Elder John C. Pingree, Jr. (Oct. 17): "I Have a Work for Thee"

The Activity:

1.     Before class, ask the class members to review their Patriarchal Blessings and spend time in prayer pondering what mission(s) Heavenly Father has for them.

2.     After discussing the talk (near the end of class), give everyone a piece of paper and something to write with. 

3.     Ask the class members to answer the following questions, one at a time (assure them that they will not need to share whatever they write down):

a.      What is a mission that Father has for you?

b.     How will focusing on others help you fulfill this mission?

c.      What spiritual gifts do you need to fulfill this mission?  How can you develop those gifts? (This is where the Patriarchal Blessing comes in).

d.     How might adversity help you fulfill this mission?

e.     In what ways do you need to rely on God to fulfill this mission?

4.     After answering the questions, have them take a moment and look at all of the answers together.  Ponder these.

5.     Have the class members write down something they can do this next week to help them fulfill this mission.

Using the Activity:

This is another activity that focuses on helping our class members to set goals for specific things they can do to more fully live the gospel in their lives.  I know this can feel a bit uncomfortable, but think about how many times in scripture, Christ and His prophets end their counsel by giving specific action items for those listening.  Now, it is not always appropriate for us to designate how others should apply the doctrine in their lives (application of gospel principles looks very different for different people).  However, we can—and should—invite our class members to identify their own courses of action moving forward.  This is an activity that does that. 

I also think the idea of asking class members to do specific things to prepare for our lessons is important.  I know that many members spend time reading the talks or the assigned scriptures leading up to a lesson, but I also think that many more do not.  For a variety of reasons (I don’t always do this—so I’m part of this latter group).  So, by asking them to do something specific, it helps them come prepared to not only participate but also to feel the Spirit more strongly and to be inspired in regards to those things they are seeking at the moment. 

Please let me know how things work out with this activity or any of the others.  Also, if you try something different entirely (or in part), please leave a description in the comments.  That way others can benefit from your ideas as well.