Spirit By Design: Your Weekly Survival Guide
Formerly ToddTalks: Design Your Best Life! Spirit By Design is for Those of you who struggle to maintain your spirituality, your beliefs, your testimony, in this chaotic world. Maybe you can't make it to church due to your responsibilities whatever they may be. Maybe you struggle with your Testimony or beliefs and are looking for help. Maybe you just need someone to give you ideas on how to build and strengthen your faith. This podcast is to help you design your spiritual life. Spirit by Design means you are in charge of your life. You surrender it to God and allow him to help you design the life you desire. By developing and strengthening your spiritual side, you will find peace, joy and serenity in this chaotic world that is only getting worse.
Spirit By Design: Your Weekly Survival Guide
Uplifting Conversations on Faith and Self-Discovery with Al Carraway (Re-release of Episode 100) Episode 4
This is a re-release of a previous ToddTalks episode because it fits well into this new Spirit By Design format. I'm thrilled to welcome the ever-inspiring Al Carraway to ToddTalks' 100th episode! Al opens up about navigating the whirlwind of family life in New York, surviving a tough winter, and the bustling schedules of children's sports. She also shares the exciting news of her upcoming book releases, a children's book in August and a New Testament book in October. Together, we discuss how she studiously adds historical context and personal experiences into her writing, and her infectious enthusiasm for her Instagram project, "Read with Al." Our mutual admiration for "The Chosen" series rounds off a delightful conversation on spiritual growth and storytelling.
Taking a deeper look, we explore the significance of recognizing divine guidance and shifting our perspectives on our spiritual journeys. Just like Peter walking on water, we highlight the courage it takes to make even the smallest efforts toward Christ. Emphasizing the impact of negative thoughts and the adversary's influence, we discuss how laughter and joy are often subtle signs of God's presence. By appreciating these moments and reaching out for divine help, we can navigate our spiritual challenges more effectively.
The episode takes a heartfelt turn as we discuss the power of self-love in personal growth and relationships. Investing in self-discovery and self-acceptance not only helps us manage life's adversities but also sets a powerful example for our children. We delve into how embracing new challenges, guided by divine love, can lead to profound personal transformation. Wrapping up, we reflect on the personal nature of Jesus Christ's ministry and how He individually touches and lifts lives, often unnoticed but always impactful. Tune in for an uplifting conversation that promises to inspire and encourage you on your journey of self-discovery and faith.
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email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com
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Welcome to Todd Talks, where I help you design your best life, Not the life that I designed for you, but the life that you desire. Today. It's a special treat. This is my 100th episode. You got that 100. 100 episodes of Todd Talks and I thought what would I want to do? Who would I want to talk to for my 100th episode? And since it's a special, spiritual, uplifting episode, I asked my friend, Al Carraway, if she would be willing to join me for another episode and she said yes. What transpired was a conversation, a wonderful conversation that will uplift and inspire you as you go throughout your next day, your next week. Take a moment and listen. Here we are with Al Carraway. Thanks a lot.
Speaker 2:You know who I, you know who I feel like I look like looking in is um Garth from Wayne's world, wayne's world party time party on. I made that comment earlier but my husband's never seen the movie, but you've had it, yes All right. I'm ready when you are.
Speaker 1:So tell me as we kick off. I'll add in the introduction and everything and all that. So tell me what has been going on. I've been following you on Instagram. We've chatted occasionally on there, but it looks like you're having so much fun with your family, with your kids, and what's been going on?
Speaker 2:Oh, everything. I don't even remember what I was doing last time we spoke, but we are climbing out of a long New York winter. We've survived, we are slowly, slowly making it, and that is a big task worthy of achievement. So we're climbing out of our New York winter with no sun for like half the year, our New York winter with no sun for like half the year. Let's see, I'm just getting over. All the kids sports, all things, sports with the kids. I'm writing a book. I have three books coming out this year, which has been great to keep me busy during those long winter New York months. So I have three books coming up. I've been working really hard on those.
