Elder Dale G. Renlund (Apr. 19): "Abound with Blessings"

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I always come away from one of Elder Renlund's talks feeling as if I have learned a great deal of things that should have been obvious for a long time.  Not in a bad way.  I never feel like I messed up or was slow.  Instead, I feel like I just now see something clearly and I can better explain my own spiritual experiences.  This talk was the same way.  As I read it, I found myself reflecting on the blessings I had received in my own life-- how my prayers had been answered and that was the genesis for this activity.

The Activity:

  1. Make sure everyone has access to the talk.
  2. Ask the class members to think about a time that one of their prayers was answered (or that of someone close to them).  Give them a few moments and ask them to remember the experience in as detailed a way as possible.  What was the blessing they received?  How long did they have to pray for it?  What else did they do to qualify for the blessing?  Etc.
  3. After a few minutes, ask the class members to look through the talk and find a short passage from it that reflects their experience.
  4. Once everyone is ready, ask the class members to find a partner and share their stories and passages with each other.
  5. Have the class members do this with 3 or 4 different partners-- as you feel led.
  6. Come back together as a class and ask class members to share any insights they had as they talked with others in the class.  Discuss.
Using the Activity:

Repeatedly, in the scriptures we are told to remember what the Lord has done for us.  This activity begins there and then ties those experiences to the words of an apostle.  Furthermore, in some ways the sharing of these experiences will be like testimony meeting, a potentially powerful spiritual experience as people share personal experiences with the Lord.  Beyond the strength that comes from hearing others' testimonies, this experience also provides class members with other stories to remember as they think of the Lord's kindness.  These are the principles that make this an effective activity.,

One note of caution is in order, some people may feel like their prayers have not been answered.  While we know that they have, it can be hard to communicate that to people.  So, be sensitive to anyone in this position.  Make sure that the class understands that if they cannot come up with a personal experieince right away, to simply choose the experience of someone they are familiar with.  After all, sometimes when we are put on the spot, we forget everything it seems.  So, no shame in not remembering; it's just being human.  Then, explain that as they share, their minds might be jogged to remember their own personal experiences, and that joggin will be the Spirit speaking to them (John 14:26).

May God bless you in your efforts to teach with power and authority.  

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 10, 2019 at 9:22 AM

    Is this intended to take up the entire lesson, or how long is this supposed to take?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom SmithAugust 13, 2019 at 12:07 AM

    All of the activities on this site are simply that-- activities. Some could be stretched to fill the bulk of a class, but the idea is that they would be part of a lesson instead of a whole lesson. In many cases, such as this one, the time it would take would depend on the discussion. If it goes well, the discussion could take longer; if not, less time. I would think, though, that this activity is about 15 minutes-ish.

    ReplyDelete

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