Summary3 min read

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: followHIM
Hosts: Hank Smith & John Bytheway
Episode: From the Clubhouse to the Lord's House • followHIM Favorites • November 17-23 • Come Follow Me
Date: November 13, 2025

Overview

This "followHIM Favorites" mini-episode features hosts Hank Smith and John Bytheway sharing a memorable story that ties into the week’s "Come, Follow Me" study covering Doctrine and Covenants sections 133 and 134. They reflect on reverence, preparation, and spiritual readiness, drawing from practical experience and scriptural insight. The conversation is candid, warm, and focused on making gospel lessons relatable and impactful for listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

A Story from the Golf Course to the Temple

John shares a story about his friend Bob, whose father was a temple president.
- Bob and his dad (the temple president) were golfing when they got a call: a fire alarm had gone off at the temple.
- They rushed to the temple mid-game, Bob still in his golf attire—blue shirt and black Bermuda shorts ([00:16]–[01:13]).
Entering the Temple in Casual Clothes
- Bob felt awkward entering the sacred space dressed so informally, especially in the celestial room.
- John: “Just even thinking about it kind of makes me laugh.” ([01:13])
- Hank affirms: “It felt off. Yeah.” ([01:20])
Reflecting on Reverence & Being Prepared
- The experience becomes a teaching moment:
  - Bob says to his dad, “Dad, that was tough going in the celestial room dressed the way I was.”
  - His father: “Yeah, what do you think that means?” ([01:32])
  - The “ox in the mire” principle is invoked—sometimes exceptions are necessary, but the feeling of reverence matters.

Scriptural Applications

Doctrine & Covenants 133: “Be Clean That Bear the Vessels of the Lord”
- John connects the feeling to the scripture’s imagery about cleanliness and sacred duty ([01:47], [02:47]).
Isaiah 61:10 Reference
- Hank relates the story to Isaiah’s image of being “clothed in the garments of salvation… in the robe of righteousness.”
- “It’s not about how you’re dressed, but there is a feeling of being covered…the appropriate clothing for the sacredness of the place.” ([02:21])
Spiritual vs. Physical Preparation
- Both hosts stress that spiritual preparation is key, but outward appearance can reflect inward respect.
- John: “It was a clothing lesson, but more it was a spiritual lesson.” ([03:12])

Lessons & Takeaways

Reverence for Sacred Spaces
- Feeling appropriately dressed is symbolic of readiness and respect for holy ordinances and locations.
Making Gospel Lessons Relatable
- The story creates a bridge between common weekday experiences (like golfing) and deeper spiritual principles.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the experience:
- John: “He told me the feeling he had walking in the celestial room dressed like that. Just even thinking about it kind of makes me laugh.” ([01:13])
- Hank: “It felt off. Yeah.” ([01:20])
- Bob (via John): “Dad, that felt really… that was tough going in the celestial room dressed the way I was.” ([01:32])
On the spiritual lesson:
- John: “This scripture, be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord…just made me think of how we want to feel clean as we go into a place like that and just simply appropriately dressed.” ([02:47])
- Hank: “It was a clothing lesson, but more it was a spiritual lesson.” ([03:12])
Scripture connection:
- Hank: “Reminds me of Isaiah 61:10…He has clothed me in the garments of salvation…It’s not about how you’re dressed, but there is a feeling of being covered…” ([02:21])

Timestamps for Important Segments

[00:16] — John introduces Bob’s story about golfing with his temple president father.
[01:13] — The awkwardness of entering the temple in casual clothing.
[01:32] — The father’s teaching moment and “ox in the mire” discussion.
[02:21] — Hank ties the lesson to Isaiah 61:10 and spiritual clothing.
[02:47] — John reflects on “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.”
[03:12] — Emphasizing the spiritual nature of the lesson.

Flow, Tone, and Closing

The episode is conversational, light-hearted, and inviting, yet delivers a resonant message about spiritual preparation and reverence. The hosts conclude by encouraging listeners to tune in for the full episode with guest Alvin Jackson for deeper insights into these doctrinal sections.

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Transcript15 lines

[00:03]
A
Welcome to follow him. Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's Come follow me. Lesson, John. We are in sections 133 and 34. This week you've told me that you have a story.
[00:16]
B
Yeah, and it's one of my dear friends whose name is Bob. Bob's dad was a temple president in the southern United States. Bob loves to golf. You love to golf, too, right, Hank?
[00:26]
A
I do enjoy golf.
[00:28]
B
Your dad was a golf pro?
[00:29]
A
He was.
[00:30]
B
Bob and his dad were golfing. One day, all of a sudden, his dad, the temple president, his phone rang. The firemen, we're calling the fire department. We've got a fire alarm at the temple now. We respect the building. We're here. It looks okay. But before we leave, somebody's got to go through the building and make sure everything's okay. They had to quit the golf game, run to the temple. My friend Bob says, I was wearing a blue shirt and black Bermuda shorts. If I remember right, he said I had to go through the temple and said, dad, we're not really dressed. Hey, we've got to do it. We've got to make sure. He told me the feeling he had walking in the celestial room dressed like that. Just even thinking about it kind of makes me laugh.
[01:21]
A
It felt off. Yeah.
[01:22]
B
Yeah, it felt off. He said, but everything checked out. We're so grateful the fire department came and let us just go through the building. So it was a false alarm of some kind. He said, I got back in the car with my dad, and I said, dad, that felt really. That was tough going in the celestial room dressed the way I was. And his dad said, yeah, what do you think that means? It was a great learning moment. I'm reading this verse that says, be clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. In this case, it's beautiful. Appropriately dressed.
[01:52]
A
Well, it was probably a great lesson for him.
[01:55]
B
It was an awesome. It's a lesson for me. I just thinking about it going, oh, I understand how you would feel. Like I'm in this holy place. I should dress in a way that reflects that. But he had to go in and check it out. So it was one of those ox in the mire type things. It teaches me something. Yeah, you want to be appropriately dressed.
[02:15]
A
I definitely would feel uncomfortable if I'm in my shorts and my golf shirt. And I'm just gonna, hey, can you just walk around the celestial room, go check things? And John, obviously, the lord's not offended. This has to be done. Reminds me of Isaiah 60:1. He has clothed me in the garments of salvation. He has wrapped me in the robe of righteousness. It's not about how you're dressed, but there is a feeling of being covered. Like you would say, the appropriate clothing for the sacredness of the place.
[02:48]
B
Yeah. This scripture, be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. If I remember right, Hank, he was talking about carrying the implements of the temple, the vessels of the Lord. But here it just made me think of how we want to feel clean as we go into a place like that and just simply appropriately dressed. There's something to say for feeling like I'm going to the presence of the Lord. I want to be appropriately dressed.
[03:12]
A
Yeah, it was a clothing lesson, but more it was a spiritual lesson.
[03:16]
B
Lesson. Yeah.
[03:17]
A
For him. I know Bob. He's a great guy. He's wonderful. John, Like I said, we are in section 133 and 34. This week on Follow Him. We're with brother Alvin Jackson. A lot of them call him President Alvin Jackson out in Washington, D.C. he's wonderful. He's going to take these sections apart in ways that you and I had never seen. So join us over there and then come back next week. We'll do another Follow him favorites.