Elder Quentin L. Cook (Apr. '20): "The Blessings of Continuing Revelation to Prophets and Personal Revelation to Guide Our Lives"

-
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. 

For me Elder Cook's talk took on much greater meaning as I have returned to it and studied it more closely.  I feel like this is a talk that bears repeated study.  At the same time, I feel like much of what I learned as I read it had to do with what I was taught through the Spirit as I re-read it (which is probably true for all of the talks-- it just stood out to me much more here).  For that reason, this activity provides quite a bit of room for insights from those in the class.

The Activity:
  1. Introduce the idea that revelation to the Church through the prophet gives us a pattern for how revelation is to work in our own lives and families.
  2. Read par. 14-15 ("When important changes . . . of the Lord").
  3. Ask the class members to brainstorm a list of the processes of revelation to the Prophet and Apostles that are highlighted in this passage.
  4. As a class, discuss how those processes are (or should be) represented in our families/personal lives.
  5. Give the class members a couple of moments to think about a way in which they could alter their practices to better increase the flow of revelation in their families.
Using the Activity:

This activity is highlighted by the moment of asking the class members to apply these lessons to their own lives.  Also, it should be noted that I would expect that each class member would draw different lessons from this list-- not only are we all individuals with our own separate experiences, but we are also all at different points in our spiritual growth.  The Spirit will give us what we need to do next and not necessarily what we will need to focus on in a year.  

I hope this activity is a useful addition to your planning and teaching.

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