With all that is going on in the world—fires ravaging the country, many lives being lost, and not to mention our own personal struggles that we face every day—we hope this episode will set us up that we can have joy amidst life's realities.

And to bring some great perspective to this conversation is author Carrie Skarda. Carrie’s book The Practice of Stillness inspired this discussion. 

Join us for our book club on February 27th at 7pm MT where you can hear Carrie lead out the discussion! Click on this link to sign up:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/MbD0gEldSDWhgRX2WYqhwA#/registration

We want to make our joy more known, and because we are followers of Jesus Christ, this should be the center of our mission! But sometimes in our desire for everyone close to us to live the joyful gospel life, it's our worry rather than our joy that comes through. This was an "aha" from Magnify contributor Shima Baughman when her personal family experiences were causing her more worry than joy. It was a moment where she had to ask herself, “am I really living the gospel?” And in this episode, Deseret Book content manager Stephanie Bryson chats with her about what the solution to this problem could be.

Join us on Instagram @magnifycommunity to continue the conversation!

 We hope this conversation will set you up well for the new year ahead. The Magnify theme for these next two months is joy and more specifically showing our joy. Harry Emerson Fosdick said, “You can know a real Christian, when you see him [or her], by his buoyancy.” As we set out to be women who magnify the Lord, one way we can do that is by living buoyantly and showing by example that God's plan works. 

As we were thinking about where to start the conversation, we thought of President Nelson's invitation to be women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, including understanding what the scriptures say about joy. Deseret Book’s executive director of content Michelle Torsak hosts this conversation with Tammy Uzelac Hall, host of the Sunday on Monday podcast and adult institute teacher as they dive into how the scriptures define joy.

Scriptural references from Tammy:

1. 2 Nephi 25:25-26: Theme for 2025, "we talk of Christ, we rejoice of Christ"

2. Matthew 2:10: The wisemen rejoiced when they saw the star

3. 2 Nephi 2:11, 13: There must be opposition in all things, compound into one, if these things are not, there is no god

4. 2 Nephi 2:25: Men are that they might have joy

5. 1 Nephi 17:1-3: They began to bear their journeyings without murmuring

6. Psalm 16:11: Cause me to know the path of life

7. Zephaniah 3:17: He will hold his peace with you

Continue the conversation over on Instagram @magnifycommunity!

We know that everything happens for a reason, and the scriptures tell us that “all things work together for good." But sometimes that isn’t a comfort to hear when we’re in the thick of it. But ever since we heard BYU Professor Ellen Knell share that accepting the struggle will ultimately bring sweetness and maning to our lives, her ideas have been on our mind. She gave a BYU address called "Look For the Light" and we wanted to amplify this faithful woman’s voice.

Ellen is an assistant professor for the center of language studies at BYU. She is a mom, a grandmother, and a woman of many talents including speaking Mandarin, figure skating, and all things relaxation!

Do you have a mantra to get you through whatever life throws at you? Especially during Christmas, you might be repeating something like, “I can do this” or “this too shall pass” or “mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again.” And we all want to prioritize the Savior and His birth during this time of year. This season, to return to the peace of Christ, repeat this mantra: “just Jesus."

Podcast producer is joined by Kristen McQuivey as she shares what has been on her mind regarding this new Christmas mantra she's introducing into her life. It’s inspired from Jared Halverson who shared in a video on Instagram his practices at Christmastime for letting Jesus be the light that pierces the darkness. 

Follow us on Instagram @magnifycommunity for uplifting messages and community every day!

Have you ever thought of contentment as complacency? That's perhaps something we often misinterpret, but in today's conversation, we explore that contentment is actually a blessing of peace from the Lord. We hope this conversation can take a weight off our shoulders as we’re in the midst of what is not only known as, “the most wonderful time of the year,” but also the busiest! We're all searching for a little relief and source of joy, and we think it’s a conversation that will serve as a reminder that we can live differently and make our joy more apparent.

Hilary Craner joins this episode with podcast host Courtney Spencer and producer Sarah Collins. This conversation was based on an article that Hilary wrote for LDS Living. You can read it here.

Welcome to the Magnify Book Club! This month’s pick was The Christ Child by Adam Miller. Every other month, our community also does a public Zoom where you—yes you!—can join in and participate. This month it was hosted by author and Magnify contributor Melinda Brown. 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.

As we’re getting into the Christmas spirit, I am sure many of us ponder and study the life and birth of Jesus Christ. Many families put together a Christmas pageant where everyone takes on a role in the nativity scene to help us reflect on the birth of the Savior. And one role in that story that we want to dive deeper into is Mary the mother of Jesus. Her background and mention in the scriptures is relatively small. But in today’s guest’s words: “Her story reminds us that God is aware of all of His children and that He calls ordinary men and women to participate in extraordinary ways to help build His kingdom.” 

Brooke Walker hosts this episode with Gaye Strathearn. Gaye is a Professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. She grew up in Australia, and she says she loves the game of cricket. In her words, she loves to, “potter around the house and yard” and even though she’s a big BYU fan, she does drive a red car... (we’ll forgive her for it). Gaye wrote this beautiful article in January 2019 called “Mary, the Mother of Jesus” that serves as the basis of this conversation.

Join us for our Book Club Zoom this Thursday, December 5th at 7pm MT.

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

We wrapped up our Lift Up Your Heart events last weekend. It felt so uplifting to interact with women in our community. President Nelson asked us to "seek and expect miracles," and because we’ve been focusing on the miracles of peace, joy, courage, faith, and hope, they've become more prevalent in our every day. A goal here at Magnify is to build our community, so in this episode, you'll hear podcast host Courtney Spencer and producer Sarah Collins grab soundbites from both audience members and Lift Up Your Heart speakers share how they're seeking and expecting miracles.

Register for the Zoom book club where we'll be reading The Christ Child by Adam Miller. It will be hosted by contributor Melinda Brown.

It’s often easier in hindsight to see what God has orchestrated in our lives. President Eyring has even said, "When we find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness it will build our testimonies.” In theory we know this works. And we do it in practice as many of us make gratitude lists this time of year. But how do we make it so that we’re seeing God’s great work in our lives like it’s second nature, be it a moment of hardship or joy?  

It’s something that’s on our minds and the mind of today’s guest, Emily Ann Adams, who wrote that she’s working to see God’s imprints all over the pages of her life—even when she’s in the thick of it. It’s a practice that has led her to more genuine gratitude and greater faith. Emily is an author, speaker, and mother to five—one of whom she lost as a stillborn. This plays into her story and she’s shared many of her experiences and perspectives in her books. She’s a hiker, a reader, a bit of a history lover, and she says that she tries to strengthen her relationship with Jesus and her Heavenly Father daily.

Join us for Lift Up Your Heart this weekend! Use code PODCAST10 at checkout for $10 off per registration. https://www.magnifythegood.com/events

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.