I grew up on a magnificent spread of woods and meadows near Rala, Missouri.

We had about 230 acres with our house up on the south hill overlooking a beautiful valley.

A small stream called Spring Creek ran through the bottomlands and a narrow gravel road

led from our home to the access road of old Highway 66.

The view was so peaceful and serene.

One late afternoon, I stood outside with my dad in our front yard looking over all of this

bucolic scene.

Dad was a noted professor at the University of Missouri and for many years

the Dean of the School of Science. He was brilliant. I'll never forget this moment together

because I asked Dad a question and the answer he gave me would change my life.

Welcome to Meridian Magazine's Come Follow Me podcast.

We're Scott and Maureen Proctor, and this week's podcast covers Doctrine and Covenants

sections 51 through 57, and is entitled A Faithful, a Just, and a Wise Servant.

We've had letters asking where you can find the written version of the podcast. They are all located at laturdaysaintmag.com forward slash podcast. That's

Laturdaysaintmag.com forward slash podcast. That's a good way to check scripture references,

quote sources, and be sure that you got this or that story or quote just right.

Please send your friends and family members to that same page to listen to the podcast.

We'd love to have them join us.

Now, back to my dad and me on the front lawn at our home in Missouri.

It was a gorgeous late afternoon in spring.

The dogwoods and the red buds had been in full bloom,

and now all the spring leaves were bursting forth on thousands of trees before us.

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