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. 

Lesson 19-- Priesthood Leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ

As long as I can remember, I have had a testimony of living prophets.  The idea that Father would use other people as conduits of knowledge and revelation appealed to me.  It made sense to me and I have loved the prophet ever since.  In fact, my love for President Hinckley was a major factor in my starting this blog.  I simply love the idea of prophets and want to follow them.  So, I am excited for this lesson.

The Activity:

1. Divide the class into four groups
2. Assign each group one of the following questions:
1. Why does Father choose older men to lead his church, in general?
2. What happens to the Church when the prophet cannot fully function due to the effects of age/illness?
3. How do the Church leaders, i.e. First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, etc. made decisions that impact the work of the Church?
4. What exactly are the Apostles to do?  The Stake Presidency?  The Bishop?
3. While many people can perhaps answer these questions without reference to the text, ask each group to find out exactly what President Hinckley says about each question.  They should find an exact quote and discuss it amongst themselves.
4. Have the groups come back and share the quote they identified and what they talked about in their groups.
5. As a class discuss how knowing the answer to these questions can impact our testimonies.

Using the Activity:

As far as variations on this activity, the most obvious one would be to change the questions.  Those are the most central questions that stood out to me as I read over this lesson.  Under the direction of the Spirit, you may come up with different questions that are more valuable for your class.  Also, you could search for these answers as a whole class instead of in groups.  Whatever best fits your class members' needs is the best course of action. 

From a teaching perspective, on the surface this activity seems a lot like other activities that I have proposed.  I am a big proponent of smaller groups of people talking things through in respectful, Spirit-filled ways.  However, this activity also asks the class members to do something that far too few people in my experience do-- read the actual words of the text.  I will admit that I love to read and that I learn easily from reading.  In fact, I can usually remember quite a bit of what I have read.  So, I know that I am different from most people in this regard.  Nevertheless, there is great power in the actual words of the prophets-- living and dead.  Cognitively (and spiritually, I would argue) there is great value in actually reading and not simply watching a video of something or hearing someone else sum it up, although both of those activities have their place.  The Spirit seems to flow in more completely as we read/hear the actual words of the prophets.  So, in this activity I am trying to push the class members back to the actual text.  The other reason I believe it is important to consult the exact words of the prophets is that often we are guided by tradition rather than actual doctrine.  Yes, there are times when the tradition is in line with the doctrine, but there are also times when the traditions are not in line with doctrine (the traditions do not even necessarily need to be opposite doctrine-- just not in agreement).  When this happens, often obstacles are put in the path of others as they attempt to come unto Christ.  Satan does not need any help putting up obstacles to people; he does a great job by himself.  So, the more we can ground our ideas and practices in exactly what the prophets (from our dispensation and from the scriptures) say, the better off we will be.

I hope that this idea is helpful and that if you use it, your class is full of the Spirit.  Please let me know how it goes as you have time.

Lesson 18: Virtue-- A Cornerstone on Which to Build Our Lives

Given the assault by Satan on the virtue of people the globe over, this seems like an incredibly timely topic.  A couple of years ago I was in a stake priesthood leadership meeting with Elder Ballard.  He spoke about pornography and said quite simply, "There are some in this room who are struggling with this.  If that is you, stop it."  I know many of the men in that room.  They are great men who desire to serve and follow Christ; they are family men who are devoted to their wives and children.  In other words, these are issues that afflict the best of us.  I am presenting two lesson ideas in this post.  The basic lesson activities are fairly similar.  What is most different is the focus of each activity.  The first activity is focused on pornography, while the second activity is focused on virtue more generally (although there is a section on pornography).  In putting forth these activities, I want to add a word of caution.  At times, the ways we speak about sins of any types (except our own), but especially sins of a sexual nature, can hurt those struggling with those issues rather than help them.  As you approach this lesson ask yourself, "is the way I am talking about this likely to invite someone to repent and come unto Christ? or simply to feel trodden upon and more distant from Christ?"  Remember, there is no sin beyond the power of the atonement.

Activity 1:

1. Read paragraph #8 in section 3 ("You live in a world . . .")
2. Point out to the class that in this quote, President Hinckley compares pornography to three things-- a horrible, engulfing tide; poison; and a foul disease).
3. Divide the class into three groups and assign each group one of the comparisons
4. Ask each group to discuss how pornography is like the thing they have been assigned.  Note:  for each item, there are some easily seen connections.  Urge the group members to go beyond the most obvious connections and look for deeper connections.
5. Also, ask each group to think about what their assigned metaphor can teach them about pornography that they can apply in their own lives to help themselves and those around them avoid/escape the trap of pornography.
6. Ask the groups to report back what they discussed to the class.

