July 27, 2014
The Joyful Burden of Discipleship
BY ELDER RONALD A. RASBAND
Of the Presidency of the Seventy

Introduction

To sustain our leaders is a privilege; it comes coupled with a personal responsibility to share their burden and to be disciples of the Lord.

Learner Readiness - We are share the responsibility together

SAY: I want to read to you this story from Elder Rasband's talk:  On May 20 of last year a massive tornado pummeled the suburbs of Oklahoma City, in the heartland of America, carving a trail more than a mile (1.6 km) wide and 17 miles (27 km) long. This storm, an onslaught of devastating tornadoes, altered the landscape and the lives of the people in its path.

Just a week after the massive storm struck, I was assigned to visit the area where homes and belongings were strewn across the flattened, ravaged neighborhoods.

Before I left, I spoke with our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, who relishes such errands for the Lord. With respect borne not only of his office but also of his goodness, I asked, “What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say?”

He tenderly took my hand, as he would have done with each one of the victims and each of those helping with the devastation had he been there, and said:

“First, tell them I love them.

“Second, tell them I am praying for them.

“Third, please thank all those who are helping.”

SAY: Elder Rasband goes on and talks about his calling as a Seventy and how the burden of the gospel, the Church and the Prieshood is shared. This reminds of the old saying, "Many hands make light work".  Elder Rasband than say the folloing:

READ A

READING A - Currently in the Church, the Lord has called 317 Seventies, serving in 8 quorums, to assist the Twelve Apostles in carrying the burden placed on the First Presidency. I joyfully feel that responsibility in the depths of my very soul, as do my fellow Brethren. However, we are not the only ones assisting in this glorious work. As members of the Church worldwide, we all have the wonderful opportunity of blessing the lives of others.

Q: Why is blessing the lives of others so important?

SAY: I went to visit my son in Alaska last week.  I watched the life style of my son and his roommates.  I enjoyed visiting with them.  I actually was impressed by how remarkable James and his roommates are.  But, there was some things missing.  Their focus was different.  Their over riding purpose in life was different.  The joyful burden of discipleship was missing.  That salt was missing

READ B

READING B - This afternoon each of us will raise our right arm to the square and sustain the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is not a mere formality, nor is it reserved for those called to general service. To sustain our leaders is a privilege; it comes coupled with a personal responsibility to share their burden and to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

LEARNER INVOLVEMENT

Q: What does it mean to be a disciple?
Q: Why can it be called a burden to be a disciple?
Q: Why is this burden joyful?
Q: What if it isn't joyful?

READ C

READING C - President Monson has said:

“We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us. …

“‘… Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these … , ye have done it unto me’ [Matthew 25:40].”

Q: What makes us the salt of the earth?

SAY:  I am reminded of a scripture in the Book of Mormon.  It is in Alma 37:46.  Alma is counseling his son, Helaman.  He is preparing Helaman to be his successor as the presiding High Priest of Church.  He says to Helaman, " Do not be slothful because of the easiness of the way".  I then compared and contrasted this phrase with "the joyful burden of discipleship"

Q: Why is way of Christian discipleship easy yet a joyful burden?
Q:  Why is taking Christ's yoke upon us easy?

SAY: Let's continue reading Elder Rasband's talk"

READ D

READING D - Will we respond with love when an opportunity is before us to make a visit or a phone call, write a note, or spend a day meeting the needs of someone else? Or will we be like the young man who attested to following all of God’s commandments:

“All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

The young man was being called to a greater service at the side of the Lord to do the work of the kingdom of God on earth, yet he turned away, “for he had great possessions.”

What of our earthly possessions? We can see what a tornado can do with them in just minutes. It is so important for each of us to strive to lay up our spiritual treasures in heaven—using our time, talents, and agency in service to God.

Q: How does the world view earthly possessions?
Q: How are we to view earthly possessions?

