The following transcript is intended to aid in your study. However, while we try to go through the transcript, our transcripts are primarily computer-generated and often contain errors. Please forgive the transcripts’ imperfections.
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Segment 1
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So here's a fun challenge. If you could tell your life story or share your testimony through music, which songs would you choose? I don't know, maybe a little Journey. Some Chicago. How about Neil Diamond? And then sprinkle it with some hymns, maybe some children's songs, or maybe you could write your own songs.
Now, I asked this question because. My guest today, you guys, he has done this very thing. He wrote his own songs and fun fact, you've probably heard them before when I saw that we were studying Genesis chapter five and Moses chapter six. The spirit knew it needed to be him, and I am so thrilled for you to meet him and hear his devotion to the scriptures and God through his music.
Welcome to the Sunday on Monday's. Study Group, a Deseret Bookshelf Plus original, brought to you by LDS Living where we take the Come Follow Me lesson for the week and we really dig into the scriptures together. I'm your host, Tammy Uzelac Hall. Now, if you're new to our study group, please follow the link in our description.
It's going to explain how you can best use this podcast to enhance your come Follow Me study, just like my longtime listening friends, the Burton Clan. That's right. Bryce, Nikki, Hayden, and Emmett from. Table 13 at the wedding we were attending and they help us win first place so we could get in the buffet line before anybody else.
So thanks a lot friends. Love you guys 'cause I was starving that night. Now, another awesome thing about our study group and you know it's my favorite thing is we're joined by two of my friends. So every week it's a little bit different and then sometimes it's one friend. And you know what? Today it is one friend and I am so excited to introduce you to Tyler Castleton.
Hello Tyler. Hey Tammy. How are you? I'm so good. This is, my heart is so happy right now. You guys, this person, Tyler, how long have we known each other? It's been a long time, Tammy. It's been, I think we can say decades now. Uh, yes. A long time since you were mm-hmm. But a student, but a student that, but, but a young little gal.
I was a junior in high school and, well, Tyler was a missionary and, uh, that's right. Listen, we may, my best friend and I may or may not have spent our prom night with the missionaries. We didn't go into their apartment, but we did, nor did we dance, nor did we dance, but we did an ice cream cake on their porch.
All those were good times back when. Good times, right? They matter. You know, life was so simple. Just preach the gospel and baptize. That's all we had to do. Okay? This is me, this seriously. I mean, we've known each other for so long, then we went our separate ways, but then it seems like our paths always kept crossing throughout all the decades we've known each other.
And then I've really always wanted you to be on the podcast, but I just didn't know where you were. And then I looked in my phone truly. I was thinking of this lesson and I'm like, I have got to have Tyler on, and I just can't even believe you were in my phone and your number's the same that it's always been for decades.
Did I tell you that when you first reached out to me, I was in St. Louis. Did I tell you that? Knock it off. What were you doing there? You know what? I actually just went to get away. I had like some time off and I was supposed to go to New York for this business thing, and then it felt I didn't have to go anymore.
So I'm like, I'm just going to St. Louis. So I just went out there and just, just, just. Let my heart be filled with memories and all kinds of stuff. I visited just a couple of people, but mostly I just walked around old places. I just had good thoughts the whole time. It was awesome. God is so good. Right? And there I am reaching out to you at the exact same time, very time you go up to be on this podcast, this crazy show.
Yeah, true enough. You haven't changed a bit. My goodness. Here I am. Here you are. Just the same. Okay. So how do you feel about being on the podcast? Are you okay? Are you nervous? Yeah, I'm excited. I mean, I never. Do things like this. And I don't in any way consider myself a, a scholar at all. So it's a little intimidating for sure, but I do feel pretty strongly about the things that we've been reading about, and I've had a little bit of a change of heart about the Old Testament.
So I'm excited, but again, just so scared to death. So, count in on you, Tammy, just to run things and, and, uh, ask all the questions. Uh, yeah, I got your back. I'm gonna make you look real, real good. Okay. Although it's not gonna be hard to do because we're mostly focusing on the music you've written, can you tell everybody a little bit about your background with music?
Uh, you know. Music, I think just came inside me from a little young age. I just, it just came from the heavens with me and I've always connected with it in so profound a way and deep a way that it's just always been a part of my life. And I was lucky to study it at school, go through a really great program at BYU, and then I had this great opportunity to start working with.
People as a student and mostly in the LDS music world to begin with. Um, great people like Hillary Weeks and Sherry Cole and Kenneth Cope, and lots of people that you've probably heard songs from. And then I've been really blessed to just stay busy in the music business. And part of that has been my.
Kind of lifelong quest to figure out how to write songs and how to put feelings into music and words that don't necessarily come easily to me when I speak, but seem to come easier when I write. Mm-hmm. And either myself, on very rare occasions, but mostly others, sing those songs and kind of say the words I can't.
So I've just been really blessed to, to have a really wonderful and blessed career in music. Absolutely. One of my favorite things to do is when I will listen to some songs and, and everyone out there, you've heard more of his songs than you even realize because he's written so many EFY songs for years and I love going, I wonder who wrote this and I'll look and sure enough there's Tyler's name.
So his name is behind many, many songs, and I didn't even have an idea of what his library was like, so I kind of gave him a little bit of an outline and I shot some songs to him like, maybe this would fit here, maybe this, tell me what you think. And then he, about a couple of days later, he took it and just.