Speaker 1:When do they release, or when does the first one release?
Speaker 2:So for the first time ever, I wrote a children's book and that is coming out in August of this year. I kind of co-authored on a it's like a coffee table New Testament book. It's, um, eva Timothy is a painter, an artist, so it's her book, and then me as long as well as a John, by the way Hank Smith, um, anthony sweat, jody Moore we all wrote essays for like a whole bunch of artwork. And then I am writing a new Testament book which will be out in October, which has been so much fun to write.
Speaker 1:That is cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, is it?
Speaker 1:a fiction New Testament book or a nonfiction? Are you doing it kind of like the Gerald Lund books or yes, in a sense of it is complete.
Speaker 2:Uh, yes, in a sense of it is complete. It's like a deep dive, like a history and context of scriptures of the new Testament, um, but it's also, uh, it's called seeing yourself in is what the series will be. So it is seeing yourself within it all. What does this even mean for you? So it's like action-packed with a lot of honest experiences that I have gone through. All of my trials are woven in to better see ourselves in. And what does any of it have to do with you? Coupled with, yes, like all the history and context, because I find that fun to read and learn about. I just finished the Lost Sheep and the Good Shepherd this morning and all of my ads have been farmer ads, because I think my computer has picked up on the word sheep a little too many times. My targeted ads are, you know, supposed to be, I think, for farmers is where I'm at are you know supposed to be.
Speaker 1:I think for farmers is where I'm at. That's funny, that's pretty good. Mine recognizes that I'm in norway, even though I speak no norwegian and all my ads come to me in norwegian and yeah, it's like okay. So maybe I'll pick up farming? I don't know hey, you know the way the world's going right now. You may need to.
Speaker 2:I may need to pick up some new talents.
Speaker 1:Yes, that is so cool. I wanted to ask you about the books you were doing specifically because so many things. One, I thought I had seen that you were writing again and getting ready to do stuff. I love your books, getting ready to do stuff I love your books and I I've enjoyed listening to your new Testament deep dive, the, the deep dives you do on on Sundays and everything. Those are cool.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Yeah, that's kind of how it all stemmed. I started a read with Al account on Instagram where I just read to you scripture, read scriptures to you and then, yeah, like what does this mean to you? How can you find yourself in that? Because I feel like if we're not seeing ourselves in it, then everything we're reading about is completely irrelevant. So, doing that, loving that, it kind of turned into writing it kind of turned into writing it.
Speaker 1:You know you, you have to follow where the spirit leads you and he leads you to help people through spiritual growth, spiritual awareness, and that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, I hope so. As a writer it's kind of tricky. You know, with all my other books I got to a point where I'm like I'm never going to write again. You get discouraged and I'm like writing books that's not a good outlet for me.
Speaker 1:But then you know, writers are going to write and now I got three coming out, so I didn't. That's awesome. So it's cool the topic that you've chosen, with the deep dive into the New Testament and putting yourself in, because I've just been binge watching the Chosen. I've never seen the Chosen before and so I just finished the first season. First season is the best season. Oh my gosh, that was amazing. Yeah, first season's the best season oh my gosh, that was amazing. Yeah, the thing I love about it is that, instead of painting Christ and the apostles and everybody kind of like the scriptures do, where they're all pious and very stale figures that you can't really relate to, he's real. It makes him real and I love it because, just like you said, you have to put yourself in there, right? He?
Speaker 2:laughs in it, yeah, he laughs in it. And he, he reacts with his facial expressions. And you're like I, I love him. I do, I, I love him. And I think, if we we need to feel that more and get to that spot more where we're like, oh my gosh, wow, I, I love him.
Speaker 1:That's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, season one of chosen. I like watched it and I'm like, oh my gosh, I just, I love him.
Speaker 1:I loved it because it's so real. It's the way that I picture, have always pictured Christ. I've always, I've always believed and thought. You know that he has a good sense of humor. He has to with with the way that we are and the way that life is. He has to have a good sense of humor, otherwise he would be crying all the time.