LEARNER APPLICATION

READ E

READING E - Jesus Christ continues to extend the call “Come and follow me.”5 He walked His homeland with His followers in a selfless manner. He continues to walk with us, stand by us, and lead us. To follow His perfect example is to recognize and honor the Savior, who has borne all of our burdens through His sacred and saving Atonement, the ultimate act of service. What He asks of each one of us is to be able and willing to take up the joyful “burden” of discipleship.

SAY:  Brother Rasband tells another story: (tell story about a girl named Tory in the elementary school surviving the tornado.  I just closed my eyes, hoping and praying that it would soon be over.

“All of a sudden it got quiet.

“When I opened my eyes, I saw a stop sign right in front of my eyes! It was almost touching my nose.”6

Tori, her mother, three of her siblings, and numerous friends who were also in the school with her miraculously survived that tornado; seven of their schoolmates did not.

That weekend the priesthood brethren gave many blessings to members who had suffered in the storm. I was humbled to give Tori a blessing. As I laid my hands on her head, a favorite scripture came to mind: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”7

I counseled Tori to remember the day when a servant of the Lord laid his hands on her head and pronounced that she had been protected by angels in the storm.''


Q: Why do you think Elder Rasband inserted this story about Tory in the middle of his talk?
Q: What are some of the blessing of a life of service?  (angels, joy, becoming one, relationship bonds strengthened.)
Q: How can we apply the joyful burden of discipleship in our lifes?  (serving missions, using what the Lord has given us to help others, prioritizing our time to be a life of service).

READ F

READING F - Often we are given the opportunity to help others in their time of need. As members of the Church, we each have the sacred responsibility “to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light,”    “to mourn with those that mourn,” and to “lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”

If needed - Q: What did the people in the Land of Helam do to bear each other's burden? (Mosiah 18: 21, 27-28)

Conclusion:

We have been called to something higher than what world offers or tells us what to do with our time. That higher something makes us the salt of the earth.  If we stop being a blessing in the lives of others, was are as salt that has lost its savor.  We are then good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under.  Our life is a life of service.  It is a life of sacrifice.  It is also a life of joy.  It is far better than what the world considers to by happiness and bliss.

No Other Gods

INTRODUCTION (experience)

SAY:  The talks assigned to me for teaching for our times are Elder Oakes, No Other Gods, and Elder Cook’s, Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage

WRITE: "No Other Gods", "Beware of Bondage"
to begin, quote the last quote of Elder Cook's talk.

SAY: When I started working on the lesson, I commented to myself, I am sure glad this lesson doesn't apply to me!  I don't prioritize things ahead of God.  I'm not in bondage.  As I read the lesson, I realized that I erred in my thinking.

I was reminded of many verses in the Book of Mormon.  Alma had to wade through much affliction and sorrow with the saints in Zarahemla.  He says this to saints in Gideon:

Alma 7:6 But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come.

There's a battle in each one of us. The natural man vs. our spiritual natures. How do we measure how Christ-like we are?  How do I make sure that I am not just smug in my perceived discipleship?

The Book of Mormon shows us the spectrum of discipleship with the church.

LEARNER READINESS

Oakes’ Caption: Are we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to worship?

Cook’s Caption: Our challenge is to avoid bondage of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and sacrifice for the rising generation.

SAY:  The purpose of this lesson is find ways to avoid bondage of all kinds and to serve the true and living God.

SAY:  Elder Oakes lists all sorts of false Gods (or priorities) and then says this: "If none of these examples seems to apply to any one of us, we can probably suggest others that do. The principle is more important than individual examples. The principle is not whether we have other priorities. The question posed by the second commandment is “What is our ultimate priority?” Are we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to worship? Have we forgotten to follow the Savior who taught that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments? (seeJohn 14:15). If so, our priorities have been turned upside down by the spiritual apathy and undisciplined appetites so common in our day.

