New Blog

I just wanted to announce that I do have a new blog up and going for the new Relief Society and Priesthood curriculum.  Similar to what is on this blog, the purpose of the new blog is to share a simple activity or two that could be used to encourage discussion of the talks from general conference.  Once I have all activities for all of the conference talks posted, I anticipate adding some general blog posts about leading and designing discussions that are more general as well as some blog posts that outline discussion strategies that could easily be applied to any given talk from conference.

I am grateful for the positive feedback I have received here and hope that the new blog will be similarly useful to members in their teaching.  Thank you.

You can find my new blog at:  https://teachinggeneralconference.blogspot.com/

Lesson 25: Move Forward with Faith

In my opinion, this last lesson is what I most associate with President Hinckley.  He had such a native cheerfulness and never seemed to be dismayed or upset.  As a member, I took great comfort in his optimism.  Whenever he spoke, I felt that I could do anything as long as I prayed for it first and then got up and got to work.  I believe that is the way he lived his life.  This lesson teaches us much about these things and the activity that I am including is a way for class members to try and visualize how faith relates to the things that Pres. Hinckley speaks about in these passages-- trials, sacrifice, righteous works, and hard tasks.  I pray that this lesson is valuable to you.

The Activity:

1. Introduce the idea that in each section of the lesson, President Hinckley teaches us how faith relates to a different part of life-- doing hard things (section 1), sacrificing things to gain a testimony (section 2), facing trials (section 3), and becoming more faithful disciples (section 4).
2. Divide the class members into 4 groups and assign each group one of the four sections.
3. Ask members to read and discuss the quotes in that section (if they have already read the section, as they should have, they can simply review those passages that stuck out to them).  In their discussion, they should work out how faith helps in each of those things.
4. Ask each group to visually represent the relationship between faith and the part of life assigned.  If they are unclear about what this means, you might show them the cycle of pride from the Book of Mormon as an example.  They can use arrows, shapes, colors, whatever would help them depict the relationship of faith to the ideas covered.  You might also google, "mind maps" for other examples.  Tell them that artwork is not the point; the point is to try and represent the principles of this lesson.
5. After the groups have finished with their diagrams, ask them to share with the rest of the class.

Using this activity:

I like this activity because it helps people think about the gospel in a different way.  Generally, we think in terms of words and stories, but this activity pushes us to see things spatially.  Trying to see things in a new way like this can be a powerful way of understanding something that was foreign to us before.  Also, for some people who may struggle a little bit to put things into words this approach will feel more natural and they will be more confident in sharing what they see in the passages.  The opposite will be true for others. 

To form the groups, you might ask people to go to the group they feel the most confident talking about.  In that way, they can also make connections between what Pres. Hinckley taught and their own lives. 

Final thought:

I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing these ideas with you and I hope they have been valuable.  To those of you who have left comments, thank you.  It meant a lot to me when I read that my ideas had been helpful to you in some small way and your kindness in sharing was touching.

I am especially glad that I had this chance to dig into President Hinckley's words in a different way.  As I have said in other places, President Hinckley is, in many ways, my prophet.  I love him and still miss him.  This was an honor for me.

I am trying to screw up the courage and commitment to create a new blog to share ideas on the conference talks for the new Relief Society and Priesthood curriculum.  If I do, I will add a link to the bottom of this post. 

Thank you for reading.

Lesson 24: The Atonement of Jesus Christ: Vast in Its Reach, Intimate in Its Effects

I have procrastinated for a while to post this lesson for a number of reasons, but mostly because I always feel so inadequate when I teach of the Savior.  I can never do justice to His life and sacrifice.  Whenever I teach about Christ directly, I want to move the Earth with my teachings, but I don't.  So, I worry that my ideas here will pale against what should be.  I don't worry about this for my sake, I worry that others will miss out on the Glory of God and His Son.  With that caveat in mind, here is the Activity.

