In February 2019, Charlie Bird published an op-ed through the Deseret News that revealed two secrets: 1. He was the man underneath the Cosmo the Cougar suit that made national headlines and led NBC Sports to dub 2017–2018 the “Year of the Mascot.” 2. He is a gay member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Next month, Charlie will release a book called “Without the Mask,” and on today’s episode we talk with Charlie about what the gospel continues to teach him as he embraces a life that is very different than the one he planned for himself.

“Connecting with God has helped me see that my faith and my orientation are not mutually exclusive. They are both integral parts of who I am and if I try to reject either one of those, I’m not really me.” 

Show Notes

2:31- Being Cosmo the Cougar
7:01- Coming Out to God
11:46- The Words We Use
14:55- The Joy of the Told Story
17:19- No One Right Way to Respond
22:12- “The Adversary Works Best in Darkness”
24:32- One Day at a Time
27:00- Daily Bread
28:58- “Bridle Your Passions”
31:59- Spiritual Work
34:09- Latter-day Saint and Gay—A Continual Effort
38:14- What Does It Mean To Be “All In” the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin.

In February 2019, Charlie Bird published an op-ed through the Deseret News that revealed two secrets: 1. He was the man underneath the Cosmo the Cougar suit that made national headlines and led NBC Sports to dub 2017&ndash;2018 the &ldquo;Year of the Mascot.&rdquo; 2. He is a gay member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Next month, Charlie will release a book called &ldquo;Without the Mask,&rdquo; and on today&rsquo;s episode we talk with Charlie about what the gospel continues to teach him as he embraces a life that is very different than the one he planned for himself.
&ldquo;Connecting with God has helped me see that my faith and my orientation are not mutually exclusive. They are both integral parts of who I am and if I try to reject either one of those, I&rsquo;m not really me.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Show Notes
2:31- Being Cosmo the Cougar 7:01- Coming Out to God 11:46- The Words We Use 14:55- The Joy of the Told Story 17:19- No One Right Way to Respond 22:12- &ldquo;The Adversary Works Best in Darkness&rdquo; 24:32- One Day at a Time 27:00- Daily Bread 28:58- &ldquo;Bridle Your Passions&rdquo; 31:59- Spiritual Work 34:09- Latter-day Saint and Gay&mdash;A Continual Effort 38:14- What Does It Mean To Be &ldquo;All In&rdquo; the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Find the full episode transcript at <a href="https://www.ldsliving.com/pages/allin">ldsliving.com/allin</a>.

What does it mean to be "all in" the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days? The answers might surprise you. All In is a brand new podcast from LDS Living where we explore this question with the help of Latter-day Saints who are striving to live their faith every day—just like you.

What does it mean to be "all in" the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days? The answers might surprise you. All In is a brand new podcast from LDS Living where we explore this question with the help of Latter-day Saints who are striving to live their faith every day&mdash;just like you.

All In

Charlie Bird: Coming Out and Coming Into God’s Light

T.C. Christensen has made some of the most beloved Latter-day Saint films in recent years including “17 Miracles” and “The Fighting Preacher.” His new film, “Escape From Germany” tells the story of a missionary who was tasked with moving 85 missionaries to safety in adjacent countries as Hitler’s army was rapidly closing borders in August of 1939. On this week’s episode, T.C. shares with us how he approaches telling the miraculous stories of real people.

1:56- A Camera
4:52- The Power of Film
8:14- Stories Worth Telling
13:58- Heroes
16:59- Source Material
21:30- Journals
29:15- Lessons Learned From Movie Characters
30:40- Accurate Portrayals
34:00- Capturing Emotion Without Overdoing It
39:12- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

“No embarrassment, no justification, this is who I am.” -T.C. Christensen on his membership in the Church

“Escape From Germany” website: https://escapefromgermanyfilm.com

LDS Living Q&A with T.C.: https://www.ldsliving.com/why-t-c-christensen-loves-fiddler-on-the-roof-and-is-still-very-zippity-about-latter-day-saint-stories/s/12163

News articles about “Escape From Germany”: https://kslnewsradio.com/2094352/ksl-movie-show-exclusive-director-of-escape-from-germany-talks-challenges-of-period-pieces-on-a-budget/

https://ksltv.com/636492/new-film-tells-story-of-79-latter-day-saint-missionaries-who-escaped-nazi-germany/

