Magnify (LDS Living)

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!

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If you're joining us for the first time this month, we have had members of our Magnify team pick some of their favorite episodes from our past and share some of those stand out moments. And this week we are going to hear from Stephanie Bryson, our content and portfolios manager. Her pick was Lisa Valentine Clark's first episode on our podcast, "How to Mourn with Those That Mourn."

Steph brings a new perspective to this episode for what it means to her to truly mourn with those that mourn. Steph got really vulnerable and opened up about the recent loss of her husband.

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I think it’s safe to say — women have a tendency to look backwards over their own shoulders—in effect wondering if they are good enough, put together enough, prepared enough to meet the Savior if He came tomorrow. 

This episode features Andrea Cabrera and Kathryn discussing Sister Amy Wright’s most recent address, “Abide the Day in Christ” from General Conference. Andrea is a bookworm, an electric unicycle hobbyest, and dreams to become the “Latina Oprah Winfrey.”

Purchase a copy of the General Conference Journal Edition to follow along!

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Across many cultures, clapping is a way we show respect, gratitude, and encouragement. The finish line of a marathon is proof that people want to cheer one another on in their accomplishments. We all could use more clappers in our lives to encourage us in the big moments and the small. Someone to tell us to keep going, that we're doing great, and that we are loved and supported. And we can all be encouragers for others. The Savior wants us to cheer others on, and he is our greatest example of how to do that. In this episode, Kathryn and David Butler discuss what it means to be a clapper.

"You can never annoy someone with a multiplicity of compliments."

David Butler is constantly encouraging others through is work. If you know Dave even if it’s just through the screen, you know he’s a clapper. He’s a big fan of people! Dave is a dad, a teacher, an author, and a co-host of the popular YouTube channel, Don’t Miss This, where he encourages his listeners to better understand the scriptures. 

Top takeaways from this episode

• The Savior wants us to show love by supporting one another--loudly and enthusiastically!

• When we see others the way God sees them, we'll be eager to encourage and cheer for their accomplishments

• Celebrating others does not take away from our own accomplishments. In fact, we receive more when we give more, which is what Dave calls "God's business model."

• Notice the abundance of blessings all around us, and we'll see more in ourselves and others.

• No matter how old or young we are, we all need to be reminded of the good we're doing and the value that our Heavenly Parents have given us.

Something to think about: God has given us the pattern in the scriptures for how he operates. He asks us to lose ourselves in order to find ourselves, and to give in order to receive. This might be counterintuitive, but the blessings we receive in return show us his great wisdom and love.

Small and simple takeaway: Speak kinder and be more uplifting to yourself. You will then be in a place to be able to do that for other people, and you'll start to gain an abundance mindset.

David's Instagram

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God never leaves us or turns from us, so how do we bridge the emotional and spiritual gaps that we create that distance ourselves from Him? As women, we all struggle with so many types of pain: death, loneliness, infertility, marriage trouble, wandering children, our own testimonies, mental health… the list goes on. We are promised that God's love will always be there, all we have to do is turn to Him. We can also bring that love into others' lives by trying to be more like the Savior.

"If we turn to the Savior and ask for help, we can receive healing."

This episode was inspired by a beloved talk from Reyna Aburto in General Conference in October 2019 titled, “Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord, Abide with Me!” In it, she shared a personal story about her father’s suicide and her daughter’s mental health issues. It was a revolutionary talk that opened up the discussion around mental health. Kathryn and Reyna open that conversation up even more and discuss with her how we can better understand the principle that God never leaves us.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• Allow your pains and struggles to refine you.
• By turning to God in your moments of pain, you can receive a testimony that he never leaves you.
• When you are feeling perhaps that God's love has left you, don't stop praying. He will answer your prayers in time.
• As you strive to be more like Jesus Christ, know that you stand by others in their pain and trials just as God stands with you.

Small and simple challenge: Remember the promise you make every Sunday as you take the sacrament that you will always remember Jesus Christ. This week, try to remember Him every day, and you will know how to help others.

Links:

Sister Aburto's Talk, "Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord, Abide with Me!"

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Effort! It’s a word President Nelson emphasizes often. He not only talks about it but has demonstrated it throughout his life—reminding us that the Lord loves effort. So much in our lives has become easy and instantaneous. But becoming converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t easy or instantaneous. It requires small, daily genuine efforts.

"You can’t have 100 priorities. You have to bring it down to balance."

As Becky Craven, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency says, it requires us to do something. Not everything. And certainly not everything perfectly! Rebecca Craven and Kathryn discuss how they find what matters most.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• We can't let the fear of perfectionism prevent us from progression. The Lord loves effort!
• If we pray to know how to prioritize our lives, the Holy Ghost will help us to know.
• Sometimes we just need to unclutter. Even some of the good.
• What matters most is following the Savior Jesus Christ.

Small and simple challenge: In our daily prayers, ask Heavenly Father to direct us in what we can do that matters most.

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We’ve spent the last few months really digesting and taking in President Nelson’s message “Peacemakers Needed.” As we have talked about the attributes of a peacemaker, one comes to mind that seems to encompass the others: trust. Trust can help us feel all the other attributes of a peacemaker working in our lives when we can learn to trust the Lord, trust ourselves, and trust that peace will come from our total dependence on the Savior. So what can we do to find that trust and let it work in our lives?

"I always knew that God was the only answer. It was either God or no one at that point."

Today's episode guest is Barbara Morgan Gardiner. Barbara teaches at BYU in the religion department and is raising her two daughters in Utah.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• Take a risk and trust the Lord's will over your own! You will learn that he never fails his disciples.
• Build experiences in this life that lead you to trusting God.
• God gives us power and then we trust that he will make us what we need to be in this life. That power is in covenant keeping.
• Life is a test, and sometimes you need to put in that little bit of effort.

Small and simple challenge: Do what President Nelson has has used to do: study Jesus Christ, study his names, go to the temple, read his words, and act upon what you know. Take a risk and trust in Him.

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We’re just coming off a spiritual high from General Conference weekend. And sometimes, despite our best efforts, this weekend isn’t always the relaxing, sit-in-front-of-the-tv and let-the-rays-from-heaven-pour-upon-you kind of weekend. There’s fitting in Saturday’s errands and activities, getting family members together, learning to bake rolls as good as Grandma's once were, and trying to take notes and ponder on all the words of wisdom you receive. In short, it's sometimes exhausting! But here at Magnify, we’re focusing on the joyful messages we heard and reflecting on the glimmers that came through.

Podcast producer is joined by Magnify contributors and community members Kaylen Nelson and Kathryn Davis.

Register now for Lift Up Your Heart! This weekend is in Idaho Falls! Use code PODCAST10 at checkout for $10 off your order (this cannot be stacked with the already discounted group pricing)!

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!

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This month's book club pick was The Law of Love in Action by former NFL and BYU quarterback Steve Young. As a community we've been reading this book together and discuss the different aspects of the law of love: loving as God loves, seeking another's healing, and expecting nothing in return.

Podcast producer Sarah Collins is joined by Magnify women Taylor Ricks Mele, Shima Baughman, and Hilary Craner as they discuss all things living with love.

Join us on Instagram for more insights, conversation, and annoucements!

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What are you preparing for right now? A trip? Dinner? Getting your crew ready to go back to school? Well, in this episode, we’re talking about how to prepare for something a whole lot more fun. We’re talking about how you can prepare spiritually and physically to receive more peace.

"One of our Heavenly Father's shining characteristics is that He is a peacemaker."

Discussing three ways to prepare for peace is today's guest Brooke Walker.  Brooke is the host of Family Rules on BYUtv and if you live in Utah, you know her as the host of Studio 5.

Top takeaways from this episode:

Brooke shares how there are physical and spiritual ways to prepare yourself for peace. Her three ways are:

1. Read the book:
   Physical action: We have to do the work! No shortcuts, no hacks. Lean in. Embrace the effort. Celebrate the effort!
   Spiritual action: Literal meaning of the phrase here, we need to be in the scriptures.
2. Carve out white space:
   Physical action: When our physical surroundings reflect the lives we want to live, we are able to be more in touch with our internal feelings. Clear out a space--even if it's just a chair in your home--that feels like a place where you can connect with the Spirit.
   

   Spiritual action: See out the quiet and solace of the temple, a literal white space for you to attend. If your life is too busy for that to be a regular event, take the time to be quiet and still.
   
   

3. Anticipate it:
   Physical action: Look for it all around you and pay attention to what you want to be more of a focus in your life. You will see more of it when you look for it.
   Spiritual action: Trust that God will fill you with peace. He is a God of peace and it is one of his greatest strengths.

Small and simple action: Take the time to implement these three principles into your life this week. Read even just a little of the Book of Mormon each day to "read the book." Perhaps make your bed every morning as a practice of "carving out white space." Look for Heavenly Father's signs that he is sending you peace and know that it is coming.

