Magnify

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 n...

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 t...

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 Presiden...

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...

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 resp...

Before we start making changes in our lives, we often feel like we have to be good enough, or that there is some kind of worthiness requirement. But we just have to take the first step! In the Oct. 2023 General Conference, Elder Costa said that, "Sometimes we may think, "I need to fix my life before I come to Jesus," but the truth is that we come to Jesus to fix our lives through Him."   Kathryn i...

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 sea...

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...

We'd all like to open our arms wider to include others, understand each other and avoid the divisions we see in the world around us. So how do we look at others who are different from us with, as Elder Soares puts it, "the Savior's eyes"?   "The more we treat people as sisters, the more they'll feel that sisterly love."   Today's guest is Magnify contributor Shima Baughman. Shima grew up in Iran,...

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 tha...

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 contentmen...

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 contri...

Have you ever felt like you have to earn God's love? Or maybe like you're not sure if he really knows you? We've all been there, and it can often keep us from feeling the love God is always offering us. So how do we learn to really recognize the Savior and receive His love?   "His promises are throughout the love note of His word."   In today's episode, Magnify contributor Eme Martin joins Kathryn...

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 thi...

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 th...

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 discussi...

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...

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'...

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 dif...

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 f...

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."...

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 desi...

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...

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 prep...

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 disc...