Speaker 2:That's how I feel about myself. Hey, you do what you gotta do I gotta laugh, or else I'd cry, and I don't want to cry.
Speaker 1:Well, you know you do what you gotta do. Crying is not a bad thing. I've had to tell my wife that because because you know she's been off of her for 20 years. She was on medication and she got off it last June because of some the vitamins and supplements and things that we're taking, and so she doesn't need it. But she's more emotional now and I have to remind her sometimes that the emotions are a good thing. Emotions are cleansing. When you have a good cry, they are cleansing.
Speaker 2:I got to learn to cry more. I'm not a crier.
Speaker 1:Well, neither am I.
Speaker 2:I got to figure it out. I use my emotions. What do I do? I yell a lot, not like in an angry yell, I'm just loud. I'm not even mad, but I'm yelling loud. I'm not even mad, but I'm yelling. You just talk very loudly all the time.
Speaker 1:Volume control.
Speaker 2:I don't know about that. I I yell at the dogs yeah, the dogs drive me nuts. Been so great to see him blossom in new ways, because I think what I have known about him thus far can actually be limiting us, for him showing us what else I think we sometimes we feel like all that we know is a lot, and then that's what there is to know, and then we subconsciously put God in, or his spirit, or even Christ within this, this box. You know, I know how to get answers to my prayers and they come like this and they feel like that because that's how it's always been. But then when we don't feel it in those ways and we don't recognize it in those ways, then we just say he's not here, he's not listening, he's not answering.
Speaker 2:And when I have learned to remove this box that I ignorantly put on them and what they're capable of ignorantly put on them and what they're capable of, that he does, he blossoms in new ways and I can see that he's teaching me even more about them. And so what I love most about even just like bizarre or mundane or boring parts that seem very insignificant to shift all it it is is a perspective shift and we peel back these layers and you're like, wait, that's, that's me. Wait, I have felt that before and it went right over my head, so it's just it has. It has made everything in life vibrant to to be able to have a perspective shift and see him in new ways.
Speaker 1:And I think that's important because, you know, I just I just got a blessing. I had the missionaries over for dinner last night, all five missionaries over and it was so much fun. Kind of weird because it was just me and the missionaries, but it was so much fun. And I asked him for a blessing because you know, when you have an opportunity, get one Right. And so in the blessing one of the cool things that the missionary talked about was exactly what you just said that I would be able to recognize the answers of the spirit that are coming to me in different ways than what I previously expected, opening my eyes to that there are more ways to receive answers than the ways that I've always just expected to receive them.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's true. I think a lot of the. There's a big disconnect of oh, I wish I felt the spirit more. And then it's like, well, actually, what if it's ingrained in us so well, just like he promised it? It would be that it's working so seamlessly that we don't even recognize it. And then it's like, okay, so well, how if?
Speaker 2:If it is true that God is real and he is always there, then what about the times I'm not feeling him, seeing him, hearing him here, feel, see, did I? Yeah, Um, and, and I think, um, I mean, I just wrote about the good shepherd and he is good, and about the people who don't hear his voice. Well, can we hear it? What does his voice sound like? Well, the good shepherd has a good voice. It is good. All good comes from God. It only exists because God is real.
Speaker 2:And so in the times that we feel like we're not feeling him or changing things, I could be like wait, even though I'm miserable and I'm struggling, like I laughed today, that is good. That could not have happened if it weren't for God, Me laughing even. Is God participating in my personal life? Or if it is not good, it is not of God, which means it is not truth, it is not reality. So how are you feeling? What are you thinking? Are they good? If it is not, it's not truth, it's not reality, it's not God. And recognizing the adversary could be more productive to be able to get rid of damaging and untrue thoughts that keep us standing still or pushing us back that might not have been relevant to where we started.