T.C. Christensen has made some of the most beloved Latter-day Saint films in recent years including “17 Miracles” and “The Fighting Preacher.” His new film, “Escape From Germany” tells the story of a missionary who was tasked with moving 85 missionaries to safety in adjacent countries as Hitler’s army was rapidly closing borders in August of 1939. On this week’s episode, T.C. shares with us how he approaches telling the miraculous stories of real people.
1:56- A Camera 4:52- The Power of Film 8:14- Stories Worth Telling 13:58- Heroes 16:59- Source Material 21:30- Journals 29:15- Lessons Learned From Movie Characters 30:40- Accurate Portrayals 34:00- Capturing Emotion Without Overdoing It 39:12- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
“No embarrassment, no justification, this is who I am.” -T.C. Christensen on his membership in the Church
“Escape From Germany” website: <a href="https://escapefromgermanyfilm.com">https://escapefromgermanyfilm.com</a>
LDS Living Q&amp;A with T.C.: <a href="https://www.ldsliving.com/why-t-c-christensen-loves-fiddler-on-the-roof-and-is-still-very-zippity-about-latter-day-saint-stories/s/12163">https://www.ldsliving.com/why-t-c-christensen-loves-fiddler-on-the-roof-and-is-still-very-zippity-about-latter-day-saint-stories/s/12163</a>
News articles about “Escape From Germany”: <a href="https://kslnewsradio.com/2094352/ksl-movie-show-exclusive-director-of-escape-from-germany-talks-challenges-of-period-pieces-on-a-budget/">https://kslnewsradio.com/2094352/ksl-movie-show-exclusive-director-of-escape-from-germany-talks-challenges-of-period-pieces-on-a-budget/</a>
<a href="https://ksltv.com/636492/new-film-tells-story-of-79-latter-day-saint-missionaries-who-escaped-nazi-germany/">https://ksltv.com/636492/new-film-tells-story-of-79-latter-day-saint-missionaries-who-escaped-nazi-germany/</a>

T.C. Christensen: Miraculous True Stories Made For Film

All In joins our community remembering the service filled life of Ardeth Kapp. Please enjoy this episode originally aired March 9, 2022.

Former Young Women General President Ardeth Kapp and her husband Heber went through a lot during their 67 years of marriage before Heber passed away in May 2017. They worked together as president and matron of the Cardston Alberta Temple, were mission leaders of the Canada Vancouver Mission, and dedicated their lives to serving God in every calling in between. The Kapps also faced plenty of ups and downs in their marriage as they struggled with infertility and were never able to have children. In this episode, we speak with Ardeth about true partnership in marriage and learn from her example of how to choose faith and grace through thick and thin.

“We need to be able to reinforce that statement of love and not just assume, ‘We’re getting along okay, we don’t have to repeat it.’ Yes we do have to repeat it!” —Ardeth Kapp

All In joins our community remembering the service filled life of Ardeth Kapp. Please enjoy this episode originally aired March 9, 2022.
Former Young Women General President Ardeth Kapp and her husband Heber went through a lot during their 67 years of marriage before Heber passed away in May 2017. They worked together as president and matron of the Cardston Alberta Temple, were mission leaders of the Canada Vancouver Mission, and dedicated their lives to serving God in every calling in between. The Kapps also faced plenty of ups and downs in their marriage as they struggled with infertility and were never able to have children. In this episode, we speak with Ardeth about true partnership in marriage and learn from her example of how to choose faith and grace through thick and thin.
“We need to be able to reinforce that statement of love and not just assume, ‘We’re getting along okay, we don’t have to repeat it.’ Yes we do have to repeat it!” —Ardeth Kapp

Ardeth Kapp: Tried and True Marriage Advice

Savannah Wooden was in high school when, after years of struggling with seizures, she made the difficult decision to have brain surgery that, if successful, would cure her seizures. The surgery was, by that measure, very successful, but in the years since, Savannah has struggled with the byproducts of the surgery. Even then, she can see that the power of the priesthood invited healing into her life that otherwise may not have been possible.

2:13- The First Seizure
4:47- A Possible Surgical Cure
6:11- A Calculated Risk
7:44- Unrecognizable Surroundings
11:34- A Priesthood Blessing
14:03- Aftermath of the Surgery
16:43- Faith Journey
24:35- Memorization After Memory Loss
27:36- “Minor Challenges I Can Handle”
34:00- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

“Sometimes God doesn’t remove your problems, He makes a way through them.” —Savannah Wooden

Savannah Wooden was in high school when, after years of struggling with seizures, she made the difficult decision to have brain surgery that, if successful, would cure her seizures. The surgery was, by that measure, very successful, but in the years since, Savannah has struggled with the byproducts of the surgery. Even then, she can see that the power of the priesthood invited healing into her life that otherwise may not have been possible.
2:13- The First Seizure 4:47- A Possible Surgical Cure 6:11- A Calculated Risk 7:44- Unrecognizable Surroundings 11:34- A Priesthood Blessing 14:03- Aftermath of the Surgery 16:43- Faith Journey 24:35- Memorization After Memory Loss 27:36- “Minor Challenges I Can Handle” 34:00- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
“Sometimes God doesn’t remove your problems, He makes a way through them.” —Savannah Wooden

Charlie Bird: Coming Out and Coming Into God’s Light

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