Elder Matthew L. Carpenter (Oct. 18): "Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?"

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I was drawn to this talk because my own daughter suffered a stroke when she was 11.  While she still suffers the effects of this stroke, her recovery is nothing short of miraculous in the eyes of the medical professionals (although they don't really use that word the same way we do).  So, I too can testify of God's healing and strengthening powers. 

The Activity:

  1. Rea the scriptural accounts Elder Carpenter shares at the beginning of his talk.
    1. John 5:5-9
    2. John 8:43-47
  2. Discuss how long each person suffered on their own-- 38 and 12 years, respectively-- and hwo soon Christ's power healed them-- immediately (see para. 11).
  3. Point out that these cases of physical healing teach us about Christ's power to heal us spiritually (see Matt 9:2-8). 
  4. Read para. 23 "When we repent . . . will heal us."  Point out that this healing begins immediately upon our beginning to repent.
  5. Ask class members to consider the ways in which the Savior heals us and to skim the talk for examples of these types of healing.  Some answers may include para. 15 "But when we . . . endure our burdens" or 17 "Jesus Christ can . . . healing us emotionally," among others.
  6. Discuss each answer as it is given.  Note:  some of these quotes may have multiple examples of healing in them.  Be aware of that during discussion.
  7. As prompted by the Spirit, ask class members to share experiences of these types of healing they may have felt in their lives.
Using the Activity:

Since Christ's healing is infinite in its scope and its power, the potential answers here are almost limitless.  I believe the power of this activity is in the ennumeration of some of the ways Christ heals us.  I know we are to remember our blessings, but sometimes we cannot remember because we don't recognize them.  This activity is designed to help class members not only remember times they have felt the healing power of Christ in their lives, but also to recognize those moments they may have overlooked when they happened.

It is a privelege to share these ideas with you.  I do seek the Spirit as I design these activities to share with you and I hope that you find ideas on my blog that are valuable to you.  May God bless you in your efforts to teach with power and authority.  Thank you for visiting my blog.

Comments

  1. Vanessa DavenportFebruary 6, 2019 at 7:57 AM

    You are a life saver!!! I don't know why I went blank when I was given this talk to teach and you totally saved the day with this! Thank you so much!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom SmithFebruary 10, 2019 at 4:52 PM

    Vanessa, I'm glad to hear that. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

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