Speaker 1:No, I was letting the dramatic pause because I didn't want to just jump in and say something, because I thought it was very poignant what you said. It was, you know, all things good come of God, the devil, all things bad come of the devil. And I recently did a podcast where I talked a lot about the negative thoughts in our head. Because there are so many negative thoughts. We, as humans, we're very open to the devil influencing us to think negatively about ourselves influencing us to think negatively about ourselves.
Speaker 2:That's where he has the most control. I mean, how many of us are going to go and like, do something so terrible? Not too many. But where he gets us very, almost, almost. You know, if he gets us to stay, I noticed that if I'm not doing anything, that's the adversary winning. He gets us to linger longer in the problem solving, in the planning, in the wondering, anything that takes us away from moving forward or doing what he'd want us to do, like that is absolutely the adversary and that's absolutely the adversary winning. He tells us why bother, why try Like you know what I mean Kind of like Peter on the water.
Speaker 2:I think that is the perfect visual of how the adversary works in our mindset. Because have you ever sat in on a lesson about Peter walking on the water, where we're not like, look at what he did wrong, look at all the things he should have been done differently. You know what I mean. It's all about picking apart. Look at how he failed. You know, don't, don't be like Peter, and that's absolutely the mindset of the adversary.
Speaker 2:But with that perspective shift, knowing that those thoughts are not good, they're not productive, they get you to stop trying to stop acting. They essentially get us to stay on the boat, but with that perspective shift, you know, he gets us to feel bad about our efforts so that we stop making them like Adam and Eve in the garden. He gets us to hide, to retreat from the only ones that could help us. But what, if, you know, we look at Peter like he he's the only one that got out of the boat. That's, that's the different perspective, that that will keep us moving forward.
Speaker 2:Uh, he is the only one that tried. He's the only one that did something. He is the only one that did something seemingly impossible. He's the only one that got closer to Christ because of it all. And when he was sinking, he knew that help and safety didn't come from reaching for the boat, it came for reaching closer to him. And so I think, yeah, just the perspective shift. Are we staying on the boat? Are we staying put in our thoughts? Are we retreating? Are we lingering longer in it all, or are we moving forward, giving something to him to lead us to greater magnifications?
Speaker 1:You know, something struck me that you, that you said that we don't always think about and with the shift in perspective we don't give Peter enough credit for one getting out of the boat, but two he took. He was walking on water for several steps before he got scared, steps before he got scared and then he started to sink. But he was walking on water and people forget that part when they judge him for being scared or nervous or or second guessing himself. But he actually, he actually took that step and walked and was doing it and then had to, and then he did reach for the savior.
Speaker 2:Our, our efforts may seem like small steps forward. Or you know, our, our efforts are our small steps forward. They may only seem like slip ups and failures, but that mindset, yeah, is the adversary. We are in fact moving forward. Even our slip ups and smallest of steps are getting us closer to.
Speaker 1:Christ. Now what would you say to somebody that is stuck in that negative cycle of putting themselves down? I know you've been there before. I've been there. What, what do you? How do you coach somebody to get themselves out, to shift that perspective? I guess that's my main question is how do you teach someone that hasn't gotten the gotten, the perspective shift, how to get?
Speaker 2:unstuck. How to get unstuck? I can think of a lot of things, the first being I sure hope you love yourself. I think a lot of the things that we struggle with can stem down to self-love. If you have learned how to love yourself, then it affects everything. It affects how you view your life, what you're capable of, what you feel like you should be accepting of. I invested a lot of time into learning and loving me, and now I've gotten to a point where I'm too stubborn to live a bad life. I refuse it.
Speaker 2:And so if things are bad which they are often because my life is a magnet to trials it's not ignorance in your situation, but it's having this desire and this burn and this dedication to do something about it, to move through it faster. That is one recognizing the adversary. If you feel stuck, if you feel like he's not talking, he's not speaking, you're not seeing him, you have that desire to. I wish I felt the spirit more, all of those things. It's like okay, first, how am I feeling? Is that good or is it not good? Because if it's not, like we have the ad, we have power over the adversary, one that he has to obey. So, first step is get rid of the weight that you do not need to carry, all of the weight that we have, some of it we don't need and that's the one that the adversary puts on us. Cast them out. Get rid of all of that extra fat to your situation so that you can move forward and navigate much better.
