Sunday, March 6, 2022

Family Home Evening for Genesis 28-33

 Click on the picture to view our lesson for this video

Family Home Evening for Genesis 24-27

 Click on the Video for the Lesson

Family Home Evening for Genesis 18-23

 Read or Summarize 


Genesis 19:15-17; 24-26


15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;

25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.


Discussion


Explain to your children that God protects us, when we are doing what is right. Sodom and Gamorah was a city where all the people were wicked and were doing bad things. An angel came and warned Lot. The angels told him to take his wife and 2 daughters and leave. The Lord told them not to look back after leaving, but Lot's wife didn't trust that she could be happy outside of Sodom and Gomorrah, and she looked back, wanting to go back to the city. She did not listen and the Lord turned her into salt.


Activity

Set up a picture of Christ on one side of the room, and tell your children to stand on the opposite side of the room. Read the following scenarios in which a friend might invite the children to do something they know isn’t right. How would we “flee” these situations? What could we say to our friend?When they provide a correct answer, have them step closer to the picture of Christ.


Scenarios

  1. Your friend has some pictures of girls and boys that are naked or have only a little bit of clothes on. What do you do? What do you say to your friend?

  2. You are super nervous about a test at school. Your friend is an aide in the copy center, at school. He has gotten all of the answers to the test, and he tries to give them to you. He says that now all you need to do is memorize all of the answers. What do you do? What do you say to your friend?

  3. You are playing at your friend's house and they offer you some bad drinks. They say that it will help you feel happy and relax. What do you do? What do you say to your friend?

  4. You are at a birthday party for one of your friends. They decide to turn on a movie. You know that this movie has a lot of swearing and other inappropriate things in it. What do you do? What do you say to your friends?

  5. Your parents dropped you off at your friend's house and told you not to go anywhere else. After playing for a while, your friend convinces their mother to take you and your friend to go get ice cream. You say that you are not supposed to leave their house, without your parents' permission. Your friend says, "You don't need to tell your parents. They'll never know." What do you do?


Click the picture below for our scripture reading, discussion story, and activity scenarios (with the picture of Jesus for the activity.



Family Home Evening for Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2

 A lot of times, we hear that a covenant is a sacred promise between us and God. In ancient times, such as those recorded in the Bible, covenants were also an important part of people’s interactions with each other. In order for people to be safe and stay alive, people needed to be able to trust each other, and covenants were a way to secure that trust.


So when God spoke to Noah, Abraham, or Moses about covenants, He was inviting them to enter into a relationship of trust with Him. One of the best-known examples of a covenant in the Old Testament is the one God made with Abraham and Sarah


Genesis 13:16

16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.


Genesis 15:2-6

2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.


Genesis 17:15-19

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him


 We often call this the Abrahamic covenant, although in the Old Testament it was known simply as “the covenant.” You will see that the Old Testament is fundamentally the story of people who saw themselves as the inheritors of this covenant—the covenant people.


God’s covenant with Abraham promised wonderful blessings: an inheritance of land, a large posterity, access to priesthood ordinances, and a name that would be honored for generations to come. But the focus of this covenant was not just on the blessings Abraham and his family would receive but also on the blessing they would be to the rest of God’s children.


That was thousands of years ago, but this covenant has been restored in our day. And it is currently being fulfilled in the lives of God’s people. In fact, the fulfillment of the covenant is building momentum in the latter days as God’s work progresses, blessing families throughout the world. And anyone who, like Abraham, wants to be a greater follower of righteousness, anyone who seeks the Lord earnestly, can be a part of it.


You are a child of the covenant. You made a covenant with God when you were baptized.


Galatians 3:27 says the following:

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise


 You renew that covenant every time you partake of the sacrament. And you make sacred covenants in the temple. Together, these covenants make you a participant in the Abrahamic covenant, the fulness of which is found in temple ordinances. As President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Ultimately, in the holy temple, we may become joint heirs to the blessings of an eternal family, as once promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their posterity


Think also about God’s promise to you of eternal families and eternal increase


Think also about the celestial destiny of the earth itself—an inheritance promised to the “meek” who “wait upon the Lord


Think also about what you can do—as a covenant follower of Jesus Christ—to be a blessing to the families around you.


