Author: Keira

Purpose: To teach that prayer is one of the greatest blessings we have and that through prayer we can talk with our Heavenly Father and seek His guidance often.

Possible scriptures: Psalm 55:17; Matthew 6:9–13; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 1:5; 2 Nephi 32:8–9; Alma 34:17-27; Alma 37:37; 3 Nephi 18:19–21; Moroni 10:3–5;

Possible Songs: I Pray in Faith – Children’s Songbook #14; A Prayer – Children’s Songbook #22b; A Prayer Song – Children’s Songbook #22a;; Children All Over the World – Children’s Songbook #16; Did You Think to Pray? – Hymns #140; Heavenly Father, Now I Pray – Children’s Songbook #19; I Love to Pray – Children’s Songbook #25b; Love Is Spoken Here – Children’s Songbook #190; We Bow Our Heads – Children’s Songbook #25a; Sweet Hour of Prayer – Hymns #142

Possible Materials: a bag that says “I am thankful for…” and a bag that says “Please bless that…” along with pictures of items that could go inside them or blank paper strips for your family to write their own responses; a picture of Enos; either the figurine from “When I Begin To Pray,” The Friend Oct 1982 or from “Fasting and Prayer,” September 2000.

Preparation: Begin with prayer. Take a self-evaluation. Have your prayers been meaningful lately? Have you paused at the end of your prayers? Is there something you could work on? Read the suggested scriptures. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Watch the video about Enos and the video about Daniel in the lion’s den. Then look around your house and collect things you and your family are thankful for.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

From a General Authority: Watch this video about Elder Eyering. Every night, he looked for ways Heavenly Father had helped him that day. How do you think that changed his prayers? It is easier to say prayers with a thankful heart if we spend some time before we start to pray. We can think about our day and looking for how Heavenly Father helped us, or even just thinking about some of our favorite things. We should also take time before we pray to think about who the prayer will include (i.e. for a congregation or a whole family) and any special things the members of the prayer may be seeking. For younger children, explain that the word “ponder,” means to think carefully.

From the Scriptures: Hold up a picture of Enos. Discuss or read the story of Enos found in Enos chapter 1.  Enos was pondering, too! he was thinking about the things his dad had taught him. Enos knelt down do pray. We show reverence and respect to Heavenly Father when we hold our bodies still and reverently. For younger children, use one of the figures from The Friend to demonstrate how we hold our body while we pray. Talk about being able to pray whenever you need to; It doesn’t have to be in the morning or at night. Also point out that Enos waited after his prayer to hear the Lord’s answer. For older audiences, focus on what and *who* Enos prayed for. Help them realize that you should pray for your enemies as well your friends.

From the scriptures: Ask the family why we pray? there are many good answers, but a big reason why we pray is because it is a commandment from God! Hold up a picture of Daniel. Read Daniel 6:4-27. Discuss how Daniel never quit praying, even when it was hard. Because Daniel chose to obey God’s commandments instead of the king, God protected him.

From World History: Hold up a picture of General George S. Patton. Tell your family that this is General George S. Patton. He was a General during World War II. His armies had a lot of success, but they were in a tight spot. Weather and time were not on their side if they were going to win the war. They were running out of resources and a lot of the soldiers were getting sick. The army needed the rain to stop! General Patton knew his army could win the war if the weather would just cooperate. He had done his part to be ready, and still it rained. So he asked the chaplain (that is a religious leader for the army) to write a prayer for his soldiers to say. All of the army under General Patton prayed, and when it came time for them to attack, the weather was clear. General Patton again prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for the good weather. Ask a family member to read the prayer from the top part of the image from Historyonthenet.com. Talk to your family that “thee,” “thy,” and “thou,” mean “you and your.” When we use these words, we are showing reverence to Heavenly Father.

Further Discussion:

As a family, read the sections under “What is Prayer?” and “Why Do We Pray?” from Gospel Principles, chapter 8, as well as 3 Nephi 18:15 (see also D&C 10:5); Alma 38:14; Alma 34:17–27; 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Look for things we should include in our prayers. Answers may include requesting strength to resist the temptations of Satan and his followers and to live the gospel so that we may keep on his straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life, confessing our sins to God and asking forgiveness, seeking guidance and help in our daily lives, along with protection for families and friends, neighbors, crops and animals, daily work, and other activities and protection from our enemies, expressing love to our Heavenly Father and gaining a desire to feel closer to Him, thanking Him for our welfare, comfort and all things He gives us.

