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.