Activity 2:

1. Begin with the story about the man hiring a stagecoach (I used to think this was famous, but maybe only in my mind.  I'm not sure where I first heard it and I can't easily find it on-line.  If anyone recognizes it and can provide a source,  please do, and I will make the appropriate edit.  Thanks).  Here's the story:  A man wanted to hire a stagecoach driver to drive his coach on a route over a dangerous mountain pass.  There were three candidates.  He asked each of them the same question, "How close can you come to the edge of the cliff without falling over?"  The first applicant looked confident and said, "I can come within one inch of the edge without falling over?"  The second looked even more confident, "I can ride with half the wheel over the edge without falling over?"  The third appeared slightly concerned, "I don't know how close I can get to the edge.  I always stay as far from the edge as I can."  The manager promptly hired the third driver.
2. With that as a backdrop explain that President Hinckley identified three threats to our virtue-- our thoughts, pornography, and immorality.
3. Divide the class into three groups and assign each of them one of the topics.
4. Ask the groups to discuss what they can do to be like the third driver and stay as far from the edge as possible in relation to their assigned topic.
5. Ask the groups to report back what they discussed to the class.

Using the Activity:

As I said earlier, these activities really are the same activity, just with different focuses.  One slight variation you could easily use is that instead of dividing the class yourself into three groups, you could ask the class members to divide themselves by going where they feel most comfortable being.  There are some advantages and disadvantages to this.  Some may feel that to select any particular group (especially in the second activity) could be seen as an admission of guilt.  On the flip side, if someone is struggling with a particular temptation or understanding, allowing them to choose allows them to exercise their faith that participation in a particular group will result in help. 

The reasons that these activities both work well are reasons that we have talked about before in this blog.  First, you are making it easier for class members to speak up and share their ideas and thoughts.  When we speak up, we are exercising faith.  When we exercise faith, we open ourselves up more to the Spirit.  Ultimately, it is the Spirit that is the only real teacher of value. So, increasing participation will increase conversion and testimony.  Secondly, both activities have some element of focus on application.  With a topic such as virtue, where most people want to believe they are immune to temptation (when in reality none of us are), I think it is especially important to directly ask our class members to consider how they can be proactive in avoiding temptation (being like the third applicant for the stagecoach job). 

As always, these ideas are designed to be usable but also to be seeds.  If they have sparked an idea in you, they are successful.  Mostly, I hope they help you to invite the Spirit into your classes.  Please let me know of any feedback you have.

Lesson 17: Continue in the Great Process of Learning

I am, by profession, a professional educator.  So, this topic lies close to my heart.  I believe that continuing education throughout life is important to enriching ourselves and making us more fit for the kingdom.  And by no means do I envision that all learning takes place in the classroom.  We can learn much far from formal teaching environments.  In fact, the majority of us will not do a lot of schooling past our early 20's.  Yet, we can continue picking up new knowledge in a myriad of ways.  For example, my admittedly stunted handyman skills have been significantly increased because of need and a number of knowledgeable men and woman who post videos showing me how to repair my clothes dryer or replace a screen on a window or door.  Such learning keeps us fresh and invigorated, in my experience.  I believe that President Hinckley's own on-going learning was much of the reason for his sharp wit and keen insight.

The Activity:

1.   Discuss some of the quotes from Section 5.  For example, paragraph #3 ("None of us . . .") or #4 ("Keep on growing . . .").
2. Discuss what we are to be learning (you might read the first paragraph of Section 1 as part of this discussion ["You belong to a church . . ."]).
3. On the board, create three columns-- mind, heart, hands-- and tell the class that each of these headings represents a different kind of learning.  The idea of heart comes from Section 4, paragraph 4.
4. Then, for each section discuss the following questions (this could be done in small groups):
1. What does this type of learning entail?
2. Where can you engage in this type of learning?
3. What blessing can come from this type of learning?
4. What experiences have you had with this type of learning?
5. Discuss these questions for each individual heading as well as any connections across the headings.

Using the Activity:

The main idea behind this activity is to broaden our class members' views of what it means to continue in learning while at the same time increasing their motivation and their confidence to try new avenues of learning.  As always we are hoping to invite each class member to open their hearts through engaging in the topic so that the Spirit can whisper messages of individual witness or promptings to individuals.  Because of this, you might also encourage class members to be prepared to write down on a piece of paper or make note on their devices (phones, tablets, etc.) any promptings from the Spirit.  It may seem unlikely to some class members that the Spirit will guide them in learning secular things, but it has happened in my life and it can happen in theirs.

I hope that this activity is fruitful for you and your class members. 

Lesson 16: The Power of the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon has been a source of strength and light in my life for as long as I can remember.  Almost without taking account of any other aspect of my life, I can tell where I am spiritually by considering where I am in terms of my study of the Book of Mormon.  So, I am excited for this lesson.  Also,  as I reflect on President Monson's latest teaching in the April 2017 general conference, I realize an even greater need to daily focus on the Book of Mormon.  I am going to post two activities for this lesson.  I would not use both, but either one I believe can be effective at helping us remember the importance and power of the Book of Mormon.

Activity #1:

1. Read the third paragraph in section 1 ("The Book of Mormon . . .").
2. Divide the class into groups and ask each group to review one of the following sections of scripture:
1. I Ne. 19:8-12
2. II Ne. 2:6-10
3. II Ne. 9:21-27
4. Mos. 3:5-11
5. Alma 34:8-16
6. Hel. 14:15-18
3. Ask each group to read their assigned verses and to discuss what they can learn from what they read.  You may need to remind them that for many of them the truths contained in these verses seems plain and basic because they have lived with it potentially all of their lives.  Yet, for most people in the world these truths would be revolutionary. 
4. Have the class come back together and share what they talked about.
5. Discuss as a class how these truths, if they were understood by all people, could change the world.

