Printable Come, Follow Me Lesson Ideas and Activity Page for Exodus 14-18 {April 19}

 HAPPY EASTER!

Below you will find some teaching ideas and an original, completely free 1/2 page activity sheet that aligns with the Come Follow Me reading for Exodus 14-18.   The crossword and/or word searches are a great way to review or introduce the concepts from the reading for Primary, Sunday School, or families.   Our home ward hands them out along with the sacrament programs, so that people of all ages can enjoy them.   I hope you enjoy this fun way to learn the gospel together.  

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"Stand Still, and See the Salvation of the Lord" 

Guess the word game:   Using a hangman style game (I recommend drawing a snowman piece by piece, instead of drawing a hanging man), have your class guess the word,   DELIVERANCE.  (11 letters) 

Talk about the deliverance of the Children of Israel (after they experienced great fear) and relate it to ways that the Lord delivers us in modern times.   I love how the CFM manual talks about the Lord doing a "great work" in our lives.  What are some of those great works?     

Discuss some of the symbolism found in these chapters: 

Manna:   I think manna  symbolizes divine providence, daily dependence on God, and spiritual sustenance. It represents God’s grace in meeting immediate needs, a test of obedience, and a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the "Bread of Life".  Discuss some ideas of ways we can turn to God daily.  

Wilderness:  I think it's interesting that the Lord didn't lead the Children of Israel directly to the promised land, but had them wander in the wilderness first.  Ask your class for some other scripture stories where people end up in the wilderness  and discuss how God meets each of them where they are in each story.   What is the symbolism of the wilderness in our modern lives? A place where we must walk by faith rather than sight, relying on the Lord to "prepare the way"

The Israelites’ 40-Year Journey (Exodus/Numbers): After escaping Egypt, the Israelites wandered the wilderness of Sinai. It was a period of preparation, where they learned to trust God for daily survival (manna, water) rather than relying on human strength.
Jesus’ Temptation (Matthew 4:1-11): Following his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the Judean wilderness. There, he fasted for 40 days and overcame temptation by the devil, relying on scripture to remain obedient, serving as a direct contrast to Israel's disobedience in their own wilderness.
Moses at Mount Sinai/Horeb (Exodus 3): After fleeing Egypt, Moses tended sheep in the wilderness of Midian. God met him at the burning bush in this barren place, turning a moment of exile into his calling to liberate Israel.
Elijah’s Desert Journey (1 Kings 19): Exhausted and in despair after fleeing Queen Jezebel, Elijah traveled into the wilderness. God provided for him and met him in a "still small voice," strengthening him for continued prophetic work.
Hagar in the Wilderness (Genesis 16/21): After escaping abuse, Hagar found herself in the desert, where an angel met her at a well, providing hope and promising a blessing for her family.
John the Baptist (Matthew 3): John preached repentance in the wilderness of Judea before Jesus' ministry, symbolizing a place of preparation and return to God.
Lehi and Sariah’s Family (1 Nephi 2–18): Leaving Jerusalem, they face trials, find sustenance, and receive the Liahona, learning that God will light their path in the wilderness.
The Brother of Jared (Ether 2–3): The Lord directs them in a desert, commanding them to build barges and speaking to them in a cloud.
The Sons of Mosiah (Alma 17:9): They fast and pray for strength in the wilderness to prepare for their mission among the Lamanites.

Rock:   Helaman 5:12  would be a great scripture to use alongside Exodus 17 and your discussion about how Christ can be our rock.   Discuss what it looks like to have Christ as our foundation in modern times.    


Click here to access the printable activity sheet on Google Drive.

Original Come, Follow Me Activity Sheet and Teaching Ideas for Exodus 7-13 {Apr 12}

 Below you will find some teaching ideas and an original, completely free 1/2 page activity sheet that aligns with the Come Follow Me reading for Exodus 7-13.   The crossword and/or word searches are a great way to review or introduce the concepts from the reading for Primary, Sunday School, or families.   Our home ward hands them out along with the sacrament programs, so that people of all ages can enjoy them.   I hope you enjoy this fun way to learn the gospel together.  

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"Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt."  


SOME TEACHING IDEAS: 
Plague charades or pictionary:   have each of the plagues written on a piece of paper and have members of the class either act out or draw it, while class members guess

Hard/soft heart demonstration (from here):  

Latter-Day Kids:  Soft Heart Video 



Click here to access this printable activity page on Google Drive..

D&C / CHURCH HISTORY CFM Activity Sheet and Thoughts on D&C 6-9 (Feb 9)

 This blogpost features a half-sheet activity page to complement the Come Follow Me (CFM) reading for  February 3-9, which includes Doctrine and Covenants 6-9.    Click here for an index and links to my CFM blogposts for other weeks.

