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Welcome to the Recent Speeches podcast presented by BYU Speeches, featuring inspiring new devotionals and forums given each week on BYU Campus. Be sure to check out our other podcasts by searching BYU Speeches wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting speeches
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BYU Edu Podcasts this devotional address entitled Jesus Christ Can Transform youm BYU Experience was given on April 7th of 2026 by Trevor Wilson, Director and Associate Dean of Student Athletes of the BYU Built for Life Center.
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What a magnificent time to give a devotional at byu. Last week we experienced the summit of the Easter season, the celebration of Jesus Christ, beginning with commemorating his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, then considering his infinite atonement in Gethsemane, his crucifixion on Golgotha, and his triumphal victory over the grave on Easter Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday we were blessed to hear the words of prophets, seers and revelators and sustain a new living prophet. President Dallin H. Oaks as prophet, Seer and Revelator in a solemn assembly during General Conference throughout the Scriptures, we have examples of Jesus Christ taking regular and amazing events and making them transformative experiences. When we choose to have ears to hear, not only do we recognize Jesus Christ as the power that makes these scriptural events transformative, but he can take seemingly ordinary happenings in our lives and make them life changing. I testify Jesus Christ can make occurrences in your life transformative through the Savior Jesus Christ. Sacred ordinances available in holy temples make it possible for us to be bound to him through the eternities. This reality is a blessing offered to men and women on the earth. However, if eternity and eternal progression seem like blessings that are difficult to anticipate now let me add my witness that Jesus Christ can make your experience at BYU transformative beginning today. Transformative experiences can be defined as ones that are profound and fundamentally make us different. These experiences are long lasting and often result in actions that lead to change. Most often, change occurs over time. It reshapes our thinking and our behaviors. Conversion rarely occurs in one moment or event. However, sometimes a single event can be the impetus for transformative changes. Different from transformative Much of our daily experiences are transactional in nature. Transactional occurrences are common and fundamentally include some type of give and take. There is an exchange of benefits that often meets a trivial need. Specifically, if two parties enter a transactional exchange, the exchange will meet a superficial need for both parties. Transactional exchanges lack depth or emotional involvement. A simple transactional event occurs when I go to Chick Fil A to purchase a menu item, I present the worker with a predetermined amount of money, the worker provides me with a delicious sandwich. Neither of us made a significant investment, but both of us received a short term benefit. Now, because I work in athletics, I must add a qualifying statement regarding the Chick Fil a example I just described. If I happen to present the worker a QR code that offers me a free Chick Fil a sandwich earned as the result of of an opposing men's basketball player missing two successive free throws in front of the Rock section during a basketball game the night before the exchange, though still transactional, becomes much more satisfying. In BYU athletics, I'm fortunate to experience thrilling transactional moments as well as powerful transformative ones. Let me preface this with some perspective. Athletics is an exciting way to share our mission to the world. In fact, when one considers social media, views, posts and viewership in general, BYU athletics reaches millions. Even with this outreach, athletics plays a complementary role in the foundational objectives to this institution, which is striving to be an educational Everest as described by President Spencer W. Kimball. As leaders and students, we must maintain proper perspective of the role athletics plays at byu. Sportsmanship Trends in college athletics seem to be losing some ethical ground. In some cases, sports entertainment has become an obsession. Cheering has become jeering. Playful bannering have become insults. Athletes have become targets, Coaches and referees have become scapegoats, Words have become weapons, and in some cases, neighbors have become enemies. The passion that comes with athletics provides us with natural opportunities to win with humility and lose with dignity. Truthfully, in some ways we can all be better at byu. We can lead out in demonstrating good sportsmanship rather than follow societal trends. Peacemakers Needed is an excellent guide for us to use when choosing how to act at BYU sporting events. Now, peacemaking can still include passionate, loud cheering in every way, including athletics. BYU is focused on helping people become disciples of Jesus Christ. Thankfully, at byu, the limited negative behaviors are overshadowed by what I consider the best fan base in the world. That's you. We do love our Cougs, don't we? Admittedly, I won't cry watching a sentimental Hallmark show. But when I witnessed Evan Johnson intercept a pass in the 2025 Pop Tarts bowl game and give the Cougars Cougars football team a season ending 12. 2 record, I sobbed like a baby. Or back in December of 2025 when I saw AJ DebonSA jump over an opponent, grab an offensive rebound with one hand and dunk the basketball with authority, all in one spectacularly fluid motion, I joined every other fan in this Marriott center, including some seated right on the south side in a spontaneous leap off my seat. As memorable those moments are, and as much as they thrill me, I still consider them transactional. Let me share a few examples of some of the more transformative experiences I have witnessed For Coach Kalani Sataki, BYU is transformative. He often speaks of his time here as a student athlete with deep appreciation and emotion. Under the mentorship of the great Coach Lavelle Edwards and others, Coach Kalani had a meaningful college experience at byu. In turn, he's transforming the lives of many of our student athletes and and reflecting a bright light on BYU athletics to our followers. When you listen to Coach Kalani's post game interviews, win or lose, you'll find he's complimentary of the other team, complimentary of his staff, deflects praise, takes personal accountability, and refuses to blame others. He leads with his faith in Jesus Christ and is quick to remind his players that their identities as husbands, fathers, sons, brothers and children of God are more important than their identity as football players. A couple of years ago, in a tightly contested football game that came down to the last play on a rival team's home field, Coach Kalani quietly did something that speaks to his character. Before the game ended, the opposing team prematurely stormed the field, only to be told by game officials to get back off the field so the final play could take place. The final play nearly swung the game in BYU's favor, but fell just short as the home team student section stormed the field. Once again, many of the fans were charged with emotion, with what I call athletic induced anger. The situation became somewhat dangerous for players and coaches who found themselves in a wave of charging fans. As opposing fans approached Kalani to scream and jeer in his face, Kalani invited them to take selfie photos with him. This small, humble act in a moment of high emotion instantly melted away the anger. Kalani's reaction to the incident neutralized the entire situation, and rather than demean our coach, opposing fans swarmed him to take selfies. BYU runs deep for Kalani Cougar Nation is thankful Kalani is with us. Let me share another example. Fuseni Traore came to BYU in the fall of 2021 Foos, as he was affectionately called. BYU fans came to the United States from Mali, West Africa to play basketball at Wasatch Academy a few years prior to entering byu. At the time he came to the United States, he spoke a Mali dialect of Bambara and French. English was his third language and he spoke little of it. He left his loving family in West Africa and arrived with little more than a backpack, a small amount of clothing and a few personal items. While at Wasatch Academy, he experienced the love and support of two host families, Troy and Holly Zentner and Rich and Lisa Saunders. Both families had a transformative impact on Foos life. Foose was recruited by several high profile college basketball programs, including byu. In all reality, Foose would not have ended up in Utah or BYU if it weren't for his exceptional basketball skills. When the time came for Foos to decide what university to attend, he relied heavily on his faith. Fus is a man of faith and this began with his devotion to the Muslim religion. He made the decision a matter of serious prayer. His faith and prayers led him to select BYU. Fus Muslim faith matched well with BYU's faith based focus and high character standards. Fuss had a historic career at BYU. He left BYU's all time leader in career field goal percentage and and sixth all time in rebounds. More importantly, Fuss was an excellent representative of BYU to the world. Shortly after graduating from byu, Foos went on to play professional basketball in France. A great BYU ending for a terrific former student athlete. However, the story doesn't end here. In December of 2025, Fuseni Traore made the decision to become a baptized member of of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jesus Christ has the power to make BYU a transformative experience. It did for Fusene Triore. To better understand how Jesus Christ can make your experience at BYU transformative, I want to share a few examples of change found in the Scriptures. When young Joseph Smith entered the sacred grove to pray, he had questions regarding the salvation of his soul and and trusted that God would direct him. Joseph had read, studied and pondered a scripture found in the Bible. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. They give it to all men liberally and upbraideth not. Rather than simply reading this Scripture, young Joseph pondered deeply what he read in his own words. Never did any passage of Scripture come with more power to the heart of man than than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again. Instead of reading his Scriptures and marking the task off a daily checklist, which would be a transactional experience, Joseph said he reflected on it again and again. This reflection and deep thought formed an experience that was transformative and led to an extraordinary event. I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description, Standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other, this is my beloved Son, hear him. What insights can we gain from this experience? What laid the groundwork for Joseph Smith to have a powerful experience from a simple Scripture? Joseph had at least two things on his mind as he was reading the passages in the Bible. He had questions regarding the salvation of his soul and he wanted to know which church to join. I believe these two questions weighed heavily on his mind as he came across the passage of scripture in James 1:5. His motivation wasn't simply to read, it was to receive answers with the intent of to act. In other words, he involved Jesus Christ in his studies and that led to transformative experiences. Like Joseph, we can have our own transformative experiences as we contemplate the reality of the restored gospel. The restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a proclamation to the world gives this we testify. Those who prayerfully study the message of the restoration and and act in faith will be blessed to gain their own witness of its divinity and of its purpose, to prepare the world for the promised second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the Book of Mormon, Laman and Lemuel often treated their relationships with family and God as transactional. Speaking to their brother Nephi and thou art like unto our Father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart. These many years we have suffered in the wilderness which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and and the land of our inheritance, yea, and we might have been happy. The focus of Laman and Lemuel was on their possessions and short term gratification. They were content having transactional experiences. Nephi, on the other hand, was searching for something deeper. What Laman and Lemuel referred to as the foolish imaginations of their father. Lehi's heart, Nephi viewed as the words of Christ. Nephi sought after those things which were more transformative. Whether it was building a ship, calming a troubled sea or obtaining the brass plates, Nephi put his trust in the power of Jesus Christ. He summarizes his experiences at the beginning of the Book of I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored in the Lord in all my days, yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, Nephi allowed Jesus Christ to transform his life in the New Testament. In the Book of Luke we learn of 10 lepers who were healed by the Master. There met him 10 men that were lepers which stood afar off and they lifted up their voices and said Jesus, master, have mercy on us. Jesus heals all ten, inviting them to show themselves unto the priests. One of the ten healed turned back and glorified God. Notice the interaction between Jesus and the one who returned to show gratitude. Arise, go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole. All 10 received physical healing, but only the one who returned and gave thanks to God was rewarded with more than physical healing. His faith gave him the opportunity to receive the spiritual grace from the atonement of Jesus Christ. His healing was transformative and certainly lasted beyond his mortal life, whereas the other nine received a significant but temporary healing. By adding our faith and gratitude with the power of Jesus Christ, even our challenging experiences can become transformative. Jesus Christ was rejected by many of those around him because they were only seeking the seemingly transactional benefits he could provide. For example, in the book of John 6, we read how Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 women and children with five barley loaves and two small fishes, meeting a temporary need for food. Later, Jesus had an interaction with some of those who were miraculously fed. His words indicate their expectations of his power. Ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled. Rather than looking for the transformative, they seemed content with the miracle that satisfied their hunger. A transactional exchange. Jesus followed that declaration with counsel that, if followed, could make our experiences with him deeper. Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you in the end of his mortal life. Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver by one of his disciples, Judas. Judas was frustrated by Jesus lack of focus on transactional matters. Ultimately, Jesus was mocked, scorned and crucified by those who saw him as a threat to their own transactional possessions and power. Now, how can you allow Jesus Christ to make your experience at BYU transformative? We seek learning even by study and also by faith. Not just to combine secular knowledge with spiritual knowledge, but but to open our minds to God's intended learning pattern for us to understand Him. Fundamental to understanding God is understanding that his work and his glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Fundamental to learning his work and his glory is to understand that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Your capacity to learn at BYU is enhanced when you bind yourself to Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The stronger you bind yourself to them, the deeper your experience at BYU becomes. President Dallin H. Oaks said, in contrast to the institutions of the world, which teaches us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something. As you seek Jesus Christ with real intent, he has the power to transform your experience at byu. Let me suggest five practical ways to do this. Make each sacrament meeting a meaningful experience. 2. Make the book of Mormon a part of your daily life. 3. Worship in your ward. 4. Embrace the commitments you make as a BYU student and number five seek first to build the kingdom of God. First, give Jesus Christ your full devotion at least one hour per week. I am referring to weekly participation in Sacrament meeting. For one hour each week, we have the opportunity to put everything aside and focus on the joy of Jesus Christ. Elder Patrick Kieran made this point in a recent worldwide devotional for young adults. We would invite you to make one hour a week a real focus for finding joy. Let us make that Sacrament hour on Sunday the most joyful moment in the week. If you want to add to the joy of the Sacrament meeting experience, worship the second hour on Sunday as well. The most important event that takes place nearly each Sunday is the ordinance of the Sacrament. How transformative will each of our lives be if we will always remember him in and have his spirit to be with us? When Jesus Christ found three of his disciples asleep while he was suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked this question, expressing his could ye not watch with me one hour? Could he ask the same question today regarding our Sacrament meeting worship? Second, make reading, studying and pondering the Book of Mormon a daily priority. President Nelson emphasized My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open and you will receive the answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind numbing addictions. That is a transformative promise from a prophet of God. Third, worship in your ward. This may sound like a repeat of the first suggestion, but I would like to emphasize the phrase your ward. Many of you attend young single adult wards. Some attend married student wards and others attend geographic wards. My suggestion is to attend regularly in the ward where your church records reside. President Uchtdorf might say it this lift where you stand. There is power when we engage in worship and activities in our established wards. Think about it. When you attend units outside of where your membership records reside, you are a visitor in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We practice the principle of that visitors are always welcome. In fact, this saying is on signs posted in nearly every meetinghouse and stake center. There are benefits being a visitor. Visitors can worship with fellow saints, learn from excellent talks, sing hymns of praise, and even partake of the sacrament and be reminded of Jesus Christ and renew sacred covenants with him. However, being a consistent visitor has limitations. What Jesus really needs are disciples. Like drops of oil in our lamps, discipleship is increased as we worship in our own units, minister to ward members, serve in callings, receive ordinances under proper priesthood keys, and as needed, repent under the authority of a common judge in Israel. Entering and remaining on the covenant path requires us to worship in defined units established through the Lord's inspired House of Order. Remember, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, visitors are always welcome, but disciples are needed. Fourth, embrace the commitments you have made as a student at byu. In my role in