Read the section “When Should We Pray?” from Gospel Principles, chapter 8. Discuss times that we pray, which includes when we wake up; when we go to bed; meals; as a family; in church; when we need strength; when we are scared, or lonely, etc; when we need answers; when we don’t feel like praying; and “continually.”

Read Matthew 6:7-8 (also 3 Nephi 13:7) and Alma 31:12-35. Explain that “vain repetitions” means saying the same thing over and over again. Heavenly Father wants us to think about what we say. Alma gives 2 different prayers. Compare them. They both express gratitude, but are very different. Talk about which one meant more to both the one saying the prayer and to Heavenly Father.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Faith to Act and Become, by Elder Ciro Schmeil; Remember Your Way Back Home, by Elder José A. Teixeira

Challenge:

Challenge each member of your family to pay closer attention to his or her prayers – before, during, and after. Ask them to watch for how deeper prayers have helped them and their relationship with Heavenly Father. For each prayer said as a family this week, take time before the prayer to talk about what we should remember to add to our prayers.

Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lesson 4 (Nursery Manual lesson 3) and Gospel Principles Chapter 8. I read multiple accounts of General Patton’s request for prayer, but an incredibly thorough retelling is found in the article “When Patton Enlisted the Entire Third Army to Pray for Fair Weather” History on the Net © 2000-2021, Salem Media. Furthermore, the message given in the January 2006 New Era entitled The Special Language of Prayer, by Dallin H. Oaks gives deeper insight into the language of prayer.

Purpose: to help your family understand that each of us is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents and we lived with them before we were born.

Possible scriptures: Psalm 82:6; Malachi 2:10; Matthew 5:48; Acts 10:34-35; Acts 17:28–29; Romans 8:16; Hebrews 12:9; Doctrine and Covenants 29:31-38; Doctrine and Covenants 76:23–24; Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56; Moses 3:7; Mosiah 4:9-12;  1 Nephi 17:36; 3 Nephi 27:13-22;

Possible Songs: “O My Father,” Hymns 292;“I Am a Child of God,” Hymns 301, Children’s Songbook 2; “I Lived in Heaven,” Children’s Songbook 4;  “I Know My Father Lives,” Hymns 302, Children’s Songbook 5; “My Heavenly Father Loves Me,” Children’s Songbook 228

Possible Materials: We Grow To Be Like Our Parents puzzle pieces; Pictures of your family; Picture of Joseph F. Smith; Figures of Moses and the burning bush. You may consider acquiring either of these books (no affiliation. I’m just impressed by both of them and think that they need read by the world): The Hiding Place and Corrie ten Boom: The Courageous Woman and The Secret Room

Preparation: Begin with prayer. Think about your relationship with your Heavenly Father. When have you felt closest to Him? How do your family members feel about themselves? How can having a strong relationship with Heavenly Father strengthen their self-worth? Read the suggested scriptures, along with Moses chapter 1, and read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Print, color and cut the puzzle pieces. Children: Ask a grownup to read the story about Moses from The Friend. Ask a grownup to read the beginning of the We Grow To Be Like Our Parents sharing time. Also, watch this video about Corrie Ten Boom.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

From Church History: Hold up the picture of Joseph F. Smith. Tell your family that when Joseph F. Smith was the prophet there was a lot of confusion about where people came from and how we got to earth. Joseph F. Smith felt that he needed to explain to church members what has been revealed about where we came from, so he and the rest of the First Presidency wrote a statement for the church magazine. Older family members will benefit from this video. For younger members, read Genesis 1:26-27 and the excerpt below:

Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable… of evolving into a God.

Improvement Era, Vol. 13, (November 1909), pg. 75-81

Ask your family what it means to them to hear that they are created to be like God? How does that change the way they make choices? Young children would enjoy making a simple crown (you could use this one from The Friend) and writing the words I am a child of God on it. Let everyone color the crowns.