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There are some things in life that you have to often take a step back to see a bigger and better view. A tree can have some broken branches or missing leaves, but when it’s looked at as a whole, it’s always a beautiful image. The Savior can do the same thing with our lives, and when we rely on Him, our branches can be healed.

Kathryn is joined by Shima Baughman. Shima is a BYU law professor, an author, and her background growing up in Iran plus her experience around the world can help us lean into today’s message that the Savior’s sealing power can not only help us be with family forever, but find peace.

Head to our website at magnifythegood.com/events to register for Lift Up Your Heart!

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If we’re honest, it’s all too easy to forget to rely on God and His good grace. But this is exactly what we need to do if we are humble followers of Jesus Christ. In a his October 2023 General Conference address, Elder Joni L. Koch said humility is a “vital catalyst for spiritual growth” and a “mandatory requirement for us to be ready to return to the presence of God.” Today we’re exploring what humility looks like for women who strive to come unto Christ.

Joining Kathryn in this episode is Andrea Cabrera. Andrea works in marketing and has a background in broadcast journalism. She has her own podcast, and the Magnify team asked her to go out and bring back three examples of humility from her circles. This episode features the voices of three of those women.

Follow us on Instagram and join in the community conversations!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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A topic that is on many of our minds is knowing what to do when a child or someone we love takes a different path that leads them away from the Church. We are hopeful that this episode will help alleviate some of the pain and anxiety that we feel when this happens. No matter your family circumstances, this is an important conversation in our efforts to be peacemakers. 

Author, speaker, and Magnify contributor Melinda Brown appears as a guest on this episode with Michelle Torsak, Executive Director of Content for Deseret Book. Mindy has experienced her own child stepping away from the Church, and she opens up about her experience and advice. Mindy shares three truths she holds on to when dealing with these anxieties as well as provides practical applications for when we find ourselves in these circumstances. She shares this comforting line, "we are all wanderers."

Click here for a link to Mindy's list of quotes and studies that she has compiled!

Still hoping to attend Lift Up Your Heart? You can register for St. George, happening on November 9th, and Salt Lake City, on November 22nd and 23rd by heading to magnifythegood.com/events. As a podcast listener, use code PODCAST10 at checkout for $10 off per registration!

Follow us on Instagram @magnifycommunity to continue the conversation.

Merry Christmas to all our Magnify listeners! This special episode features the amazing and talented Emma Nissen. Emma is a singer and songwriter whose speciality is, "Jesus and Jazz." She performs some classic Christmas songs along with a hit of her own, "Light."

This episode also features thoughts from our Magnify contributors as they share what word has been on their hearts this Christmas season.

Don't forget to follow the Magnify Community on Instagram for more inspiration. And follow Emma on Instagram!

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As we continue in our “pursuit of peace,” it’s helpful to understand how agency plays a role in being a peacemaker. Agency is the greatest gift we’ve been given, but do we always use our agency for good to create more love and peace in our lives? Choosing to be a peacemaker usually isn’t the loudest or most popular choice, but it is what God has asked of us. Choosing peace is rising above worldly influence to care more about our relationship with God and others than anything else.

"Choosing peace can only come when we get to know the Prince of Peace."

Brooke Casanovas and Kathryn Davis discuss how peace is a premeditated choice when it comes to how we react in situations. We claim our identity as children of God when we choose peace.

Top takeaways:

1. Peace isn't a choice we can make in the middle of conflict. Peace has to be chosen before any conflict happens.

2. Let's practice being silent and taking the time to understand someone else's point of view as we are learning how to choose peace in our reactions.

3. How we treat others is evidence of how we claim our identity as children of God.

4. As we build personal relationships with the Savior, we will learn how to become more like him and make choices that he would make.

Small and simple challenge: Let's follow the Prophet's invitation to do a personal relationship inventory and audit on who could use some reconciliation. Do some ego-removing and offer forgiveness first with God and then with others. Create peace in that moment.

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As we continue to share some of the Magnify team’s favorites this month, this week's will help remind us about what it truly means to be meek. We did a series on peacemakers last year, where we picked the many attributes of a peacemaker, including meekness. And some thoughts might come to your mind like church mouse, or pushover, but on this episode, Shima Baughman explained that meekness is strength! In fact, that was the title of this episode.

Social media designer Anna Owens shares her thoughts on Shima’s episode and how she is working to be more meek by being receptive and teachable.

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Hello and Merry Christmas to all our Magnify listeners. As we come to end of this year and the holiday season, we are so grateful we could share our manifesto with the Magnify community, which is to inspire one another to “love well.” We are women who are united in our call to love first—to always love well. The Christmas season helps us reflect on the greatest example of love, the Savior Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate love, and the gift that we want to share with others.

"Music is an old friend that helps us count our blessings."

Today, our episode is going to look a little different than the rest of this season’s. Christmas is a special time for music and storytelling, so that is exactly what we want to bring to you today! We have the pleasure of being joined by Chad and Ben Truman, of the Truman Brothers fame. Throughout this episode, we’ll hear both their own personal stories and more music to bring you the ultimate love of the season: the Spirit of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Small and Simple Challenge: Stop more often this week and breathe. Be at peace with the Savior and ask yourself "what would he do?" Take the time to feel his love and decide what gift you can give to Jesus in the new year.

Song timestamps:

"The First Noel" - The Truman Brothers and Madilyn Paige [13:34-16:59]

"Hark the Harold Angels Sing" - The Truman Brothers [22:13-23:23]

"Oh Child" - The Truman Brothers [32:06-35:37]

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Becoming friends with people who are like us is usually easy. But without realizing it, we might be missing out on opportunities to learn from people who are different from us simply because we want to stay in our comfort zones. We are commanded to love our neighbors—and that includes people who might lead a life different than our own. In this episode, we discuss what it means to truly love our neighbors and how both physical and emotional proximity to others can strengthen our love for them and our understanding of the Savior’s love for them.
 

“Everybody is different from you. Everybody is a unique individual. We have to reflect upon our love for each other and decide whether our love is conditional  on us thinking that they are the same as we are.”
 
Dean Carolina Nuñez is the co-founder of the J. Reuben Clark Law School’s Refugee and Immigration Initiative, and her work with refugees at the border in Texas has inspired her to discover what it means to truly take on the meaning of “loving your neighbors” no matter the physical distance. She seeks to reach out with charity in every aspect of her life, including being a mother and wife. Her experience being raised in Venezuela and the United States, learning two languages and two cultures makes her perspective on loving our neighbors so profound.
 
Top Takeaways from this episode!

• Physical proximity can help us understand our neighbors better. Take the time to get to know others by getting close to them and live out the Spanish translation of “love of neighbor,” which means, “love of the one who is in proximity.”
• By reaching out to those who are different, or not always that easy to love, we can learn to love our neighbors as the Savior would have us do.
• Taking the time to get to know those around you can sometimes be awkward, but we can decide to push through the awkward!
• We sometimes assume those around us are just like us, but everybody is a unique individual.
• Allowing others to give of themselves and share their love for us is a way we can increase our love for them.
   

Something to think about: How has physical proximity to someone increased your love for them as your friend and neighbor? What can you do to increase your love for others who might be physically near you, but feel distant from you in familiarity?
 
Small and simple weekly challenge: It’s okay to be uncomfortable as we are trying to get close to those we consider our neighbors. Be willing to accept a little bit of awkwardness and you’ll be surprised at what will come out of it!

Listen to Carolina's BYU Speech from 2018 here!

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It is easy to get caught in the hustle and ignore ourselves and others without even meaning to. But there is magic in getting more intentional about being present when we are in the presence of others! In this episode we explore the power of seeing ourselves and others as God sees us, and what that looks like in our day-to-day lives!

Michelle Craig lives in Orem, UT, and currently serves as the First Counselor in the General Young Women’s Presidency. She is a mom, a grandma, and loves chips and chocolate—preferably together!

“When we are in the presence of other people it is a holy place.”

Top Takeaways from this episode!

• God sees us as his beloved children. We have divine DNA!
• We always have access to heaven. It is important we set aside intentional time to be still and access that connection.
• When we share what we love about others with them we can help them see themselves how God sees them! How exciting!
• When we are in the presence of other people it is a holy place. Because people are holy!
• In times of doubt try asking God how he sees you. Trust that through Christ weak things can be made strong! 

Something to think about: What is something we are doing that we should stop doing? What is something we are not doing that we should start doing? 

Small and simple weekly challenge: Let’s try putting away our phones when we are with other people and be intentional about communicating the good we see in them! Offer a sincere compliment that isn’t based on appearance!

Links:

Eyes to See by Michelle

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Do you have a friend who can brighten your whole day because of how encouraging they are? Or perhaps you are that friend! Uplifting others is a Christlike attribute that brings so much peace to our lives, and it is one of the easiest things to do! It’s a gift we can give others regardless of our means or circumstances. So how do we make encouragement a part of our every day lives and lean on the Savior Jesus Christ as our biggest example?

"Build a foundation of encouragement in all your relationships."

