Building a House of God
by Rosa Boynton
Lesson 1 in a series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Prep:
- Gather: a tool belt (toy or real, depending on age of children), a hammer (toy or real), laminated word strips (see attachments) that label each part of “a house of God,” small bag to put word strips in, tape (to attach word strips to blocks), wooden blocks (choose some that will be easy to build a house with, such as long rectangular ones -- I made the word strips small enough to fit on Jenga blocks, in case those are the only blocks you have in your home), copies of My Eternal Family song (enclosed).
- Buy: sugar cubes (if that is your choice for activity/treat).
- Print small temple cards onto card stock, cut out, and laminate (found in "Attachments"). Also print out and laminate a copy of chart "Making Our Home a House of God" (also found in "Attachments").
- Watch for examples throughout the day of things family members do to help make your home a house of God (so you can share these during the explanation of the Daily Application Activity listed below in lesson plan).
- Make any preparations necessary for any of the suggested activities you choose to do.
Opening Song: My Eternal Family (sheet music found on lds.org and in "Attachments")
Lesson Introduction/Attention Grabber: Pull out the tool belt and put it on to capture everyone's attention. Point to the pile of blocks and pick up the hammer.
SAY: “Today we're going to work together to build a model of a house of God! But before we start, we need something special. Do you know what builders need before they can build a home or a building?” (wait for response)
SAY: “That's right: blueprints! Did you know that the Lord gave us a blueprint for how to build our homes? We can find it in Doctrine and Covenants, section 88! Let's look it up and read it now! Everyone turn to D&C 88:119 and let's read the Lord's blueprint for how we can make our home a house of God!”
Scripture: D&C 88:119 While someone/everyone is reading this verse in their scriptures, hold up a copy of this scripture and then put it in a place where it will be visible during the whole lesson. (see "Attachments" for a free printable of D&C 88:119 -- You may want to laminate this, especially if you want to teach all eight lessons in this series because you will use it each week, and may wish to keep it on your fridge or in another prominent location during the months that your family is studying this verse).
Building a House of God Activity & Lesson:
(continued from Lesson Introduction above)
SAY: “Now that we have our blueprint, we're ready to build our model of a house of God. Who would like to come up and help us build our house of God?”
- Choose a family member to come up and be a “builder.” Let them wear the tool belt, if they wish, then pick a word from the bag and read it aloud.
- Ask the “builder” to think of an example of something they can do to help our home be a house of _______ (fill in the blank with the word they chose from the bag)? *Attach a piece of tape to the word strip and tape it to the block.
- As the builder adds their block to the model of your home, they can *pretend tohammer it into place, as everyone sings the first two lines of “My Eternal Family.” If possible, try to keep the word strips visible so everyone can read the different parts that make up a house of God. *Alternatively, you could build a real model, if you have scrap wood, nails, real tools, and the desire to keep it on display as a visual reminder for your family throughout the following weeks/months while you are studying how to establish a house of God.
- ONLY DO THIS STEP IF COMBINING ALL EIGHT LESSONS INTO ONE LESSON. After the builder adds the block to your home, read the scripture provided for that attribute of a house of God. For example, if they choose the word that says “faith,” then scroll down to the "House of Faith” lesson and read the verse under the Scripture heading (or choose your favorite scripture about faith). *If your family is doing this "building" activity in conjunction with Activity 3 listed below for teens, then let the family member who has prepared something to share about "a house of faith" take a few minutes to share now, before selecting the next "builder."
Repeat the above steps with each “builder” until all the word strips have been added and the whole home is built. Point to the scripture “Establishing a House of God” (D&C 88:119) and read it one more time together as a family. Then, sing “My Eternal Family” one more time.
Daily Application Activity: This activity will encourage your family members to apply this scripture to your daily lives. Use the small temple cards and chart "Making Our Home a House of God" (*see #3 in Prep section). Hold up the main scripture verse again (D&C 88:119) and read it together.
SAY: “Who is ready to put this scripture into action? As we all follow this blueprint (point to scripture) that our Heavenly Father gave us here for Building a House of God we can help make our home a temple!”
**Hold up the enclosed laminated chart entitled “Making our Home a House of God.”
SAY: “As we all follow God's blueprint here (point to scripture) for Building a House of God we can help make our home a temple. Who will help me do the things we learned about in this scripture (point to scripture again) all week long so we can watch our home become a temple? Every time we see a family member doing something that helps make our home a temple, then we will give them a small temple to tape onto this chart. (Perhaps take some time here to think of a few examples together, or if you already took note of examples as they occurred throughout the day, then share these now, letting those family members come up and add temples for their deeds). Pretty soon, our chart will be full of temples. Even though this is just a picture, these things you are doing will actually help make our home like a real temple. We really can help make our home become a house of God!”
This would be a great spot to add your testimony.
*Note about different options for Daily Application Activity: You can choose to give the laminated picture to the child immediately when you see them earn one, tell them why they are earning it, then let them go tape it onto the chart. Remember to thank them for helping make your home a temple! Or, instead of having them tape it onto the chart immediately, another idea is to jot down what they did on the back of the laminated temple (with a Vis-a-Vis or thin dry erase marker), or just write their name and a key word (so you can remember who earned it and why) then place it in a special little basket/jar on the dinner table. Later, during a family meal, pull each temple out and share what each person did to help make your home a temple that day, then let that person tape it onto your chart. Our family likes this last option best because we all love hearing about, and celebrating, the wonderful things our family members are doing to help make our home a temple.
Share Your Testimony
Closing Hymn: Home Can Be a Heaven on Earth (Hymn #298)
Closing Prayer
Activity: Either make a temple out of sugar cubes (see Treat idea below), or do one of the other suggested activities below.
Treat: Work together as a family to build a temple out of sugar cubes (or let each member of your family make their own small temple). If you just search online for “sugar cube temple pics,” then you'll see a whole bunch of cute ideas. Royal icing works well as the glue (just like when you're making gingerbread houses) because it's strong. You can find a recipe for royal icing here: https://www.wilton.com/royal-icing/WLRECIP-50.html
Suggested Activities: Choose one or more of the following, depending on the age and attention span of your children.
1. Take one week to study each attribute of “A House of God” listed in Doctrine & Covenants 88:119. You can view all eight lesson plans in this series by continuing to scroll down. *Sorry that I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out how to create a drop menu under my "Family Home Evening Lessons" tab -- that's what I'd eventually like to do, so if anyone knows how to do this, please let me know. :) I would like to have each lesson title (i.e. A House of Prayer) show up when you hover over the "Family Home Evening Lessons" tab.
2. Making Your Home A Temple Puzzle.
PREP: Print out a picture of your home and a picture of your local temple. On one side of cardstock, glue the picture of your home. On the other side, glue the picture of the temple. Cut it into a simple jigsaw puzzle. Laminate if desired. When you are ready to do this activity, scramble puzzle pieces and place on ground/table with picture of your home facing up.
SAY: “Just like this scripture asks us to organize ourselves, we need everyone's help organizing this puzzle.” Instruct them not to turn the pieces over while you're putting it together, though, because you want them to guess what is on the back. Make sure all family members (including parents) work together to put the puzzle together (this will tie in to the lesson later).
Once your family has assembled the puzzle and identified it as your home,
SAY: “Yay! We all worked together to organize our home! Now, what do you think is on the back?” If they guess it right away, then read numbers (1) and (2) below as reinforcement of the lessons we learn from this activity. If they would like a clue, read numbers (1) and (2) out loud as the clues (only the first sentence of number 2, or it will give it away completely). If these clues don't help, then let them do number (3) until they guess it.
(1) Read D&C 88:119 again.
(2) SAY: “Just like we've been learning about in this scripture, when we create a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, and a house of order, what else are we making? That's right: a house of God! At the same time as you were helping put our home in order (point to puzzle), you were also making a house of God! Just like everyone needed to help put this puzzle together, we need everyone's help to make our home a house of God!”
(3) Let them turn one piece over and peek. If it's not a piece that has part of the temple on it, then let them choose another piece until they see part of the temple. Once they've guessed it, go back to number (2) above and read it (starting with the question at the beginning again) so they get the point of the activity. Then, let them flip the pieces over and put the puzzle of the temple together.
3. Teens: Study Thomas S. Monson's talk “Building Your Eternal Home” from the April 1984 session of General Conference. Divide the parts according to the number of family members. Give each family member a copy of the talk, with their part(s) highlighted. Ask them to each read and study their attribute(s) of “a house of God” from President Monson's talk, then be ready to summarize/teach their section(s) to the family during Family Home Evening.
2. Listening Game (for older children/teens) – teaching the importance of listening for our Heavenly Father's voice/receiving personal revelation. Choose a partner to talk with. Explain the rules first: “We're going to set a timer. During this time, only one of you will talk, while the other ONLY listens.” Set the timer for two minutes (children younger than 12) or five minutes (teens). When the timer goes off, let the children who were ONLY listening to their partner have a chance to talk about how they felt during that experience? Ask: How did you feel? Did you wish you could have a turn to talk? Were there times when you really had something good or important to say and really wished they would let you have a turn to talk? Relate this experience to how Heavenly Father probably feels when we just pray to him but don't take the time to wait and listen to His voice speak to us during and after our prayers. [If your children have questions about this, teach your children more about *receiving personal revelation (so they aren't necessarily expecting to hear their Heavenly Father's voice audibly every time they pray). *See Activity #7] Switch turns, letting the partner who did the talking, now have the experience of seeing how it feels to ONLY listen and not get to say anything. When the timer goes off, again let the listeners share their thoughts. Conclude by reading the following words from our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson (especially those parts in bold):
“Brothers and sisters, how can we become the men and women—the Christlike servants—the Lord needs us to be? How can we find answers to questions that perplex us? If Joseph Smith’s transcendent experience in the Sacred Grove teaches us anything, it is that the heavens are open and that God speaks to His children.
The Prophet Joseph Smith set a pattern for us to follow in resolving our questions. Drawn to the promise of James that if we lack wisdom we may ask of God, the boy Joseph took his question directly to Heavenly Father. He sought personal revelation, and his seeking opened this last dispensation.
4. For very young children: Teach them how to pray by using the outline provided in the primary song “I Pray in Faith” (# 14, Children's Songbook). Go through each step together and share examples of things you could say during that part of the prayer. Also, teach them to use the kinds of words we use to address royalty, because these show reverence and respect for Our Heavenly Father's position as King of Kings (i.e. thee, thy, thou, thine, etc.).
5. For teens/adults: How to Make My Prayers More Meaningful – The following prayer flip book is an amazing resource, full of beautiful quotes and ideas for how to make our prayers more meaningful. If you desire, you could print off a copy for each member of your family. https://www.theredheadedhostess.com/blog/scripture-study-tips-2/more-study-ideas/prayer-doodle-flip-book/
A House of Fasting
Watch video Ch 11: Jesus is Tempted in LDS Media Library on lds.org.
ASK: “Besides the five things we've written on our chart so far, what are some other reasons we fast? What other blessings does fasting bring to our lives?” Go through the lyrics to the opening hymn together and discuss the reasons it mentions for fasting, adding each one to your “Why We Fast” chart. (Older children/teens: You may want to make an individual copy for each child and let them highlight the words in the hymn that stand out to them as the reasons we fast. When they are finished, go around and let each person take a turn sharing something that they highlighted, then come add this to your chart.) At the end of your discussion, if no one has mentioned it yet, talk about verse 3 and how we “care for” Heavenly Father's children by giving fast offerings to help feed the hungry, then add this to your chart.
When the chart is complete, SAY: “Remember that we will hang up our chart once a month before we begin our fast and we can read through these things to remind us of why we are fasting. Anytime you feel hungry, you can come read our chart so you can re-focus yourself on the purposes for your fast.” (You may want to hang your chart on the “What We Fast For” side on the Friday or Saturday before you begin your fast so your family can start thinking of what they want to fast for, and then switch it to the “Why We Fast” side once everyone has begun their fast.)
A House of Faith
by Rosa Boynton
A House of Learning
A House of Glory
A House of Order
A House of God
A
House of Prayer
by
Rosa Boynton
Lesson 2 in series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Lesson 2 in series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Prep:
Gather two cell phones, a
timer, & any other supplies needed for any of the suggested
activities you are doing. Buy journals for each family member, if
doing Activity 3.
Opening
Song: A Child's Prayer (#12,
Children's Songbook)
or Did You Think to Pray? (Hymn #140) for teens
Opening
Prayer
Attention
Grabber: Cell phone analogy –
Give one child a cell phone and show them your cell phone. Tell them
that you are going on a long trip, but while you're gone they can
talk to you anytime they need to. All they have to do is call you on
your phone. “Anytime you have a question, or need help, or just
miss me and want to hear my voice or feel close to me, just call me
and we can talk, ok?” Go outside and let the child call you on the
phone. Have a simple conversation with them. Let them ask you a
question about something they may need help with, or ask them to tell
you about their day. After you say, “good-bye,” come back inside
and relate this analogy to prayer. Our Heavenly Father knew He
wouldn't see us in a long time, but He still wanted to have a way to
talk with us while we were here on earth, and help guide us through
our hard times and answer our questions. He also wanted to still be
able to hear us talk to Him and let us feel close to Him too. This is
why He gave us the gift of prayer.
“Establish
a house of God” scripture (D&C 88:119) Hold up laminated verse
and read it together (or recite it from memory if everyone has it
memorized by now).
Lesson
Intro:
ASK: “Who can guess which part of establishing a “House of God” we'll be learning about today?” (wait for response) Hold up “A House of Prayer” paper.
SAY: “That's right, today we'll talk about how we can help make our home a house of prayer.”
ASK: “Who can guess which part of establishing a “House of God” we'll be learning about today?” (wait for response) Hold up “A House of Prayer” paper.
SAY: “That's right, today we'll talk about how we can help make our home a house of prayer.”
Scripture:
Turn “A House of Prayer” paper over and read Alma
34:17-27 together.
ASK:
What do you learn from these scriptures? When should we pray? What
kinds of things should we pray for? What does it mean to “let
your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually?”
Story:
Daniel
and the Lion's Den (Younger children may enjoy acting it out.)
Read/paraphrase/act
out story in Daniel
6:1-27. Afterwards,
discuss as a family what we learn from this story about prayer.
Share
Your Testimony Share
an example from your life of a time when one of your prayers was
answered.
Toss
a bean bag around and let family members take turns catching it and
sharing personal experiences of times when their prayers have been
answered. Older children/teens can write these down in their
journals, and then share with the family, if they wish.
