Get Your Mother and the Marshmallows • followHIM Favorites • Sept 22-28 • Come Follow Me

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: Get Your Mother and the Marshmallows • followHIM Favorites • Sept 22-28 • Come Follow Me
Hosts: Hank Smith & John Bytheway
Date: September 18, 2025

This brief "followHIM Favorites" episode focuses on the power of strengthening one another in every aspect of our lives, inspired by Doctrine and Covenants 108:7. The hosts share personal anecdotes and uplifting stories, including those of Thomas Edison, to illustrate how faith, resilience, and positivity can turn even the worst setbacks into opportunities for growth, connection, and encouragement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Charge to “Strengthen Your Brethren” – Doctrine and Covenants 108:7

[00:03]

• Main Verse:
  “Strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, all your prayers, all your exhortations, all your doings.”
• Insight:
  Hank explains that "all" is a "pretty high percentage word"—the Lord asks us to be uplifting in every interaction, not just when things are going well.

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Thomas Edison: A Model of Resilient Optimism

[00:20]

• Edison's Adversities:

  • Lost 90% of his hearing at age 12—family devastated, but Edison reframed it:
    “I like helps me concentrate.”
  • Spent years perfecting the light bulb. When media called him a failure, he countered:
    “I have not failed. I have found over a thousand ways in which it will not work.” ([00:55], paraphrased by the Host)
  • Age 67, his factory burns down causing $3 million in damages (insurance covered only a fraction).
    • When his son arrives, Edison exclaims:
      “Charlie, find your mother fast and bring her here. She'll never see a fire like this as long as she lives.” ([01:44], attributed to Edison)
    • The next day, Edison tells his employees:
      “There is great value in this disaster, my friends, because all of our mistakes are burned up. Now we get to start brand new.” ([02:12], Edison via Host)

• Lesson:
  Even in disaster, Edison found opportunities to strengthen and encourage those around him—embodying the call to lift others “in all your doings.”

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Everyday Challenges & Humor

[02:47]

• Personal Example:
  John shares a relatable story about his own (much smaller) house fire, joking about the advice he received and how it didn’t land quite the same way as Edison’s approach.
• Memorable Banter:
  • John: “My attitude was too soon, too soon.” ([02:54])
  • Host: “Don't joke about that.” ([03:02])
  • John: “And here's Thomas Edison saying, go get your mother.” ([03:04])
• Takeaway:
  The difference in attitudes toward setbacks can be both humorous and insightful; the hosts use levity to reinforce their point.

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Jesus as the Ultimate Example

[03:24]

• Insight:
  Drawing on Jesus’s intercessory prayer from John 17, Hank notes how Christ focuses on praising and uplifting His apostles—offering a pattern for how we can pray for and speak about our own loved ones.
  • “Maybe when we pray for our families we could say, aren’t these people amazing? Aren’t I so lucky to have these wonderful children and this wonderful spouse. Strengthen people in prayers.” ([03:38], Host)

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Avoiding Gossip and Negativity

[03:50]

• John Observes:
  “It doesn’t leave us a lot of wiggle room for gossip or tearing people down, does it? None. All your doings, comings, goings, conversation.” ([03:51], John)

• Final Reflection:
  The hosts encourage always striving to strengthen others, even in mundane situations, and highlight how the gospel encourages positivity and faith.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:09], Host (paraphrasing Edison):
  “I have not failed. I have found over a thousand ways in which it will not work.”
• [01:44], Edison:
  “Charlie, find your mother fast and bring her here. She'll never see a fire like this as long as she lives.”
• [02:12], Edison:
  “There is great value in this disaster, my friends, because all of our mistakes are burned up. Now we get to start brand new.”
• [03:51], John:
  “It doesn’t leave us a lot of wiggle room for gossip or tearing people down, does it? None. All your doings, comings, goings, conversation.”

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Important Timestamps

• 00:03 – Introduction and context from Doctrine and Covenants 108:7
• 00:20 – Early story of Thomas Edison’s hearing loss
• 00:55 – Edison's resilience during his lightbulb experiments
• 01:44 – Edison’s reaction to his burning factory
• 02:47 – John’s personal house fire anecdote
• 03:24 – Application of Jesus’s intercessory prayer in our own prayers
• 03:51 – Call to avoid negativity and strengthen others in all things

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Closing

The hosts close by inviting listeners to the full-length episode featuring Dr. Brent Topp, who shares further insights on Doctrine and Covenants Sections 106–108, focusing on church organization and the priesthood. The message of this favorite remains: whatever happens, in all situations—good or bad—seek out opportunities to lift and strengthen those around you.

Transcript

[Host]

Welcome to follow him. Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, I have a story for you in section 108 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse 7. Great verse here. The Lord says, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, all your prayers, all your exhortations, all your doings. All is a pretty high percentage word. He's saying, I want you to lifting people everywhere you go. But what happens when things go wrong? Can you still strengthen people in your conversations, in your prayers, in all your doings? I'm going to tell you a story. Actually. It's a series of stories about Thomas Edison. I know you've heard of him. Brother Edison of the 70. He invented quite a bit of what we use today. Did you know when he was 12 years old, he lost 90% of his hearing? His parents were devastated, thought, that's it, his life is over. He said, quote, I like helps me concentrate. When he is in his late 30s, he's trying to create a light bulb that will be available to the general public for pretty cheap. It's not working. Year after year after year. He's trying this model and this model and this model, and it doesn't work. Some newspaper wrote, edison has failed. He wrote back, John, he said, I have not failed. I have found over a thousand ways in which it will not work.

[John]

Great outlook.

[Host]

Yeah, try that with your math teacher.

[John]

I didn't get that wrong. I didn't fail.

[Host]

I found a new way to get that wrong. I bet you've never seen that before. When he's in his late 60s, his New Jersey factory burns to the ground. Burns to the ground. $3 million in damages. Did he have insurance? Yes, he had $250,000 worth of insurance. He's out $2.75 million. When his son got to the fire, this is what he said. He said, I saw him. My heart broke for him. He was an old man. He would not live to see this rebuilt. But when he saw me, he shouted, where's your mother? I think his name was Charlie. Charlie, where's your mother? And he said, father, I don't know. And he said, charlie, find your mother fast and bring her here. She'll never see a fire like this as long as she lives. He's excited watching this fire the next day when the employees showed up to see the damage. Listen to what he says. He says, there is great value in this disaster, my friends, because all of our mistakes are burned up. Now we get to start brand new. This Idea of I can take something negative. You know what, there's actually a good thing in this. I'm going to strengthen you in all my conversation, all my prayers, all my exhortations, all my doing.

[John]

I'm not Thomas Edison, you know. We had a house fire contained to just our kitchen, very small. My father in law said this is going to be a big challenge for three day kitchen and bath. My attitude was too soon, too soon.

[Host]

Don't joke, don't joke about that.

[John]

And here's Thomas Edison saying, go get your mother.

[Host]

Wow. She's got to see this fire. All of our mistakes are burned up. Now there's a time to accept something went wrong. But I like what the Lord is asking of us here. Use good times as well as bad times to strengthen each other in everything you do. Do you remember when Jesus is giving his great intercessory prayer in John 17? He's just given compliments left and right about his apostles. They are not of the world. They are wonderful. They are just like me. I'd be in that prayer going, yeah, I like this prayer. Keep going. Maybe we could do that, John. Maybe when we pray for our families we could say, aren't these people amazing? Aren't I so lucky to have these wonderful children and this wonderful spous. Strengthen people in prayers.

[John]

It doesn't leave us a lot of wiggle room for gossip or tearing people down, does it? None. All your doings, comings, goings, conversation.

[Host]

Strengthen your brethren. I love it. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get any podcast. We are with Dr. Brent Topp this week. He's really fun. He's been with us before and he walks us through sections 106, 107, 108. Teaches us about the history, kind of the structure of the church and the priesthood, organization, organization of the church. It's really fun. It's really interesting. And then come back here next week, we'll do another follow him favorite.