President Russell M. Nelson said that "the best is yet to come for those who spend their lives building up others." We all want that best to be in our lives right now! Kathryn is joined by Tammy Uzelac Hall, a fellow podcaster and friend, and they discuss how they can build others through encouragement.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• If we are in the habit of encouraging others, we will build a positive foundation for every relationship in our lives so that when disagreements might come, we can always fall back on that trust.
• Heavenly Father is always encouraging us in our pursuits to try new adventures or leaps of faith.
• The Lord was the ultimate example of encouragement, and he did it by service to others.
• Encouragement isn't always vocal. You can bear one another's burdens by sitting with them or listening or sharing your experience in a way that might lift others.

Small and simple challenge: Find one person in your ward that you don’t know and talk to them. Hear their story. That’s how foundations get started and you can create that foundation of encouragement.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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In April 2024 General Conference, Elder Uchtdorf said something poignant, "Life is not an endless sequence of emotional highs." However, he went on to say that joy can be found every day. There are joys that God has given all around us that we can enjoy temporally. He wants that for us! But there is also a higher joy that can only come through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This joy is an eternal joy! In today's episode, Kathryn Davis and Kalo Latu discuss tapping into that higher, eternal joy.

Join us for Lift Up Your Heart! We're coming to Phoenix on September 21st! Use code PODCAST10 at checkout for $10 off per registration!

Compassion is a call to action. It helps us reach beyond comfort zones, friend circles, and ward boundaries to serve and love like Jesus would. As we've been studying peacemaking, one important part of that pursuit is that peacemaking takes work. It requires action on our part.

"People don't need my judgment; they need my compassion."

In this episode, Kathryn is joined by Cali Black. They discuss the action behind compassion and how that can bring more peace into our lives and the world.

Top takeaways:

• The Guide to the Scriptures states that compassion literally means to suffer with. Perhaps we can't always suffer with others, but we can lead them to the Savior who knows how to suffer with us.
• When we ask for compassion for others, we will find that we have more compassion for ourselves as well that the Lord grants us.
• The Savior's example of having compassion with no distinction means that we should strive to have compassion for others, even those who we might disagree with.
• Compassion can be noticed at a distance, and then it's our job to move closer to that person to help alleviate their suffering.

Small and simple challenge: For the next week, when you go to bed at night, think of someone you might have thought a judgment about or said something out loud. Instead, see if you can switch your thoughts into something compassionate for that person.

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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!

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It's common for women to want to be full of light and, like Elder Quentin L. Cook said, “striving to be full of good cheer.” When we are around people like that, it’s contagious and infectious. We wonder what that looks like and how to maintain it, so let’s chat about it!

This episode features contributor Cristi Brazao. Cristi is an assistant professor at Daytona College in Florida where she teaches writing and research, English composition, and African American literature. She used to sing in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and her experience praising the Lord through song along with her convert backstory plays a role in our conversation today. 

Follow us on Instagram @magnifycommunity to continue the conversation hear more community updates.

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An important part of our Heavenly Father’s plan is that he doesn’t want us to simply do what is right, but he wants us to choose to follow him and his will for us. Showing up with a willingness to God is a level of faith that will lead us to more peace. When we do this, we can know, like Nephi, that the Lord will prepare a way for us to accomplish his purposes as we courageously say, “I will go and do.”

"Peace comes at the end of your rope. That's where you push through and prove yourself as a disciple of Jesus Christ."

Cristi Brazao joins Kathryn on this episode of Magnify to discuss how willingness is an important attribute of a peacemaker and how it can lead to more personal peace in our lives.

Top takeaways:

• Heavenly Father will never force us to do anything because of our agency, but when we follow him, our return is everlasting peace.
• When we are facing hard times, we can remember to go back to those moments where God has proved us and we can then remember to follow his will.
• Accepting God's will for us helps us know that things will fall together.
• The Lord will help us to hold on when we simply try to get back to his will.

Small and simple challenge: Write down the times where you've seen answers to prayers. Those will be your personal scriptures when you face times that you need to find more willingness to follow God.

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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.

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Welcome to our Magnify Podcast series "Let's Talk," where Kathryn and a few of her guests discuss top-of-mind topics and share their insights together as women. This week, our discussion will be based on an article written by Sister Patricia Holland titled “One Thing Needful,” and although this article was written 36 years ago, the insights are more relevant now than ever! We can’t wait to have this conversation together! Let’s dive in! And stay tuned at the end for how YOU can join in this discussion! We need each other!

"You are already anointed and appointed to be an amazing daughter of God."

Joining Kathryn on this episode are Emeobong (Eme) Martin and Ciara Lewis. Eme started an Instagram called @PeachyPonderings, which was started when she and her friends wanted to change the dialogue surrounding General Conference, and she created an account reflecting her personal peachy ponderings on a life of discipleship in Jesus Christ. Ciara is a friend of Kathryn's who previously taught seminary with her, and now spends time with family teaching her children and sharing her testimony on her blog. Both women have studied Sister Holland’s talk to prepare for this first episode of "Let's Talk."

Top Takeaways:

• We already are divinely defined as daughters of God! We don't have to be or do more to receive that promise.
• The Lord always promises rest in our souls when we come to Him.
• Rest comes when we intentionally seek Jesus in our thoughts and actions.
• An abundant life comes from understanding faith in Jesus Christ and waiting on His promises.

Small and Simple Challenge: This week we’re inviting you to read and study Sister Patricia Holland’s talk, “One Thing Needful” from an article in an 1987 Ensign. We really want to hear from you and how you find wholeness of your soul, so hop on over to @MagnifyCommunity on Instagram to join in the conversation!

Links

Sister Patricia Holland's talk written in 1987: "One Thing Needful: Becoming Women of Greater Faith in Christ"

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As we have been reading The Law of Love in Action for our bookclub this month, it’s brought to mind some of the great Magnify moments of the past 80 episodes. Next week, we’re having a Magnify book club episode where we’ll discuss all things Law of Love IN ACTION. But today, we thought it would be great to pull some clips from our past favorite episodes and how the women of Magnify have been living the law of love.

Order your book now! It's not too late to join the book club.

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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.

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Did you know that the inspiration for Magnify came from a scripture in Luke chapter 1 verse 46? Living as joyful and wholehearted followers of Jesus isn’t easy. We need the influence of each other to help us muster our courage. And that’s what you’ll find in the Magnify community: encouragement, strength, and inspiration to live differently and to make a difference as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

"We don't always realize our power as women when we come together. We are mighty as individuals, but when we come together, we can do amazing things collectively."

The mission of Magnify is to use our influence as followers of the Savior to try to make a difference in the world. Our guest today is Michelle Torsak, the Director of Content and Communities for Deseret Book, and the creator and executive producer of the Magnify podcast. She has helped to shape this vision, and we are so excited to have her here to help us kick off the new year!

Top takeaways from this episode:

• Learn how Magnify came from a scripture, and turned into an entire community.
• Women are strong when we work together. Invite your community to join Magnify!
• We are women who live differently by being disciples of the Savior.
• In the new year, you can look forward to discussions about how we can find the wholeness of our souls as faithful women.

Small and simple challenge: Go to our website and download this new year's manifesto! Share it with other women in your life and join the Instagram to share your insights and feel strengthened together with women across the community.

Links

Our website

Sister Patricia Holland's General Conference Talk "One Thing Is Needful"

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Did you know we have a bookclub? This month’s pick was Rock of Our Redeemer by Elder David A. Bednar. Our community also does a public Zoom where you—yes you!—can join in and participate. This month it was hosted by Tammy Uzelac Hall. We decided to post the recording as a bonus episode where you can hear the host and members of our community jump in and share their thoughts on the book.

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.

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Hi and welcome to Magnify. We hope you've had a great month with our bookclub, deeper learning series, and wonderful guests and contributors.

This time of year can be busy as we kick off the summer months, so we've decided to do a month of staff picks looking back on our favorite episodes! We have an awesome team of women here at Magnify, and this month they are jumping on to share some of their favorite picks from all of our past episodes. Elle Rees joins in today's episode where she shares some of her favorite parts from Tammy Uzelac Hall's episode "Cheering for Peace." 

Don't forget to head to magnifythegood.com/events for more details on upcoming events!

If ministering sometimes feels like an assignment instead of a powerful way to connect, then perhaps we need to rethink our approach! Instead of thinking of it as an assignment, think of ministering as an invitation to help others and ourselves progress. We can do this by observing then serving, where we take time to revel in the "nothing moments" and sit and learn about one another.

"Ministering is an invitation to help others progress."

Emily Snyder shares her thoughts on "observe then serve," which is an idea she got from Linda K. Burton in a 2012 general conference. She wants to know how we can get into people’s homes and lives so that our connections grow deep. Her belief is that we can all be a part of one another’s progression as we learn “how not to minister” and instead become part of each other’s lives.

Top Takeaways from this episode

1. Ministering is an invitation to bring the Savior into one another's lives, not an assignment to be checked off a to-do list.