These activity sheets are designed to print double-sided and cut in half.  They're perfect for reviewing or introducing the content found in the Come, Follow Me reading each week and would be great used in a classroom or home setting.   I have no children at home, nor do I have a calling working with youth, so I copy these to be handed out with the sacrament programs each week.  Kids, teens, and adults enjoy them. 

THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITY SHEET LINK (in case it's not showing below)

My kids are all grown up now, but I still love learning what the new youth theme is for each year and the 2025 theme came from this week's CFM reading.

“Look unto me in every thought. Doubt not, fear not,”   Doctrine and Covenants 6:36

This year's theme was particularly meaningful for me, because there have been many times in my life when I've faced doubt and fear.   Cancer, epilepsy, job losses, moves, and other such trials have a tendency to do that! I used to worry that I might be wrong for experiencing those kind of negative emotions, but lately I've come to look at this scripture very differently.   Instead of an admonition to just grin and bear it because you know about the Savior, I now view it more like this painting. 

I love the imagery of Christ looking so tenderly at His child and I can just envision Him saying,

"Doubt not, little one, that I love you.   And fear not, for my love for you is unconditional.  Your life will not be easy, but look to me and feel my love."  

He doesn't chasten or judge us for being human.   Of course we will feel doubt and fear in our lives, but when we look to Him, there is one thing we never need to doubt--His love. 

Enjoy learning the gospel together.  💗

What Does it Mean to Live the Doctrine of Christ? (YW and Aaronic Priesthood Lesson)

Me, my daughter, and husband are all separately teaching this lesson on Sunday. Here are a few thoughts on teaching that we’ve gathered in our studies this week.

First, before we really get down to discussing what it means to LIVE the Doctrine of Christ, let’s first discuss what actually is the Doctrine of Christ? Lucky for us, the “Come, Follow Me” reading for this week gives us the answers and in plain terms.   Don't you just love how Nephi uses a variation of the word "PLAIN" three times in two sentences in 2 Nephi 31:2-3?  😂 It's like he really wants us to know that the doctrine of Christ is not meant to be complicated.

  I created this visual, based on the episode of “Don’t Miss This” for this week. {By the way, if you don’t watch or listen to the “Don’t Miss This” podcast yet, you’re missing out! They really add a lot of insight and perspective to my CFM studies each week.}   So, I was going to draw this hand large on the board (or you could have it printed out if you prefer) and have them look up the scriptures and fill in the blanks.  This could be a group activity with the class looking up the scriptures one at a time and filling it in together, or you could have them fill it out individually first, then discuss each part afterward.  I think they definitely should be copying this visual down into their journals as they go.  

Then we were going to go through each of the fingers and fill in the blanks, so it'll look something like this: 

Then we will talk about the center of the hand, because the whole Doctrine of Christ  really does begin and end with Christ.    It is through Him that we have the gifts of faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost in the first place.   And it is through His atonement that we can return to live with Him again someday. 

I plan on having a copy of this completed one done for them to tape into their journals.  They could also copy it into their journals from the board if that works better for your class.

I was thinking that we would finish up this part of the discussion with reading Moroni 7:41:“And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.”

Then I plan on asking if the Doctrine of Christ sounds familiar to them?   They may recognize that most of it is mentioned in the 4th Article of Faith, and more importantly, it's what they've been learning their whole lives!

 After discussing the simplicity, beauty, and importance of what the Doctrine of Christ is, I thought we'd start talking about what it means to live it.   These two quotes from Elder Ballard's talk (the one mentioned in the lesson) would be a great place to start:

"The best ways for us to see the spiritual purposes of the Church are to live the true, pure, and simple teachings of Christ and also to apply the Savior’s two great commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. … Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”   Elder Ballard

" Loving God and loving our neighbors is the doctrinal foundation of ministering; home-centered, Church-supported learning; Sabbath-day spiritual worship; and the work of salvation on both sides of the veil supported in the Relief Societies and the elders quorums. All of these things are based on the divine commandments to love God and to love our neighbors. Can there be anything more basic, more fundamental, and more simple than that?" Elder Ballard

I really want to keep the focus on the plainness and simplicity of the Doctrine of Christ, so my plan was to ask a few questions from the lesson plan after reading the quotes and let that lead where our discussion goes from there.  

•  How do each of these principles of the gospel relate to each other? 
• What blessings do we receive when we follow the doctrine of Christ?

