Teaching Relief Society & Priesthood

 It seems to me that in the last few conferences, Pres. Oaks has been remarkably in sync with Pres. Nelson.  Their talks often feel very complimentary to one another, and this is no exception.  The two talks work well together along the lines of priesthood keys, etc.  The activity that I outline below, however, focuses on the temple garment.  I think this is something that is often misunderstood both in and out of the Church.  Plus, there were more than one talk that directly addressed the wearing of garments and how they function in our lives.  So, I felt this was a good choice. The Activity: Read par. 3 "Distinctive clothing or . . . wearers have assumed." Draw a Venn diagram on the board (two overlapping circles) Label one circle "uniform" and the other "garment" Explain how a Venn diagram works.  The characteristics of each thing (uniform and garment) go inside of the circle with that label with the elements they have in common going in the part where

 This is a relatively short talk, but it is full of both invitations and promises from our prophet.  The blessings enumerated and promised are especially inspiring (par. 25-31).  However, for this activity I chose to focus on the invitations that Pres. Nelson extends to us as members. The Activity: Insure that every class member has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically. Insure that every class member has something to write with and on (a device would work fine). Write on the board (or post printed statements) of the 3 (or 5 depending on how you choose to break up the last one) invitations that Pres. Nelson gives us. Par. 8-9 "Jesus Christ then . . . for you personally." Par. 16 "Consider how your . . . to the earth." Par. 19-22 "I invite you . . . home to Him."  (the three statements here could be listed separately). Ask the class members to read these statements and spend a moment silently considering one of the invitations. (Option

 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

 I appreciated this talk.  Elder Cordon shares some great insight and applies the gospel well in drawing his conclusions.  This is a talk that I will return to again and that I will recommend to my oldest son now that he is a father as well (especially when studied in conjunction with some of the other talks/passages from this conference that addressed parenting). The Activity: Prior to class , choose several phrases from the talk that represent actionable items that class members could apply at home now.  Compile these phrases/passages into a single document and print out a copy for each class member.  Passages might include the following: Par. 5 "Adopting the gospel culture" Par. 15 "Create an environment where our children can feel [God's] influence" Par. 12 "Invite to Act" Par 8 "Teach [the gospel] liberally, generously, and without restraint" Pass out a sheet to each class member. Ask the class members to read over the ideas on the sheet