2. Look around who is in your daily paths and decide to serve them and fulfill ministering in your every day life.

3. Sometimes it takes humility to receive ministering and people's assumptions may prevent them from doing so.

4. Honor the effort of people reaching out, even when their efforts miss the mark.

5. "Nothing moments" can be created by spending time with people, and these moments help us know how to better serve.

Small and simple invitation: Pray to take advantage of the invitation you have been given to minister specifically in your ward and also ask to be more open to receiving the ministering that others are doing to you.

Links

Linda K. Burton - "First Observe, then Serve"

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President Oaks shared in his most recent General Conference address that a distinct doctrine the restored gospel offers is in the definition of Heaven. The binary “heaven and hell” doesn’t resonate with us because we are taught that Heaven will be exactly what we want it to be! God wants us to be happy and to be in a place where we are comfortable. So let’s chat about this doctrine and the happy news that comes with it!

Kathryn is joined in this episode by contributor Melinda Brown. Mindy describes her perfect day as playing with her grandbabies, exploring along the beach, digging into a new book, and eating lots of scrumptious treats, definitely with frosting. She is getting her master’s degree at Duke Divinity school.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Order your General Conference Journal Edition today and follow along with Magnify as you study the words of the leaders!

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Have you ever described someone, or given a compliment that someone is fiercely independent? What if we switch that idea around? Not doing it all on your own doesn’t mean you’re failing. In times of feeling alone and overwhelmed, it can be helpful to remember that God meant us to have deep and personal connections with others. We were never meant to have to do everything on our own.

"We are designed for deep relationships."

Today’s guest, Jenet Jacobsen, has said that because of our divine heritage, we’re designed for connection with God and with each other, not for the independence society sometimes celebrates.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• Our culture is suffering profoundly because we have focused on radical independence when we should be focusing on radical dependence and reliance on our connections.
• Relationships aren't everything in this life, they are the only thing that truly matters.
• When we think about the healthy balance of being independent, we should be focusing on the capacity we have to care for ourselves and not find self worth in what others think of us or what they can do for us.
• Covenants that we make with God can be what determine our relationship with Him and help us feel His love.
• Perfection is not possible, but intimacy is.

Small and simple challenge: Be still long enough to let go of all the fears that I have so that the Lord can hold you. Learn to find ways to trust the Lord this week and get to know Him every day.

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In our lives, there are many scenarios we run into that feel polarizing or tricky to navigate. You might have someone in your ward that you feel strongly about because you disagree with their political viewpoints in the upcoming election, even though they hold a trusted calling. Or with General Conference just last week, perhaps you’re running into conversations at the dinner table that get heated because of how some messages are being interpreted. Or as you’re heading into the holiday season, you’re gearing up for a snarky comment to be made at the extended family party about your parenting styles.  However, at Magnify, we strive to be a force for good, and a powerful way to do that is by being peacemakers, especially in these polarizing situations. 

So, with this on our minds, we thought it would be timely to have a candid conversation about how to navigate polarizing situations in a more Christlike way. Brooke Walker is joined by Shima Baughman and Natalie Hill Jensen in this episode.

We've still got two Lift Up Your Heart events left! We're coming to St. George on November 9 and Salt Lake City on November 22 and 23! Register now and don't forget to use code PODCAST10 at checkout.

https://www.magnifythegood.com/events

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.

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The scriptures provide us with the relief and peace we are seeking. We are promised that our testimony of the Savior will come through reading the word of God, and the scriptures will give us steadiness in an increasingly unstable world. Sometimes, it takes effort to get into the scriptures, but any effort we make is always worth it! 

"He is concerned with the little details that are making up my life."

Kathryn and today's guest Emily Belle Freeman continue the conversation about scripture. Emily is a woman who loves scripture and has from an early age! She's a beloved gospel teacher who has discovered how to incorporate the scriptures into her everyday life.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• It's okay if your love for the scriptures comes over time! It's similar to developing a relationship with a person. It takes time and work.
• Learn how to harness the power that the scriptures have to provide counsel and guidance.
• Find what you need from the scriptures and then go to them with that need in mind. It really can be so simple!
• You don't always need to set aside a lot of time. You can read one verse a day and it will gradually build upon itself.

Small and simple challenge: Wherever you go this week, take your scriptures with you and try to keep them open. As you are cleaning, making lunch, sitting at your desk, or just having a quiet moment alone in your room, keep the scriptures open to the same page you were reading in your studies and wait for what will stand out to you.

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Sometimes we’re all guilty of overthinking it and making our own lives too hard. Maybe we even do it with our relationship with Jesus. In general conference, Elder Renlund shared words that helped to dial in our focus from his talk, “Jesus Christ is the Treasure.” This episode discusses seeing Jesus for who He is.

Hilary Craner joins Kathryn Davis as they discuss the question, “did you see Jesus today?” and how a story about bubbles helped Hilary reconsider her priorities. Hilary is a graphic designer who loves to sprinkle happiness into her designs. She loves to poke fun at herself over on her Instagram page with her obsession with 80/90’s nostalgia. Hilary says she’s all about the simple joys in life, which makes her a perfect fit to talk about simple ways to strengthen our focus on Jesus.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Order your General Conference Journal Edition today and follow along with Magnify as you study the words of the leaders!

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President Nelson invited us to make time for the Lord in our everyday lives. He said, "He will lead and guide you in your personal life if you will make time for Him in your life—each and every day." We all want those promised blessings, but with such busy lives, it sometimes feels overwhelming to make time. What if we don't have to do more or be more to make it happen? Our community is participating in a "make time" challenge, and this episode dives into how Kathryn and guest Maria Eckersley took this challenge, how they were able to make the simple changes work in their everyday schedules, and what they learned in the process.

"The Lord is able to fill in what you thought you needed with something better."

The Make Time for the Divine Challenge:

• Convert the commute: Commuting to work, driving carpool, or running errands can take up a good chunk of our time. Today for a few minutes of that time play your favorite hymn or gospel themed song.
• Switch the scroll: We often find ourselves spending time on your phone daily (or hourly?), scrolling. Try stopping the scroll and switching over to the gospel library for 2 minutes. 
• First things first: Let's put God first today, literally. Let's kneel before we stand! Before we tackle our day, let's start with a prayer.
• Phone a friend: We believe in Christ! Let's say so! Make a call or send a text sharing a slice of testimony or mentioning how Christ has shown up in life lately.
• Claim the joy! As we get ready for bed tonight, let's grab a journal or the notes app on our phone and take 2 minutes to write down how we have seen God and Christ in our lives this week. What has felt different?

Links

Join the challenge here!

President Nelson's Talk Here!

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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

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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!

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We’re talking about how to get on an upward spiritual spiral, using an out-of-the-box suggestion from President Nelson – to seek and expect miracles. And sometimes we don’t realize that the miracles working in us are miracles of joy, peace, courage, hope and faith! And this is what we want you to spend a day with us thinking about. You’re invited to Lift Up Your Heart, a Magnify Gathering. And for today's episode, we've gathered a few of our speakers from this event.  

Deseret Book's director of Content Michelle Torsak is joined by event speakers Hilary Craner, Kalo Latu, Kaylen Nelson, and Shima Baughman as they share a little insight into what they have prepared for Lift Up Your Heart and how they are seeking and expecting miracles.

Register now for a city near you! Magnifythegood.com/events and enter promo code PODCAST10 at checkout!

Choosing grace and poise instead of hot takes and big reactions isn’t popular in our culture, but maybe it’s just the thing we need to have more peace in our lives. When is the last time you thought about what it means to be poised? Elder Mark A. Bragg said, “poise is not spoken about much these days and practiced even less in turbulent and divisive times.” Developing poise is a deliberate way to be active peacemakers in a world where having the loudest reaction gets the most attention. Poise rises above the noise and provides us with personal, steady calmness which then allows us to create more peace in the lives of others.

"Part of developing poise is remembering and owning and believing in who we are."

Elaine Dalton joins Kathryn on this week's episode where they discuss the lost art of poise and how it is an important part of peacemaking.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• At times, we can lose a sense of our nobility and who we are. Poise is remembering that we are divine and we are queens and daughters of a Heavenly King.
• Poise can bring calm and confidence into our lives. When we walk into a situation with faith in Jesus Christ, there is a confidence that comes.
• We were set apart to come to the earth in this time, and seeing others with those same eyes will help us remember that those around us are noble and great.
• Having charity will bring more poise into our lives.
• The Savior's example can help us remember to always respond with poise.

Small and simple challenge: Repent daily! None of us are perfect, when when we utilize the atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives daily, we can change. When we do that quickly and daily, we will become more like Him.

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Do we sometimes look at being humble as being self-deprecating or diminishing our strengths? Being humble doesn’t equal being unimportant. Humility isn’t shrinking out of sight or shying away from being strong, and it isn’t hating on yourself. When we are truly humble, we can appreciate our own strengths and lift others as well.  Like the saying goes, “All ships rise with the tide.” Being humble is another way to know our divine worth and the divine worth of others as children of God.