What would you add to this lesson?   I'd love to hear your thoughts on it too!    And let me know if you end up using any of these ideas in your lesson.  :)

How Can Temples Bless My Life? (YW and Aaronic Priesthood lesson)

I'm teaching the lesson, "How Can Temples Bless My Life?" this Sunday, along with a brand new young woman who has never taught a lesson before.  We met today and discussed how we would like to teach the lesson.  I think long videos are too much for the short lesson time we have now, but we decided that we would like  to send out the link to the video of Elder Bednar and Elder Rasband leading a tour of the Rome Temple before the weekend.  I think there's a lot of good information in there that will set the stage for a better discussion time during the lesson.  Here's a FHE lesson all about temples you could incorporate too. 

When I talk about temples in a lesson, I like to start with my own family's experience with the temple.   If your family doesn't have a similar story, you could share my story about people who lived in the midwest or the video, "Temples are a Beacon" from the lesson.



OUR FAMILY'S STORY
I grew up in the great state of Minnesota.    It was a great place to grow up, but when I was a child, the closest temples were over 1000 miles away.  Idaho Falls, Cardston, Washington DC, and the Utah temples were all right about the same distance away, which meant that going to the temple was quite an ordeal for the people in our area.    Our family didn't have much money, but my parents always did love a good road trip, so they'd build visiting temples into our family trips. 

That distance meant that they generally only went to the temple once a year or so, but my parents would usually set aside a day or two out of our vacation  and attend as many sessions as they could during that time.  I learned first-hand from their example,  that the temple  was important to my parents. 

This is what visiting the temple looked like when I was a child:

Then, in the year I turned 12, the temple in Chicago, Illinois was dedicated and that is where I went on all of our youth temple trips.  Chicago is about 400 miles away from where I grew up, so significantly closer than driving to Utah, Cardston, Idaho, or DC, but still an event.  We generally went with the youth a couple times per year and my parents would do babysitting exchanges with other families, so they could be away for 20+ hours at a time while they did a session.

This is what traveling to the temple looked like when I was a teen: 
 

When I was a college student, I worked at a store that sold glass temples at the University Mall in Provo.    As part of that job, I had the opportunity to get asked a lot of questions about temples.   I got asked design questions--why don't all temple have an angel Moroni statue?   And a lot of questions about where temples were and why?   I was quite the temple trivia whiz in my time and I enjoyed learning more about temples in a time when the internet wasn't really a widespread thing yet.  haha. 😂

 At the time I worked there in the early 1990's, there were about 50 temples in operation around the world.  It was sometime in that time period that Gordon B. Hinckley announced his plan to have 100 temples built by the year 2000.   As someone who grew up so far away from a temple, that announcement blew me away.   What a blessing it was going to be for so many people around the world and I wondered if Minnesota would ever get one. 

Sure enough, in 1998, plans to build one in Minnesota were announced and in January of the year 2000 it was completed--the 69th temple.   There were 102 dedicated by the end of that year.  The year 2000 was a great year for temples in the latter-days! 

Though I no longer lived in Minnesota, I rejoiced with the people of Minnesota and with all the people in the upper-midwest who now had a temple in their backyards after having sacrificed so much money and so many hours  of their time to go to the temple for so many years.     Today there are 182 functioning temples with another 40 or so somewhere in the process of being built (source).   Think of all the people in the world who are blessed for their closer proximity to the temple. 

WHY DO TEMPLES MATTER? 
So I've spent all this time telling you about how great it is that temples are more accessible to the people, but why does that matter? 

#1. I think the first thing people think of when they think of blessings of the temple is that when couples are married and/or families are sealed in the temple, those families are sealed together forever. 

"The full realization of the blessings of a temple marriage is almost beyond our mortal comprehension. Such a marriage will continue to grow in the celestial realm. There we can become perfected."  Russell M. Nelson

The ability to be sealed to our families is a wonderful blessing and should be a goal for all to strive for, but you don't have to wait until you're married or sealed to enjoy the blessings of the temple. 

President Russell M. Nelson told us that “Building and maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending your time in the temple surely will.”

Why is that?  

Elder Quentin L. Cook answers it well:   

“The temple is also a place of refuge, thanksgiving, instruction, and understanding, “that [we] may be perfected … in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God on the earth.” Throughout my life it has been a place of tranquility and peace in a world that is literally in commotion. It is wonderful to leave the cares of the world behind in that sacred setting.”(source)

#2.  The temple is a haven from the world. 

I'll be totally honest here.   The temple is often not easy for me to go to.  Not only does the horrible traffic make the 20-25 miles to get there exceedingly long and painful, but I'm often exhausted and struggle to stay awake during sessions.   BUT, when I do make the effort to go,  and though I'm often a little irritable and fight nodding off the entire way through the session, I STILL AM BLESSED WITH PEACE.    The world is more fast-paced than it's ever been and we literally need...yes, need...this time for our minds, spirits, and bodies to take a break from the freneticism of the world.  Now,  more than ever,  we need to give ourselves that quiet time to commune with God without the distractions that beset us almost everywhere else we could otherwise be.  