Closing
Song: I
Pray in Faith (#
14, Children's Songbook)
or
Sweet Hour of Prayer (Hymn # 142) for teens
Closing
Prayer
Activity:
Do
any of the suggested activities below that would be appropriate and
enjoyable for your family.
Treat:
Make
pretzels together and read the enclosed story on Suggested Activity
#1 below
Suggested
Activities: Choose
one or more of the following, depending on the age and attention span
of your children. You
could also choose to do these activities throughout the week.
1.
Make pretzels together and share the following story about the origin
of pretzels:
“A
common origin story of pretzels is that they were created by a monk
around 610 in Italy. According to The
History of Science and Technology,
the monk baked strips of dough that he folded into a shape resembling
a child crossing its arms in prayer. He would give these treats,
which he called “pretiolas” or “little rewards,” to children
who had memorized their prayers. Unfortunately- and not surprisingly-
there’s no documented evidence from the 600s to confirm this story.
Other similar stories star a monk from France and bakers held hostage
in Germany.”
(Source:
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/06/the-history-of-pretzels/)2. Listening Game (for older children/teens) – teaching the importance of listening for our Heavenly Father's voice/receiving personal revelation. Choose a partner to talk with. Explain the rules first: “We're going to set a timer. During this time, only one of you will talk, while the other ONLY listens.” Set the timer for two minutes (children younger than 12) or five minutes (teens). When the timer goes off, let the children who were ONLY listening to their partner have a chance to talk about how they felt during that experience? Ask: How did you feel? Did you wish you could have a turn to talk? Were there times when you really had something good or important to say and really wished they would let you have a turn to talk? Relate this experience to how Heavenly Father probably feels when we just pray to him but don't take the time to wait and listen to His voice speak to us during and after our prayers. [If your children have questions about this, teach your children more about *receiving personal revelation (so they aren't necessarily expecting to hear their Heavenly Father's voice audibly every time they pray). *See Activity #7] Switch turns, letting the partner who did the talking, now have the experience of seeing how it feels to ONLY listen and not get to say anything. When the timer goes off, again let the listeners share their thoughts. Conclude by reading the following words from our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson (especially those parts in bold):
“Brothers and sisters, how can we become the men and women—the Christlike servants—the Lord needs us to be? How can we find answers to questions that perplex us? If Joseph Smith’s transcendent experience in the Sacred Grove teaches us anything, it is that the heavens are open and that God speaks to His children.
The Prophet Joseph Smith set a pattern for us to follow in resolving our questions. Drawn to the promise of James that if we lack wisdom we may ask of God, the boy Joseph took his question directly to Heavenly Father. He sought personal revelation, and his seeking opened this last dispensation.
In
like manner, what will your seeking open for you? What wisdom do you
lack? What do you feel an urgent need to know or understand? Follow
the example of the Prophet Joseph. Find a
quiet place where you can regularly go. Humble yourself before God.
Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers
and for comfort.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation.”
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation.”
Does
God really want
to
speak to you? Yes!
. . . You don’t have to wonder about what is true.
You
do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal
revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon
is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is
the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one
can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what
is true.”
3.
Personal Revelation Journals
--Buy journals for each family member and encourage them to start a
Personal Revelation Journal (where you write down things the Lord has
spoken to you – whether in prayer, or as you were studying your
scriptures, or listening in church, or fasting and studying, or
praying for answers and receiving them in General Conference).
4. For very young children: Teach them how to pray by using the outline provided in the primary song “I Pray in Faith” (# 14, Children's Songbook). Go through each step together and share examples of things you could say during that part of the prayer. Also, teach them to use the kinds of words we use to address royalty, because these show reverence and respect for Our Heavenly Father's position as King of Kings (i.e. thee, thy, thou, thine, etc.).
5. For teens/adults: How to Make My Prayers More Meaningful – The following prayer flip book is an amazing resource, full of beautiful quotes and ideas for how to make our prayers more meaningful. If you desire, you could print off a copy for each member of your family. https://www.theredheadedhostess.com/blog/scripture-study-tips-2/more-study-ideas/prayer-doodle-flip-book/
6.
Personal Prayer in Nature:
Take your teens for a hike to a quiet, serene, and safe location.
Explain the purpose before you leave: to give each of you an
opportunity to pour your heart out to your Heavenly Father in secret
prayer in your own quiet spot (you can pray aloud or in your mind)
and then be still and listen to the Lord speak words of love, peace,
and comfort to your heart and mind. Once you all reach a safe
location, give each other enough distance between yourselves that you
can still see each other, but not hear each other talking (so any
audible prayers won't be overheard). Bring your journal and record
your testimony, your thoughts, and anything the Lord reveals to you
during this experience. Your family may want to watch the video about
Joseph Smith's First Vision in the Sacred Grove and/or read President
Nelson's words listed above at the end of Activity #2. You may also
want to point out that, although we don't expect to see Heavenly
Father and Jesus appear to us during our experience on our hike
today, we can fully expect Him to be near us and will be able to feel
His Spirit with us, even though we won't see Him like Joseph did.
A House of Fasting
by Rosa Boynton
Lesson 3 in series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Prep:
Gather markers and a large
sheet of construction paper or poster board (for Attention Grabber).
Set these on a table or floor of the room where you'll be having
Family Home Evening. Write: “What We Fast For” across the top of
the paper/board. Turn it over and write: “Why We Fast” across the
top of the other side.
Opening
Song: In Fasting We Approach
Thee (Hymn #139)
Opening
Prayer
Attention
Grabber: As family members come
in the room for Family Home Evening, hand them each a marker and ask
them to think of something they like to fast for and come write it on
the “What We Fast For” side of the chart. They can add more than
one item, if they want. (You'll discuss this more during the lesson.)
“Establish
a House of God” scripture (D&C 88:119). Hold up laminated verse
and read it together (or recite it from memory, if everyone has it
memorized by now).
Lesson
Intro:
ASK:
“Who
can guess which part of establishing a “House of God” we're
talking about this week?”
(wait
for response)
Hold
up “A House of Fasting” paper.
SAY:
“That's right, today we'll talk about how we can help make our home
a house of fasting.”
Scripture:
Turn “A House of Fasting” paper over and read Matthew
6:16-18 together.
ASK:
“What do you learn from these scriptures?” (Let all share who
want to.)
ASK:
“What do you think it means to disfigure our faces?” (After they
answer, continue.)
SAY:
“If we take time to prepare ourselves for our fast, by thinking and
praying about WHAT we should fast about BEFORE we even start our
fast, it can help us to not disfigure our faces or complain about how
hungry we are during our fast because our hearts are sincerely
focused on the purpose we are fasting for. Today we all wrote down
some of the things we like to fast for. We can bring out our chart
once a month on the day before each Fast Sunday and hang it on our
fridge (or a door) so everyone can read through our list and be
reminded of some good things to fast for. You might want to fast for
something on this list, or something else. You are always welcome to
add new ideas to our list. Remember, you also can fast for something
personal that you may not want to write on our family chart and
that's okay too.”
Story:
SAY:
“Let's
watch a little clip about a time when Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40
nights. As you watch it, think about what blessings Jesus received
from fasting.”
Watch video Ch 11: Jesus is Tempted in LDS Media Library on lds.org.
After
watching the video, you may also choose to read the scripture story
in Matthew 4:1-11.
ASK them the question you asked them to consider earlier: “What blessings did Jesus receive from fasting?” (wait for response) “That's right, His fast gave Him the strength to withstand Satan's temptations. Likewise, when we fast, it can give us the spiritual strength to withstand Satan's temptations in our lives.” *Turn your chart over to the “Why We Fast” side and write “to receive spiritual strength” and “to withstand Satan's temptations.”
ASK them the question you asked them to consider earlier: “What blessings did Jesus receive from fasting?” (wait for response) “That's right, His fast gave Him the strength to withstand Satan's temptations. Likewise, when we fast, it can give us the spiritual strength to withstand Satan's temptations in our lives.” *Turn your chart over to the “Why We Fast” side and write “to receive spiritual strength” and “to withstand Satan's temptations.”
ASK:
“Did you notice what the last scripture says happened to Jesus
after Satan left? (wait for response). That's right, verse 11 says:
“angels came and ministered unto him.” We can have the blessing
of ministering angels in our lives too if we are careful to not give
in to Satan's temptations.” Read 2 Nephi 32:3. *Add “so angels
can minister unto us,” to your chart. Also read verse 2 and talk
about how we can have the blessing of being able to speak with the
tongue of angels when we have the Holy Ghost with us so we can know
how to best speak words of comfort and love to those we are
ministering to. *Add the reasons “so we can be more open to the
whisperings of the Holy Ghost,” and “so we can speak with the
tongue of angels as we minister to others” to your “Why We Fast”
chart.
ASK: “Besides the five things we've written on our chart so far, what are some other reasons we fast? What other blessings does fasting bring to our lives?” Go through the lyrics to the opening hymn together and discuss the reasons it mentions for fasting, adding each one to your “Why We Fast” chart. (Older children/teens: You may want to make an individual copy for each child and let them highlight the words in the hymn that stand out to them as the reasons we fast. When they are finished, go around and let each person take a turn sharing something that they highlighted, then come add this to your chart.) At the end of your discussion, if no one has mentioned it yet, talk about verse 3 and how we “care for” Heavenly Father's children by giving fast offerings to help feed the hungry, then add this to your chart.
When the chart is complete, SAY: “Remember that we will hang up our chart once a month before we begin our fast and we can read through these things to remind us of why we are fasting. Anytime you feel hungry, you can come read our chart so you can re-focus yourself on the purposes for your fast.” (You may want to hang your chart on the “What We Fast For” side on the Friday or Saturday before you begin your fast so your family can start thinking of what they want to fast for, and then switch it to the “Why We Fast” side once everyone has begun their fast.)
Share
Your Testimony Share
a personal example (or ask family members if any of them have an
experience they want to share of a time they were blessed by
fasting).
Closing
Song: Because
I Have Been Given Much (Hymn #219)
Closing
Prayer
Activity:
Rachel
from therunningmormon.com shares:
“This
activity came from Deseret
Book.
I took two bowls and placed them on opposite sides of the room. I
filled one bowl with 10 cotton
balls. I told June she had to move the cotton balls, one at a time,
to the other bowl using only a spoon, no hands. And, she had to do it
blind folded with me to help her. She did pretty well with the first
couple, but the blind fold kept slipping off and then I just let her
play the game without the blindfold. She said it was much easier when
she could see. I explained it was harder to find the cotton balls
when she was blindfolded because she couldn't feel them. I then told
her that sometimes it's hard for us to recognize God's power in our
own lives, but fasting helps us to better feel that power as we are
guided and blessed by it. Fasting is like removing the blindfold.”
Treat:
Enjoy
a favorite family treat together, or do the above activity with a
treat (like M&Ms) instead of cotton balls and let them eat their
treat once they have gotten them all to the other bowl. *Talk about
and consider starting a family tradition of baking/making a special
treat together each Fast Sunday to enjoy with each other once you
have closed your fast. Our family loves making smoothies on Fast
Sundays! We take turns bearing our testimonies out loud to each other
during dinner and then enjoy our smoothies together. I must say,
though, the sweetness of hearing my husband and children bear their
testimonies FAR exceeds the sweetness of our smoothies! :)
Suggested
Activities: Choose
one or more of the following, depending on the age and attention span
of your children. You
could also choose to do these activities throughout the week.
1.
Make a “Fast With a Purpose” Journal – Every
member of your family can start their own fasting journal so you can
have a special spot to record all things regarding “fasting.”
Some examples of some things you may want to include in your fasting
journal are: *the date *the specific purpose you have chosen to fast
for today *any guidance/impressions/whisperings you receive from the
Holy Ghost during your fast *any personal revelation the Lord teaches
you through His Spirit (perhaps as you're listening after you've
poured your heart out to the Lord in prayer, or a message He speaks
to your heart during church, or while you are reading your
scriptures/studying a conference talk regarding the subject you are
fasting for) *a list of pros and cons (if you are fasting for
guidance regarding an important life decision, such as a new job or a
potential move) *any specific answers you receive *some of the
blessings you have received during this fast *your testimony about
fasting
2.
Feed the Hungry Family Service Project -- Since
a big part of fasting is to help feed the hungry, talk together as a
family and decide a service project you want to participate in
together to feed those who are hungry in your community (i.e. help at
a food bank or a soup kitchen). To see local service opportunities
near you, look on JustServe.org.
3.
The Story of Esther
– Another scripture story you may choose to share (or act out) is
how Esther fasted for strength before coming to talk with the king
(since doing so would put her life in danger).
4.
Give each of your teens a section of the talk “The Blessings of the
Fast” from
the 1982 Ensign to study and share what they learn with your family.
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1982/07/the-blessings-of-the-fast?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1982/07/the-blessings-of-the-fast?lang=eng
A House of Faith
by Rosa Boynton
lesson 4 in a series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Prep: Put
a *well-defined apple inside of a dark-colored pillowcase (that
you can't see through)
for the object lesson. (*Make
sure you choose an apple that is clearly defined so it is discernible
as an apple just by touching it.) Gather
ingredients for “dirt” treat cups (see below), along with any
supplies needed for any of the suggested activities you will be
doing. Also, find a picture of when the Brother of Jared sees the
finger of the Lord. You can find one at:
https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/brother-of-jared-seeing-finger-of-lord-39668?lang=eng
Opening Song:
When Faith Endures (Hymn # 128)
Opening Prayer
Attention
Grabber: Faith/Trust
Fall –
Ask a volunteer who trusts everyone in our family to come up. Have
all family members form two lines, facing each other, in front of the
couch (or a chair). Let the volunteer climb up on the couch (or
chair) and turn around (their back should be facing everyone else).
Have them close their eyes, cross their arms, and fall back on the
count of 3, promising them that your family will catch them. After
their experience, let them talk about their feelings. Take turns,
letting each family member who wants to have a turn, do so. After
everyone who wanted to has had a turn, discuss as a family how this
exercise required us to trust one another. Talk about how this is
what it means to have faith in God – it means we are trusting Him –
we believe in Him, and we believe His promises are sure.
“Establish
a House of God” scripture (D&C 88:119). Hold up laminated verse
and read it together (or recite it from memory, if everyone has it
memorized by now).
Lesson
Intro: ASK:
“Based on the activity we just did, who can guess which part of the
House of God scripture we're going to talk about today?” (Everyone
will most likely know the answer, so let them all call it out.)
“That's right: “A House of Faith!” Hold up “A House of Faith”
paper and say “Today we'll talk about how we can help make our home
a house of faith.”
