Friday, January 31, 2014

Days 81-85



Day 81--"The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," p. 36 “The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith” part 1 (through “He called Joseph Smith to be a prophet through whom the fullness of the gospel was restored to the earth.”) and 2nd Article of Faith.

Day 82--"The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,"p. 37 “The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith” part two (Beginning with “After the appearance of the Father and Son…” to the end of section) and 2nd Article of Faith.
“The Restoration”   (this is just about the First Vision and is about 20 minutes long).
“Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration” (this is 1 hour long.  You might want to use the movie during Family Home Evening, or the Sunday following these lessons as part of your review)  

Day 83"The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,"p. 38 “The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” And 3rd Article of Faith.
Day 84"The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,"p. 39 “Pray to Know the Truth through the Holy Ghost.” (be sure to cover the 4 steps of prayers in the inset).  And 3rd Article of Faith.

Day 85— Review entire Lesson 1: The Restoration.  "The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."Use the following ideas to help children remember the entire lesson.  Feel free to create additional questions.  Some questions are a bit deeper than others and require a degree of critical thinking that a younger child might not possess (but you might be surprised).  Use these questions to encourage discussion, not a test.  Feel free to expand on the questions as you deem necessary.

·         How can we move closer to God?  (answer: Obedience)
·         Why has Heavenly Father sent us to the earth? (answer: to learn and grow)
·         Why are families so important to Heavenly Father (answer: family is ordained of God, home is a place to learn and grow, place of happiness, or similar explanation)
 
·         How does Heavenly Father reveal His plan to his children? (answer: Prophets)
·         What is Heavenly Father’s Plan (answer: be successful in this life at living the commandments in order to return and live with Him.  The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the center of the Plan).

·         Key words (for a complete list of key words, see pages 44-45): 

* *Revelation—communication between God and His chosen servants (prophets).  Anyone can receive revelation through the power of the Holy Ghost, but it is the prophet who receives revelation for the world as a whole.    
   *Testify—sharing what one knows to be true.  
   *Apostasy—a falling away from the truth; spiritual darkness.       
 Dispensation—period of time when the truth is on the earth headed by prophetic responsibility.  (feel free to add more key words as you deem necessary).
·         Why was The Great Apostasy different than the other apostasies which occurred between each dispensation? (answer:  The Great Apostasy followed the death of Christ and His apostles.  The Church had been established, but with their deaths, the priesthood authority was completely lost and removed from the earth.  Without the Apostles to guide church members, the teachings became corrupt.)
·         What do you know about Joseph Smith (any acceptable answer, and fill in the gaps with the rest of his story).
·         Through Joseph Smith, the fullness of the gospel was ______ to the earth (answer: restored).  
·          
What does restoration mean, and why was it that the church was restored through Joseph Smith and not founded by him? (answer: Restored means that it was returned to the earth.  All of the keys of the priesthood, priesthood authority, and the power of revelation were once again manifest.  Joseph Smith is not the founder of the Church because he did not create it; Jesus Christ is the founder of the Church, and will always be the head of the Church).
·         Besides Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, what other Heavenly Messengers appeared to Joseph Smith (and Oliver Cowdery), and what did they restore?  (Answer: John the Baptist restored the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood and Peter, James, and John restored the key of the Melchizedek Priesthood.)
·         How can reading the Book of Mormon help us to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God (answers will vary, but can include: by the power of the Holy Ghost we can know that Joseph translated these scriptures for us, etc).
·         How did Joseph Smith obtain the plates which were translated into the Book of Mormon?  (answer:  Joseph Smith was directed by a heavenly messenger named Moroni to a hill where the gold plates had been buried centuries earlier).
·         How did Joseph translate the plates into English?  (Answer: he translated by the power of God).
·         Who wrote the Book of Mormon and what does it tell? (answer: The Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets in the Americas, and records God’s dealings with His people at that time).
·         What 3 steps must we take to know the Book of Mormon is true?  (Answer: We must read, ponder, and pray about The Book of Mormon).
·         How do we pray?  (Answer: Prayer has four steps: first we address Heavenly Father, then we thank Him for our blessings, we ask Him for what we desire, and we close “in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”)

Days 76-80



Day 76-- "The Message of the Restoration," p. 32 “The Gospel Blesses Families.”  And 1st Article of Faith

Day 77--"The Message of the Restoration," p. 32 “Heavenly Father Reveals His Gospel in Every Dispensation” part 1 (through “…those who ignore, reject, or distort the gospel do not receive God’s promised blessings.”  And 1st Article of Faith.

Day 78--"The Message of the Restoration," p. 33 “Heavenly Father Reveals His Gospel in Every Dispensation” part 2 (beginning with “Whenever people choose to disregard…” to the end of section).  And 1st Article of Faith

Day 79--"The Message of the Restoration," p. 34 “The Savior’s Earthly Ministry.” And 1st Article of Faith.
Resources: any video from this site may be useful:  https://www.lds.org/bible-videos?lang=eng

Day 80--"The Message of the Restoration," p. 35 “The Great Apostasy.”  (if you want to discuss the Reformation at this time, it is very interesting, but could be over your child’s head if they are very young.  There is some background information found on page 45, as well as these helpful references: James E Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 692-703; M. Russell Ballard, Our Search for Happiness, 26-32).  And 2nd Article of Faith.
“The Great Apostasy”   (this is about 16 minutes long)

Monday, January 6, 2014

Days 71-75



Day 71"How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?"  p. 121 “Diligence.” And 13th Article of Faith.


Day 72"How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?"  p. 122 “Obedience.” And 13th Article of Faith.
"Six Steps on How to be Obedient"    (this is an audio recording).


Day 73"How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?"  p. 122 “Developing Christlike Attributes.” And 13th Article of Faith.


Day 74"How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?"  p. 126 Complete the Attribute Activity with a family member or friend.  If your child is able to read, then make a copy of this activity for them to fill out on their own, while you do one for yourself.  Discuss how you graded yourselves and how you can be better.  If your child cannot read, read the statements for them and fill it out together.  Some of the statements are specific to missionaries, so skip these.


Day 75—Begin again from the very Beginning. "The Message of The Restoration of The Gospel of Jesus Christ."  —p. 31 “God is our Loving Heavenly Father” and 1st Article of Faith.

Days 66-70



Day 66"How do I Develop Christlike Attributes?"  p. 118 “Charity and Love.” And 12th Article of Faith.

Day 67"How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?"  p. 118 “Virtue.” And 12th Article of Faith.

Day 68"How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?" p. 119 “Knowledge.” And 13th Article of Faith.
“Coming to Know”   (36 minute fireside.  Watch and select certain portions as needed, or watch the entire message as your lesson)

Day 69"How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?"  p. 120 “Patience.”  And 13th Article of Faith.

Day 70"How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?"  p. 120 “Humility.” And 13th  Article of Faith.