Quiet Pandemonium

Inspiration

We Believe In God, The Eternal Father-Article of Faith FHE Lesson

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The first Article of Faith teaches us that we believe in God, the Eternal Father. This is the third in a series of Family Home Evening Lessons on the Articles of Faith.

SUPPLIES: Set of Scriptures for each family member, Children’s Songbook or Selected Music from Church Music Site.

PREPARATION: Prayerfully study the lesson in order to prepare yourself to teach your family about God, The Eternal Father.

SONG: My Heavenly Father Loves Me, Children’s Songbook, page 228-229

SCRIPTURE:“We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” (A of F 1:1)

OBJECTIVE: To learn about God, the Eternal Father and how He loves us.

LESSON:

God the Eternal Father is the father of everyone. He is kind, and he loves you and all his children.

In our last lesson, we learned that President Gordon B. Hinckley said:”I believe in God, the Eternal Father. He is my Father, the Father of my spirit, and the Father of the spirits of all of us. He is the great Creator, the Ruler of the Universe. He directed the creation of this earth on which we live. In his image man was created. The Eternal Father is personal. He is real. He is individual. He has a body of flesh and bones as tangible [touchable] as man. (D&C 130:22).

I worship him. I look to him as my strength. I pray to him for wisdom beyond my own. I seek to love him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. His wisdom is greater than the wisdom of all men. His power is greater than the power of nature. His love is greater than the love of any other, and it is his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all of us. (See Moses 1:39.)”

Ask family members: How do we know that Heavenly Father loves us?

Write down all of the ways that the family can come up with on a white board, chalkboard or piece of paper that everyone can see.

After you have listed as many ways as you can think of, try to find more by singing the following two songs as a family.

Sing: I am a Child of God, Children’s Songbook, page 2-3

After each you have sung the song, ask the following question:

How do we know that Heavenly Father loves us?

Add any new answers to the list you have already started.

Sing: Thanks to Our Father, Children’s Songbook, page 20

After each you have sung the song, ask the following question:

How do we know that Heavenly Father loves us?

Add any new answers to the list you have already started.

Bear testimony that you know that Heavenly Father lives, is real and loves you and each of His children.

ACTIVITY:
Using a white board, chalkboard or just a plain piece of paper, take turns as a family and draw a picture of how you know that Heavenly Father loves you. The rest of the family will try to guess what the family member is drawing. You may continue the game as long as you wish, but make sure that everyone in the family has had at least one turn each.

CONCLUSION: We believe in God, the Eternal Father. He is real. He lives. He loves each of His children and wants us to be happy.

The First Article of Faith–Articles of Faith FHE Lesson

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The first Article of Faith teaches us that we believe in the Godhead and that each member of the Godhead are separate, distinct beings with divine roles. This is the second in a series of Family Home Evening Lessons on the Articles of Faith.

SUPPLIES: Set of Scriptures for each family member, Children’s Songbook or Selected Music from Church Music Site (There is a link included at the end of this lesson.)

PREPARATION: Prayerfully study the lesson in order to prepare yourself to teach your family about the First Article of Faith.

SONG: The First Article of Faith, Children’s Songbook, page 122

SCRIPTURE: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” (A of F 1:1)

OBJECTIVE: To learn about the first Article of Faith and that we believe in the Godhead.

LESSON:

It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God (History of the Church 6:305).

When writing down our most important beliefs, the Prophet Joseph put this as number one: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost” (A of F 1:1).

When the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote the Articles of Faith, he knew that it was important for us to know about the Godhead and to understand how the members are alike and how they are different. “The Father has a body of flesh and bones … ; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost … is a personage of Spirit (D&C 130:22).
God the Eternal Father is the father of everyone. He is kind, and he loves you and all his children.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “I believe in God, the Eternal Father. He is my Father, the Father of my spirit, and the Father of the spirits of all of us. He is the great Creator, the Ruler of the Universe. He directed the creation of this earth on which we live. In his image man was created. The Eternal Father is personal. He is real. He is individual. He has a ‘body of flesh and bones as tangible [touchable] as man’s’ (D&C 130:22).

