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COME FOLLOW ME: BOOK OF MORMON-TEACHING IDEAS & RESOURCES | Ether 12 – 15

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Come Follow Me: Book of Mormon, Teaching Ideas and Free Resources

Ether 12 – 15

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

Each Come Follow Me Lesson asks important and reflective questions. When I first began my individual study these questions threw me off. Simply because many of these questions required so much depth and individual reflection in order to answer honestly. My first approach to come follow me was to get in, get out, get it done, check it off. These questions simply didn’t allow me to do so. In fact, I felt a little sick when I would read a question like, “How does the spirit speak to you?” and I wouldn’t know the answer right away. After a time, and pondering on that specific question I realized IT’S OKAY. In fact, I think these questions were meant to be set aside, thought about, and pondered. When we try and come up with the quick easy, obvious, answer, we are depriving ourselves of an opportunity to reflect, ponder, pray, and RECEIVE REVELATION. Is this not the whole reason for Come Follow Me? Are we not trying to finetune and recognize how we, and how to receive personal revelation.

So each week I will list out some of the questions issued in Come Follow Me. Maybe you pick to ponder about all of them, maybe you pick just one. Whatever you do, ponder on this for the ENTIRE week. Pray about it, discuss it with loved ones, then at the start of the new week, take the time to write down your impressions or thoughts, share them with your family, testify of powerful insights.

  • What is faith? What are the fruits of a faith-filled life?
    • You could also record your thoughts about witnesses you have gained “after the trial of your faith”
  • What does hope mean to you?
    • What were the reasons that Ether had to “hope for a better world”? (see Ether 12:2–5).
    • How has the gospel of Jesus Christ given you “a more excellent hope”? (Ether 12:32).
  • After reading Ether 12:23–29, ponder times when God has helped you recognize your weaknesses and made you strong in spite of them. Maybe this is also a good time to think about weaknesses you are currently struggling with.
    • What do you feel you need to do to humble yourself before the Lord and show faith in Him in order to receive His promise to “make weak things become strong”? (Ether 12:27).
  • As you read the rest of the book of Ether, ponder the consequences of rejecting the prophets.
    • What happens to people when “the Spirit of the Lord [ceases] striving with them”? (Ether 15:19).
  • Why does the Lord give us weakness?
    • What is our part in making “weak things become strong”?
    • What is the Savior’s part?
  • It might be interesting for your family members to compare the experience of Ether with the experiences of Mormon and Moroni (see Mormon 68:1–10). How are they similar?
    • How was the Nephites’ path to destruction similar to the Jaredites’ path? (compare Ether 15:19 with Moroni 8:28).
    • What truths do we learn that can help us avoid what happened to them?
  • Share an experience in which the Savior helped you or someone you know do something that was hard. Testify to the children that if they seek His help, Jesus can help them be strong, even when they feel weak.

For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.

Lesson:

“Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according to God’s laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf

In hopes of giving others HOPE, I thought it would be appropriate to share the Just Serve website as a resource. Just Serve is a website/service through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and it’s really wonderful. Head to the website to find opportunities to serve, donate, or organize your own project within your area/proximity.

With the increased feeling of gratitude thanks to President Nelson’s #Givethanks challenge and the holidays fast approaching, our family felt the need to give to those in need. While my son had a minor procedure done at Primary Children’s hospital last week, we were blown away by the medical staff that did everything and provided things to our son in order to calm his fears and anxieties. One of the comfort items was a fleece blanket. Something so simple provided such comfort to our little boy. Our eyes were also opened to those that deal with issues, fears, and anxieties like this on a daily basis, and our heart broke. Donating a blanket, or crayons or markers, may feel like such a small thing, but it’s a drop in the bucket, and if there is anything I’ve learned during President Nelson’s Gratitude post challenge on social media, is that if everyone puts a drop in the bucket, something truly miraculous happens. Hope is illuminated and radiated.

Click Here to visit Just Serve. Here you can find opportunities to serve by giving your time, donating items, or even creating and organizing your own service project. 

May we all put a drop in the bucket.

In hopes of helping you get into the attitude of gratitude I wanted to share this Free Activity that I initially created for Teachers and members of Teaching on Lemon Lane:

*** This FREE Download is exclusive to members of Living on Lemon Lane. In order to access the download, you must be logged in. Not a member? Not a problem! Sign-up is FAST, FREE and Easy-Peasy Lemon Squeezy! Click here to become a member!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MEMBER ONLY FREEBIE

Not a member? Not a problem! Sign-up is FAST, FREE and Easy-Peasy Lemon Squeezy! Click here to become a member!

Already a Member? Click Here to Log In

 

If you do any of these activities PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take pictures and tag me! Post to the Facebook group, or tag @livingonlemonlane on Instagram! Don’t forget to pin these images to your Pinterest. This is a SMALL and SIMPLE way to support the efforts of Living on Lemon Lane and sharing these ideas with your friends and family.

