Saturday, December 13, 2014

5 Love Languages

Contributed by Marcy R.

I want to do something to explain the 5 love languages to my kids. They've already seen this Studio C Santa 5 love languages skit, so I think I'll use it as an opener. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pr42yeJGzc
I found this short message that I think is so important for my family this month: https://www.lds.org/…/ch…/2013/12/the-real-joy-of-christmas…
My two favorite quotes from the message:
President David O. McKay: “True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it.”
President Thomas S. Monson: “May we give as the Savior gave. To give of oneself is a holy gift. We give as a remembrance of all the Savior has given. May we also give gifts that have eternal value, along with our gifts that eventually break or are forgotten. How much better the world would be if we all gave gifts of understanding and compassion, of service and friendship, of kindness and gentleness.”
I have some kids that love to give physical presents, but they aren't as good at showing love in the other ways. I've heard one in particular say, "I don't know why they don't want to play with me. I give them so many things." Yet this particular kid can be quite mean sometimes. I want to teach my kids that how we treat others is so much more important than what we wrap in a box for them once in a while.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

"Which Way Do You Face?" Elder Lynn G. Robbins

Contributed by McKelle A.

We all dressed up (sort of), and acted out the story of Daniel. Then I asked the kids when they thought Daniel was the bravest. Then I read the quote from Elder Robbins “While it certainly takes courage to face perils, the true badge of courage is overcoming the fear of men. For example, Daniel’s prayers helped him face lions, but what made him lionhearted was defying King Darius.” We talked about how true courage is standing up for what is right ALWAYS, even sometimes against our friends.
We then talked about times we might have to show this type of courage. (We talked about if a friend says "do 'such and such' or I won't be your friend" or if most kids are teasing somebody else). We didn't really get into apostasy questions like the talk discusses a bit, seeing as Zeke is 5 
Then I told the kids that Elder Robbins told us how we can get this kind of courage: Praying.
We finished by talking about how the Savior was the bravest person to ever live, and how we want to be brave like Daniel and like Jesus and always do what is right.

Loving Other and Living with difference OR Trifle not with sacred things

Contributed by Natalie T.

This can be used with two different talks.



Song: Kindness begins with me
Scripture: 3 nephi 11:28-30
John 15:12
Thought: "Being part of a family is a great blessing. Your family can provide you with companionship and happiness, help you learn correct principles in a living atmosphere, and help you prepare for eternal life. Strong families require effort. Your family will be blessed as you do your part to strengthen it. Be cheerful, helpful, and considerate of family members. Many problems in the home come from family members speaking and acting selfishly or unkindly. Seek to be a peacemaker rather than to tease, fight, and quarrel. Show love for your family members each day. (From For the strength of the youth)
Object lesson:
Need: sharpies and white dinner plates. ( I bought mine at the dollar store)
Have each person take a sharpie and write down anything they said that day or week that was unkind. My older children asked if anyone one would see it and I said no. . Or for younger ones, you can right unkind words or draw how they felt when they said something mean. Once everyone is finished writing down everything on their plate walk outside and have each person drop their plate. (It should break into many pieces). Then have them say they are sorry to the plate. Ask them if saying sorry made it all come back together. (Go back inside if cold :)).
Quote: "on this mortal journey we must never think that our choices affect only us" Elder Kacher
We then talked about how when we are unkind, especially with our words, we hurt others. Our words can be "sharp". Our words are powerful and our actions are powerful and we must do all we can to make them ones that will not hurt others.
I then brought out a China plate and asked who would want to write on this plate. (The older ones said no, the younger ones not realizing it's worth wanted too :))And I explained how precious it was to me and how I cherished it. And I explained that this is how we felt about our children and how our Heavenly Father feels about each of us. We are precious to him and need to be kind to one another.
Quote:"kindness is powerful, especially in a family setting. ". "As difficult as it is to live in the turmoil surrounding us, our Savior's command to love one another as he loves us is probably our greatest challenge. ". Elder Oaks
I then ended by repeating the song how "kindness begins with me". And we talked about how we each need to work on ourselves being kinder to others and also kind to ourselves. And if we each did that contention would decrease and there would be more love in the home.
Closing song: love one another
You can make this as short or as long as needed. With a big family we need things for everyone to do. We also talked a little about who makes us feel angry and how when we choose to be kind we are letting the savior when our hearts and not satan. 

  • Marcy R Very dramatic object lesson--the kids would love it. We've used the toothpaste example--if you squeeze out a tube of toothpaste can you then get it back in the tube? You can't un-say or undo things, so be careful how you treat others.
    7 hrs · Like · 1
  • Teresa J We did the tooth paste as well
    6 hrs · Like

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Living the Gospel Joyful

Contributed by Marcy R.