The Activity:

1. On the board write, "The Atonement is the keystone in the arch of our existence."  This comes from the second to last paragraph in this chapter ("I bear witness . . .). 
2. Review with the class what a keystone is.  It is the wedge shaped stone at the top of an arch.  Every other stone in the arch is essentially resting on that one stone and without it, the arch tumbles to the ground.
3. Ask class members to think for a moment about what the quote means and examples of how the Atonement is the keystone of our existence.
4. Ask class members to list blessings we receive from the Atonement. 
5. As these blessings are listed, record them in two columns, not necessarily labeled.  One column should be universal blessings, e.g. resurrection, and the other should be intimate/individual blessings, e.g. power to change.  
6. After a good sized list has been constructed, ask class members to consider which of all these gifts is the greatest in their minds.  You might want to point out that there is no single correct answer.  Any answers will be right and really the answer is probably more of a reflection of what is operating (or needed) most in their lives at this time.
7. After a few moments, ask any class members who feel comfortable enough to share their thoughts about which blessing is the greatest.

Using the activity:

I think this is a good activity because ultimately the focus is on how the Atonement is functioning or can function in our personal lives.  Also, this lesson does require teachers (and class members) to do something uncomfortable-- be silent.  Steps #3 and 6 both ask the class members to reflect on the Atonement (in scripture terms, to ponder on the Atonement).  I have mentioned previously that pondering is an activity that is closely associated with both revelation and testimony building.  As we ponder, we invite the Spirit to become our teacher.  Still, being quiet for moments at a time can be uncomfortable for many people.  Nevertheless, don't abandon this silence at the first sign of discomfort.  Pres. Packer has taught us that the incessant noise around us is a strategy of the adversary and that silence is good for the soul. 

You could extend this activity by asking the class members to write a letter to themselves or to someone they are close to recounting how they have seen the Atonement at work in their lives.  If you do this, please make sure that you stress that these letters will be private and only for their eyes.  This type of recording of feelings can be a huge blessing later in life. 

I pray that this activity will be of use to you in your calling.  Please let me know, if you would like, how this worked.

Lesson 23: The Blessings of the Holy Temple

One of the pioneers said of the trek west that they never could have made it without the blessings of the temple.  I used to reference that quote often, but I didn't understand it-- not really.  Then, a number of years ago, our family was living in northwestern Missouri and one of our children had a serious medical event.  For about six months, my wife and this child lived most of the time in Kansas City first in the hospital and then to be near doctors and therapists for daily treatments, while the rest of the kids and I stayed two hours away in our house.  Prior to this, my wife and I had been making the trek to the Winter Quarters temple once a month.  Obviously, we did not get to the temple during this time, but it was in a very real way that the power we had accumulated, if you will, by monthly temple attendance that saw us through.  I do not know in what condition we would have made it without the temple.  So, I am deeply thankful for the temple and one of my goals is to learn all I can about the temple and its blessings.  So, this lesson is a highlight for me.

Once again, I could not really settle on a single activity for this lesson.  Instead, I am presenting two activities.  Choose the one, if either, fits the needs of your class/quorum best, and use that one.

Activity A:

1. President Hinckley mentions several ways in which the temple blesses us, e.g. "the total fulfillment of the Savior's Atonement" (sect. 2, para. 1); "a school of instruction" (4,5); "a place of personal inspiration and revelation" (4, 6); "a fountain of eternal truth" (4, 7); "a house of covenants" (4, 8); "peace" (4, 9); "the sanctifying influence of the Spirit" (4, 11).  And there are more.
2. Choose those blessings that you feel prompted would be the most significant for your class/quorum.
3. Divide the class into small groups (or even partners) and assign each group one of these blessings mentioned.
4. Ask the groups to read the section from the manual and discuss how they have felt these blessings in their own lives or have heard about them in the lives of others. 
5. After a little time, bring the groups back together and ask the groups to share what they talked about.
6. In this activity please remember (and it may be worth reminding your class/quorum) that it is not always appropriate to talk about our sacred experiences.  It has been my experience that in these cases, testifying of what we have learned, without sharing details of the experience itself, is just as powerful, if not more so.

