Home Evening Helpers

Bishop H. David Burton – “Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts”

2010-02-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

Video of Talk: http://broadcast.lds.org/genconf/2009/10/40/GC_2009_10_406_BurtonHD___eng_.wmv

Written Talk: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-24,00.html

Basic Outline -

Begin with a song and a prayer. As a family, watch Bishop Burton's address. After it has finished, talk about what you have learned. Use items from the lists below or use your own as you help your children internalize the message. Follow up with an activity and a treat, then close the evening with another song and prayer.

Key Points -

Virtue means action. These are ways we should act in our own lives.
Some of the "-ity" virtues are: integrity, humility, charity, spirituality, accountability, civility, fidelity, the list goes on and on.
These virtues should be taught in the home - children won't get it anywhere else.
Heavenly Father expects us to keep these virtues and reap the happy consequences that follow.
They are quickly becoming the lost or forgotten virtues.
A hypocritical example destroys credibility; children don't hear what you say, they see what you do.
It is more important to have virtue than rage/revenge.
Integrity is the mother of many virtues.
We need to rescue and preserve the virtues we seek towards.

Discussion Questions -

Why are virtues so important?
How can we bring these virtues into our everyday lives?
Do you think any of the virtues listed are more important than others?
What virtue do you think would benefit your family most?
Talk about what happens when we don't use these virtues - what behaviors do we exhibit then?
Bishop Burton wants us to rescue and preserve the virtues we seek towards – how can we do this in our own lives? In the lives of those around us?
What virtues do we see portrayed in the life of Jesus Christ?

Activity Suggestions -

Make an activity of looking up or listing all the -ity virtues you can think of. Discuss what each does to our hearts. Display the list somewhere in your home.

The Book of Virtues, a treasury of great moral stories, can typically be found in your local library. If the children are old enough to enjoy them, you can read a story from the book and discuss it with them. Or watch an episode of “Adventures from the Book of Virtues,” which is a PBS cartoon. It’s a bit difficult to find these episodes. Try: http://www.tv.com/adventures-from-the-book-of-virtues/show/4452/summary.html

Enact scenes (pulled out of a hat) with and without virtuous actions. For example, have a child see someone being bullied and tell him to use charity or be the opposite of charitable (perhaps he will join in with the bullies, etc).

For older children/teens, play a variation of “Scattergories,” the game where you write as many words as you can without repeating anyone else's. Use the virtues as categories and choose a random letter from the alphabet. Then have everyone list as many words they can think of in the chosen category, beginning with the letter chosen.

For younger children, use pictures to show the concepts of the main virtues. Repeat the name of the virtue being displayed with your child. Work on recognition at this age, the rest will come later.

Play “Mother, May I?” with virtue questions - use your longest hallway and make up fun types of steps to use. (Baby Steps, Giant Steps, etc.)

Recite the 13th Article of Faith. Display a copy in your home that week. At the end of the week, talk about the impact seeing it daily had on your lives.

Treat Suggestions -

Pudding/ice cream in individual bowls, with extra toppings for each virtue they remember; to make it more difficult, don't allow repeats

Make treats and instead of eating them right away, practice sharing them with each other.

Make cupcakes. Put them together to make a cupcake “cake”. As you pull each cupcake out of the larger cake, talk about one of the virtues your children understood best during the lesson. You can write virtues on each cupcake with icing if desired.

Song Suggestions -

I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus – Children’s Songbook, #78
“Give,” Said the Little Stream – Children’s Songbook, #236
Be Thou Humble – Hymn #130
Do What is Right – Hymn #237
Choose The Right – Hymn #239
Teach Me To Walk In The Light – Hymn #304
Scatter Sunshine – Hymn #230

Scripture Suggestions -

Articles of Faith 1:13
“We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

D&C 121:45
“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.”

2 Peter 1:5-8
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Additional Ideas -

If anyone has additional ideas that would go with this lesson, please share them!!

President Thomas S. Monson - "What Have I Done for Someone Today?"

2009-10-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

Video of Talk: http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-1117,00.html [Scroll down to his talk – Sunday Morning Session – and click on the Windows Media Player link]
Written Talk: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-27,00.html

Basic Outline -

Begin with a song and a prayer. As a family, watch President Monson's address. After it has finished, talk about what you have learned. Use items from the lists below or use your own as you help your children internalize the message. Follow up with an activity and a treat, then close the evening with another song and prayer.

Key points –

Service is important for everyone.
We should take the opportunity to help others as they go through their lives.
Retell the story of the dinner question “And what did you do for someone today?”
Selfish people shrivel up and literally lose their lives. Service-oriented people flourish and expand their influence of good on others – they are loved by all.
Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our lives.
We agree to serve when we are baptized.
We should focus more on what really matters in life and not let day-to-day living interfere.
“Do not immerse ourselves in the thick of thin things.”
We are the Lord’s hand here on the earth, with the mandate to serve.

Discussion Questions –

How can we make time for more service in our lives?
Why do we serve?
Who does service help?
How do we benefit from serving others?
President Monson said he has benefitted more from the service he performed than those he served. Is it always this way? What do you think?
What does President Monson mean when he says “Do not immerse ourselves in the thick of thin things”?
What examples of losing our lives through selfishness can you think of?

Activity Suggestions –

Read the poem President Monson shared; frame it and hang it somewhere in your home.

Create a “warm fuzzy” jar. Have the children share their experiences every night before prayers. Perhaps keep a “service journal” in conjunction with this activity to keep a record of what was done. You could ask “And what did you do for someone today?”

Make your own warm fuzzy animals with pom poms. There are lots of patterns available on the internet – dogs, cats, bees, etc. Start with a search for “pom pom crafts”.

Treat Suggestions –

Ice Cream Sundaes: Each person gets one topping, they must share with others in order for everyone to fully enjoy their treat.

Caramel Apples: Much the same idea as above; each family member receives a bowl with one topping, and must all share for everyone to be happy.

Make a treat and instead of eating them all, take them to neighbors or friends as gifts. Perhaps keep a small portion of the treat hidden at your house to eat when you get back with the quote “Service is Sweet” attached.

Song Suggestions –

A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief – Hymn #29
Because I Have Been Given Much – Hymn #219
Have I Done Any Good? – Hymn #223
I’ll Go Where You Want Me To Go – Hymn #270
Lord, I Would Follow Thee – Hymn #220
Love One Another – Hymn #308
Scatter Sunshine – Hymn #230
You Can Make the Pathway Bright – Hymn #228

Scripture Suggestions –

Matthew 11:28
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 25:37-40
“Then shall the righteous answer him saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

JST – Mark 8:37-38
“For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; or whosoever will save his life, shall be willing to lay it down for my sake; and if he is not willing to lay it down for my sake, he shall lose it.
“But whosoever shall be willing to lose his life for my sake, and the gospel, the same shall save it.”

Mosiah 2:17
“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

Mosiah 18:8-9
“And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
“Yea and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life--”

Additional Ideas –

If anyone has additional ideas that would go with this lesson, please share them!!