“If you start focusing on yourself, then you’re not humble anymore. I find that if I look up, I look up, I can see that we’re not in a race against each other, but we’re in a race against sin.”

Kathryn is joined by Maria Eckersley as they discuss how humility can lead to more peace in our lives, and what it takes for both of them to focus on the gifts and strengths God gives his children as a way to be more humble.

Top takeaways from this episode:

·      We’re all on God’s team, so we can help encourage and strengthen each other instead of envy. Like the saying goes, “all ships rise with the tide.”

·      We are often quick to look at the things we are not good at, but part of humility is actually acknowledging our strengths and recognizing where they come from.

·      We don’t have to develop a relationship with God that looks like other people’s personal relationships with God. We can grow from our own relationship with him and learn what kind of armor we have.

·      When we are humble enough to ask the Lord for help, he will show us what tools we need, just like he helped Nephi find ore when he was supposed to build a boat.

·      Humility doesn’t have to be self-deprecation. We can follow the Savior’s example when he said, “here I am. Send me.”

Small and simple challenge: when you think about your struggles this week, instead of praying to be relieved from those burdens, pray for ways to find tools to get through them. Heavenly Father wouldn’t give us challenges without the tools to get through them.

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In today’s world, patience is a virtue that seems to be diminishing. We have access to everything so rapidly. Every situation has a quick fix. Even waiting in the drive-thru feels like an imposition. But patience is an important attribute of a peacemaker. God has told us to “be still and know that I am God.” Perhaps we should take the time to slow down and be still, and even though that can be uncomfortable, what can we learn about patience as we make that effort?

"Hard experiences are around every corner, and we can spend our lives waiting to get through those hard experiences, or we can choose do something about those trials."

Tara Bench and Kathryn discuss the attribute of a peacemaker which is patience. Tara lives in New York City and shares her spirit and faith through her blog Tara Teaspoon.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• Being still is choosing to be in tune with our Heavenly Father.
• Patience and receiving it is actionable. We don't have to wait for problems to get better, but can develop the tools we need to be more patient.
• Patience is not about waiting or enduring something painfully. It's about having the capacity to wait while not being upset, and instead trusting the Lord.
• Sometimes a good way to step outside ourselves when we are feeling a lack of patience is to ask how we can serve others and find joy in our lives.
• Challenges can teach us that we have loving heavenly parents and that we are developing patterns of patience in this life.

Small and simple challenge: this week, stop and take a step back in a moment of pain to say a prayer and ask for help through a situation. Give yourself validation and grace in whatever you are going through.

Links:

Elder Jaggi's 2020 General Conference talk

Tara's Cookbook

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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!

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There are so many things coming at us! In the hustle and hard of daily life, it can be easy to lose sight of the peace, relief, comfort, and joy that are available through Christ right now. So that's why we're inviting you to Lift Up Your Heart, A Magnify Gathering. It's a day-long gathering of Latter-day Saint women, meant to remind us of what we know—that Jesus Christ is our answer, and that we’re not alone! One of our keynote speakers is Lisa Valentine Clark, and in this episode, you'll hear how she shares about how she is striving to be a force for good, what miracles look like in her every day, and how to focus on the lighter side of life! Brooke Walker hosts this exciting episode.

Register now for Lift Up Your Heart! Listeners get $10 per registration with code PODCAST10 at checkout!

Have you ever wanted to feel a deeper friendship with Jesus Christ? To not only know about Him, but to really know Him? Today's episode explores the idea that knowing the Savior and really understanding who He is takes more than being familiar with the facts about His life. And when we truly come to know Jesus Christ as not just a figure, but a friend, we are changed.

"He is calling and saying, 'I've got something better.'"

A few months ago, Lizzy Jensen shared that she felt a hunger to get to know the Savior. In fact, she wrote, “I want to know Him. I want to have a closer relationship with Him. I want to think like Him and act like Him.” She decided to study the Savior in a way that would foster a closer relationship with him. She calls it #SaviorSundayStudies. We were inspired by her idea to become friends with Jesus Christ—to truly know him and not just know about him.

Top takeaways from this episode

1. Getting to know the Savior takes acting as his hands and serving others around you.

2. Sometimes, it is uncomfortable to represent the Savior, but it is always worth bringing his light to others.

3. He is never disappointed in us, and wants us to follow him so that we can have his joy.

4. Spending time with him will change us for the better.

Small and simple suggestion

Kneel down in prayer and ask the Lord to help you feel that he is calling to you and that you matter to him. Then ask how you can serve and be his hands.

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Happy Valentine’s Week to the Magnify Community! This holiday is all about celebrating love, and in this week’s episode we talk about the languages of gospel love that Elder Gong shared in his General Conference address, “Love is Spoken Here.”

God’s love notes are how we see little moments of the Savior's love manifested in our everyday moments. Kathryn is joined by Reyna Aburto, former member of the Relief Society General Presidency. Reyna’s special talent is that she is an excellent friend-maker and because of this, she brought some personal experiences of seeing these gospel love languages in action.

Follow the Magnify Community on Instagram and find our Valentines this week on our page!

Order your own General Conference Journal Edition to study along with us!

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Getting comfortable being a support to others in their times of grief and pain isn’t always natural. Mourning with those that mourn and comforting those who need comfort means simply showing up, asking how they are doing, providing a listening ear, and even sometimes sitting with them in their silence. In this episode, we discuss how we can show up for others—both near and far—and comfort one another as we rely on God’s miracles.

“The way we show up in the world is a gift to other people.”

Lisa is a freelance writer, producer, actress, and host of BYU Radio’s The Lisa Show. She wrote the book, Real Moms, Making It Up As We Go, co-hosted the feel-good service show “Random Acts,” and headlined the musical improv tv series Show Offs, for three seasons on BYUtv. Lisa and her late husband Christopher have 5 kids and a Labradoodle named Gus. You can find her on Instagram @yourfunnyvalentine

Top Takeaways from this episode!

• As women of God, we need to expect miracles and know that we are seen as individuals to Him; He will come to us in our specific needs.
• We can show up for people, even when we’re not physically there. When we know our loved ones better, we can be specific about our service to them. (Like dropping off cheese and Diet Coke for Lisa!)
• Sometimes we just need to sit in silence when we mourn with others instead of trying to problem solve.
• The Lord can make beautiful things out of the horrible and ugly and unfair things in life when we rely on his promises
• God will always bless us more than we deserve.

Something to think about: How can you be more compassionate to yourself when you are going through a painful or grieving time?

Small and simple weekly challenge: Think of that person who is going through a really hard time right now and reach out to them. Put the phone away, give them your undivided attention, and ask them, “how are you feeling today—but really? I want to understand.”

Links:

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/lisa-valentine-clark/yes-and-the-creative-art-of-living/

https://www.ldsliving.com/act-ii-scene-i-lisa-valentine-clark-on-grief-laughter-and-love/s/94511

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We often wonder how to work more effectively with the Holy Ghost. We can overthink the feelings we do get. Other times, we wonder where the guiding feelings have gone. Today we're taking the questions we have regarding the Holy Spirit to our day-to-day, discovering what it means to walk more closely with our constant spiritual companion.

Brooke Walker joins Kathryn Davis as they discuss President Eyring's talk, "Our Constant Companion." Brooke is a mom, a homebody, a lover of all things brightly-colored, an experienced host of several television shows, and executive producer of Studio 5 at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. 

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for more inspiration!

You can also get a copy of the General Conference Journal Edition to study along with us each week.

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Part of our mission at Magnify is to help each other be a force for good in our own spheres of influence. Sometimes that happens in ways we least expect it to. Celeste Mergens, the founder of Days for Girls, grew up in poverty. It was her understanding of what children going hungry felt like that led her first to her knees, and then to fill a need. She believes that the things you go through don't define you, but they can always bless you. Her superpower? Gratitude, and that's how she has learned to ask the right questions, listen when others are speaking, and lead with assuredness.

Celeste is the founder of Days for Girls—a non-profit whose mission is to increase access to menstrual care and education throughout the world. She’s a speaker, who has been featured in magazines like Oprah’s O Magazine and Forbes, an author, and an award-winning businesswoman. Celeste is also a wife and a mother to 6 children and 19 grandchildren, and she loves spending time with her family. She’s currently serving with her husband as a mission leader in the Washington Everett mission.

Join us for our final Lift Up Your Heart events. Registration is open now for St. George on November 9th and Salt Lake City on November 22nd and 23rd. Use code PODCAST10 at checkout* for $10 off per registration.

https://www.magnifythegood.com/events

*Does not stack with a group discount.

We’ve all noticed an increasing emphasis on covenants and temples! In April general conference the word “covenants” was used 194 times! There were 15 new temples announced, bringing the worldwide count to 350. And the First Presidency updated the temple recommend interview questions and issued a new statement on wearing the temple garment. It feels momentous!  

