Raised by hippies and shaken by anti-Mormon views, Amber shares the miracles that strengthened her.
“So here I am just one after another. I was smart enough to recognize Satan should have been a little more subtle because this was way too obvious. It was clear that I was under attack and especially that my husband had just been called to be bishop. I’m like, okay. So I had enough wisdom to step back and recognize that. It still didn’t take away from the fact that I cried myself to sleep every night. I didn’t know the answers to all this information that I had been overwhelmed with. And my husband could answer some of it, but not all of it. He was a new bishop and I just didn’t know what to do. For the first time, my faith was really shaken.” – Amber’s Hope Smiling Brightly podcast: – Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Cara Reed Assistant Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia Episode Sponsor: Brick House Recovery https://brickhouserecovery.com/
After being stripped of his pride, Rico works through his faith crisis and grows closer to Jesus Christ.
“Just as the Psalmist said, ‘pride goeth before the fall.’ And boy, did I learn that lesson. If I were to boil it down to what is the one thing that is different about me from before my crisis and after my crisis, it is that I was stripped, completely stripped, of my pride. The Lord needed to compel me to be humble. I was one of those foolish ones that needed to be compelled to be humble. I think of all the things I learned through that experience, I’d like to think that now I am a more humble person, I no longer aspire for those callings, which was a big part of who I was through most of my adult life. I now see other people in a different way. I see people with greater love and greater compassion. I just feel the love of the Savior as I look at each person. I just see people through a different lens because that pride is being stripped away.” Rico’s Book: Enduring a Crisis of Faith https://amzn.to/4342sg3 https://mikesautoshack.com/ Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Cara Reed Assistant Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia Episode Sponsor: Brick House Recovery https://brickhouserecovery.com/
Tony started to explore the New Age movement and found himself in a dark place. How the Book of Mormon brought him clarity.
“There is a truth and there is a line. I did cross that line and I am back. Christ is our Savior. He did do what he did. There is evil. I felt it. I felt it on a stage. I felt the coldness of being on that stage in front of an entity of evil spirits. I felt it to my core. It made me shake I felt it so much. I’ve also stood next to President Nelson. he came to our mission and I got to look at him and be with him. And I felt on fire. I felt calm. I felt peace. And so I knew at that moment, and this, by the way, was the week that President Monson had died and President Nelson was being put in as prophet.” Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia
Despite having witnesses of God’s love at a young age, Lance started struggling with his testimony as an elders quorum president. How focusing on the basics brought him clarity.
“In the New Testament there is a story where Jesus heals a blind man and it says: Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. That’s how it was for me, all the sudden it just hit me and I thought: I can’t explain all these things, all I can say is I have felt God’s love, I have felt Jesus’s love and I have felt forgiven for my sins. I have felt the joy that comes from being able to change. I can’t explain all these things, I can only know what has happened to me.” Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia
Kevin opens up about his struggles with addiction and how his life journey has strengthened his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“100% I have not lived the principles of this church, but I do my best where I stand now to lift where I stand. Even if the principles of this church weren’t true I’m better off by observing the law of tithing, I’m better off by bettering my health, I’m better off by attending church, and I’m better off by doing things that benefit others like be kind, be human, and be respectful.” Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia