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.