But there hasn’t always been a lot of dialogue around this subject. In this episode, Michelle Torsak, Director of Content for Deseret Book, and podcast producer Sarah Collins have asked Melinda Brown, author and teacher, to join with her expertise. Mindy believes that when we understand the significance and purpose of covenants and the temple garment—the WHY—it makes honoring them a joy. And it gives us language to talk about it with others—especially our children. This conversation promises to expand your view of the temple! It’s a good one!  

Mindy's recommended resources:

Let's Talk About: Temples and Ritual by Jennifer C. Lane

The Temple Experience: Passage to Healing and Holiness by Wendy Ulrich

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This year we felt the Spirit when a special message was given to us from newly set apart acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, President Holland. He reminded us that, “God hears every prayer we offer and responds to each of them according to the path He has outlined for our perfection.”  

Sometimes we might forget this or feel distance from this promise, but in this episode, Kaylen Nelson shares a takeaway that she heard from President Holland: our prayers never go to the “heavenly answering machine” and are always picked up and answered.

Join along our book club! Order your copy of The Law of Love in Action here and follow along on Instagram for more discussion!

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Being meek doesn’t have to equal being timid and quiet. What if we saw meekness as a principle of power that actually brings more peace into our lives?

Meekness is often misunderstood. The scripture, “blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth,” is found in Matthew 5:5. It's also found in the Old Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and it’s repeated by modern prophets in conference talks. The Lord has been telling us throughout history that we need to be meek. But what does it really mean for us today? What does it look like to live in meekness?

"I maintain meekness by watching my Savior first as my main example."

Kathryn Davis and Shima Baughman discuss how her career working as a lawyer and a law professor can often be an environment where meekness is not an asset. But as we are constantly striving to be more like the Savior, meekness can be a power and not a weakness!

Top takeaways from this episode:

• One way to lead to more meekness in our lives is by being teachable. If we can allow ourselves to learn from others—no matter their status or experience—we will develop greater meekness.

• Meekness is a strength: it is humility, courage, allowing the will of God to be more important than anything else.

• True meekness isn't a false sense of humility, but it's acknowledging that others have great strengths and that doesn't take away from our own.

• We can achieve meekness when we understand where we come from and know our divine worth.

Small and simple challenge: In whatever way it might work for you—going to the temple, asking for the Holy Ghost, speaking with others—figure out what contention in your life is keeping you away from the Savior. Ask for more of Him in your life.

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This recent General Conference, we heard Elder Kearon share a phrase that has resonated with us for a while now: “God is in relentless pursuit of us.” That felt like one of those soul-piercing truths. It felt like coming home.

Joining in this episode is contributor Shima Baughman. Shima shares a fun anecdote about her 5-year-old daughter having a crush and how she is in relentless pursuit of that crush. She gets real about how in her darkest times, she can feel God's love and that it will never leave her.

Follow us on Instagram for more inspiration!

We can talk all day about God’s love, but until we really experience it, a love that deep can seem like an abstract concept beyond our everyday reach. In this episode, however, Virginia helps us move God’s love from the abstract and put it into play in our lives. And the best part? We don’t have to add anything new to our schedule or routine to do it!

“The things that is interesting about feeling god’s loved is that I feel empowered to change. I want to change and be better. It’s a kind of love that’s empowering. You can do this! It’s an empowering and motivating love.”

Virginia is the mother of six children, the grandmother of twenty-seven grandchildren, and has many great-grandchildren too! You might recognize her as the daughter of President Gordon B. Hinckley and Sister Marjorie Hinckley. She worked as a marriage and family therapist and served as the first counselor in the General Young Women Presidency, and more recently as a full-time Public Affairs missionary for the Church.  

Top Takeaways from this episode!

• We don’t have to DO MORE or BE MORE to feel and share God’s love in our lives. Simply opening our hearts to those around us will make an impact.
• We can’t meet everyone’s needs or solve every problem, but we can pass along God’s love—and that is enough.
• When we get hurt, we can close our hearts to protect ourselves, but in doing so we can close ourselves off from receiving love. We can learn to protect ourselves while also keeping our hearts open.
• God’s love is empowering and motivating. The more love we share the more love we feel and the more love we feel the more love we share! Say that 5 times fast! It’s a powerful cycle!
• God’s love is available to us always, but we don’t need to stress if we aren’t feeling it as much as we would like.

Something to think about: Have you closed your heart and put yourself on guard because of an experience you have had? What’s the next best step toward being able to open your heart?

Small and simple weekly challenge: Notice people around you and think about opening a pathway from your heart to theirs!

Links:

A Heart Like His by Virginia Pearce Cowley

Make sure you check out the full episode and then come tell us YOUR favorite takeaway over @magnifycommunity on Instagram!

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Have you ever felt like forgiveness is a much easier gift to give than to receive? It can be really hard to accept that we are forgiven and move on past our mistakes. But the Lord promises in the Doctrine and Covenants that he will remember our sins no more when we sincerely ask for forgiveness. So why is it so hard?

"The Lord can take anything that feels broken beyond repair and make it whole."

If you feel like you’re alone in this feeling, just know that most of us feel the same way. In today's episode, Kathryn chats with Corrine Stokoe, creator of Mint Arrow, as she shares her vulnerable and personal story about forgiveness and the path that she has taken with her family to get to a place of peace.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• When we stop letting Satan control us and make us feel like we are our mistakes, we can feel whole again.
• Forgiving others isn't about having a loser and a winner, it means that you acknowledge that you want to do better and that you care about the other person.
• Heavenly Father doesn't want us to feel bad or remind us how we are falling short. He will be there to validate us always.
• Repentance is remembering who we are.

Small and simple challenge: Read the talk, "Beware of Pride" by President Benson. Think of someone you might be at odds with in your life, and ask Heavenly Father to help you be humble and change your attitude with this person.

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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!

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We all have moments when we feel stuck. When we feel like we are not getting the answers, blessings, and direction we desire from heaven. In these moments, or even seasons of longing, relying on the Lord for peace and patience while drawing strength from our covenants can help us through. Waiting on the Lord is always worth His promised blessings, so how do we find strength through seasons of waiting?

"Waiting is not a result of anything you've done wrong"

Morgan Jones Pearson took to Instagram with this idea. She shares, “I know what [waiting for God] feels like. I’m a believer that we’re all waiting for something but I’m also a believer that God’s promises are always fulfilled and always worth the wait.” Today's podcast discusses how we can all be strengthened in those waiting periods by relying on the covenants and promises we've made, and look for the blessings immediately surrounding us.

Top takeaways from this episode

• Our covenants and promises we make to God will strengthen us, especially in times of waiting for answers to our prayers.

• Everyone is waiting on some promised blessing from the Lord, and in our waiting, we can learn how to draw closer to heaven.

• A waiting period can become a sacred, sweet, and tender moment when the Lord is brought into that season.

• There is no timeline or restraint for us to receive blessings. God will always follow through with his promises.

• While we are waiting for promised blessings, we should focus on actively exercising our faith to get through the difficult times.

Something to think about

It can be easy to get down on yourself and think that you have done something wrong if you're not seeing an answer to your prayers. God never wants you to feel like you are doing something wrong, and if you've felt like an outsider to God's blessings, you are not alone. Take the time to look around at the "early harvests" or blessings that are more immediate around you.

Small and simple challenge

Turn to the scriptures with a sincere question in your heart and pray for divine inspiration. It's important to really get into the scriptures when you're in your waiting period.

Links

Blessings: A Law of Increasing Returns by Henry B. Eyring

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Sometimes it can be hard to know how we can use our time and energy for good in the world, but Heavenly Father has given us the choice in how we can bless others around us. As we consider all our to-do lists and wanting to put our energy into every good thing around us, we must choose where to put our efforts and even consciously choose to neglect things we can let go of. In this episode, we are giving ourselves permission to restructure the to-do lists and find what will guide us to blessings ourselves and others around us.

"We can do it all, we just can't do it all at once."

This conversation was inspired by Dr. Julie Valentine's speech at a BYU Devotional in 2021. Julie chooses to bless the lives of those around her by working as an Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Research in BYU's College of Nursing. She focuses her research on forensic nursing and sexual assault victims.

Top takeaways from this episode

1. We need to consider the stage of our lives when we are considering how we can "do it all" as women. Sometimes it's okay to ignore parts of your life and focus on what is best for you in your season.

2. Work with your loved ones to determine what is the best use of your time and energy right now.

3. Take time to get to know yourself and be in tune with your needs, including time to recharge.

4. Trust that the Lord is with us and will inspire us in our pursuits to bless others around us.

5. God sees the good we are doing.

Small and simple challenge

Start a selected neglect list. Write down what you will consciously neglect and work with your family to discuss about things that are great to focus on, but will be safe to put on the back burner until you can come back for them later.

Links

Dr. Julie Valentine's BYU Devotional, November 2021

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In this world, relief is a feeling that we all crave as we are dealing with life’s burdens placed upon us and our loved ones. So, in this last General Conference, when Sister Camille Johnson shared that “Jesus Christ is Relief,” it resonated with our community. The Savior’s way is the only way to feel peace, and in turn, bring both temporal and spiritual relief and peace to others.