Scripture:
Turn “A House of Faith” paper over and read
Alma 32:21
together.
ASK:
What do you learn from this scripture? What is faith?
Object
Lesson:
Place the pillowcase on your lap. (The
apple should already be inside the pillowcase.) SAY:
“Everyone will get a turn for this activity, so it is very
important that we don't tell anyone what is inside the bag so
everyone will get to have an opportunity to guess what is inside.”
Ask a volunteer to come up and feel what is inside and see if they
can guess what it is WITHOUT LOOKING, but remind them NOT to say what
it is because we want to keep it a secret until everyone has had a
turn so it will be fun for everyone. After everyone has had a turn,
let everyone call out the answer at the same time, since everyone
will most likely know what it was. Explain how this is like faith.
Just like we knew it was an apple because we could feel it, we can
know Heavenly Father and Jesus are real because we feel them with us.
Even though we haven't seen Heavenly Father and Jesus while we've
been on this earth, we can each know they are real because we feel
their presence (their Spirit) in our lives. This is what it means to
have faith. Read Alma 32:21 again and relate this experience to the
scripture.
Story:
Display
picture (see Prep).
Read
the scripture story in Ether 3 (especially verses 6-20) of when The
Brother of Jared had such incredible faith that He first saw the
finger of the Lord, and then all of the Lord. Contrast his experience
with that of Thomas in John 20:19-29. If you choose, you can watch
the following video about this scripture story:
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-01-011-blessed-are-they-that-have-not-seen-and-yet-have-believed?category=bible-videos-the-life-of-jesus-christ&lang=eng
Activity:
Toss
a bean bag around and let family members share experiences they've
had that have strengthened their faith in Christ. (Instead of bean
bag toss, older children/teens can do suggested activity #2 below).
Share
Your Testimony
Closing
Song: Faith (#96, Children's Songbook)
Closing
Prayer
Treat:
Make
“dirt cups” with crushed Oreos, gummy worms, and make little
flowers out of fruit roll-ups or fresh fruit (use tiny cookie cutters
to make flowers and attach them to shishkebab skewers). *As you're
making it, remind them of how faith is like a little seed and sing
the song with them, if you wish. Let them plant a seed (a raisin) in
their “dirt,” sprinkle a tiny bit of water on it, put it in the
sunshine and pretend to wait and wait. As they are waiting, they can
make their fruit flowers and sing the Faith song again. They can
pretend days have passed and they've continued to water their plant
every day so their seed starts to grow. They add their flower and
show everyone how watering their seed (of faith) helped their plant
(faith) to grow.
Suggested
Activities: Choose
one or more of the following, depending on the age and attention span
of your children. You
could also choose to do these activities throughout the week.
1.
Plant a real seed, water it daily, and watch it grow.
Let each child plant their own seed. Talk about how “faith is like
a little seed – if planted, it will grow” -- just like the song
and the scripture talk about. Sing the song again, if you wish. Make
sure they put it in a sunny spot and remember to water it daily so
they can watch their seed grow!
2.
Older children/teens – write
in their journals about an experience they've had that strengthened
their faith in God. Take turns letting them share/read these to your
family. Share your experiences too. Research faith-strengthening
experiences from your ancestors (whether they were pilgrims, new
converts in recent decades, or members all their lives) and read
these together as a family. Upload your own stories of faith to
ancestry.com so your relatives around the globe, and future
posterity, can read about your faith.
3.
Watch church video Finding
Faith in Christ
in the LDS Media Library on lds.org. You can also find it on the
Mormon channel.
A House of Learning
by Rosa Boynton
Lesson 5 in a series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Opening Song:
Search, Ponder, and Pray (#109,
Children's Songbook)
or As I Search
the Holy Scriptures (Hymn #277, for teens)
Opening Prayer
Attention
Grabber: It would be fun to
introduce this topic by playing one round of What in the World? (*see
game below) Let everyone have a turn to catch the ball and answer
“What in the world do you love to learn about?” After everyone
has answered this question, move on with the lesson, then come back
to play more rounds of the game later in the lesson.
Game: What in
the World? – Use an
inflatable globe, or a green/blue ball. Take turns tossing it to each
other and answering any of these questions: What in the world do you
love to learn about? (After answering this question, move on with the
lesson, then play more rounds later.) What in the world did you learn
today? What in the world do you want to learn about? What is
something you have learned from ___________ (fill in blank with a
family member's name, take turns with each family member's name)?
“Establish
a House of God” scripture (D&C 88:119) Hold up laminated verse
and read it together (or recite it from memory if everyone has it
memorized by now).
Lesson
Intro: ASK:
“Based on the activity we just did, who can guess which part of the
House of God scripture we're going to talk about today? (Let them all
call out to answer, since they most likely will all know and all want
to answer.) That's right: A House of Learning!” Hold up “A House
of Learning” paper and read it together.
Scriptures:
Turn “A House of Learning” paper over and read scripture
together: D&C
88:118.
*Additional
scriptures about learning and wisdom:
2 Nephi 32:8-9, Helaman 5:12
After
reading each scripture, ask: “What do we learn from this
scripture?” Let anyone who wants to, share what each scripture
means to them. Ask: How can we help make our home a house of
learning?
**Before
moving on to the story (so they can understand it's relevance to this
topic and how it links to these three scriptures), make the point
that we are wise when we hearken to God and build our lives upon
Jesus Christ, learning about and following the gospel principles He
teaches us in the scriptures and through His living prophets so we
can be kept safe from the storms of life.
Story:
The
Wise
Man and the Foolish Man.
After
reading the scripture story in Matthew 7:24-27, singing the song, (or
both), read
Helaman
5:12 and talk about the importance of building our lives on Christ –
making sure He is our foundation. *See Suggested Activity #1 below
for a fun object lesson for young children about this.
Share
Testimony
Closing
Song: The
Wise
Man and the Foolish Man
Activity:
Play
more rounds of What in the World? (ask other questions provided, or
come up with your own)
Treat:
Make
book treats out of Rice Krispies, Fig Newtons, or Hershey's gold
nuggets
Suggested
Activities:
Choose
one or more of the following, depending on the age and attention span
of your children. You
could also choose to do these activities throughout the week.
1.
The Wise Man and The Foolish Man Object Lesson
If
you have a sandbox in your backyard, or a sand table, then you could
use one of those for this object lesson. If not, then just use a
plastic bin or large tray. Make a sand castle/hill. Ask your child
if they remember the story of the wise man and the foolish man. If
they say, “Yes,” then let them summarize it and make the
connection between that and this example. If they say, “No,” then
start to remind them, pausing every now and then to see if they'll
start jumping in with the rest. After you've both talked about the
story, pour water over your sand castle and watch it wash away. Ask
them why it washed away. Ask them why the wise man built his home on
a rock? Then talk about why it's important for us to build our lives
on Jesus Christ.
Psalms
61:2 is also a beautiful verse to relate to this: “From the end of
the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is
overwhelmed: lead
me to the rock that is higher than I.”
**This
is also a really fun activity to do at the beach, the lake, or a
river bed (anywhere with plenty of sand and water). Often
the lessons our children remember most are the ones they learn in the
spur-of-the-moment, during their everyday activities. So, the next
time your child is making a sand castle (or just piling the wet sand
high to make a sand hill/tower), build one of your own and teach this
little analogy.
2.
