followHIM - Can You Un-Dragon a Dragon? • followHIM Favorites • May 27-June 3 • Come Follow Me

Episode Date: May 23, 2024

John and Hank share a powerful story of transformation and redemption.SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM21ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM21FRPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM21PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM21ES YOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/5624Jmme-bAALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIMpodcast.comFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookWEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Follow Him Favorites. This is where John and I share a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, we're in Mosiah 25 through 29 or 28 this week, where it brings in this boy Eustace. And he fits quite closely to Alma the Younger because Eustace comes to Narnia, which is this magical land. And you've got Aslan, this Christ figure. I know you know that part. But Eustace, he's a difficult person. He wants to ruin almost everything. He hates the people there. He hates the other people he came with, his cousins. He wants to be away from all. He's very selfish,

very prideful. At one point in the book, he gets away from the group, far away from them, finds himself in like a dragon's cave. And in this dragon's cave is all sorts of treasure. And he loves it. He's so excited to be so rich and to be away from these people that he's with. He falls asleep basically in this dragon's treasure. And Lewis writes, he had greedy dragonish thoughts in his heart and he became the dragon. So when he wakes up, he's the dragon. He comes down to talk to his friends and of course he can't talk because he's a dragon and they try to kill him. And eventually one of the friends, her name is Lucy, she figures out who it is. Here's a couple of quotes from the story. It says, an appalling loneliness came over him. It was very dreary being a dragon.

He shuddered whenever he caught sight of his own reflection. He was ashamed to be with others. And his friends try to help him, but they think, we can't stay here forever. We might have to leave him here, right? We might have to leave him on this island, you know, being a dragon. I don't think dragons can go on the boat with you. Right. They can. They just can't breathe because they start the boat on fire. Just don't sneeze. Right. So they wake up one morning and he is back to his original form. He's definitely a changed person, but he's back to his original form. And they

asked him what happened. Now think of that with Alma the Younger, when he wakes up and they asked him basically what happened. What happened? So here's what he said. He said, I was lying awake, wondering what on earth would become of me. When I looked up and saw a huge lion coming slowly toward me, it told me to follow it. It led me into the mountains. There was always light wherever the lion went. So at last we came to the top of the mountain and there was a garden there, trees and fruit and everything. And in the middle of it, there was a very big round bath with marble steps going down it. I thought if I could get in there and bathe, it was a very big round bath with marble steps going down it. I thought if I could get in there and bathe, it would ease the pain.

He's got a pain on his arm from one of the bracelets he had put on when he was a human. And now being a dragon, it's really painful for him. But the lion told me before I could get down into this bath, I must undress first. He said, I thought dragons are snaky sort of things that can get rid of their skin. So I started scratching at myself and the scales began to come off. I scratched a little deeper and my whole skin started to peel off beautifully. I could see it there beside me looking rather nasty, but it was the most lovely feeling. I scratched and tore again and again, and more skin peeled off beautifully. I thought to myself, how many skins do I have to take off?

I was longing to bathe. Then the lion said, you will have to let me. Now, listen to this, John, with Alma the Younger in mind. The very first tear he made was so deep, I thought it had gone right to my heart. It hurt worse than anything I'd ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.

All right, you need to talk about sin. He caught hold of me and threw me into the water. It hurt, but only for a moment. And then I found all the pain had gone. Isn't that just a great story of Alma the Younger type moment of, I want to change. I truly want to change. Help me change.

You got to hear how C.S. Lewis finishes this story, John, right out of the book. It says, great was the rejoicing when the restored Eustace walked into the circle around the campfire. No one, least of all Eustace himself, felt any desire to go back for more treasure. It would be nice and fairly true to say from that time forth Eustace was a different boy. But to be strictly accurate, heustace was a different boy, but to be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy. Then these four words, John, I've always loved them. The cure had begun. That's great. That's a born again. Yeah. I've been born again. I think that's what the exact phrase Alma uses, right?

Yeah. I have repented of my sins. I have been redeemed of the Lord. I am born of the Spirit. C.S. Lewis, you know what he was talking about. And that's what I love it because you listen a little closer because you know you're going to hear that testimony in there. Yeah. I long to bathe, right? I wanted to be away from my sins.

How can I get away from my sins? Well, you'll have to let me help. Right. Okay. Will it hurt? Yes. It's going to hurt, but it's going to be okay.

Well, we hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. We're with Dr. Janet Erickson this week, and she is phenomenal. So come join us over there and then come back here for another Follow Him Favorites.