followHIM - I Don't Like Church! • followHIM Favorites • July 28 - August 3 • Come Follow Me

Episode Date: July 24, 2025

SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC231ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC231FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC231DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC231PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC231ESYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/CgmeDCOwPYIALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIMpodcast.comFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookBook of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBookWEEKLY 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 NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorIride Gonzalez: Social Media, Graphic Design"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Welcome to Follow Him Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, Doctrine and Covenants 84, it's the entire lesson this week. You have a story for us. Yeah, 84 is a big priesthood section. In verse 30, it talks about our young friends. You've got a house full of these young men. And again, the offices of teacher and deacon are necessary appendages belonging to the lesser priesthood, which priesthood was confirmed upon Aaron and his sons. Then if I skip a few, Hussow is faithful unto the obtaining of these two priesthoods, of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies."

So Hank, there was a story in General Conference recently. If you've heard it, good for you! You heard General Conference. It's one of those, wow, what an amazing bunch of young men that magnified their calling. It's not just about, well, I sit here with a white shirt and pass the sacrament around. What does it look like to magnify your calling? Here's the story from President Stephen J. Lund in April 2025. One bishop taught his new deacons quorum presidency these duties. So the

young presidency began to talk about what that might look like in their quorum in their ward. They decided they should start visiting elderly ward members to see what they needed and then do that. Among those they served was Alan, a rough, often profane, sometimes hostile neighbor. Yeah, this is a good choice. Alan's wife, Wanda, became a member of the church, but Alan was, as we say, a piece of work. The deacons went to work, comically ignoring his insults while they shoveled snow and took out trash. Deacons can be hard to hate, and Alan eventually began to love them. At some point, they invited him to church. I don't like church, he responded. Listen to this perfect answer from a brilliant deacon. Will you like us,

so come with us. Wow. You can just come to our core meeting if you want. With the bishop's approval, he came and he kept coming. The deacons became teachers as they continued to serve him. He taught them to work on cars and to build things. By the time these deacons turned teachers became priests, Alan was calling them my boys. They were earnestly preparing for missions and asked him if they could practice missionary lessons with him. He swore he would never listen and never believe, but yeah, they could practice at his house. And then Alan got sick, and he softened. One day in core meeting, he tenderly asked them to pray for him, to quit smoking, and so they did.

Then they followed him home and confiscated all of his tobacco. As his failing health put Alan into hospitals and rehab centers, his boys served him, quietly exuding powers of priesthood and of love unfeigned. The miracle continued when Alan asked to be baptized, but then he passed away before it could happen. At his request, his deacons turned priests where the pallbearers and the speakers at his funeral, where they fittingly warned, expounded, exhorted, taught and invited all to come

to Christ. All things deacons do from section 20, right? And later in the temple, it was one of Alan's boys who baptized that former deacon's quorum president in proxy for Alan. Everything John the Baptist said to do, they did. Section 13. They did what deacons, teachers, and priests do all over this church and all over this world. Now that's magnifying your calling. That is the Lord's way right there.

Yeah. Taken out as garbage. Ignoring the insults. I don't like church. I know, but you like us, so come with us. So come on over. So cool. I love it. That was awesome, John. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. If you're thinking, I like podcasts, well, you like us.

So come and listen. So come listen to the podcast. Okay. We're with Dr. Jared Halverson this week. It is amazing. I promise you. So good. Yeah. If you like scripture, you are going to love our episode with Dr. Halverson. Then come back next week. Join us here. We'll do another Follow Him Favorites.