As I knew he would created the most beautiful outline for this episode with songs I hadn't even considered. And so this is your music episode of the year. We like to do this probably once a year and it's so fun 'cause we talk a little bit about scripture, but then we listen to the songs. And so I am really excited for you to hear the songs that Tyler has chosen.
He specifically chose all of them. We didn't even include the ones I picked 'cause the ones he picked were so much better. So if you're out walking, if you're driving, if you're on a road trip, this is the perfect episode for you. Just sit back and enjoy the music that has been brought to us by Tyler Castleton, as seen through the eyes of Genesis chapter five and Moses chapter six.
If you wanna know more about Tyler and you wanna read his bio and see his picture, check out our show notes, which are found at lds living.com/sunday on Monday. So grab your scriptures and something to mark them with. And let's get into Genesis five and Moses six. All right. First things first, Tyler, what did the Holy Ghost teach you as you read these and as you were preparing and studying for this discussion?
Well, as I said, I am probably like a lot of people out there and have just been a little bit terrified of the Old Testament. In fact, I'm the Sunday school president and our ward and my own teachers came to me and they were just panicked about having to teach Old Testament this year because we're not.
Really great scripts, but I've had such a change of heart because number one, we have come follow me, which makes it so easy and really fulfilling to dig into the scriptures and to follow along and to really get involved in what's happening there. And it helps me to. I have this question in my mind. You know, as I read, I found that as I think about it, as I pray about it and as I really pay attention, the spirit really will teach things even in a book that I'm not as familiar with or don't feel as comfortable teaching or even reading.
So, um, first thing I learned, Tammy, is that people live to be so old and it makes me so tired just to think about how old these people. Far right. I know. Isn't that fun too? 'cause when you read the ages, you're like, well, maybe they were magic years or dog years. Right, right, right. Like maybe they just No, no, it's legit.
It's 900 years. It's real years. Real years. Well, I think couple of things. Number one, I was struck right off the bat how we are taught that the priesthood that existed when Adam was on the earth and when all of these generations of his children were coming up is the same priest we have today. Heavenly father tells us it's the same then as it is in the end of the world and here we are.
Sure. Approaching. I would think, you know the, the final days. It sure feels like it anyway, right? Yeah, for sure. Oh, I think that's a great takeaway. The generations and the priesthood that existed. Okay. That is such a great setup because that's what we're gonna dig into in the next segment. We're gonna look at these generations because you could see all these begats and wanna just skip over 'em, but for this specific episode, you, there's certain baggat you don't wanna skip over, and so we're gonna show you what that is in the very next segment.
Segment 2
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In Genesis chapter five and in Moses chapter six, you're gonna read so many generations and so many begats. I want you to go with me in Moses chapter six. Grab something to mark your scriptures with like a highlighter, 'cause I'm gonna give you some specific names to highlight in the genealogy beginning with Adam.
So we're gonna go to Moses chapter six, verse 11. And it says in the days of Adam, after he had begotten Seth, were 800 years. So you're gonna highlight Adam, then you're gonna highlight Seth, and then Seth is going to have a child. And that's in verse 13. Seth lived 105 years and begat Enus. So highlight Enus and then you wanna go down to verse 17.
Then Enus lived 90 years and begat Canaan. Then go to verse 19. Canaan lived 70 years and begat Maha Halal. Then verse 20, Maha Halal lived 65 years and begat Jared. And then verse 21. Jared lived about 162 years and begat Enoch. Now I love it 'cause you're like all these ages. I thought I was old having a child at 35.
Forget about it. Like my back is hurting for these people. So highlight the name Enoch, right there. That's the name that is going to be so important in all of these Begats. We're gonna stop with Enoch. Now, this is really interesting that I love to learn, is in lectures on Faith. Adam teaches that all of these men's names that you highlighted.
They were all on earth at the exact same time living. So can you imagine like, I don't even have a grandparent still on the earth, but he, they would have a great, great, great, great, great grandparent still on the earth with them. So that plays into kind of the psyche of the person we're gonna talk about, which is Enoch.
So I have a question for you, Tyler. Mm-hmm. In your lifetime, have you ever felt like with a job or a calling or anything like that, have you ever felt like. There's just no way I can do this. Like there are people who are way more equipped. Tammy, are you kidding me? All the time. All the time. It feels like the story of my life.
A little bit. Yeah. I think all of us have those times where we feel like there's no way in those very circumstances, we just talked about it, be a calling in church. It could be something in our job, like something we're asked to do, uh, where we just think there's no way there's people so much better qualified than me and you absolutely feel like you're.
Weak and, and completely unqualified. So yeah, I can absolutely relate to that. Is there one specific that you can remember? If not, I'll bring one up for you. Uh, yes. There, there are many. No. You love that. I know one of yours. I'm like, I bet I know one that's, I'm kind of curious. Why don't you tell me. When you had to do that big dance celebration at the University of Utah when we Oh yeah.
Abs, absolutely. Yeah. There are things like that all the time. When you, you nailed it. I'm like, how's he doing this? What was it called? Celebration. That's so, that's so kind. Well, there was a SCO Centen Spectacular that we did at the 150 years at, at the stadium. That was a big deal. And then certain temple celebrations, president Monson wanted to have this big celebration with the Ochre Mountain and the Draper Temples together.