I worship him. I look to him as my strength. I pray to him for wisdom beyond my own. I seek to love him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. His wisdom is greater than the wisdom of all men. His power is greater than the power of nature. His love is greater than the love of any other, and it is his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all of us. (See Moses 1:39.)”

Because God loves you, he sent his Son Jesus Christ to be your Savior and to be an example for you to follow.

President Hinckley said the following words about Jesus Christ: “I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the eternal, living God. I believe in him as the Firstborn of the Father and as the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. I believe in him as an individual, separate and distinct from his Father.
I believe that he was born of Mary and that Heavenly Father was his father. I believe that in his mortal life he was the one perfect man to walk the earth. I believe that through his atoning sacrifice, the offering of his life on Calvary’s Hill, he paid for our sins if we will forsake evil and follow him. I believe that through his atonement, without any price on our part, each of us is offered the gift of resurrection from the dead. None so great has ever walked the earth.

He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. I believe in him. I love him. I worship him as I worship his Father. I thank him and kneel before his wounded feet and hands and side, amazed at the love he offers me.”

Heavenly Father also wanted someone to always be near you to help you and to teach you, so he sent the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost helps you make right choices.

President Hinckley had this to say about the Holy Ghost: “I believe in the Holy Ghost as a personage of spirit who occupies a place with the Father and the Son. He stands as the third member of the Godhead, the Comforter promised by the Savior, and the one who would teach the Savior’s followers all things and bring all things to their remembrance. The Holy Ghost is the Testifier of Truth. He can teach men things they cannot teach one another.”

Bear testimony of the importance of the Godhead in your life. Testify of their individuality and divine roles.

ACTIVITY:

For this activity, you will be singing three different songs from the Children’s Songbook together as a family. After each song is sung, discuss the characteristics that you discovered in the song about the member of the Godhead you were singing about.

1) “I Know My Father Lives” Children’s Songbook, page 5
2) “He Sent His Son” Children’s Songbook, page 34
3) “The Holy Ghost” Children’s Songbook, page 105

For an additional activity, you could have your family each color the following printable.  Just click on the picture below to be taken to where you can download it for free.

 

CONCLUSION:

The first Article of Faith teaches us that we believe in the Godhead and that each member of the Godhead are separate, distinct beings with divine roles.

I Believe In The Articles Of Faith–Articles of Faith FHE Lesson

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Have you ever wondered what you would say if someone asked you what you believed as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? What would you say? Here is a FHE lesson to help your family learn how to answer this question. This is is first in a series of lessons I will make available on the Articles of Faith.

SUPPLIES: Paper, Pencil, Crayons, Set of Scriptures for each family member

PREPARATION: Prayerfully study the lesson in order to prepare yourself to teach your family about the Articles of Faith.

SONG: Faith, Children’s Songbook, page 96

SCRIPTURE: “All things are possible to him that believeth.”  Mark 9:23

OBJECTIVE: To learn about the origin and history of the Articles of Faith

LESSON:

Have you ever wondered what you would say if someone asked you what you believed as a member of the Church? What would you say?

Allow family members to respond.

One of the tools that our Heavenly Father has given us is the scriptures. In the scriptures, we learn all about the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One important part of the scriptures are what we call the Articles of Faith. Do you know where they are found?

Allow family members to respond.

The Articles of Faith are found in the Pearl of Great Price. Our prophets have told us many times that it is very important that we not only read the scriptures, but that we understand what they say. How can we understand what the scriptures say?

Allow family members to respond.

Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, once told a story about a man from the east who was traveling to San Francisco by bus. When the bus was in Salt Lake City, a young Primary girl got onto the bus and sat next to the man. They began talking with each other and the man asked her if she was a Mormon. The young girl answered that yes, she was a Mormon. The man then asked her what Mormons believe. It was a big question for such a young girl. What would you have said?