Activity B:

1. In this section, President Hinckley speaks to members at all different levels of temple involvement.  In each case, he gives counsel and promised blessings.  Roughly there are three groups-- 1) those who are unworthy to go to the temple (Sect. 4, Para. 1-3), 2) those who are worthy but are not attending the temple (4, 2 & 13), and 3) those who are going occasionally but not regularly (4, 9 & 11-12).
2. Write these three levels of involvement on the board and discuss how we are each at different stages (and that stages may shift and change over the course of our lives).  Be careful to not single anyone out or to speak disparagingly of any group on the board.
3. Read and discuss, as a class, the counsel given and blessing enumerated for each group.
4. Challenge each person in the class/quorum to write down a goal for their temple involvement.  You may even want to provide a note card for them to record their goals on.  The Elders Quorum I am part of passes around index card sized pieces of paper with our temple on them and lines to record a goal for each month.  Many of the quorum members find that very helpful.
5. Prior to this lesson: Set and work towards your own goal.  That way you can bear testimony of the blessings you have received as you pursued this goal.

Using these activities:

There are many variations on each of these activities that might work well.  I will mention only one variation for each activity.  For Activity A, you could hang up pieces of paper around the room with the blessings listed on them.  Then, class members could choose which blessings to talk about by going to that poster.  Similarly, you could provide them with markers and allow them to silently walk around the room and write on each poster experiences, ideas, or questions germane to each blessing listed.  The marker idea might be difficult because it might take a while to record an experience.  Activity B could easily be made into a sheet that class members wrote on.  Simply create a table in Word that had a row for each of the levels and a column for the counsel and a column for the blessings associated with each level. 

In both cases, though, these activities are designed to be high-involvement activities.  Also, I think these activities (especially the second one) are valuable because they ask our class members to consider the gospel in ways that they may not often think about it (in a more systematic, structured way).  That is not necessarily a better way of thinking, but my experience tends to suggest that when we think about something in a new way, we come to understand it in new, usually deeper ways.  I think this has more to do with pondering on a topic (which involves thinking about it in numerous ways and from different vantage points) and the blessings that come from pondering.

As always, I hope that these ideas are useful to your efforts. 

Lesson 22: Reaching Out with Love to New Converts and Less-Active Members

Many of us are familiar with the heartache that comes from seeing someone we care about come into the Church and then relatively quickly falling away.  Any time a member drifts away from full activity in the Church, it is the result of a myriad of reasons.  And at times there is a tendency to simply wash our hands of the matter because "they have their free agency."  It is true that every person has their agency and we cannot interfere with that.  however, it is equally true that we, as members of the Church, have the responsibility to reach out to them in love, concern, and friendship, and I believe there is much that we can do better to carry out this ministry in more Christ-like ways.  That is our goal-- to reach out in Christ-like ways.

The Activity:

1. Read the following statement (or do it in your own words):  Imagine that I invite you to join a club that I belong to.  It is the greatest club ever!  Our meetings are fun; we dress in cool clothes; we have great food; everyone there feels good that they are there.  You come with me a time or two and enjoy yourself.  You realize that this really is the world's greatest club and you join.  At first, it is still awesome.  People go out of their way to say hi and talk to you.  It seems like with every meeting you discover something else that you love about the club.  After a little time, you are asked to take care of some small things and you have a good time doing so.  You make a small mistake here or there-- nothing truly important but just out of the norm-- but that's just part of the fun and you continue on.  Once in a while the other club members use some acronym or word that you don't understand, but you fake it.  After all, you've been a member of the club for a little too long to ask those questions without being embarrassed.  My own situation in the club means that I'm not around as much as I used to be.  People don't seem to rush over to say hi and talk.  Yes, many people smile and greet you, but not a lot of people take time to talk a lot.  Then, one day you make a comment in a meeting that is wrong in some way and you can easily tell from the reaction of others-- maybe someone laughs, maybe someone says something snide, or maybe there is just an awkward pause.  In any case, you become self-conscious (maybe no one else even remembers that you said something incorrect, but you certainly do).  Things begin to feel different.  People seem to be avoiding you.  Eventually, the club doesn't seem so great and it's hard to remember what made you think it was so awesome before. At the same time, your friends from outside the club are inviting you to do things that are against what the club stands for.  Some are even criticizing the club.  When you try to find the answers, it's hard and not all of the answers are easy to find or understand.  You try to ask a club member but they simply tell you not to worry about your question-- that it will all work out in the end.  Maybe they even laugh a little that you have such a question.  So, it seems that the best course of action is to simply not talk about your questions because they don't seem to be things that are important to the club members really.  These are all non-issues.  So, maybe the problem is you.  
2. Now, ask the class members how they would feel in this situation? 
3. List what they say on the board.  Some potential answers might include things like:  I would feel alone/lonely; I would be confused; the questions I had would seem to become more important; etc.
4. Read the letter in section 2, paragraphs 3-6 ("My journey into the Church was unique . . .).
5. How is the class list similar to this woman's experience?
6. Discuss ways that class members could prevent/minimize these types of experiences.

Using the Activity:

Obviously, this activity is designed to be used at the beginning of class, but it could be used at some other time during the lesson.  And of course, there is no reason to read the situation in number one just as it is written.  You can obviously paraphrase/add/delete as you feel impressed. 

What I like about this lesson is that it is based on the idea of likening something to ourselves, but it is asking us to liken what it might be from someone else's experience.  This empathy is important in living the gospel and especially in reaching out to others.  As we understand the experiences of others better, we are less likely to dismiss or belittle their feelings.  No one wants to be someplace where their feelings and ideas are discounted.  So, we will never be effective in our efforts to reach out to others without developing this empathy.  This activity, hopefully, will help us to be more Christ-like in our efforts to reach out to others.

Lesson 21: The Latter-Day Miracle of Missionary Work

We have all had lessons on missionary work that only served to make us feel discouraged, embarrassed, and/or ashamed.  Or we have been asked to compile a list of friends (again) that we could share the gospel with.  Those lessons have their place in the Church.  Well, not the first type of lesson; that sort of lesson is never valuable because it doesn't lead to different behavior.  So, the activities I am going to share here are not directly geared towards those types of activities.  However, I believe that each activity here (there are 2) can and will, if done well, lead our class members to renew their conviction to share the gospel and undertake new efforts to do so.

Activity 1:

1. Review what was discussed last week, especially about strengthening our friendships with those around us who are not of our faith.
2. Ask for some class members to share what they have done this past week to implement the ideas from last week.
3. Read the 3rd paragraph in Section 1 ("Let us as Latter-day Saints . . .).
4. Discuss how these sorts of small steps to be better friends will make it easier to fulfill the command to share the gospel.  Be sure here to treat being better friends as exactly what it is-- a way to be a missionary.  So, if someone is being a good/better friend to those around them, they are being a missionary.
5. Discuss again on ways of reaching out in true friendship to those around us who are not of our faith.  Focus on building relationships of trust (to use the old missionary term :)  ). 