From the Scriptures: using the scripture figures found in the June 2014 friend, Read Moses 1:1-22, or read the summary from the friend for younger children. Point out how many times God says, “My son.” Was this an important concept? Explain that Heavenly Father has important things for us to do while we live on the earth, such as being a mother or a father, a missionary, a teacher, a helper at church, or a helper in the community. What important work might Heavenly Father want you to do? As you discuss the idea of worth and potential, have your family members analyze Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 and Moses 1:39 so that they will get a feeling of how important we are to our Heavenly Father as his children. Explain to everyone that because they are God’s children, they are worth very much. Emphasize to them that it does not matter what we look like or where we live, His love is unconditional and very real. What is it about us that Heavenly Father would love so much? (First of all, he loves us because we are his spirit children; we are his family. Secondly, he loves us because of what we are capable of doing and becoming.) Explain that Heavenly Father knows about each child’s admirable characteristics. For example, you could say, “Heavenly Father knows that Emily is a loving daughter.” How does your knowledge that you are a child of God influence your thoughts, words, and actions?

From World History: Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom were sisters during World War II. They saw that the Jews were being treated unfairly. They tried to help the people who were being hurt. They knew that the Jews were good people and were children of God. Eventually, they were caught trying to help others and were taken to prison. When they were in prison they had many chances to be angry but they chose to forgive the people that were hurting them. They asked God to help them forgive the people who kept them trapped in prison. God filled them with forgiveness and they remembered that even the people hurting them were still Heavenly Father’s children. Help your family remember that not only are each of them specifically children of God, but also the annoying kid from school, their teachers, and their family members. How does that knowledge affect the way we treat one another. Briefly bear your testimony or share a personal experience about how remembering to treat others as the children of God has changed or affected you (or the other person).

Further Discussion:

Have your family sing each verse of I Am a Child of God and find which phrases they feel are the most important to them. By breaking the hymn up in this way, it allows them to think about each word and why it was chosen in the song. Think about the principles of the gospel that we learn when we sing this beloved song.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: The Personal Journey of a Child of God, by Neil L. Andersen; Room in the Inn, by Garrit W. Gong; Poor Little Ones, by Jorge T. Becerra; God Loves His Children, by Taniela B. Wakolo To Be a Follower of Christ, by Elder Alfred Kyungu; Invite Christ to Author our Life, by Camille N. Johnson; Trust Again, by Garrit W. Gong; Remember Thy Suffering Saints, O Our God, by Anthony D. Perkins

Challenge:

Give each family member a note card with the sentence “Because I am a child of God, I can become more _____.”  Invite your family members to place it where they say their prayers. Each morning before prayer the family member can look at the card and identify a godly quality he could develop to fill in the missing word, such as loving, forgiving, educated, or accomplished. He should use whatever quality he may feel he needs to develop at the time. Encourage family members to seek the Lord’s help in being true to their capacity to become like him. In the evening, they should ponder the chances they had during the day to work on their potential. Challenge each person to examine the experiences he has had each day and share with his Heavenly Father what he, as one of God’s children, has learned from them.

Giving due credit: It was pretty hard to actually find the text for the origin of man, but it was pretty fascinating to read it in its entirety (along with other references to the same material). It can be found in BYU archives. I drew insights from Chapter 1 of the Sunbeams manual (it is a long-time fav for true gospel principles!) and the Nursery manual. I also pulled parts of this lesson from the Family Home Evening Resource manual (another important tool to have in teaching simple gospel principles) lesson 5 and Gospel Principles Chapter 2. Also, we have this book by Rachel Ann Nunes that I will sometimes add to this lesson. It’s a cute book and worth adding to your library. No affiliate link, just really like it.

Purpose: To teach that we can come to know God, that he has a body, and is a perfected being who loves us.

Possible scriptures: Moses 1:30–39; Moses 2:27; Genesis 1:27;Psalm 24:1; Amos 3:7; Matthew 5:48; Matthew 22:37; Luke 24:39; John 3:16; John 14:6–9; John 14:21,23; Acts 17:27–29; 1 John 4:7–9; 1 Nephi 17:36; Mosiah 4:9; Alma 7:20;  Alma 5:40; 3 Nephi 12:48; 3 Nephi 14:9–11; Mormon 9:15–20; Joseph Smith—History 1:14–17; D&C 38:1–3; D&C 88:41–44; Doctrine and Covenants 130:22; 

Possible Songs: “A Child’s Prayer,” Children’s Songbook 12; “My Heavenly Father loves Me,” Children’s songbook 228; “I Need my Heavenly Father,” Children’s songbook 18; “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” Hymns 68; “Because God loves Me,” Children’s songbook 234; “God’s Love,” Children’s Songbook 97; “Dearest Children, God is Near You,” Hymns 96; “I am a Child of God,” Hymns 301 or Children’s Songbook 2; “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer,” Hymns 26; “Our Savior’s Love,” Hymns 113; “The First Article of Faith,” Children’s songbook 122a;

