Youth Lesson - How can using scripture study skills help me learn more about the priesthood? 28 June 2015

Have you learned anything this week in your personal studies?

Have you had any gospel conversations with friends or families that were interesting that you would like to share?

How can using scripture study skills help me learn more about the priesthood?

We have spent the last month studying about priesthood. Why have we spent so much time talking about something that only boys hold to a class that also had girls in it?  Why is this relevant to you young women..

You will be choosing a man whose name you will take. When you take his name, that signifies that you trust him to behave in way that keeps that name honorable.

The priesthood is to help him to keep that name honorable.  Learning about and using the priesthood teach men in ways very specific to them and uses their attributes of being a man.

You need to know how to help them to be their best in the priesthood and you need them to understand their duties in the priesthood to know how to help you be your best in motherhood, which is all women.

As we think about this let’s consider Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother’s roles in the universe.

Why is the universe governed by our Heavenly Father? Why do the scriptures not say more about Heavenly Mother who is the Queen of the universe?

Let's read the part of the family proclamation to learn the role of a fathers and husbands.

“By divine design, 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.”

How does the world speak of women? Have you girls noticed how the world often treats women? How do you feel about that?

How does the world speak about God?

How would the world speak of a woman God if they knew about her?

Based on what we learned about the role of a father or husband why would Heavenly Father keep Mother hidden from being written much about our taught much about?  A father is to preside, provide, and protect.

He keeps Her hidden because She is critically important and sacred.  Her job is to nurture and His job is to provide for her and to protect her so she can do her job.

I program computers we write what is called computer code or instructions to the computer to tell it how to do stuff.  We protect that code because we do not want it altered or stolen and we do not want bad things done with our code. We protect that code through a big word called obfuscation. Which means to hide it or make it unrecognizable to others. If they do not know it is there or how to read it then they can't mess with it.

Is that code working and doing powerful stuff? Yes. Is it vital for the computer to work properly? Yes. But it is hidden.

I think Father has obfuscated mother from our view because she is that important.

Is she working and doing powerful things? Absolutely. Is She vitally important for things to work properly. Knowing the importance of earthly mothers I would say with certainty that Her role in our salvation is huge.

When I was a kid and onto when I was a teen I could sass my dad and I would likely get some level of trouble from my dad, but sometimes he would let it slide, but any trouble I got was nothing like he would give me if I sassed my mom.  And if I called my mom a disrespectful name, then I could be sure that my life was about to change in drastic ways.  This was because he would protect her from anything.

Let's read from the beginning of the lesson:

"One of the best ways to learn about the priesthood is to study the scriptures. Studying the scriptures involves more than just reading. In order to understand scriptures that teach about the priesthood, we can learn and apply scripture study skills such as defining difficult words and using footnotes and other study aids."

We learn about the priesthood through what is in the scriptures, but also by what is not in the scriptures. We do not hear about heavenly Mother in the scriptures. Why is that? I believe that is because women are sacred and they have a great work on earth and in the eternities that gets minimized and ridiculed by the world, so I think Father guards Mother against that.

I also believe the priesthood is primarily here to clear the way for mothers or the relief society to do their work.

Doctrine and Covenants 132:8

8 Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.

Part of keeping order is that we have priesthood and motherhood.

The Lord gives us the scriptures to show us how things should be in order so that we can refer back to them as we fulfill our roles with the priesthood. That we might understand those roles . The Lord wants us to know how things work, so we can do things the way they work so we can be happy.

Bible Dictionary Melchizedek Priesthood

Let's read the entry in the Bible Dictionary and all the scriptures listed so we can see what the scriptures say about the priesthood.

D&C 42:11

“Again I say unto you, that it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by someone who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church”

Priesthood holders are to take the lead in their home. They are reasonable to call people together for prayer and Family home evening. Why not mom? Because she had her own responsibilities. She had been monitoring the welfare of the children all day and learning about their needs to council with the father in what the family needs.

Because of the way men were created for their responsibilities in life the Lord knew they would need the additional responsibility of leading their home to remind them the importance of home and family.

