September 29 - Becoming

Since the power was out last week and church services minimized, we continued our discussion about commandments this week.  We focused on why we have commandments and how keeping the commandments benefits and ultimately blesses us.  We discussed the roles adversity, affliction, and the Lord's chastening play in helping us learn, grow, and make course corrections.  Our ultimate goal is to become like the Savior.

In preparation for General Conference next week and for next month's Sunday School lessons on the topic "Becoming More Christlike," I've asked students to read and ponder the following conference talks:

• Dallin H. Oaks, "The Challenge to Become"
• Neal A. Maxwell, "Becoming a Disciple"

I've also asked students to write down some ways that they have been inspired to become more Christlike based on what they hear in conference.  I'm excited to hear what they have to say in the coming weeks!

References

Jesus Is Found in the Temple by Carl Heinrich Bloch 

September 15 - The Purpose of Commandments

 

Did God give us commandments so we would feel restricted or hampered in what we wanted to do?  Is His goal to make us miserable by making every day an unending checklist that we inevitably fail at accomplishing?

Sometimes, life may feel like that. Especially when we feel overwhelmed or challenged, we need to remember that the commandments are a gift. A loving Heavenly Father didn't send us to earth without giving us instructions on how to return to him and on how to be happy and avoid making choices that would heap misery on us.  The commandments are a gift.  Without having to learn solely through trial and error, we can largely avoid the pitfalls of having agency by following Christ's teachings and his example.  That's not to say we won't have trials--we will.  But we can avoid heaping additional burdens on ourselves, and we'll have opportunities to experience real joy and lasting peace, if we follow His instruction manual.  And more than keeping a checklist of dos and don'ts, we should focus on becoming who the Lord wants us to be... which is "even as [He is]" (3 Nephi 27:27).

In class today, students read parts from the following talks:

Robert D. Hales, "If Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commandments"
Dallin H. Oaks, "The Challenge to Become"
D. Todd Christofferson, "As Many As I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten"
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Forget Me Not"

Some of the key ideas that I hope the students came away from class with include the following:

• "[The] commandments are loving instructions provided by God our Father for our physical and spiritual well-being and happiness while in mortality.  Commandments allow us to know the mind and will of God regarding our eternal progression.  And they test our willingness to be obedient to His will." (Robert D. Hales)
• "The commandments are not a burden or a restriction.  Every commandment of the Lord is given for our development, progress, and growth." (Robert D. Hales)
• "It takes courage to keep the commandments.  To fail to do so because of peer pressure is to have the fear of man--to be more afraid of what man thinks about us than what God thinks about us.  I have never understood why someone would have a greater concern about man's opinion than about God's opinion." (Robert D. Hales)
• "Each of us is free to accept or reject the commandments, but none of us is free to modify them to suit our personal preferences.  Priesthood leaders do not have the right to change revealed principles and commandments just for the sake of being popular with the world.  Nor do prophets have the authority to alter God's commandments in order to make them more palatable to those who are weak in their resolve to live worthily." (Robert D. Hales)
• "Living the commandments brings us into harmony with Deity; we become one in purpose with the Father and the Son.  When we are one with God, we walk with spiritual light.  Our diligence in keeping the commandments allows the Holy Ghost to dwell within us.  We are given the gift of personal revelation.  This is a spiritual light that protects us and serves as a beacon, guiding us in righteous ways.  It dispels the darkness of the adversary.  So powerful is this light that it can reach us even when we are drawn into a black hole of sin so deep and so dark that we believe no spiritual light could even penetrate." (Robert D. Hales)
• "In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something." (Dallin H. Oaks)
• "The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan by which we can become what children of God are supposed to become.  This spotless and perfected state will result from a steady succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions, an accumulation of right choices, and from continuing repentance. . . . Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become." (Dallin H. Oaks)
• "The . . . experience of enduring chastening can refine us and prepare us for greater spiritual privileges." (D. Todd Christofferson)
• "Divine chastening has at least three purposes: (1) to persuade us to repent, (2) to refine and sanctify us, and (3) at times to redirect our course in life to what God knows is a better path." (D. Todd Christofferson)
• "If we sincerely desire and strive to measure up to the high expectations of our Heavenly Father, He will ensure that we receive all the help we need, whether it be comforting, strengthening, or chastening." (D. Todd Christofferson)
• "Let us not walk the path of discipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us.  Let us not walk unaware of the beauty of the glorious earthly and spiritual landscapes that surround us." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)
• "In our diligent efforts to fulfill all of the duties and obligations we take on as members of the Church, we sometimes see the gospel as a long list of tasks that we must add to our already impossibly long to-do list, as a block of time that we must somehow fit into our busy schedules.  We focus on what the Lord wants us to do and how we might do it, but we sometimes forget the why. . . . While understanding the 'what' and the 'how' of the gospel are necessary, the eternal fire and majesty springs from the 'why.'. . .The 'what' and the 'how' of obedience mark the way and keep us on the right path.  The 'why' of obedience sanctifies our actions, transforming the mundane into the majestic.  It magnifies our small acts of obedience into holy acts of consecration." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

