For All The Saints With Ben Hancock

James Cooper is a Christmas expert and runs the website Why Christmas? There is nobody better to interrogate about all the strange traditions and rituals surrounding the end of December. Christmas comes around and we take it for what it is, but there is so much about it that we don't know, it is always interesting to see what influences the season over the years and what creeps in!Some highlights from this episode are the role of dragons and leopards in the Nativity scene, whether Christmas is actually pagan or not, and a very strange Christmas tradition which involves finding garlic in a hollow log. Merry Christmas!—----Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

Amy Stevens Seal, otherwise known as the Latter Day Matchmaker, has been helping members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints find true love for a long time. She knows, more than most, what women and men want from a relationship, and whatever stage of romance you're in - you need to take note! Amy has set up Matchmaking Saints as a new, free dating app with a difference: it is overseen by a professional matchmaker. If you're looking for romance, you can sign up today - you can even organise group meet-ups if you're simply looking for a more casual gathering to make new friends. I loved this episode, it's different from my normal episodes, and you can see voluminously how awkward I am with the subject matter, but it's nonetheless important. Amy is aware of the common traits of successful courtships, and the common traits of unsuccessful ones - take notes as we all learn from her.Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

Steven Harper is one of the foremost historians within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Having played a leading role in the Joseph Smith Papers project, the Saints project, and the Wilford Woodruff Papers project (amongst many others), Steven is more qualified than most to answer questions about the church's history and how learning about it can be a blessing. I wanted to talk to Steven about how the information and clickbait era is presenting a challenge to those who grow concerned about elements of church history, Steven has read it all and remains faithful: why and how? His insights and advice are priceless for growing your faith and coming to know the truth when learning about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some highlights from this episode are what we misunderstand about Joseph Smith, why we don't hear much about Wilford Woodruff, and what it means to be a 'seeker' of truth. Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

Matty Jewitt is a student and staunch Sunderland Football Club supporter from Yorkshire, England. Matty's conversion story is one that has inspired me over and over, I was excited that he was willing to share it with the world on my podcast. We can never tire of conversion stories because they remind us of our own, lead us to our own, and strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. Matty's story can aid those struggling with addiction, and provide hope to those who may feel lost in grief. Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

Even if you haven't served a mission, or if it's been a while, this episode will give you important tools that will help you think about the goals you have and the values you espouse. Tom English is a podcaster (Real Clear Values Podcast) and founder of 3Stewardships. Tom's mission is to empower individuals across the globe to create lives of purpose, meaning and fulfilment, while pursuing sustainable success in a world full of distractions, temptations and challenges. Tom's recent focus has been on helping returned missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to thrive as they adjust and settle back into post-mission life. He does this through helping them apply the values they've learned on their mission to other righteous pursuits and goals that they have. Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

Last Sunday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lost one of it's highest leaders. Known to some as 'the grandfather of the Church', Elder Ballard was the longest serving current general authority until his passing. I wanted to learn more about who Elder Ballard was, and his greatest contributions to the Church. Some highlights from this episode are how Elder Ballard's upbringing impacted him, his greatest contribution to the Church, when he failed to follow a spiritual prompting, when he brought rain to a nation desperate for it through prayer, and much more.Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

James Fox is a true British icon of Hollywood and an incredible man. Now, at 85 years old, James carries the legacy of an illustrious career starring in films such as The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Runner, The Servant, Performance, A Passage to India, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, and many more. I wanted to speak to James about when, at the very heights of his stardom, he decided to give it all up to become an evangelical Christian - and how he sees God as he looks back at his career. I hope you find James as charming and wise as I did. Some highlights include his insights into choosing roles, how he avoided compromising standards as a mainstream actor, his advice to young Christians, and more.Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

We made it to 10 episodes! Amazed by all your support. As always, please share with friends and family who would find this valuable.My guest today is Scripture Central's Neal Rappleye. Neal Rappleye is a research project manager for Scripture Central. He is involved in on-going research on many facets of the Book of Mormon’s historical context, including: ancient Jerusalem (especially around the 7th century bc), ancient Arabia, the ancient Near East more broadly, pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and the 19th century witnesses to the discovery and translation of the Book of Mormon plates. He’s published with BYU Studies, The Interpreter Foundation, Book of Mormon Central, Greg Kofford Books, and Covenant Communications.1 Nephi is the book in the Book of Mormon that we've all read a gazillion times, however - after speaking with Neal, I can never read it the same (in a good way). Neal's teaching has made my Book of Mormon study so much more enriched.Some highlights are the reality of Lehi sending his sons back for the plates, what it was like to be a scribe, whether or not it was justified in law for Nephi to slay Laban, and much more. A jam-packed episode.You can learn more of Neal’s work with the Scripture Central team at the following links:https://scripturecentral.org/book-of-mormon/evidence/slaying-of-labanTitle: Legal Perspectives on the Slaying of Laban.By John W. Welch.https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/legal-perspectives-slaying-labanFollow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

Lisa Morton - author of 'Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween,' the encyclopaedia for Halloween, and over 100 horror short stories - says that Halloween is the most misunderstood holiday on our calendar. I wanted to ask why! I also wanted to find out what role religion has had and still has to play in this macabre holiday. Some highlights include Lisa's favourite horror film, how to not get scared at scary films, where witches with broomsticks came from, how Halloween links to an old Celtic celebration, and much more!Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org

Scott Christopher's career spans iconic Latter-day Saint movies such as 'The Best Two Years' and 'Mobsters & Mormons', to appearing on iconic mainstream shows like 'NCIS' and 'Modern Family'. He is also the author of several books including 'The Levity Effect' and 'People People'.I wanted to speak to Scott about his experiences working on films that I grew up with that were unique to my Latter-day Saint community, but also hear his thoughts on where Hollywood is at currently. I also wanted to delve into his important work on levity and how it can improve our discipleship and our secular pursuits. Some highlights from this episode include where Latter-day Saint cinema disappeared to, what it's like to work on recognisable sets like Modern Family, how Scott helped a failing company become top in its field by having them tell jokes, and much more!Follow For All The Saints on social media and sign up to the newsletter for updates and inspiring weekly messages:For All The Saints episodes are released every Monday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, connect with Ben & Sean via hello@forallthesaints.org