Oaks non-comprehensive list was: Cultural and family traditions, Political correctness, Career aspirations, Material possessions, Recreational pursuits, Power, prominence, and prestige

LEARNER INVOLVEMENT

READ Elder Cook

READING A

Turning from the worship of the true and living God and worshipping false gods like wealth and fame and engaging in immoral and unrighteous conduct result in bondage in all its insidious manifestations. These include spiritual, physical, and intellectual bondage and sometimes bring destruction.

Q: According to Elder Cook, what kinds of bondage are there?

WRITE: “BONDAGE,  spiritual, physical, and intellectual”

READ Elder Cook Quotation

READING B

God intended that men and women would be free to make choices between good and evil. When evil choices become the dominant characteristic of a culture or nation, there are serious consequences both in this life and the life to come. People can become enslaved or put themselves in bondage not only to harmful, addictive substances but also to harmful, addictive philosophies that detract from righteous living.

Q: According to what we just read, what can we become addicted to?

WRITE: “Enslaved – addictive substances, addictive philosophies”

SAY: Elder Cook reviews various kinds of bondage that are equally destructive.  Let’s read the first kind of bondage.

READ Elder Cook Quotation

READING C

First, addictions that impair agency, contradict moral beliefs, and destroy good health cause bondage. The impact of drugs and alcohol, immorality, pornography, gambling, financial subjugation, and other afflictions imposes on those in bondage and on society a burden of such magnitude that it is almost impossible to quantify.

Q: What kind of bondage is Elder Cook talking about here?

WRITE : 1. Addictions

READ Elder Cook Quotation

READING D

Second, some addictions or predilections, while not inherently evil, can use up our precious allotment of time which could otherwise be used to accomplish virtuous objectives. These can include excessive use of social media, video and digital games, sports, recreation, and many others.  How we preserve time for family is one of the most significant issues we face in most cultures. 

Q: What kind of addiction or bondage is Elder Cook discussing here?

WRITE: 2 TIME WASTERS

Q: How we use our time be considered a form of bondage?  [good, better, best]

SAY: I have switched #4 and #3 (SKIP if necessary)

READING E

Fourth, forces that violate sincerely held religious principles can result in bondage. One of the most invidious forms is when righteous people who feel accountable to God for their conduct are forced into activities that violate their conscience—for example, health providers forced to choose between assisting with abortions against their consciences or losing their jobs.

WRITE: Forces the Violate Conscience

READ Elder Cook Quotation

READING F

Third, the most universal subjugation in our day, as it has been throughout history, is ideology or political beliefs that are inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Substituting the philosophies of men for gospel truth can lead us away from the simplicity of the Savior’s message. When the Apostle Paul visited Athens, he tried to teach of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of this effort we read in Acts, “For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.” When the crowd realized the simple religious nature of Paul’s message, which was not new, they rejected it.

Q: What kind of bondage is Elder Cook speaking of here?

WRITE: 3 Substituted Philosophies / Intellectual Bondage

READ Elder Cook Quotation

READING G

This is emblematic of our own day, where gospel truths are often rejected or distorted to make them intellectually more appealing or compatible with current cultural trends and intellectual philosophies. If we are not careful, we can be captured by these trends and place ourselves in intellectual bondage.

WRITE "Captured"

Q: What do think Elder Cook means that we can become captured by intellectual philosphies, thus, going into intellectual bondage?

"God loves me no matter what I do",  "Jesus love my tatoos", " All religions are basically the same",  "There's really no such thing as truth", It's like God doesn't have an opinion or a preference.

Q: What is intellectual bondage? [Rejecting true principles replacing them with other ideologies]
Q: What is spiritual bondage?  [Getting caught up in sin and believing you are just fine]

LEARNER APPLICATION

SAY, Elder Oakes said, " that our beliefs compel us to some different choices and behaviors than theirs [the choice and behaviors of the world].

Q: What are we compelled to do?

