Podcast Summary: "Don't Miss This Study" – THIS IS THE PROMISE

Date: September 15, 2025
Hosts: Emily Freeman & David Butler

Overview

In this episode, Emily Freeman and David Butler (with Grace Freeman co-hosting) dive into sections 106–108 of the Doctrine and Covenants, focusing on what it means to dedicate your life to Jesus-centered living, the significance of spiritual callings, embracing priesthood blessings, and strengthening one another. Using their signature blend of humor, vulnerability, and practical insights, Emily and David explore how these scriptures invite listeners to experience heaven on earth and to build Jesus's kingdom through everyday choices and relationships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. "Whole Time" Callings: What Is Worth Your Time?

Discussion on D&C 106 & Warren Cowdery's calling

• Grace shares her aversion to wasting time (making her bed, scrolling on her phone—she uses a flip phone to avoid it).
• She connects this to Warren Cowdery's calling in Section 106, where he is asked to "devote his whole time to this high and holy calling" (01:32).
  • Quote, Grace [02:27]:
    "All your time you have is going to be to building up the kingdom... And the reason it's going to be worth it is because the Lord is coming soon."
• The phrase "overtaketh the world" resonates—suggesting everything else will pass away, and only kingdom-building will matter.
• Grace reflects on generational purposes and desires to be known as "the generation that welcomes Jesus back."
  • Quote, Grace [06:29]:
    “If at the end of everything, I'm going to look back and the most important thing I could be doing is preparing the world for Jesus to come back, why would I not want to spend every single second building that up?”

Memorable Segment

• Timestamps: Intro to [06:45]
• Quote, David [06:46]:
  “People are the highest and holiest calling because they are the number one priority in his heart.”

2. Celebration, Forgiveness, and the Heart of God

Reflections on the joy of gathering and the value of each soul

• David emphasizes the joy in heaven when someone returns, connecting to Luke 15 and the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son.
  • Quote, David [07:42]:
    “There is a celebration. There is a party... There really is joy in heaven.”
• Discusses the "liberal" nature of God's forgiveness; just coming for counsel brings immediate forgiveness (D&C 108:1).
  • Quote, David [11:26]:
    "If I say you're forgiven, you're forgiven. If I say there's celebration over you, there is celebration over you. So let your soul be at rest..."
• Grace ties this to the prodigal son's story—returning is all God asks—He interrupts our speeches of repentance to simply celebrate.
  • Quote, Grace [14:59]:
    "Before he can even finish the speech, the dad says, let's throw a party."
• Emphasis: God’s top priority is people, not possessions or status.
  • Quote, David [16:00]:
    "The Father in the prodigal son story...shows what his priorities are...it was the kid that was the number one priority, always."

Memorable Segment

• Timestamps: [07:00]–[16:07]
• Emotional storytelling: David's personal story about losing his temper with his son and the immediate forgiveness offered by his son—paralleling the prodigal son's reception.

3. Understanding and Experiencing Priesthood Power

Rethinking what the “priesthood” means in daily life

• Grace shares an experience with a group discussing the role of the Aaronic priesthood—realizing it’s more than rituals; it’s about accessing spiritual blessings.
• D&C 107:18-20 outlines that the priesthood's purpose is to “unlock all the spiritual blessings for the church.” This includes “receiving the mysteries of the kingdom, having the heavens opened, and communion with God and angels” (19:17).
  • Quote, Grace [19:23]:
    “The priesthood is our access to heaven. The priesthood brings heaven to earth...that is a bigger blessing than I could ever imagine…”
• David expands on “general assembly”—a Greek word for “a festival gathering, a joyful, celebratory assembly of citizens.”
  • Quote, David [20:18]:
    “It brings heaven...that celebration we were talking about earlier to earth to people's lives.”
• Sacrament as a source of "ministering of angels" and forgiveness.
  • Quote, Grace [22:53]:
    “If God could promise me an army of angels, why would I not show up for the sacrament every Sunday?”
• David shares a poignant story about the blessing of two babies after his niece’s passing, illustrating the power of priesthood to bring divine comfort and unity.
  • Quote, David [27:34]:
    "The priesthood organization is only there to unlock the blessings for everyone else that they're going to experience."
• Challenge: Regularly ask: Am I experiencing this priesthood? (28:47)

Memorable segments

• Timestamps: [16:07]–[29:00]
• The concert analogy—comparing the background logistics of a concert to how priesthood organization unlocks spiritual experiences.

4. Strengthening Each Other: The Heaven-on-Earth Pattern

Building the Kingdom daily, one relationship at a time

• D&C 108:7: “Strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.”
  • Quote, Grace [30:41]:
    “I just, like, wanted to rip that out of my scriptures and hang it on my mirror. That is what I hope someone one day writes on my tombstone.”
• Grace’s experience on a humanitarian trip—18 teens built “heaven on earth” by strengthening each other every day.
  • “Heaven came to the DR [Dominican Republic] because people lived after the order of the Son of God.”
  • [32:56]: Sticky notes with prayer requests decorating bunk beds; cheers and encouragement during service; creating family out of strangers.
• David unpacks the phrase “order of the Son of God”—it means living according to Christ’s patterns of blessing and love.
  • Quote, David [34:03]:
    "The order of the Son of God is another way of saying the pattern that he lived his life by... That's why heaven and the influence of heaven flow into your life as you live those."
• Final challenge: “How do I live after the order, the manner, the pattern of the Son of God?”

Notable Quotes

• Grace [02:47]: “Anything that's going to be a waste of time, I hate it…in section 106, maybe Warren Cowdery is a little bit the same personality."
• David [07:43]: "The best way to prepare for the second coming of Jesus is to invite as many people as possible to join that celebration."
• Grace [19:28]: “The priesthood brings heaven closer. That is a bigger blessing than I could ever imagine in my entire life.”
• David [23:51]: “The priesthood organization is only there to unlock the blessings for everyone else.”
• Grace [30:41]: “In all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.”
• David [38:29]: "We can be people of blessing and people of deliverance to any and everyone that we meet."

Important Timestamps

• 00:46–06:45: Grace on time, callings, and building the kingdom
• 06:46–16:07: David on preparing for the Second Coming, joy in heaven, prodigal son, and the heart of God
• 16:07–29:00: Understanding priesthood power, concert analogy, personal family stories, and living in the blessings
• 29:34–34:03: The commission to strengthen one another; the DR trip
• 34:03–38:29: "Order of the Son of God" and the lived gospel pattern

Takeaways & Challenges

1. Ask yourself: Am I dedicating my time to what matters most—building God’s kingdom through loving and serving people?
2. Celebrate and forgive as God does. Embrace the "party" mentality of the gospel.
3. Rethink the priesthood—not just as an organization, but as the power to bring heaven to earth in your life and others'.
4. Strengthen those around you—conversation, prayer, action—every single day ("hang it on your mirror!").
5. Live after the order—pattern—of Jesus Christ, so that heaven can flourish wherever you go.

End Note:
The episode ends with a call to "live it out" and spread blessing and deliverance like Christ, building a Jesus- and scripture-centered home and world.

For Further Reflection

• How will you strengthen others "in all your conversation, prayers, exhortations, and doings" this week?
• What spiritual blessings are unlocked in your life through the priesthood—are you seeking and experiencing them fully?
• What will your generation—and your own story—be known for?

Listen next week for more practical, heart-centered scripture study from Emily, David, and Grace.