Teaching Relief Society & Priesthood

 As the world continues to move further and further from the true doctrine of Christ, our opportunities to witness of Christ and the importance of doing so will increase.  So, this is an important talk for all of us.  I especially appreciated the stories that Elder Parrella shared.   The Activity: Point out that Elder Parrella mentions three ways we can bear witness of Jesus Christ. On the board write the following: Speaking of Christ in our meetings  (par. 12 "What a blessing . . . name upon us") Living the Gospel (par. 15 "Over the years . . . name of Christ." Using the full name of the Church (par. 19 "However, I later . . . in my life") Depending on your lesson and when you do this activity you may want to read the accompanying passages. Ask the class members to consider what could be done individually and as a group to more completely do each of these things. Allow the class members a few moments to think and then ask them to share and discuss in smal

 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

 What an important topic addressed here.  We know that the adversary acts in subtle ways to get us just a bit off course.  Over time, that small deviation has tremendous consequences.  To combat this we must constantly check ourselves to make sure that we are in line with the scriptures and the living prophets.  Elder Pingree here offers us great counsel to help us do just that. The Activity: Make sure that every class member has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or  physically. Invite the class members to take 4-5 minutes to look over the talk and mark the parts that really stand out to them. After the time has elapsed, ask them to turn and talk with a neighbor about one thing they noted as being impactful. Afterwards, come together as a class and ask the class members to share a quote they found meaningful. With each quote shared, ask the one who shared why they chose it and then discuss each quote for a moment. Using the Activity: This is an activity that demands a good