Pres. Russell M. Nelson (Apr. '23): "Peacemakers Needed"

-

 What a powerful talk.  President Nelson is certainly calling us to a higher and holier way of being during his ministry.  This talk is just one more example of that call.  It is also significant when we see messages and even phrases and scriptures repeated multiple times in a single conference (II Cor. 13:1).  In this conference we heard more than one speaker refer to peacemakers during their messages.  So, perhaps we should pay attention to that role in our lives.  This talk, though, had so many striking passages or soundbites that stood out to me.  This activity seeks to explore as many of those as possible.

The Activity:

  1. Make sure that everyone has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically.
  2. Ask everyone to skim over the talk for a couple of minutes and ask them to identify one quote from the talk that sticks out to them.
  3. After a few moments, ask them to stand up and walk around the room.  When you say stop, they are to stop and talk to a person near them (try to keep the groups down to 3 or less).  They will share their quote with the other person, talk about why they feel it is so important, listen to their partner, and talk about how each person's quote is connected.
  4. After a couple of minutes of talking, ask them to start walking again and repeat step 3.
  5. After a few iterations of this, have everyone return to their seats.
  6. Invite them to share what they talked about during the activity.

Using the Activity:

The purpose of this activity is to 1) help everyone to participate, 2) center the class members' impressions and ideas in the lesson, and 3) focus on the specific words of our prophet.  Each of these steps are vital if we really want to teach with power and authority and strengthen those in our class.  Another important potential benefit of this activity is that by having the class members move around and talk to people who probably don't sit by them, we are also building community in our classes and quorums.  

Of course the actual activity could vary a bit.  I use this quite often in my teaching and I don't actually tell my students to stop in my class.  I simply tell them to find someone who is not sitting near them.  On the other hand, depending on the needs and logistics of your class(room), you could do the same activity with the class members sharing with those seated near them.  That way they do not have to get up and move around if there is not room or if there are class members with mobility issues.  

As always, thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope that this activity will be useful to you in your teaching.  Please let me know how it goes.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elder Ronald A. Rasband (Apr. '23): "Hosanna to the Most High God"

-
 Like Elder Stevenson's talk, a quick reading of this talk might appear as if the talk were really about a holiday (Palm Sunday in this case).  However, it is really about so much more.  This is a powerful talk on coming to Christ and being prepared for His coming. The Activity: Make sure that everyone has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically. Read par. 24-25 "We, like the . . . Father in Heaven." Discuss this passage briefly as a class. Point out that Elder Rasband mentions four ways to fill our lamps with oil. Divide the class into four groups and assign each group one of the doctrines that Elder Rasband discusses: Prophecy (par. 13-15:  "First, prophecy.  For . . . shall rise again.'") The Gift of the Holy Ghost (par. 16:  "Second, the companionship . . . of all things'") Discipleship (par. 17: "Third, discipleship.  True . . . cried, 'Crucify Him'") The Atonement (par. 18-19:  "Fourth, the Atone
Read more

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell (Oct. '23): "More Than a Hero"

-
 This talk is custom made for today.  All around us we can see people who choose worldly heroes to focus on and follow with little, if any, thought given to Christ and Father.  The results are perilous to us and to society.  This talk in some aspects reminds me of some of Pres. Kimball's teachings ( here , for example).   The Activity: Draw a line down the middle of the board. Read par. 23 "For us on . . . Savior and Redeemer." Ask the class members to consider what would characterize too much trust placed in "the politician, the musician, the athlete, or the vlogger" or anyone. Invite them to share their ideas.  As they do, list them on one side of the board. Invite the class members to look over the list they have created and consider how they can either safeguard against these things or walk back from perilous positions. Allow a moment to think and then discuss. Point out that if this is too much attention placed on people, in what ways could we do the same t
Read more

Elder David A. Bednar (Apr. '23): "Abide in Me, and I in You; Therefore, Walk with Me"

-
 I have mentioned in other places in this blog that I am a newly called Elders Quorum president.  As such, this talk really struck home.  I feel woefully inadequate in fulfilling my calling.  This talk gave me comfort and confidence in moving forward.   The Activity: Explain Enoch's reaction to his calling and share your own experience with receiving a calling that overwhelmed you at first and/or invite some class members to share their experiences like this. Invite the class members to read paragraph 5 ("And the Lord . . . give thee utterance'") silently and ask them to identify 1) what God asks of Enoch and 2) what God promises Enoch.   Allow class members a moment to read the passage. Come back and discuss as a class what they found. Ask them to think about how these same commands and promises could apply to various callings (including those they currently have and/or those talked about at the beginning). Invite the class members to share experiences/testimonies
Read more