Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Oct. '22): "Jesus Christ is the Strength of Youth"

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 It feels to me in recent years that we have seen a fundamental shift in the Church.  Prior to this shift, we were asked to sacrifice, i.e. use our resources exactly as told; now we are to consecrate our resources, i.e. figure out how God would want them used and do that (think home/visiting teaching vs. ministering).  The new For the Strength of Youth pamphlet is another example.  I remember the old one that had hard and fast rules.  The focus of this one, though, is to learn to seek and receive revelation so that you are equipped to live the gospel in any time and in any place.  

The Activity:

  1. Before class, create three posters.  Label one "see," one "feel," and one "know."
  2. Hand the posters around the room before the class members arrive and make sure you have some things to write on the posters with.  Make sure that whatever you use to write on the poster with will not bleed through and leave a mark on the walls.
  3. With the class, read par. 15 ("I believe the . . . world sees you").
  4. Point out the posters around the room.  Invite the class members to go to the posters without talking and write down one or two ways that they see, feel, or know that Jesus Christ is their strength.  These could be experiences, blessings, assurances, etc.
  5. Allow the class members a few minutes to ponder and record their thoughts.  There may be a few moments of awkward silence.  That is okay.  This type of response generally requires some time to think.
  6. After a bit, call the class together again.  
  7. Walk around the room, read the writing on each poster, and discuss the ideas left as directed by the Spirit.

Using the Activity:

As I was typing this, I realized that many of the activities I am creating this time call for silence.  This could just be a product of what I feel is missing from my own life (I have two teenagers at home 😀).  More than that, though, I feel like all of us need some more quiet time in our world.  President Boyd K. Packer taught that receiving revelation requires quiet and peace.  So, Satan wants to create noise and chaos as much as possible-- and he is succeeding.  So, perhaps this is the reason I am feeling this more now.  

Also, I mentioned above that there might be an awkward moment or two when you first ask the students to write on the posters.  You may need to nudge them a bit, but give it 20-30 seconds or so.  Once the first person gets up, the floodgates will open.  

Thank you for visiting my blog.  I pray that you find this idea helpful in planning your lesson.  

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