So we had like. 20,000 youth and we were supposed to put them all together and make them dance. This was at the conference center, so That's right. Yeah. Stuff like that is so intimidating. Right. And you do look to your right and your left, and you see people everywhere who are of course so much more qualified.
They have more experience, they're just better than you. Mm-hmm. But for whatever reason, you're the guy. So. Okay. That is so perfect because here we have Enoch and Enoch. This the story, the setup, what you just talked about is so perfect because Enoch in verse 25, he lived 65 years and he begat Methuselah.
Now Methuselah will end up being the oldest living person in scripture, his son. That's kind of fun. But then verse 26, will you read for us Tyler? Verse 26 and 27. You bet. It came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land among the people, and as he journeyed, the spirit of God descended out of heaven and abode upon him.
And he heard a voice from heaven saying, Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people and say unto them, repent for thus sayeth the Lord. I am angry with this people and my fierce anger is kindled against them for their hearts have waxed hard and their ears are dull appearing and their eyes cannot see a far off.
Thank you. Okay, so bracket off verses 27, all the way down to 31 because, and then I want you to highlight in verse 27 where the Lord says, prophesy unto this people. Now here's little Enoch and we just named all of his ancestors who were still on the earth. These men, and I love Tyler, how you said, the priesthood that we have today is the same priesthood they had.
Just knowing that all of these men are on the earth at the same time, and here's the Lord saying to Enoch, I need you to prophesy unto this people. What must Enoch be thinking? Oh, he, he is terrified. He, first of all, we know he's young, calls him a lad, so he's not, first of all, he is not very old, right?
Yeah. He says, he says, all the people hate me. Yeah. First of all, he says he is slow with speech. I'm sure he's, let's read that verse. 31. This is what he says. He says, and when Edh had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord and speak before the Lord. Saying, why is it that I have found favor and thy sight and am but a lad and all the people hate me for I'm slow of speech.
Wherefore, am I their servant? Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, I know, I know. We felt that way. I mean, to say all the people hate me, you know, have your kids ever said that? Like all this anxiety and this social media stuff, it's, it's easy to just go, there's no way. You must have the wrong person For sure, and I love this.
I'm, I'm slow of speech part because I can't help but think like, don't you want to have my dad or my grandpa? Surely great-great-great-great Grandpa. Adam would do a much better job of prophesying to the people and I, you could just, you feel his insecurity in verse 31 for sure. He's so nervous about this calling.
And so when we talked about this whole episode, and we were gonna start with this segment, you chose a song. And I want you to tell me why you picked this song for us to listen to when it comes to his insecurities and his weaknesses. To be this person that's going to prophesy you chose the song called Come As You Are.
Tell us a little bit about that before we play it. Yeah, thank you. One of the blessings I've had, as you mentioned in the introduction, is writing for. The EFI programs are writing for the youth, are now for FSY and different things. And as a songwriter, you're always trying to get into the head and into the hearts of these kids and just trying to figure out what they're feeling and what they're going through.
And as a songwriter, but probably more importantly as a father. At times as a church leader, you hear the kids talking and it doesn't sound too far off from what Enoch is saying here. You know, it's maybe a different language, but it's the same scent of it. Why me? And I am. Nothing, I'm nothing compared to someone else who would want me.
Why would the Lord want me for anything? And the song come as You Are, came from a place of wanting to hopefully connect with those fears and those anxieties and those hesitations that I know so many young people have and so many of us have when we look at ourselves and just think. Why on earth would you call me?
And you know, through that, as the Lord continues to talk, we know that. He just says, just, just come. Just come. You know, do as I've commanded, do the things I've asked. Keep the commandments, open your mouth and it'll be filled. And. Like, I'm, I'm in control. But I think what he says to each of us and what the song was meant to say was, just come as you are.
I see everything. I know what you're going through. I know the weaknesses, and I will make you, I'll make you big enough. I'll make you enough to accomplish whatever it is I've asked of you. Tyler, that's a great setup for this song. So we are going to listen to Tyler's song. Come As You Are, and as you listen to it, consider Enoch's situation and the reasons why he couldn't serve.
And then consider your own and know that the Lord is saying it doesn't matter. I'm going to help you in all scenarios of your life. Here's the song.
That song just changed the way I read verse 31 now. Oh my goodness, because now I'm reading it and I'm reminded like he's not a prophet yet. So when he says all the people hate me, like it's not, they don't hate him because he is been telling him to repent yet. So there must really, like, why do people hate this young lad?
Yeah. Like what could it possibly be in his life that would p like make, and not even some of the people again, all the people hate him. That would include his own family maybe. Like what? So he feels that he feels all the people hate me and I'm slow of speech. And then he is like, why have I found favor in your sight?
Because so many people don't like me. I'm, I just, that just changed my. Tell me why you believe those words come as you are. You know, that's, that's, that's a beautiful sentiment, by the way, and I hadn't thought about that, but you're right. He, it's not like he's already been up on walls getting stoned or mm-hmm.
Being thrown out of synagogues or anywhere or cities for that matter, that he is, he is just a man. I just, I think I resonate with it because I think that, um, it's not just. Sometimes the inadequacy of just being human or feeling like, ah, I'm probably not good enough. But there are sometimes things in our lives that we carry, things that we've gone through, or things that we've done that causes shame to feel like God can't use us or he won't use us.
