Pres. M. Russell Ballard (Apr. '21): "Hope in Christ"

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 I have (or will, I'm sure) mention this elsewhere on this blog, but I was absolutely blown away by the amount of times that hope came up in this general conference.  It would be an interesting thing to simply study the topic of hope across all of the talks from this conference to see what one would learn.  In any case, this talk, given with Pres. Ballard's trademark straightforward clear approach, is replete with thoughts that merit our attention.  Also, it should be noted that this talk is about far more than simply those who are not currently married.  The messages here are for all people everywhere-- regardless of marital status or even desire in that regard.  

The Activity:

  1. Make sure that everyone has access to a copy of the talk (physically or digitally).
  2. Prepare a number of large sheets of paper (posters).  One each one draw two lines down it, dividing the paper into thirds.  At the top of each column write one of these questions:
    1. What does it mean to have hope in Christ?
    2. Whey do we need to have hope in Christ?
    3. How can we increase our hope in Christ?
  3. Divide the class into small groups (4-6 people in each one)
  4. Give each group a paper and every person a marker or something to write with that would be easily visible.
  5. Instruct the class members that this next step is to be done silently.
  6. Ask the class members to skim the talk and write down answers to these questions as they find them.  
  7. Give the groups 4-5 minutes (or whatever time seems appropriate and fruitful).
  8. After this time, ask the groups to discuss what they found in their groups.
  9. After a few minutes to talk in their small groups, come back together as a whole class and share what was learned.

Using the Activity:

This activity is designed to build testimony by encouraging the class members to closely read Pres. Ballard's words.  Also, the idea of silently writing down thoughts from the talk allows each class member to be able to contribute without requiring them to speak up, which some people are not comfortable with.  In other words, it is a way to hopefully increase the opportunities for each person to exercise faith through participation without having to speak.  

Thank you for visiting my page.  I hope this activity is helpful to you.  God bless.  

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