Activity #2:

1. Divide the class into five groups.
2. Assign each group one of these questions
1. How does the Book of Mormon strengthen our testimonies of Christ?
2. How does knowing the Book of Mormon is true strengthen our testimony of other truths?
3. How does the Book of Mormon help us see the problems of the world as they really are?
4. How does the Book of Mormon change our lives and our perspectives?
3. After a few minutes, point out to the groups that each of their questions is based on a section of the manual and ask them to look through that section to see what Pres. Hinckley had to say that may enrich their conversations.
4. Come back together as a whole class and share what was discussed in the groups.

Using the Activities:

Both of these activities are built on the same principles-- principles that have made up the basis of previous posts and will make up the basis of future posts-- trying to apply the teaching of Pres. Hinckley.  Also, as we often do, we are trying to provide more comfortable forums in which people can exercise their faith through participation.  In any case, these discussions should foster spiritual experiences for all those who earnestly engage with them. 

It should be noted that there are obviously some changes that can be made to each activity.  In the first activity, you can choose any short sections of scripture that testify and teach of Christ anywhere in the Book of Mormon.  I chose these examples simply because these are verses that I have been thinking about lately.  Prayerful consideration may very well lead you to include completely different scriptures.  Seek that guidance.  Similarly, in the second activity, I did not include a group discussing Section 2.  I would probably end class on that note.  However, you may feel led to include a question from that section as well (or perhaps in place of another question).  As always, seek and follow the guidance of the Spirit.

I hope that these activities will work well for you or will inspire you to try something entirely different of your own making.  And as always, please leave me a note letting me know how these work.  I enjoy hearing from you.

Lesson 15: The Holy Priesthood

I know for some people that this is a topic that can cause some questions and feelings of frustration.  The activities I describe here won't address those portions of this topic for a variety of reasons, but I do think that it is worthwhile as teachers of this lesson we are sensitive to these feelings and do not minimize them in any way.  Even if we don't feel the same way, that does not make those feelings any less real or important.  We should honor the people who hold such concerns and not dismiss them out of hand.  Doing so will ultimately, I believe, work against what we are to do as members of the Church-- help all of Father's children return to live with him forever. 
Having said that, I think this lesson provides a vast variety of ways to discuss the priesthood.  In fact, I have chosen to include two potential activities for this lesson.  I could have easily created more.  As always, the utility of the activities will be driven by what the Spirit leads you to focus on in your lesson.  I hope that as far as these activities fit with what the Spirit tells you to do that you will find them useful.

Activity 1:

1. Draw a line down the board dividing it into 2 columns.
2. Label the first column "Priesthood Authority"; leave the second column untitled for now. 
3. As a class, list things that can be done with priesthood authority.
4. Read section 4, paragraph 12 ("Many men seem to think . . .")
5. Now, label the second column "Priesthood Power."
6. As a class, create a list of things that can be done by someone with priesthood power.
7. Discuss the difference between the items in the two lists.
8. Discuss how to gain/keep Priesthood Power (reference D&C 121:41-42 and other quotes from the manual).

Activity 2:

1. As a class read the last paragraph of the introduction ("President Hinckley frequently testified . . .")
2. In his quote at the end of that paragraph, President Hinckley lists four categories of things that can be done with the priesthood (bless, heal, govern, bind).
3. Write those four words across the top of the board
4. As a class, create a list of things that can be done with the priesthood under each heading
5. Now read the last two sentences of the second paragraph in section 2 ("Without the priesthood there might be . . .").
6. Pose and discuss the following question:  How do the things in the lists give the church "substance"?

Using the Activities:

I like these activities because they both seem to push us to consider the priesthood in deeper ways.  There are obviously a lot of details about the priesthood that we could use to fill several class periods, but I don't know that is the kind of knowledge we need to get into the Celestial Kingdom.  Even if we don't know that the Bishop is the president of the Priests Quorum in the ward, we can still get into heaven.  However, if we don't know and exercise faith in the priesthood as a means of blessing the lives of members, it may be more difficult and we may be led away more easily.  So, both of these activities hopefully lead us to consider how we can take advantage of the priesthood more faithfully in our own lives whether it is by using the priesthood or simply by honoring it more.  The emphasis of both of these activities, I hope, is to cause us to examine our lives and be led to areas where we can treat the priesthood with greater reverence and with a stronger testimony of its power. 

Lesson 14: Losing Ourselves in the Service of Others

I am married to a wonderful woman who was taught the value of service growing up.  As a result, she has made sure that our kids (and me, by extension) have learned and never forget the joy of service and the immense good that each of us is capable of, if we are aware and take the opportunities to serve that surround us daily.  Because of her influence, this lesson means even more to me.  Plus, I think the world in countless subtle ways (II Ne. 26:22) tells all of us that we are the center of things, we deserve more (anything we could wish), we are who should be being served; service seems to be one of the tools the Lord has given us to counteract these tendencies and forces that push us to selfishness and self-centeredness.  So, this lesson is important.