Allow family members to respond.

The young girl recited and explained the Articles of Faith. Imagine the look on his face as she did that! He couldn’t believe it! After she got off of the bus, the man thought about her knowledge and her courage. When he arrived in San Francisco, he looked in the phone book for the phone number of the Church. Then he called the local mission president and began to ask questions about the church. The mission president sent some missionaries to teach him. Later, the man and his entire family were baptized members of the Church, all because a young girl in Primary knew and understood the Articles of Faith. And the young girl was courageous enough to share those beliefs with the man. (See Ensign, April 1994, pages 67-68)

Where did the Articles of Faith come from?

Allow family members to respond.

In March 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a letter from a Mr. Wentworth. Mr. Wentworth was a newspaper publisher in Chicago, Illinois. In his letter, he asked the Prophet many questions about the church. As Joseph answered the letter, he was inspired to write thirteen statements that contain many of the beliefs of the Church. These thirteen statements became our Articles of Faith. Later, in 1880, the members of the church voted to accept the Articles of Faith as scripture during the October general conference of the church.

Bear testimony of the importance of the Articles of Faith in your life.

ACTIVITY:

Write and illustrate a column in Mr. Wentworth’s newspaper. Answer each of the following questions in your story:

What are the Articles of Faith?
Thirteen statements of LDS beliefs

Who Wrote the Articles of Faith?
Joseph Smith

Why were the Articles of Faith Written?
To answer questions about LDS beliefs.

Where do we find the Articles of Faith?
In the Pearl of Great Price

When did the Articles of Faith become scripture?
At general conference, October 1880.

How did the Articles of Faith become scripture?
Church members voted for them.

CONCLUSION:

The Articles of Faith are a wonderful scripture source to help us to learn and teach others about the beliefs of our Church.

Guardian Angels

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Blast From the Past

This post originally published on May 4, 2010.

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I had a remarkable experience this past week that I want to share with you.  It is one that has made me reflect on how Heavenly Father and Jesus love each one of us and are aware of our individual needs.  They care enough to send us a friend when we need it the very most.  So here is what happened in my life last week…

I was sitting in my living room, chatting on the phone with my brother while my son and husband were at  Youth Group this last Wednesday evening.  I had almost gone up to the hospital to visit with my mother, but I felt like I should just stay home.  It was a prompting from the Spirit.

It was almost 9 PM and it was getting quite chilly outside.  All of a sudden, a young girl walked into my living room from the back door.  This little girl has Down’s Syndrome and I know her from church.  I work  in our children’s program, which is called Primary.  I am the chorister and teach the children songs about the gospel each week.  Now, you need to understand that this little girl does not live really close to me.  She lives up a hill and over a bit.  There is a canal between our two homes and I really didn’t think this little girl knew where I lived.

When I expressed amazement that she was here in my home,she simply stated that she was knocking.  I asked her if her mother was outside.  I thought that perhaps her mother was talking about some youth stuff with my husband outside,since her mother is in charge of the Young Women’s group in our church group.  She stated that she was outside.  So we went to find her.  There was no one outside and it was dark and cold.

I took her back into the house and wrapped her in a warm blanket.  Then I explained I was going to call her mom, since I was sure she was really worried about her.

Her mother was indeed frantic.  Search and Rescue were currently at her home and they were getting ready to dispatch a reverse 911 call.  There were other Search and Rescue team members throughout the county on their way to look for this little girl.  They were going to have a team dragging the canal. There was great relief that I had their little girl and the authorities came and scooped her up.  No one seemed able to explain how this little girl knew to come to my home.

I know the answer to that though.  I am sure that a loving Heavenly Father had some guardian angels guarding her and guiding her along the way.  You see, if she had gone to my neighbor across the street, my neighbor wouldn’t have known that little girl.  If she had gone down the street to another neighbor, she would have encountered some rather large dogs and they most likely would have scared her.  But Heavenly Father knew that I could help this little girl and that I would know her and she would know me and feel safe.

