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.

A House Of Order

Doctrine and Covenants 88:119
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

Doctrine and Covenants 90:18
Set in order your houses; keep slothfulness and uncleanness far from you.

Doctrine and Covenants 109:8
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

Doctrine and Covenants 132:8
Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
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Some days I wake up and think, "I need to clean this house!"

I know I get this from my mother.   I remember a many Saturdays where we would spend the ENTIRE day cleaning our home.  Every room.  Every bathroom.  Every floor.  Every corner.  Why on Saturday???  Bc we were preparing for the Sabbath, our day of rest. 

Earlier this week I did something like that for my upstairs.  I had all 3 bedrooms, kitchen and dining room and living rooms cleaned before Connor and I left for the day.  And we came home later???  It was so nice to come home to a clean, organized and uncluttered home.  Seriously the best feeling ever. 

I can understand my mother's insistance on always cleaning every Saturday.  It helped us be able to relax and actually rest on Sunday like we are commanded to do.  

Today I looked at my house and thought...now the downstairs needs my help!  LOL.

One room at a time, one floor at a time, one bathroom at a time...but my house, my home...will become a House Of Order.

I Love the Sabbath Day

Especially putting on church music on the computer so we can listen to it while we are getting ready for church. :-) I love this day of rest. I love being able to feel the Spirit as I go to church. I love being able to feel the Spirit when I'm there. I love hearing other peoples' testimonies. I love going to the classes and learning what the teachers have prepared for us.

There's something about going to church every Sunday. It's hard to explain. I come home feeling filled more than I was before. I feel a better person than before. I feel more happy than before. On Sundays like these I know I have filled my lamp with enough oil for the week. At least in that aspect of my life. It is what I am taught at Church that motivates me to do the things I need to. Like the "lamp oil" quiz below. I am so much closer to the Spirit as I have strived to work on the things I'm lacking on. It's the greatest feeling knowing that you have progessed spiritually than from last week...and that you are headed on the right path.

I think another blessing from following the council of the Lord is helping you see your strengths and faults...where you need to work on the most. I know that bc I've tried to keep close to the Spirit, my heart has been opened up to finding out these things about myself. And it's very liberating!! Knowing these things will have a positive ripple effect in life as I change my will over to the will of the Lord.