The Activity:

1. Pose some variation of the following question to the class:  What does the world tell us will make us happy and carefree?
2. List the answers on the board
3. Tell the class that you are now going to see how a prophet of God tells us to find happiness.
4. Read all or some of the following quotes (or other quotes that you fell would be more compelling/powerful for your class):
1. Section 1, last paragraph ("If we will give such service . . ."
2. Section 2, paragraph 4 ("I believe that for most of us . . ."); paragraph 7 ("The best antidote I know . . ."); paragraph 10 ("Give expression to the noble desires . . .")
3. Section 4, paragraph 1 ("Brothers and sisters, you will never . . ."); paragraph 7 ("Do you want to be happy? . . .")
5. Discuss the following things:  how do you find ways to serve?  why does service make us happier?  how have you seen this in your own life?

Using the Activity:

To me this activity, is most useful at the beginning of a lesson.  It works there because it does 2 things.  First, this activity helps to give reason for the rest of the lesson.  Most of us are seeking to be happy; even if we already consider ourselves happy, we want to stay that way.  So, this lesson begins by showing everyone that the material here is something that we want/need in our lives.  Second, this activity also begins by pointing out common misconceptions that the world wants us to hold and that many of us-- even as Church members-- succumb to at least on occasion.  In other words, this activity helps us by making visible misconceptions that we may have that are buried deep in our ways of thinking without examination. 

Too often, we begin lessons by simply jumping in and covering material.  For most people to learn this is ineffective.  Whether the learning is worldly or spiritual, people need to be prepped for learning.  This can be done in many ways (two of which are exemplified in this activity).  We could also use opening activities to activate what the class already knows or doesn't know (this activity does something similar to this); to create curiosity; to generate questions; to hook the interest of the class members; or to cause students to wonder.  In all of these cases, what we are really doing is trying to help our class members to engage with the material.  It is through the engagement with gospel truths that conversion happens.  We see this when two people sit in the same class and one is moved tremendously and the other is simply bored.  One of those people is engaged with the material (remember, when we are engaged, we exercise our faith, which leads to feeling the Spirit) and one is simply passing time.  As teachers, our job is to help our class members engage.

As always, I hope you find this activity useful as is or with modification.  Please feel free to let me know what you think of any of these activities.  God bless.

Lesson 13: Peace and Contentment through Temporal Self-Reliance

We talk a lot about preparedness in the Church and for good reason.  Many of us, myself included, have found that counsel to be life-saving at times.  Because of that, I really love this lesson.  However, all of the counsel in this area can be a tad overwhelming; we are counseled to do so many things that it can seem like we are never doing enough.  This lesson tries to help cut through those feelings of being overwhelmed and helps class members focus on a few small specific things they can do to address areas where they are lacking.  This also seems to an area where President Hinckley's native optimism and cheer can be good guides to how we should approach this subject.

The Activity:

1. Pres. Hinckley mentions several things that we should do in this chapter, e.g. get out of debt, save money, live within our means, have food storage, teach our children to work, etc.  Begin by identifying all of the things from this chapter (or simply those that you feel prompted to identify) and write them on the board.
2. Ask the class members to rank how they/their family are doing in each of the listed areas on a scale of 1-10 (10 prepared for anything; 1 I didn't know I needed to do this).  This could be a mental notation, but writing it down on a small piece of paper is more powerful.
3. Point out that this can be overwhelming to see this list, especially if you are putting low numbers down by each item, but you are going to help them feel better about it soon.
4. Read the last two paragraphs in section 3 ("We can begin ever so modestly . . . ").  Point out that the counsel in these paragraphs applies to every area that is listed on the board and not just those that are specifically mentioned.
5. Now, ask class members to identify one area that they feel like they could make progress in.  Ask them to identify something they could do in 60 seconds to address this area (e.g. setting up an automatic transfer to their savings account from their checking each month or signing up for a First Aid/CPR class); then something they could do in 60 minutes to address this area (e.g. prepare a budget or build a small cabinet to hold some food storage); and something they could do in 60 days to address this area (e.g. walk for 30 minutes, three times a week or help their kids learn to do a better job with their chores).
6. Challenge the class to do each of their items.

Using the Activity:

To me, this lesson feels like it would best be used at the end of a lesson.  Once people have felt the Spirit bear witness of the truthfulness of these things, they will be more inclined to want to try to take action.  This lesson, then, is an effort to help them not forget to honor those feelings.  I think we have all had the experience of feeling impressed to do something but we aren't quite sure what, we just know we will do something.  Then, we leave the class and nothing seems to happen because we never really had a definitive plan and the impressions of the Spirit fade in power from our memory.  The idea here is to not let that happen, but to ask our class members to think about specific actions they can take to better live the counsel Pres. Hinckley gives us here.  As with the rest of the gospel, getting started doing even small things makes us feel better and makes us feel like we can do more.  I believe this was part of Pres. Hinckley's genius.  He made us feel good about even our smallest efforts and because of that we always felt like we could to a little more.  Hopefully, this lesson can help our class members feel this way as well.