So those are some nice blessings for us when we go to the temple, but what about the actual work you do while you're there?

“After we receive our own temple ordinances and make sacred covenants with God, each one of us needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is possible only in the house of the Lord. And our ancestors need us to serve as proxy for them."  Russell M. Nelson

#3.  Our ancestors are relying on us to perform important saving ordinances for them. 

“This work is all about people. It’s about giving every one of our Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters the chance to make covenants and receive saving, exalting ordinances. It’s all about helping his children return home to him.”-- Sheri Dew 

I love that when we walk in the doors of the temple all people are equal. We walk in the doors to do a selfless work of saving our ancestors, and there are no distinctions of wealth, status, or position. We all wear the same clothing, missionaries don't wear their tags, and general authorities sit in the same seats with the rest of us. It's actually a beautiful thing to behold....people from all walks of life gathering together to do an important work that can't be done anywhere else. And it doesn't matter to our ancestors whether a farmer, grocery store clerk, or CEO is the one doing their work. They're just happy it's being done. Think of the joy we facilitate on the other side of the veil when we participate in temple work.

IDEAS FOR THE LESSON
Because I am working with a young woman who will be preparing her own part of the lesson, it is my plan to have these ideas, quotes and stories tucked away.   I'm also reviewing this lesson for more ideas.   We'll see where she takes the lesson and go from there.  I feel strongly though, that I need to end with this quote:

“Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings.”  Thomas S. Monson (source

Getting Started with Youth Goals for 2020

It's been a couple months now since we first heard about the new "Youth Guidebook" and goal plan that is replacing Personal Progress and Duty to God for young men and young women.  It's an exciting concept, but like so many of the new "home-centered" shifts the church is making, it can be hard to figure out how to help our youth get on board with it. 

  Now that I have recently been called back into young women, I've got double reason to try and figure out how to get the  youth excited about it.  I've got my own two kids and a whole class of brand new young women and I want them to feel the power of setting goals and striving to reach them.    As youth leaders I know we are not meant to be the overseers  of these goals, but I do feel like some inspiration and encouragement can go a long way to getting them engaged and excited about it.   

To begin with, I asked at the beginning of class on Sunday if anyone had any success stories with their goals that they wanted to share with the class. I plan on doing that every Sunday as part of the "counsel together" part of class that the class presidency member leads.  When I got blank stares and realized that not one of the ten girls in my class had even set any goals yet, I shared with them some feelings I'd had about one of my goals.   I then went over  the first few pages of the guidebook with them and encouraged them all to go through the DISCOVER and PLAN sections before we met for class again in 2 weeks.

We talked a little about what the DISCOVER section contained and I encouraged them to answer those questions for themselves (either on pages 18-19 of their guidebooks or in their journals) before moving on to the PLAN section. 

 

Here is the letter I sent to the YW in my class, as well as their parents:   (feel free to copy/paste/make it your own)

I'm hoping that by sending the letter during the week, we can try to  get the parents on board as well as generate a little enthusiasm when there's actually time for them to work on the goals.  The offered treat is bribery at its best and I think is absolutely appropriate as an occasional incentive! 

With my own kids I want to spend a little time discussing their plans with them in more detail and making vision boards together, but for the girls in my class, I feel like inviting them to include their parents was the best I could do.  We simply don't have enough time together as a class to spend a lot of time on it and the YW presidency I am working with keeps a pretty hands-off approach with this type of thing, so I'm not sure we'll ever do any activities with it.  

I was asked to do a presentation on the goals in  New Beginnings and hope to do some more enthusiasm building there....including hopefully getting the parents and older girls excited too!  

I plan to talk about Ether 12:27 and the idea that we can "make weak things become strengths" as we focus on overcoming and working on our weaknesses.  I also plan on using some of the quotes from the letter above and this FHE lesson on goal setting.    I love the quote from Johann Sebastian Bach about working hard.  I actually found that the quote differs slightly depending on where you find it, but the idea is powerful...

“I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed . . . equally well.”   Johann Sebastian Bach 

That's as far as my plan goes for now, but I hope that by consistently asking the girls about their goals in the "counsel together" part of YW each time we meet, that we can help them keep it fresh on their minds.  

So what are you doing in your families?  What about in your wards?  I'd love to hear your ideas! 

"Come Follow Me" Activity Page for 1 Corinthians 14-16 (September 8, 2019)

Here's the activity sheet to go along with this week's Come, Follow Me lesson.   Besides the coloring page, you'll find a simple activity about the degrees of glory and a little word game. 