The next day, her mother drove past my home and the little girl pointed excitedly and said, “That’s the Primary house.”  You see, she can’t say my name.  However, she knows I am in Primary and one of her teachers.  She knows that I love her and that I will keep her safe.

I can’t possibly think of anything better than knowing that my home is “The Primary House”.  Have I influenced this little girl for good?  Yes.  Has she influenced me?  Most definitely.  It makes me ponder how many lives I may have touched and not realize it.  I know there are several who have influenced my life.  But the one thing I learned once again, is that Heavenly Father is aware of each of us and that He loves us no matter what our circumstance.  And that is indeed a cause for celebration and spiritual renewal.

Individual Worth

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Pondering

A few years ago, I was asked to give a talk in church on Individual worth. I thought I would share an excerpt from that talk with you.

Several years ago, I wrote a poem titled, “The Conversion”. It was named such because each of us needs to be converted to who we really are. It isn’t something that can be done for you, but it is an individual journey that we each must take.

The Conversion
By Brenda Emmett

I am…
I am nothing special.
I am just another face.
Inside I am in a world of darkness.
I have no hope.
No hope of a light to brighten my soul.
The stillness of the night haunts me.
Just a whisper beckons unto me.
To come closer…closer.
Slowly, I crawl to answer.
Suddenly, I am falling—
Faster and faster into nothing.
All around the darkness consumes me,
Digesting yet another victim.
Above me there is a flash of light,
Like the twinkling of a star.
I see a face.
I find a friend.
The light spreads—
Filling me with its warmth.
Out of the light a firm but gentle hand reaches out—
Protecting, directing, nurturing, teaching.
And suddenly…
I blossom.
I blossom with a new-found knowledge.
I am a child of God.
I am unique.
I am forever.
I am.

One of my favorite movies is The Lion King. There is a lot of great stuff in that movie and there is some great symbolism in it that parallels with the gospel. If you haven’t seen it lately, then you need to watch it.

To refresh your memory, Simba is a young lion and his father, Mufasa is the king. Now Simba has an Uncle named Scar, who is jealous of his Brother and plans to kill both his brother, Mufasa and Simba, who is the heir to the throne, so that he, Scar, can take over the kingdom.

Well he takes Simba down to the canyon to wait for Mufasa for some “father-son” time and leaves him there. Meanwhile he has arranged for a stampede to go through that canyon. Mufasa of course runs to the canyon to save his son. When he tries to get himself out of danger, Scar pushes him back down the cliff and Mufasa is killed in the stampede.

Scar then tells Simba that he, Simba, is responsible for his own father’s death and tells him to run away and never come back. When Simba begins to run, he tells the Hyenas to kill him. Simba manages to escape and is later found by a warthog named Pumba and a Meerkat named Timon. They take him in and Simba grows up away from his home with his new-found friends.

Then a couple of things happen around the same period of time. A monkey named Rafiki discovers that Simba is alive and determines that it is time for him to return home. Around that same time, Nala, one of the Lionesses, and Simba’s best friend finds him as she is out looking for food. She begs him to return and take over the kingdom from his uncle, Scar, who has basically run the kingdom into the ground. Simba repeatedly tells her no, he can’t go back.

It is after this that one of the most profound parts of the movie takes place. Simba is all alone and speaks out loud to his father, “You said you’d always be there for me, but you’re not, and it’s my own fault.” He hangs his head and is feeling despondent. This is when Rafiki comes along.

Simba asks, “Who are you?” To which Rafiki answers, “The question is, WHO are you?”

And Simba says, “I thought I knew, now I’m not so sure.”

And Rafiki says, “Well, I know who you are…Shhhh….come here…it’s a secret….Asanti Sauna, Squashed Banana and he keeps singing his little song.

Simba gets annoyed and says, “Enough already! What is that supposed to mean anyway?”

