Family Home Evening: Teach Your Children

Opening Song: Teach Me To Walk in the Light, Children's Song Book #177
Opening Prayer: Assign
Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 68:25-31

FIVE-POINT PROGRAM BY WHICH PARENTS COULD TEACH FAITH: Summarizing the scripture
*Italics - our answers given by my children or me
* Suggestion: Make strips of 5 points to have each child hold or place up on the wall as you speak of each.

1. Their children were to be baptized when they had reached the age of accountability -- Why are we baptized? What is so important about it? (So we can get clean and so our sins can be washed away)
2. They were taught to pray -- When do we pray? What do we pray over? Why do we pray? (Before we eat, in the morning and at night. Food, our day or night, people we know, etc)
3. They were taught to walk uprightly before the Lord -- What does it mean to walk uprightly before the Lord? (This also means to choose the right or building up personal integrity. As we continue to choose the right, we become honest and trustworthy people walking uprightly before the Lord.)
4. They were taught to keep the Sabbath Day Holy -- What special day do we have during the week? Why is it special? Where do we go on this day? What kind of activities do we do or not do on this day? (Sunday. Because you get to visit Heavenly Father's house and feel the Holy Spirit. We watch gospel oriented videos, play together as a family, not go out shopping, etc)
5. They were to be schooled not to be idle, either in the Church, or in their private lives -- What does idle mean? (To be lazy or not progressing. The Lord wants us to be going about doing good, increasing our faith and others, too. As we learn to work hard by doing chores, it helps our house become clean and orderly. Can the Spirit dwell in our home if it is dirty, cluttered, trash all over the floor and smelly? No, the Spirit cannot dwell in any unclean thing. We do chores to help our home be orderly and invites the Spirit. I'm teaching you to do your own chores so you won't be idle. We first do chores, then our fun activities. We can't progress if all we do is things to entertain ourselves and not helping others around us.)

"All parents who have followed that formula and have so taught their children have reaped reward of an increased faith in their family, which has stood and will yet stand the test of the difficulties into which their children would yet go." ((President Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, Oct. 1952, p.17)

WHY WE HAVE FAMILY HOME EVENING

"We advise and urge the inauguration of a 'Home Evening' throughout the Church, at which time father and mother may gather their boys and girls about them in the home, and teach them the word of the Lord...This 'Home Evening' should be devoted to prayer, singing hymns, songs, instrumental music, scripture reading, family topics, and specific instructions on the principles of the gospel, and on the ethical problems of life, as well as the duties and obligations of children to parents, the home, the Church, society, and the nation." (Letter to the Church in 1915 signed by President Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund and Charles W. Penrose)

PROMISE FROM HOLDING FAMILY HOME EVENING

Then to those who would put this family home hour or evening into practice the Presidency made this promise:

"If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them." (President Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, Oct. 1964, pp.83-84)

BEAR YOUR TESTIMONY

Bear your testimony that as you hold Family Home Evenings, that this promise is true and can increase the faith within your family and help you to live the principles of the Gospel which can protect us from whatever temptations or difficulties that come our way.

Closing Song: I Will Follow God's Plan, CSB p. 164-165
Closing Prayer: Assign

Activity:  Coloring Pages for younger kids while you teach the lesson.

Nephi Teaches Forgiveness

In 1 Nephi 7 the brothers Laman and Lemuel become so angry with Nephi that they laid their hands on him, bound his legs and arms and were going to leave him for dead in the wilderness to be eaten by the wild beasts. What really hit me was even though Nephi's brothers wanted to kill him and that was their intent, when they asked to be forgiven of him, Nephi forgave them!

Would any person today forgive a close friend or family member for trying to kill them?? Not only did they try to kill him but Nephi had to speak with the power of the Holy Ghost to rebuke them and call them to repentance. And even after that, the family members of Ishmael had to convince them to not harm Nephi.
And yet, Nephi still forgave them for wanting to kill him even after all that. Talk about some Christ like love!

If Nephi would be so willing and quick to forgive his brother for killing him, how much more should we forgive others for even lesser trespasses?