READ Elder Oaks Quotation

READING H (Oaks)

A teaching of President Thomas S. Monson applies to this circumstance. At this conference 27 years ago, he boldly declared: “Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but as the determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well.”

Q: Since we all have our false gods causing a level of bondage within us all, how do we change?  What do we do increase our discipleship?

Alma 7:23

READ Elder Cook Quotation

READING I

Our primary emphasis, however, should always be to make any necessary sacrifices to protect our own family and the rising generation. The vast majority of them are not yet in bondage to serious addictions or false ideologies. We must help inoculate them from a world that sounds a lot like the Jerusalem that Lehi and Jeremiah experienced. In addition, we need to prepare them to make and keep sacred covenants and to be the principal emissaries to help the Lord establish His Church and gather scattered Israel and the Lord’s elect everywhere. As the Doctrine and Covenants beautifully reads, “The righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.”

READ Elder Cook Quotation

READING J

Our challenge is to avoid bondage of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and sacrifice for the rising generation. We must always remember that we do not save ourselves. We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice of the Savior. When Lehi’s family fled, they were led by the Lord’s light. If we are true to His light, follow His commandments, and rely on His merits, we will avoid spiritual, physical, and intellectual bondage as well as the lamentation of wandering in our own wilderness, for He is mighty to save.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion I will read Elder Oaks' concluding remarks:

We who know God’s plan for His children—we who have made covenants to participate in it—have a clear responsibility. We must never deviate from our paramount desire, which is to achieve eternal life. We must never dilute our first priority—to have no other gods and to serve no other priorities ahead of God the Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

HP Lesson March 2014 The Moral Force of Women

BY ELDER D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON
The Moral Force of Women

Objective:  To understand clearly and change what needs to be changed regarding our view of women.

INTRODUCTION  to LEARNER READINESS 

SAY: This talk by D T C was delivered to the women of the church back in October Conference.The subheading of talk is as follows:

"Your intuition is to do good and to be good, and as you follow the Holy Spirit, your moral authority and influence will grow."

SAY: In women it is innate just part of them.  In men, we have to develope it. [repeat the phrase].  It reminds of a verse of scripture given to men: D&C 121:45-46

45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

LEARNER READINESS

SAY: My objective today is to help us, as men, understand womanhood clearly and change what needs to be changed regarding our view of women.  In talking with my wife about this lesson, she said the following:

"Men have an obligation to see the good in the women in their lives and encourage it and not put it down." [putting the good of women down - her father was that way, some men where she is employed still have vestiges of this]

We, as men, being tainted by the teaching and modeling of some around us and by society in general we may carry inappropriate baggage about women.  As member of the church, we have had to change some of our beliefs and views about women.  We also have many correct views of women.

SAY: Let's read a quote from Elder Christofferson's talk.
READ A

A - Women bring with them into the world a certain virtue, a divine gift that makes them adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy, and refinement in relationships and in cultures. When praising the “unfeigned faith” he found in Timothy, Paul noted that this faith “dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice.”

SAY: be thinking about the wonderful influence women have had in your life.  We will have time for you to share those experiences.

LEARNER INVOLVEMENT

Q: Returning to our society and environment in which we life, What kinds of inappropriate or negative views of women are there out there in the world?  [objectifying, believing they are inferior, 2nd class citizens, etc.]
Q:  Are these views of women improving or getting worse?
Q: Has the view of equality between men and women changed in the last 50 years?

READ, except from a letter written to me from a friend in CT.  She is 82 years old, Catholic, the mother of one of my childhood friends.  She talking about the 60's and 70's in CT.

The times in which we lived back then, were very conflicting times for women.  It was the advent of the "Women's Lib", and we were just beginning to find out how we were being manipulated and abused.  If a woman wanted to leave [the marriage], she had no basis in many cases to be able to make it financially on her own.