It is important that young women learn about the priesthood, because they have the responsibility of choosing who the man to lead her family in righteousness. When you take a man's lady name you are saying that you trust that his name is a name of honor and righteousness. That having his name as your name will never bring you shame.

Let's read some from Larry M Gibson, Fatherhood—Our Eternal Destiny during last general conference where he breaks down Doctrine and Covenants 20 and he talks about how Aaronic Priesthood holders can apply it to their lives.

“Invite all [of your family] to come unto Christ” (verse 59).

“Watch over [them] always, and be with and strengthen them” (verse 53).

“Preach, teach, expound, exhort, and baptize” members of your family (verse 46).

“Exhort them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties” (verse 47).

“See that there is no iniquity in [your family], neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor evil speaking” (verse 54).

“See that [your family meets] together often” (verse 55).

Assist your father in his duties as patriarch. Support your mother with priesthood strength when a father is not present (see verses 52, 56).

When asked, “ordain other priests, teachers, and deacons” in your family (verse 48).

Youth Lesson - How can I participate effectively in councils in the Church?

What did we talk about last week?

Have you learned anything in your personal gospel study that you would like to share?

Have you have any gospel conversations with friends or family that you found interesting?

Today we are going to talk about:
How can I participate effectively in councils in the Church?

The Lord’s Church is governed through councils. Under the direction of priesthood leadership, leaders counsel together for the benefit of individuals, families, and the Church. Effective councils invite full expression from all council members, who seek to be united and guided by the Holy Ghost to build the kingdom of God. Learning how revelation is received in councils can help us participate effectively in council meetings, including presidency meetings, bishopric youth committee meetings, and family councils.

What councils have the youth participated in (for example, class and quorum presidencies or the bishopric youth committee)? How well do the youth understand the purposes of councils?

Ask the youth how those worked.

In my old ward I was on the ward council for a while.

We would talk about how to help those in our ward. Our ward, not as a group of church members, but as everyone in our ward boundaries.

Without giving confidential information about things that were discussed in your counsels, are there things you would like to share about the benefits you saw when working on a counsel?

Often things we talk about in counsels are sacred, so just like other sacred things we are careful what we share. How are things in counsels sacred?

Matthew 18:20
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Have you ever heard this scripture before? What are they usually talking about when they give this scripture?

Often I have heard people talk about why we go to church, but does this apply to counsels and how?

Here's another scripture that is usually use when talking about the importance of going to church.

Moroni 6:5

5 And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.

Think about this in the context of meeting together in counsels.

Why would it be less effective if one person made all of the decisions without counseling with others?

Even though we may be doing good things and avoiding bad things, do we still get caught up in our own way of thinking or how we think something should be done?

Have you ever had your mind on something and someone says something that really makes you think about something different?  Have you had an experience like that which you would like to share?

Counsels are like that. We bring together people that have different life experiences, which cause them to see things from a different perspective. Taking together helps us perhaps to see more.

Have your ever seen one of those pictures that are zoomed way in and it is hard to determine what the picture is? Then you zoom out a bit and the picture make more sense. When we meet in counsels it helps us is to see what we think we see another way and often it makes more sense.

In many ways the way we do teaching youth classes in the Church is a lot like a counsel. We all reason things out together through the input of all of us.

Jesus often taught by asking questions and having his students participate in thinking about issues and taking the issue or question out.

Luke 10:25-28

25 ¶And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Is there anything you have thought about as we have talked that you would like to use when you participate in a counsel next?

Youth Lesson - How does reverence help me receive revelation?

What have you learned in your personal gospel study this week?

Have you had any gospel conversations with friends or family that you would like to share?

Did you all hear that Elder Perry died.

Did you all go to stake conference a couple weeks ago? What did they talk about in stake conference?

Here are a few things I heard:

They asked the question, "When was the last time you knelt in prayer and asked your father in heaven what he would like you to understand in your patriarchal blessing?"

Have any of you received your patriarchal blessings? What is a patriarchal blessing?

They quoted Bishop Gary E Stevenson, in his April 2014 talk Your Four Minutes

"I express my utmost confidence in your abilities. You have the Savior of the world on your side. If you seek His help and follow His directions, how can you fail?"

The Layton stakes are being shifted from the Ogden temple district to the Bountiful temple district. How do you guys feel about that.

