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Week 7: Come Follow Me: Book of Mormon, Teaching Ideas and Free Resources

February 10th – 16th

2 Nephi 6 – 10

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 can I do to more faithfully “wait” for the Savior and His promised blessings?
• What do you feel prompted by the Spirit to do in response to these warnings and invitations?
• What do you find that gives you hope?
  •  What will you do to remember these things when you feel discouraged?
• How does the Lord turn the deserts of our lives into gardens?
• How can Isaiah’s encouraging words to the people of Zion strengthen us in our efforts to become more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ?
  • How is waking up and getting dressed similar to what God wants us to do spiritually?
• What could your family do to better understand the magnitude of Jesus Christ’s “infinite atonement”?
  • How is the Savior’s Atonement infinite?
• What are some examples of “the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men”? (verse 28).
  • What can we do to place more value on the things of God and less on the things of the world?
• How are sins like chains?
  • How does the Savior help us shake them off?
• When have you felt happy because you made the right choice?

Object Lesson: Shake off the Chains

The idea for this object lesson came from the suggestion of the Come Follow Me manual this week. I actually had a completely different activity|visual in mind however this one struck me, and caused me to change course. The excerpt from the manual is below:

2 Nephi 9:45

“Your family might enjoy making a paper chain and then taking turns putting it on and shaking it off. How are sins like chains? How does the Savior help us shake them off?”

I think this is a great activity because it reinforces a lot of the language used the previous week. We are going to alter the activity slightly by writing down different ways we can be bound by sin, (or missing the mark) on each paper chain. This takes it a step further by allowing you to better discuss and apply the scriptures to your own family’s needs. I’ll give suggestions, however the more specific to the needs of YOUR family the better.

I’ve created a document that will allow you a space to write on each paper chain segment and see the lines to cut it out. However, this activity can be done with any blank piece of paper!

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Click Here to Access the Editable Paper Chain Printable

To begin this lesson, I would start by reading 2 Nephi 9:45. Focus on the idea of chains. Discuss as a family where they have seen chains. What chains are used for today, what they might have been used for in Nephi’s day…etc. Consider also coming up with phrases or adjectives that would describe chains… Heavy, strong, unbreakable, Captive, Slave…etc. Once everyone has a good grasp on what the literal meaning of a chain is I would do a bit of a scripture chase to see where else “Chains” have been used or mentioned in the scriptures, and then from there dive into the figurative meaning and application of what chains can be in our own lives.

“Chain” Scripture Chase:

• 2 Nephi 28:22
• Alma 36:18
• 2 Nephi 1: 13, 23
•  Moses 7: 26, 57
  • How does Satan lead us away:
    • 2 Nephi 28:21

***Notice when Moses describes seeing Satan, what is Satan holding… What does Satan do?

After the scripture chase, it’s time to better explore the application and figurative meaning of chains in our own lives. Take this time to write something on one of the chainlinks that can bind us. Considering 2 Nephi 28:21 the idea you write down may not pose any immediate danger or even a large consequence however when done over and over, (consider adding a link to the chain each time, this idea of habit can begin to form a chain or a weight that is inescapable without the help of our loving Savior.

Possible Chain Links:

Apathy (Not Caring), Floating along not making the effort to progress or become better.

Distracted: Becoming so busy, and overscheduled that there is simply no time for Godly pursuits…

“There are Church members who are steeped in lethargy. They neither drink nor commit the sexual sins. They do not gamble nor rob nor kill. They are good citizens and splendid neighbors, but spiritually speaking they seem to be in a long, deep sleep. They are doing nothing seriously wrong except in their failures to do the right things to earn their exaltation. To such people as this, the words of Lehi might well apply: ‘O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe’.”                                     -Spencer W. Kimball

Anything that can lead to a bad habit: Word of Wisdom, Excess Sugar, Excess Caffeine, Addictive Substances, Medications, Pornography, Excess use of Social Media, Excess use of Gaming, Excess use of Screen Time…etc. Discuss how habits and addictions actually rob us of our Agency. The very thing heaven went to war over.

Inappropriate images through media, literature, television, social media…etc

Inappropriate language through literature, music, or speech…etc

Inappropriate use of time… Procrastination.

Remember Sin can be described as the chains by which we are bound. However, it can be helpful to use the Hebrew translation of Sin when brainstorming these chain links… “Missing the Mark” How do you and I DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY… miss the mark. 

Not making time for meaningful scripture study.

Not making time for meaningful Family activity and connections.

Assuming the worst in others.

Talking badly about others.

Talking badly about OURSELF.

Playing the Victim.

Not being Kind.

Being Crude, brash or harsh.

Anger.

Bitterness.

Arrogance.

Pride.

Fault Finding.

Criticism.

Lying.

The list can literally go on and on and on and on. What applies specifically to your family, or your students? ***Please make sure to make the “flaxen cord” connection. Most of the time these chains don’t start out as a big, heavy, binding, chain. Rather they start as a single chain link. As you add to that chain link upon link, you may not even feel the weight because it is so gradual. Consider what Lehi plead with Laman and Lemuel… WAKE UP! The scary thing about the gradualness, and carefulness of the chains is that often times we don’t even realize that we are sleeping.

This address by Marvin J. Ashton is really exceptional and gives a great list of examples and ideas of chains in someone’s life. Consider watching the video together and listing out the different chain links.

After you have compiled your chainlinks. Work together to glue, tape, or staple together your chainlinks. From there you can take turns wrapping each other in the paper chains. Once the fun has been had it’s important to discuss how to remove those chains in your life.

“One may ask, “What must I do to break the chains that bind me and lead me away from the path our Savior would have us follow?” These chains cannot be broken by those who live in lust and self-deceit. They can only be broken by people who are willing to change. We must face up to the hard reality of life that damaging chains are broken only by people of courage and commitment who are willing to struggle and weather the pain… the work of change belongs to the person. Most often, it is plain hard work. To change or break some of our chains even in a small way means to give up some behavior or habits that have been very important to us in the past… Every worthy change means risk—the risk of losing an old and damaging habit for a new and improved way of life… Even the chains of fear can be broken by those who will humbly seek God’s help and strength… A truly wise person will constantly move forward, striving for self-improvement, knowing that daily repentance is needed for progress. Those who are committed to improvement break chains by having the courage to try. Those who live without commitment mistakenly think it is easier to adapt their life-styles to the weight and restrictions of chains rather than to put forth the effort to change. God help us to shake off and break the chains with which we are bound. With God’s help they can be shaken off by faith, works, prayer, constant commitment, and self-discipline. May we have the will and strength to shake off the chains that would control and destroy our progress, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

-Marvin J. Ashton

 

If you do this activity 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.

 

To stay up to date, and show your support make sure to follow @livingonlemonlane on Instagram!

Make sure to tag a friend to help spread the word. 

 

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.)

Read:

• This is a great activity from the Friend that is all about making good choices. There is also a visual that demonstrates a good choice, and a bad choice. Have your toddler or younger students identify the two. 

 

• Read through the words of the song, “I Will Walk with Jesus.” Then view the video below to sing along.

Activity Suggestions:

By now you know I also LOVE Ministering Simply’s resources and beautiful illustrations. This week she illustrated the Primary song, “I Feel my Savior’s Love.” Whether at home or in primary these are a beautiful way to illustrate the words to a beloved song.