Sometimes, people wear two faces, one for the outside world, and one for the inside world of the home.  That was so very conflicting for me to experience in my own situation.  When a man is Narcissistic, it is his wife who pays the price, because she is the one who always gets the blame, abuse, demeaning, nullification, and misery.  Then on the other hand he can be so charming and nice when he is getting what he wants.

Q: I was young back then.  Were these views of women global, or just where I grew up?

READ B  - In one of Elder Christofferson's footnotes we read:

Elder Christofferson's footnote

B - It is true that many women over many generations have been exploited or saddled with unfair burdens both in family and employment, but selflessness and sacrifice need not and should not become abusive or exploitative. Elder Bruce C. Hafen observed: “If being ‘selfless’ means a woman must give up her own inner identity and personal growth, that understanding of selflessness is wrong. … But today’s liberationist model goes too far the other way, stereotyping women as excessively independent of their families. A more sensible view is that husbands and wives are interdependent with each other. … The critics who moved mothers from dependence to independence skipped the fertile middle ground of interdependence. Those who moved mothers from selflessness to selfishness skipped the fertile middle ground of self-chosen service that contributes toward a woman’s personal growth. Because of these excesses, debates about the value of motherhood have, ironically, caused the general society to discount not only mothers but women in general” (“Motherhood and the Moral Influence of Women” [remarks to the World Congress of Families II, Geneva, Plenary Session IV, Nov. 16, 1999], http://worldcongress.org/wcf2_spkrs/wcf2_hafen.htm).

READ C  [from the Proclamation on the Family]

From the Proclamation on the Family

C - By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. 

Q: What do think equal partners means?

SAY:  Elder Christofferson relates various stories and  some experences about how he was influenced by good women in his life.  Here's one of them.

READ D from Elder Christofferson:

D - My family moved into the New Brunswick Ward when I was a teenager. Sister Daines took notice of me and often expressed her confidence in my abilities and potential, which inspired me to reach high—higher than I would have without her encouragement. Once, because of a thoughtful and timely warning from her, I avoided a situation that would surely have led to regret. Although she is no longer here, Anna Daines’s influence continues to be felt and reflected in the lives of her descendants and countless others, myself included.

SAY: I believe all of you have wonderful experiences that you could share about women your life being a positive influence.  You have mothers, grandmothers, wives and good women in the community.  Would any of you like to share?

[time for shariing]

[My mother bringing me to church]

LEARNER APPLICATION - READINESS

SAY:  Let's read two more excerpts from EC's talk.  Just listen to how virtues of women are extolled in these quotes.

READ E

E - In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship. By the power of her example and teaching, her sons learn to respect womanhood and to incorporate discipline and high moral standards in their own lives. Her daughters learn to cultivate their own virtue and to stand up for what is right, again and again, however unpopular. A mother’s love and high expectations lead her children to act responsibly without excuses, to be serious about education and personal development, and to make ongoing contributions to the well-being of all around them. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once asked: “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?”

READ F

F - Most sacred is a woman’s role in the creation of life. We know that our physical bodies have a divine origin and that we must experience both a physical birth and a spiritual rebirth to reach the highest realms in God’s celestial kingdom. Thus, women play an integral part (sometimes at the risk of their own lives) in God’s work and glory “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” As grandmothers, mothers, and role models, women have been the guardians of the wellspring of life, teaching each generation the importance of sexual purity—of chastity before marriage and fidelity within marriage. In this way, they have been a civilizing influence in society; they have brought out the best in men; they have perpetuated wholesome environments in which to raise secure and healthy children

SAY: Let's read some excerpts from D&C 121.  Be thinking as you listen, how they apply to our relationship with women.

READ  G  - EXCERPTS

G - D&C 121: 37-42 

37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.

41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

LEARNER APPLICATION

Q: How do we encourage women?

Q: How do we help them reach their potential?

Q: If we are saddled to falsehoods about women, how do cast them off?