Click the Picture below to see our video


Sunday, January 30, 2022

Family Home Evening for Genesis 6-8

 Read, Summarize, or Role Play 

Genesis 6-8 (Noah's Ark).

Make note of the following things: 

  1. What kind of man Noah was

  2. What happened to the people who did not follow the prophet

  3. What happened to the people who did follow the prophet


Build a boat out of paper or blocks. Watch the video below to see how to fold a paper boat. Then, discuss how following the prophet, today, keeps us safe from the “floods” of bad things in our world today. You may want to go back to the last General Conference to be reminded of what our prophet said. Click here to be directed to the October 2021 General Conference. My list is below. Have each child draw a picture to represent the words or write the words of the prophet on their boat.


 President Nelson Quotes from October 2021 Conference:

  • I plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life—each and every day.

  • If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study, you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true.

  • Make your own spiritual foundation firm and able to stand the test of time by doing those things that allow the Holy Ghost to be with you always.

  • Make your Sabbath a delight as you worship Him, partake of the sacrament, and keep His day holy.

  • please make time for the Lord in His holy house

  • It is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

  • The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple

  • Ponder these three truths:

    • The Restoration is a process, not an event, and will continue until the Lord comes again

    • The ultimate objective of the gathering of Israel is to bring the blessings of the temple to God’s faithful children.

    • As we seek how to accomplish that objective more effectively, the Lord reveals more insights. The ongoing Restoration needs ongoing revelation.

  • Under the Lord’s direction and in answer to our prayers, recent procedural adjustments have been made. He is the One who wants you to understand with great clarity exactly what you are making covenants to do.

  • If you don’t yet love to attend the temple, go more often—not less.

  • Contrary to the doubts of some, there really is such a thing as right and wrong. There really is absolute truth—eternal truth.

  • I invoke a blessing upon all who are seeking greater light, knowledge, and truth.



Monday, January 24, 2022

Family Home Evening for Moses 7

 Read or Summarize Moses 7:28-31


28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?

29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?

30 And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;

31 And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?


Discuss

Explain to your children Enoch's surprise that God weeps. He also marveled at how God is so aware of each of His creations. Explain that each of them are individual sons and daughters of God, a sibling, part of a family, part of a community, part of the world, part of a universe, and part of one of God's many creations, yet He is still aware of them as an individual and loved so much by Him. When they are sad or bad things happen, He cries for them. When they are happy, He rejoices with them, because they are His. 


Activity

In Moses 7:32, we read that God gave us agency. Explain that when God gave us agency, He helped us to know the good and bad consequences of our actions (2Nephi 25-27). We always can make our choices on what we do, but we can't always choose our consequences. Role play choices with your kids, such as, "It is bedtime, but you are in the middle of playing a game. Do you choose to go to bed or stay awake?" If they choose to stay awake, have them role play how they feel in the morning, when it is time to go to school. If they choose to go to bed, have them role play how they feel in the morning when it is time to go to school. Other scenarios could include: when they get mad at a sibling or friend, do they hit or say mean things or talk about how they feel to their friend/get help from a grown up? When they get frustrated at a videogame, do they cry and scream or take a small break to calm down? It's time for bedtime prayers, but they are super tired. Do they say prayer anyways or pretend they are asleep, so they don't have to pray with the family?


Watch

View the video below for our "Discussion" portion of this lesson.


Monday, January 17, 2022

Family Home Evening for Genesis 5; Moses 6

 Tip: The following is just an outline for a brief lesson for small children. Encourage discussion with your children about these gospel topics. We begin each family home evening with a song and prayer. We take turns choosing songs and praying. We have a rotational chart to help us remember who is next in line. Role plays, games, or other activities could also be used to supplement the lessons. Make Family Home Evening meaningful and memorable for your family.