Feel free to send requests or comments about the things you like/don't like about these sheets, so I can improve them. Based on the very low page views and lack of comments, I'm really feeling like there isn't really anyone out there enjoying or using these, so feedback at all would be hugely appreciated.  😊

Have a wonderful week!

#ShareGoodness YW activity

We recently had a very fun mutual night activity that the young women really enjoyed.  They made "Share Goodness" posters for all the young men in our ward, where on each poster was a picture of the young man surrounded by sincere compliments that the young women had written.   They made 27 posters and presented them at the end of church the following Sunday.   

We kept the activity a total secret beforehand, so that the girls had no idea what we were doing and thereby couldn't accidentally ruin the surprise for the boys.    

We completed the following prep work beforehand:

1.  Bought white posterboard, half sheet per boy

2.  got a bunch of colored sharpies

3.  Took and/or collected pictures of all the boys (I took some at mutual, collected some from Facebook, and others from parents)

4.  cut the posterboards in half

 At mutual, we first watched this video:    

Then we introduced the activity by telling them that we were going to "Share Goodness" with the Young Men by making them each a #sharegoodness poster.    We talked about how to think of sincere and specific compliments that would build them up.  We emphasized that they should not focus on physical or frivolous compliments, such as clothing or looks, but on character traits and talents.   Essentially we asked them to think of the kind of compliments they would most like to hear. 

Here is my son's poster:    

We had the Beehives make the Deacons' posters, the Mia Maids made the Teachers', and the Laurels made the Priests'.   On each poster, they hot glued on the picture, wrote the boy's name on top, and then wrote "#sharegoodness" on the bottom.    Then  with different colored sharpies, they went around the room and wrote compliments on each poster.   

To  add variety, we regathered together as a group for the last 15-minutes, so that everyone could write on anyone else's  poster from another age group.    I then took the posters home and, with the help of my daughters and husband, filled in a few compliments on those that needed a little something extra.    For instance, one boy's poster was filled with compliments all about his humor and little else.  I wanted to make sure that he had a few more that would be more meaningful.  Additionally there was one boy that doesn't come often and the girls were less sure what to write on his, so we filled his in with a few more of our own.   

 It was a joy to see the young men's faces when we presented them their posters and I had a couple of young men's parents let me know how meaningful it was to their boys.     

All in all, it was a very rewarding experience for the young women and they definitely felt the joy of sharing goodness and building others up,  and that in and of itself is reward enough.   However, I won't lie.  I think a lot of them are secretly hoping the boys will return the favor someday.   

Easy Last Minute Youth Activity or FHE Lesson

Need an idea for a last minute youth activity or FHE lesson that doesn't take much prep work?   This activity is easy to pull off,  fun for the participants, and thought provoking enough to make it meaningful as well.

Gospel Analogy Skits

Prep:   (5 minutes) Gather about 15 random items from around the house.    Some good items might include a flashlight, bottle of aloe vera, a clock, a baby bib, a towel, a can of food, a blanket, a hat, an eraser, etc.

Divide  into groups of 2-3 people, or if doing with a small group, have individuals do it themselves.

Without giving any directions, have every group/individual come pick one of the random items.

Watch the first two minutes of this talk from Women's Conference, about the soda can analogy:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/filling-our-homes-with-light-and-truth?lang=eng

Talk for just a minute about the soda can analogy, then challenge them to find their own gospel analogy  with the object they've picked and then present it to the group as a 2-minute skit or commercial.   Emphasize that it does not need to be long.  

Give them pens, paper, and 10-15 minutes for planning.

Have them come to the front of the room and perform their skits. I highly recommend doing your own skit too.   They love watching their leaders act silly and it gives them a glimpse of how to do it!  Encourage group participation, clapping, etc….make it fun.

We got some very insightful gospel analogies and even had time to do another round, which we deemed the "speed round" because everyone only got 2 minutes to plan.

It was a great last-minute activity that was also fun and memorable!

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Here are some of the analogies we came up with:

Slinky--When you pull it too far it is weak and shapeless, but when you push it together it is strong and has a point of focus.   If we prioritize our lives well, we can be like the strong and focused slinky.

Flashlight--We can bring light to a dark world with our good examples.

Bib--When we wear the "Super Duper Handy Dandy Bib of the Gospel" we can resist the stains of the world.

Aloe vera--The gospel can bring us soothing and healing when we are feeling spiritually burned.

Clock--We sometimes get caught up in the world's timing and thinking that God is not answering our prayers, etc., but when we understand the eternal perspective of God, we know that God's timing is all we need to worry about.