Conclusion:

I am grateful for good women in my life.  Without a patient, kind wife, I wouldn't have had the opportunities nor time to progress and become a better man.  I have learned to be equally yoked with my wife, Karen.  We make important decisions together.  She respects me and I respect her.  The truths of the gospel have changed us both.  And this is all possible through the grace of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I leave these things with on in His name, Amen.

Feb 2014 Teaching for our Time - Teaching with the Power and Authority of God

Teaching with the Power and Authority of God BY DAVID M. MCCONKIE
First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency

INTRODUCTION

The Lord has provided the way for every worthy Latter-day Saint to teach in the Savior’s way.

SAY: What is the Savior's way?  This lesson is to teach us how to teach in the Savior's way.

SAY: When I was a teenager, I was very frightened to teach.  I look back and am amazed.  Over the years worked on developing the talent.  Sometimes I do better than other times.  Sometimes I feel the Spirit very strong.  Sometimes I look back at a lesson that I taught and notice that there might have been too much of me and not enough of the Spirit in the lesson.  I guess I am a work in progress.

My patriarchal blessings tells me: You will teach and instruct in the auxiliaries of the church and in your priesthood quorums and you will grow and develop in knowledge and spirituality as you give this service in the cause of our Father in Heaven.

So my goal has always been to give this service in the cause of our Father in Heaven.

LEARNER READINESS

READ A

A - There is indeed a secret to becoming a successful gospel teacher, to teaching with the power and authority of God. I use the word secret because the principles upon which a teacher’s success rests can be understood only by those who have a testimony of what took place on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820.

Q: What do think the secret is?

READ B

B - In response to a 14-year-old boy’s humble prayer, the heavens were opened. God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared and spoke to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The long-awaited restitution of all things had begun, and the principle of revelation was everlastingly established in our dispensation. Joseph’s message, and our message to the world, can be summarized in two words: “God speaks.” He spoke anciently, He spoke to Joseph, and He will speak to you. This is what sets you apart from all other teachers in the world. This is why you cannot fail.

SAY: Brother McConkie derives three principles or secrets that make it so we cannot fail as teachers.

READ C [write CALLED on the board]

C - You have been called by the spirit of prophecy and revelation and have been set apart by priesthood authority. What does this mean?

READ D [write on board: Lord's errand]

D - First, it means that you are on the Lord’s errand. You are His agent, and you are authorized and commissioned to represent Him and to act on His behalf. As His agent, you are entitled to His help. You must ask yourself, “What would the Savior say if He were teaching my class today, and how would He say it?” You must then do likewise.

READ E [write on board: teach the gospel of Jesus Christ]

E - Second, you are called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. You must not teach your own ideas or philosophy, even mingled with scriptures. The gospel is “the power of God unto salvation,” and it is only through the gospel that we are saved.

READ F [teach principles ... 1. standard works, 2. modern day apostles and prophets and 3. by the Holy Ghost]

F - Third, you are commanded to teach the principles of the gospel as they are found in the standard works of the Church, to teach the words of modern-day apostles and prophets, and to teach that which is taught you by the Holy Ghost.

LEARNER INVOLVEMENT

SAY: Brother McConkine than asks the question, "So where do we begin?"  Brethren, where do we begin as teachers?

Q: What do you think is the most important thing that a teacher or any member must do on a daily basis?

READ G [wait right here.....pause.....if no response, repeat the question]

G - Speaking to teachers today, the First Presidency stated: “The most important part of your service will be your own daily spiritual preparation, including prayer, scripture study, and obedience to the commandments. We encourage you to dedicate yourself to living the gospel with greater purpose than ever before.”

Q: What is the most important thing that a teacher must do?  [daily spiritual preparation]

Q: WHY is you own personal, spiritual preparation, the most important part your service in the church?

LEARNER APPLICATION

SAY: B.M. spends the last part of his talk, going a little deeper into the nuts and bolts of teaching a lesson.

