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Week 16 COME FOLLOW ME: Doctrine and Covenants – TEACHING IDEAS & RESOURCES | D&C Sections 37 – 40

Questions to Ponder:

 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. Each Come Follow Me Lesson asks important and reflective questions.

• What do you learn from verses 11–33 about the blessings of gathering? Church members are no longer commanded to gather by moving to one location; in what ways do we gather today? How do these blessings apply to us?

• Think about the commandments He has given you and the faith you need to obey them. The following questions could guide your study:

  • What do you find in verses 1–4 that gives you confidence in the Lord and His commandments?

  • How can verse 39 help you obey God’s commandments even when they require sacrifice?

  What else do you find?

• “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30). Take a minute to ponder the challenges you face. Then as you study section 38, listen for promptings from the Spirit about ways you can prepare for challenges so that you need not fear.
• Read sections 39–40, including the historical background in the section headings, and consider ways James Covel’s experience might apply to you. For example, think of times when your “heart … was right before [God]” (Doctrine and Covenants 40:1).
  • How were you blessed for your faithfulness?
  • Also think of what “cares of the world” you face (Doctrine and Covenants 39:9; 40:2).
  • What do you find in these sections that inspires you to be more consistently obedient?
• How can we make Jesus Christ our family’s “lawgiver”? How does following His laws make us “a free people”?
• You could discuss recent family or personal experiences that required preparation. How did your preparation affect the experience?
  • What does the Lord want us to prepare for?
  • How can being prepared help us not to be fearful?
  • What can we do to prepare?
• What does the phrase “cares of the world” (verse 2) mean to us?
  • Are there any cares of the world that are preventing us from receiving God’s word “with gladness”?
  • How will we overcome them?

Lesson:

Not sure about you, but while reading through the suggested activities to try with your class or family in Come Follow Me, the activities dealing with the idea of being one… felt EXTREMELY relevant to my little family, and my little children, and their little rivalries. I thought I would make a quick printable to go along with this suggested activity:

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Click Here to Access the FREE Be One Activity and Coloring Page

• To teach children what it means to “be one,” you could help them count the members of your family and talk about why each person is important to your family. Emphasize that together you are one family. You could help your children draw a large 1 on a poster and decorate it with names and drawings or pictures of each family member. You could also write on the poster things you will do to be more united as a family. You might also watch the video “Love in Our Hearts” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) or read Moses 7:18.

• • • Read Doctrine and Covenants 38:25 to the children, and tell them in your own words what it means to esteem your brother or sister as yourself (see also Matthew 7:12). Help them repeat the scripture, replacing “his brother” with each other’s names.

• Sing a song about loving and including others, such as “I’ll Walk with You” or “We Are Different” (Children’s Songbook, 140–41, 263). As you sing, let the children hold pictures of children from other places in the world.

• Read together Doctrine and Covenants 38:24–27, and invite the children to write down words from these verses that they feel are important, including words that are repeated. Why might the Lord have repeated these words? Let them share what they wrote, and discuss what they learn from those words.

• Help the children think of situations in which someone might feel left out, such as being a new member of the Church or moving to a new neighborhood or school. What does Doctrine and Covenants 38:24–27 suggest about how we should treat someone in these circumstances? Role-play some possible situations.

• Share an object lesson that illustrates how things can be combined or united to become one, such as pieces of cloth that make one quilt or ingredients that make one loaf of bread. What do these examples teach us about becoming one as God’s people?

I also really liked these thoughts on Unity  from this month’s For the Strenght of Youth Magazine:

 

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Achieving true ward or branch unity may be as difficult as it is rare. But great progress can be made in each ward and branch of the Church as leaders and members apply the following principles: (1) learn the doctrine, (2) eliminate contention, (3) forgive others, (4) watch over and strengthen each other, and (5) sacrifice for the kingdom of God. […] Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are one, even as we must become one. Let us, therefore, be fully committed as disciples of the Lord to become united as a church and as a people.

-Be Ye One: By Elder H. Aldridge Gillespie

Watch or Listen To:

With young children, 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.  Many of these are PERFECT for when everyone is strapped in the car seat. My 5-year-old now requests many of these over the radio. 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.)

Drawn In: Free Sample of Subscription Videos

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 one of 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!

FULL FREE SAMPLE VIDEO THIS WEEK!!! Head to davidbowmanart.com for more information!

• 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)

Read:

• Activity Suggestion from the Friend
• Scripture Stories: Doctrine and Covenants
• For Young Readers: Scripture Stories

Activity Suggestions:

 In order to access this download, you will need to be a member of On Lemon Lane, and signed in to your account. Not a member? Not a problem? Sign-up is FAST, FREE and Easy-Peasy, Lemon-Squeezy!

Click Here to Become a Member, once logged in click on the following links for access to the downloads!

Already a Member? Click Here to Login.

Click Here to Access this FREE Be One Download

Click Here to Download

Click Here to Download

Doctrine and Covenants Coloring Book:

Come Follow Me Activities:

I have a new account that I am THRILLED to share with you! Kate of Play Beyond the Box started @comefollowmeactivities Each week she posts a FREE Weekly Lesson plan that breaks down Come Follow Me into simple, easy to digest and implement, DAILY LESSONS and activities. Her lessons and activities are created with primary-aged children in mind.

Click Here to check out this week’s Activity Schedule for Come Follow Me by @Comefollowmeactivities

Activity Suggestions From Come Follow Me:

• Possible Activities

  • To teach children what it means to “be one,” you could help them count the members of your family and talk about why each person is important to your family. Emphasize that together you are one family. You could help your children draw a large 1 on a poster and decorate it with names and drawings or pictures of each family member. You could also write on the poster things you will do to be more united as a family. You might also watch the video “Love in Our Hearts” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) or read Moses 7:18.
    • • Use this week’s activity page to show the children that when the Church was very new, the Lord asked the members to move together to Ohio (see also the map in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). God wanted them to learn how to love and get along with each other. Ask the children for ideas about how they can show love for each other.

      • Read Doctrine and Covenants 38:25 to the children, and tell them in your own words what it means to esteem your brother or sister as yourself (see also Matthew 7:12). Help them repeat the scripture, replacing “his brother” with each other’s names.

      • Sing a song about loving and including others, such as “I’ll Walk with You” or “We Are Different” (Children’s Songbook, 140–41, 263). As you sing, let the children hold pictures of children from other places in the world.

      • Help the children act out a scenario in which someone new joins their Primary class. How could we help him or her feel welcome? The children might enjoy doing this role play with finger puppets or cutout figures.

      • To prepare the Saints to gather, the Lord taught them to see each other as equals and “be one” (verse 27). How might this instruction bless the children you teach?

        • Read together Doctrine and Covenants 38:24–27, and invite the children to write down words from these verses that they feel are important, including words that are repeated. Why might the Lord have repeated these words? Let them share what they wrote, and discuss what they learn from those words.

        • Help the children think of situations in which someone might feel left out, such as being a new member of the Church or moving to a new neighborhood or school. What does Doctrine and Covenants 38:24–27 suggest about how we should treat someone in these circumstances? Role-play some possible situations.

        • Share an object lesson that illustrates how things can be combined or united to become one, such as pieces of cloth that make one quilt or ingredients that make one loaf of bread. What do these examples teach us about becoming one as God’s people?