followHIM Podcast Summary

Episode: Genesis 12–17; Abraham 1–2 Part 1
Guest: Dr. Jenae Nelson
Hosts: Hank Smith & John Bytheway
Release Date: February 11, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode delves deeply into the biblical and Pearl of Great Price account of Abraham’s early life, the Abrahamic covenant, and their personal and collective significance for Latter-day Saints and all children of God. Dr. Jenae Nelson, a developmental psychologist, applies her expertise in positive youth development and her own poignant personal story—including experiences with homelessness and adoption—to explore how Abraham's journey can illuminate modern issues of identity, belonging, resilience, covenant faithfulness, and healing from challenging family backgrounds.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: Abraham’s Central Role and Modern Relevance

• Scriptural Focus: Genesis 12–17, Abraham 1–2.
• Hank emphasizes Abraham as a pivotal scriptural figure: “If you want to know why you came to earth, you better know the story of Abraham” (02:21).
• John notes the increased focus on covenants and Abraham’s relevance: “In the past...we’ve just been talking a lot more about covenants about Abraham...greater covenant consciousness” (01:36).
• Dr. Nelson frames her approach as a developmental psychologist—examining Abraham’s life as a journey of spiritual development (02:05).

2. Identity, Tokens, and the House of Israel

• The Foundling Hospital Analogy (05:30–07:35):
  Dr. Nelson relates the story of a London orphanage where children’s identity tokens allowed reclaiming by parents to our identity in God and His covenants:

  “As children of the covenant, we have eternal tokens or covenants that identify us and enable us to be reclaimed and return to our heavenly parents” (07:04).

• The Abrahamic covenant as a source of true, secure identity—contrasts to the ephemeral “marks” offered by the world.

3. The Nature of Covenants & Who is ‘Israel’ (07:56–14:35)

• Israel = “one who prevails with God” or “one who lets God prevail” (Bible Dictionary/President Nelson, as recounted by John at 07:35).
• Abraham’s search for “greater” righteousness, knowledge, and peace highlights spiritual dissatisfaction and seeking (08:16–10:45).
• Covenants tie us to the “fathers” (Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and connect us to a multi-generational, covenantal heritage (11:45).

4. The Abrahamic Covenant—Blessings, Responsibilities, and Inclusion

• Covenant Simplified (13:20):
  Hank summarizes the Abrahamic covenant:

  “We are going to use your family, Abraham, to bless all the families of the earth...You are chosen to do the work.”

• Covenant Blessings: Priesthood, promised land/property, posterity—including Christ—and the assignment to bless the whole world.

Application to Women (14:35–19:49):

• Distinction between priesthood authority (ordination, office, keys) and priesthood power (accessed through making and keeping covenants).
• President Russell M. Nelson:

  “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants...has direct access to the power of God” (15:33).

• Dr. Nelson: “It’s no longer accurate to say that single women can’t have the priesthood in their home...Really, the lack that I had in my home was a connection to covenants” (16:34).

Memorable Analogy:
Dr. Nelson’s “wrong car” story humorously illustrates the need for proper spiritual authorization and ceasing reliance on imitations (19:49).

5. False Gods, Heart Turning, & Leaving Behind Toxic Traditions (22:46–25:30)

• False gods today: not just graven images, but “self-defeating voices” and misplaced identities (22:46).
• “Who we listen to becomes our God. It’s not just what our hearts are set on, but who we follow, who we listen to.” (23:16)
• Like Abraham, we may be called to leave “home countries”—familiar, but sometimes spiritually harmful environments or thought patterns.

6. Healing from Trauma, Survival Skills, and New Identity in Christ (25:30–51:43)

• Dr. Nelson uses developmental psychology to explain how early home environments can create “survival skills” which may later inhibit healthy relationships and spiritual progress (29:15–33:00).
  • Survival adaptations: disconnecting from needs, people-pleasing or rebelling, perfectionism as a means to win love.
  • Calls for spiritual and sometimes therapeutic “leaving” of these patterns.
• Practical Application:
  “The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers a way to heal...particularly the covenant” (32:41).
• Identity: Merit vs. Love-Based (33:00–34:29):
  Dr. Nelson distinguishes between a false, merit-based identity (worth tied to performance, popularity, possessions) and a true, love-based identity (inherent worth as a child of God).
• Emphasizes the importance of therapy for those with deep trauma:

  “Let’s just unpack this...Is it possible that you adapted so much to neglect that things that look like taking care of yourself, you put off because it’s not familiar to you?” (40:01)

• Vulnerability:
  Hank shares his own experience: “The therapy I’ve been through...has been very, very good. Very good” (39:36).

Key Principle:

• Covenants can provide us a new, stable identity that transcends our DNA, upbringing, or former “family rules” (51:43).

7. Personal Story—Receiving a New Name & Family (51:43–56:24)

• Dr. Nelson recounts discovering at age 16 that her biological father was not who she thought, requiring a new birth certificate, new last name, new siblings, and a new sense of self:

  “With finding out that I had a different dad...I ended up having to get a new birth certificate...I got new family...I knew these were now my siblings, and I inherited this new family.” (00:02, 51:43)

  • Draws parallel to conversion and covenant:
    • New name, family, identity, home, responsibilities.
    • Supports the missionary call as an invitation home to true identity and belonging.

8. Missionary Work as Gathering Lost Family (56:24–65:17)

• Emphasizes gathering Israel as a process of “bringing home a brother or sister”—not just proving doctrinal points.
• Shares the story of her friend, a Baylor theologian, whose testimony of The Book of Mormon and feeling “at home” among the Saints led him to baptism, at great professional and personal cost:

  “[He] just happened to land among some of the most incredible people. They started fellowshipping him. He said...I just feel different here. I just feel something different. It feels like home.” (56:48) “My friend got baptized with this knowledge, knowing that he was going to lose his job...He did all of this not knowing what was ahead...” (58:50)

• The Book of Mormon, as “evidence we can hold in our hand of covenant belonging” (Elder Gong at 62:38), acts as a spiritual homecoming.

9. Wilderness Trials—Faith Amid Unfulfilled Promises (65:17–74:40)

• Abraham’s journey illustrates “wilderness trials”—times when God’s promises seem unfulfilled (land, children, blessings).
• The command to “Be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1) does not mean flawlessness, but being “finished,” “complete,” or loyal—persistent in faith:

  “What if we were to think about being perfect as finishing...Be determined, be loyal. That to me feels like something I can do.” (70:26)

• Jeffrey R. Holland Quote (71:48):
  • “Don’t give up, boy. Don’t you quit. You keep walking, you keep trying. There’s help and happiness ahead, a lot of it. You keep your chin up; it will all be right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come...”
  • Applies this to covenant keepers enduring the gap between promise and reality.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dr. Jenae Nelson (Analogy of Covenant Identity):

  “When you now identify with Christ as being a child of Christ, there is a new identity. You take on a new name. You have new home, a new family, new responsibilities...” (54:23)

• John Bytheway (On Worth):

  “Do you mean to tell me that I have worth beyond what I’ve done?” (33:14)

• Hank Smith (On Healing):

  “You develop skills to survive...Some of these serve me well, and then others can actually do harm in future relationships...The Lord, like he is here with Abraham, is calling you away from that” (34:29)

• Dr. Nelson (Leaving Familiar Patterns):

  “The familiar is what we most frequently do, because it’s the easiest—even if it continues to cause harm” (41:20)

• Dr. Nelson (Missionary Conversion Story):

  “He started reading the Book of Mormon, and it wasn’t long before he gained a testimony that it was the Word of God. He recognized the voice of the Good Shepherd” (56:48)

• Hank Smith (On Overcoming Family History):

  “You can overcome your DNA and you can overcome the way you were parented, and I’m going to help you get there.” (51:10)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:02 | Dr. Nelson's discovery of new family/identity
• 05:30 | Foundling Hospital—'tokens' as analogy for covenants
• 14:35 | Priesthood power: authority, gender, and covenants
• 22:46 | False gods and listening to the right voices
• 25:30 | Survival skills, trauma, and covenants as healing structure
• 33:00 | Identity: merit-based vs. love-based—application to self-worth
• 51:43 | Dr. Nelson’s real-life “new identity” and spiritual parallel
• 56:48 | Conversion story: belonging, sacrifice, home
• 65:17 | Wilderness trials—living in faith between promise and reality
• 70:26 | “Perfect” = finished, loyalty, persistence (not flawlessness)
• 71:48 | Elder Holland’s encouragement: “Don’t give up, boy...”

Tone & Style

The episode is open-hearted, personal, and deeply empathetic. Hank, John, and Dr. Nelson blend serious doctrinal exposition with humor, vulnerability, academic insight, and warm encouragement. They frequently share personal stories and lean into gentle, faith-affirming challenge.

Summary

This episode frames the Abrahamic covenant as both a historic and deeply personal invitation to belonging, transformation, and healing. Drawing on developmental psychology, scripture, and personal narrative, Dr. Nelson and the hosts explore:

• How Abraham models moving beyond our inherited “home countries” and the survival skills of a broken world to become covenant people.
• The importance of healthy, love-based identity rooted in our relationship to God, not human or cultural measures of merit.
• The healing and adoption found in the gospel story as we step into new names, families, and purpose through Jesus Christ.
• The challenges and promises of covenant life—including faithfulness in the face of wilderness trials and the gap between divine promises and lived reality.

The episode ends with a call to persistence, faith, and covenant loyalty—a reminder that, like Abraham, “we can be finishers” (74:40).

“Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. Of that I personally attest.”
— Jeffrey R. Holland (71:48, quoted by Dr. Nelson)

Listen to part two for continued insights on hope and perseverance.