READ H [write on board, LISTEN]

H - Next, you must learn to listen. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught this principle to missionaries. I will quote from Elder Holland’s remarks but have taken the liberty of replacing the terms missionaries and investigators with the terms teachers and students respectively: “Second only to the responsibility [teachers] have to listen to the Spirit, is the responsibility they have to listen to the [student]. … If we’ll listen with spiritual ears, … [our students] will tell us what lessons they need to hear!”

Q:/SAY: Part of listening is to observe what is going on the class. Q: If half the class is falling asleep or non-attentive what might that be telling you?

READ I [Write on the board, Spiritual Edification]

I - Elder Holland continued: “The fact of the matter is [teachers] are still too focused on delivering comfortable, repetitious lesson content rather than focusing on their [students] as individuals.”

Q: What make a lesson repetitious?

Q: What is the goal here?  What are we trying to do when we are teaching each other? [Spiritual Edification, helping the individual feel in the hearts, that whatever is being taught is true]

Example: (if there is time), If we are speaking of the atonement, what do we want the student to go home with?

Q: What can we as teachers do to make the lesson more interesting?

READ J [Spiritual Witness that what is being said is true]

J - After you have prepared yourself and your lesson to the very best of your ability, you must be willing to let go. When the quiet promptings of the Holy Ghost come, you must have the courage to set aside your outlines and your notes and go where those promptings take you. When you do this, the lesson you deliver is no longer your lesson, but it becomes the Savior’s lesson.

Q: When a lesson is being taught and the Holy Ghost enters the room and is present, does the Holy Ghost trump lesson or does the lesson trump the Holy Ghost?

READ K

K - Finally, you must stand as an independent witness of the things you teach and not just be an echo of the words in a manual or the thoughts of others.

Q: What do you think it means to not just echo the words of the manual?  How do you become and independent witness?

CONCLUSION

As you feast upon the words of Christ and strive to live the gospel with greater purpose than ever before, the Holy Ghost will manifest unto you that the things you are teaching are true. This is the spirit of revelation, and this same spirit will carry your message into the hearts of those who desire and are willing to receive it.

Let us now end where we started—in the Sacred Grove. Because of what took place on that beautiful spring morning not so long ago, you are entitled to teach with the power and authority of God. Of this I bear my solemn and independent witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Jane Austin Era Regency Romance Ball 2014

 Thirteen of us went to the Regency Ball in SLC on February 14, 2014.  This is our third year going.  Karen made the dresses for Sara, herself and Julia. I rented a French military coat from Hale Theater. Karen made some medals for me.  The ones that I ordered never made it due to the ice storm in Georgia.  It took her thirty minutes to make the medals!

We  all had a good time dancing (Leanne, April and Shawn, Sara and Jon, Julia and Jon, Karen and me, Rachel Brady, her friend Jenn and Julia's friends Jess and his wife.

After dinner they had the the costume contest.  The ladies went first.  Rachel and Julia were selected out of 100 women to be in the top six.

Then they had the men walk around on the dance floor.  I almost did not get selected.  I am French rather than English.  Who knows.  But, the Scottish girl picked me.  There was another English military. They had the crowd yell out for each of the six selected.  The guy in the red uniform got some noise.  When they got to me, I brandished my sword, a French Napoleonic Rapier.  I waved it all around.  The crowd screamed.  I one the customer contest a second year in a row.  Last year I dressed in my Kilt and won.

If I remember, I will  post a picture here.

Scott

Protect the Children, Oaks, June 2013 Teachings for Our Times

Protect the Children

By Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Objective: To find ways that fathers and grandfathers can help in the protecting of children.

Intoduction:

Q: What comes to your mind when I say protect the children.  Give me one word only.  [write on board] (hot dogs?, cold cereal?)

Q: Can a child grow up disadvantaged if he or she has fallen victim to these evils?

Be thinking about way in which you, individually can do to help in the quest to protect the children.  Ask for the Holy Ghost to prompt you with ideas.