And I think he's saying. Come exactly as you are, and that's who I need because we know he'll make us into what we need to be if we trust him, if we have faith, if we put our life in his hands like he's asking Enoch to do, we know he can do that. But at the very start, he simply makes that invitation come as you are.
And I, I love that. It means anyone, anywhere, whatever they've gone through can come to him and he can, he can make them what he needs. I love that. I do too. Tyler, thank you so much for sharing that. So in the next segment we're gonna find out what the Lord will do for this person who is hated and slow of speech and doesn't think he could find favor.
We'll do that next.
Segment 3
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We are still in Moses chapter six, and Tyler, will you read verse 32 and 33? Because this inadequate young lad who's like, there's no way the Lord's gonna find favor with me. Like what in the world people hate me And we love what the Lord says to him. And you mentioned this in the last segment, that the Lord will make you what he needs you to be if you're willing.
So if you'll read 32 and 33 for us. You bet. And the Lord said unto Enoch, go forth and do as I have commanded thee. And no man shall pierce thee. Open their mouth and it shall be filled. And I will give the utterance for all fleshes in my hands and I will do as seam with me. Good. Say unto this, people choose you this day to serve the Lord God who made you.
Okay. Tell me what your thoughts are about those verses when you read them. You know, it's interesting. I think we know, you know, we know from, uh. Other scriptures, other important scriptures we've read from the Book of Mormon that God can take our weakness and he can make it, make those weaknesses, strengths.
Mm-hmm. And I think sometimes he gives those to us. In fact, I know he does. To make us strong in areas where we need to be strong, where he needs us to be strong. It's one of the great blessings that we have is that we know that. You know, we have this father who knows us better than we know ourselves, and he knows what we're capable of.
And so he gives us things to make us grow, to make us stronger. If we come to him, if we put our faith in him and our trust in him, he will, uh, make us better. He'll make us stronger. And I think he's s saying to. That very thing he just said. I, I think he's saying, don't, don't worry about it. You know, in our, in our vernacular maybe.
It's like, I got you. Yeah, I totally have. You just, just come, I see everything you got going there. I think it's interesting, Tammy, that he says that no man shall pierce the, you know, I mean, like, that's, that's pretty intense. Like don't worry about, I don't know whether that's with words or maybe physically, but he's basically saying, I'll protect you, you know, whatever it might be.
And maybe Enoch has just been beaten down and, and people have. Spoken so poorly of him that he's just worried about that. But heavenly father is saying the Savior, you're saying, I got you. Come unto me and let me, let me help you. And just go out there and tell the people to, yeah, serve me. Serve the person.
Serve the God who's made you. And I love that. You can almost hear it play out like in a, if it was in a movie or a storyline, because the Lord's like, and no man will pierce the, and Enoch's like, people might kill me. Wait a minute. I'm like, wait, what are you saying? I might die. No, no, no. I got you Enoch.
You're not gonna die on this mission, you know? Well, you might, it'll come close. Might, but don't worry, it's not gonna get that far. I got that. I totally got you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I, these verses I love everything you just said about that because the Lord's like, here's what I'll do for you. But then he gives him an invitation in 34 and he's like, here's all you need to do for me if you want to have success and not die or whatever it's, or have people like you.
Then we get the verse 34. Will you read that for us? Yeah. Verse 34. You bet. Behold my spirit is upon you. Wherefore, all the words will I justify. And the mountain shall flee before you and the river shall turn from their course and thou shall abide in me and I in you. Therefore, walk with me. That's the invitation highlight.
Walk with me. We're gonna do a walk with me Scripture chain. So one of these are one of my favorite things to do in scripture right there where it says, therefore walk with me. What you wanna do is put Genesis chapter five, verses 22 and 23, because we love the book of Moses. It's gonna give us the whole story of Enoch, but Genesis doesn't.
Genesis only gives us two verses about Enoch. So if you go to Genesis chapter five, verse 22 says, and Enoch walked with God. So there it is. He got the invitation. But gen, we don't even get that storyline at all in the scripture. All we hear is right here. Okay? Enoch walked with God and then verse 24, and Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him now.
All we know is he walked with God. That's it. So next to those two verses, Enoch walked with God and Enoch walked with God Again. You wanna put Moses chapter six and then put verse 39 and then we'll read verse 39. And Tyler, will you read that for us, Yvette? And it came to pass when they heard him. No man laid hands on him for fear came on all men.
That hurt him. For He walked with God. Okay, now there's a great quote by Elder Bednar about this idea of walking for God that kind of supports what we've talked about with Enoch and Tyler. Will you read this quote for us please? Enoch ultimately became a mighty prophet and a tool in God's hands to accomplish a great work.
But he did not start his ministry that way. Rather, his capacity over time was magnified as he learned to abide in and walk with the son of God. Walking in and with the Savior highlights two vital aspects of discipleship. One, obeying God's commandments, and two, remembering and honoring the sacred covenants that connect us to the Father and the Son if we abide in him.
He will abide in us and as we walk in and with him, we will be blessed to bring forth much fruit held better. Thank you. That invitation right there. Just walk with God. So tell me a little bit about your thoughts and why you chose the song. Walk With Me. You know, I think as I look at my own journey and as I look at what.
Life offers us, and again, back to the challenges and the trials that were given. I often wonder what I would do if I didn't have the knowledge that I do if I didn't know that there was a Heavenly Father. And if I didn't know there was a savior who literally invites us to walk with him, to take him on that journey because it's just.
I don't know how else to say it. It's, it can be just so much, right? It can be so hard. It can be so heavy, particularly when we go through really difficult times. How do you make that journey and how do you, uh, number one, survive and thrive and learn what you need to from that? If you don't have. Savior, right by your side.
I mean, he's promised us that's what he's there for. He's there to walk with us, to be with us, to sucker us. He knows everything. We've gone through that journey. That journey, and I look at it almost as a hand in hand journey, side by side is vital to. Uh, to making it through, to getting to where we need to go to learning the things that we need to learn and to figuring out who we are and what he needs us to do.
So those three words walk with me have, um, this have a big place in my heart because I feel like, again, as I'm sure many listeners here do that I've only come through the hardest times. I've only made it through the challenges. Because he's been right there by my side. So I love, I love that phrase, walk with me and I love how it's spoken about and I love your scripture chain there too.
That's a fun one. How did you end up writing? Walk with Me. Um. I think Tammy, this, this song probably comes closest to maybe my testimony. It's not always that I can look at a song and say this, this is coming from a pretty deep place. I mean, I hope all the songs I write or any of the messages I'm writing, I, I have a connection to on some level.
But this song certainly came from the place of. Again, almost a plea to, to walk with me, to, uh, really be able to believe and understand that the Savior knows exactly where we are. He knows what we're going through. He knows who we are, what we carry, and that I, I know it came at a time where I. As I mentioned before, just truly felt like I would only make it through that or understand it or survive it if he truly was right there by my side.
So I think this song was for me as much as it was maybe for anyone else because it has meant a lot to me. Good. I can't wait to hear it. This is Walk with.
I am crying. Done. I will bear this cross for if you walk with me. Oh my gosh, Tyler. That's a beautiful wine. Yeah, thank you. Oh, wow. What a great testimony. You know, I'm thinking about all the Enoch in the world out there, which is all of us, and. The thing of the storyline. I mean, I always talk about this in scripture that it seems like in the very next verse, he just all of a sudden has a change of heart and he's like, okay, I'm gonna do it.
I always wish there was an asterisk that said it took Enoch, you know, six months to figure this out, or five years before he was like, okay, I'll walk with you. Like I always wonder how much time. I think there must have been some time. And the reason I think that because if he can go from like, how have I found favor?
All the people hate me. There's no way I could do this. To, then he is gonna walk with God and. And then we read the verse where he did walk with God. He chose to walk with God. I'd like to think there was something that got him to that point though. And so in the next segment we're gonna talk about what it could have possibly been that he may be leaned on and that he may be pulled from, that helped him to actually take the first step to walk with God.
We'll do that next.
Segment 4
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So this segment is really fun because I had a blank when I sent Tyler the outline. I'm like, I don't even know what to do for this segment. And like I had all the other ones, I knew what we wanted to talk about. So I just said, I'm gonna throw it to you and whatever you think, put it in there. And he did not disappoint.
He absolutely came to me and said, here's, he's like, here's what we should do and here's the song we're gonna do. And I was just like, the spirit said, yes, this is it. And then as I was reading the storyline, I thought. And I was gonna skip this verse. I'm not gonna lie, Tyler, I was just gonna skip right over it 'cause I'm like, I don't really know.
But I love that it stood out to you. Tell me why verse five and six stood out to you. I'm gonna read them and then you get to talk about it. Lemme start out by saying this in verse in Moses chapter six. We first start out with Adam hearkening to the voice of God, and he called upon his sons to repent.
And then because he lost his sweet son Abel, he then has Seth. Seth then becomes the next in line because Cain sl his brother and Cain is gone. We, he, all of Moses five talks about his demise. And so we have Seth and then Seth has Enus. And then we get this little verse in verse five that says, and a book of remembrance was kept.
In the Witch was recorded in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration, and by them, their children. By them means the Book of Remembrance. Their children were taught to read and write, having a language, which was the language of Adam, which was pure and undefiled.
And then verse seven, I love this. Now, this priesthood, which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also, tell us why you wanted to focus on this book of Remembrance and how do you think that played into Enoch's life? I love the word, remember first of all, like I just, I'm, I'm one for nostalgia and memories and remembering, and I have a strong tie to that in my own life and in my family, and we know that.
From the scriptures that Jared taught Enoch in all the ways of God it said, and one of the ways they're teaching them is by keeping these books of remembrance. And that's a real thing in my family. Tammy, my mom Oh yeah. Is like a consummate journal keeper. A writer, a Book of Remembrance keeper. She has been so good at keeping records for our family and so is her mother as well.
In fact, I have been so blessed to be able to read back through journals and to look through actual, we call them books of remembrance, right? Mm-hmm. And it was not long ago, uh, when my parents who are now aging made probably what's maybe their final move. And my mom spent weeks and weeks and weeks going through all of the things that she has kept, and she's a real.
Keeper and she had, growing up we had eight boys in the house. And so she was keeping all kinds of stuff like report cards and musical programs and photos and certificates and just anything you can think of. The other things she kept, Tammy, were all the letters that we wrote to them, to my parents on our missions.
Oh, wow. And all the letters that they wrote to us. Not too long ago. She put all of those together in these books of Remembrance for us, and there's several of them. I have one with just lots of memorabilia. I have one with all my mission letters. I have one. Um, with all the significant events in my life, and it has just meant so much to me.