The other important aspect of this activity is that, hopefully, it makes this idea seem more manageable.  After all, you are not asking the class members to make a radical change to their everyday lived experience for the rest of eternity.  You are asking for no more than 60 days and in some cases 60 seconds (much less time than most people spend on Facebook or checking sports scores in a given day).  That type of commitment is much easier than stocking up on 2 years worth of wheat knowing that we have no idea what to do with the wheat, if we were to actually need it.  And we know that even our smallest steps towards obedience bring great blessings to our lives. 

I hope this activity will serve you and your class members well, that it will make it easier to begin living this important counsel.  Please let me know how things are going and any feedback you have.  I appreciate it. 

Lesson 12: Obedience: Simply Living the Gospel

Much of the text in this lesson is focused on President Hinckley's descriptions of the blessings we receive from being obedient (see for example Section 1, Paragraph 2; Section 2, Paragraph 2, Section 3, Paragraphs 2-5, etc.).  The activity here attempts to build on this approach by asking class members to reflect on and remember how they have been blessed for their obedience.

The Activity:

1.  Read the last paragraph of section 4 ("I give you my testimony . . .").
2. Divide the class into four groups.
3. Assign each group a promised blessing from this quote (not including the last promise given), i.e. happiness, peace, progress, and prosperity. 
4. Ask each group to discuss how they have seen this type of blessing in their own lives, the lives of those around them, and/or the lives of people from church history and the scriptures.
5. After a few minutes, come back together as a class and ask each group to report on some of the experiences they discussed.

Using the Activity:

Some of the most powerful moments in any class that I have been in are those moments where someone shares an experience where from their own lives that demonstrates a gospel principle.  This is because such sharing is built on a number of gospel principles, e.g. remembering and acknowledging Father's hand, bearing testimony, applying scriptures and teachings to our lives, etc.  This lesson is asking our class members to reflect on how the truths taught in this lesson are visible in their lives.  Some class members will likely not be comfortable sharing and, indeed, not all spiritual experiences should be shared.  For that reason, opening up church history and scripture experiences as viable options for sharing can make this an easier process for some class members.  Also, some class members will struggle to think of experiences for each of the above categories.  That is okay.  Those experiences are there, but they may not have already made the connection.  Often with these types of discussions, I find myself suddenly recognizing blessings in experiences that I had not considered before.  I don't think I'm alone.  So, even if these experiences are not shared with abandon, they may be considered and that type of consideration is accompanied by the witness of the Spirit.  Ultimately, that witness of the truthfulness of the gospel and the teachings, in this case, of President Hinckley should be our ultimate goal.  So, this activity helps us set the stage for such a witness and we leave the rest up to Heavenly Father. 

I particularly loved imagining this lesson in action and how I would participate in such a discussion.  I sincerely hope you and your class members similarly find it beneficial.  Please let me know how it goes.  Thank you.

Lesson 11: Home-- The Basis of a Righteous Life

The family is the center of our religion.  In many ways, the church as an organization serves primarily to support the family.  The purpose of this lesson is to help strengthen class members' testimonies of the importance of family and elevate their vision of what is possible and necessary in their own family relations.

The Activity:

1. Pass out a piece of paper to each class member
2. Pass around a number of quotes from the lesson on individual slips of papers and ask each class member to take one that seems to speak to them.  For example, I might choose to pass around quotes such as the ones found in the following places.
1. Section 1, paragraphs 1 and 3
2. Section 2, paragraphs 1, 2 (first sentence), and 7
3. Section 3, paragraph 6
4. Section 4, paragraph 4
5. Section 5, paragraph 4
6. Section 6, paragraphs 2 and 3
7. Section 7, paragraphs 1, 6, 8, 9, and 10
3. Ask the class members to spend a few moments writing down their thoughts about the quote they chose.  This could be a bulleted kind of list of ideas or a more extended traditional paragraph structure; it doesn't matter.
4. Put the class members in groups of 4 or so.
5. Have each group spend time discussing the quotes they chose and what they meant to them.  You might ask the group members to look specifically for places where their ideas seem to be related in some way and to pay attention to ideas that are new to them.
6. Come back together as a whole class and discuss the insights gained.

Using the Activity:
A pretty standard variation of this activity that may go over a bit better if you have a class that does not take to writing easily is to skip the writing step.  Simply give the class members a few moments to consider what their chosen quote means to them and/or what it teaches them about the family and their responsibilities as family members.  You could even push this one step farther by asking class members to stand up and walk around sharing their thoughts orally with a partner and listening to their partner.  Then, they move on and talk to someone else.  This last variation seems to be better suited to classes that are larger.  In any case, the idea here is to ask student to exercise their faith by carefully considering a quote and its application in their life, recording somehow (in writing or mentally) their ideas, sharing their thoughts and ideas about the quotes with others, and listening attentively to their peers share their ideas.  Those who engage in this type of faith exercising will surely be rewarded with increased understanding and a strengthened testimony.
I hope this lesson is helpful and please remember to leave comments about your experiences.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Lesson 10: Nurturing the Eternal Partnership of Marriage

For me, the messages of President Hinckley shared in this section encapsulate what he did so well.  He conveys a hopeful message of what we can be/achieve and then gives us a gentle nudge to up our game, so to speak.  The activity I am sharing would seem to me to fit best after we have spoken about the potential of what a celestial marriage could be.  The focus is on, as President Hinckley liked to say, doing just a little bit better.

