and be more in order to know what direction God wants us to go in this life. But Reyna felt the power of the words, "I love you more than you will ever know," and it reminded her that when we focus on this principle, our priorities will work themselves out. Christ is the refuge from my storms In our lives, we will experience hardships and trials, but with our Savior, we don't have to look far to know how to weather them. The covenants that we make with Him will strengthen us and become a refuge. His work is my work If we believe that God loves us more than we can even understand, then it is our job to help others around us find that message and feel His love. Reyna shared that this message helped her to slow down in her daily routine and make connections with others around her.   Small and simple challenge: If you are feeling overwhelmed by your daily routine, turn to Heavenly Father for help, to Jesus for strength, and the Holy Ghost for guidance. And turn to others to help them and be helped by them!   Pre-order our General Conference Journal Edition here! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you know that feeling where you feel like you have tunnel vision? Where it’s hard to see the forest for the trees? It can be a debilitating feeling to not have an idea of the big picture when it comes to our eternal families, so how do we remind ourselves to see our lives through the “overview” lens?   "Hard is not hopeless. It will all work out better than we thought."   Brooke Walker joins this episode of the Magnify podcast where she shares three spiritual insights from Sister Tamara Runia's October 2023 General Conference address "Seeing God's Family Through the Overview Lens."   Brooke's three spiritual reminders: Our family is a team, and God is the coach We are placed in family combinations to help each other grow and learn to complement one another. Brooke believes that in families, strengths and weaknesses complete. Sometimes we might not feel like our role is important, but like a basketball team, each player has different strengths that complete the team. It's our job to beckon When we think of the story of Lehi's dream and the tree, we sometimes might forget that it's our job to stay at the tree and to beckon others to come be a part of it. To show others that eating the fruit is a happy thing. There are these moments that Brooke calls "in-between service" where we can show that we are beckoning even in unexpected times. Home is heaven, heaven is home As we cultivate family cultures here on earth, Sister Runia shares an important message that perhaps we will feel that the next life is familiar because of the homes we have created here on earth. Are we making our homes heavenly? Even if we have homes that look different than the ideal, we can zoom out and remember that we have time.   Small and simple challenge: Look for moments that you can provide that "in-between service" to family and friends. Look for a chance to show up in a purposeful and meaningful, but an unexpected way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Magnify Book Club! We want YOU to be in the club, so join us here and on Instagram as we discuss what we’re reading as a community, and how these picks are inspiring new thoughts and bringing us closer to the Savior! This week, we're focusing on Sheri Dew's recent book Prophets See Around Corners. You can gather with your own group or tune in here for our virtual book club discussion—or both! In this episode, Kathryn is joined by executive editor of the Church News, Sarah Jane Weaver, and they discuss the role of modern prophets, Sarah's experience working and serving alongside prophets, and their testimonies of how prophets see around corners. Purchase Sheri Dew's book here! And join @MagnifyCommunity on Instagram to see more book club details! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever found that with your own spiritual gifts, the labels read “some assembly required” like the toys you used to get at Christmas? We are told that we are a spiritually gifted people! But is there an instruction manual?   "There are spiritual gifts waiting on your front porch, but you have to do the spiritual work to open them and sometimes assemble!"   Maria Eckersley joins this episode of the Magnify podcast where she shares here three spiritual insights from Elder Gary E. Stevenson’s talk “Promptings of the Spirit.” Kathryn and Maria discuss how they feel they can assemble some of their spiritual gifts, how they dislike the metaphor that tuning in to the Spirit is like a radio station, and that doing good is the way we receive more of the promptings we are looking for.   Maria’s three spiritual takeaways: We are a spiritually gifted people: Sometimes the gifts we want from the Spirit are like those packages on the front porch. They are available to us, but we have to open them and sometimes assemble them! Sometimes God won’t just bless us with an answer to a prayer, but instead give us the gift to actually work through and learn for ourselves how to answer that prayer. The Spirit is something we invite, not command: When we live worthy to have the Spirit, there isn’t some guessing game of tuning into the right channel to receive the revelation we are seeking. The Spirit can cut through any static we are looking for. Additionally, the Spirit might not always be speaking 24/7, but instead speaking in different ways: through other people, through sending us comfort, through relieving our fears, through sending peace, and many more ways. When in doubt, do good: God is all powerful, and therefore can direct our paths for good. Did you catch that? Paths—with an S! The Lord delights in showing us that we can take many routes and he will be there for the ride. We shouldn’t worry so much about finding the perfect “right” and just trust in his peace.   Small and simple challenge: Take this week to try to look at things with fresh eyes. Look at ourselves and our loved ones and watch for spiritual gifts. Articulate and say what you see out loud for others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you catch all the exclamation points in President Nelson's invitation to "Think Celestial" and wonder how to apply this gusto to your own dilemmas and hardships? That's what this episode focuses on today! In this episode of Magnify, our contributor Kaylen Nelson is sharing three main takeaways from President Nelson's address Think Celestial!   "Let the big picture relieve your stress. You don't have to have it all figured out now. That's what thinking celestial is."   Kaylen's three takeaways: Begin with the end in mind:  This is a message of hope and happiness! Our Savior intends for us to make it in this life. When we take the long view and remember to keep repentance in mind, it should relieve us of the stress of trying to be perfect right now. We can have joy today! Our thoughts precede our actions: Thinking a little higher and holier could prevent a lot of heartache and disastrous decisions in a myriad of ways. The way we think about things like the law of chastity and our relationship to others and God will affect what kinds of decisions we make. He is my solace: Where do we turn for peace? When we turn to the Lord for peace in our lives, the shame of what we may have done can be gone. We can repent and move on from our lives because we understand the fabulous plan is to be safe with the Savior.   Small and simple challenge: Think celestial! Take the time to study out President Nelson's talk, and then find ways to change those thoughts. Change the way you interact with even just one person this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It might be more comfortable to try to blend in, but when we find the confidence to live differently than what’s popular, we find deeper trust in God and more joy in our personal identity. So how do we do it? Part of our Magnify Manifesto this year is to LIVE DIFFERENT. Perhaps instead of trying to stand out or isolate ourselves from others, we follow the Prophet's counsel to live distinct and different in happy ways by following the Savior.   "When you kneel down and are pleading for specific help from Heavenly Father, you have to show up your full self, because there is no fooling the Lord."   Joining this episode is friend of the pod, Lisa Valentine Clark. Lisa talks about how she finds the courage and confidence to live different and what that means to her in the context of the gospel.   Top takeaways from this episode: Just like we learn in 1 Corinthians, we need all parts of the body of Christ. We should celebrate that we all contribute different and wonderful things to the gospel. It can be important to check in and ask ourselves what it means to live differently from the world. We can find the courage and confidence to live the gospel everyday. Being different isn't comparing ourselves and trying to stand out from others, but it's choosing the Savior's way. We can embrace our differences in good ways and look at them as our strengths. Showing up our authentic self, even when we don't want to do the right thing, will give us more power in personal revelation.   Small and simple challenge: As we look forward to General Conference this week, look for ways where the Lord is speaking to you in personal and different ways that will be different from others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.