Expect "Concrete" Miracles • followHIM Favorites • May 12 - 18 • Come Follow Me

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Expect 'Concrete' Miracles" • followHIM Favorites • May 12 - 18

Release Date: May 8, 2025
Hosts: Hank Smith & John Bytheway
Podcast Title: followHIM Favorites
Episode Title: Expect "Concrete" Miracles

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Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of followHIM Favorites, hosts Hank Smith and John Bytheway delve into the theme of miracles within the context of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Come, Follow Me study. Focusing on Doctrine and Covenants sections 46, 47, and 48, the hosts aim to enrich listeners' understanding and appreciation of spiritual gifts, particularly the miraculous.

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Exploring Spiritual Gifts and Miracles

Hank Smith initiates the discussion by referencing Doctrine and Covenants 46, which enumerates various spiritual gifts, including the “working of miracles.” He emphasizes the prevalence of miracles throughout church history and invites listeners to reflect on personal or familial experiences with miracles.

Hank (00:49): “There is no physical way this could have been done by men. It was indeed a modern miracle performed for his people of the latter days.”

John Bytheway concurs, sharing that both he and Hank have personally witnessed miracles, reinforcing the belief that miracles are not confined to ancient times but continue to manifest in contemporary settings.

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A Story of a Modern Miracle: The Concrete Example

One of the episode's highlights is Hank's recounting of a remarkable modern miracle that occurred in June 1964 in Gisborne, New Zealand. While the transcript indicates that Hank was not alive at the time of the event, he narrates the experience vividly:

During a period of severe storms, Hank and his team were tasked with pouring concrete for a chapel and recreational hall. With limited cement supplies due to continued storms hindering deliveries, they were left with only two bags of cement to complete a task that required twelve. Faced with skepticism from his team, Hank urged them to proceed, believing in divine intervention.

Hank (00:50 - 02:35):
“Not knowing at the time how it could have been done, I walked a short distance from the group and prayed. I simply said, father, you fed the thousands with five loaves and two fishes. Surely you can help us this day. We went to work and mixed two small batches of concrete with the two bags of cement we had and started pouring. There seemed to be no end to the concrete as it poured from our wheelbarrows. The full pour was not only completed, we had to remove two wheelbarrows full when it was leveled out.”

This miraculous event not only completed the construction project with minimal resources but also served as a testament to faith and divine assistance, leaving a lasting impact on the community.

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Discussion on Contemporary Miracles

Building upon the story, John Bytheway highlights Doctrine and Covenants 46:21, which speaks of miracles being given to some individuals. He suggests that focusing on miracles can enrich weekly lessons, encouraging members to recognize and anticipate miraculous interventions in their own lives.

John (02:59): “To some it is. Given the working of miracles, what a great thing you could focus on in your lesson this week is let's talk about miracles.”

Hank reflects on the enduring nature of miracles, suggesting that the early members likely recalled the Gisborne miracle during their gatherings, fostering a culture of faith and expectation.

Hank (03:09): “You can imagine those people in that branch every time they met there. I bet they thought of that.”

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Conclusion and Further Engagement

The hosts wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to explore more stories and discussions on miracles through their full podcast, followHIM. They tease upcoming content and guests, aiming to provide fresh and insightful perspectives to enhance listeners' Come, Follow Me study experience.

John (03:14): “We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it anywhere. You get podcasts. We're with Danny Ricks, our friend from BYU, Idaho this week. You are going to love him. He is so fun.”

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Key Takeaways

• Faith in Action: The real-life example of the concrete miracle underscores the power of faith and prayer in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges.

• Contemporary Miracles: Miracles are not relics of the past but continue to occur today, affirming the living nature of spiritual gifts.

• Enhancing Study: Incorporating miraculous stories can make Come, Follow Me lessons more engaging, relatable, and spiritually uplifting.

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Notable Quotes

• Hank Smith (00:50): “Surely you can help us this day.”

• Hank Smith (00:50 - 02:35): Detailed account of the concrete miracle, emphasizing divine intervention.

• John Bytheway (02:59): “To some it is. Given the working of miracles, what a great thing you could focus on in your lesson this week is let's talk about miracles.”

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This episode of followHIM Favorites serves as an inspiring exploration of miracles, encouraging listeners to recognize and embrace the miraculous in their daily lives and spiritual journeys.

Transcript

[John]

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Follow Him Favorites. John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, we are in Doctrine Covenants 46, 47 and 48. And you've told me you have a story. I want to hear it.

[Hank]

Yeah. Section 46, as you remember, has a list of spiritual gifts in there. And we had wonderful discussion on our podcast about it four years ago. We have another one this time, one of the verses here says, and again to some is given the working of miracles. And I thought, whoa, how many stories have we heard in church history where there are miracles? You ask your average group, who is it that said that? Was this J. Reuben Clark? How many of you have been the conscious recipient of a miracle in your family? And most people will raise their hand and think, yeah, I think of something.

[John]

I have.

[Hank]

Yeah, me too. With my brother and the kidney and every. It was amazing. There's a little book called Everyday Miracles and I read this story. I just loved it. In June of 1964, Hank, I was alive. You weren't. We were pouring concrete floors in the chapel in the recreational hall of the Poverty Bay district of Gisborne, New Zealand Second Branch Chapel. There had been storms in the area for three weeks. The boats had not been able to deliver cement to Gisborne. We had borrowed all the cement there was within 80 miles. And when we quit work for lunch on the last day of pouring, we had just two bags of cement left and needed two and a half yards cubic yards of concrete, enough to fill an area 15ft by 13ft. This would have required 12 bags of concrete to complete the job. As we returned from lunch, everyone was saying, why even start? It wouldn't even be worthwhile. I told them, start the mixer. We were not only going to pour, we would complete our floors that day. Then, not knowing at the time how it could be done, I walked a short distance from the group and prayed. I simply said, father, you fed the thousands with five loaves and two fishes. Surely you can help us this day. We went to work and mixed two small 14 yard batches of concrete with the two bags of cement we had and started pouring. There seemed to be no end to the concrete as it poured from our wheelbarrows. The full pour was not only completed, we had to remove two wheelbarrows full when it was leveled out. There is no physical way this could have been done by men. It was indeed a modern miracle performed for his people of the latter days.

[John]

Wow. That's biblical.

[Hank]

Yeah. I just wanted to give you a concrete example. There are miracles in our day. And Hank, that's one story I know that we could both come up with.

[John]

Yeah. Hundreds. But that's one I'm floored by.

[Hank]

Yeah, that's good. That's good.

[John]

John, you're right. That's section 46 21. To some it is. Given the working of miracles, what a great thing you could focus on in your lesson this week is let's talk about miracles.

[Hank]

You can imagine those people in that branch every time they met there. I bet they thought of that.

[John]

Yeah, exactly. Every week, a witness of a miracle right under their feet. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it anywhere. You get podcasts. We're with Danny Ricks, our friend from byu, Idaho this week. You are going to love him. He is so fun. He, he takes these sections and he'll show you things you have never seen before. Then come back here next week we'll do another Follow him favorite.