CFM for May 1-7 {Luke 12-17; John 11}

 This post contains a printable activity sheet, some quotes, teaching ideas, and links to videos which complement the material found in the Come, Follow Me reading for May 1-7, 2023.   Enjoy teaching your families and classes about these powerful stories from the New Testament!  

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PRINTABLE ACTIVITY SHEET:  this 1/2 page activity sheet would be great as a handout for kids in sacrament meetings, as a review for families, or as an attention getter in a church class. 

QUOTES: 

"This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer.

When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.

We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?

Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges." Dieter Uchtdorf, "Grateful in Any Circumstances", April 2014

"Now, if for any reason you individually or as a family have lost your way, then you need only apply the Savior’s teachings from Luke, chapter 15, to correct your course. Here the Savior tells of the effort of a shepherd searching for his lost sheep, of a woman searching for a lost coin, and of the welcome received by the prodigal son returning home. Why did Jesus teach these parables? He wanted us to know that none of us will ever be so lost that we cannot find our way again through His Atonement and His teachings. As you seek to live the gospel and doctrine of Christ, the Holy Ghost will guide you and your family. You will have a spiritual GPS to tell you always where you are and where you are going."  M. Russell Ballard, "That the Lost May Be Found", April 2012

TEACHING  IDEAS:   Hot and cold game!  Hide something valuable (ideally something the kids will be excited about, like some treats or something) and have the kids start looking for them.   Let them know when they are hot  (close) or cold (far away).  Use this as a launching point for discussion of the lost sheep, or the prodigal son. 

VIDEOS:  

Jesus Gives the Parables of the Prodigal Son
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_QCQ5i7NKs




The Prodigal Son
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCOPOrxU0Nc

 

Russell M Nelson on the Healing Power of Gratitude: 
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2020-11-1100-president-russell-m-nelson-on-the-healing-power-of-gratitude?lang=eng