References

Photo by Lori Allred

Hales, Robert D. (April 1996). "If Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commandments." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Downloaded from http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/04/if-thou-wilt-enter-into-life-keep-the-commandments?lang=eng on 9/8/2013.

Oaks, Dallin H. (October 2000). "The Challenge to Become." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Downloaded fromhttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-challenge-to-become?lang=eng on 9/8/2013.

Christofferson, D. Todd. (April 2011). "As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Downloaded from http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/as-many-as-i-love-i-rebuke-and-chasten?lang=eng on 9/8/2013.

Uchtdorf, Dieter F. (October 2011). "Forget Me Not." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Downloaded from http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-relief-society-meeting/2011/09/forget-me-not?lang=eng on 9/8/2013.

September 1 - Our Family Visions and Our Eternal Destinies

We commenced our discussion of what we would like for our future families by discussing the ideas the students had come up with during the last week about the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, temporal, physical, and experiential aspects of life that would be in place in the students' ideal future family situation.

I then shared a couple of personal experiences. The first was to illustrate that sometimes we assume other people don't have a vision of their families or hopes or dreams for the future, because their visions are so different from ours. We need to take care to really hear those we care about, so that we can work toward a plan that can meet every family member's needs, wants, and dreams, as much as possible.

The other experience underscored the importance of honestly and openly discussing family priorities with future spouses and really striving to ensure that priorities are largely in synch with each other before getting married. If spouses don't have similar values and visions, or if they purposefully mislead each other, that can quickly lead to marital misery.

We then talked about how, even if we plan to the best of our ability, life doesn't always work out the way that we hoped or dreamed. We need to be willing to adapt to the Lord's vision for our lives and our families.

I played an audio clip from a commencement address that Elder Hugh B. Brown of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave at Brigham Young University in 1968. He was in his 80s talking to a group of young 20-somethings who were about to graduate, and he wanted them to know about God, their relationships with God, and His plan for their lives. In the context of this discourse, he shared what has since become known in some circles as "The Parable of the Currant Bush." I wanted the students to hear his testimony in his own voice. I remember that I first heard it when I was about their age, and it changed my life.

The full audio of his devotional address can be found here:

Hugh B. Brown, "God Is the Gardener"

Edited print versions of the currant bush story can be found here:

Hugh B. Brown, "The Currant Bush" (published in 1973)
Hugh B. Brown, "The Currant Bush" (republished in 2002)

I'll share a few words here: "There are many of you who are going to have some very difficult experiences: disappointment, heartbreak, bereavement, defeat. You are going to be tested and tried to prove what you are made of. I just want you to know that if you don’t get what you think you ought to get, remember, 'God is the gardener here. He knows what he wants you to be.' Submit yourselves to his will. Be worthy of his blessings, and you will get his blessings."

References

Photo by Lori Allred

Hugh B. Brown (1973). "The Currant Bush." The New Era, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Downloaded from http://www.lds.org/new-era/1973/01/the-currant-bush?lang=eng on 9/1/2013. 

August 25 - Principles of Eternal Marriage and Forever Families

At the end of last week's lesson, students requested that we spend some time talking about how we can create eternal families and what they can do now to prepare. This topic is definitely in line with the general Sunday School topic for the month, although none of the lesson outlines addressed it specifically. So, I went to the church's website at lds.org and searched through conference talks by general authorities. We used the following articles as our lesson text:

Russell M. Nelson, "Nurturing Marriage"
Russell M. Nelson, "Celestial Marriage"
L. Tom Perry, "The Importance of the Family"
Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Tongue of Angels"
Jennifer Grace Jones, "Nine Principles for a Successful Marriage and Family"

Each student read a piece of one of the articles, and then we discussed as a class what they learned from their articles about the importance of marriage and family, what makes marriages and families successful, and how they can help.