"The Lord helps take our burdens until we can do it on our own."

Kathryn joins Kaylen Nelson in this episode as they discuss what stood out about this specific talk, and how we can find our own relief in the Savior.

Top Takeaways:

• The miracle that the Lord provides of not just physical relief, but spiritual relief from our sins and the fallen world can be just as impactful.
• We are often "stingy" with the burdens we carry in this life, but when we give those to the Savior, we find that it's easier to go through this life with him as our partner in peace.
• We sometimes blame God or ourselves for the natural consequences of living in a fallen world, so it's important to remember that we need to turn to him instead of away.
• Helping be a relief to others is how we partner with the Lord to bring relief and share in his work.

Small and simple challenge: Read and study out Camille Johnson's talk, "Jesus Christ is Relief" and share your insights as to how the Savior is your relief! Join the Magnify Community online to study how these attributes can bring more peace into your life.

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In Philippians 4, Paul shared: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest…think on these things.” We’ve heard it before that “honesty is the best policy” so how do we discover what it really means to be honest with God, honest with ourselves, and honest with others? President Nelson has shared that we can change the world and find peace in our lives when we interact with others managing our differences with honesty and respect.

"Being honest is illuminating."

Sometimes it seems like the world’s definition of honesty and truth is a moving target: just look at how many times the definition of health has changed in the last hundred years for evidence. But God is a god of truth, so what can we do to fill our lives with truth and honesty and be in line with the Savior? Kayla Jackson was a speaker at BYU women's conference whose ability to be real stuck out to the listeners. She and Kathryn talk today about how honesty leads to more peace.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• Our goal here on earth is to create relationships that will last throughout the eternities, and when we can maintain honest and respectful conversations with others, we will build those relationships.
• The Savior and our Heavenly Father are bound by their promises, so we can trust that they are full of truth and light.
• One way we can fill our lives with truth and honesty is by seeking God's will for our lives.
• There are times when we need to be more honest with ourselves. Having questions and bringing them to the Lord is one way we can honestly seek the truth.
• The beginning of our relationship with God and with others is being honest about who we are and how we will show up.

Small and simple challenge: echoing the words of President Nelson, we can examine our relationships in the context of the way we treat others. Take a moment this week to prayerfully reflect and ask, "how is my discipleship in the context of how I treat others?"

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This month on Magnify, our team has put our heads together to share different episodes from our past nearly 100 episodes to bring you some of our favorite moments. This week, we are featuring some thoughts from Kalo Latu's episode, "No Entry Level Requirements." Kalo stated that we often get in our own way of creating a relationship with the Savior because we think there is an entry level to starting that relationship. But this reminder that we can all do it, no matter where we are on the path, was a great one to reflect on.

Paige Sommer, the Magnify Community content specialist, shares how miracles are all around us, that we can find joy in the tough moments, and includes some of Kalo's wisdom from her first episode.

Join us over on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter!

We’ve heard it said to “expect the unexpected.” But we can feel at times like our expectations aren't always met. Elder Sabin shared a unique message in October 2023 General Conference. He said, “when nothing is expected and everything is appreciated, life becomes magical.” Doesn’t that ring true to you? This episode is all about about how we can find that magic in our lives through trusting God.

Joining in this discussion is Maria Eckersley, who is known for capitalizing on the happy moments in life. She is the ultimate “mom hacker”, mega party planner, and a devoted fun mom. She and Kathryn chat all things happiness in the gospel!

Follow us on Instagram to connect with the community!

Order your General Conference Journal Edition to study along with us!

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Magnify just announced our book club pick for November and December and it’s The Christ Child by Adam Miller. And this book will make your Christmas. If you're looking for that thing that will bring you that "Christmasy" feeling you love during this season, this is just the thing. This book takes us on a meditative and poetic journey to answer the question, “why did Christ come to earth as a baby?” It's all about how we can become more like the Savior by becoming more like a child—and those attributes that go along with it.

Podcast producer Sarah Collins is joined by BYU professor and philosopher Dr. Katie Paxman.

Join us for the book club Zoom where you can join in the dialogue with host Mindy Brown! December 5th at 7:00pm MT.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMud-mrrDkvHN1uEb4tBB8uFOzpSMDPLtWC#/registration

Register for our final Lift Up Your Heart event in Salt Lake City on November 22nd and 23rd. As a podcast listener, use code PODCAST10 at checkout for $10 off per registration.*

https://www.magnifythegood.com/events

*Does not work on already applied group discount.

Friendship is an essential and eternal part of our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness! We can develop these divine relationships in our lives right now, as we are, where we are. Friendships can help us experience heaven on earth today. In this episode, we discuss how we can start building these relationships by following Jesus Christ’s example, and loving our friends with genuine kindness and compassion the way He would. If you are ready for more soul-filling connection in your life (and who isn't!?)--this episode is for you!

"Wherever you are, be there."

Melinda Brown is the author of Eve and Adam: Discovering the Beautiful Balance. She discusses faith and friendship with women of all ages and shares her insights on her Instagram account @BraveLikeEve. Mindy is a mother and grandmother, and she gives her friendship to her loved ones by spending time with her grandkids eating lots of delicious treats, including anything with frosting.

Top takeaways from this episode!

1. Friendship is not only a part of this life but is an eternal and divine principle of heaven! We can build heaven on earth starting now.

2. We can follow our Savior’s example of friendship by being loyal to people we love.

3. Making friendships as an adult isn’t always easy, and sometimes you just have to step out of your comfort zone, but it will get easier!

4. We were given time on this earth for human connection, and we need to make sure to carve out time for it.

5. Life is a group project, and we all bring our own unique “bricks” to build a beautiful Zion community.

Something to think about: We think of good friends as those who can be loyal and dependable, and our relationship with the Savior is the same. How can we show others our Savior’s love by emulating his example?

Small and simple challenge: “Wherever you are, be there.” As you go throughout your week, try your best to be present to yourself and those around you. Don’t worry about what you need to do next, but just be present and open to relationships around you.

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We're now a couple weeks out of General Conference, and perhaps wondering where to start with our studies. Brooke Walker tackles this in today's episode as well as sharing three things she does to better recognize, remember, and treasure the rays of truth that Heavenly Father sends to us.

Join in the book club! Follow along @magnifycommunity on Instagram and order your book now.

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In this episode, Maria Eckersley explains her own "beggar's coat" that Elder Massimo De Feo shared in his recent General Conference address. The thing that we have a hard time letting go of can often be the thing that will bring us closer to the Savior when we finally do. So how can put those things aside and trust in the plan? Let’s chat about it!

Join the book club and order your copy of "The Law of Love in Action" here!

Follow us on Instagram for more inspiration and conversation!

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We all crave being seen, known, and loved for who we are. But where does that need come from? And how do we become people who can fill that need for others? We’ll be exploring those all-important questions in today’s episode. If you’ve been wanting new ideas on how to build connections and strengthen your relationships, this powerful conversation is for you. Let’s learn to see others for who they are and become a safe place for everyone around us!

“Instead of looking passed things in other people maybe we can see it and embrace it and meet them where they are in that thing”

Taylor Ricks has four amazing children: one daughter and three sons. Taylor has spent time as a foster parent and now volunteers with the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation to help children and families touched by Down syndrome in honor of her son Zane, whose bright spirit blesses their family in unimaginable ways. She enjoys writing, dabbling in woodworking, and going on walks. You can find Taylor on Facebook and Instagram @ToCheerAndToBless.

Top takeaways from this episode!

• We aren’t alone in feeling alone! Satan wants us to believe we are alone in our problems but this is never true.
• When we feel alone or left out we can ask “who needs me!?” to help inspire us to reach out. Reaching out and creating a new connection is a wonderful way to resolve our own struggles.
• When we feel judgment and criticism toward others we can stop and see what we can learn from them instead.
• Knowing how God sees us gives us the courage and confidence to be ourselves and share love with others.
• When we observe and listen to those around us we will be inspired and prepared in knowing how to connect with and serve them.

Something to think about: Have you taken the time to ask God how He sees you? Try it once a day this week!

Small and simple challenge: Pray to know who needs you this week and have the courage to offer that love!

Links:

Everyday Disciples by Taylor Ricks

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The last time you had to introduce yourself, what labels did you use? Did you talk about who you are, what you do, or what you love? All of these labels can be fun, and President Nelson even said that it can be a great way to describe ourselves, but they can also be divisive and restrictive. Today we are going to talk about the most important labels and how we can "label up"!

Eme Martin joins Kathryn on today’s episode. Eme says she prefers hugs to handshakes, sweet over salt, and travel by sea! One of Eme’s super powers is that she is great at making connections and friendships, and her experience will be perfect for this conversation!

Join us on social media where you can hear more of the conversation!

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Do you do a "one-word" type of challenge for the new year? Perhaps you should consider making "try" your word of 2023 as we focus in on what we can do to better grow closer to the Savior. Elder Holland, in a talk titled, "Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You," said that, "the great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying, even if we don't always succeed." 

