Introduction

Welcome  to "Preach My Gospel Generation: Daily Devotionals to Strengthen your Family."  I am excited to have you here, and hope you don't mind a little introduction.

I have felt in my heart a great desire to teach my children the gospel through daily mini-lessons or devotionals, but I was not sure until recently the course of study I should use.  I served as a missionary from 2003-2005 in Brazil, during which time I experienced the transition period between the “old way” of sharing the gospel, and the use of Preach My Gospel.  It was like Christmas the day we all received this book, another tool in promoting missionary work.  Recently, missionaries in our ward challenged my husband and me to be better at sharing the gospel, and encouraged us to come up with our own methods of improvement.  I am a stay-at-home-mother of 4 children (with one more on the way), and I homeschool.  I have many friends and acquaintances who are not members of the church, but my immediate feeling was to be a better teacher within my own home.  The more familiar we are with the lessons taught by the missionaries, the greater the possibility we will have in sharing them in every day conversation with friends who are not members of the Church.  We talk about the things that are familiar to us.  Wouldn’t all members of the Church want to be familiar with teaching everything they believe?  In theory, we should all be attending our meetings every Sunday, having Family Home Evening on Mondays, and studying the scriptures as a family, and personally, on a daily basis.  What about actually studying and discussing the doctrine as a family?  Do we limit ourselves by only discussing gospel topics on Sundays (and possibly Mondays)?  

Preach my Gospel is not just for missionaries.  In fact, all members of the Church have been encouraged to read and study from it.  The design of Preach my Gospel allows for topical study of specific points of doctrine that we, as members of the Church, believe.  Sometimes we have a testimony of specific principles, but when it comes down to teaching it, we stumble.  By studying from this book, we are better able to put our testimonies into words, and share scriptures that support what we know to be true.  Through sharing these points of doctrine with our children, they will feel the Spirit, and “he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:22).

As you study Preach my Gospel as a family, you will be blessed.  Not only will you be able to solidify your testimony of the gospel, but you will be preparing your entire family to be missionaries, both at home and in the field.  With the announcement of the change in missionary eligibility age, many more young people are going on missions, most of whom are leaving directly from their homes rather than attending a year or two of college.  There has always been a great responsibility on the parents in Zion to rear their children in righteousness, and that responsibility is increasing.  When the bar for missionary work was raised, so was the bar for parenting.  As the world becomes more and more enticing and distracting, the Church pulls us in with more tools to maintain our standards and prepare us for the future.  Preach my Gospel is one of these great tools; don’t let it collect dust on your shelf.  Use it until the pages fade and the binding pulls from the spine, then go buy a new one.