Speaker 2:You learn and spend time with yourself, because once you get to a point where you love you and you feel that you are absolutely deserving of a great, beautiful and vibrant life, then you will be more stubborn about getting through and navigating those hard times more productively. Get rid of that box. See if you can see him in new ways. Pay attention to your good, reoccurring thoughts.
Speaker 2:If a thought comes back more than once, especially if it's completely foreign to me, that's how the spirit, that's how my soul brings me to a different life. I have to be reminded that I don't want things to go the way that I had in mind, because my favorite things have all come from the times where I'm wondering where he is, have all come from the times where I'm wondering where he is. Remembering God's purpose is to bring us to better things than we ever had in mind for ourselves. So embrace the unexpected, give chance to your good, reoccurring thoughts, allow God to be God, allow him to take us somewhere better, because life is absolutely vibrant and blossoming and it's like that even in our trials, and it just takes a perspective shift to notice.
Speaker 1:I agree and I think perspective, the perspective shift, is so important. I think the problem, the root of the problem with so many things in life, is so many people do not love themselves, whether it's because they were judged when they were little, they were judged at school, they were judged by others and they let it seep into their brain that, you know, the adversary pushes it in there and they accepted that they were unworthy, that they were not good enough, that they were not handsome enough or beautiful enough or smart enough, and they accept that.
Speaker 2:How can we?
Speaker 2:support somebody that's in that if we do not allow ourselves and god to define who we are and what we're capable of, then other people will, um, like, like I I was just on like several marriage podcasts I don't know why, but it was if you go into a marriage before loving yourself, expecting that you're going to get that from other people, you will always be lacking. Right, it will. It's not enough to sustain. Yeah, yes, anyways I. I get asked all the time well, how are you able to, like, do all the things you do? I have three kids. How am I able to write three books? How am I able to train for all these half marathons that I run? How am I able to, you know, do all these podcasts and go public speaking and and then my husband birthday cake and I show up in costumes that I hand make every month.
Speaker 2:And how do I do it? And it's like you know, I, oh I love my kids. I love them. I think the world of them. But you know, I also love me too, and I think that it would be a huge disservice if I did not teach my kids by showing them that you are worth your own time too. You flourish when you figure out and make time and do the things that make you feel filled. I want my kids to see, by watching me, like you deserve the things that make you happy. You deserve you have to make time for the things that make you happy, like, so I love them, but I love me too. And I want to show my kids like, yes, please, please, spend time on yourself, please do those things.
Speaker 2:I mean, life is just this endless self-discovery that, through the unwanted and the unexpected, god is going to bring you things that will have you just grow into a better version of yourself. I didn't start public speaking, I didn't start writing until I was in my 20, but now, who am I without those things? I don't know. You know, I was never a runner until a month before I decided to randomly show up, to sign up for a half marathon, but now I love it. What would I do without those things? I don't know. But yet I only discovered it a few weeks ago, a few months ago, and it is such a big part of me.
Speaker 2:Life is, yeah, absolutely an endless self-discovery. It's saying yes on you. It's just taking a chance once even to say yes to the unexpected, say yes to you. Know what is it that makes you feel filled? Do you know those things? Are you making time for those things? Because it's important for you to show your spouse and your kids that those are. Those are important for you to pursue. It's important for your soul to be able to pursue.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is, and that's awesome that that you, that you found those things that I mean, I used to run, I used to enjoy running, uh, you know, way back when I ran cross country and everything, and now I'm just sore. But the funny thing is I, as you were talking about that, I was thinking about things that I've picked up. I'm in my 40s and did you start a?