President Uchtdorf


Loving the Gospel Joyful
Tonight I had the kids draw themselves at the bottom of a paper. Then I had them draw a big umbrella above the picture of themselves. Finally, I had them draw things they loved "raining" down from the top of the page (they drew money and foods and music notes and soccer balls).
We listened to President Uchtdorf's 1 or 2 paragraphs about the umbrella of fear, doubt and sin keeping us from the blessings that God is constantly raining down on us. The talk is "Living the Gospel Joyful" from the women's session and it has some nice visuals of the umbrella while he speaks.
After watching, we labeled the umbrella (fear, doubt and sin) and the "rain" (blessings from God) and talked about how obeying the commandments closes the umbrella so we get the blessings. We turned our papers over and drew the umbrella closed and labeled that obeying commandments.
We also talked about what spiritual gifts we desire or that the Lord might be raining down. And we thought about some ways we could personally close the umbrella.

Monday, November 3, 2014

“Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority”

Contributed by McKelle A

Elder Richard G. Scott


Here is the PDF

FHE Lesson centered on Elder Richard G. Scott’s talk “Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority” from the Oct 2014 General Conference
“Despite all of the negative challenges we have in life, we must take time to actively exercise our faith. Such exercise invites the positive, faith-filled power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives. Our Father in Heaven has given us tools to help us come unto Christ and exercise faith in His Atonement. When these tools become fundamental habits, they provide the easiest way to find peace in the challenges of mortality. Today I chose to discuss four of these tools. As I speak, consider evaluating your personal use of each tool; then seek the guidance of the Lord to determine how you could make better use of each one of them.”

Because our family has young kids with short attention spans, we split this lesson into two, over two weeks, with two of the tools discussed on each weak. We made up clues to have them guess what each tool was.
W began the discussion asking our kids why we were sent to Earth. We talked about how part of the reason was so that we could learn through difficult experiences. Just like the times when riding a bike is hardest that is building our muscles, so it is with hard times in life. Then I told them that Elder Scott spoke in general conference about four things we needed to do in order to exercise our faith even when we have hard things.
Prayer:
Clues:
* When we do this, we are talking to someone
* We do this with our arms folded
* We often start this by saying “Dear Heavenly Father”
Blessings mentioned by Elder Scott:
o “Your heart will fill with peace.”
o “Protect your children from daily worldly influences by fortifying them with the powerful blessings that result from family prayer.”
Important quote: “Family prayer should be a nonnegotiable priority in your daily life”
-ask them what nonnegotiable means, and discuss what this means we need to be doing EVERY DAY.
Scripture Study
Clues:
* Elder Scott says that doing this is more important that school, work, tv, or even sleep!
* This involves reading.
* We do this every night as part of bedtime.
* We read the words of the prophets of old, like Nephi, or Moses.
Blessings mentioned by Elder Scott:
* Studying the scriptures will help “children to recognize, understand, and act on the promptings of the Spirit”
Come back to Elder Scott’s statement “Feasting on the word of more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!”
Weekly Family Home Evening
Clues:
* It is a lot of fun
* We do it together as a family
* We are doing it right now!
Blessings Elder Scott mentioned:
* A time to bear testimony in safe environment
* Learn teaching, planning and organizational skills
* Strengthen family bonds
* Develop family traditions
* Talk to each other
* Have a marvelous timetogether!
Quote “Do not let…anything else become more important than that time you spend together at home with your family.”
Temple Attendance
Clues:
* Mommy and Daddy sometimes go here on dates
* It is a place where we do service for other people
* It is a house of God
* It is where families get sealed together
Blessings
* Come to understand the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ


Summary quote: “When we are consistently praying morning and night, studying our scriptures daily, having weekly family home evening, and attending the temple regularly, we are actively responding to His invitation to “come unto Him.” The more we develop these habits, the more anxious is Satan to harm us but the less is his ability to do so.”

Monday, October 27, 2014

Change in Format

I have asked some amazing women to contribute to this blog. So the FHE formats will no longer be listed in weekly posts, but rather I will list all of the Talks and as we do a FHE for that talk we will post a link for the lesson.

The lesson will be accessible through our facebook group LDS Ensign Topics and PDF's in Google Docs.

Enjoy!

Monday, October 13, 2014

"Welcome to Conference" and "The Reason for Our Hope".

 "Welcome to Conference" and "The Reason for Our Hope".



This week will be a little different as I discovered we would need to cover 2 this week. We listened/read "Welcome to Conference" last night and we will be listening and having a lesson on "The Reason for Our Hope." tonight.