Activity:

1.  Read the last two paragraphs in section 1 ("Surely no one reading . . .)
2. Then, ask the class to divide up into partners.
3. Assign each partnership a paragraph from the lesson that provides a description of some aspect of marriage.  For example:
1. In section 3, paragraphs 2, 3, or 4
2. In section 5, paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8
4. Ask the partners to read the paragraph and then make a short list of specific ways they could behave to create the type of relationship that President Hinckley is describing.  Push them to think of and list specific gestures and words they might use in specific (common) situations.
5. Come back together and discuss what the partners talked about.

Using the Activity:

As I said before, it feels like this activity is built on a base of conveying the importance of establishing not simply a marriage but a celestial marriage like the one that President Hinckley describes.  Of course, like with any of the activities I describe, there are countless ways to alter the logistics of this activity (or even make greater changes).  For example, it might help to type up and print the paragraphs you want the partnerships to read and discuss.  This will speed up the process a little bit as opposed to telling each group what they are to read and discuss. 

Also, it should be noted that some people during this activity may identify some personal actions they should take that may be too intimate to share.  So beware of pushing too hard to get people to share.  Having said that, you can phrase questions in ways that suggest to people they are sharing more generalizable comments.  That way they can interpret their more personal ideas into ideas that are more appropriate for larger groups and less threatening to themselves.

As always, please feel free to leave some feedback on how these ideas are working for you.  I'm just curious.  Thanks.

Lesson 9: The Precious Gift of Testimony

What a wonderful lesson in this chapter.  Testimony is at the heart of what we do and why we do it as disciples of Christ.  Testimony is the motivating factor not only in our lives, but also in the lives of many of our Christian brothers and sisters.  As we learn to share our testimonies during our daily lives, we can better reflect the image of Christ in all that we do.  The activity today is designed to help us think about how a testimony has blessed and motivated both others and ourselves.

Activity:

1. Break the class into 4 groups
2. Assign each group one of the 4 stories in section 2.
1. "Light unto our lives"
2. "It's true, isn't it?  Then what else matters?"
3. "A new outlook on life"
4. "The most precious thing in life"
3. Ask each group to answer the following questions about the story in their section?
1. What actions did these people's testimonies impel them to do?
2. How did it energize and give them strength?
3. How has your testimony helped you do similar things?
4. Come back together and discuss what they shared in their groups.
5. You may also want to close by asking the class members to consider a decision they are facing at the moment and ask them to think about how their testimony might help them make the decision they are facing.

Using the Activity:

As with some of the activities we have used previously, this activity is really built on promoting participation (remember when our students participate, they are exercising their faith, which opens them up to feeling the Spirit and receiving direction and guidance).  Also, it is built on helping the students apply the lesson to their lives.  Some people naturally apply what is talked about in class to their lives, but others need more of a nudge to think about doing this.  Also, some people have a tendency to apply the lessons to their lives only as reminders of where they are falling short of what they imagine they should do.  For that reason, the third question provides an opportunity for class members to see where they are not falling short but are living in accordance with the gospel and receiving the blessings of a life well-spent. 

I hope these lesson ideas are helping you.  Even if you are not using them exactly as laid out, I am not concerned.  I do hope some of the principles of gospel teaching that I am sharing are helpful in your teaching whatever class/quorum you are called to teach.  Please leave a comment letting me know how it is going, if you feel so inclined.  Thanks.

Lesson 8: We Look to Christ

Ultimately, "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).  Knowing Christ begins by knowing about him.  So, lessons such as this one are essential to our own pursuit of eternal life and to our efforts to aid Father in his work, to bring about the eternal life of all people. 

The Activity:

1. Write the following words on the board (or post them in front of the class)-- Savior, Redeemer, Exemplar, Counselor. 
2. Read the first paragraph on the top of page 135 (13th paragraph in section 2, "There is needed . . .).
3. Now, discuss how Christ fulfills each of the roles that have been written on the board.
4. Ask class members to reflect on and share times when they have personally been blessed by Christ acting in each of these roles (e.g. I might share how after my dad passed away that I received comfort from knowing that because of Christ the resurrection is a fact and I will see my dad again).

Using the Activity:

I have found that reflecting on how Christ has blessed our lives always brings the Spirit in very strongly.  After all, this is the Holy Ghost's primary responsibility-- to testify of Christ.  Plus, it is when I am struck by what He has done for me that I am most desirous to do for him.  Since my goal as a teacher is to invite the Spirit in so that the class members feel inspired to be better, this activity makes sense.

The four titles I listed in step one (Savior, Redeemer, Exemplar, and Counselor) are obviously not set in stone.  As I read over this lesson, those were the four titles of Christ that stuck out to me.  You could eliminate some of these titles and/or you could substitute in some of your own titles, depending on the needs of your class/quorum and your own personal feelings.

