Podcast Summary: "YOU ARE MINE"

Don't Miss This Study with Emily Freeman & David Butler
Date: December 28, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Emily Freeman and David Butler explore the foundational chapters of Moses 1 and Abraham 3 from the Pearl of Great Price, focusing on questions of identity, purpose, and God's relationship with each of us. The hosts guide listeners through scripture study methods, key doctrines, and personal experiences, highlighting how understanding who God is transforms how we understand ourselves—and how the divine work interacts with our own.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Who Is God? – "I AM" (03:00–15:16)

• Divine Attributes Unpacked:
  Dave opens with a meditation on God's titles: Overseer, Almighty, Endless, reminding listeners that "[God] can do anything, anytime, anywhere. I'm endless." (03:14)
• Approachability of God:
  Both hosts emphasize that learning about God’s grandeur can make Him feel distant—yet scripture immediately couples His glory with intimacy.
• Defining God’s Glory:
  Discussion centers around the term "glory":
  • Dave: "His glory is almost His goodness. … That’s what binds me to you…" (12:14)
  • Grace: "Initially when you hear the word glory, it feels like power almost … but what is that really?"
• The Personal Relationship:
  Dave shares a janitor’s profound confidence in God as his Father, underlining the blend of reverence and personal connection (01:10).

2. Who Am I? – "YOU ARE" (15:16–25:25)

• Human Smallness vs. Divine Connection:
  Grace reflects, “What on earth would someone like that have anything to do with someone like me? ... Who even am I in comparison to God?” (00:22, 15:30)
• "Numbered and Known":
  Recurring from Moses 1:35, the word "numbered" becomes central:
  • Grace: “God says, I have numbered you. You are mine. ... I know who you are, I know your soul...” (17:58)
• Identity Rooted in the Divine:
  Listeners are guided to see self-worth not as self-generated but divinely assigned and affirmed. Affirmations are powerful when rooted in God’s word.

3. The Power of Individual Revelation (22:30–26:53)

• Learning Identity—Face to Face:
  • Dave: “Moses learns who he is from a one-on-one face-to-face encounter with God. … This chapter opens the door wide open for anybody to have that.” (24:00)
• Resisting Temptation Through Understanding:
  • Grace highlights Moses resists Satan by declaring: “Who are you? For behold, I am a son of God…” (23:13; Moses 1:13)
• Continued Personal Inquiry:
  • Grace: “I will not stop calling upon God. I have other things to inquire of Him.” (25:41; quoting Moses 1:18)
    This reflects the ongoing, dynamic relationship God invites.

4. God’s Purpose: "My Work and My Glory" (26:53–35:27)

• God’s Motivation—To Become:
  • Dave: “If I could pick one word… I would pick 'become.' That God’s… wish, hope, intention, purpose for us is for us to become something more than we are…” (31:20)
  • Moses 1:39: “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
• Beyond ‘Return’—Progression as the Heartbeat:
  • The discussion clarifies that God’s intention is not just our return, but our exaltation and growth—“to become” (32:44).

5. My Work—Our Role in the Divine Plan (35:27–45:21)

• Our Work Mirrors God’s:
  Grace explains, “Everything he is going to ask you to do is going to allow you to become the person he hopes you become.” (36:11)
• Individual Callings:
  • Dave shares the meaning of "Moses" (drawn out/chosen), linking it to our sense of uniqueness and divine purpose (37:58).
  • God gives Moses an unexpected, specific power: “You will be made stronger than many waters, for they shall obey thy command…” (38:40)
• Gifts for Our Mission:
  God equips us for our individual callings, sometimes with gifts we won’t recognize the need for until later (39:15).
• Obedience as Trust:
  Dave frames obedience not as mere rule-following, but as “a way of us saying, I’m putting my life and my heart into your hands to see what you can do with it.” (41:52)
• God’s Continued Companionship:
  • Dave: “Until the very end of your days, I am going to be with you…” (44:09)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Divine Identity and Proximity:
  “So therefore, unapproachable. … And then right after, he says, ‘And you are my son, or you are my daughter.’ And just those being right next to each other… that’s the reason I’m introducing those things to you. … I’m still choosing you… I still have a work for you, and I’m still claiming you as my son.”
  —Dave Butler (20:26)
• On Affirmation Rooted in God:
  “They said, me and my mom sat down and we read through my patriarchal blessing, and… we wrote all of my affirmations based on my patriarchal blessing… I guess that God made up my affirmations.”
  —Grace Freeman (08:09)
• On Becoming:
  “Their hope is… why send us away to the world? … because there’s something about life and mortality that’s going to help us to become.”
  —Dave Butler (31:53)
• On Enduring God’s Work Together:
  “I love that. He’s just not saying, like… that’s your job. But rather he’s like, we’re doing this together… I am going to be with you through the hard, through the mistakes, through the victories, through every part of it.”
  —Dave Butler (44:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------|:-------------:| | Opening—Who is God? | 00:08–03:14 | | Bible translation recommendations | 04:00–05:45 | | Affirmations & Divine Invitations | 07:56–09:28 | | Defining Glory | 11:43–13:35 | | Who Am I? ("Numbered and Known") | 15:16–19:59 | | Divine Calling of Moses | 20:26–22:26 | | Overcoming Temptation | 22:26–25:25 | | Ongoing Revelation ("I Will Not Stop Calling Upon God") | 25:25–26:53 | | God’s Work—To Become | 26:53–35:27 | | Our Work—Obedience and Trust | 35:27–45:21 |

Tone & Style

The episode is warm, personal, and deeply encouraging. Both David and Grace speak conversationally—sharing stories, laughing, and inviting listeners not just to learn but to feel and personally ponder. There’s a focus on practical application (using journals, making scripture study accessible), and a persistent invitation to see ourselves as known and valued by God, no matter how small or insecure we might feel.

Key Takeaways

• God’s greatness is not a barrier to intimacy; it’s the foundation for our unique place in His work.
• Our value is divinely assigned: “You are numbered, you are mine.”
• We can seek—and expect—personal revelation and affirmation from God.
• God’s purpose is our growth: He wants us to "become."
• Our struggles, temptations, and even obedience are integral to our progression, not signs of unworthiness.
• God is present, endlessly available, and committed to traveling with us all the way.