Ed Willis’s life began in a place literally called “The Lower Bottom.” Drugs, Alcohol, Prostitution—you name it, and it could be found in the lower bottom. Ed was always searching for something. It was this searching that led him to become a Black Panther. Ultimately, Ed can now see that the dignity he was seeking all along could be found in understanding that he is a child of God. On this week’s episode, Ed and his wife, Wanda, share how their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed their lives. 
"No matter what people might think of me, I'm on my way to purity, because that's the way God wants it. He wants me back, just like He wants everybody else back."
Show Notes:
2:00- Tuberculosis
4:07- Complexities of Race
11:05- No Room for Racism
13:04- Meeting Wanda
20:37- Walking the Walk
25:01- Why the Panthers Resonated
33:50- Why They Left
41:05- Evolving and Escaping Bondage
51:20- Refusing To Miss Out
54:45- Panther To Priesthood
59:00- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Find the full episode transcript at ldsliving.com/allin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed and Wanda Willis: From Black Panthers to Latter-day Saints

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.

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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/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Savannah Wooden: The Physical Healing Power of God

If the walls of the Kirtland Temple could speak, they would tell you what they saw that day—April 3, 1836—when the Living Christ appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Still, the temple stands as a witness of the reality of the Resurrection that we celebrate at Easter. Perhaps it is only fitting that the Kirtland Temple reopened under the Church’s ownership this week. On this week’s episode, Elder Kyle S. McKay shares how history and an understanding of our heritage strengthens our own faith.
2:05- A Cowboy at Heart
4:24- Elder Marlin K. Jensen
8:20- Attorney By Trade
11:19- Learning From Church History Professionals
15:56- Approaching Troubling Aspects of Church History
20:33- Jane Manning
25:46- Historic Site Vs. Operational Temple
28:14- Dispensations
31:34- Three Temples
36:33- The Sacrifices of Women
39:33- Why Buy a Replica?
41:25- Relationship with the Community of Christ Church
46:31- God’s Awareness of His Church
48:29- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
“He said in back-to-back verses in the Book of Mormon, ‘I am able to do my own work’ and He’s doing it but this is take a child to work day and it is a glorious privilege to be His child and go to work with Him and watch Him do it.” —Kyle S. McKay See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kyle S. McKay: A Witness of a Living Christ and an Ongoing Restoration

Andy Reid is not even done coaching and is already considered to be one of the greatest football coaches of all time. His humble approach to being a leader of men is inspiring and on this week’s episode he shares many of the things that have helped him lead great teams. He also shares insights into the players he has coached who he considers to be truly great.
 
1:30- LaVell Edwards
3:13- Storytelling
5:48- Personality and Patrick Mahomes
9:00- Tammy Reid and the Chiefs
11:32- Overcoming Challenges With Your Spouse
13:55- Priorities
15:30- Things That Start Wars
19:11- NFL Sundays
21:30- Chad Lewis
23:31- Travis Kelce
26:51- Word For The Season
28:41- Taylor Swift
30:54- What Does It Mean To Be All In?
 
“We try the best we can to lead by example but also, leading by example means that you’re following Christ’s teachings.”
 
Links:
Recent Deseret News articles about Coach Reid:
https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/03/04/andy-reid-leadership-lessons-travis-kelce-super-bowl/
https://www.deseret.com/faith/2024/2/22/24073403/andy-reid-super-bowl-lesson-in-peace/
A journalist and a student: https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/11/15/chiefs-coach-andy-reid-sportswriter-byu-storytelling See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed and Wanda Willis: From Black Panthers to Latter-day Saints

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