Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk (Apr. 18): "Even as Christ Forgives You, So Also Do Ye"

Much of Elder Echo Hawk's talk is made up of the scriptures-- even the title, comes from a verse in the New Testament.  The presence of so many scriptures was the inspiration for this talk.  It is a slight variation on what I normally propose-- the direct attention is not on the words of the talk-- I pray that this is still a valuable idea.

The Activity:

1. Make sure that all class members have access to the scriptures including the Topical Guide.
2. Have class members open to "Forgive/Forgiveness" in the Topical Guide.
3. Ask class members to silently spend a few minutes looking at the verses under this heading and to choose one that they find especially meaningful to them.
4. Instruct the class members that when they have chosen a passage to open their scriptures to that specific passage.
5. When everyone has had a chance to find a scripture, ask the class members to find a partner and discuss their choices.  They should each share their scriptures and what made that particular verse(s) stand out to them.  Also, they should take a moment and discuss any connections between what they chose and what their partner chose. 
6. After a moment, have the class members switch partners and repeat.  Do this a few more times-- whatever feels appropriate to you.
7. Come back together as a whole class and discuss what was learned and, as appropriate, tie those insights back to Elder Echo Hawk's talk.

Using the Activity:

Like I said earlier, this activity departs pretty dramatically from what I have felt to do with previous activities, but I do feel like this is a valid activity-- and potentially a powerful one.  Too often we talk of those things which are not by nature designed to invite the Spirit.  The scriptures, though, by their very nature are Spirit inviting.  So, the biggest payoff of this activity will hopefully be a Spirit filled room.  This will be especially true because this activity asks the class members to dig into their own scriptures and to engage with them-- which passage is most powerful? 

Also, by asking the class members to choose the passage that they personally find most meaningful, there is no wrong answer and every class member can feel comfortable (assuming our classroom environment is safe and welcoming) sharing what they feel with no fear of being "wrong."  Again, participating in class (such as this activity asks) is a form of exercising faith and when we exercise faith we are preparing our heart to receive revelation and inspiration from the Spirit. 

I hope that this activity is valuable for you.  Please let me know how I can improve this blog to make it more useful to you.  Thank you for visiting and may God bless you.