SAY, In his talk, Elder Oakes gives many examples of how children are victimized.  They include, abortion, serving a child soldiers, adult crimes, diminishing birth rates, inadequate nutrition during pregnancy, drug use during pregnancy, treatable diseases, inadequate nutrition, parents dying from aids leaving children to fend for themselves, inferior healthcare, inadequate education, parental neglect, pyschological abuse, physical abuse, divorce, being in the middle of a divorce, single parenthood, children out of wedlock and same gender adoptions.

LEARNER READINESS

Read Quotation A - Elder Oakes

A - None should resist the plea that we unite to increase our concern for the welfare and future of our children—the rising generation.

Q: How can we unite to increase our concern for welfare and future of our children? (rhetorical, just think about, it something comes to you as we move through the lesson, raise your hand.)

Read Quotation B - Elder Oakes

B - Children are highly vulnerable. They have little or no power to protect or provide for themselves and little influence on so much that is vital to their well-being. Children need others to speak for them, and they need decision makers who put their well-being ahead of selfish adult interests.

Q: What could it mean to put the child's well=being ahead of selfish adult interests?

Read Quotation C - Elder Oakes

C - We remember our Savior’s teaching as He placed a little child before His followers and declared:

“And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:5–6).

Q: Why is it such a serious matter to offend a little child?

Read Quotation D - Elder Oakes

D - We are speaking of the children of God, and with His powerful help, we can do more to help them. In this plea I address not only Latter-day Saints but also all persons of religious faith and others who have a value system that causes them to subordinate their own needs to those of others, especially to the welfare of children.

Q: What does it mean to subordinate our own needs to those of others?  What are some examples?

Story - broke my leg....

Read Quotation E - Elder Oakes

E - When we consider the dangers from which children should be protected, we should also include psychological abuse. Parents or other caregivers or teachers or peers who demean, bully, or humiliate children or youth can inflict harm more permanent than physical injury. Making a child or youth feel worthless, unloved, or unwanted can inflict serious and long-lasting injury on his or her emotional well-being and development. Young people struggling with any exceptional condition, including same-gender attraction, are particularly vulnerable and need loving understanding—not bullying or ostracism.

SAY, are their any comments?

LEARNER INVOLVEMENT

Q: What are the various forms child abuse (write on board)

- emotional

- sexual

- verbal

- neglect

- physical

- spiritual

Read Quotation F - Elder Oakes

F - With the help of the Lord, we can repent and change and be more loving and helpful to children—our own and those around us.

Q: What are some of the reasons why we sometimes act the way we do? (write on board)

- modeling from our own parents 

- cultural traditions that we still cling to

- unbelief that Christ's way will really work

- we like our wicked ways

READ D&C 121 :39-44 (G)

G - D&C 121:39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.

Q: How might this apply to children?

Q: Why do we sometimes have a tendency to force children to do what we want them to?  [because they are disobedient and don't want to do it]

Q: Is it all right to get angry or impatient sometimes?

READ

41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

Q: What is persuasion?  Q:What is the opposite of persuasion?

Q: What would be an example of long-suffering?

READ

42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

Q: When is reproving a child with sharpness, okay?

Q: How do we know if we have the Holy Ghost when we are about to reprove?

LEARNER APPLICATION

Q: How can we as fathers and grandfathers do to help in the cause of protecting children?
- Any child who appears to need a friend.
  Q: Who might this child be? [grandchild, a neighbor, someone in the ward].

Q: When we see something amiss, how do we correct it?

Q: What if we still use force and coercion as a tool to get what we want - how can we fix this?

CONCLUSION

Blessings of learning to be righteous:

45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

I pray that we will humble ourselves as little children and reach out to protect our little children, for they are the future for us, for our Church, and for our nations. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Tolle Verse in the Book of Momon!

30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

There it is!  The true self watching all the garbage your ego wants to think and do!

Love,

Scott