Marcus is a Professor of Bio-Engineering at Stanford University who studies Systems and Synthetic Biology. His faith has been strengthened as he has studied, asked questions, and learned to appreciate what he calls the “interdisciplinarity” of faith and science. He discusses how adopting a perspective of humility and a “growth mindset” as we approach apparent paradoxes and contradictions can help us master fundamental concepts and gain greater maturity even as we struggle. Finally, Marcus gives his take on the significance of the pursuit of DNA evidence in the Book of Mormon as well as the importance of listening and learning through being open minded and wrestling until we have “found the blessing.”

Missy’s whole world changed when her Dad chose to leave the church and her Mom chose to stay. The stark contrasts that existed in her home gradually taught Missy to stop seeing in black and white and to learn to love her Dad unconditionally rather than to judge his choices. This new willingness to see and to accept the "gray areas" strengthened not only her relationship with her Dad but also her relationship with Heavenly Father. Missy’s story helps to demonstrate how we can learn to see our loved ones through God’s eyes regardless of the choices they make, and how God’s eyes can teach us to see these people with hope and charity rather than with judgement or criticism.

Letitia’s story shows that it’s never too late to renew our relationship with God. Even after 10 years of distance from the church, Letitia found herself wanting to rekindle her faith and was able to find the courage to overcome any social fears in order to start attending her ward again.

As a history teacher, Seth’s experience with exploring his questions and concerns about church history beautifully parallels the lines from Robert Frost about how woods can be “lovely, dark and deep.” Seth shares how he still mitigates the mundane aspects of every day faith and how he has learned to appreciate his lived experiences and interactions with others as a form of worship.

     The Gerard Manley Hopkins poem referenced in the podcast is “Pied Beauty.”

Ryan shares the journey his faith took as he became a scientist. He describes how he finds hope in belief rather than in knowledge.

As he has traveled the world, Jeff has had the opportunity to meet many people and ask many questions. Jeff talks about how he grapples with questions and doubts and strives to maintain his faith even when he doesn’t have certainty. Jeff has a Ph.D. from the Harvard Kennedy School and has had a career as an economist at the IMF. Along the way, he has been the IMF’s residing representative in Ecuador, Ukraine, and Brussels.

As a historian, Janiece describes the intertwining of her love of the Restored Gospel and her love for history. The challenge of her academic work on the Mountain Meadows Massacre helped her gain perspective and compassion. She shares her hard-won wisdom on how to engage with history.

While Jordan’s crisis of faith surprised and overwhelmed him, he was able to work through it with the help and support of his wife. Jordan’s story illustrates how both education and open communication can be used as tools to effectively grapple with doubts in order to produce even stronger faith.

A California native who loves surfing, Kevin was raised in the Church, but wasn’t converted until later in his life when he decided to choose his beliefs for himself. His journey needed to become personal before he could find a relationship with God.

As a trial lawyer, Bill has a unique perspective about using the concept of the burden of proof when doing religious research. Using their years of legal experience, Elder Hafen and Bill discuss how to weigh evidence and listen to both sides as a juror might in a court case. Bill also shares how his battle with cancer expanded the strength of revelatory evidence in his life.