Speaker 1:podcast. I started a podcast. I've started a side business. I'm going to probably go into the airlines when I get out of the military. I'm doing all sorts of new things that I never thought I would do. In fact, I vehemently said for most of the last 20 years I'm never, I don't desire and I'm not going to go to the airlines. And then in the last few months the Lord kind of gave me a push and said this is direction that I think you should go, and I'm excited about it. It is awesome. I'm so excited about the future and the changes and the growth that I'm getting to go through, partly because I do love myself. I'm a pilot, so I obviously love myself, but not in the narcissistic way. I find it so hard to see people that don't know about themselves. They don't take the time to find out what they like.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was asked that question what do you wish everyone could do before they graduated high school? I'm like learn to love yourself. Well, how do I do that? Well, it's doing new things. It's spending time with yourself. Go out to eat by yourself. Can you go? Can you function on your own, or do you always have to be around other people? Don't you know you have to be able to be okay by yourself. Can you get there? Get ready naked, like I don't you know what I mean. It's saying you know, it's all of those things Spending time with yourself, learning how to be okay when it's just you and not always having to be around other people. It's, yeah, getting ready naked so you're comfortable with yourself. That it's just like not even a thing anymore. And it's absolutely turning to God and asking him to see you the way that he sees you and sometimes that's longer looks in the mirror, but, but he'll get you there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know it is easier to see myself naked when, now that I've lost 30 pounds, it does make it easier. But I agree, I I think that that's that's a key aspect of life that we need to embrace is is loving ourselves, figuring out what is our purpose. Once we have figured out how to love ourselves, then we can figure out what our purpose is and what plans he has for us, because his plans are oftentimes much different than our plans.
Speaker 2:But they are always better.
Speaker 1:They're always fun, I've found, even with the hard times, I've always found a way to enjoy the things that the paths that he's put me on, as opposed to the path that I wanted to take myself.
Speaker 2:And they lead to, yeah, better fruit, better blossoms. It just takes saying yes to him just once to allow it to be easier and easier the next time. The next time, because if you'll, if you see it through, if you see your seasons through and you see that the fruit is above all other fruit, then, yeah, the next unwanted and unfamiliar and uncharted thing that comes up, you'll, it'll be a little easier because, well, it worked out before, so I'm hoping it'll work out again and it will, even if it's on a path longer than anticipated, it will lead to those better things, because that is the entire existence of God. He only exists, christ only exists to bring us to better things in this life and and the, the life after. And I think there's a lot of stuff that we just that are just like in the weeds. You know, once we are, once we start saying okay, yeah, but to any of those kind of statements yeah, but like it's like no, it's just all in the weeds, and and I had to really get rid of and and and to.
Speaker 2:Last year I had to run with better simplification and what kept coming back to me and what is my driving force to not get distracted and not get discouraged with so many things. You know things that don't make sense, things that are hurtful, you know policies or you know anything like that. It's just more Jesus. I think that is the answer to everything, every distraction, all of the in the weeds, the adversary. It's just, if I give myself more Jesus, everything becomes more clear to me. More Jesus, everything becomes more clear to me. I was learning and studying a little while ago about Jesus in the wilderness and this is like the 40 days.
Speaker 2:The adversary is absolutely trying to come to him, wearing just every all of these many different hats to get him to. You know, dictate and distract the direction that jesus is going in. He shows him, you know, physical appetites, materialism, popularity, vanity, power and cries. He was hungry. He's physically weak. This may be, no, maybe not the weakest. That might be you know the cross of gethsemane, but he is very weak.
