Elder Ulisses Soares (Apr. '20): "The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon"

-
A NOTE:
Maintaining this blog at this time might be one of the most optimistic things I have done in recent memory :), although I am sure we will eventually be meeting together again for church.  I just have no idea when that will be.  Still, I want to continue this blog even in these times as an expression of hope.  In the meantime, I have begun a separate blog that focuses on sharing ideas to explore the messages of general conference in our homes.  That blog can be found here. 

I love the Book of Mormon.  It is at the heart of my testimony of Christ, prophets, and the Restoration.  I feel the Spirit every time I open it and devote my time and attention to it.  So, the idea of the Book of Mormon continuing to come forth in my own life was a principle that stood out to me in conference.  For this activity, I chose to focus on the blessings that we receive from reading/ studying the Book of Mormon.  I did this because I wanted to create an atmosphere in the room where the Spirit could whisper invitations to those of us who need to make the Book of Mormon more central in our lives (and isn't that really all of us). 

The Activity:
  1. Discuss the blessings we can receive from studying the Book of Mormon.
  2. Read par. 18 ("Through these and . . . to the world") and par. 21 ("I bear my  . . . to know His Son, Jesus Christ").
  3. Ask each person to mark the blessings that Elder Soares mentions in these passages.
  4. Ask each person to take a moment and recall moments when they have personally experienced these (or any other) blessings Elder Soares talks about.  
  5. As appropriate, discuss and share these memories and stories.  
Using the Activity:

This activity draws its power from a couple of sources.  First, the physical act of marking important parts of a passage is an important element in increasing our recall of those facts.  In general, when we read our brains are not very good at knowing what is important enough to store away for future use.  So, when we read with a purpose and mark those parts that address our purpose, we are telling our brain to store these nuggets away for us to remember later.  Second, in step 4 we are asking the class members to "remember" (the most important word in the language according to Pres. Kimball) and to "liken" this talk unto ourselves (an instruction given through Nephi).  

As I said earlier, my goal with this activity is to invite the Spirit in so that it will gently nudge our class members into a more serious engagement with the Book of Mormon.  To that end, you may want to end your lesson (or this activity) with an invitation for each class member to write down one small thing they will do to increase their connection with the Book of Mormon.

God bless.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 Dale G. Renlund (Oct. '23): "Jesus Christ is the Treasure"

-
 What a great talk reminding us of the simplicity of the gospel-- Jesus  Christ.  The treasure is always Jesus Christ.  Remembering that is not easy in our modern world, though.  To help us remember, the Lord has given us many things.  Elder Renlund in this talk reviews four of these and this is what the activity below focuses on. The Activity: Make sure that every class member has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically. Explain that in this talk, Elder Renlund reviews four actions we can do to avoid looking beyond the mark. Divide the class into four groups. Assign each group one action along with the corresponding part of the talk.  These are: Repentance-- par. 10-11 "The Savior has . . . of our sins." The sacrament-- par. 12-13 "Just like the . . . prospered, and preserved." Temple Worship-- par. 14-15 "When we have . . . it is distant." Listening to the Prophet-- par. 16-17  "After Carter and . . . look no further." Have
Read more

Pres. Russell M. Nelson (Apr. '24): "Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys"

-
 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
Read more