Follow Him: A Come, Follow Me Podcast - Ohhh... Older than Dirt • followHIM Favorites • July 15-21 • Come Follow Me

Episode Date: July 11, 2024

SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM29ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM29FRPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM29PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM29ES YOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/Au0EXZ4qCpQALL 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

John, we're in Alma 30 and 31, the stories of Korahor and the Zoramites, the antichrists of the Book of Mormon. You've told me you have a story for this section, so we're going to turn it over to you. I really love how Alma switches things up on Korahor and says, what's your evidence that there is no God? Show me your evidence. And then he says, I have my own testimony, the testimony of my brethren, testimony of the prophets, the testimony of the scriptures. And then there's this line in Alma 30-44, All things denote there is a God, the earth, all things that are upon the face of it, and its motion, and also all the planets

which move in their regular form, do witness that there is a supreme creator. And Hank, a long time ago, my parents gave me a book. I was 13, and it was called Goals. And there's a little story in there which had a big impact on me about looking up at those stars. This is the story. One well-remembered day several years ago, I stood knee-deep in the Virgin River and looked up in awe at the thousand-foot rock cliffs of Zion's Park on either side.

The Park Service brochure said the rocks were more than 200 million years old. I compared my age to the age of the rocks and felt very young and very unimportant. It got dark early in the narrow canyon. By late afternoon, I could see stars in the narrow slice of sky above. I recalled reading that scientists had discovered seven times ten to the thirteenth power stars. The article went on to dramatize the magnitude of that number by saying, if there were seven times ten to the 13th power playing cards pressed together face to face case of 52 cards as normal deck of cards like that, if there were seven times ten to the 13 power playing cards, the line they form would go around the world 600 times. I thought to myself, I am one tiny speck on one tiny world going

around one of those seven times 10 to the 13th power stars. How small and totally insignificant I am. That's the end of the story. No, just kidding. Then he continues, Hmm. That is beautiful. That's a moment. And I like camping because I'm in Salt Lake City and the lights, I don't see the stars, but when I can get up in the mountains and I see those stars, it's really hard for me not to think about God and the universe and everything when you see a display like that. And maybe that's what Alma was saying. Look, look at that. There's evidence that there's a God. Look at that up there. There's a reason at young men's camp or young women's camp that we tend to be more spiritual. That we get out there and we look at the vastness of creation and we start to,

you know, it's like Moses. Wow. I've wondered Hank if that's what happened to Enos. He went hunting, suddenly he was out in the wilderness, lost all interest in hunting, started thinking about God because he was out in the beautiful nature. Yeah, which is probably where he lived as well, but. Yeah, that's true. Enos is like, I got to get out of the city. Once you've got your stake, then yeah.

You're like, the campfires are just too bright. Can't see the stars. John, that's a great moment. That had an impact on me. Just thinking that, wait, I am older. I'm older than the rocks. My spirit is eternal. I am more important than all the seven times ten to the thirteenth power stars.

I am God's son. I'm a beloved son of God and he has a work for me to do, the young men say every week, right? Yeah, that is wonderful. Or I'm a beloved daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and eternal destiny. Yes, that's it. The heavens and the earth shall pass away. My word shall not pass away.

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. Brent Toppe this week. He's been away on some missions, so we haven't had him on the podcast in a while, and he is really fun. So come over and join us there, and then come back next week. We'll do another Follow Him favorites.