Daily Application Activity:
“A House of Learning” PREP:
Print off a copy of “A House of Learning” chart (*see Attachments) and laminate it.
Hang up chart on the fridge, or another prominent place in your home.
Let family members write interesting facts they learn throughout the
week that they want to share with your family. Use a Vis-A-Vis
(erases with water) or dry-erase marker to write on the chart so it
can erase and you can re-use it throughout the years.
3.
Learn about and develop a Growth Mindset (*see Attachments). Say these phrases to your family (and yourself) so
you can all form healthy attitudes about learning and development
(i.e. being willing to make mistakes as you learn something new,
seeing challenges as opportunities to grow, the need for perseverance
to reach mastery over time).
Growth
Mindset is when “you
believe that the best way to learn is to work hard, and you don’t
mind making mistakes while you do it. You know that you can increase
your intelligence by learning, and you like a challenge.
People
who believe that they can increase their intelligence through effort
and challenge actually get smarter and do better in school, work, and
life over time.
They
know that mental exercise makes their brains grow smarter—the same
way that exercise makes an athlete stronger and faster. And they
are always learning new ways to work smart and build their brains.”
(from
Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset
website https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/)
*Additional
Resources to help you learn about and teach Growth Mindset in your
family:
https://www.edutopia.org/article/growth-mindset-resources?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
4.
Ask your child to draw a picture of what they want to be when they
grow up.
Older children/teens can write about it. Talk about how a college
education will help them reach this goal. Teens can research their
career field to find out what it requires (how much schooling, etc.)
and write their college plan for getting good grades, being active in
community service/church service/leadership roles, etc., as well as a
plan to save for college.
5.
Future Graduate
If
you still have your cap and gown from your high school or college
graduation, then bring it out and let your children try it on. You
could even make them a pretend diploma, filling in their college of
choice and career choice (depending on what they say they want to be
when they grow up). Snap a picture, and frame it, if you wish.
6.
Question Box
Cover an empty tissue box with construction paper/cardstock and
decorate your own Question Box. Whenever your children ask you a
question that you don't know the answer to, say: “That's a great
question! I don't know the answer, but let's find out together!”
Ask them to write it down (or you can write it, if they are too
young). Have a certain time of day/week when you take time to read
their questions from the question box and research the answers
together (make sure you have appropriate protection blocks working on
your computer if you are using the internet to research). **Side
note: It's really important for our children to see us as lifelong
learners so that they will become lifelong learners too! When our
children understand that their parents don't know everything (because
there is an endless amount of information to learn), then they are
less overwhelmed themselves (so the idea of lifelong learning doesn't
become daunting to them).
7.
Teens: study Elder Packer's conference talk “To Be Learned is Good
If”
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/10/to-be-learned-is-good-if?lang=eng
A House of Glory
by Rosa Boynton
Lesson 6 in a series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Opening Prayer
(song will come in a minute)
Lesson
Intro: Hold
up “A House of Glory” paper and say: “Today we're going to talk
about how we can help make our home a house of glory. First, we're
going to watch a video. As we watch it, I want you to think about
what makes the temple such a sacred place? What makes it a house of
glory?”
Opening Song
and Attention Grabber: Watch
“Come to the House of the Lord” by Steven Kapp Perry on YouTube
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MW7uV-R5jI). Sing along with the
chorus (or the whole song, if you know it). After watching it,
re-state your earlier questions. Also ask: What
kinds of things do people do to make the temple a house of glory?
What can we do to help
our home be a house of glory like the temple?
“Establish
a House of God” scripture (D&C 88:119). Hold up laminated verse
and read it together (or recite it from memory if everyone has it
memorized by now).
Scripture:
Turn “A House of Glory” paper over and read Alma
26:16
together.
ASK:
"What does this scripture mean to you? What do we learn
from this scripture? What does “glory” mean?" (wait for
responses)
SAY: The
Guide to the Scriptures teaches us: “In the scriptures, glory often
refers to God’s light and truth. It may also refer to praise or
honor and to a certain condition of eternal life or to the glory of
God.”
ASK:
"What things can we do to glorify God? How can we help make our
home a house of glory?" (Beautify our home, not just by keeping
it clean, or putting beautiful things inside and out of it, but more
importantly by keeping the spirit of our home clean and holy by doing
the things that invite the Lord's Spirit into our home: scripture
study, prayer, FHE, etc. We can also glorify God by sharing our
talents with each other in our home.)
Story:
Moses
4:1-2 Why was Jesus chosen? (Because He wanted Heavenly Father to
have the glory. He said, “and the glory be thine forever”)
Discuss
what this means. Sing I Lived in Heaven (#4, Children's Songbook,
especially verses 2 & 3). Alternatively, you could read
and discuss the story of the talents from Matthew 25:14-30. (*See
last line of this page and Spolight Activity below.)
Share
Your Testimony
Closing
Song:
Glory
to God on High (Hymn #67)
Activity:
Hold
a spur-of-the-moment “Family Talent Show,” or give people further
notice (if you have any family members who you know would appreciate
a heads up). Talk about how sharing our talents in our home helps us
to have a house of glory, because when we use the talents Heavenly
Father has given us, we are glorifying Him.
Treat:
This
idea comes from Shawni Eyre Pothier. Make a favorite family treat
together that involves combining many ingredients (ex. salsa, a fruit
smoothie, or even a fruit salad). Talk about how all the ingredients
work together to compliment each other, coming together to make a
delicious treat. On
her website, 71toes.com, Shawni explains: “During our “glory”
week I gathered everyone around in the kitchen and had each person
put a different ingredient in the blender. When we mixed them all
together they made our fav. salsa. I talked about how “glory” is
kind of a mixture of all the things we had been working on, and when
mixed together they make something wonderful.” When we work hard to
make our home like a temple -- a house of God, a house of prayer, a
house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, and a house
of order, we will also be bringing glory to God. These things will
keep us on the right track so we can return to live with our Heavenly
Father again. This is His “work and [His] glory: to bring to pass
the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Suggested
Activities: Choose
one or more of the following, depending on the age and attention span
of your children. You
could also choose to do these activities throughout the week.
1.
Family Art Gallery
Choose a wall in your home to create an art gallery of your family's
works of art. It does wonders to a child's self esteem to see their
own art in a beautiful frame, then hung up on a wall, or displayed in
a prominent place in your home! *Not only does this activity make
your home a house of glory by beautifying it, but it also glorifies
God by encouraging you to each use your creative talents. President
Uchtdorf has said, “Everyone can create. No matter our talents,
education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish
to create something that did not exist before.” **If you have
family members who doubt their ability to create, or don't recognize
their talents, I encourage you to read the entire section entitled
“The Work of Creation” from his talk “Happiness, Your
Heritage.” Here is the link:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/happiness-your-heritage?lang=eng
2.
Make Music Together – whether
using real instruments or just simple instruments that very young
children can play. Take turns playing the music while others dance,
then switch turns, so everyone gets a turn to glorify God in
different ways.
3.
Go to Ward Choir Together – Talk
about how singing is one way to praise or glorify God. Decide to
attend ward choir together long enough to perform at least one piece
with the choir in sacrament meeting. If your family enjoys it, then
come back again and make it a regular part of your Sunday routine.
4.