Bubbles--The atonement of Christ can take away the burden of sin and help us to feel the lightness of forgiveness.

Can of pumpkin--The can doesn't look like much and neither does the pumpkin inside, but when you follow a recipe and mix it up with the right ingredients,  you can make a delicious treat.   This was compared to how our lives are and when we follow the "recipe" for living the gospel, God will bless us and make our lives so much sweeter.

First aid kit--When we are feeling hurt, we can turn to the first aid kit of the gospel and find healing for our spiritual wounds.   

"Who Am I, and Who Can I Become?" YW Lesson

 PREPARATION:  

Gather actual seeds (or pictures of seeds and pictures of what they'll grow to be)--see below

Gather baby pictures of as many of the girls as you can. 

Gather a list of each girls' divine qualities and be prepared to share it with them during the lesson (either verbally or typed out as a list)

Be ready to play or sing, "I am a Child of God" and "My Heavenly Father Loves Me"

LESSON:

Intro: Ask the girls if they remember anything about nursery or if they’ve ever had a chance to help on a Sunday?

Talk about what it's like teaching nursery.
(Lessons are short, simple, and have lots of pictures and music!)    

Today’s lesson will be modeled on a nursery lesson.

SEED ACTIVITY:
Show seeds and have them guess what they will grow to be. Show them pictures of what they will be like when they are fully grown.
 

SHOW THEM BABY PICTURES (ideally of themselves): 

Ask what they will grow to be. 

Ask them some characteristics that they’ve INHERITED from their parents.  

Ask what similarities and differences there are from person to person in this world.

What is the same?

Sing, “I am a Child of God”

If you are a child of God, doesn’t it stand to reason that they’ve also inherited characteristics from our Heavenly parents, just as we’ve inherited qualities from our earthly parents.

Discuss CHARACTERISTICS we’ve inherited from Heavenly Father. If you have prepared in advance, this would be a great time to present to them a list of divine characteristics that you've noticed in each of them. If you had a mature group of girls who would take the task seriously, you could also have them share divine characteristics they've noticed in each of their classmates.


IDENTITY THEFT:
Ask someone to summarize what identity theft is.

I don’t know if you all you knew this, but did you know that Satan is in the identity theft business?   He’s not stealing credit card numbers and trying to Relate to Satan’s task to have us forget who we are and what our potential is.  

How does Satan try to steal our identity?  

Ask for ideas...    (people who bring us down, media influences, etc.)

Read QUOTE.

"We  know that Satan is totally dedicated to thwarting and derailing this marvelous plan-of-happiness knowledge and process. We know that one of his primary tools is to entice us to forget who we really are—to fail to realize or to forget our divine potential. This is the cruelest form of identity theft.

How does Satan do it? He is quite straightforward and predictable. First, he attempts to prompt doubts in our minds about our divine potential. He even cultivates doctrine in the world implying we are much less than we really are. He undermines our faith—and thus our confidence—in our ability to achieve our potential. He strives to bring us to a mind-set in which we believe that we, individually, are not good enough to ever achieve our celestial goals."  Elder Robert C. Oaks

HOW DOES NOT UNDERSTANDING WHO WE ARE AFFECT OUR LIVES?

SHOW BABY pictures again.  

Who of these is a child of God?  WAIT FOR ANSWERS

You are.  And so am I. And so are your parents, and so is that annoying girl from your math class, and that mean guy on the bus, etc.  

Ask them to imagine a world where everyone truly understood that concept.  It would affect not only how we view ourselves, but also how we view and treat others.   Truly this world would be a totally different place.   I believe that it would be the cure to all of life’s ills.


STRUGGLES:
 Have you ever noticed that when you read a book or watch a movie, that they all have some problem they have to overcome. It got me to thinking and I realized that ALL stories, whether they be fairy tales, modern stories, or REAL LIFE have trials.  We all have struggles in life.  

When I was young I didn’t realize this fact.  I had this notion that all you had to do was live righteously and God would bless you with a relatively easy and blessed life.  haha.  I am living proof that just because you’re living the gospel, doesn’t mean that life will be easy or without struggle.  He doesn’t bless us with an easy life, but rather with strength and the tools to overcome and find joy in the journey.  

Elder Uchtdorf said, “It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.”  

Sing, “My Heavenly Father Loves Me.”

Closing prayer:

 

Women and the Priesthood: Quotes and Resources

With all the controversy that's been going on with women and priesthood recently, I had been a little concerned about the difficult questions that the YW might have as we taught the lessons about the priesthood through the month of June.    Then with everything coming to a head this past week, and our ward being the very epicenter of it all (since the founder of OW has lived in our ward for a number of years), I knew that there was no way to avoid facing the controversy head-on.      This study guide, with quotes and resources, was created by a member of my presidency to be a guide for us to use as we prepare our lessons over the next few weeks.    Click here to see resource pages for other potentially difficult topics (with more to come).