At the end of class, I gave each student a planner with six areas of life printed on it:

Spiritual Life
Mental/Intellectual Life
Emotional Life
Temporal/Financial Life
Physical Life
Experiential Life

I asked them to think about the vision they have for their future families and what each of those aspects of life will look like--for them as individuals, for their spouses, for their children, and for their families as a whole. Then, next week, we will discuss what they come up with.

References

Photo by Lori Allred

August 18 - Obstacles to Creating Eternal Marriages and Families

What is the purpose of this mortal life?  To discover the answer to this question, we first considered God's purpose: "For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

If His work and His glory are to make possible our immortality and eternal life, our infinite happiness, then that's what we should be engaged in as well.  Class members offered perspectives on how we can participate fully in God's plan of happiness.  We can keep the Lord's commandments, develop personal virtues like honesty, serve and care for others, learn to live by the Spirit, receive sacred ordinances, make and keep covenants with God, and ultimately create eternal families.  We can't be exalted, or be truly happy, alone.  The most meaningful, fulfilling parts of life come from developing lasting relationships with other people and with deity.

So what gets in our way?  We make mistakes, we fall short, we succumb to temptation.  The most enticing temptations are those that seem close to the truth.  A 100% lie is easily detectable, but a 1% lie can often masquerade for the truth, and over the course of time, can lead us to a far different destination than the one we seek.  We need to be vigilant about seeing truth and making course corrections, so that we will arrive safely at our desired destination. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "A Matter of a Few Degrees")

What causes temptations to become particularly enticing? Peer pressure can be a driving factor.  Curiosity.  Ignorance of consequences.

Satan is a master at crafting counterfeits--activities that appear to be fun and exciting, but that don't fulfill the real human need. His counterfeits include:

• Living together in place of faithful marriage and family
• Substance use and abuse (of drugs, including alcohol and tobacco) in place of internal peace
• Fantasies in place of meaningful relationships
• Virtual reality in place of life

What other counterfeits does Satan create?  How does he then ensnare us with them?
 
After engaging in temptation a few times, habit and addiction can set in, lessening our resistance to other temptations, and impacting our relationships with other people.

One such example is the pernicious prevalence of pornography, the secrecy that results, the trust that's destroyed.  We then discussed the long-term consequences of engaging in pornography.  We followed the life trajectory of one of my friends, who was first exposed to pornography as a 10-year-old, how it impacted his perspective and his choices, led to more deviant behavior, and caused him regret and further suffering while preparing for his mission, when he later wanted to be married in the temple, and now in his marriage.   We focused on pornography's impact on relationships with self, God, spouse, and children and on achieving individual and family goals.   (Another example can be found in this article for the youth on the Church's website: My Battle with Pornography.)
 
We also read from the following conference talks:

• Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Tragic Evil Among Us"
• Jeffrey R. Holland, "Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul"
• Dallin H. Oaks, "Pornography"
• Thomas S. Monson, "Pornography--The Deadly Carrier"

As mentioned in the Ensign, "Pornography lures people of all types and ages." Patrick Trueman, former chief of the U.S. Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Criminal Division said, "'We have in America today a crisis of pornography.'"  As the keynote speaker at the ninth annual Utah Coalition Against Pornography, he related "how the $97 billion pornography industry has addicted men, women, and even children across the United States and is destroying marriages, families, and lives."

Trueman further explained how the addiction process works: "Pornography hijacks the brain by fueling dopamine production, which provides excitement, but no endorphins are emitted to help the brain feel satisfied. . . . This cycle leads users to fall deeper and deeper into their addiction as they seek a satisfaction that will never come." (Source: "Education Is Key to Protecting Families from Pornography")

Pornography is a trap meant to prevent people from developing meaningful family relationships by causing individuals to view and use others as objects or tools for short-term pleasure, while costing lasting satisfaction and happiness.