Spotlight : Talk
about how one way we can make our home “a house of glory” is by
using our talents to glorify God. Take turns making bookmarks for
each family member, writing their talents on it. Have one family
member at a time sit in a special seat of honor. Take turns going
around the room and letting everyone tell one of the talents this
family member has (remember to list spiritual talents and character
strengths too). Each family member can write their comment on this
person's bookmark, or you could have a designated scribe write down
their talents. After everyone has had a turn and has their bookmark
to look at, talk about how important it is to continually use our
talents so we can glorify God and bless the lives of others. Read and
discuss the story of the talents from Matthew 25:14-30. Talk about
what will happen to our talents if we choose not to use them.
Encourage them to keep their bookmark in their scriptures, or their
journal, or somewhere they will see it often to remind them to use
these wonderful talents Heavenly Father has blessed them with.
A House of Order
by Rosa Boynton
Lesson 7 in a series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Lesson 7 in a series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Prep:
1.
Make a small mess in one corner of the room where you'll be having
FHE.
2.
Bookmark pictures of the insides of temples on your phone (or load
them onto your t.v.) so they are ready to show at this part of the
lesson.
3.
Gather any supplies you'll need for organizing (*see Activity)
4.
Make any preparations for any of the suggested activities you wish to
do.
5.
Make sure you have all the ingredients you'll need for the treat of
your choice.
Opening Song:
Be Still My Soul (Hymn #124)
Opening Prayer
Attention
Grabber: *Talk
about the mess in the corner of the room. (If you forgot to do this
during prep, just empty a basket of toys or books and scatter it
around a little.)
ASK:
“How does it feel when things are messy?
What
problems can it cause when things aren't in order?” (People
can get hurt, it causes stress because people can't find things and
it makes us late, things can get broken or ruined, it adds a feeling
of stress and chaos instead of peace and order.)
LOOK:
at pictures of the insides of temples.
ASK:
“How does it look?” (clean, orderly, beautiful, etc.) “How do
you feel when you look at these pictures? How do you think you would
feel if you walked into the temple?” ( *If any of your children
have been to the temple, ask them if they'd like to share their first
impressions of the temple the first time they went in. Our oldest
daughter, Rachel, said that was the first thing she noticed the first
time she entered the temple: how clean and peaceful it was.)
“Establish
a House of God” scripture (D&C 88:119). Hold up laminated verse
and read it together (or recite it from memory if everyone has it
memorized by now).
Lesson
Intro: ASK:
“Based on the discussion we just had, who can guess which part of
Establishing a House of God we're going to talk about today?” (wait
for response) “That's right: A House of Order!” Hold up “A
House of Order” paper and read it together.
Scripture:
Turn “A House of Order” paper over and read Doctrine
& Covenants 132:8.
ASK:
“What
do you learn from this scripture? Do you feel like our home is a
house of order, or a house of confusion? In what ways is our home a
house of order? In what ways is it a house of confusion?” (*This
would be a good time to play “Confusion Galore” listed below in
the suggested activities, if this is an activity you wish to do.)
SAY:
“Let's look at our messy corner. Do messes create order, or
confusion, in our home? Why? What can happen when things are messy?”
(See answers above in “Attention Grabber” section.) “What do
you think we can do to help make our home a house of order, not a
house of confusion?”
SAY:
“Let's think about our Opening Song: Be Still My Soul. Why do you
think we sang that song for this lesson? What does it mean to “be
still?” How can making our home a house of order help us to “be
still?” Is it easier to “be still” and feel the Lord's spirit
with us when we are sitting in an orderly home, rather than a messy,
or chaotic environment?”
Share
Your Testimony
Closing
Song:
Love at Home
Activity:
Choose
one or more of the suggested activities below, depending on the age
and attention span of your children.
Treat:
Work
together to make one of your family's favorite treats.
ASK:
“Will our treat turn out if we don't follow the instructions in
order? What if I add the _____ before the _____ (fill in blanks with
ingredients you are using that won't work if you add them in a
different order)? What if we try baking it BEFORE we add the eggs?
Will it still turn out?” (wait for response) “That's right: we
have to follow the order of the recipe or it won't turn out.
Similarly, Heavenly Father has taught us the need for order in our
lives and homes so that our homes don't become places of confusion or
chaos where things don't turn out right.”
Suggested
Activities: You
could also choose to do these activities throughout the week.
1.
Make your Home a House of Order – Let
everyone choose an area of the home that needs to be organized and do
their best to put it in order. Give them baskets, bins, paper trays,
or other organizing compartments to use to organize the space. *Young
children find it helpful to have a picture of the item on the outside
of the bin/drawer/shelf. When everyone is finished, take a tour of
your newly organized home, celebrating the efforts of each family
member and thanking them for helping make your home a house a order.
2.
Confusion Galore – Ask
everyone to think of their favorite game. Tell them that when you say
“go,” you want them to explain the rules to their game to
everyone else. Say, “Go” and watch the confusion and chaos that
ensue as everyone tries to explain the rules of their game at the
same time. Once everyone looks sufficiently confused by the chaos,
signal everyone's attention back to you and restore order. Let
everyone take turns expressing the feelings they had during the
experience and tell what they learned about the need for order and
taking turns talking. Read and discuss D&C 88:122 together.
3.
Make a “Be Still” Box, or a Peaceful Box
(whichever you prefer to call it) – Choose a small box/tin for
every member of your family. If desired, print off a copy of My
Peaceful Place poem (found in my Poems tab on this blog) for each
person. Read it together, then put it in your box. You could also
print off a copy of the scripture “Be Still and Know that I am God”
(Psalms 46:10) and glue it to the top of the Be Still box. Each
family member can put special things in their box that help them feel
still/calm/peaceful inside. These things will most likely also help
us feel close to Our Heavenly Father because when we are feeling
still and peaceful inside, we are more able to feel the Lord's Spirit
with us.
Some
examples of some things you may want to put inside your Peaceful Box
are:
- a favorite picture of Christ
- beautiful items you've personally found in nature – because admiring nature is one of the easiest ways to “Be still and know that [He is] God.”
- a notebook where you can right down the whisperings of The Holy Ghost to your heart and mind during these quiet moments
- a mini Book of Mormon, or a few of your favorite scriptures that help you feel God's love for you and speak peace to your mind.
Set
aside some time every day to “Be Still,” and teach your children
to do the same. It is so important in our busy lives (and especially
in the chaotic time we live on Earth), to learn to “be still” and
feel our Heavenly Father's Spirit speak peace to our hearts and
minds. When we set aside special time for the Lord every day to be
still, to pray, and to study His scriptures, we are providing the
quiet time we need to listen to His voice so He can guide, prompt,
teach, and comfort us throughout our mortal journey here on Earth.
You
can also use your Peaceful Box whenever you are feeling like you need
to calm down or have peace restored to your heart. Take your peaceful
box with you to a quiet place (it's wonderful to find a spot in
nature so you can feel even closer to your Heavenly Father). Offer up
a heartfelt prayer to your Heavenly Father and then listen to the
Lord speak peace to your mind. Write down the comforting words you
feel your Heavenly Father fill your heart with. Look around and see
if there is an item from nature you want to add to your Be Still Box
to remind you of this experience. You can also take some time to go
through the other items in your peaceful box and remember the
peaceful moments you've experienced in the past as you touch each
item.
A House of God
by
Rosa Boynton
Lesson 8 in a series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Lesson 8 in a series of 8 on Establishing a House of God
Prep:
Print
out a picture of your home and a picture of your local temple. On one
side of cardstock, glue the picture of your home. On the other side,
glue the picture of the temple. Cut it into a simple jigsaw puzzle.