Quotes

"A man may open the drapes so the warm sunlight comes into the room, but the man does not own the sun or the light or the warmth it brings." 

Elder Neil L. Andersen, Oct. 2013 General Conference  (This one is my favorite!!)

"Elder Dallin H. Oaks cautions us in our references to the priesthood: 'While we sometimes refer to priesthood holders as "the priesthood," we must never forget that the priesthood is not owned by or embodied in those who hold it. It is held in a sacred trust to be used for the benefit of men, women, and children alike.' 

[Daughters in My Kingdom]" Sister Linda K. Burton, "Priesthood: 'A Sacred Trust to Be Used for the Benefit of Men, Women, and Children,'" 2013 BYU Women's Conference

"Priesthood authority functions in both the family and the Church. The priesthood is the power of God used to bless all of His children, male and female. Some of our abbreviated expressions, like “the women and the priesthood,” convey an erroneous idea. Men are not 'the priesthood.' Priesthood meeting is a meeting of those who hold and exercise the priesthood. The blessings of the priesthood, such as baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, the temple endowment, and eternal marriage, are available to men and women alike." 

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church," Oct. 2005 General Conference

"Can you imagine how dark and empty mortality would be if there were no priesthood? If the power of the priesthood were not upon the earth, the adversary would have freedom to roam and reign without restraint. There would be no gift of the Holy Ghost to direct and enlighten us; no prophets to speak in the name of the Lord; no temples where we could make sacred, eternal covenants; no authority to bless or baptize, to heal or comfort…. There would be no light, no hope—only darkness." 

Elder Robert D. Hales, "Blessings of the Priesthood," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 32–34

"In our Heavenly Father’s great priesthood-endowed plan, men have the unique responsibility to administer the priesthood, but they are not the priesthood. Men and women have different but equally valued roles. Just as a woman cannot conceive a child without a man, so a man cannot fully exercise the power of the priesthood to establish an eternal family without a woman. In other words, in the eternal perspective, both the procreative power and the priesthood power are shared by husband and wife. And as husband and wife, a man and a woman should strive to follow our Heavenly Father." 

Elder M. Russell Ballard, "'This Is My Work and My Glory,'" Apr. 2013 General Conference 

   

"Do not spend time trying to overhaul or adjust God’s plan. We do not have time for such. It is a pointless exercise to try and determine how to organize the Lord’s Church differently. The Lord is at the head of this Church, and we all follow His direction. Both men and women need increased faith and testimony of the life and the Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ and increased knowledge of His teachings and doctrine. We need clear minds so that the Holy Ghost can teach us what to do and what to say. We need to think straight in this world of confusion and disregard for the things of God." 

Elder M. Russell Ballard, "Let Us Think Straight," Campus Education Week Devotional, Aug. 2013

"We know so little...about the reasons for the division of duties between womanhood and manhood as well as between motherhood and priesthood. These were divinely determined in another time and another place. We are accustomed to focusing on the men of God because theirs is the priesthood and leadership line. But paralleling that authority line is a stream of righteous influence reflecting the remarkable women of God who have existed in all ages and dispensations, including our own." 

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "The Women of God," Apr. 1978 General Conference

“It is the unique responsibility of men to act as God’s agents or legal administrators in representing him on earth. … It is this authority which a woman cannot ‘hold.’ Her ‘priesthood’ callings are not elder, bishop, seventy or apostle—but wife, mother, teacher and comforter. These are at least as important and demanding as any of those exercised by men. In honoring these callings, she becomes a true ‘helpmeet’ of ‘Adam’ in his labors in the field." 

Rodney Turner, Woman and the Priesthood, Deseret Book 1973 

"Wives and mothers possess ‘a function as divinely called, as eternally important in its place as the Priesthood itself." 

Pres. J. Reuben Clark, as quoted in Rodney Turner, Woman and the Priesthood

“Do they [women] hold the priesthood? Yes, in connection with their husbands and they are one with their husbands, but the husband is the head.”

Pres. John Taylor, as quoted in Rodney Turner,Woman and the Priesthood

By divine design, Heavenly Father gave men and women different gifts and abilities to help them fulfill complementary roles as husband and wife. “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. … Fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 129).

As stated in the proclamation, fathers and mothers are equal partners, each with different responsibilities and roles. Therefore “equal” does not mean “same” in this sense. Think of an old fashioned balancing scale, where you place items on either side of the scale until each side is balanced and equal. You could for example put a pound of gold on one side and a pound of jelly beans on the other side. They are equal in weight, but still very different from each other. Such are the God given roles of men and women, equal, but different.