Teaching Ideas for Toddlers & Young Children

Watch or Listen To:

With a 2-year-old and 4-year-old, I understand the STRUGGLE and the attention span you are dealing with. Below are some of my favorite videos or audio recordings|podcasts you can listen to and watch with your children. My favorites right now are the Book of Mormon Story videos.**Different from the newly released B.O.M. videos. These are illustrated and READ stories to your children. THESE are PERFECT for when everyone is strapped in the car seat. My 4-year-old now requests these over the radio. Each segment is only 2-4 minutes long. This allows us to listen, review and discuss together, and listen again throughout the week.  Many of the videos I share can be found on the Saint’s Radio Channel App. (Formerly Mormon Channel App, If you don’t already have this, DOWNLOAD NOW.)

I am absolutely LOVING the YouTube Channel, Latter Day Kids. Each week they put out a beautifully illustrated video meant for young children to be used in conjunction with the Come Follow Me Lessons. This week’s video is all about All Things Denoting there is a God! You can even head to their website to download discussion questions to go along with the video and a fun coloring page.

Click Here to access this week’s Printables and Activities

If you have trouble finding the activity from the link above this one is a direct link, however, please remember to subscribe to Latter Day Kids as a way to THANK them for sharing their talents FREELY. 

Click here to subscribe to Latter Day Kids

 

Drawn In: Free Sample of Subscription Videos

The ONLY Paid Subscription I use for Come Follow Me

I’ve recently teamed up with David Bowman artist, author and creator of the Drawn-In Video Subscription to bring a discount to all Living on Lemon Lane readers. This is the ONLY Paid Come Follow Me product that I have a subscription to, and it is worth every cent. Each week you get TWO engaging and fun videos (around 20 minutes long each!) as well as exclusive content and printables! Like his books, instead of just introducing the scripture story he explains a principle, then takes it a step further by exploring APPLICATION.  Click here to watch his Free Videos, If you’re interested make sure to use the promo code LEMONLANE10 at checkout to receive 10% off of the yearly membership!

Click Here to Learn More, Use Code LEMONLANE10 for an exclusive discount off the yearly membership!Head to davidbowmanart.com to watch more FREE episodes and learn more about subscribing ($4.95 per month – gets you 2 episodes PER WEEK that go directly with Come Follow Me as well as supplemental PDF print outs)

PODCAST FOR KIDS:

Read:

Click Here to read the Friend Article: Jesus Christ is Our Savior

Activity Suggestions:

Activity Suggestions from the Friend or the Come Follow Me Manual:

  • Ether 12:41 Is there a fun way you could teach your children to “seek … Jesus”? One way might be to hide a picture of Jesus and invite your family members to “seek” and find the picture. How do we seek Jesus, and how are we blessed when we find Him?
  • Read to the children “Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen” from Ether 12:6, and ask them to repeat this phrase with you. Tell the children about things you believe in even though you cannot see them, and help the children think of additional examples. The song “Faith” (Children’s Songbook, 96–97), or another song about faith, can help.

 Teaching Ideas for Families

Watch or Listen To:

Finding time to make Come Follow Me can be tough, it can also be tough to keep the attention of family members. The Book of Mormon videos recently released by the church are a WONDERFUL resource. ***Filming has recently been postponed due to Covid 19

 

Read

Activity Suggestions:

Activity Suggestion from Come Follow Me:

  • Ether 12:7–22 As you read these verses together, you might review some inspiring examples of faith you have read about in the Book of Mormon. This could lead to a discussion about examples of faith in your family history or your own lives—consider recording these experiences if you haven’t already.
  • Show one of the children a picture without letting the other children see, and ask the child to describe the picture to the rest of the class. As time allows, let other children take turns doing the same with different pictures. Then invite them to read Ether 12:6 and find this phrase: “Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen.” How do we show faith in Jesus Christ when we cannot see Him?
  • Ask the children to read this phrase in Ether 12:6: “Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” Help the children understand that when we obey a commandment, we can know it is true. Ask them to think of gospel principles that God wants us to have a testimony of, such as paying tithing, keeping the Sabbath day holy, or living the Word of Wisdom. Then write on the board In order to gain a testimony of , I must . Share how you have exercised faith in order to gain your testimony of these and other gospel truths.
  • Show (or draw on the board) a picture of a boat and an anchor. Why do boats need anchors? What would happen to a boat that did not have an anchor? Read together Ether 12:4, and ask the children how hope is like an anchor. Invite the children to draw their own pictures of a boat and anchor so they can teach their families about hope.

Click Here to Download

Brother of Jared Activity Book by Living Scriptures

Click Here to view the Infographic by Book of Mormon Central

 

Individual Study & Extension

Watch or Listen To:

Read:

:MOST IMPORTANT PART:

Comment below and share YOUR favorite resources for this week of Come Follow Me in the Book of Mormon. Join the conversation on @livingonlemonlane on Instagram and stay updated on new blog posts!  If you enjoyed this PLEASE SHARE! Till next week.

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