Laminate if desired. Scramble puzzle pieces and place on
ground/table, in area where you'll be having Family Home Evening,
with
picture of your home facing up.
Opening Song:
I Love to See the Temple
Opening Prayer
“Establish
a House of God” scripture (D&C 88:119). Hold up laminated verse
and read it together (or recite it from memory if everyone has it
memorized by now).
Attention
Grabber: SAY:
“Just like this scripture asks us to organize ourselves, we need
everyone's help organizing this puzzle.”
Direct
everyone's attention to the puzzle you laid out earlier. Instruct
them not to turn the pieces over while you're putting it together,
though, because you want them to guess what is on the back. Make sure
all family members (including parents) work together to put the
puzzle together (this will tie in to lesson later). Once your family
has assembled it and identified it as your home, SAY:
“Yay! We all worked together to organize our home! Now, what do you
think is on the back?” If they guess it right away, then read (1)
and (2) as reinforcement of the lessons we learn from this activity.
If they would like a clue, read numbers (1) and (2) out loud as the
clues (only the first sentence of number 2, or it will give it away
completely). If these clues don't help, then let them do number (3)
until they guess it. (1) Read D&C 88:119 again. (2) SAY:
“Just like we've been learning about in this scripture, when we
create a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a
house of learning, a house of glory, and a house of order, what else
are we making? That's right: a house of God! At the same time as you
were helping put our home in order (point to puzzle), you were also
making a house of God! Just like everyone needed to help put this
puzzle together, we need everyone's help to make our home a house of
God!” (3) Let them turn one piece over and peek (if it's not a
piece that has part of the temple on it, then let them choose another
until they see part of the temple). Once they've guessed it, go
back to number (2) above and read it (starting with the question at
the beginning again). Then,
let them flip the pieces over and put the puzzle of the temple
together.
Lesson
Intro: *Ask:
“Based on the activity we just did, who can guess which part of the
House of God scripture we're going to talk about today? That's right:
A House of God!” Hold up “A House of God” paper and read it
together.
Scripture:
Turn “A House of God” paper over and read Doctrine
& Covenants 109:16
together.
ASK:
What do you learn from this scripture? How can we make our home more
like a house of God?
Family
Survey: *See
instructions in Activity 2 below *Alternatively, you could do
Activities 3 and 4 here instead. *Families with younger children may
want to do Activity 1 instead.
Share
Your Testimony
Closing
Song: If
The Savior Stood Beside Me
Activity:
Do
any of the suggested activities below that would be appropriate and
enjoyable for your family.
Treat:
Sugar
Cookie Houses -- Let your children design their own home (or use home
shaped cookie cutters). As they are designing their cookie houses,
remind them that just like they are taking special care to make their
own beautiful home, we also need your special care to help make our
home like a temple. When they are finished making their cookie home,
add a steeple and an angel Moroni to the top of each roof, as a fun
visual reminder of our goal to transform our home into a temple.
Suggested
Activities: Choose
one or more of the following, depending on the age and attention span
of your children. You
could also choose to do these activities throughout the week.
1.
Eat a picnic lunch/dinner on the temple grounds with your family.
Walk
around the outside of the temple grounds. Let your family talk about
how they feel on the temple grounds. Do they feel peaceful? Can they
feel Heavenly Father's love for them? Do they feel the Holy Ghost
testifying that it is a House of God? Sing I Love to See the Temple.
Ask them if they would like their home to feel this peaceful, just
like a temple? Remind them that together your family can work hard to
help make your home like a temple. Talk about the chart at home (or
bring it so you can show it at this time of your lesson) that you've
been filling up with temples. *This
would be a great time to ask some of the questions in the Family
Survey below. Take
a picture together of your family in front of the temple and hang it
up right next to your family's Making our Home a House of God chart
(from the “Building a House of God” lesson) so they can have a
visual reminder of their goal to help make their home like a temple.
*Another sweet idea is to take a picture of your child at the temple.
Later, on your computer, add the words “I love to see the temple,
I'll go inside someday” to their personal picture. Print it out,
frame it, then hang it up in their bedroom (or display it on their
dresser) so they can have a visual reminder every day of their goal
to enter the temple someday.
2.
Family Survey:
Older children/teens can fill out a paper you've designed with
questions tailored to your family's needs (some sample questions are
on the next page). Families with younger children can ask the
questions out loud and listen to everyone's answers.
Introduce
the survey by saying something along the lines of: “If we truly
want our home to be a house of God, then let's take some time to
honestly evaluate what our home is like now, how close it is to
resembling a temple, and then think of ways we can help our home
become more like the house of the Lord.”
- What about our home reminds you of the temple? (In other words, in what ways is our home already like a temple?) What are we doing as a family that people also do in the temple?
- Is there anything in our home that is not like the temple? Do things happen in our home that you would never see happen in a temple of the Lord? What can we do to change these things?
- What is the overall feeling you have when you walk into our home? What feeling(s) do you want to have when you come home?
- Do you think our friends can feel the Lord's Spirit when they visit our home? Is it obvious to them that we are disciples of Jesus Christ --not only by the pictures on our wall, or The Book of Mormon on the couch –- but more importantly, can our visitors feel the Lord's Spirit in our home through the way we treat each other, how we choose to speak to each other, the music we choose to listen to, the language we use, the books/magazines we read, the movies/shows we watch, etc.? What do you think we could do to help our friends feel the Lord's Spirit more while they are in our home?
- What if that visitor was the Lord, himself? Do you think you would feel comfortable if Jesus came and knocked on our door right now? How about if He walked in the room right when some of us were arguing/fighting? *This leads right into next activity.
3.
Read poem “If Jesus Came to Your House” by
Lois
Blanchard Eades. You can find it at the following website:
http://www.godswork.org/enpoem4.htm.
Ask
if anyone wants to share their thoughts about the poem. Along these
same lines is the anonymous quote: “Christ is the center of our
home. A guest at every meal. A silent listener to every
conversation.” You may wish to post this quote, and/or a picture
of Christ on the wall by your dinning room table to help remind your
family to behave as you would if Jesus were visiting in your home.
Another thoughtful song that helps us reflect about this idea is the
primary song “If The Savior Stood Beside Me.” This would be a
great song to sing together, which is why I listed it as the closing
song on this lesson plan. *See Activity 4 for ideas on how to put
this into action in your home.
4.
Stand for Truth and Righteousness *This
goes along with Activity 3 above. Anytime you feel like Jesus
wouldn't be comfortable with whatever is happening in your home,
choose to stand for truth and righteousness by standing up and
walking out of the room. Your family may choose to make it a rule
that whenever someone chooses to “Stand for Truth and
Righteousness” we will stop whatever we're doing (whether it's a
conflict, a song that is on the radio, a movie or show on t.v.) and
quietly go ask the person why they left. If it was because they
didn't feel like the media we were watching/listening to was such
that Jesus would listen to/watch, then change it to something that we
would all feel comfortable watching if Jesus were sitting next to us.
If it was because the conversation or manner people were treating
each other wasn't what Jesus would want us to do/say, then talk
together as a family about how we can all treat each other in a more
Christlike, loving, and respectful manner. The primary song “I'm
Trying to Be Like Jesus” is a really good springboard for this
conversation, especially the chorus.
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