Full and equal partnerships. Men and women joined together in marriage need to work together as a full partnership. However, a full and equal partnership between men and women does not imply the roles played by the two sexes are the same in God’s grand design for His children. As the proclamation clearly states, men and women, though spiritually equal, are entrusted with different but equally significant roles. These roles complement each other. Men are given stewardship over the sacred ordinances of the priesthood. To women, God gives stewardship over bestowing and nurturing mortal life, including providing physical bodies for God’s spirit children and guiding those children toward a knowledge of gospel truths. These stewardships, equally sacred and important, do not involve any false ideas about domination or subordination. Each stewardship is essential for the spiritual progression of all family members, parents and children alike.
Elder M. Russel Ballard

Something to Remember

When in doubt, teach doctrine, bear testimony: "A few years ago, my husband and I were invited to a gathering of many experienced Church leaders. A new presiding officer had recently been called, and at the end of the meeting a very difficult and contentious question was asked. Realizing the difficulty of answering the question, my husband and I immediately offered up our sincere prayers to Heavenly Father for this new leader. As he came to the pulpit to respond to the question, I witnessed a visible change in his countenance as he stood majestically, squared his shoulders and spoke with the power of the Lord. His response was something like this: "Brother, I do not know the answer to your question. But I will tell you what I do know. I know that God is our Eternal Father. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and was the instrument through which the power of the priesthood was restored to the earth. I know the Book of Mormon is true and contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know we have a living prophet today who speaks for the Lord to bless our lives." He then continued, "No, I do not know the answer to your question, but these things I know. The rest I take on faith. I try to live this simple statement of faith I learned years ago from Sister Marjorie Hinckley, who said, ‘First I obey, then I understand.’"

  Linda K. Burton, "Priesthood: 'A Sacred Trust to Be Used for the Benefit of Men, Women, and Children,'" 2013 BYU Women's Conference

Object Lesson  

Bring two objects that are used together to accomplish a common goal (like a pencil and paper or hammer and nail). Invite the young women to explain the differences between the objects and how they are used together. Explain that men and women are given different responsibilities that complement (or “complete”) each other to bring about God’s purposes. Invite the young women to describe some of the ways men and women complement each other.

Links

Blessings of the Priesthood/Priesthood Power and Authority

"Blessings of the Priesthood," Elder Robert D. Hales, Oct. 1995 General Conference,https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/blessings-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng

"'This Is My Work and My Glory,'" Elder M. Russell Ballard, Apr. 2013 General Conference,https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/this-is-my-work-and-glory?lang=eng

"Power in the Priesthood," Elder Neal L. Andersen, Oct. 2013 General Conference,https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/power-in-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Priesthood: "A Sacred Trust to Be Used for the Benefit of Men, Women, and Children," Sister Linda K. Burton, 2013 BYU Women's Conference,http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/pdf/archive/2013/lindaBurtonTalk.pdf

"The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood," Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Apr. 2014 General Conference,https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-keys-and-authority-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng

2013 Worldwide Leadership Training: Strengthening the Family and the Church through the Priesthood, https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/the-power-of-the-priesthood-in-the-family/priesthood-power-and-priesthood-authority?lang=eng

Women and the Priesthood

"Let Us Think Straight," Elder M. Russell Ballard, Campus Education Week Devotional, Aug. 2013,http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=2133&cid=NEApr14

"Young Women and the Blessings of the Priesthood," Diane L. Mangum, New Era, May 1993,https://www.lds.org/new-era/1993/05/young-women-and-the-blessings-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng

"Why don’t women hold the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? How do Mormon women lead in the Church?" Mormon.org question forum,http://www.mormon.org/faq/women-in-the-church

Lesson 13: "Women and the Priesthood," The Latter-Day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part A, https://www.lds.org/manual/the-latter-day-saint-woman-basic-manual-for-women-part-a/women-in-the-church/lesson-13-women-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Roles of Women

"The Moral Force of Women," Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Oct. 2013 General Conference,https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-moral-force-of-women?lang=eng

"The Women of God," Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Apr. 1978 General Conference,https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1978/04/the-women-of-god?lang=eng

"To the Women of the Church," Pres. Howard W. Hunter, Oct. 1992 General Conference,https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/10/to-the-women-of-the-church?lang=eng

"A Woman's Perspective on the Priesthood," Sister Patricia T. Holland, 1980 BYU Women's Conference, https://www.lds.org/ensign/1980/07/a-womans-perspective-on-the-priesthood?lang=eng