Read

Read the question Adam asked the Lord, in Moses 6:53


53 And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water?


Then, Read or summarize the Lord's answer in Moses 6:53-62


Watch 

The following video shows our summary. Click the picture below to view it.



Monday, January 10, 2022

FHE for Genesis 3-4; Moses 4-5

 Read Genesis 3 and/or Moses 5*

*If you have really small children, like me, you may want to summarize, retell the story, or go to the following link on the Church of Jesus Christ's website: Adam and Eve


I have also summarized it, in my own words in the video below.


Also, read or summarize Moses 5:16-34 (my summary is in the video below). Ask your children what it means to "be your brother's keeper." Tell them that it means to watch over or care for your siblings, family, and friends. 


Activity

Give your children scenarios where they could have opportunities to be their brother's keeper. Have them tell you what they could do to fulfill that role. I have some examples at the end of the video below.



Sunday, January 2, 2022

Family Home Evening for Genesis 1-2, Moses 2-3, or Abraham 4-5

 Reading and Activity

To help your children understand the creation, make a mini model of the creation. Read Genesis 1-2, Moses 2-3, or Abraham 4-5. Use colored paper, toy animals, toy fishes, people, etc. to represent the different days of the creation. Then have your children try to recreate it. Point out how many times God saw His creations as good. Also, emphasize that God rested on the 7th day. 


Here is a video of what we did, along with a trivia game at the end.



Monday, December 27, 2021

Family Home Evening for Moses 1; Abraham 3

 Read Abraham 3:24-26

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.


Activity

You will need a 10x4inch piece of paper (colored paper or scrapbook paper could be especially fun)


View the following video to see how to fold an origami, jumping frog. You could make prefolds in the paper to make it easier for younger kids.



Discussion 

After you have folded your frogs, explain to your kids that the scriptures, we opened the lesson with, say that Jesus and other Heavenly Beings created the earth, so that we would have a place to come to and learn to follow all of God's commandments. Earth could be compared to the piece of paper. If you just kept the piece of paper and didn't fold it, it would always just be a piece of paper, it would probably get lost, ruined, and thrown away in a short period of time. When you followed directions and folded it, exactly as you were told, it turned into something even better. Now, you have a little frog to play with, and you have a new pet. We have a beautiful earth to live on, and as we follow Heavenly Father's commandments, we receive more and more blessings.


Friday, December 24, 2021

Christmas Lesson 2021

 Read the following quote from "The Living Christ The Testimony of the Apostles"


“God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.”


Activity

Christmas is a time of giving. People give to charities, family members, and friends. Santa Claus brings gifts to good boys and girls. Families give gifts to one another.


The greatest gift the world has ever received is the gift of Heavenly Father's son, Jesus Christ. That is what Christmas is about. We are to show gratitude to Heavenly Father by the way that we treat others, as we follow Jesus's example.


For the activity cut a full sized sheet of paper into quarters. Distribute a quarter sheet to each family member, along with a pen. Write a down a "Gift to Jesus." This gift could be one way that you will try to be more Christlike, this next year. For example, you could make the goal to attend church or the temple more regularly. You could say that you will try to be more of a peacemaker. Choose something that you will work on. Then put it in a box with wrapping paper on the outside or a gift bag, and put it under your Christmas tree or a special place in your home. For younger kids, they could draw a picture of what they want to give Jesus or they could draw a picture for Jesus.


Monday, December 13, 2021

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

 Read

Paragraphs 6 & 7 of the "The Family: A  Proclamation to the World"


Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.


The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. 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. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.


Activity

Look for the principles of “successful marriages and families.” 


Discuss

What can you do to make your family more successful? How will you involve the Savior in your efforts? 


View our video below.


Articles of Faith Game

 We have been learning the Articles of Faith, by repeating them daily for a week, then reviewing all of them on Fridays. Here is a game to test mastery.