Elder Carlos A. Godoy (Oct. '23): "For the Sake of Your Posterity"

-

 This was a powerful talk for me-- on that I pray touched many of us; however, I don't know that it will be a talk that is often chosen as a source for a lesson.  If it is, I would offer this piece of counsel at the beginning:  Be careful that those to whom this talk is directed do not feel attacked or singled out.  That would be counterproductive.

The Activity:

  1. Read par. 17-20 "President Dallin H. Oaks . . . sorrow and tears?"
  2. Discuss briefly with the class what the future cost would be for any who become less diligent in their discipleship and/or those who choose to leave the Church entirely.
  3. Read par. 15 "However, as we . . . through Jesus Christ."
  4. With this in mind, invite the class members to take a moment to find in the scriptures a favorite verse, passage, or story that speaks of Father's willingness/power to accept, help, and heal us as we come back to him.
  5. After a couple of minutes to look, invite the class members to share their chosen passage with a partner.
  6. After a moment of sharing time, come back together as a class and ask people to share what they found or what their partner shared.

Using the Activity:

I have talked a fair amount in this blog about the value of small groups.  One thing that I haven't mentioned, though, is the equally significant moment of coming back together and asking others to share either their own thoughts or what someone else talked about.  Some times people don't share because with the whole class because they are afraid that they might sound uneducated.  However, once they have shared it with fewer people, they may gain the confidence to share with the whole class.  Also, if an idea they weren't sure about is shared by someone else as an example of something insightful, it can make a big difference for them in a myriad of ways.

Please let me know how this idea worked for you or how you modified it to work better for you and your class.  

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