Also, it is important to remember that some experiences are too sacred to be openly shared.  So, be willing to live with some silence in this lesson.  After asking people to share how Christ has impacted their lives, they will likely need a couple of moments to reflect on their lives and His presence in it.  Also, some experiences may be too sacred to share, as I mentioned, and you may want to mention this to the class.  Elder Scott has taught that as we keep those types of experience to ourselves, we are showing that we value those moments and we put ourselves into a better position to qualify for more of those sacred moments.  Even if these moments are not shared, the people who are quietly remembering those experiences will be edified and uplifted.  So, silence is okay (in all lessons), especially with a question like this. 

Lesson 7: The Whisperings of the Spirit

This lesson strikes a real chord with me.  As I was reading through this chapter, I was struck by how prescient many of the quotes are.  Even though, they were spoken years ago (I know it's not that many years, but still the world is a vastly different place today), some of these quotes seem to be directly applicable to some of the troubles people, especially members of the church, are experiencing today.  This lesson may seem a little simple, but I'm okay with that (Alma 37:6-7)

Activity:

1. Gather a number of everyday objects, e.g. napkin, spoon, notepad, pencil (I wouldn't worry too much about having the "right" things), from around your house.
2. Choose and read the quotes that seem the most applicable to your class/quorum.
3. In class, read and discuss these passages as directed by the Spirit
4. Lay out on the table the objects you gathered from home.
5. Divide the class members into small groups and give each group one of the objects.
6. Ask them to discuss how that object is like the Holy Ghost's guidance.
7. Have the groups share with the rest of the class.

Using the Activity:

Some people won't like this lesson because it feels a little child-like.  After all, everyone has compared the Spirit to a flashlight as a kid.  I get that.  My response would be two-fold.  First, don't choose a flashlight.  How about an iron?  How is the Spirit like an iron?  I have no idea, but under the influence of the Spirit and using our more mature gospel insights, we could come up with a connection (probably).  It may not be earth-shatteringly insightful; on the other hand, it could be.  Second, bring the flashlight, but don't settle for the seven-year-old answer.  Push them to explain that connection in more depth.  Or ask the groups to come up with a connection and an illustration of that connection.  This, then, pushes the class members to apply these teachings to their own lives and/or to the scriptures.

The reason that this type of lesson shows up especially with younger kids is that when we are asked to think abstractly like this, the lessons sink deeper into our minds.  Then, when the Spirit bears testimony to our hearts of what we have said or has been said to us, we receive it in our hearts and our minds (D&C 8:2-3).  This type of testimony can withstand more buffeting (as Elder Bruce Hafen has taught).  Ultimately, that is what we hope happens in our classes-- conversion.

Lesson 6: How Mighty a Thing is Prayer

This lesson focuses on prayer-- why we pray, the blessings we receive from prayer, and how to improve our prayers.  This lesson is a bit unusual in that there are only three sections in the text.  Generally, there are 5 or so.  Still, these three sections include enough counsel and guidance to chew on for quite a while.  Also, because the activity is fairly short that I am going to share, I will actually share two activities for this lesson.  They could be used together, but I am conceptualizing them as separate activities.

Activity 1:

1. Pass out some paper and pens/pencils to the class members
2. Ask the class members to think about (no writing for at least 30 seconds, better 1 minute) experiences that they have had with prayer be that tangible answers, feelings, impressions, guidance, revelation, etc.
3. Have the class members write down their experiences.  You could either ask them to make a list of all of the experiences they thought of or you could ask them to write down in more detail one experience.  Do what feels right to you.  Either way will work for this activity.
4. Then, invite the class members to share, as appropriate, their experiences during the course of the rest of the lesson.
5. At the end of the lesson, you may ask them to take a moment and consider who they might share their experience with outside of class.  This could be a family member, neighbor, or anyone for a variety of reasons.  Encourage them to follow through on sharing their experience with the person(s) they have thought of.

Using Activity 1:

This activity feels like a good way to begin the class.  It immerses the class members right at the outset in making connections between what you will talk about and their own lives.  Making connections like this is a valuable way to help us remember what the Lord has done for us.  Repeatedly, in the scriptures we are told to remember what the Lord has done for us.  So, by starting off like this, we are inviting the Spirit to be with our class powerfully. 

Activity 2:

1. Ask the class members to identify a quote from the text that they feel is especially powerful.  Another option here is to provide 3 or 4 quotes from the text and ask the class members to choose the one they find the most powerful.
2. Ask them to think about how they would teach about the idea in this quote to a child.  If they have young children, they could think about how they would teach this in their own Family Home Evening.  If they do not have young children at home, they could simply imagine how that lesson might look.
3. Give the class time to think about how they would do this.
4. Ask class members to share their ideas with a couple of neighbors and to listen to what their neighbors have thought of as well.
5. Ask class members to report on the lesson ideas they found the most interesting.

Using Activity 2:

I don't want this activity to feel like a throw away idea.  Yes, it would work for literally any chapter in the text-- and perhaps I should have saved it for a chapter that did not lend itself easily to a teaching idea :) .  But it is a valuable strategy.  This activity would work for a couple of reasons.  First, in education we research what things help students learn new information (or remember old information).  In the end, there is only one strategy that always shows itself to be effective and that is to teach someone else.  So, by asking the class to imagine how they might teach this to someone else-- especially a child, who will need the idea explained simply and clearly-- we are asking them to begin to think about this concept as a teacher.  This will help them remember.  Also, this activity is good because it asks people to consider alternative ways to see the concept and to explain it.  This type of malleable ways of understanding the gospel can deepen our understanding of the doctrines of the gospel and help us remember them when we need them most.