Possible Materials: Creation picture and picture of space from Gospel Art Book; First Vision picture from Gospel Art Book, (I prefer the one by Del Parson, but at the time of this writing, I’m having trouble pulling it up on the site. It’s a broken link); Puppets of Ammon and Aaron (I have a cleaned up version – one that can print a better quality than found online – that I will gladly send you, but I don’t want to seem like I’m stealing someone else’s creations for my own personal gain, so I don’t want to have them uploaded on the site. If you’d like them – for free, obviously. It’s not my work, just my cleanup skills – for your own personal use, send me a message via the contact tab! Please realize that an actual person will have to read your email, find and attach the folder, and send them to you, so allow time to remain patient!); Picture of Ammon teaching Lamoni

Preparation: Begin with prayer. Ask yourself how understanding the nature of God will help yourself and each member of your family. Read the suggested scriptures, as well as the Gospel Topics section on God the Father. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. think of a way to set up a pretend camping scene where you hold Family Home Evening. Children: ask a grownup to help you think about how to prepare a camping scene. Then watch the videos on Joseph Smith’s first vision and Ammon teaching Lamoni and his father.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

From the Scriptures: If you have small children, hold up the finger puppets of Ammon and Aaron (you may want a set for each child). Tell your family that they were two missionaries in the Book of Mormon. They knew that it was important to start our testimonies with an understanding of who God is. They taught people who did not grow up knowing about God or Christ. They taught simple truths and invited their investigators to pray. Two kings, Lamoni and his father were converted. Hold up the picture of Ammon and Lamoni. Then read the stories found in Alma 18:24–40and 22:4–23. While reading allow the children to “teach” Lamoni and his father by wiggling their fingers with the puppets on them. What did Ammon and Aaron teach King Lamoni and his father about Heavenly Father?

From Church History: Show the picture of The First Vision. Tell the story of the First Vision, as found in Joseph Smith—History 1:14–17. How did Joseph Smith know what Heavenly Father and Jesus look like? What kind of bodies do Jesus and Heavenly Father have? What else do we learn about the nature of God from this story? How does the knowledge that Heavenly Father knew Joseph Smith and called him by name help us understand our relationship with Heavenly Father? Explain that because we are spirit children of Heavenly Father, we also look like him. We have bodies like his. The scriptures say we are “created in Heavenly Father’s image” (see Moses 2:26-27; 6:9). Our bodies are like His body. His eternal spirit is housed in a tangible body of flesh and bones (see D&C 130:22). God’s body, however, is perfected and glorified, with a glory beyond all description. For older families, read any excerpts from Teachings of the Prophets of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 2 that you feel relevant for your family, but make sure to include the 5th paragraph from the life of Joseph Smith. Talk about the steps he took to come to know who God is. Included answers may be that he believed that there was a God and that God would answer him, He studied the scriptures, He prayed, and he acted on what he learned.

Further Discussion:

Knowing God is so important that the Savior said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Read the first part of Preach My Gospel, Chapter 3 as a family. Read the scriptures in the “Study” section on the nature of God. Discuss how these scriptures would feel to someone who has never heard of the Gospel before. How can we also draw understanding and comfort from them? How can we share that understanding and comfort with others?

Read through Gospel Principles chapter 1, the section on the Godhead, continuing through the section on God in True to the Faith, and the Encyclopedia of Mormonism’s content on God the Father. You may also find value in Fundamental to our Faith by Elder Dallin H. Oaks or In These Three I Believe by President Gordon B. Hinckley. Discuss anything that stood out to you. Make a special emphasis on the idea that we can come to know God, and know that He knows us. We will be blessed by drawing near to Him.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: God Among Us, by Dieter F. Uchtdorf; God Loves His Children, by Taniela B. Wakolo; The Love of God, by Todd D. Christofferson; The Things of My Soul, by Ronald A. Rasband

Challenge:

Have the family stand. Help them memorize the first article of faith. If too young, just help them memorize the first part: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father.” Practice all week. If the article of faith is already memorized, memorize Moses 1:39. Discuss what any unknown words mean.

Giving due credit: I read and gained insights from the Sunbeams manual, chapter 2;