We read last night as a family





 One of the points of discussion was 

"As I mentioned in April, when all the previously announced temples are constructed and dedicated, we will have 170 operating temples throughout the world. Because we are concentrating our efforts on completing temples which were previously announced, we are not at the present time announcing any new temples. However, in the future, as we identify needs and locate properties, announcements of additional temples will be made."

We talked about how the church "lives within it's means" and that maybe the demand is high but funds are low. 

We also talked about how maybe in our lives we need to concentrate on completing things in our lives before we take on more so that we aren't spread too thin. 

You could use the following...

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/what-is-general-conference
General conference talks vary in length from about 5 to 20 minutes. Topics are not assigned; each speaker chooses his or her own subject matter. Talks usually cover basic gospel principles or address significant issues of the day, with speakers encouraging individuals and families in their efforts to follow Jesus Christ.


Preparing for Conference and the Benefits of it..

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/prepare-for?lang=eng


Strengthening Faith and Testimony


By Elder Robert D. Hales
Oh, how we need general conference! Through conferences our faith is fortified and our testimonies deepened.... (watch or read more)

Individual Impact of Conference

“If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.” –Jeffrey R. Holland (watch video & read more)

Why We Need Prophets Today?

By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Today is not different from ages past. The Lord does not love the people of our day any less than in past times. One of the glorious messages... (read more)

Tonight we will be reading and doing FHE on




Materials:
Dry Erase Board (or mirror)
WET Erase Marker (Dry will not work)
Spray Bottle
Rag
Picture of Christ
 


LESSON

Opening Song: Hymn 193: I Stand All Amazed (its a song from the Primary program this year, so it's also great practice!)

ATTENTION QUESTION: Have you ever done or said something that you wish you could undo or take back?

Pres. Packer said. "We may not live perfect lives, and there are penalties for our mistakes, but before we came to earth, we agreed to be subject to His laws and to accept the punishment for violating those laws."

Explain that we did know before we came to earth that we would make mistakes and that we would have to have punishments when we did.

QUESTION: What mistakes do we sometimes make? (write these on the board)


"It would be a difficult world to live in if we could never be forgiven for our mistakes, if we could never purify ourselves and move on."

QUESTION : How would you feel if we could never erase the mistakes that we made? (have one child try and erase the mistakes with the dry towel)

Tell the children:
"The Savior wrought the Atonement, which provides a way for us to become clean."

Show the bottle of water and the picture of Christ. Tell them that we cannot erase our mistake all on our own. We need the cleansing power of the atonement. 


Spray the water on the board, but don't erase yet. 





QUESTION:  Are our sins washed away now? How come? 

Tell the children that the Atonement makes it possible for our sins to be washed away, but we have to do our part to wash them away. We have to go through the repentance process. We have to"Repent and forsake sin" "Listen to and heed His words and the words of His chosen servants" THEN we "will find peace and understanding" we will be forgiven

Those who will repent and forsake sin will find that His merciful arm is outstretched still. Those who listen to and heed His words and the words of His chosen servants will find peace and understanding even in the midst of great heartache and sorrow. The result of His sacrifice is to free us from the effects of sin, that all may have guilt erased and feel hope.

"If we are not aware of what the Savior’s sacrifice can do for us, we may go through life carrying regrets that we have done something that was not right or offended someone. The guilt that accompanies mistakes can be washed away. If we seek to understand His Atonement, we will come to a deep reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ, His earthly ministry, and His divine mission as our Savior."


Bare your testimony about the Atonement. Tell them that they can gain a testimony as they try this in their lives. 

Closing song: Testimony

Conference Family Home Evenings

As a family we started last Conference reading one talk a week, trying to get through all of the talks (except Priesthood and Women's Sessions). We did pretty good, but were short about 6 talks. 

We purchased a Conference edition Ensign for each of our children and gave them a highlighter and a pen.


 Each Sunday we would listen to a talk and encourage them to underline in pen things they did not understand and Highlight things they really liked.


 After we listened to the talk we would discuss the questions and let them share the things they liked. Even our 5-year-old enjoyed highlighting things. He would sometimes surprise us with the things he "accidentally" highlights. We would always read something he "liked". With our 12-year-old Daughter, we sometimes would have to say "OK, only one per page this time"

I have loved the review of the principles within the talks. I have enjoyed hearing the questions and thoughts of my children and husband. 