And when I read these scriptures and I, I thought, oh my goodness, they're keeping these books of remembrance so they can, what's the number one reason So they can teach their children. Yeah. And that's why we do it, right? It's so we can, of course, be reminded of fun things and good times and important times in our lives, but it's also to teach.
And when I. When I look at the things that my grandparents and my parents have left behind in these books, that's really what happens. And I thought about that in the context of this lesson, is that I am taught by the things they said and even by the things that they showed, because you can tell what's most important to them.
You can see what uh, was on their hearts and in their minds. And I started to do the same for my kids. Mm-hmm. And I've realized that like Jared, you know, like Jared was such a good father to Enoch and taught them in all the ways of the Lord, the most precious thing I can give to my kids is my own testimony and my conviction.
Excuse me, that of what I know and what I feel. So that just, it caught my eye as I was reading through him, and I just thought, I love this principle and that it's been taught and that these parents were teaching their kids the same thing. Mm-hmm. Kind of like the priesthood was the same. Those gospel principles are the same.
They were teaching faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. And I think what we're trying to teach our own posterity is how good God has been to us and what he's done for us. And, uh. I love, I just love that tie. I've never, I don't think I ever realized that the actual words Book of Remembrance was, was in the scriptures.
Isn't it cool? Yeah. It's so cool. And your connection to that. I think that's awesome. How it stood out. I like that so much. You said you love the, the word, remember I wanna ask you this question. What do you want your kids to remember about you? Uh. You know, again, going back to what I just said, I think I want them to know that even though, uh.
I was human like them, and I had all my own weaknesses and challenges that I have a conviction that God lives and that God is our father, and that we have a savior and he knows us and wants us to be happy. And the way that happens is through living the gospel and doing the things he's taught us. But I, I can't imagine a more important thing for my kids to remember than that.
I believe that, and that I tried to live my life according to that belief. Absolutely. So tell us about the song you chose for this segment, uh, back to writing songs and the experiences that you have. Um, I think sometimes people think that writing songs is just a. Is a practice and you just sit at the piano or you sit at the guitar or whatever you do, and that the songs just kind of fall from heaven.
And, and we teach, when we teach songwriting. When I've taught songwriting to classes, I've, I've said that songwriting is a lot like other forms of work. It's it'ss. 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. Like you've gotta have the tools and the knowledge. But once in a while, Tammy, once in a while, and it doesn't happen really often, it's only happened a handful of times to me, you really do feel like you are kind of blessed with a song, or blessed with a message or a tune or a melody or whatever it is that you really do feel like came from more than certainly anything you brought to the table.
But it really was inspired. And so as I thought about remembering and. Testimony and what we leave to those that we love. Um, I thought of a song I wrote, um, several years ago called Evidence, and it's basically just kind of my testimony of the fact that I, you know, I. This is, this is how I understand, you know, I was, I was looking for answers and I was looking for the truth.
And this was my experience and that's, it's having this experience is for me personally, all the evidence I needed. And we all have to have our own personal testimony experience. But I think as I looked at songs and thought, what would I, what would I play for my kids? Or what would I have them listen to?
And I doubt they've ever even heard this song, but it's just one I that came to mind and I just thought, this is one I'd play and say, this is. This is my heart right here. This is my testimony, so that's why I chose it. Oh, I can't wait. Okay. This is the song Evidence.
Segment 5
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So Enoch went then and he's going to walk with God. Because of that. I think it's really cool. We just talked about a book of remembrance because I'd like to think that in those book of Remembrances that Enoch was taught and had examples of people and men who went before him, and women by the way, who.
Followed. God walked with God and as a result, received his power. And so Enoch chooses to walk with God. And we're gonna read some verses about what that did for him specifically, verses 35 through 39. And so we'll each take a verse, Tyler, and we'll just take turns, every other verse. Let's read what the result was of him walking with God.
Here we go. And the Lord spak unto Enoch and said unto him, anoint th eyes with clay and wash them and thou shalt see. And he did so. He beheld the spirits that God had created and he'd beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye. And from then forth came the saying abroad in the land, a S seer had the Lord raised up unto his people, and it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land among the people standing upon the hills in the high places and cried with a loud voice testifying against their works.
And all men were offended because of him. They came forth to hear him upon the high places saying unto the tent keepers, tear ye here and keep the tents while we go yonder to behold the Sr for he prophesy if and there is a strange thing in the land. A wild man have come among us and it came to pass when they heard him.
No man laid hands on him for fear came on. All them that hurt him for he walked with God. And then you know what, we're just gonna read verse 47, 'cause I drew a line and connected verse 39 to 47. 'cause it's so good. 47 says, and as Enoch Spa forth the words of God, the people trembled and could not stand in his presence.
I mean, that is amazing. That's great. It takes me back. We go back to verse 37. I want us to highlight that he cried with a loud voice. So here we go from this young man who is slow of speech, who's like, there's no way I can do it. To being able to cry with a loud voice. And he's given the very words that he needs to say.
And so, Tyler, talk to me a little bit about what you said at the very beginning when you said, I'm not really good with words, but I am with music. What do you mean by that? You know, I just haven't ever felt like a good, uh. A public speaker for sure, but also sometimes when I go to express things that I feel, especially things I feel deeply and I feel strongly about, I just sometimes feel like I don't have the words to express or I, I fumble or I stumble around to find out or to figure out exactly how to say what is in my heart.
