I'm Singing in the Mud • followHIM Favorites • August 17-23 • Come Follow Me

August 13, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

I'm Singing in the Mud • followHIM Favorites

The Navy SEAL candidate stood in the freezing mud off the coast of San Diego, shivering with his entire training class, when he heard something unexpected: one voice, badly out of tune, beginning to sing. That moment—and the lesson Admiral William H. McCraven drew from it—is the centerpiece of this Follow Him Favorites episode, which uses a single vivid story to illuminate the Book of Psalms and its ancient songs of hope.

The Mudflats of Hell Week

Admiral McCraven's 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas became famous for its blunt opening line—"Make your bed"—but the episode focuses on a different lesson from his Navy SEAL training. Basic SEAL training lasts six months: long runs in soft sand, midnight swims in cold water, obstacle courses, days without sleep, and constant harassment from instructors who are "professionally trained warriors who seek to find the weak of mind and body and eliminate them from ever becoming a Navy SEAL."

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of followHIM

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:02) **Introduction: A Story for the Psalms** - Hank and John introduce the week's lesson on the Book of Psalms and set up a story about Navy SEAL training.
2 (00:54) **The Ordeal of Hell Week** - McRaven describes the brutal six-day sleep deprivation and constant harassment of Navy SEAL Hell Week.
3 (01:31) **The Mudflats and the Offer to Quit** - The trainees are submerged in freezing mud, and instructors offer relief if just five men quit the program.
4 (02:41) **The Song in the Mud** - As morale collapses, one trainee begins to sing, and the song spreads to the entire group.
5 (03:18) **The Power of Hope** - McRaven concludes that one person singing can change the world by changing the atmosphere.
6 (03:51) **The Power of Music** - Hank and John reflect on the unifying and motivating power of songs in their own lives.
7 (04:42) **Connection to the Psalms and Next Week** - Hank ties the story back to the Book of Psalms, calling it the hymn book of the ancients.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/98wZku3sjRo

ALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTES
followHIM website: https://www.followHIM.co

FREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKS
New Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBook
Old Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBook
Book of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBook

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
https://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletter

SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcast

Thanks to the followHIM team:
Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, Sponsor
David & Verla Sorensen: Sponsors
Dr. Hank Smith: Co-host
John Bytheway: Co-host
David Perry: Producer
Kyle Nelson: Marketing, Sponsor
Lisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show Notes
Will Stoughton: Video Editor
Krystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, Website
Ariel Cuadra: Spanish Transcripts
Amelia Kabwika: Portuguese Transcripts
Heather Barlow: Communications Director
Sydney Smith: Social Media, Graphic Design

"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonald
https://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com