Follow Him: A Come, Follow Me Podcast - Struck by Lightning • followHIM Favorites • October 14-20 • Come Follow Me

Episode Date: October 10, 2024

SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM42ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM42FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM42DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM42PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM42ESYOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/YqDJkTWZNBAALL 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 my friends, welcome to Follow Him Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, we are in 3 Nephi 20-26 and I have a story for you. Although you may remember it, it was given in general conference 24 years ago, turn of the century, October 2000. If you go to 3 Nephi 2020 verse 41, the Lord says, Go ye out from the midst of her, meaning Babylon, wickedness, be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Well, Elder Holland in this talk called Sanctify Yourselves tells this story about being clean.

He says, let me share a story with you suggesting how soon and how unexpectedly these moments can come that you need to be clean. He says, on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 30th, 1998, a little league football team in Incom, Idaho was out on the field for its midweek practice. They had completed their warmups and were starting to run a few plays from scrimmage. Dark clouds were gathering as they sometimes do in the fall and it began to rain lightly, but that was of no concern to a group of boys who loved playing football. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an absolutely deafening crack of thunder split the air,

inseparable from the flash of lightning that illuminated, literally electrified the entire scene. At that very moment, a young friend of mine, A.J. Edwards, then a deacon, in his ward of the McCammon, Idaho stake, was ready for the ball on a handoff that was sure to be a touchdown. But the lightning that had illuminated earth and sky struck A.J. Edwards from the crown of his football helmet to the soles of his shoes. The impact of the strike stunned everyone, knocking players to the ground, leaving one player temporarily without

his sight and virtually everyone else dazed and shaken. Instinctively, they started running for the pavilion next to the park. Some of the boys began to cry, some began to pray. Through it all, A.J. Edwards lay motionless on the field. Brother David Johnson of the Rapid Creek Ward rushed to the player's side. He shouted to coach and fellow ward member, Rec Schaeffer, I can't get a pulse. These two men, rather miraculously both trained as EMTs, started a life-against-death effort in CPR. Cradling AJ's head as the men

worked was the young defensive coach of the team, 18-year-old Bryce Reynolds. As he watched Brother Johnson and Brother Schaeffer urgently applying CPR, he had an impression. I am confident it was a revelation from heaven in every sense of the word. He remembered vividly a priesthood blessing that the bishop had once given his grandfather following an equally tragic and equally life-threatening accident years earlier. Now as he held this young deacon in his arms, he realized for the first time in his life

he needed to use his newly conferred Melchizedek priesthood in a similar way. In a forthcoming call to serve a mission, young Bryce Reynolds had been ordained an elder just thirty- 39 days earlier. Whether he audibly spoke the words or uttered them under his breath, Elder Reynolds said, "'A.J. Edwards, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power and authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood which I hold, I bless you that you will be okay. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.'" As Bryce Reynolds closed that brief but fervent blessing offered in the language of an 18-year-old,

A.J. Edwards drew his first renewed breath. Elder Holland goes on to say, more prayers, more miracles, more priesthood blessings, an ambulance drive to Pocatello, a near hopeless life flight to the University of Utah. He says, it is sufficient to say that a very healthy and very robust A.J. Edwards is in the audience tonight with his father as my special guests. I also recently talked on the telephone with Elder Bryce Reynolds, who has been serving faithfully in the Texas Dallas mission. I love these two wonderful young men." And then he talks about these moments when you got to be ready and clean to act. That is why the Lord repeatedly says in

scriptures, back to 3rd Nephi 20, 41, be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Great story, right, John? Yeah, he had to be ready right then. Oh, goodness. How do you predict a lightning strike? It's not like, well, in a couple of weeks, I get to get my act cleaned up or something. It's no, be ready right now. You never know when.

Hang on, guys. Let me go read my scriptures and say my prayers and go to the temple and go talk to the bishop before I can come back and bless you. I don't know if they're still out there, AJ Edwards and Bryce Reynolds, but John, by the way, and Hank Smith say, good work. Good job. Come join us on our full podcast.

It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcast. We're in 3rd Nephi 20 through 26 this week and we have Ross Baron, Dr. Baron, John, who I think he knows everything. So smart. Yeah. So smart. You can get it wherever you get your podcast and then come back next week.

We're going to do another follow him favorites.