We are going to talk about, "How does reverence help me receive revelation?"

What is reverence?

Psalms 46:10

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Part of reverence is being still. Is there more to being still than just folding your arms and keeping your mouth quiet?

With that in mind, think again about "be still... And know that I am God."

Does anyone have the Come Follow Me manual on your device? Have you been to the Come Follow Me web site to see all the things they have there on gospel topics to help youth figure out gospel stuff?

Could someone read the quote on reverence fun the manual?

"When we are reverent, we show our love for God and are better able to receive personal revelation. A reverent attitude helps make us more sensitive to the still, small voice of the Spirit. If we treat sacred things with reverence, Heavenly Father will trust us and reveal to us additional truths."

Why would Heavenly Father wait for us to show reverence for what he has given us before giving us more?

Let's say a parent gives a child a knife when they are old enough and the parent had explained what a knife is, what it does and the consequences of not being careful with it. What if that child starts swinging it around and not respecting that they are holding a knife? Will the parent trust the child with an ax or a gun or even a crystal vase?

These are all things one should be careful with. The parent will likely not only not trust them with other dangerous or fragile things, but the parent will likely take back the thing the kid was entrusted with in the first place.

When we are playing with toys we perhaps can be somewhat casual, but when we are given a knife things just got serious, right?

The same is true of the gospel. We can be joking about video games or movies, but when someone brings up Jesus, things just got serious.  We are much more reverent when the topic of Jesus or other sacred things are brought up.

Give reverence to sacred things

Reverence can mean to hold something sacred.  We give reverence to the temple, the sacrament, and the Savior because these are things that we hold sacred.  Do you have anything else that you hold sacred?

Dnc 63:64

64 Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit; and in this there is no condemnation, and ye receive the Spirit through prayer; wherefore, without this there remaineth condemnation.

Things that come from above must be spoken with  care. What does that mean?

The scripture also says to speak of sacred things by constraint of the spirit. What does that mean?

Some things we only talk about when the spirit tells us to.   What are examples of some sacred things the Lord might ask you not to speak of except when told to by the Spirit.

Things like visions or words of blessings (like patriarchal blessings or guidance received when ordained to a calling).   What about our sins and our repentance process?  Is that sacred? Kind of weird to think of our sins as sacred isn't it?

Nephi was constrained not to write about John's revelation because it was John's calling.

So that is a little about what reverence is, but how can reverence help us receive revelation? What do you think?

Elder Oaks in last general conference had this to say about having reverence for the Sacrament :

"If the emblems of the sacrament are being passed and you are texting or whispering or playing video games or doing anything else to deny yourself essential spiritual food, you are severing your spiritual roots."

When we are irreverent when we ought to be paying close attention we are disconnecting from the spirit. What is critical to receiving revelation?... The spirit or the Holy Ghost, right?

So reverence helps us lock into the Holy Ghost and prepare to receive revelation.

Have any of you have experienced receiving inspiration from the Holy Ghost when you have been reverent that you would like to share?

Look up  reverence and revelation in true to the Faith and have class read.

Youth Lesson - What can I learn from living prophets and apostles? - 3 May 2015

What have you learned in your personal gospel study this week?

Have you had any gospel conversations with friends or family that you would like to share?

Today we are going to talk about:  What can I learn from living prophets and apostles?

Past prophets had specific instructions for the people in the times they lived in. The instructions and things they were asked to do were specific to their time but are things that we can learn from and much still applies to us, because they are key points of the gospel in all ages like the ten commandments and the beatitudes.

Some past prophets were specifically writing to our day that we might be prepared for things to come in our day. Some of the prophets that wrote to us or about us were Isaiah, John, and Moroni.

Can you think of scriptures that are specifically for our day? Use your topical guide and see what you can find.

The living prophets and apostles receive revelation to guide the Church, and their counsel reflects the will of the Lord, who knows us perfectly and understands our challenges. Their teachings can help us with the challenges we face today. We are blessed to be led by living prophets and apostles and to receive their counsel every six months during general conference.