Activity 2:

1. Divide the class into two parts.
2. Ask the first group to read Section 3, paragraph 3 ("We ask that parents . . .") and then discuss specific things that they are doing to fulfill the challenge of President Hinckley in this part to prepare their children for future missionary service.
3. Ask the other group to read Section 3, paragraphs 8-9 ("Along with the need . . .") and then discuss specific things they are doing to fulfill the challenge of President Hinckley in this quote to prepare to serve a mission themselves in the future.
4. Come back together and ask each group to share the things that they came up with.
5. List them on the board and look for similarities and differences.
6. Discuss as a class

Activity 3 (You may consider this a cop out, but I believe this would be effective):

1. Identify someone you know that is a convert and would be comfortable sharing their conversion story with others.  This could be a person that is part of the class or not.  You might even use technology to skype in someone that you know from outside the ward/branch you live in.  This could be especially powerful, if it were someone that you met and taught on your own mission.  Preferably, the focus of their story would be how regular members helped them to become interested and learn more about the gospel.
2. As a class, discuss what stood out to each person as they listened to that account. 
3. Invite anyone in the class who feels so moved to share part(s) of their conversion story.

Using These Activities:

Three activities is more than normal, I admit, but I was having trouble focusing on just one.  Of course, there are ways to adapt each of these activities to meet the needs of your class.  Many of them are mentioned in the specific activities themselves.  So, instead of going through those, I want to explain what I think is the important part of each of these.  First, we are more motivated to do things that we feel like we are already doing well at.  Mind you, our perceptions do not need to be accurate; as long as we feel like we are good at something, we are motivated to keep trying.  So, in these activities part of the focus is on helping the class members to feel good about their efforts to do missionary work already.  The most Christ-like people I know have always done this with me.  They encourage me even when I am probably not doing much well and I try even harder afterwards.  So, by focusing on what the class members are doing (Activities 1 and 2) already in missionary work, they will feel more desire to try even harder to do missionary work.  That is what we want.  The last activity is clearly based on the power of testimony and story.  We all get excited when we hear about missionary success stories.  So, by sharing one of those and then inviting others in the class to also share, we are creating a climate into which the Spirit can touch individual's hearts and increase their desire to participate.

I hope that one of these ideas will prove helpful to you.  Please let me know these ideas work.  I am eager to learn of their value.

Lesson 20: Fellowship with Those Who Are Not of Our Faith

I wince whenever I hear about church members who are not friendly with people who are not members or who only want to be friends with non-members as long as they want to learn more.  Ultimately, yes, we want everyone to accept the gospel and find the joy, peace, and happiness that we have.  However, in my experience that comes only after we have become friends-- genuine friends.  For that reason, I think that this is a really important lesson.

The Activity:

1. Make a list of words on the board.  Choose words from pages Section 2 that President Hinckley uses to describe how our relationships with people not of our religion should and should not be.  Some of these words include arrogant, appreciation, respect, acrimony, and neighborliness.
2. Ask the class members to sort the words in this list into two groups.  You could identify what the two groups should be or not.  The words are different enough that most people  would sort them into the appropriate groups without indication, I believe.
3. Explain that what these words are, if you have not already done so.
4. Ask class members to look through the chapter (or just this section) for quotes that include some of these words.
5. Ask them to share any of these quotes that really seem to stand out to them.
6. Discuss the quotes.
7. Fill in a table that looks something like the following (with as many rows as you wish):

Descriptor	Looks Like	Sounds Like	Feels Like	Results in
Respect
Civility

   

    8.  Discuss the entries.

Using the Activity:

There are several changes that could easily be made to this activity while still aiming at the objectives.  First, you can use whatever words you want.  I suggest using Section 2 as the source for these words, but you could easily use words from throughout the chapter.  Also, most parts of this activity could work just as well with smaller groups.  Finally, you could label the columns of the table differently if you so choose. 

The value of this activity is in considering the application of President Hinckley's counsel on this subject.  The idea is to push class members to think a little deeper about their relationships with the neighbors, co-workers, and friends who are not members of the Church.  We want them to consider how each of these words that President Hinckley uses could seem from multiple perspectives and ultimately to identify ways in which we could all treat those around us in more Christ-like ways.  Ultimately, those relationships will open doors to be able to share the gospel, which is the focus of next week's lesson.

I pray that this idea is of use to you and will help you as a teacher to find the inspiration and revelation that you need to do the Lord's work you are called to do.