But the gift I feel I've been given is to, to say those things in music and I think if. Much more than the words I've ever said or written, even to people I love or to people in general. I think you would find really probably my heart at its, uh, most vulnerable and its most exposed and most truthful and honest if you listen to my song.
So whatever reason, that's just how I feel like I've been able to express that. So I, I feel for him when he first said, you know, I'm, I'm s. This isn't my, this isn't my strong point. Talking and, and preaching. You know, I felt the same. Isn't that awesome? How he can go from that to crying with a loud voice.
And then how interesting that all men were offended because of him. And I like how you brought this up. Like, now people are gonna hate him, you know? Right. That was what you would expect. And so he's kind of like, well, nobody liked me to begin with, so it doesn't bother me. You don't like me now. And then for people to even get to the point where they're gonna tremble because of the words that he speaks and the power that he speaks with.
I think it goes back to that verse you talked about how the priesthood is consistently through and that he is magnifying that in all of these instances. And so when we talk about our experiences, like what would you say to someone, specifically a child or someone that you love who says. Like I don't have the gift to speak.
And you have the gift to sing or write music. How would you encourage someone to find the words for them to speak? You know, reading this and reading what Enoch was able to do as he goes out and obviously exercises this faith and really just trusts his voice. However hard that was at the beginning, I think of.
My beginning days as a missionary and as you go into the MTC and you Yeah. Are kind of indoctrinated with DNC four and we hear about, you know, that, that if as we're missionaries that God will open our mouths and or if we, if we open our mouths, he'll give us the words to speak and we'll be able to testify.
And, and I think I would, I would just again share my. Conviction that whether it is through writing songs or whether it is through speaking, or maybe it's through writing stories or other media, if we are willing, if we put our faith in God, he will give us what we need. He'll put the words in our mouth, he'll put the words to our pen.
Um, he'll help us, uh, have strength and the faith and the confidence to really be able to. To say what he needs us to say. And that can be true in both the gospel context in, in this missionary work as it was with Enoch. Or it can just be in life in general with things that we need to do or things we need to say, things that we need to have confidence in doing that help build us, that help fill our spirits and help us fill the measure of our own creation.
You know, whatever it is we need to do that. Walk with God, walk with me, just keeps coming back again. If we let him with us, if we, if we. We'll keep him by our side. He'll, he'll give us what we need. He'll give us the strength. For sure. Absolutely. No, I love that you picked a song. I will not be still. I really like this song and so it made me so happy when I saw it on your playlist for this episode.
So we're gonna go ahead and play. I will not be still. And when we're done, I want Tyler to tell us a little bit about it.
Yeah, this is one of those songs where, uh, it's, it's. Uh, many years old now. I think I wrote this well over 25 years ago, and it's one of those songs that we wrote because we needed a missionary song for the EFY album that year. And I had just gotten to know, uh, Kenneth Cope. I was a big fan of his, and we had just started to work together and I convinced him to sing this song.
And, um, and I would say that this is probably among the top few of my songs that I get the most feedback about and how. How so many people have been, uh, inspired to serve mission because of that. That always, that means a lot. And it's funny because Kenneth, who has become a dear friend, we were performing together oh, just a couple of months ago, and he said, Kenneth, who's the sweetest soul on earth, said Tyler, sometimes I'm so mad at you when I look at my.
Streaming statistics. And I said, why is that? And he said, of all the songs I've written, which let's be honest, include some just absolute classics like Greater Than Us, all in His Hands and Never Better Hero, he says, of all my, of all my streaming songs people listen to, I will not be still more than anything I've ever done.
I'm mad at you about that. He says, with a smile, but it's, it's. You know, who could perform it, but Kenneth, and it's been, it's been such a blessing and, and I feel like that message has been a blessing of my life too. Wow. What a great story about that song. I love that song too, for that reason. I mean, I wanna go on a mission after I hear it, and I've already served a mission and I wouldn't go again for any, all the money in the world, but I might now go again.
That song Funny. Oh, like my friends. And I always joke, if the prophet called you today and said, I need you to serve, would you? And we're like, no, no, I'm never doing it again. That's great. But that song, I love it so much. I just thank you. Yeah. Thank you for writing that. And, and just like you said, like you, you couldn't stand and give a talk that we equate what those words do to us when we hear that song.
You have such a gift for that. And so we're not done. There's one more song that I was really hoping we could use and we got permission 'cause Tyler wrote it and I can't wait to tell you what it is because after all we've talked about today. And all that. Enoch did. The really cool thing is that we wanna talk in the next segment about, he did preach with a loud voice, but it was who he specifically preached about that we're going to discover in the next segment.
Segment 6
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So grab something to mark your scriptures with and we're gonna go to verse 57 in Moses, chapter six, and you're probably like, why aren't we in Genesis five? Because people, that's the only thing we have are two verses about Enoch and Genesis five. That's it. And then, yeah, so we're always gonna be in Moses six.
Clearly we have been in it this whole segment, but I love verse 57 because after reading this story several times, 57 just hit my heart because I thought this is what he spoke about. And this was probably, I'm imagining what made people rumble and what made people just like. I can't stand in his presence when he said verse 57, because there's so many beautiful names for the savior.
And so highlight and mark these names as Tyler reads, verse 57 for us. Therefore teach it unto your children that all men everywhere must repent or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God for no unclean thing can dwell there or dwell in his presence. For in the language of Adam, man of Holiness is his name and the name of his only begotten is the son of man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous judge who shall come in the meridian of time.