What are some items of counsel or commandment that living prophets have given to the church in the last day?  (word of wisdom, FHE, food storage)

What are some things you remember from our current general conference that the prophet and apostles talked to us about that are very specific to what is going on in our world now.  (tolerance, freedom to choose,

DnC 1:38

38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

Let’s look at some thoughts from our prophet from last general conference.

"let us consider our callings; let us reflect on our responsibilities; let us determine our duty; and let us follow Jesus Christ, our Lord."

...

"Let us take most seriously the callings, the responsibilities, and the duties... " - President Monson

What is a calling?

What is the difference between duty and responsibility?

I saw someone online describe the difference between duty and responsibility like this :

" Duty is that you ought to do. Duty is derived from certain rights. For instance, it is my duty as a father to feed my kids. Violation of duty is a serious offense. Whereas, responsibility can be any commitment towards anything where you are free to obey or not to obey.."

Go around the room and ask each of them what their calling is.  (church calling, daughter, sister, mother, son, brother)

It is my belief that all women are called from birth to be mothers. Not in the sense to bear children, but to raise up everyone around them.

Go around the room and ask what are their responsibilities.

Go around the room and ask what is one of their duties.

What else did our prophet share with us during our last conference?

“This year we anticipate rededicating 2 temples and dedicating 5 new temples which are scheduled for completion.

“For the past two years, as we have concentrated our efforts on completing previously announced temples, we have held in abeyance plans for any additional temples. This morning, however, I am very pleased to announce three new temples which will be built in the following locations: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Bangkok, Thailand.“

The prophet is guiding the work of the Lord in this time of great expansion of the Church and the work of the Lord.  He is sharing with us and allowing us to share in the great joy of temple building.  What does it feel like when a temple is announced that is built in our town, or in a place that is significant to us, or in a place that has world significance?

When President Monson once announced the first temple in my home state of Indiana it was a great feeling for me, even though I am now far from there.  That temple is now getting ready to be dedicated.

When he announced the temple in Rome, Italy you could hear a reaction from the audience as it sunk into them what this could mean.  Rome is the headquarters to the Catholic church, which is likely the Christian church with the most members worldwide.  They consider their church to be descended directly from Peter while he was still alive.

The prophet also talked about our behavior in the temple and some of the purpose of temples.

“As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world. Inside this sacred sanctuary, we find beauty and order. There is rest for our souls and a respite from the cares of our lives.

“As we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace which will transcend any other feeling which could come into the human heart. We will grasp the true meaning of the words of the Savior when He said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”1

He tells us to leave behind distractions when we enter the temple.  He tells us that the temple is a sanctuary from things of the world.  He tells us that there is peace in the temple.  In that peace we can find clarity about things that are troubling us.

In his conference talk the prophet also talks about overcoming temptations as we visit the temple.

“My brothers and sisters, in our lives we will have temptations; we will have trials and challenges. As we go to the temple, as we remember the covenants we make there, we will be better able to overcome those temptations and to bear our trials. In the temple we can find peace.”

He tells us will have trials and challenges, but as we go to the temple and remember our covenants, we will better be able to fight temptation when we are outside the temple.

Youth Lesson - What does Joseph Smith’s example teach me about learning the gospel? - April 2015

Is there anything we have talked about in past weeks that I didn’t explain well that you have questions about?

What have you learned in personal gospel study this week?

Have you had any interesting gospel conversations with friends or family this week?

What do prophet’s example teach me about learning the gospel?

We look to the examples of prophets and apostles to teach us things. Prophets in the scriptures like Adam, Moses Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Peter, Paul, Nephi, and Moroni. Also modern day prophets like Joseph Smith and Thomas S Monson.

Even though we look to these examples, we must know for ourselves.

Who were the 2000 stripling warriors?  How did they know for themselves that God would protect them?  “We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”(Alma 56:48)

How did Alma find out for himself that God was real?

Alma 5:45-46

45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

What were the desires of Nephi?

1 Nephi 2:16

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

1 Nephi 10:17

17 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.

How does James tell us to find out for ourselves?

James 1:5

This was how Joseph Smith learned for himself what the truth was.  He pondered the scriptures...and he likened them to himself.

