President M. Russell Ballard (Oct. '23): "Praise to the Man"

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 President Ballard has returned time and again to the lives of the early Church leaders to teach us in recent conferences.  This talk is no different really.  It is unique because in this case, it feels to me that it provides a bit of a glimpse into how this apostle's mind works.  This activity came out of that thought.

The Activity:

  1. Make sure everyone has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically.
  2. Read par. 9 ("My beloved brethren . . . dispensation of time.")
  3. Based on this quote, ask the class members to share some of the things we are blessed to know because of Joseph Smith (you may ask the class members to consult the talk or treat that as a separate step later in the activity).
  4. After a few moments of silence, invite the class members to share their answers to that question.  As they do, record their answers on the board.
  5. When there is a good list on the board (not exhaustive but good), choose a couple of the items and ask them what else we learn from that truth.  For example, we learn through Joseph Smith that God the Father and the resurrected Jesus Christ have physical bodies; therefore, we know that our own physical bodies are important gifts from God and part of becoming like Him.
  6. After doing this with a couple of the items from the list, invite the class members to reflect on where we would be without the knowledge we have from Joseph Smith-- what would our lives be like?  what would they be missing?  where would we find only confusion?
  7. After a minute or so to ponder this question, ask the class members to turn and share their feelings about the prophet Joseph Smith with a person near them.

About the Activity:

It has become something of a trend lately to try and demean the prophet Joseph Smith, and certainly he was not without sin; however, like us today, he was used in his imperfect state as an instrument in God's hand to set in motion the restoration of the fullness of the gospel in the last days.  It is possible to acknowledge both the former and the latter.  This activity, though, is designed to help us focus on the part of Joseph's life that matters for us eternally-- his role as prophet, seer, and revelator.  Consequently, that is what the class is invited to consider.

The activity itself is centered in the notion of inviting class members to share their testimonies-- testimonies that hopefully they are feeling strengthened during the class-- of Joseph Smith.  This bearing of testimonies will help to make more indelible the impact of the Spirit as it bears witness of Joseph's role in God's plan.  This same principle-- inviting class members to bear testimony-- is a powerful tool in any lesson.

Also, as noted you may want to explicitly start with or include the items that President Ballard himself mentions that are gifts from God given through Joseph Smith.  

Thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope that you find it helpful and please let me know how it goes and if there is anything I can do to improve my blog.  

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