To stay up to date, make sure to follow @livingonlemonlane on Instagram!

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

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.

• As you read what the Lord said about the Saints’ hardships in Doctrine and Covenants 98:1–3, 11–14 and 101:1–16, what do you find that can help you with your trials?
  • How can these verses influence the way you view the challenges you face?
    • Ponder how your trials have worked together for your good and accomplished God’s purposes in your life.
• While not everything in Doctrine and Covenants 98:23–48 will apply to your personal interactions with others, what principles do you find that can guide you when you are wronged by others?
  • It may be helpful to mark words or phrases describing how the Lord wanted the Saints to handle the conflict in Missouri.

• Section 100 was the Lord’s answer to them. What do you find in the Lord’s response that may have reassured and helped them

  • Maybe you’ve also had experiences that required you to balance concern for your Church responsibilities and concern for your family. How might the Lord’s words in section 100 help you in such situations?

• The parable in Doctrine and Covenants 101:43–62 was given to explain why the Lord had allowed the Saints to be driven out of Zion. As you read these verses, do you see any similarities between yourself and the servants in the parable?
  • You might ask yourself: Do I ever question the commandments of God?
  • How might a lack of faith or commitment allow “the enemy” to have influence in my life?
  • How can I show God that I’m “willing to be guided in a right and proper way for [my] salvation”? (see
• What in these verses can help us have more peace in our family? You could sing a song about peace or forgiveness, such as “Truth Reflects upon Our Senses” (Hymns, no. 273). Young children might like to role-play forgiving each other.
• What do we find in section 99 that may have been helpful or encouraging to Brother Murdock? What message does the Lord have for us in this revelation?
• You might also learn together about how other things are purified, such as water or salt.
  • Maybe you could purify or cleanse something as a family.
  • Why do we want to become pure?
  • What do these examples teach us about how our trials can help us become “a pure people”?

Lesson:

Loved this activity suggestion by Come Follow Me this week:

You might also learn together about how other things are purified, such as water or salt. Maybe you could purify or cleanse something as a family. Why do we want to become pure? What do these examples teach us about how our trials can help us become “a pure people”?

I found the perfect activity by Steam Powered Family to try with your students or family!

Picture & activity by Steam Powered Family

Purify salt water by separating the salt from the water… This process of desalinization will allow you to collect the evaporated “pure” water and taste test your experiment!

What You’ll Need:

• Bowl
• Large pot
• Salt
• Water
• Spoon
• Boil safe mug or container (like a camping mug)
• Tinfoil
• Ice
• Stovetop

Instructions:

 

1. Start by having the kids mix salt into a big bowl of water. Using warm water will help with the dissolving process. Keep adding salt and stirring until you have some left on the bottom of the bowl that simply won’t dissolve.
2. Have the kids dip their fingers in and taste a couple of drops of saltwater compared to regular water. They should notice a big difference.
3. Pour the saltwater into a large pot on the stove.
4. Place your boil safe mug into the pot, being careful not to get any of the saltwater into the mug.
5. Cover the pot with tinfoil sealing the edges, leaving just enough slack to provide a slightly lower point in the middle. In this lower point place some ice cubes. Turn on the stove to bring the water to a boil.
6. Watch carefully and once it starts to boil set it on low medium heat to maintain a simmer.
7. Let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the ice cubes melt. Don’t let it boil dry!
8. Turn off the heat and let the whole thing cool without touching it for 20 to 30 minutes.
9. Once cool, carefully remove the tinfoil. You may need to use some paper towel to soak up the melted ice cubes.
10. You will notice there is now water in the mug, and a lot less water, that may be cloudy, in the pot.
11. Put your taste to the test, where you able to purify the water?

Click Here to Read the Full Blog Post and Additional Ideas about Testing the Properties of the Water

Consider these questions:

• You might also learn together about how other things are purified, such as water or salt.
  • Maybe you could purify or cleanse something as a family.
  • Why do we want to become pure?
  • What do these examples teach us about how our trials can help us become “a pure people”?

 

• What might the boiling water represent?
• What might the salt water represent?
• What does the seperated salt represent?
• What does the pure water represent?

 

 

Here then is a great truth. In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiner’s fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. In this way the divine image can be mirrored from the soul. It is part of the purging toll exacted of some to become acquainted with God. In the agonies of life, we seem to listen better to the faint, godly whisperings of the Divine Shepherd.

Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner’s fire causes a loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process.  -James E. Faust

 

Click Here to read the rest of the address

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!

Check out the last FREE Sample Video! 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:

Click Here to Download

Doctrine and Covenants Coloring Book:

Come Follow Me Activities:

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

Norman The Latter Day Saint

I found ANOTHER free, weekly resource that you are going to LOVE! Danette Smith and Brittany Smith, the creators behind @NormantheLatterdaySaint share the sweetest illustrated coloring pages to go along with Come Follow Me each week! Check out this week’s coloring page below, then check out their, “Norman the Latter Day Saint,” picture-book series! They create wonderful children’s book with LDS themes.

***There are lots of fun coloring pages to pick from, SCROLL DOWN to the bottom of the page to find the most recent Come Follow Me Coloring Page

CLICK HERE to Download this week’s Norman Book Series Coloring Page

Activity Suggestion from Church Magazines

• For Doctrine and Covenants 98–101

  • Sing “There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today” (Hymns, no. 227).

  • Jesus said, “In me your joy is full” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:36). Joy is long-lasting happiness you feel in your heart.

  • Draw a happy face and a frowny face on either side of a paper plate or paper circle. Together name some things that make people happy or sad and hold up the happy or sad face. Make sure to name some happy things about Jesus!

• For Doctrine and Covenants 98–101: Help your little ones say, “Jesus Christ can help me feel peace.” Talk about different ways people can feel peaceful. Some ideas could be praying, reading scripture stories, listening to good music, or resting quietly.

Activity Suggestions From Come Follow Me:

• • Put water in a cup. Ask the children to name things the Savior has done for us so that we can have joy, and invite them to drop a pebble in the cup for each thing they name until the cup is full. Read with the children Doctrine and Covenants 101:36, and ask them to look for how we can have a fulness of joy. What are some things we can do to “seek … the Lord” (verse 38) so we can have the joy that He wants to give us?

  • Explain that Doctrine and Covenants 101:23–32 teaches about what life will be like when Jesus Christ comes again. As you read these verses together, talk about things the children find that will bring us joy when He comes. Why is it helpful to know about these things when we are having a hard time?

  • Invite the children to wiggle in their chairs. Then ask them to stop moving when you hold up a picture of the Savior and say the phrase “Be still and know that I am God” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:16). Repeat this activity a few times. Explain that when life was hard for the Saints in Joseph Smith’s time, Jesus wanted them to be still and trust Him instead of worrying. How can Jesus help us when we are having a hard time?