Hymn 26 - Joseph Smith’s First Prayer

What Is a Testimony

We often hear members of the Church say that their testimony of the gospel is their most prized possession. It is a sacred gift from God that comes to us by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is the calm, unwavering certainty we receive as we study, pray, and live the gospel. It is the feeling of the Holy Ghost bearing witness to our souls that what we are learning and doing is right.

Some people speak of a testimony as if it were a light switch—it’s either on or off; you either have a testimony, or you do not. In reality, a testimony is more like a tree that passes through various stages of growth and development. Some of the tallest trees on earth are found in Redwood National Park in the western United States. When you stand at the base of these massive trees, it is amazing to think that each one grew from a tiny seed. So it is with our testimonies. Although they may begin with a single spiritual experience, they grow and develop over time through constant nourishment and frequent spiritual encounters.

It’s not surprising, then, that when the prophet Alma explained how we develop a testimony, he spoke of a seed growing into a tree. “If ye give place,” he said, “that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, … it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.”12

This is often how a testimony begins: with sacred, enlightening, assuring feelings that demonstrate to us that the word of God is true. However, as wonderful as these feelings are, they are only the beginning. Your work to grow your testimony is not done—any more than the work of growing a redwood tree is done when the first tiny sprout pokes out of the ground. If we ignore or neglect these early spiritual promptings, if we do not nurture them by continuing to study the scriptures and pray and by seeking more experiences with the Spirit, our feelings will fade and our testimonies will diminish.

As Alma put it: “If ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.”13

In most cases, our testimonies will grow the same way a tree grows: gradually, almost imperceptibly, as a result of our constant care and diligent efforts. “But if ye will nourish the word,” Alma promised, “yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.”14

5th Sunday Lesson on Indexing

Presented by two presenters.

Part by first presenter:

Today we are going to talk to you all about FamilySearch indexing.  What it is and why it is important.

-Watch video "Indexing Is Vital" and narrate.

Narration

{

Documents were created about our ancestors all through their lives.

-Birth Certificates

-School and Work Records

-Marriage Certificates

-Census Records

-Death Certificates

- and Obituaries

-All of these have been stored in various places around the world.

-As we work on our genealogy we need the data contained on those documents.

-We search and search, hoping someone has possession of those documents and has entered them into a computer, so that we can enter them into our family trees.

-Many of these documents have been photographed, but it takes a long time to get all of that information into computers.

-Indexing is the process of reading those documents and entering the data into computers.

-Once that information is in computers, by people indexing the records, it can be searched by web sites like FamilySearch. Then people who have been trying and trying to find their ancestor’s information can finally find it.

}

-So the basic idea of indexing is that documents we need for genealogy are all over the world and can be brought to us quickly with computers.  The problem is to get computers to know what document we are looking for.

-Computers do not understand paper and handwriting very well.  Humans, on the other hand understand written text.  We are the translator between the document and the computer.

-When we index records we take paper documents and make them so they can be found by someone in their home using a computer.

-Because of the great tool that indexing these documents is to hastening temple work, our leaders have asked us to make time for indexing.

Indexing is very easy to incorporate into the patterns of our lives.  We would love to meet with you and your families to talk about how to work a little indexing into your lives.

-A significant contribution can be made with any amount of time.

The stake and ward have established indexing goals for us for the year,so let's run through these really quickly.

-Our stake has a goal for everyone in the stake to learn to index, and for each person in the stake to index 500 names this year.
-Our ward has a goal to index 100,000 names as a ward this year.
In order to accomplish this, the ward has a goal to have at least one registered indexer from each family by the end of June.  We and our other ward indexers are available to come to your home and show you how if you need help getting registered.

-There is work to be done in indexing at all levels of experience.  So there is work for you no matter what.
-There are a variety of projects to index that match every different persons’ strengths and weaknesses.  

-Don’t let the thought that you will make mistakes keep you from indexing.  There are many checks and balances in place to prevent error and to train you along the way.

-We are available to come to your home and help your family get started with indexing or help you over any bumps you may be having along the way.  Just contact one of us to set up a time.

Now my fellow presenter is going to share with us some of the blessings of indexing.

Part by second presenter:

-These are the promised blessings/Why I index

 -Protection

 -Redemption

 -Edification