Thank you. And so as you read throughout this story and you read the names of the Savior, Jesus Christ, go to verse 63. 'cause I think this is such a great verse. This is the other thing he teaches and 63 says, and behold, all things have their likeness and all things are created and made to bear record of me.
Both things which are temporal and things which are spiritual things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth. Both above and beneath all things bear record of me. And so when I, and I love that because I remember teaching at one time and I challenged my kids to like find something and see how it connects to Christ or Bears record of him.
And so one kid held up a pencil and, and he said, it's pointing to heaven. I thought he was being a punk. I'm like a pencil. And he goes, it's pointing to heaven. Sister use alike. I'm like, you got me. And so we found all these things we could connect to bearing record of Christ. But then I finally realized when it says All things bear record of me.
I thought, what about me? Am I part of the all things, like do I bear record of him? And that's, that's the invitation. Do all things bear record of me? Because if everything around me does, I hope that I'm part of that equation. And so today, Tyler, you've done a beautiful job of bearing record of him. You are part, in fact, in my scriptures at all things I'm gonna write.
Tyler Castleton, you have born record of him in your music, in your life. In all things that I've known of you, you've always testified of Jesus Christ as a missionary, as a dad, as a friend, as a worker, a coworker, everything. I've always known you to put Christ first. It's just who you are. And I love that example that you are to so many of us who know you and love you.
So I'm just gonna let Tyler tell us a little bit about the song. I love this song, Tyler, tell me why you chose this song. You know, you sent me a little note, Tammy, and you said, I want to make sure as we go through this. Lesson. And then as we, especially as we come toward the end, that we talk about how Christ is in everything, I wanna really talk about how everything testifies of him and that immediately took my mind to this song, which has been always, will be one of my favorites, uh, even though I didn't write it.
And that's usually the, as songwriters we say, you know. If you could have written any song, what would it be? You know? Mm-hmm. And this is definitely the top of my list because back when I was really in my very early days of working with Hillary Weeks, um, which has always been such a. Wonderful part of my professional journey.
Um, Hillary would give me these songs. She's, she's a great piano player herself, and she would just sing back then it was on a tape recorder and she'd just sit at her piano and record a little demo, and that's all I would get is the arranger. And the orchestrator is just this simple piano vocal, and sometimes the.
The writer will give you some feedback like, I feel this kind of uptempo, or I, I would love a big string section, or let's be sure and add some rhythm, or whatever it is. But with this, Hilary had just said, I just want you to do what you feel like needs to be done with the song and just the message of the song.
I mean, he is, and the lyrics that just talk about what we just read in this scripture in verse 63 about everything testifies of. Christ, everything on this earth. And like you said, hopefully we do as well the way we live our lives. But I don't know what I had done to deserve any kind of inspiration, but I just felt like this, um, uh.
Arrangement is one that just came to me and it's one for whatever reason I just always connected with. And I will be driving somewhere randomly on a Thursday and this will pop up on my playlist and it still brings the spirit into my heart so quickly, and it brings tears to my eyes because I love, obviously the message of the song, but I love the feel.
Of this song and how it feels majestic and how it feels, uh, representative of all things good. Like we think about when we think of the savior and that all things point to him and that he is, um, he is our everything. You know, he's the reason we're here and he's the reason we have hope and, and, uh, can be close to him.
So this is just always meant a lot to me. So it means a lot that you're willing to play it and, and I Sure. I love the message that Hillary gave us here. Okay. Here's the song he is.
Wow. Thank you, Tyler. That's such a great song. You're so welcome. Oh, such a great song. Thank you Tyler and Hillary, because all things bear record of him. And so the challenge this week is to be, be a part of that all things, no matter how slow of speech you are, no matter how many people hate you, no matter how ill-equipped you feel like you can't do it.
I think Tyler has done a beautiful job today through his music of testifying that you can, that God loves you. And I love the part where it says, when he says, why am I favorite of you? 'cause the thing I love to say, Tyler, at the end of every episode is, you are God's favorite. And I believe that about every single person.
You really are God's favorite, Tyler, he just, he adores you. He loves you. He's proud of you, all the good things and that you have spent your life's work bearing record of him. So thank you for doing that, and thanks for sharing that with us today. Thanks, Tammy. Thanks for having me. Rather than ask, what eternal truth did you learn?
I mean, I could ask that, but I think I might ask, what's your favorite song? What one? Just hit your heartstrings. What one just made you wanna shout? Hallelujah. Those songs were awesome. I love a music episode. So go join our. Group on Facebook or follow us on Instagram and share what it is that you like, like what song did you love?
Then at the end of the week, on a Saturday, we're gonna post that question from this discussion, comment on the post that relates to this lesson and share your thoughts. You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for this episode@ldsliving.com slash Sunday on Monday, and go there anyway.
'cause it's where we're gonna have links to all the references as well as links to all the songs so you can find them and then we will have a transcript of this discussion. So go check it out. The Sunday on Monday Study Group is a Deseret Bookshelf plus original, brought to you by LDS Living. It's written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall, and today our absolutely fabulous study group participant was Tyler Castleton, and you can find more information about him at lds living.com/sunday on Monday.
Our podcast is produced by Cole Wissinger and me. It is edited and mixed by Cole Wissinger, and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week and please remember, you are God's favorite.