Speaker 2:40 days of not eating and absolutely the adversary will try and exploit our weaknesses. So he takes jesus to. You know, at first, the type top of the mountain to the high place of a mountain, and the temple, the top of the temple. Whatever in christ. He's shown visuals of like you could have all of this. This could be, this could be yours, if you just fall down and worship me. But gethsemane, like, how did he do that? And I just feel like what could have caused Jesus to not only turn away but to leave the wilderness with such a resolve that he finally started his work and put in motion all that would unfold? It's us, it's you, saving you, getting you back, giving you everything. He was motivated and strengthened and dedicated to you. That alone is enough for us to see ourselves differently, to help love ourselves more, to peel back those layers and all the in the weeds stuff, to see that you know he found great worth and strength and focus because he wanted to save you and give you everything. That absolutely changes how I view myself.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, you know, one of my favorite talks ever about the atonement is the Cleon Skousen discussion about it. It really goes into into not the weeds but into the deep doctrine of the atonement. My favorite part probably is where he talks about Gethsemane and how Christ we don't know exactly how it worked, we know that he bled from every pore. Right is the temple where Christ took each one of us individually by name and time stood still so that he could take each one and knows each one of us individually, knows our weaknesses, our strengths, our sins, everything our illnesses, everything that we go through, and he took it upon himself in that time. And and cleon scousen talks about the fact that he took us through the temple of gethsemane by name, and time stood still in that moment so that he knows each of us individually. And that's the kind of relationship that we can have with him, because he knows us to that extent.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just it's. It's awesome to think about, it's humble, humbling to think about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Yep, everything doing this deep dive of the new Testament and this deep dive, like all intensive sunup to sundown study of Jesus's life, Everything that he did was personal and individual. He is absolutely a one by one savior, one who touches the untouchable. You know one that forgives the unforgivable. You know the only one qualified to throw a stone? He, he didn't. He the the most hated people. He called as an apostle, Like you know what I mean. It's just, whatever reason you are thinking of, that you cannot, that you're not worth it, or that you cannot be loved, or you cannot receive a better life or a better version. You know perspective, all of those things. It's just inaccurate, it's just wrong.
Speaker 1:And the more we implement, more Jesus, yeah, the more we implement more jesus.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the more we implement more jesus, the more that we will see that he calls, he touches, he forgives, he, he calls um the least expected people. That's his team, you're.
Speaker 1:You're his team he uses even one of the least of these in order to make the magic happen, because he can and because he believes each of us are worthy. Each one of you listening to this is worthy. You are a child of God.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like the man with the palsy, he says Lord, if thou wilt Not like, can he heal me, but will he heal me? And yeah, he touched the untouchable, he cured the incurable and you are absolutely in his circle. He does everything, he exists for you and he does not lose sight of that. He does not lose sight of you. I mean even just with the lost sheep. I've spent a lot of time with sheep this week. Sheep I've spent a lot of time with sheep this this week.
Speaker 2:Um, sheep do not purposely leave a herd, a flock. That's not something that they choose to do. So a sheep that is lost, it is not because the savior lost track of him, not because he was not mindful of him. It was the actions of a sheep for the sheep to be separated. So the lonely sheep knowing that the lost sheep is not a prodigal son. It's, there's. Those are two separate things. A prodigal son is someone who intentionally leaves, and the lost sheep is someone who unintentionally leaves, but but he, he does just the same to both of them and that is, he rejoices when he goes to them.
Speaker 1:He goes to them.
Speaker 2:He is all mindful, because you are numbered, you are, you are his, and that's not what I wanted to say when I started with the lost sheep comment, but that's where I ended up. There's something different and better I wanted to say, but now I don't know what it was.
Speaker 1:What did I?
Speaker 2:start to say I don't know.
Speaker 1:We, you know we go, we go in the direction the conversation takes us. That's what I love about this format of podcast interviews, because it's organic. It just flows with where we take it, where the spirit takes it, where you know, maybe the information that maybe the lord wants out there for somebody that needs to hear something, maybe somebody that's listening this is one of the lost sheep, or the prodigal son and needs to hear that. You know, regardless, the Lord loves them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and he knows you, he knows where you are, he knows your hiding places and he absolutely comes with a better life, better resources, better help to get us to a different place. The lost sheep he doesn't stay. I mean, the lost sheep is a sheep that is lonely, is in unfamiliar, uncharted territory. It's someone who is, you know, suffered loss, you know all of those things. And when he carries us on his shoulders which he will intentional, leaving or not, he we can go on his shoulders he literally lifts us up, he gives us rest when we're on his shoulders and he brings us to places we could not get on our own. In those places, that that pasture of endless grass, those are that's, you know. He brings us to better things. That's's the point.