I urged my students to listen to the Spirit and to stay as far away from it as they can.  If they have a problem, to seek help immediately and to openly communicate with those who can help them, including their parents.  This topic is sensitive and uncomfortable to talk about--for all of us.  I felt very prompted to give this lesson, and I hope the students felt the Spirit and continue to feel inspired to make right choices.

In the event that parents or families want to discuss this topic further, I'd also recommend reading "Talking to Youth about Pornography" by licensed clinical social worker Dan Gray for some further insights.

Credits
Photo: Lori Allred 

June 9 - Priesthood Responsibilities

At the beginning of class, we shared our good news from the week--birthday parties, sleepovers, sporting events, beating personal records, etc.  As part of that, I also shared some chocolate that I brought back from France for the students.  They loved the chocolate, but they had some strong opinions about whether the chocolate was worth the expense!

This week, we focused on understanding the basics about the Priesthood.  We broke into groups, and each group read a passage from the scriptures:

Connor & Scott - Doctrine & Covenants 84:33-44
Emily, Isabel, & Maile - Doctrine & Covenants 20:46-59
Jaxon & Justin - Doctrine & Covenants 121:34-46

We then used these scriptures as a springboard for discussing the duties of different priesthood offices, the oath and covenant of the priesthood, and the sacred obligation to adhere to principles of righteousness.

I then asked the students if they had any personal experiences with the priesthood that they'd like to relate.

We closed with a video depicting a story about an 18-year-old who was prepared to exercise the priesthood when spiritually prompted:

Scott - Sanctify Yourselves

Carter also sent me his video, but since he wasn't able to be in class today, we'll wait to hear from him next week along with a couple other students!

Speaking of next week... I'm preparing a special Father's Day lesson about the priesthood that I'm really looking forward to.  To make the discussion more relevant, I'd love if each student could do a little preparation beforehand.  Please ask your parents about your name:

• Where did your name come from?
• Are you named after anyone or anything in particular?  Why?
• What is the significance or meaning of your name?
• Why did your parents choose your name for you?
• How does your name reflect your heritage?
• How does your name demonstrate your parents' hopes for you and your life?

Anything you can find out along these lines will be so helpful for our discussion!

References

Thomas S. Monson. Photo by Brian Tibbets. Used under Wikimedia Commons License. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_S_Monson.jpg on 6/12/2013.

June 2 - Prophets and the Priesthood

We finished up our prophet presentations.  Each of the students did a marvelous job researching the prophets' lives, sharing their discoveries, and discussing the prophets' messages and testimonies!  They were resourceful in getting information from scriptures, biographies and other church literature, church websites, Internet search engines, and Wikipedia.

To conclude our discussion of prophets, I shared some insights from President Spencer W. Kimball's life, including his diminutive stature, his love of sports, his battle with throat cancer though he'd never smoked or used tobacco in his life, and his struggle to accept his calling as an apostle:

"On 8 July 1943, while having lunch at home, Kimball received a telephone call from J. Reuben Clark, then the first counselor to church president Heber J. Grant, notifying him that he had been called to fill one of the vacancies. Kimball was initially so shocked by the call that he asked Clark's permission to ponder it for several days before coming to Salt Lake City to meet with him in person as part of a previously scheduled family trip. After the phone call, Kimball's desire to accept the calling was overwhelmed by feelings of self-doubt and incompetence. Kimball's wife recounted that, although he was not prone to tears, he afterward lay on the floor of their home and wept uncontrollably as she tried to comfort him.

"The following week, Kimball and his wife went as planned to Boulder, Colorado, to visit their oldest son, Spencer LeVan, and his family. Unable to sleep and having begun to fast, Kimball around midnight began climbing a nearby mountain to seek solace from his intense emotional struggle with his own feelings of inadequacy and doubt. He later wrote of the experience, 'How I prayed! How I suffered! How I wept! How I struggled!' After falling asleep on the mountain shortly after sunrise, Kimball recorded dreaming of his grandfather Heber C. Kimball and his life, and found that it had brought peace to his worries. He later wrote: 'My tears were dry, my soul was at peace. A calm feeling of assurance came over me, doubt and questionings subdued...and I felt nearer my Lord than ever at any time in my life.'

