Hank Smith:                      00:00                   Welcome to followHIM Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week’s lesson. John, we are in section 89 through 92 this week. The word of wisdom. I know you know it well, and I have a story to tell you. It doesn’t go with any particular verse, but it does go with the idea of the word of wisdom. John Taylor, the third president of the church, long before he hears of the church, he’s living in England. He’s not going to join the church until he moves to Canada. He’s a young man. He’s living in England, and he chews tobacco. He uses tobacco like everybody else. One day, apparently, he goes to reach for his tobacco in what’s called a snuff box. It looks kind of like a scripture case. He actually stops and he realizes that he’s craving this tobacco. He doesn’t like that feeling. He talks to his snuff box. He actually says to it, listen to me. Right? Can you imagine the box?

John Bytheway:               01:03                   The box is like, who me? Are you talking to me?

Hank Smith:                      01:06                   He says, listen to me. I will be a slave to nothing. There’s no word of wisdom, John. There’s nobody saying this is bad for your health. Nothing. None of that. He just notices in himself that he’s a slave to something. He never uses tobacco again. He never uses it again. From that day, I will not be a slave.

John Bytheway:               01:31                   That reminds me. I had a professor named Joseph Fielding McConkie, who said one day, if you’re high on drugs, you’re low on agency. And I thought, what an interesting idea. If you’re craving, if you have to satisfy that. Your agency is less. What did the snuff box say? I’m, I’m waiting to hear.

Hank Smith:                      01:48                   Yeah. I wonder if the snuff box is like, wow. Let me show you. Anybody listening out there, including John and I, we need to take account of, am I a slave to something? Could even be a drink or a phone.

John Bytheway:               02:02                   I’ve heard some people say life is like getting your spirit to take charge of your body because your body has cravings. When you’re fasting, you’re saying, is my spirit strong enough to be in charge of my body.

Hank Smith:                      02:14                   To be in control. Yeah. I’ve heard it said this a cell phone is a wonderful tool, but a terrible master. You want to be careful. I am a slave to nothing.

John Bytheway:               02:25                   I heard you give a talk once where you ask people if they had ever had a cell phone do what on their head?

Hank Smith:                      02:30                   Yeah. If it’s ever fallen on your face because you’re so tired.

John Bytheway:               02:35                   You’re in bed, you’re doing this and you’re,

Hank Smith:                      02:37                   I gotta crush the candy.

John Bytheway:               02:39                   and it bonks you on your forehead. Yep. This candy ain’t gonna crush itself.

Hank Smith:                      02:43                   One girl said to me, she said, Brother Smith, it was an iPad. Right?

John Bytheway:               02:48                   See the scar right here? Yeah.

Hank Smith:                      02:51                   We hope you’ll join us on our full podcast. It’s called followHIM. You can get it wherever you get your podcast. We are in sections 89 through 92, mostly spending time in the word of wisdom with Sister Karen Hepworth, who loves the word of wisdom. You’re gonna love what she does with these sections. Then come back next week, we’ll do another followHIM Favorites.