Friday, July 22, 2016

If you...concentrate on the dark side, this is what you will see

"You have a choice. You can wring your hands and be consumed with concern for the future or choose to use the counsel the Lord has given to live with peace and happiness in a world awash with evil. If you choose to concentrate on the dark side, this is what you will see."

—Richard G. Scott, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "How to Live Well amid Increasing Evil," General Conference, April 2004
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/how-to-live-well-amid-increasing-evil?lang=eng&clang=ase

Monday, July 11, 2016

Sabbath ideas


• Make a Sunday album. Get a three-ring binder, some page protectors, and cardstock. Attach an illustration from a magazine such as the Ensign to a sheet of cardstock. On the facing page write an inspirational story from the life of the person in the photo. You can do the same thing with photographs of your ancestors by researching and including stories about their lives.
• Create Sunday games by cutting out and laminating the games that come in the Friend. If you need to write on them, use an overhead projector marker. The ink will wash off easily with a damp cloth.
• Make a family trivia game. Gather up information about relatives and use it to generate questions. Write each question on a card (for example, “Who served a mission in Rome, Italy?”) along with the answer. Take turns asking questions of the other players.
• Write a creative letter to a missionary or a loved one. Get a big piece of paper and have everyone in the family write on it in a different color and in a different direction. You can also write on a roll of adding machine tape or the plain side of wrapping paper.
• Ask family members to tell stories about “the good old days.” Have someone record the stories to include in a family history.
• Write notes or draw pictures of appreciation for your bishopric, neighbors, and family members. You can focus on a different person each Sunday.
• Make a list of blessings. In different colors of ink, write the names of the people and things you are thankful for on a roll of shelf paper. Number each item. The list will become quite long if you really think about your blessings and express your gratitude for them. Of course, you can use other paper instead, but you can roll the shelf paper into a scroll and tie a ribbon around it to remind you of your Heavenly Father’s love for you.
• Catch up on journal writing by taking time to write about recent events, or follow the counsel of President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, to reflect about how you have seen the hand of the Lord in your life.
• Hold a family council and decide how to serve others or how to focus your Sabbath observance on the Savior.
Whatever you do on Sundays, ask if the Savior would approve of the activity. Uplifting activities “inviteth and enticeth to do good continually” (Moroni 7:13). Ask yourself, “What message am I sending to God by what I do on the Sabbath day?” 

- Paula J. Lewis, "Making the Sabbath a Delight," Ensign, March 2016
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2016/03/making-the-sabbath-a-delight?lang=eng

The goal of gospel teaching is to help reach exaltation

"In the Church, the goal of gospel teaching is not to pour information into the minds of God’s children, whether at home, in the classroom, or in the mission field. It is not to show how much the parent, teacher, or missionary knows. Nor is it merely to increase knowledge about the Savior and His Church.

"The basic goal of teaching is to help the sons and daughters of Heavenly Father return to His presence and enjoy eternal life with Him. To do this, gospel teaching must encourage them along the path of daily discipleship and sacred covenants. The aim is to inspire individuals to think about, feel about, and then do something about living gospel principles. The objective is to develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to become converted to His gospel.

"Teaching which blesses and converts and saves is teaching which emulates the Savior’s example. Teachers who emulate the Savior’s example love and serve those they teach. They inspire their listeners with eternal lessons of divine truth. They live lives worth emulating."

- Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church, Ensign, March 2016, p. 4
https://www.lds.org/liahona/2016/03/learn-of-me?lang=eng