"Kimball traveled to Salt Lake City, where he met with David O. McKay, then second counselor to Grant. McKay assured Kimball of his call to the apostleship, and Kimball formally accepted. The news was released immediately, and Kimball was sustained by the LDS membership at the October 1943 General Conference. He was ordained an apostle and added to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Salt Lake Temple on 7 October 1943, by Heber J. Grant." ("Spencer W. Kimball", wikipedia.org)

Then, I introduced the new topic for this month: Priesthood and Priesthood Keys, and we closed with a couple of inspiring stories:

Emily - Dare to Stand Alone
Maile - Hearing His Voice 

These videos were great, and I really appreciate Emily and Maile for remembering and for their willingness to go first!  I also can't wait to see what the other students share!

References

Spencer W. Kimball. Photo by Brigham Young University. Dept. of Religious Education; Brigham Young University. In public domain. Originally from Harold B. Lee Library, Digital Collections, Religious Education Image Archive. Courtesy of LDS Church Archives. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spencer_W._Kimball.JPG on 6/2/13.

"Spencer W. Kimball: Called to the Quorum of the Twelve (1943)". Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_w_kimball on 6/12/13.

May 26 - Prophets of Our Times

Today, class members gave short 3- to 5-minute talks during the majority of class time.  They presented information they'd researched about the lives and messages of recent prophets.  Some of the questions they answered were:

• Which Prophet did you choose?
• Where and when did he live, and what was going on in the world at the time?
• What did you find out about his life that you didn’t know before… and that you really liked?
• How did he become a Special Witness?
• What was one of his special messages from God?  Why is that message important?  How can we live by what he taught?

Those who didn't have a chance to share this week are invited to share next week!  If students need a topic, feel free to contact me!

As a class, we also discussed the kinds of activities for class that we'd like to do over the summer.  Some of the suggestions are:

• Bring an object from home that reminds us about a topic, and then share our feelings about that object
• Share church videos from lds.org and discuss why their messages are relevant to the youth today
• Bring a favorite conference talk and share it with the class

If anyone has other suggestions, feel free to add to the comments, send an email, or call or text me!

Assignment (due June 1 at 11:59 p.m.):  For next Sunday, we decided to share church videos from lds.org that are particularly meaningful to them.  Because the WiFi at the church building is too slow for live streaming, I've asked the students to call, email, or text me at least a day in advance with information about the videos they would like to share.  That way, I can download them and have them ready to go in time for class.
 
I'm conscious of not sharing personal information online, so please find addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses in the church directory at lds.org.  Thanks ahead of time for your support!

References

Heber J. Grant.  Photo by Associated Students of Brigham Young University. In public domain. Originally from Brigham Young University; Associated Students of Brigham Young University (1923) (in english) The Banyan, 1923, Provo, Utah , Utah: Student body of Brigham Young University, p. 5 Archived from the original on 2010. Call number: DBB7014. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Heber_J_Grant.jpg on 5/26/2013.

May 19 - The Testimony of a Prophet

Today in class, we discussed what it would take to develop a testimony as strong as a prophet's--the cycle of studying scriptures and conference talks, pondering, struggling with questions, praying to seek guidance from Heavenly Father, and remaining faithful until the answers come.

Due to the students' stresses with finals and final projects, I also gave them another week to work on their mini-assignments for Sunday School.  Last week, they'd each signed up to learn more about a particular prophet and share their findings with the class in 3-5 minutes.

The prophets they selected are:

Brigham Young - Connor
John Taylor - Isabelle
Wilford Woodruff - Justin
Lorenzo Snow -
Joseph F. Smith -
Heber J. Grant - Maile
George Albert Smith -
David O. McKay - Carter
Joseph Fielding Smith -  Scott
Harold B. Lee -
Spencer W. Kimball - Sis. Arthur
Ezra Taft Benson -
Howard W. Hunter - Jaxon
Gordon B. Hinckley - Emily
Thomas S. Monson -

If a student was absent or needs help, please feel free to have him or her text or call me!  Otherwise, I'll look forward to hearing from them next week!

References

Spencer W. Kimball. Photo by Associated Students of Ricks College, ed. Christie Williams and LeeAnn Roberts. In public domain. Originally from (1976) The Rixida: Annual Publication of the Associated Students of Ricks College, p. 39. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spencer_W._Kimball3.JPG on 5/19/2013.