athletics, I have the privilege of meeting with prospective student athletes, recruits and their families. One of the purposes of visiting with me is to help them understand the aims of a BYU education, particularly the strong focus of a faith based institution. When explaining BYU and its model of learning by study and also by faith, I often use the following analogy. If you are being recruited to attend the Naval Academy and decided to select it for your university studies, you enter an institution with a very specific mission. The mission of the Naval Academy is to develop midshipmen with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty who are dedicated to a career of naval service. Later, if you were to assess your experience at the Naval Academy and came to the conclusion that you loved the classroom experience, loved your athletic experience, but you really struggle with this whole military part. I would inform you that choosing the Naval Academy was not a good decision for you. The military part is embedded throughout the entire Naval Academy experience. BYU has a similar relationship with faith based learning in its mission to assist individuals in their quest for eternal life. The relationship between faith learning and keeping commitments is embedded in our mission. Embracing and living the mission is transformative. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are often invited to give up some of our personal preferences. The rich young man in the New Testament was invited to sell all that he hath and give to the poor. This invitation was given after he shared that he had kept the Commandments from an early age, which was remarkable. Yet Jesus invited him to do one thing thou lackest. Up to this point in the young man's life, this invitation was likely the most strenuous step to discipleship, giving up things he really didn't want to give up. Elder Neal A. Maxwell, formerly of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, referred to this as the last portion. He stated, many people are reluctant to surrender the final portion of their will to God. Elder Maxwell said, thus, whatever else we may have already given, the last portion is the hardest to yield. This may be true in choosing to follow the standards at byu. Some elements of the BYU honor code or code of conduct have direct connections to the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Other parts of this code do not. Yet there is something transformative that happens when we are invited to keep our commitments and give up something we really like for the opportunity to be part of something greater. Fifth and last of all, seek ye first the Kingdom of God. The Joseph Smith translation of Matthew 6:33 gives Wherefore, seek not the things of this world, but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God and to establish his righteousness in its very core. Your education at BYU is a lab for applying this scripture. You are learning the things of the world, but it is bathed in the teachings of the kingdom of God. Learning the things of the world and the things of the kingdom of God do not need to be mutually exclusive. When you embrace learning the things of God with everything else you are taught at byu, it distinctly places the kingdom of God first. President Spencer W. Kimball stated, we do not want BYU ever to become an educational factory. It must concern itself with not only the dispensing of facts, but with the preparation of its students to take their place in society as thinking, thoughtful and sensitive individuals who come here dedicated to love of God, pursuit of truth, and service to mankind. Speaking with President Oaks in a recent video, the late President Holland stated, byu is a university. We come here to study and take degrees, and it's everything from art to zoology. But running through it is a foundation and a theme that these are children of God. President Holland said, we are to teach them for eternity. Education for eternity Educating minds for worldly gains is transactional. Educating for eternity is transformative. For my wife Carrie and I, our experience at BYU Hawaii was transformative. Though we met in the sixth grade, as a side note, I fell for her heart in elementary school. She took a little bit longer. It was at BYU Hawaii as a young married couple, we became determined to put our faith in Jesus Christ. We entered with almost nothing and left tightly bound to each other and the Savior Jesus Christ. As our relationship with Jesus Christ grew during that time, it allowed the BYU Hawaii experience to transform us. That experience prepared us for our lives today and and will prove to have prepared us in the life to come. Like our experience at BYU Hawaii, your experience at BYU can be transformative if you involve Jesus Christ in the journey. As an institution. BYU is rooted in humble beginnings, yet those beginnings include a powerful prophetic destiny. In 1875, BYU Academy was scarcely five barley loaves and two small fishes. Fast forward 150 years and it is metaphorically feeding thousands like those who witnessed Jesus miracle on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. You are part of one of his miracles today. Allow this miracle to be more than just a physical feast. You are at BYU for a purpose and by divine design. So invite Jesus Christ to make the miracle of BYU a transformative experience for you. Your time here at BYU is preparing you for a day when the Kingdom of God is met with the Kingdom of Heaven. This will be a transformative time when every knee shall bend and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. He will rule as both King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords. His Word will come forth out of Zion and His law shall come forth out of New Jerusalem. He is using your time here at BYU to prepare you for for that future day when he returns and the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven come together. I testify of these transformative truths in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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You've been listening to the recent Speeches podcast presented by BYU Speeches. Please check out our other podcasts, including classic speeches taken from our vast audio library, as well as other BYU Speaking Speeches compilations on love and marriage, overcoming adversity by study and by faith. Come follow me the Prophet Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer. Go to Speeches byu Edu and click on Podcasts for more information. You can also find all BYU Speeches podcasts at your preferred podcast provider.