….We Seek After These Things!

Here is my lesson outline for lesson #35. I spent much time on the lesson expression and discussing my love for genealogy and this principle of Baptism for the dead. I tried to include as much class discussion and discussion of the principles in the lesson. I only picked three quotes to hand out and one or two others to paraphrase or read. This is a shorter lesson from my typical so you may need to expand it or determine how to guide the discussion for the needs of your particular class.

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This is a very rough draft of my lesson outline. I am going to have to think and ponder on it more over the next few days but I wanted to get it posted for you to have some idea’s and questions. I don’t have an object lesson but I think the lesson is long enough without it. You will need to use your judgement on how you want to go with the lesson. I have seen suggestions that talk about issues not in the manual, especially on some of the Women blogs. I think it is important to emphasize that the proper use of all these gifts comes with Faith in Jesus Christ and by those that have the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The gift of Healing is one area where Prayer can lead to healing but the proper use of the Gift of the healing is with the power of the Priesthood. I have seen other lessons that leave out the gift of discernment thinking it is not important but I personally feel that it is the most important after the gift of prophecy. It is through this gift that we can avoid many evil influences, and also be lead and guided by many good influences as we live our life. I think there is confusion when the lesson discusses the use of Priesthood, especially among the feminist bloggers, but that use is Priesthood in my opinion is what gives each of us the Gift of the Holy Ghost. You might interpret it otherwise.
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I used “God Shall Be with You Forever and Ever”: The Prophet in Liberty Jail
and Elder Jeffery R. Holland’s article from the Winter 2009 issue of BYU magazine as sources for the lesson. Normally I do not pull outside sources for my lesson, but in this case I felt the need for the exception. Feel free to remove those quotes if you feel. What ever the case I strongly suggest that you read his article because it is an excelent discourse on the lessons learned in the Liberty Jail.

The set up for this lesson could be a bit time consuming, inlist the aid of Priesthood brethern to help you out.
Measure out a 14x14 space and place the chairs of the room around it to represent the Liberty Jail. Have the lights turned down for the first part of the lesson, You can turn them up if sisters have trouble reading the quotes.
(Prepare note cards to hand out with this question written on it.) What is my liberty jail?
Pass out pencils.

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On December 1, 1838, the Prophet Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum, and other brethren were taken from Richmond, Missouri, where they had been incarcerated in a log home, to the jail in Liberty, Missouri. There they would remain for more than four months, awaiting trial on false charges arising from the persecution of the Saints in Missouri. During this time, Church members were being driven from their homes in Missouri by their persecutors, causing tremendous suffering. The trials of the Saints were a source of great anxiety to the Prophet and his companions during their long imprisonment.
Liberty Jail was divided into an upper room and a 14-foot-square lower dungeon, where the prisoners were kept. (more…)

Here is my outline for Joseph Smith Lesson #29, Living with Others in Peace and Harmony

Show various pictures such as scenery, temples, world, ending with sacred grove and O Jerusalem. With each picture ask how the sisters feel as they view each picture. (see if library has a picture of the Lion and Lamb together.) (more…)

I have added two more quotes that is was looking for to use in the lesson if the spirit dictates. They are as follows.

President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had “never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional, or political life” (CR, April 1941, p. 123). This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ.

Less than a year after his baptism, John Taylor visited the Prophet Joseph Smith at Kirtland, a town then racked by apostasy. One of those faltering was Parley P. Pratt, his own missionary. Without equivocation, John testified: “If the word was true six months ago, it is true today; if Joseph Smith was then a prophet, he is now a prophet

This lesson outline is slightly different. I will be using the quotes with the Key# as handouts rather than my typical quote#1 etc. I liked the questions in the book, but I also feel that we need to distiguish between those members that are inactive, or leave the church because they don’t feel the need for the gospel, and those that actively turn away from the testimony they have gained and fight against the church. (more…)

I just had a request if Ihad any ideas on this lesson coming up. I have to say, I have avoided this one for some very deep and personal reasons. It will be a hard one to teach, but at the same time, one thing I have learned already is that somewhere, sometime, somehow apostasy will touch us. We may not leave the church, but it is very likely it is someone we know, and not just know, but someone we love and respect and admire with all our hearts. In that way we are not alone, as we think about those that betrayed the Saviour, and those close friends and associates of Joseph Smith that turned against him.
I promise to post my lesson when I have it done. I usually try to have it completed by Wed or Thursday. Hopefully my annoying cold will not interfer in those plans.

I wanted to highlight this post written by TF Stern. It is well worth the read, and most definetly fits my goal of this site. Enjoy.

This is my outline for lesson #25. I have it starting out with my list of scriptures as quotes as there are many of them and it was easier for me to set it up this way, rather than at the end. So you will need to scroll down a bit to get to the lesson discussion. (more…)

(In preparation I plan to have a picture of the Kirtland Temple, a china tea cup and saucer, a couple of hand made doilies, and a string of christmas lights with bulbs removed and given to the sisters in the room for an object activity near the end of the lesson)

On December 27, 1832, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a commandment from the Lord that the Saints were to begin building a temple in Kirtland (see D&C 88:119). On June 1, 1833, the Lord gave further instructions to the Prophet: “Now here is wisdom, and the mind of the Lord—let the house be built, not after the manner of the world … ; let it be built after the manner which I shall show unto three of you” (D&C 95:13–14). (more…)