"The Lord recognizes our efforts, and He loves us trying."

Today's episode echoes that same sentiment from Elder Holland, and Kathryn and Katie Hughes (@thehugheshouse) discuss how we can involve the Lord in all our "tries" and use the Spirit as our guide to being better disciples.

Takeaways from this episode

• The Spirit can motivate us to make efforts.
• Everyone receives the Spirit differently, and not all our efforts look the same.
• It takes time to listen and feel the Lord working in our lives, but he wants us to try.
• Sometimes we are so hard on ourselves, but we are doing good! And we can be counted on.
• The Lord will magnify your efforts.

Small and simple invitation: Learn the language of the Spirit and how He speaks to you. Learn how the Spirit guides your life and listen to His teachings. Your desire will magnify your efforts.

Links:

Katie's New Year's post

Elder Holland's talk

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At Magnify, our mission during this special week before Easter is to help us all feel a little holier by focusing on strengthening our relationship with Jesus Christ. As women, we can be powerful forces for good in witnessing the Savior in our every day lives. We can look to the example of the first witness who was a woman, Mary Magdalene.

Today's guest is Janiece Johnson. She is a research professor of religion and a production manager at Deseret Book. She has studied out the life of Mary Magdalene. Janiece wrote, "Understanding [Mary's] name begins to helps us see her power and her central role. She is a tower of strength--the Tower-ess or the Magnified one. Women [of the time] were not just on the margins, but central to the gospel and the ministry of Jesus. [Mary] becomes the first witness of the risen Lord and an example of power and strength to all of us who want to be disciples.”

Join us on Instagram to find out more about our community and be a part of the conversation!

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Guess what? The world needs you. Yes, you. No matter how ordinary you feel you have a powerful role in the gospel of Jesus Christ. On this podcast, our conversations are inspired by the prophecy and promise that Latter-Day Saint women will be a significant force for good and we're here to help each other be these women.

We will talk about things like . . .

• How to really live like Jesus.
• How to talk about faith more naturally.
• How to wrestle with hard questions.

As the world gets darker, this is our time to step forward, to love fiercely, to lead boldly, to live happily, and to fill the world with light.

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The dictionary definition of respect is, “to consider someone worthy of high regard or esteem.” The scriptures tell us that God is no respecter of persons, so how do we look at all of his children as worthy, even with those who we may differ from? In his talk, Peacemakers Needed, President Nelson said, “we can literally change the world—one person and one interaction at a time, by modeling how to manage honest differences of opinion with mutual respect and dignified dialogue.”

"Human kindness has to be part of our comfort zones."

When we treat each other with respect despite our many differences it creates a ripple effect of peace. Emily Snyder joins the podcast again to discuss how the Lord respects us, and how we can respect others with that same human-kindness.

Top takeaways from this episode:

• Respect is always earned, and never assumed. Treat people with the same respect you want to be treated with.
• Success in this life is measured by the interactions we have with others, and not how much we have accomplished.
• Self-respect comes from understanding our relationship with God and knowing that success is when we love him and ourselves.
• We all want similar things, but we often come at those things from different angles. When we recognize we have Christ with us, we can easily navigate those differences.
• God being no respecter of persons means that He sees us as our very favorite version of ourself.

Small and simple challenge: Throughout the week, as you are interacting with others, use the phrase "oh, they're human too" either verbally or in your head as you are dealing with others that you might need to find more respect for.

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Happiness: it’s something everyone wants. A host of different voices claim to know the secret to it. In October General Conference, Elder Choi asked the question, “Do You Want to be Happy?” and it seems like the answer is obvious! YES! But he goes on to share what our part is in finding and receiving truly lasting happiness.

On the Magnify podcast today is guest Janelle Gardiner. Janelle is a respiratory therapist, a professor and a world traveler. Janelle enjoys daily life with a large extended family–of 11 nephews and 6 nieces. She and Kathryn discuss the moments to hold on to when answering the question, "do you want to be happy?"

Want more Magnify? Follow us on Instagram!

Order the General Conference Journal Edition to follow along in your studies with the Magnify community.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Nelson’s conference address, “Peacemakers Needed,” felt like a landmark talk and it resonated so much with our community. Here at Magnify, one of our driving goals is to come together to cultivate what we need to LIVE DIFFRERENTLY! President Nelson has just given us the game plan for just that. Over the next few months we want dig into PEACE! What is peace? How do we find it? How do we create it? How do we share it? How do we receive it? How do we feel it? And mostly, how can we get more of it?

Joining us to kick off the next six months of studying peace and all the attributes of a peacemaker are Nassari Everett and Lisanne Murphy.

Top takeaways from this episode:

1. Peace is a choice we make that we decide is a state of our hearts.

2. We are responsible for the way we react to conflict in our lives.

3. It is important to pause and ask yourself how you will react to the situations around you.

4. Jesus Christ understands our struggles in this world, and he has come to bring peace. Sometimes that peace looks different from what you thought, but he will always be there, ready to provide it.

5. The Lord is preparing us to live more like him and to respond and bring others to him through peace.

Small and simple challenge: Our small and simple challenge looks a little different and will be the focus of the next six months on Magnify! Each week we will be exploring a different attribute as it relates to peace in an effort to find and share more peace. And the best part? We are doing the whole study on our Instagram, @magnifycommunity! All you need to do is follow along and you'll have completed each study one day, and one week at a time! Head to magnifythegood.com/peace to get your free download so you can follow along and enjoy some printable cards of our favorite quotes from the talk we discussed today! Stick them on your mirror, in your journal, or share them with a friend! We can't wait to pave the path to peace together!

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It’s easy to fall into the belief that living the Gospel is a series of boxes to check.  A sort of list of behaviors and requirements meant to measure progress.  But the scorecard approach soon gets old and exhausting. General Young Women’s President Emily Belle Freeman challenged that perspective in her recent General Conference talk. And she shares her own personal "why" when it comes to gospel living.

Joining in this conversation with Kathryn is contributor Kaylen Nelson. Kaylen teaches religion at BYU and she considers herself a bit of a bookworm and she's a major "Swiftie". She just celebrated her first Christmas with her 1-year-old son. In this episode, Kaylen articulates her personal "why" and encourages listeners to do the same.

Want more Magnify content? Follow us on Instagram!

And don't forget to get your own copy of the General Conference Journal Edition so you can follow along these episodes!

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We launched our latest book club last week and we are inviting you to be a part of it! We’re reading The Rock of our Redeemer by Elder David A. Bednar. For this episode, podcast producer Sarah Collins is joined by Mindy Brown and Maria Eckersley. They are doing a little kick-off for the month to get you excited about the themes of the book! Then, next month, you can join in a Zoom meeting to discuss the talking points of the book with like-minded women in our community. That will be on October 24 and hosted by Tammy Uzelac Hall. You can head to our website for more in formation. Today, our main hope is for you to feel the power of what we learned from this book: how to build stronger connections with Christ and what it really means to build upon Him as our rock.

Follow us on Instagram @magnifycommunity for all things book club and more!

Head to magnifythegood.com/bookclub to join in!

Did you enjoy General Conference? It was a weekend full of uplifting messages. There were so many things on our hearts going into this weekend. Our mission at Magnify is to be women who can be powerful forces for good in our communities and our homes, and we felt like there was no better way to do this than to have real, honest conversations today about what moved us from these messages.

Kathryn is out on Spring Break, so today’s episode will be our producer Sarah joined by Kaylen Nelson, Shima Baughman, and Mindy Brown.

Pre-order the General Conference Journal Edition now!

Join us in our online community on Instagram @magnifycommunity

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As our community continues in the “pursuit of peace,” one attribute that encompasses all the other attributes of a peacemaker is charity. We’ve all heard that “charity is the pure love of Christ” and that “charity never faileth,” but when we stop to think about what that really means, it feels somewhat arbitrary. This episode dives into what is charity? How does it look in our everyday life? And most importantly, how does finding more charity lead to finding more peace in our lives?

“I think we underestimate the influence we can have in a simple interaction.”

In this episode, Brooke Romney and Kathryn discuss this attribute of a peacemaker and how the Lord allows us to become more like him when we develop charity.

Top takeaways from this episode:

1. Charity isn't always easy to understand or to treat others around us with, but when we work on responding with charity in our hearts, we will feel that it's worth doing for our own development.

2. When we take the time to notice others and to look up and look out, we will see that we can help fill many needs and change many situations.

3. The Savior is our ultimate example of charity in how he responded to others. He rallies around people to bring them up rather than push them down.

4. Charity can bring us more peace because when we respond with charity to the actions of others, we will see his children as God does.

5. Sometimes charity comes through allowing others to help us in our times of need.

Small and simple challenge: When you're in line or waiting in public with a group of people, take time to notice what is going on around you and do something charitable. It could be as simple as sending a text to someone who comes into your mind, buying the item for the person in front of you, or simply giving a compliment to someone next to you.

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