Elder Gary E. Stevenson (Apr. 19): "Your Priesthood Playbook"

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The Young Men's President in our ward was inspired to ask the young men in our ward to develop specific "priesthood plays" based on this talk.  The activity that I share here is similar in that it is based on application of the principles here.  I think that it is worth noting that this talk, I think, would pair nicely with Pres. Oaks' talk, "Where Will This Lead?" from this same session of General Conference.  I also realize as I plan and share this activity that many adult groups may not choose to teach this particular talk because it is aimed at the young men; however, that does not diminish the value of these principles for all of us.

The Activity:

  1. Divide the white board down the middle and label one side "Offensive" and the other side "Defensive."
  2. As a class, review Elder Stevenson's definitions of both "Offensive Plays" (par. 42) and "Defensive Plays" (par. 43).  You may also want to review some of the "plays" that Elder Stevenson shared (par. 21-30; bulleted list).
  3. As a class, brainstorm some more examples of offensive and defensive plays.  These could be specific ("Attend the temple once a month") or general ("Go to the temple often") as you feel appropriate.  You may want to think of a few examples that you could use to prime the pump, so to speak.
  4. After the class has created a pretty good list, pass out a sticky note or index card and something to write with to each class member.
  5. Ask each class member to consider one offensive and one defensive plays that they would be appropriate and beneficial for them.  These could be ideas on the board, from the talk, or simply something that the class member feels inspired to choose.
  6. Don't ask the class members to share their plays but commit them to put the plays somewhere that they will see them during the week and to follow them.
  7. You may want to follow up-- in general ways-- with class members to see how these are going.  For example, you might simply ask people during the next lesson who is still doing their plays or are being pretty good with them.
Using the Activity:

Nephi talks about how we need to "liken the scriptures unto ourselves" (I Ne. 19:23).  This activity is simply doing that with a conference talk.  I do feel like the essence of this activity is something that many people would think of doing on their own.  So, I don't claim any special insight here; however, I did feel like this was the best activity I could design for this talk.  Also, I do hope that I was able to outline it in a way that made putting it into practice easier for people.

The approach of this activity-- and what makes it beneficial, I feel-- is that it helps those of us who may have trouble thinking about what some of these actions might be.  I have tried to craft an activity that allows for a lot of group involvement and then personalizes the ideas generated.

As always, I hope that this activity is useful to you.  May God bless you in your efforts to teach with power and authority.

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