The men and women who give these talks, pray and ponder and as President Monson said " They have sought heaven’s help concerning the messages which they will present, and they have felt inspiration regarding what will be said. All who have been asked to speak feel a great responsibility in doing so. " I know that they were inspired by God to prepare and share their specific topics. I have been pondering on how to further increase our knowledge, understanding and application of the principles within these talks. So I've have decided that the next 6 months, I will be basing our Family Home Evening off of the talks from the October 2014 LDS General Conference.


“Conference messages … are deserving of our careful review and study.”

—President Thomas S. Monson, “Until We Meet Again,” April 2014 general conference


My goal is to go through all 28 talks (not the priesthood and Women sessions) in 25 weeks. We will be listening and marking on Sunday, then discussing and applying on Monday. I hope to make the lessons fun and intersting. 

So if you'd like join with me in incorporating Conference into your weekly FHE's! 

I'd love to hear any thoughts you had or inspirations for conversation or lessons as you have prayerfully considered what your family needs!

Monday, October 11, 2010

October 2010 Ensign



The October 2010 Liahona and Ensign will be a special issue focusing entirely on temples.

Take a Look! It's a beautiful issue! Then come back and share your thoughts and feelings!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I AM BACK!

I was out for a while due to the birth of our fourth child. He is doing well as am I. We are adjusting to "baby" time but enjoying our new little guy! I am back and ready to be discussing the topics of the LDS Ensign. Please read around and leave your comments! I enjoy hearing other's inpirations from modern scripture.

Thanks for visiting!

P.S. REMEMBER, if you don't have time to sit and read, you can listen to the articles. I download the articles to my MP3 player and listen while I am doing other things!

JULY ENSIGN


Living the gospel can be challenging at times. In this issue learn about the importance of scripture study (Scripture Stories as Patterns for Our Lives, A Scripture That Changed My Life), the wearing modest clothing (Modesty: A Timeless Principle for All), and living up to the standards of the Church (Standards: One Size Fits All).

Sugar Beets and the Worth of a Soul




Many years ago, Bishop Marvin O. Ashton (1883–1946), who served as a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, gave an illustration I’d like to share with you. Picture with me, if you will, a farmer driving a large open-bed truck filled with sugar beets en route to the sugar refinery. As the farmer drives along a bumpy dirt road, some of the sugar beets bounce from the truck and are strewn along the roadside. When he realizes he has lost some of the beets, he instructs his helpers, “There’s just as much sugar in those which have slipped off. Let’s go back and get them!”
In my application of this illustration, the sugar beets represent the members of this Church for whom we who are called as leaders have responsibility; and those that have fallen out of the truck represent men and women, youth and children who, for whatever reason, have fallen from the path of activity. Paraphrasing the farmer’s comments concerning the sugar beets, I say of these souls, precious to our Father and our Master: “There’s just as much value in those who have slipped off. Let’s go back and get them!”
Right now, today, some of them are caught in the current of popular opinion. Others are torn by the tide of turbulent times. Yet others are drawn down and drowned in the whirlpool of sin.
This need not be. We have the doctrines of truth. We have the programs. We have the people. We have the power. Our mission is more than meetings. Our service is to save souls.


Am I of Worth?

Emily Thevenin, “Am I of Worth?,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 8–9

I knew where I was going with my education, career, and future family. How could I deal with a chronic illness?

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

“If Thou Endure It Well”



As we endure our trials and afflictions with diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith, we can learn to have joy through—and despite—our suffering.


Fortifying Our Family

Marsha Johnson, “Fortifying Our Family,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 12–13

As our oldest child approached high school age, our concern for our children increased when we considered the prevalence of peer pressure and social groups pushing agendas inconsistent with Church standards. I often thought about this, wondering how we could help our children better understand Church doctrines, particularly those concerning the family.
One day I realized that the answers we sought could be found in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”1 I knew that if our children understood the proclamation, they could confidently defend the Lord’s definition of the family.
At family home evening, I presented a proposal to memorize the proclamation as a family. After some grumbling, everyone agreed.
Every Monday evening we had a lesson about a paragraph or sentence of the proclamation, followed by a memorization activity. Each morning during family scripture study we would recite all that we had memorized to that point.
It took almost a year, but we memorized the entire family proclamation together. Although this might not be possible for every family, it has proven a blessing for ours. True to our concerns, our children have been exposed to activities, debates, and friends that do not support the Lord’s view of the family. I am so grateful to know that they have the words of the Lord’s chosen servants when needed.
In addition to teaching my children, this process taught me some important lessons about developing faith in Christ as a family.

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Scripture Stories as Patterns for Our Lives



I have been led to a significant scripture study pattern that can help us better understand the scriptures.




A Scripture That Changed My Life

“A Scripture That Changed My Life,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 20–24

Ancient and modern prophets have taught about the power that can come into our lives as we read and study the word of God. These members of the Church share experiences about specific verses that have influenced them.



LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Standards: One Size Fits All

Debbie Twigger, “Standards: One Size Fits All,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 25–27

Adults in one stake in England are discovering for themselves the blessings that come from paying closer attention to For the Strength of Youth.

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Modesty: A Timeless Principle for All

Silvia H. Allred, “Modesty: A Timeless Principle for All,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 28–32

The way we dress demonstrates our understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.


Daddy, Do Not Leave Me Here

Brent A. Barlow, “Daddy, Do Not Leave Me Here,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 34–36


The blessings of turning the hearts of the children to the fathers will come as we become familiar with the faith and trials, joys and sorrows of our ancestors.

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Walking in Their Footsteps

Serena Kugath, “Walking in Their Footsteps,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 37–39

Could our broken-down car be an answer to prayer?

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Pioneers in Ghana


Pioneers in Ghana,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 40–43
When GayLynn Ribeira, an art student at Brigham Young University, heard the amazing stories of the pioneer Saints in Ghana, she knew she wanted to create their portraits for her bachelor of fine arts illustration project. In the fall of 2005, she began to pursue a way to do this. The result was a grant allowing her and three other art students—Jesse Bushnell, Emmalee Glauser Powell, and Angela Nelson—to spend May and June of 2006 in Ghana. BYU faculty member Richard Hull oversaw the project. The five gathered stories and images of not only pioneer Saints but newer members also. The wealth of information found its way onto canvas in the months following the trip and onto the walls of the B. F. Larsen Gallery at BYU in October 2007. Following is some of that artwork.


LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Getting Beyond Getting through It

Melissa Merrill, “Getting Beyond Getting through It,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 44–45

I had been reluctant to get involved in my new home and ward, but that Sunday morning I realized I couldn’t put living on hold.

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

The Joseph Smith Papers: The Manuscript Revelation Books




The manuscript revelation books contain many of the earliest known copies of the revelations received by Joseph Smith and provide insights into the revelatory process.

A Longing for Peace

Name Withheld, “A Longing for Peace,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 52–57

Could the Atonement really heal a heart broken by abuse and take away the bitterness I had felt for so long?

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Way Beyond the Help-Wanted Ads

How LDS Employment Resource Services is helping people all over the world obtain the blessings of work.

Jennifer Williams, “Way Beyond the Help-Wanted Ads,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 58–65

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Random Sampler

Random Sampler,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 66–67

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

VT MESSAGE: Qualify for and Partake of Temple Worship

Teach these scriptures and quotations or, if needed, another principle that will bless the sisters you visit. Bear testimony of the doctrine. Invite those you visit to share what they have felt and learned.

“Qualify for and Partake of Temple Worship,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 68

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Latter-day Saint Voices

Charity Filled Our Hearts

“Latter-day Saint Voices,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 69–73


LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

News of the Church

“News of the Church,” Ensign, Jul 2009, 74–80

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Monday, February 9, 2009

FEBRUARY ENSIGN


COMING SOON... MY favorite article!

Precious Fruits of the First Vision

In my growing-up years in Germany, I attended church in many different locations and circumstances—in humble back rooms, in impressive villas, and in very functional modern chapels. All of these buildings had one important factor in common: the Spirit of God was present. The love of the Savior could be felt as we assembled as a branch or ward family.

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE

Hearing and Heeding the Message from the Grove

Adapted from a BYU Women’s Conference address given April 28, 2005. For the full text, please visit http://womensconference.byu.edu.
A few years ago as Sister Howard and I were touring the Rochester New York Mission, the mission president asked if we would like to get up early and go to the Sacred Grove before the crowds came. We accepted his invitation.

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE


The Functional Family

What is a functional family? One in which family members work together to improve relationships as they face challenges.

A Reflection on Gratitude


I worried I would never be satisfied with my marriage, until a reflection in the mirror changed my perspective.

Helping New Converts Stay Strong

Photograph of Sister Tanner by Busath Photography
We are all engaged in the process of retaining new members. It is the ongoing process of conversion—of turning and constantly returning to the Lord.

Succeeding as a New Convert


As we reach out to others in friendship, engage in service, and feast upon the scriptures, our confidence will wax strong.

A Penetrating Light

Michelle Bowden, “A Penetrating Light,” Ensign, Feb 2009, 27


Brought up in an atheist home, I was taught about God only in assemblies and religious education classes at school. Yet even at a young age, I was affected by the Bible stories I learned and the hymns I sang. I wanted to know if the things I’d learned about God were true, but I had no one to ask.

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE