Sis. J. Anette Dennis (Oct. '22): "His Yoke Is Easy and His Burden Is Light"

-

 What an absolute banger of a talk.  The principles and doctrines taught by Sis. Dennis have been the focus of an abundance of talks in the past.  If we could only apply them across the board, it would revolutionize us, the Church, and the world.  Unfortunately, the Church is apparently made up of people like me-- great desires to do good, less success in actually doing good.  😀 Every one of these talks, though, brings me closer to the ideal.  

The Activity:

  1. Prior to class, choose a number of quotes from Sis. Dennis's talk that you feel are appropriate for your class/quorum.  For example, you might choose quotes such as these:
    1. Par. 15 "We are commanded . . . love and compassion."
    2. Par. 19 "Those He touched . . . kindness and love."
    3. Par. 23 "When we seek . . . journey of mortality."
    4. Par. 26 "Friends, let us . . . the Savior loves."
  2. Type the quotes and print them out.  Cut the printouts so that each quote is on a separate sheet of paper.  
  3. As the class members come into the room, give each one a slip of paper.  This means you will need enough slips of paper for each person to have their own slip, but you do NOT need to have individual quotes for each person.  Multiple people can have the same quote.
  4. Once class begins, invite the class members to read their quote and imagine how they would feel coming into a new branch/ward/class/quorum/whatever characterized by the ideals in their quote.
  5. Let them think about this for a moment.
  6. Instruct the class members that on your signal they will stand and find a partner to share their quote with.  
  7. Each partner will share their quote and talk about what it would mean to them to find this ideal a reality.  They will have about a minute or two to talk.  Then, they will split up from that partner and find a new one to talk to.  If they match up with someone who has the same quote, they can simply compare their ideas and try to come up with new insights on their quote.  
  8. The goal for them is to talk with three or four people, preferably ones that they normally don't have a chance to talk with.
  9. Have them go.
  10. Come back together after a few rounds of this activity and ask the class members to share what they learned in their discussions.  

Using the Activity:

This activity does require a fair amount of physical movement so it may not work in all rooms or with all classes, but if it does this can be a powerful activity on a number of levels.  First, a person is spending a few minutes thinking and talking about a single quote from this talk.  That level of interaction will foster a deepened understanding.  Second, they also have the opportunity to exchange ideas with a number of other people in a more conversational setting-- unlike what usually happens in a classroom.  Finally, assuming that they do try to speak with people they don't normally spend time with, the class members are strengthening the social bonds in the class/quorum.  

I hope you find this helpful in your calling to teach with power and authority.  God bless you.  

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