Hank Smith:                      00:03                   Hey welcome to followHIM Favorites, this is where John and I share a single story to go with each week’s lesson. John, Doctrine & Covenants 109 and 110, the Kirtland Temple. You’ve told me you have a story for these two sections.

John Bytheway:               00:15                   Yeah, and it’s more of a way to think about how the temple can bless us. 109 was the Dedicatory prayer. 110 was the appearance of the Savior afterwards. Do you remember Hank, Sister Ardeth Kapp.

Hank Smith:                      00:29                   I’m gonna guess General Young Women’s President.

John Bytheway:               00:32                   General Young Women’s President. She came up with the Young Women theme, the values that have been, through inspiration, updated and modified a little bit for a worldwide church. Her sister, Sharon Green Larson, was in the young women general presidency, and she told the best story about this young woman. She said, her name’s not Heather, but I’m gonna call her Heather. Heather goes to this party. She said she gets there, she walks in, everything’s fine for a while, then the music gets worse. The exact word Sister Larson shared was friends started disappearing into darkened rooms. Suddenly Heather gets that feeling, Hank, that we’ve all talked about. I shouldn’t be here. Okay, this isn’t a holy place. What do I do? And she said, I had to make a choice, either these people or my standards. I couldn’t have both. I knew I didn’t want what I was hearing and the movies that were playing to get in my thoughts.

                                           01:32                   No matter how much I wanted to be with these popular people, I knew I didn’t belong there. She said, I called my mom. That’s an embarrassing call. What’s mom gonna say? Or Dad? Oh, honey, just watch all the evil, but don’t participate. No, probably not. Right? So she says, mom’s on her way. I go to the front door. She’s probably going, oh, am I wrong? Should I just stay? What should I do? I don’t know where this took place, Hank, but you can probably think of a few places where it could have been. She looks out the window and there is the temple gleaming on the hillside. She said, this was the Lord saying to Heather, you’re making the right decision. Hank she looks out the window and sees America First Credit Union. I don’t think the same story happens.

Hank Smith:                      02:16                   Yeah.

John Bytheway:               02:16                   I don’t think she’s going, you know, she’s like, I should. Yeah. I should get a home equity loan. Only 8.9% APR on approved credit, but she saw the temple. She had that feeling. That’s my destination. That’s where I want to end up. That’s what I want life to mean. She said, that’s the way the Lord was saying, Yep. You’re doing the right thing. It just reminded me, Hank of Elder Ballard saying, if you can’t go to the temple, just go to the grounds. If you can’t go in one day, just go to the grounds and walk around and feel the spirit of that place. That story just reminded me of those sections.

Hank Smith:                      02:51                   Yeah. That’s fantastic. Sometimes you have to go home without friends, but with the Holy Ghost.

John Bytheway:               02:58                   Yeah.

Hank Smith:                      02:59                   Right. You don’t want to go home with friends without the Holy Ghost.

John Bytheway:               03:03                   Thanks for saying it that way. Hank the Holy Ghost is the best friend in the world, and if your best friend leaves the party, go with him.

Hank Smith:                      03:09                   Go with him. That moment, she’s probably thinking, maybe I’m overdoing this, and then to see the temple. No, I’m good.

John Bytheway:               03:16                   Nope. Nope. I’m good. Mom, come and get me. Awesome.

Hank Smith:                      03:20                   Yeah. Come get me and take me out for ice cream.

John Bytheway:               03:23                   Yeah.

Hank Smith:                      03:23                   Hey, we hope you’ll join us on our full podcast. It’s called followHIM. You can get it wherever you get your podcast. We’re with Dr. Anthony Sweat this week on sections 109 and 110 like we said there. He’s incredible.

John Bytheway:               03:35                   Unbelievable.

Hank Smith:                      03:36                   He walks us through these sections,

John Bytheway:               03:38                   So good.

Hank Smith:                      03:38                   And points out beautiful, beautiful doctrines along the way. Then come back here next week. We’ll do another followHIM Favorites.