Come Follow Me Teaching Ideas and Resources for October 23-29, 2023 {1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon}

This blogpost features some  resources and ideas to complement the Come Follow Me (CFM) reading for October 23-29, 2023.    Click here for an index and links to my CFM blogposts for other weeks.

PRINTABLE ACTIVITY SHEET:   

These 1/2 page activity sheets are designed to be printed double-sided and cut in half.  They're geared for ages 8-14, but littler kids love the coloring pages and older kids/kids at heart often enjoy the activities.  They're perfect to use as attention getters or as reviews in your classes or families.  Our ward hands them out along with the sacrament program each week.




TEACHING IDEA:   SCRIPTURES ARE LIFE'S GPS: 

Ask your class/family what they do when they want to find somewhere they've never been before.   Allow them some time to answer and lead them (if they don't come up with it on their own) to how nice it is to use the  Maps or GPS app on your phone.   Talk a little about how nice it is that the GPS can tell you not only where you are right now, but the best route to get to a place you've never been before.   
  Then tell them that you're hoping to live with God again someday and you want to know the way to "heaven" or the "Celestial Kingdom"  (whatever terminology is best for your students).  Open up the GPS App on your phone and type in “Heaven” or "Celestial Kingdom" for the destination .  Show them your results and ask them if any of that looks like it will be helpful information to finding your way to live with God again.  

Ask them if they know of any better ways to learn the way to get back to God.   There are lots of right answers you can discuss here, including praying, listening to our leaders at General Conference, reading the scriptures, etc.   All these are great answers and worth discussing more.   

To finish up,  read, 2 Timothy 3:16:  "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."  

Bear testimony that the scriptures are a good GPS for our life and that by reading the scriptures we can learn more about Jesus and even get a better idea of how we're doing on our journey.   Jesus is the best example of all and if we do our best to follow Him, repent when we mess up, and make sure we take some quiet time each day to connect with God and make sure we are on the "covenant path," someday, through Christ's love and atonement, we will be able to live with God again.    

QUOTES:   

"Likewise, those who have faith and the word of God deep in their hearts will be able to absorb and overcome the fiery darts that the adversary will surely send to destroy us. Otherwise, our faith, hope, and conviction may not endure, and like the empty microwave oven, we could become a casualty.

I have learned that having the word of God deep in my soul, coupled with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, allows me to draw upon the power of God to overcome the adversary and anything he may throw at me. As we face challenges, we can rely upon the promise of the Lord taught by Paul: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  "Enduring Power," Elder Kelly R. Johnson, October 2020

"Recently, as I have been reading and pondering the scriptures, two passages in particular have stayed with me. Both are familiar to us. The first is from the Sermon on the Mount: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The second scripture is one which came to my mind as I pondered the meaning of the first. It is from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to Timothy: “Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
I believe the second scripture explains, in great part, how we can accomplish the first. We become examples of the believers by living the gospel of Jesus Christ in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. As we do so, our lights will shine for others to see.

Each of us came to earth having been given the Light of Christ. As we follow the example of the Savior and live as He lived and as He taught, that light will burn within us and will light the way for others." "Be An Example and a Light," Thomas S. Monson, October 2015


VIDEOS: 

2 Timothy 4:  I Have Kept the Faith/ The Apostle Paul Endures to the End   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjlyUNAi7Oc



2 Timothy 3:  A Prophecy of the Last Days  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWbWqN8Hm3A


Book of Philemon Summary:  A Complete Animated Overview (not a church produced video)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9Q3Jt6Yvk




ENJOY LEARNING THE GOSPEL TOGETHER!!!