Lesson 5: Daughters of God

This lesson in the manual focuses on the important role that women play in the kingdom.  I have mixed feelings about these lessons.  I agree with everything said here and I believe that we should celebrate the women in our lives.  On the other hand, I worry that these lessons exist because people don't value women as they should.  Also, I worry about these lessons feeling like tokenism.  Tokenism is the feeling that women really aren't valued and so we are having a token lesson to assuage their feelings.  I hope this is not happening anywhere, either.

The Activity:

1. Give every class member a sheet of paper.
2. Ask them to make a list of the women in their lives who have made a difference in their lives.
3. Ask them to record how these women impacted their lives.
4. Have the class members find a quote from the text to go with the influence of a few of the women on their list.  For example, a few years ago I was serving in a branch presidency and we were discussing a man in the ward whose family was receiving some help from the church.  Some people felt that this man was not doing enough to find his own job and wanted to cut him off.  Then, our Primary president spoke up with some inspired counsel that changed the way we all saw the issue.  Her comments changed the direction of our conversation and left an impact on the way I view much of the work in the Church now.  So, with her I would point to the last paragraph in section 4 of this lesson as a quote that speaks to my experience.
5. After a few minutes, ask the class members to either in small groups or as a whole class to share some of what they found.

Using this activity: 

For me, one of the reasons this lesson is valuable is that it allows us to reflect on the people who made a difference in our own lives.  I recently attended the funeral of my wife's uncle.  I was touched as people spoke by his grace and goodness.  I realized as I listened that true greatness usually masquerades as everyday life.  This lesson is a chance to recognize and honor those whose impacts are felt in our lives simply because of their small moments of greatness in our lives.  I think that is invaluable.  Gratitude is a virtue that we take for granted, it seems, 11 months of the year. 

Also, this lesson has value because it asks the class members to apply the words of President Hinckley to their own lives (I Ne. 19:23 applies to the words of the latter-day prophets as much as it does to the words of the ancient prophets).  As they apply those words or even just consider how they might apply, class members are exercising their faith that there is an application.  With that exercise of faith, the Spirit is invited more wholly into their lives and your class.  Ultimately, the Spirit is what matters; what teaches and converts.

Lesson 4: The Pioneer Heritage of Faith and Sacrifice

This activity kind of has a couple of small variations.  Having said that, I hope that as I post more and more of these activities you are finding some themes and seeing other ways of doing these activities (or others of your own creation).  This is a case where I will share a couple of ways to introduce the activity (the variations). Also, please note that although this activity begins with a quote from the introduction, there is no reason that this activity must come at the beginning; use it where it makes the most sense.

The Activity:

1. Begin by reading the last paragraph in the introduction section. ("When President Hinckley spoke of the early pioneers . . . often in his own family").
2. Focus on the idea that the lives of the pioneers should "become a compelling motivation for us all" (p. 82).
3. Then, divide the class members into three groups and tell them that each group is going to consider how one aspect of the pioneer experience President Hinckley talks about can be motivating for us, i.e. how can we apply the lessons learned from their lives in our own lives.
4. Then assign each group one of the following topics/sections from the manual:  Faith (section 1); Vision (section 2); Saving Others (section 3).
5. Have the groups read each section (unless you have some sort of super class where many members have read the chapter already :)  ) and talk about the lessons they can learn from the pioneers and how those lessons could be applied in their own lives.
6. After a bit of time (5-10 minutes?), ask the groups to come back and share what they talked about with the rest of the class.
7. Encourage the listeners to contribute other insights they may have to what the other groups are saying.
8. End by giving each member an index card (or similar paper) and ask them to jot down what they are going to do to be more like a pioneer in their own lives-- something that they have heard in class today or something that the Spirit has whispered to them to do.  Tell, them to keep the paper as a reminder of what they felt impressed to do.

Using this activity:

As I mentioned earlier there are may ways to vary this activity.  The most obvious way to do this involves a different introduction and/or conclusion.  Later in the chapter, President Hinckley talks about building on the foundation of the pioneers.  You could use one of these quotes to set the stage for this activity or to tie it all together at the end-- or both.  In any case, this lesson is valuable because it asks the class members to apply the lesson.

Also, I want to talk about asking the students to write down their impressions and/or goals.  To begin with, our classes should be revelatory experiences.  If not, we are underselling what we should be doing.  Our students should receive revelation in our classes about their lives-- at least we should be doing all we can to facilitate this revelation.  There may be reasons they do not receive revelation, but let's not be that reason.  Second, Elder Scott has taught us that as we write down and keep the revelations we receive through the Spirit we demonstrate that we value what the Lord gives us and He will give us more.  So, I like to pass out index cards or other things (or just mention to them that they should write them down) so that class members can apply this counsel.  Often, this is important because as we participate in a lesson (which this activity fosters), the Spirit will speak to us, and often He tells us about things not necessarily connected to the lesson but about which we were wondering (as per Pres. Eyring's teaching).  We must treasure that communication because it is specifically for us.