Teaching Relief Society & Priesthood

 Sequence is instructive.  My son shared this concept with me after returning from his mission and I have this principle to be helpful much more than one might think.   The Activity: Prior to the lesson, review Pres. Nelson's principle conference talks since he has become prophet.  On separate strips of paper write a singe sentence/phrase that encapsulates the main message of each talk. Tape these strips of paper to the board in preparation for class. During the lesson, read par. 14-15 "Elder Bednar concludes: . . . children, important principles." Explain to the class members that you are going to put this to the test and see what can be learned. Point out the strips of paper and explain that each strip of paper represents one of the talks that Pres. Nelson has given since he became prophet. Ask the class members to work together to put these strips in order. Help them as needed. Once the list is in order, ask the class members to consider the order of messages...

 This talk is a companion talk, if you will, to Sister Eubank's talk .  Both of them are uncommon examples of times when a topic is assigned to a speaker in general conference.  In this case, both of these talks are reports to the Church membership about the Humanitarian efforts of the Church. The Activity: Ask the class members to define sacrifice. Explain that Bishop Budge talks about sacrifice in a different way than we often think about it. Read par. 9 "In modern usage . . . for the Lord." Go on to explain that Bishop Budge goes further by saying that we should think of sacrifice as "giving to" our Father as opposed to "giving up" things. Ask the class members to think about how this change in thinking might impact other aspects of sacrifice for us and others. Discuss these impacts. At some point during the discussion, it will probably be helpful to read par. 12 "When our sacrifice . . . contentment, and joy." Using the Activity: I found ...

 This talk with its emphasis on finding joy in the midst of trials echoes the promises and principles shared in many of the talks from this conference. The Activity: Make sure that everyone has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically. Ask the class members to think about moments of trials in their lives and/or the lives of friends and loved ones. Direct them to think about the kinds of questions prolonged trials cause us to ask at such times.   Make a list on the board of some of these questions.  Similar questions are okay. After you have a list of 5 or so, divide the class into small groups so that there is at least one group per question on the board. Assign each group one of the questions on the board. Have the groups look through the talk to identify places in the talk where Elder Perkins addressed their assigned question (or addressed a similar issue). After a few minutes, ask the groups to come back together and have someone from each group...

 This is such a memorable talk.  I think that I have heard this talk mentioned more in casual conversation, in lessons, and in talks since conference than almost any other talk.  And for good reason, it is a memorable and optimistic talk that makes the work of sanctification feel more within our reach. The Activity: Make sure that everyone has something to write with and to write on. Present to the class the hypothetical situation of Sis. or Bro. Brown (or other psuedonym) who rarely goes to the temple because they don't find it enjoyable. Ask the class members to brainstorm as a class "1%" changes Sis./Bro. Brown could make that would eventually lead them to finding great joy in temple service. List these on the board and push for small, simple changes.  Examples of some answers might be: Attend the temple 1 time a month for a year Pray for joy in temple service Index one batch of names every week Read a scripture about the temple everyday. After you have a list of ...

 I was so impressed with the depth of knowledge that Elder Douglas has of the words of Pres. Nelson.  Elder Douglas has obviously spent a great deal of time studying and pondering Pres. Nelson's talks.  Plus, he has pushed those ideas into conversation with the scriptures in meaningful ways. The Activity: Make sure that everyone has access to the talk either digitally or physically. Draw a vertical line down the middle of the board.  Label one side "Belief/Faith" and the other side "Doubt." Ask the class members to review the talk to identify what Elder Douglas taught about each of these two concepts. As items are mentioned, write them on the appropriate side of the board. As much as possible, contrast the two sides.  You may want to talk about issues such as the following: The author of each. How each is cultivated The consequences of each.   Using the Activity: At least for me, one way to deepen my understanding of a topic is to contrast it with anot...

 As someone who both professionally and nerdilly looks at and thinks about words, I was struck by a point that I believe Elder Revillo was getting at-- that miracles are all around us, but they don't always (or even usually) look like we think miracles do.  This idea is an important one for all of us to remember. The Activity: Point out the title of this talk, especially the word 'miracles.' What do we think of when we think of miracles? Discuss this question for a moment.  Most likely, the ideas put forth are not the same type of miracles that Elder Revillo is focused on. Read par. 1 "Mabuhay!  I bring . . . of the sea." Discuss the miracles that Elder Revillo focuses on in this paragraph. Then, mention that Elder Revillo goes on to explain how those miracles came to be. Read "As we live . . . happy, abundant life." Discuss the small, often overlooked miracles that come from our obedience and surround us each day. Using the Activity: I feel like this ac...

This was a powerful talk full of great phrases (and a rather scary experience that many of us who have taught kids to drive can relate to in some degree:) ).  In any case, the abundance of phrases spurred the idea for this activity. The Activity: Ask the class members what stood out to them from the talk. Briefly talk about the ideas shared. Point out that there are a number of places where the phrases Elder Merrill uses succinctly encapsulate gospel principles in a catchy way. Ask the class members to skim over the talk in small groups to identify a phrase or sentence that would make a great bumper sticker (or something similar) in today's world. Give the groups a few minutes. Come back together and ask the groups to share what they decided on. As groups share, discuss the phrase and why it would be so applicable to today's world. Using the Activity: The main focus of this lesson is to help the class members share their own thoughts on the talk.  By beginning with what they t...