Speaker 1:That's where we're at and most of the time when he's doing that, we don't recognize that he is carrying us through the hard times. You know the old footprints poem. Yeah, we don't recognize those times. We complain and say why aren't you here, why are you far away from me? It's not because he is far away, he's actually carrying us through, but we're not recognizing the way the spirit is touching us in that moment and the way angels are sent to help us.
Speaker 2:I have found. Oh my gosh, so much has just been opened up to me as I thought of the question in what ways does he carry me? When I was able to think about that, all of the different ways that he carries me, I was just blown away, because it's not limited. It's not just him taking things away. That is not the only way that he comes to us. He does not just give us what we want or take things away. Our God is not a God of avoidance and prevention. A miracle is not avoidance and prevention. Avoidance and prevention it's going to the better things that you go through with him.
Speaker 1:Oh, definitely, that is an awesome perspective. I do love that perspective. So I know we have been on here a while and you're tired, so I'm not going to keep you all night. I appreciate your time and I value your time because you've been willing to just hop on when I threw it out there. Hey, I've been doing another one. Happy to. I consider you a friend and I think it's awesome that you're coming out with some more books. Woo-hoo, thank you. The next one in August. You said I consider you a friend and I think it's awesome that you're coming out with some more books. Thank you, the next one in August. You said so, I'll be looking forward to that. And you said you're doing a whole series with the New Testament.
Speaker 2:Yes, the Read Without right. We did Doctrine and Covenants last year and that's when I'm like, oh, I'm going to do a Senior Self in the Doctrine and Covenants. But then my publisher were, like you know, new Testament's coming up and I'm like all right fine, we'll do the New Testament first, and then we'll do the Book of Mormon, and then I will do seeing yourself in the Doctrine and Covenants. We're just going to get them all out.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. You know, you find your talent and you multiply your talent like the parable of the talents, and the Lord blesses you with more talent. So I've I've been watching, you know, over the years, since I since I got your first book and saw the you know my, my wife and daughters talking about your daughters, talking about your time out for women, talks that you gave. I've seen you grow and blossom and become so much more as you have done all this, this personal work, personal study and isn't that what the Lord wants out of us for life is for us to grow and blossom and become who he wants us to be. So thank you so much for your time and for sharing your words and your wisdom with those that that take the time to listen to this. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thanks for having me, thanks for thinking of me, thanks for listening.
Speaker 1:You're welcome. I will let you get back to your husband and family and thank you so much for being on here.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Once again, al, thank you so much For all of you that listened to my discussion, my conversation with Al. We had such a good time and I hope that you learned a lot. Discussing the Savior, the fruits of the Spirit all these things will help you improve your life spiritually. One of the five pillars that we need to improve our life on is the spiritual pillar. That often gets overlooked. So thank you for listening, thank you for doing and being and learning to love yourself, love the Savior. Thank you, al, for your words of wisdom and for the growth that you've been through to become the person that you are helping other people.
Speaker 1:This is Todd Talks. This was episode 100. Thank you for tuning in and hopefully I've grown as a podcaster and that these are even better, more productive and can give you more ideas and designs to help you improve your life. Todd Talks are available on Apple Spotify, everywhere you listen to podcasts. I could not do this without you, the listener, so thank you. Episode 100, we're 100 episodes in. That is so cool. And at the time of general conference, that's when that is so cool. And at the time of General Conference, that's when this is being released. Go listen to the words of the prophet and the apostles, as they tell us how we can live in this stressful time. Once again, thank you, al Fox Carawayway, and we'll be looking for your books as they come out. Have a blessed day, thank you.