“It means you’re a baboon and I’m not.” And then he laughs.

Simba then says, “I think you’re a little confused.”

“Wrong. I’m not the one who’s confused. You don’t even know WHO you are.”

“Oh, and I suppose YOU know?”

And then to Simba’s amazement, Rafiki says, “Sure do…you’re Mufasa’s boy…Bye.” And he runs off.

Simba says, “Hey wait!” and runs after him. When he catches up to him, he says, “You knew my father?”

“Correction…I KNOW your father.”

Simba says, “I hate to tell you this, but he died a long time ago.”

“Nope, wrong again. He’s alive and I’ll show him to you. You follow old Rafiki, he knows the way. C’mon.”

He then leads him through the jungle, up and over the trees, through the vines and makes his way through the crowded path. Finally he says, “Stop! Shhhhhh…..” And he parts the grass and whispers, “Look down there….”

Simba goes through the grass, down the path and peers over the edge to see a reflection of himself in the water. He sighs and says, “That’s not my father. It’s just my reflection.”

Rafiki responds while pointing…”No….look harder….”

Simba looks again. Rafiki says, “You see…he lives in YOU.”

Then Simba has an experience where he sees his father…

“Simba, you have forgotten me….”

“No…how could I?”

And then Mufasa says one of the most profound things in the entire movie…
“You have forgotten who you are and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are MORE than what you have become. Remember who you are. You are my son. Remember who you are.” And he disappears…

Does that sound like something our Father in Heaven might say to us? “You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, You are MORE than what you have become. Remember who you are. You are my son. Or you are my daughter. You are my child. Remember who you are.” Would that be something He might say?

I want to share a little experience with you that happened in our family recently. If you don’t think that the things that our kids learn in Primary can have an affect on both the kids and the entire family, then think again. There was one Sunday that my son was taught that we should all be very careful what types of movies we bring into our homes. He was taught that we should NEVER have any Rated-R movies, and that we should NEVER watch them. That’s a good thing, right?

Well, he came home and began to pull out all of our videos and DVD’s. When we asked what he was doing, he replied, “I’m looking to see if we have any Rated R movies.” Well, we assured him that we didn’t, but he kept looking at every one, just to be “safe”.

It soon spread to the video store. We couldn’t look for movies, without our son telling us which ones we shouldn’t watch. He religiously checked every movie we rented and brought into our home. He still does.

Well, I am sure that you are aware that the movie ratings have once again evolved. Now they tell you WHY a movie is rated the way that it is, so that you can be aware of any objectionable content. And now he reads that…every single time.

A couple of weeks ago, we were all over at my parent’s house and we were going to watch a movie. It was an older movie that we had all seen before, and we weren’t really worried about the content, because we had already seen the movie and didn’t remember anything bad about it. So there we were, my parents, my sister, and the three of us, all ready to watch this movie. As it came up, it stated that it was PG-13 and then gave the reasons for it. None of us paid any attention to it, except my son, who immediately declared that he did not want to watch this movie. When we asked him why, he kept emphatically declaring he didn’t want to watch it. When we pressed him further, he declared firmly, “I do not want to watch it. It said it has something bad and that might scar me for life. I do not want to be scarred for life.”

Do you think that took some courage to stand up to not only his mom and dad, but his aunt and his grandma and grandpa? Do you think it took courage to say, “Hey, this isn’t good for me. I don’t want to scar my spirit?” Do you think he knows who he is? Did he say, “I am a son of God. That movie might hurt my spirit and I don’t do those things. I am worth more than that…?” I hope he always remembers who he is and continues to be a good example to our family.

Individual worth is simply knowing you are a child of God and then acting accordingly. Individual Worth is knowing that you are worth the price the Savior paid for each of us on the cross and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Individual Worth is accepting the gift of the Atonement into our lives. It is telling the Savior that we are indeed worth the price he paid for each of us. He thinks we are worth it, or He wouldn’t have done it. I hope that we can all remember who we truly are, sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and Mother.