Monday, September 29, 2008

Family Scripture Study


"As we teach from the scriptures, it is important that the children have their own set of scriptures so that they can hold them, turn the pages, and read the words of the Lord directly. Having their own scriptures, they can mark them, become familiar with them, and feel the Spirit from them. They need not be expensive books—the simple economy editions contain the same truth as the leather-bound versions—but let them have their own."

Lant, Cheryl C. “Families Anchored in the Scriptures” 2006 BYU Women’s Conference

1)Everybody needs their own set of scriptures.
My 1 ½ year old is the first one to grab his scriptures when we announce that it is time for scripture study. He has the pocket size version of the Book of Mormon. Our 5 year old uses missionary scriptures. Our other children have received a nicer set at the time of their baptism.

2)As a family, decide when and where your family is going to have scripture study.
Common times are in the morning, at dinner, or at bedtime. Places include a living/family room, at the kitchen table, or in a bedroom. Try to have a place to keep the scriptures in the room where you are going to study. For example, we keep ours on a bookshelf in the living room. Also, make sure your study is the right length of time for members of your family.

Sister Beck shared the following story about this she said: “I had a wonderful young mother approach me. She had four children under the age of six, and she said, “We are being faithful in trying to have our family scripture study every morning, but it’s just a disaster. Somebody’s always crying; they don’t pay attention.” And I said, “How long are you trying to do this?” She said, “Well, we set a goal to do 10 minutes every day.” Trying to ease her worry, I said, “Well, with the audience you have, you’re probably about 8 minutes to long.””

Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, February 9, 2008

3)Decide what you are going to study.
There are so many ideas on this. Here are a few:

-The 2008 January Friend has an outline for this whole year to read specific chapters in the Book of Mormon.
-Read chronologically or on specific subjects.
-Read scriptures throughout the week pertaining to FHE lesson, talks from sacrament meeting, or from lessons in Sunday school, Primary, and Relief Society or topics that your family needs to learn about, Preach my Gospel.
-Use the gospel art kit.
-Using the Bible Dictionary or the Topical Guide.
-Help children reach goals in Faith In God, Duty to God, or Personal Progress
-Study the scriptures found at the end of Hymns or Primary songs
-Places to find more ideas listed below.


4)Decide how you are going to study
-Invite missionaries to come to your home or have an enrichment to teach scripture marking techniques.

-Have something for members of the family to mark scriptures with (colored pencils).

Ideas for younger children:

-Divide the books by colors on the edges.
-Have them look for specific words in the chapters.
-You can teach sight words and then look for those words.
-Draw simple pictures about the story in light colors.
-Rotate scriptures around when everyone takes turns or rotate seats.
-Have something that they can chart their progress with.
-Stop and give a brief explanation of background information
-Have them look at pictures from the scripture readers or pictures from the gospel art kit

Older children and adults
Learn meaning of abbreviations and highlight.
Mark all references to the Savior.
Find different names for the Savior.
Mark commandments and blessings.
Come up with color coding system
Find scripture chains.
Study out of the Bible dictionary.
Use Preach My Gospel as a study companion.
Keep a scripture journal and record impressions.

5)Take time as a family to identify how reading the scriptures together has blessed your family.

Never let a day go by without holding family prayer and family scripture study. Put this, the Lord’s program, to the test; and see if it does not bless your home with greater peace, hope, love, and faith.
“I promise you that daily family prayer and scripture study will build within the walls of your home a security and bonding that will enrich your lives and prepare your families to meet the challenges of today and the eternities to come.”
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Back to Gospel Basics,” Ensign, May 1993, 92.

Resources for family scripture study
“Scripture Study with Children,” Ensign, Feb. 2004, 71
“Enjoying Scriptures with Small Children,” Ensign, Feb. 1986, 69
“Scripture Study While You Wait,” Ensign, Feb. 1987, 65
“Toast, Tapes, and Scripture Study,” Ensign, June 1987, 67
“A Head Full of Scriptures,” Ensign, Mar. 1988, 66
“Family Scripture Club,” Ensign, Feb. 1989, 71
“Beating the Scripture-Study Squeeze,” Ensign, Apr. 1992, 73
“A Chapter a Day,” Ensign, Jan. 1994, 72
“Reading the Scriptures Aloud,” Ensign, Oct. 1994, 72
“Enlivening Scripture Study,” Ensign, Feb. 1995, 73
“Scriptures Speak to Children,” Ensign, July 1995, 73
“Scriptures by the Month,” Ensign, Oct. 1995, 71
“One-Minute-a-Day Church History,” Ensign, Mar. 1998, 72
“Enjoying the Scriptures Together,” Ensign, Apr. 1998, 72
“Scripture Sharing,” Ensign, June 1998, 74
“Easter All Week,” Ensign, Apr. 1999, 56
“A Time Line for the Scriptures,” Ensign, June 2003, 73
“Scripture Study with Children,” Ensign, Feb. 2004, 71
“The Art of Scripture Study,” Ensign, Aug. 1989, 71
“Scripture Chases for Children,” Ensign, Sept. 1999, 73
Keeping Scripture Study Alive,” Ensign, Aug 2008, 17–19
Debra L. Adams, “Changing Behavior—One Verse at a Time,” Ensign, Feb 2008, 50–52

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Family Home Evening












1)Identify what you want to have happen at family home evening.
What are you going to learn about?


President Hinckley has counseled to use the General Conference talks. He said "All of the proceedings of this conference will appear in a subsequent issue of the Ensign and Liahona. We encourage you again to read the talks in your family home evenings and discuss them together as families. They are the products of much prayer and meditation and are well worthy of careful consideration. "
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Closing Remarks,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 108


Other ideas for family home evening topics:
Church magazines –all have suggestions for FHE use.
Monthly Primary theme
Preparing for an important event (baptism, arrival of a baby, mission)
Family Home Evening manual
Topics from our Sunday lessons and talks
Faith in God
Duty to God
Personal Progress
For the Strength of Youth
Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts
Preach my Gospel
Gospel Principles
Holidays
Culture
Emergency Prep
Provident Living
Writing missionaries
Genealogy
Recording personal history information


3)Make a schedule –we usually do 2-3 months at a time
What works best for us is to have assigned resources for each week of the month. For example, right now on the 1st Monday of the month is an activity from the Faith in God book or Duty to God (depending on who is assigned the lesson), the 2nd and 3rd Mondays are talks from General Conference, the 4th Monday is the monthly Primary theme, and if we have a 5th Monday we try to do a service project. Then using some kind of chart everyone gets an assignment for each family home evening.

What works best for our family is to spend Sundays or 1 Monday every 2-3 months planning upcoming FHEs- (“Planning Family Home Evening Together,” Ensign, Aug. 2000, 70)
Each child has a folder to keep his/her lesson materials together.

They are given their topics and then they can prepare. They can even pick out hymns/songs, scriptures that go along with the lesson and decide on refreshments, etc. We usually partner up with the younger children to help them with their lesson plans.

At family council on Sunday evenings we review assignments for next night.

Family home evening resources
“Family Home Evening Helps: Five Family History Activities,” Ensign, Feb. 2004, 72
“The Encouragement Council,” Ensign, June 1987, 68
“Home Evening Missions,” Ensign, Sept. 1989, 70
“Home Evening Helper,” Ensign, Jan. 1990, 75
“Chapter-a-Week Home Evening,” Ensign, Feb. 1990, 72
“Lightening Up Family Home Evening,” Ensign, Feb. 1992, 64
“Threefold Family Home Evening,” Ensign, June 1992, 72
“Better Home Evenings—Plan on It,” Ensign, Aug. 1993, 65
“One-Quote Gospel Lessons,” Ensign, Apr. 1995, 73
Family Home Evening: Hero of the Month,” Ensign, Feb. 1996, 73
Five-Minute Lessons on Life Skills,” Ensign, July 1998, 71
An Evening Abroad,” Ensign, Apr. 2000, 68
Double-Duty Lessons,” Ensign, Apr. 1999, 57
Family Home Evening: Our Conference Gift,” Ensign, Oct. 1996,
“Teaching the Mission of the Church,” Ensign, July 1997, 68
“Our Home Evening History,” Ensign, Feb. 1998, 72
“Using Ensign Art,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, 72
Looking for a Family Home Evening Lesson?” Ensign, July 1999, 22
“Planning Family Home Evening Together,” Ensign, Aug. 2000, 70
“Reclaiming Monday Nights,” Ensign, July 2002, 73
”Ready-Made Family Home Evening,” Ensign, Feb. 2003, 73
“Successful Family Home Evenings,” Ensign, June 2003, 7
“Four Tips for Family Home Evening,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 69
“Family Home Evening Suggestion Box,” Ensign, Sept. 2004, 52
“Family Home Evening Helps: A Hymn and a Scripture,” Ensign, Sept. 2004, 73
“Family Home Evening Helps: Family Home Evening with Baby,” Ensign, Jan. 2005, 73
“Baby Home Evening,” Ensign, July 1990, 74
“Strengthening Our Children,” Ensign, Sept. 2000, 30
“Primarily for Family,” Ensign, July 2001, 71
“Family Home Evenings for Tots,” Ensign, Feb. 2002, 67
“Family Home Evening Helps: Helps for Young Children,” Ensign, Mar. 2006, 71
“Home Evening for Young Families,” Ensign, Feb. 1994, 72
“Family Home Evening: Visual Aids That Teach Twice,” Ensign, Apr. 1996, 71
“Family Home Evening Times Two,” Ensign, Apr. 2004, 73
“Involving Teens,” Ensign, Sept. 2003, 73
“The Golden Years of Family Home Evening,” Ensign, Feb. 1997, 66
Family Home Evening Helps: Family Night Surprise,” Ensign, Feb. 2007, 73
Heather Lee Lyman, “Family Home Evening Helps: Family Night—MTC Style,” Ensign, June 2007, 71
Jennifer Hansen, “Family Home Evening Helps: Military Mail,” Ensign, June 2008, 75